Volume 88, Issue 21

NEW PALTZ ORACLE THE

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TTThursday, April 28 , 2016

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF TYLER AYALA

Volume 88, Issue XXI

Wildfire Mostly Controlled After Fifth Day - Dry Weather Could Cause Additional Growth STORY ON PAGE

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INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF THE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

•Increased Lead Exposure Calls for Stricter Water Laws ...Pg 3 •VP of Student Affairs Rooney Announces Retirement ......Pg 4

•Cuomo Launches Teen Driver Safety Campaign ...............Pg 5 •Library Ribbon Cutting Marks Construction Completion ..Pg 8

Kristen Warfield EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Nate Sheidlower

NEW PALTZ ORACLE THE

MANAGING EDITOR _________________

Melanie Zerah NEWS EDITOR

Jack O’Brien FEATURES EDITOR

Sam Manzella

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Melissa Kramer SPORTS EDITOR

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Holly Lipka David Khorassani PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS

Stefanie Diers CARTOONIST

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Michael Rosen Jonathan Perry Jess Napp Monique Tranchina Anthony Orza Rachael Purtell Kintura Williams COPY EDITORS

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Jackie Quaranto WEB CHIEF

_________________

Cam Collichio BUSINESS MANAGER _________________

Marisa Losciale

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER _________________

STAFF Sage Higgins, Matthew D’Onofrio, Nick Tantillo, Otto Kratky, Jake Berkowitz, Erica Ascher, Briana Bonfiglio, Jackson Shrout, Liam Baker

FEATURES

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About The New Paltz Oracle

The New Paltz Oracle is the official student newspaper of SUNY New Paltz. Our circulation is 2,500. The New Paltz Oracle is sponsored by the Student Association and partially funded by the student activity fee.

The New Paltz Oracle is located in the Student Union (SU) Room 417. Deadline for all submissions is 5 p.m. on Sundays in The New Paltz Oracle office and by email at oracle@hawkmail. newpaltz.edu.

All advertisements must be turned in by 5 p.m. on Fridays, unless otherwise specified by the business manager. Community announcements are published gratuitously, but are subject to restriction due to space limitations.There is no guarantee of publication. Contents of this paper cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the Editor-in-Chief.

The New Paltz Oracle is published weekly throughout the fall and spring semesters on Thursdays. It is available in all residence halls and academic buildings, in the New Paltz community and online at oracle.newpaltz.edu. For more information, call 845-257-3030. The fax line is 845-257-3031.

Volume 88 Issue 21 Index NEWS THE GUNK THE DEEP END EDITORIAL COLUMNS

Anthony Mitthauer-Orza Sam Manzella

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Lead Exposure Risk Raises Concern Sam’s Point Brush Fire Smolders On

By Jack O’Brien

Features Editor | Obrienj2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

In the wake of the water crisis plaguing the city of Flint, Michigan, there has been a nationwide effort to address the risks of lead exposure. The poisoning of the Rust Belt city was the result of a water line switch that served as a cost-cutting measure by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2014. The scandal has subsequently created a national dialogue regarding lead exposure.

A recent study by Vox examined lead exposure risks around the country on a town-by-town basis. Using housing and poverty data, they ranked communities nationwide on a scale from one to 10, in escalating levels of risk.

While the surrounding areas in the town and village of New Paltz have a ranking of four, SUNY New Paltz’s campus had a ranking of nine. This puts them on the same lead exposure risk levels of industrial cities like Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

Mike Malloy, the director of environmental health and safety at SUNY New Paltz, said that the statistical data used for the study appeared to be based off of inferences on the age of buildings on campus.

“It looks like [Vox] looked at the age of building and economic standings of residence, which would raise our ‘level’ strictly on those parameters because of the age of our buildings and the ‘income’ level of the residence here on campus,” Malloy said.

Given that the campus is a staterun facility, Malloy said that he expected the lead exposure levels to be lower. According to Malloy, the concerns center around two methods of exposure: lead in the paint used in buildings around campus and in the water supply. Unlike what happened in Flint however, the fears of water contamination are unfounded, as Malloy pointed out that the college gets its water from municipal lines provided by the New York City Department of Environment Protection.

Malloy said that in his eight years at New Paltz, the department has tested water samples “10 to 15 times,” all addressing complaints of discoloration as a result of iron levels. Additionally, SUNY New Paltz has a respectable En-

vironmental Protection Agency record, with no compliance violations or issues in the past five years.

Regarding the exposure risks from lead in paint, Malloy said that most paints no longer have high concentrated levels of lead. Malloy did acknowledge that some buildings with stained glass windows, like those in Old Main and Old Library, had trace levels of lead but were dealt with by independent lead abatement contractors.

Malloy also mentioned that lead is dangerous when consumed, which means that those trace amounts do not pose an immediate risk to students or faculty. He stressed that is important to remember that lead exposure is far more crucial regarding child safety, as young children are more likely to suffer as compared to adults.

“We have relatively very few sources of lead and therefore we have very few ‘exposures’ as compared to other environments around the world,” Malloy said. “Infants and children have a much greater concern exposures than us [as adults]. That’s not to say we as adults are unaffected by lead, it just takes a larger dose to cause harm, whereas an infant and child have a greater reaction to low level exposures.”

According to Malloy, New York State does have some regulations requiring lead abatement of housing and buildings but not on the same level as Massachusetts, which has strict laws to protect children from exposure. Additionally, he stated that the lack of oversight by the national government on lead paint testing on imports puts children at risk. At the same time, Malloy was complimentary of the work OSHA has done to address occupational lead exposure and HUD’s oversight on lead exposure in public housing.

“Of course if you looked for lead, meaning brought the detectable limits on sampling methods down to infinitesimal levels, you would find it throughout our environment, [in soils primarily] because of the leaded gasolines used in our cars a few decades ago,” Malloy said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NYS OFFICE OF INCIDENT MANAGEMENT

The fire at Sam’s Point Perserve on Sunday, April 24.

By Kristen Warfield

Editor-In-Chief | Warfieldk1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

A massive brush fire at Sam’s Point Preserve continued to smolder Wednesday night after scorching nearly 1,800 acres of land since igniting Saturday afternoon. The cause of the threealarm fire is still under investigation.

Officials said Wednesday an estimated 60 percent of the blaze is contained but drier conditions within the next few days are favorable for increased fire activity. According to Christopher Tarantino, public information officer for the New York State Incident Management Team, rain on Tuesday helped to slow the incident but there is still much work to be done.

“Rain is a good thing to help diminish fire spread,” Tarantino said. “It can be anticipated that it will continue to burn but we are in a much better place after the rainfall.”

Before the wet weather arrived on Tuesday, Tarantino said emergency crews faced whipping winds and flames up to 80 feet tall. The 5,000 acre preserve, which is located on the highest section of the Shawangunk Mountains, offers steep and rocky terrain that has made fighting the blaze a bit more difficult to traverse due to limited access, Tarantino said.

Though the affected acreage of the blaze is vast, it has not yet been considered a threat to residential structures and no calls for evacuation

Thursday, April 28, 2016

have been made. Only three minor injuries have been reported as of Wednesday.

A variety of methods are being used to manage the wildfire, including digging control lines around the perimeter and control-burning vegetation to reduce the amount of available fuel for the fire. Water drops via helicopters are also being employed, where large buckets of water are released over top of the hottest parts of the fire. Approximately 300 personnel from various state and local departments have actively been involved with fighting the fire, including the New Paltz Fire Department.

Since 2009, New York State has enforced a residential brush-burning ban for towns with fewer than 20,000 residents from March 16 through May 14, the period when most wildfires occur.

According to John P. Melville, commissioner of the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, it is important for residents to take into account the dangers of how their actions can potentially start brush fires.

“The Division of Homeland Security will continue to assist local fire departments and state agencies with any assets requested to extinguish these fires,” Melville said. “We continue to ask that residents remember the risk of outdoor burning during this time of year and heed all state and local laws regarding the burning of residential brush and waste.”

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NEWS BRIEFS WORLD

PARIS ATTACKS SUSPECT ABDESLAM EXTRADITED, CHARGED IN FRANCE

The lone known surviving suspect in the Paris attacks was returned Wednesday to the city where Islamic State extremists unleashed a night of mayhem and charged with a host of terrorism offenses, raising hopes that he may be able to help French investigators trace the pathways of IS fighters thought to be hiding out in Europe. Salah Abdeslam was whisked in secretly by helicopter after being transferred from the prison cell in Belgium where he had been held since his capture last month. His lawyer, Frank Berton, described a “muscular operation” that had caught even the attorney by surprise, causing him to rush to join his client at Paris’ Palace of Justice.

PROTESTS AS VENEZUELA EMBRACES \ 2-DAY WORKWEEK TO SAVE POWER Venezuelan cities cleaned up from a night of looting and fiery protests Wednesday as government offices closed their doors for the rest of the week in the face of a worsening energy crisis that is causing daily blackouts. In Caracas, hundreds of angry voters lined up to sign a petition beginning the process of recalling the deeply unpopular President Nicolas Maduro.

ON TREK TO EVEREST, A CHANCE TO PUSH BOUNDARIES, FIND PEACE We reach Everest Base Camp on a sunny but chilly afternoon, after an eight-day trek that stretched our physical and mental limits. Aching knees from steep descents and headaches from mild altitude sickness are forgotten as the yellow and orange tents for the summit-bound— framed by some of Himalaya’s highest snow-capped peaks— come into view.

UNDERCOVER SQUAD MAY MEAN MORE COVERING UP FOR TEHRAN WOMEN Tehran resident Sousan Heidari has stopped letting her headscarf slip casually down over her neck and shoulders while driving in the Iranian capital.

These days, the 22-year-old with a taste for bold makeup makes sure to pull it tightly over her dark hair, fearful of running afoul of a newly established undercover division of the morality police.

Compiled from the AP Newswire

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The New Paltz Oracle

Vice President of Student Affairs to Retire

By Nate Shiedlower

Managing Editor | Sheidlon1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Wouldn’t the atrium be a lot harder to meet up in if it wasn’t there?

Well, it wasn’t.

For a long time.

When Vice President of Student Affairs L. David Rooney arrived in 2002, very few students thought of the Student Union (SUB) as a place to get a cup of coffee and hang out or sit and do homework for hours.

At that time Elting Gym was the only athletic center and, by 2016 standards, we were two turf fields short. Not to mention, dormitories needed serious renovations and new partners to accommodate the growing student body.

His co-administrators at SUNY New Paltz said these are just a few of the many challenges Rooney took head on and can be proud of when he retires at the end of June.

Rooney’s retirement, effective June 30, was announced in a university news story on April 8.

“I am grateful for Dave’s many valuable contributions to the quality of student life at SUNY New Paltz, to the overall welfare of the College and to public higher education for the last 38 years. We’re a much better institution than we were, thanks to his efforts,” President Donald P. Christian said. “We thank him for his continuing service in this position through June, and wish him well in his pursuits following his departure.”

Throughout his time here, Rooney has always been very supportive of his colleagues and staff as well as the students,

according to Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Linda Eaton.

“As a leader, Dr. Rooney is very supportive of wanting to help the people in his division grow and develop,” Eaton said.

“He was very instrumental in driving forward the kind of facilities that students want.”

Eaton remembered how the SUB was so non-conducive to student interaction when Rooney was first hired and said it was his passion that really transformed it into what it is now. She added that Rooney has been a real proponent of programing efforts and working to ensure student affairs has the budget they need to improve students’ experience at the university.

“I came here for five to seven years, 14 years ago,” Rooney said. “I stayed because I liked the people, I like the area and I like the students. My goal was to leave the campus better than I found it and I hope people, believe I’ve accomplished that goal.”

Last week, many months of hard work and dedication paid off for our men’s volleyball team when they won the NCAA Div. III National Championship, the first in SUNY New Paltz History. Athletic Director Stuart Robinson said Rooney’s work to help build the Athletic and Wellness Center and push for program funding for athletics contributed to this victory “without a doubt.”

“He laid a strong foundation of understanding for people to realize what athletes can bring to the college,” Robinson said, recalling how Rooney’s commitment and presence in and around the athletic department made him an effective and helpful ad-

ministrator.

Aside from improving leisure and sport facilities, Rooney had a hand in Residence Life as well by initiating the renovations to the Hasbrouck Quad dorms and providing great insight when the newest addition, Ridgeview Hall, was on it’s way up.

Director of Residence Life Corinna Caracci said Rooney played a crucial role in the many improvements that have been and are being made for students living oncampus, adding that the cafe and visiting faculty apartment in Ridgeview were two of his great ideas.

“I’m sad to see him go,” Caracci said.

“He has been a mentor and a friend. In the end his legacy will live on through the work he has done here. He will be missed.”

New Paltz Regatta on May 1, according to Ulster Country Executive Mike Hein who worked with the Bridge Replacement Advisory Committee to make this effort happen.

Reasoning for the bridge’s renovation, besides safety issues from old age, revolve around improving its appearance to more so fit in with the scenic view of the Shawangunks.

“This may be one of the most beautiful scenic views in upstate New York,” Hein told The New Paltz Times. “We wanted to respect that view and enhance the experience when it became clear the 76-yearold bridge needed to be replaced. We also

knew that over 10,000 vehicles cross that bridge every day.”

The new bridge is said to remain steel yet be arched and lit up with minimalistic LED lights. Additionally, a stone overlook is to be included in the bridge, a free public space for people to use for viewing purposes. Costs are approximated to be about $2.5 million and construction is to be done by the Ulster County Department of Public Works.

Once construction is underway, said to take about seven months, traffic will be rerouted to a temporary bridge situated a bit more north down the river than the current bridge.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEWPALTZ.EDU

Bridge in New Paltz to Undergo Construction

By Matthew D’Onofrio

Staff Writer | Donofrim1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The bridge near The Gilded Otter that allows drivers to cross the Wallkill River and take a trip over to the Shawangunk Mountains will be shut down for construction early next month.

The Carmine Liberta Bridge, constructed in 1940, is a steel bridge with two lanes that extends over the river. It is a part of New York State Route 299, connecting the Town of New Paltz west side to the Village of New Paltz east side.

The project has been planned for over a year now and preparation and construction is supposed to start shortly after the

Thursday, April 28, 2016

The New Paltz Oracle

News

Family of New Paltz Director Retires

By Rachael Purtell

Copy Editor | Purtelr1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

After 23 years of working with Family of New Paltz, Director Kathy Cartagena has decided to retire. The organization is currently in search of two people to replace her.

The advice she offers to those who will take her place is not to take the issues home and to remember that everyone has a choice.

“People have a choice of going in one direction or other, even if it’s not the one you think is best for them,” Cartagena said.

Cartagena said what she will miss most are all those who volunteer for the organization and that they have become like family.

“How do I reflect? It was multi-facetted, it went by quickly and it was very rewarding,” Cartagena said.

Family of New Paltz is located on 51

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW PALTZ TIMES

study, internships, and court-mandated community service; and a meeting place for other community services.

Cartagena’s last day will be Friday, May 6. According to The New Paltz Times, she plans to continue to live in the village and remain on the Regatta Committee and the Affordable Housing Committee. She has already had a few job offers but said if she does anything it will be part-time although she does plan on staying involved with Family of New Paltz.

Prior to moving to New Paltz, Cartagena lived in the Bronx and owned and operated a wholesale and retail record store selling Latin music for 25 years with her husband Robert. Before Family of New Paltz she only had two years of experience working with human services.

Cartagena says she is very much looking forward to retirement and plans to spend her newly found extra time shopping and travelling. She also wanted to thank the community for their support and donations and expressed extreme gratitude.

Fellow Family of New Paltz employee and SUNY New Paltz 1963 alum Ruth Bean said that Cartagena was always very encouraging and always let the staff know that they were doing a good job. Bean also said the Cartagena was also always very compassionate to all clients and extremely hard-working.

“We’ll miss her friendly smile every day, even when it’s under a lot of pressure,” Bean said. “And just making us feel good.”

er and Shenendehowa high schools. Two of the four students in the accident were killed after being hit by a drunk driver, who was also texting.

“Raising awareness about traffic safety can prevent senseless tragedies and save lives,”said Gov. Cuomo in his press announcement. “By spreading the word about the Empty Chair Campaign, we can stop crashes before they occur, and ensure a bright future for all of New York’s students.”

According to the National Traffic Safety and Highway Administration there were over 16,000 accidents involving teen drivers in New York State in 2013 alone.

Joe Morrissey, New York State Department of Motor Vehicle Spokesman, said that the initiative aimed to let students know how valuable they are to the future of New

York, and how important it is that they are a part of that future.

Over 2,000 posters in support of the campaign have been distributed by the state, and local officials and administrators are being called to take part as well by taking the time to raise awareness about the statewide initiative.

Law enforcement was instructed to look for underaged drinking hotspots, and targeted all school zones, seatbelt violations, speeding in school zones, texting while driving, distracted driving, and driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

“Every year you read that a tragedy has occurred around graduation, and it is our job to do our best to prevent that,” Morrissey said.

N. Chestnut Street and has two full-time employees and 25 volunteers. It primarily functions as a crisis intervention center and provides emergency short-term counseling, information and referral, case management, emergency food, and access to Adult Case Management, Adolescent, Domestic Violence, Child Care and Emergency Housing Services.

The organization offers additional services including a food pantry, free store with clothing, furniture and household items; public rest room, community bulletin board for employment opportunities, available housing, messages, workshops, classes and seminars, free public telephone for local calls and long distance in emergencies, client advocacy, emergency transportation, supervision of community service, work experience, work-

New York State Aims to Protect Teen Drivers

By Kintura Williams

Copy Editor | N02684069@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Following a push from the capital, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York State are relaunching their effort to reduce car accidents and deaths of teen drivers as the weather changes.

Gov. Cuomo’s Traffic Safety Committee has partnered with police departments across the state to launch the “No Empty Chair” campaign. The effort ran from April 18-22 and was timed to coincide with proms and graduation season to minimize accidents involving teen drivers, making sure there were no empty chairs at graduation.

The weeklong campaign was initially started in 2015 at Shaker Highschool in Latham, New York after a fatal car accident in 2012 involving students from both Shak-

Thursday, April 28, 2016

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NEWS BRIEFS NATIONAL

Presidential Race 2016 SPECIAL Winners of Super Tuesday

Democratic Hilary Clinton 1,644 delegates

Republican Donald Trump 987 delegates

TRUMP GOES ‘PRESIDENTIAL’ IN SPEECH; CRUZ PICKS EARLY VEEP

With the general election in his sights, Republican Donald Trump delivered a sober foreign policy address Wednesday aimed at easing fears about his temperament and readiness to be commander in chief. Rival Ted Cruz made a desperate attempt to jolt the GOP race by tapping Carly Fiorina as his running mate. Both moves underscored Trump’s commanding position in the GOP race. Though the businessman must keep winning primaries in order to clinch the nomination before this summer’s national convention— he needs 48 percent of delegates still up for grabs— he has breathing room to start making overtures to general election voters. All Cruz can do is throw obstacles in his path.

TRUMP STRUGGLES TO EXPLAIN ‘AMERICA FIRST’ FOREIGN POLICY

Donald Trump strained to lay out a clear vision of his “America first” foreign policy on Wednesday, vowing to substitute hardheaded realism for what he called a post-Cold War era replete with U.S. national security failures. Yet the Republican presidential front-runner outlined no strategy for how he’d make the United States at the same time a “consistent” and “unpredictable” force in the world. And he didn’t appear to allay the concerns of U.S. and international critics— Republicans at home as well as Democrats— who see him as unfit for the responsibilities of commander in chief.

TED CRUZ TAPS CARLY FIORINA TO SERVE AS RUNNING MATE

In need of momentum after a five-state shutout, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Wednesday tapped former technology executive Carly Fiorina— a woman he said has repeatedly “shattered glass ceilings”— to serve as his running mate.

Compiled from the AP Newswire

Opinion

B athroom P ass , P lease ?

The New Paltz Oracle

Curt Schilling, a postseason hero for both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox, finally crossed the line last week. On April 20, Schilling was fired from his job as a baseball analyst for ESPN after sharing a transphobic meme on his Facebook page. The meme criticized the perspective supporting the right of transgender people to use the bathroom of their choosing.

This of course was not Schilling’s first offense. He had previously been reprimanded from ESPN for his online activity, including sharing a post that compared Muslims to Nazis. Some see Schilling’s firing as another example of the encroaching nature of political correctness in America. However, it should be noted that ESPN employed Schilling for his baseball analysis, not his political commentary.

We at The New Paltz Oracle unequivocally support the right for transgender people to use whichever bathroom they identify with. Additionally, we join Disney, Target, the NBA and PepsiCo in urging North Carolina Gov. McCrory to overturn HB2. This piece of legislation unfairly restricts residents from going to the bathroom which makes them most comfortable.

In an era where the rights of individuals are being pitted against overreaching government interference, this is just another extension of that ongoing debate. It is our opinion that this is a civil rights issue and a point of contention in a society coming to grips with every facet of itself.

We believe that the law cannot be reasonably enforced, and fines incurred would be a result of government officials scrutinizing persons based on appearance. This violates

CARTOON BY STEFANIE DIERS

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Editorial

The New Paltz Oracle modern rights towards using public facilities based on physical appearance or gender identification.

States in the south, with a history of very publicly dealing with civil rights issues, have now become a litmus test for the national mood. North Carolina, Mississippi and Alabama have all passed anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation in the past month, solidifying an objectionable perspective on a misunderstood minority group.

Meanwhile, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal stood alone in both his party and his region, in resisting the call to restrict bathroom access freedom for transgender people. Granted, this was under severe economic pressures from Disney, the NFL and the NBA, all of which said they would financially retract from Georgia. Boycotts have a record of effectiveness and if change can only be achieved through economic means, then that must be the cornerstone of the game plan going forward. For the sake of equality and fairness we must be heard by causing their wallets pain.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who previously objected to Indiana’s religious liberty bill that had adverse effects on the LGBTQIA+ community, has instituted a similar ban on nonessential travel of state employees to North Carolina. We support the governor for his stand against the stubborn reluctance of some to accept the rights of all peoples.

Rising from a state-based issue, the bathroom dispute has percolated to the presidential level this week, with President Barack Obama condemning the law as discriminatory, saying the laws “are wrong and should be overturned.” Additionally, the issue has split the Republican presidential hopefuls, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz forcefully reiterating his opposition to transgender use of public bathrooms while an unlikely ally has emerged: Donald J. Trump. This issue has polarized Americans of every stripe, as the evolving discussions of gender and sexuality force us as a nation to confront the truth.

Unfortunately, America is poorly-equipped at this time to handle several aspects of this debate.

Limited information and education, along with the

prevalence of unwarranted ignorance, has withheld us from a fair and just conversation on gender. Instead, the screaming matches of heavyweight partisans, and the onslaught of Curt Schillings against the social justice warriors of the world has harmed society more than it has benefitted it.

Democracy works because people can express their opinions and together so we can work towards a reality that we are proud to live in. But in order for those opinions to add to this reality, they must be informed and they must be well thought out.

So far the most compelling opossing argument is that people do not want an old man in the same bathroom as their young daughter. This may be a legitimate fear for a parent but the argument is very flawed. Not all transgender people are old men, number one. And number two, transgender people who some may consider women will be going into the “men’s” restroom as well. While it is entirely possible someone may take advantage of this law to further an illegal or perverted agenda, that scenario is unlikely and insulting to the transgender community and those advocating for equality.

Last year, an ordinance in the city of Houston was voted on by the public concerning whether or not transgender people could go to the bathroom with which they identify with. An ad that ran in the lead up to the election cast the issue as a children’s safety issue, nastily insinuating that transgender women are pedophiles seeking entry to women’s bathroom in the hopes of assaulting or raping young girls.

But there is a threat the other way as well. It is no secret that our society feels strange about men in the “women’s” restroom and vise versa. If a transman enters the “woman’s” restroom there is a solid chance a girl could come out, tell her husband or boyfriend and then, upon the trans-man exit, they are assaulted. Trans-women entering the “men’s” restroom are also at potential risk to be assaulted by an intrusive man who comes in. This is not to say we support the bill, far from it. Instead we must encourage transgender people to do what they wish, but do understand the risk and think of your own

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safety.

When the ordinance was approved, blocking transgender people from one of the most basic rights, crossed a line from concern of political correctness into something darker. This is not a continuation of the perpetuation of the political correctness that has consumed other controversial topics that require debate and discussion. An individual’s gender identification is their own personal business and shouldn’t even be a political issue.

Unfortunately it is an issue and the debate over transgender rights and policies are not by any means finished. There are still steps forward that need to be taken in this conversation, along with dozens of others regarding the civil rights of American citizens. The founding fathers said all men were created equal, but it took generations to secure equality for African-Americans, women and other “minorities.” For the LGBTQIA+, the struggle will be thrust onto future generations. Perhaps they will be wiser and more capable of making a change that shouldn’t even be needed in the first place.

All of that being said, repealing this law would be a necessary step forward.

We have been sharing a bathroom with lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse people our entire lives. We will continue to do so, in spite of intrusive laws that lack any semblance of practicality to even enforce. Every person in America is different, but we are collectively strong due to the proud diversity we believe in and strive for. Few other countries on earth can boast that the goal of the nation is to provide the noble privilege of equality to all who live there.

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 New Paltz Oracle

Your Student Senate Brief

By Kintura Williams

Copy Editor | N02684069@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The Student Senate met to address new business and to put old business to bed as they gathered for what would be their penultimate meeting pending senate elections starting this week. Student Assocation President Rookie Reynoso started the meeting with brief updates on small campus renovation activity.

According to Reynoso, the changes include the closing of Bevier Hall in the fall, renovating the lockers in Elting Gym, attempting to get a traffic light at the intersection of Maneheim Road and the South End entrance and the rebuilding of the Hasbrouck bridge— a projected $130,000 project.

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Governance Nicole Striffolino let everyone know that senate elections end tomorrow at midnight, before she informed everyone that one of the new Black Studies professors was just placed on the tenure track. Vice President of Finance Raquell Kissi added that the club budget numbers for conferences was 552

and general programming was 7,800. Senate Chair Paul Brown said he would soon be meeting with the Vice President of Academic Affairs to discuss lack of class availability.

Senator Moesha Smith broke the news that, according to head of Sodexo Ryan Goodwin, Oscar’s will not be returning as a dining option next semester. Instead, there will be a new dining hall opening inside of the Wooster building that will be open from Monday to Thursday. Smith also noted that Hasbrouck would be open until 11 p.m. every night, meal plans would remain the same, but there would be no food options on campus after 11 p.m.

Smith suggested creating a survey about potential dining hall options in the future to get student feedback. Soon after, Senator Charni-jah Clarke updated the senate on the progress of Reynoso’s previously suggested Ecuador earthquake fundraiser saying that donation boxes will be set up in all of the

dorms around campus.

Up next, elections were held amongmembers of senate to decide the new Senate Chair for the upcoming semester. Current Senate Chair Paul Brown, Senator Moesha Smith and Senator Brenna Hemmings gave speeches expressing their intentions as Senate Chair and answered questions from the fellow senators. At last, after a ⅔ vote it was decided that Moesha Smith would be the new Senate Chair.

Goldie Harrison, Vice President of Programming addressed concerns about ticketing for the spring concert. 1,000 tickets sold out in less than five hours on April 18, the first day they went on sale and another 170 tickets sold out in less than a minute after the initial sale day. Harrison noted that the previous had never happened in the history of the school, and cited new provisions to handle ticket sales in the future. According to Harrison, future procedures will include an online

RSVP for tickets. Senator Richard Pezzela introduced proposed general education curricula changes from administration that are meant to make sure students take a variety of classes. There are currently four different proposals and Pezzela suggested a poll with a basic description of each proposal to find out the best option according to the student body. Striffolino called for more transparency with administration in regards to possible GE changes.

At the end of the meeting, the last order of business shifted the discussion once again to the closing of Oscar’s. Pezzela noted that Hasbrouck did not have the room as a late night dining hall to accommodate all of the students if Oscar’s closed. The meeting ended with the suggestion that Ridgeview, Wooster and Hasbrouck all stay open late if Oscar’s is to close completely as a late night dining hall, and a final meeting scheduled next Wednesday at an undetermined time.

Campus Celebrates New Library

By Holly Lipka

Photo Editor | Lipkah1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The Sojourner Truth Library celebrated its reopening with a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the completion of a $14.3 million renovation on April 21.

Many figures involved in the completion of the project including state policymakers, campus officials, representatives of architectural and construction companies and library staff who attended the ceremony.

“This ribbon cutting ceremony is a celebration of the great collective achievement of this renovation project,” President Donald Christian said.

Improvements to the library included renovations to the exterior facade to increase natural light along with enhancing the view of the nearby Shawangunk Ridge, as well as additions to the interior. The interior features new group study rooms and a conference room, enhanced public gathering areas, new furniture, a new central service desk, a Digital Arts and Humanities Lab, and a new cafe “where our students tend to be living in,” Christian said.

Other notable speakers included N.Y.S. Assemblymember and alumnus Kevin A. Ca-

hill, who as a commuter student would go to the library during the day between classes.

“The library is one of the most important buildings on campus,” Cahill said. “It’s the building every student is assigned to, regardless of major or discipline. It’s the center of many colleges including our college.”

Journalism student and Oracle A&E editor Sam Manzella is a reference assistant at the library and spoke about the importance of the Sojourner Truth Library in her life.

“As a reference assistant I’ve seen the changes the library has undergone firsthand and the dedication of our library staff, that worked tirelessly to get the space ready and functional for students,” Manzella said. “The Library feels like a second home to me, and I know many other students who feel the same way.”

The project had more than 40 subcontractors, including many from the Hudson Valley and nearly all from New York State and generated about 100 construction jobs.

The ribbon cutting was followed by arts and academic events at the library like musical performances by student groups and a play from Assistant Professor Theatre Arts Bria Walker.

Open House May 17, 4:30-6 pm

We have expanded our options for summer study at Westchester Community College. Choose from hundreds of courses online or in classrooms throughout the summer. Catch up with classes in Liberal Arts, Business, Healthcare and more at Westchester’s most affordable college.

Register now to get your pick of the classes you need.

REGISTER NOW FOR SUMMER CLASSES Classes Begin May 16 & 23, June 27 & August 1 sunywcc.edu/openhouse sunywcc.edu/summer 914-606-6735

Thursday, April 28, 2016

THE GUNK

Thursday, April 28th, 2016

When Queen B Gives you Lemons Review on page 8B

PHOTO BY WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

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The Search for Life Beyond NASA ASTRONOMER EXAMINES CHANCE OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE

By Kristen Warfield

Editor-in-Chief | Warfielk1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

When we think of extraterrestrial life, the thought of a cute brown creature with an affinity for Reese’s pieces might pop into some of our minds. For others, they may be what nightmares are made of: slender, creepy looking beings with big dark eyes and reptile-like skin.

Though their existence has not been scientifically proven outside of pop culture, questions still remain as to whether Earth is in fact the only life-sustaining planet in the universe.

With this comes another simple, yet astounding question of self-reflection. Are we really alone?

On Wednesday, April 20, NASA Astronomer Lou Mayo visited SUNY New Paltz to address this staggering question and introduce the complex existing evidence behind the possibility of life outside of Earth. In his talk, titled “The Search for Life in the Universe,” Mayo laid out what we have already learned about the possibility of extraterrestrial life from examining life on Earth and the conditions out there that could support life beyond the blue planet.

When taking into account the extreme conditions on other planets and moons in the universe, it may be hard to imagine that they could possibly sustain life. But in many places throughout our own planet, life is sustained even in the most radical of conditions, Mayo said.

By looking at species like tube worms, which live near blazing hot hydrothermal vents at the bottom of Earth’s oceans, we can distinguish under which range of conditions life may be possible. If life can exist in the harshest conditions on Earth, Mayo said, it is likely that it may be able to exist in the harsh temperatures and pressures of other planets or moons as well.

“Some forms of life thrive in these conditions, so when we start looking for life outside the Earth, all of a sudden the possibilities for it and the places we can look for it expand enormously,” Mayo said.

One of these spectacular life forms are tar-

An artistic rendering of the view from Europa’s surface.

digrades, also known as “water bears.” These microscopic, water-dwelling animals can live just about anywhere in the world from the Antarctic ice, deep-sea trenches or inside moss in our own backyards.

Tardigrades are extremely resilient; they can go without food or water for 30 years and are currently the only known animal to survive in space.

“Tardigrades have been found alive and well outside the International Space Station,” Mayo said. “Radiation doesn’t seem to bother them, extreme temperatures are easy and with a lack of oxygen or any air for that matter, these guys just thrive.”

When assessing the conditions in planets or moons where temperatures are extreme and there is no oxygen, chance of life doesn’t

seem so impossible after all. To support life, however, a planet or moon needs liquid water. When they have that, potential for life can arise, Mayo said.

“On Earth, we know that everywhere we find liquid water, we can find life,” Mayo said.

“Therefore, evidence of water on another planet can ultimately be evidence of life.”

Throughout the solar system, there are plenty of candidates that have this evidence of water, but one stands out glaringly among the rest: Jupiter’s sixth-closest moon, Europa.

Beneath this icy moon’s surface lies a suspected ocean of liquid water which could host conditions favorable for life. NASA is currently pursuing this so-called “Alien Ocean” by developing a radiation-tolerant spacecraft to send into Jupiter’s orbit, which will get close enough

Thursday, April 28, 2016

PHOTO BY WIKIMEDIA

to Europa to gather more data on the moon.

Though the mission is slated for sometime in the 2020’s, NASA has already selected nine important instruments that will gauge the moon’s composition, including a radar to search for subsurface lakes and a magnetometer to help determine the depth and salinity of its ocean.

Though complete evidence of life outside the Earth has not yet been determined, the room for new findings and the capacity for human wonder is vast, Mayo said.

“There are environments in the solar system that have potential for life, and in some cases we can go there,” Mayo said. “It’s expensive and dangerous, but we can do it. We’re explorers at heart, aren’t we? We’re explorers, we always have been. It’s in our DNA.”

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CONCERNS RAISED OVER IMMIGRATION ROUTE PATTERNS

By Monique Tranchina Copy Editor | Tranchim1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu In recent months, the Syrian immigration crisis has been in the headlines in the United States as well as other foreign countries. But a question arises: are we also letting in other immigrants under the radar without having major ethical debates? Are these migration stories much more complex than they appear on the surface?

“Pre-Occupied Liquid Spaces: The Journey of Italian Emigrants Abroad and Foreign Immigrants Toward Italy,” was presented on Wednesday, April 20 by Dr. Teresa Fiore of Montclair State University. She discussed the horrors of past and present immigration issues that cloud the Mediterranean region.

Some migrants still cross dangerous conditions to reach Italy in hopes for a better quality life or career opportunity.

Traversing land and sea can be a matter of life or death for these hopeful immigrants leaving wars, famines, persecution and lack of opportunities. According to Fortress Europe, from 1988 to 2016, 13,318 people died while crossing the Sicily Channel, with 9,965 lost at sea. The story of today’s foreign immigration towards Europe, and Italy specifically, is strongly marked by undocumented routes, even though many communities are integrated in the social fabric of the country.

Yet, as Fiore said, few people are aware more than 500,000 Italian natives have overstayed their visas in the United States and elsewhere and live as undocumented immigrants but have a higher level of education and pursue different career paths. Some accept simple jobs as long as they can they can find job opportunities that allow them to improve their economic condition.

A video excerpt of “Once We Were Strangers” by Emanuele Criarlese suggests how some Italian immigrants may even travel across the Atlantic using a simple raft and minimal resources to reach New York City.

Though a dramatized rendition, this story of an Italian young man’s struggle to arrive in a more promising land documents many modern survival narratives that aren’t well known

by Americans.

While there are Italians who look for opportunities abroad, foreign immigrants cross borders to find opportunities in Italy and Europe: yet they really use boats that are insufficient to cross large bodies of water such as the Mediterranean with many other passengers, and more often than not they don’t know how to drive these boats nor how to swim. Their crossing is risky and sadly, fatal for many.

Their stories resonate with Americans as this country also experiences the arrival of undocumented migrants.

“Like the southwest border of the United States, travelers cross the deserts over 100 degrees, in packed vans,” Fiore said.

Italians themselves have traveled as undocumented immigrants in the past and today they overstay. Yet, a large number of them come via legal visas to find opportunities in academia, among other sectors. From the 1980s to ‘90s, a number of ‘brain-drain’

PHOTO BY FLICKR USER MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Italians left Italy in search of intellectual opportunities to become doctors, lawyers and higher paying jobs that require research.

Therefore, their “self-perception, as well as the perception of Italian on the part of Americans is different than that of Italian immigrants at the turn of the century,” Fiore said.

Fiore is part of the population that wanted to pursue a job in higher education. She came over by herself. Thanks to her position as Inserra Chair in Italian American Studies at Monclair State University, she utilizes her career as a way to stay connected to her heritage and promote Italian culture.

Ornella Mazzuca, Associate Professor of Spanish at Dutchess County Community College, also of Italian lineage, appreciated the main goal of the presentation. Sharing an accepting socio-cultural view, Mazzuca states “it’s not an invasion, it’s a cycle.”

Pierra Castelnovo, local volunteer, is aware of the issue of Italian immigration and

Thursday, April 28, 2016

how it seems to appear over time in economic recessions. However, “It’s easy to deny the whole thing,” Castelnovo said. Casting aside other culture’s migration stories while others receive more attention seems to be an issue many are not aware of in the United States.

But regardless of ethnic background, many refugee and migration stories share common roots in fleeing poverty or challenging situations, and seeking opportunities to rise in economic status.

Indeed, Italians overstaying the United States do have many obstacles to bear when they leave their homeland, although it is not comparable to the challenges faced by those who cross borders without papers. Many may not reach a more satisfying life economically but are searching. Ancestors who passed through Ellis Island over a century ago must have bore the same mindset that hoped for comfortable standards of living and working in more alluring conditions.

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Years of Tears and Fears LECTURE UNEARTHS INSIGHTS INTO AMERICAN GENOCIDE

By Jonathan Perry Copy Editor | Perryj1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu In American history classes, lessons have focused on the slavery of thousands of Africans by their white enslavers. What most people don’t know however, is that Native Americans also took part in owning slaves.

The effects that slavery had on immigration in the early 1800s had great implications for southern life and aided in escalating events that led to the Civil War. Nakia Parker, a Ph. D. at the University of Austin, Texas, said we need to think of new ways to look at events in history we thought were familiar.

“Without considering people’s migration to Indian territory, we have an incomplete understanding of slavery or native participation in this practice,” Parker said.

Parker gave a speech on Tuesday, April 19, focusing on the effects of Black and Indian migration from the time of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 to the Dawes Act of 1887.

Her talk focused on the people in the southwest borderlands who were enslaved by the Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians.

These different groups in the borderlands combined with a lack of centralized authority in the south caused slavery and territory to be highly volatile and contested. The social fluidity of the space escalated tension to the point of kidnapping slaves and raiding holder’s territories.

“This exacerbated the uncertainty that characterized much of enslaved life in the 1830s,” Parker said.

The migration of black bodies across time and the trauma they faced while enslaved are an integral part of understanding slavery. Parker said that by exploring the lives of the enslaved, we can understand how it may have molded African-American identities and culture, as well as conceptions of citizenship.

During this domestic slave trade era, the first and second middle pas-

PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA

sage transplanted millions of African bodies from the upper to the lower south. Parker proposed another event that took place that can be deemed as a third middle passage, which is the removal of thousands of enslaved people with their native enslavers from the south eastern parts of the United States to resettle in Indian Territory in other areas.

“In 1830, [President] Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which removed the natives from the southeast to Oklahoma,” Parker said. “After the removal of Indian Territory during the Trail of Tears, hostility broke out between slaveholders.”

According to Parker, hostility didn’t end there. An excerpt from a Houston newspaper said that disturbances and feuds were stirring amongst the Cherokee who resided in Arkansas. People began to fear

that a bloody combat would take place.

This excerpt of the fear of migration gives us an idea of the political and social environment of the time.

To understand how this fear may have affected the enslaved as well as the owners, Parker said that there must be an understanding of the direct correlation of the native slave holder’s management and control over enslaved people.

Another excerpt from an autobiographical account of one slave revealed how their surrounding areas and living experiences were altered by the hostility amongst the slave holders. A woman of African descent named Chainey Richardson knew nothing but war as her old master was constantly on the lookout for other tribes he was feuding with.

This feud got so bad that when an aid went up a road to get supplies,

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she never came back and was later found dead. Other tribes did what they could to hurt the other owner’s property. African descents stood out as commodities and valuables, and destroying someone’s property hurts a slave holder’s financial interest and their honor for being unable to protect it.

Parker said that many times a historical view can always be different from a known view. Only by understanding the effects of the trauma and migration these slaves had suffered due to the escalation of handlings under Indian slave holders, can allow us to better piece together the history we all have come to know.

“Only by piecing the history of these people together can we better understand the causes and motivations that helped lead to the Civil War,” Parker said.

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Crispy Slamminʻ Salmon

One of the members of The Oracle shares their culinary chops with you. Bon appetit!

By Jonathan Perry Perryj1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

When people hear salmon, they think “oh fish, just fish? I hate fish.” Well theyʻre wrong. What I have is a recipe, a recipe from the coasts of New England and Gulf of Mexico, from sea to shining sea. I love this country. I have a recipe that will change their minds and make them followers of the fish. This recipe is both fun to make and will leave your taste buds satisfied at the end of this delicious meal.

For this meal, you will need every component of this list: Sea salt Cutting edge knife Oli ve Oil Cutting board Cajun spice Spatula Pan Place the pan on the stove and wait for it to heat up.

PHOTO BY FLICKR USER GWEN

The first step is to put the salmon (portion size is one pound) meat side down and to cut vertical slices half way into the skin side of the salmon. Space these cuts out evenly enough so the salmon cooks evenly (it is not mandatory but it helps).

Take salt in hand and put a pinch of salt into the flaps of the salmon so it gets crispy when cooked. Pour some oli ve oil in the flaps and coat the skin side of the salmon. Then, with the pan hot, coat it with oli ve oil and place the salmon on the pan. Press lightly on the salmon to make sure all the parts are being cooked.

Pour some Cajun spice on the meat side of the salmon. Wait till the color of the salmon changes from bottom to top about 2/3 of the way up. Flip the salmon over and time five minutes for the rest of the cooking. Af ter five minutes, flip the salmon over again and turn the stove off, leaving the skin side to cook for the next five minutes as the stove cools down.

Now with a crispy and spicy salmon dish, add some sides or herbs and you are another recipe toward being a certain fish lover.

Ulster County Job Market Above Average

By Monique Tranchina Copy Editor | Tranchim1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Ulster County has seen a rise in job growth over the past few years, with unemployment rate at 5.6 percent, compared to the national average of 6.3 percent, and household income over $5,000 greater than federal numbers.

Sprawling farms, small local stores and artistry shops form a wide base of Ulster County economy, and some of these humble businesses profit from people traveling from downstate and all over the world to catch some hometown charm.

Small town friendliness can go a long way in maintaining strong business relationships, and people will remember how they felt during their consumer experience.

According to Hector Rodriguez, Ulster County Legislature District No. 20, town and

village governments recognize the small businesses that thrive in good customer relations, and promote those types of businesses that fit the local area. Rodriguez said you won’t find poultry processing plants in Ulster County, for example, because they don’t support the ethical and environmental standards that many community members and business leaders pride on.

“We’ve always striven to be businessfriendly, and have strong traditions to help local businesses with financial support,” Rodriguez said. “We work with the state to fund those businesses.”

One of the regional industries that help with providing sufficient funds to smaller companies is the IDA, the Industrial Development Agency, that utilizes federal revenue bonds for large construction projects and can issue payment in lieu of tax agreements.

Dean Fabiano, Chairman of Public Works and Capital Projects Committee, has also overseen steady growth in motels and houses within the larger construction industry.

Other projects include recently built education buildings on the SUNY New Paltz campus and Marist College.

New buildings and businesses can contribute to healthy monetary flow during tourism seasons. Rodriguez said that people who come from downstate as well as further away are the ‘bread and butter of our economy.’

While having seasonal customers is beneficial for many businesses, this also proves risky due to travel conditions, such as weather which can determine a road trip or flight to purchase local products.

Local officials try to create framework for building a successful economy regardless of the tourist season, but anything such as na-

Thursday, April 28, 2016

tional inflation, poor weather conditions that affect farming, outdated means of technology used in production process can affect business success and consumer spending. Taxes that take chunks of change out of paychecks seem to add to the dilemma, but officials can decide to use portions of taxes to fund jobs that benefit the community, such as infrastructure work.

Despite uncontrollable factors that can impede job growth, there are means to keep up the positive gains. “...I would probably say we continue to have jobs available for folks... sometimes it’s a very specific skill set, but there’s always something,” Rodriguez said.

Future job growth is expected to increase to 36.9 percent over the next decade, and with the recession waning from its peak, there’s more opportunities ahead for the Ulster worker.

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College Dining on a Dime RUSSO’S ROCKS THE N.P. SANDWICH WORLD

By Sage Higgins Staff Writer | Higginss1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu “This chicken cutlet is a magical chicken cutlet.”

That is a direct quote from myself after eating a sandwich at Russo’s Italian Deli. Russo’s is definitely a crowd favorite here in New Paltz, with students especially buzzing about the eatery.

“Russo’s offers delicious sandwiches with their unique and tasty combos of Italian meats, dressings and breads,” Victoria O’Connor, a third-year at SUNY New Paltz, said.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Marina Russo, the manager/creator of the deli. The deli came into place four years ago and has been thriving ever since. The restaurant came to be from the Russo’s family love of food.

“My dad owned a construction company and my mom worked in finance and no one wanted to do what they were doing anymore,” Russo said. “My family is of Italian descent so we decided let’s just open up a deli!”

And the New Paltz community is thankful for this series of events.

The menu is a collection of some of

Marina’s favorite dishes. And their

most popular sandwich is based on a real person.

“Our most popular sandwich is the ‘My Cousin Luca.’ It’s named after my

PHOTO BY SAGE HIGGINS

lettuce, onion, provolone, olive oil and

detail and it sounds like something I

old school corner store. Everyone knows

mayo, on focaccia.

will have to get next time. This grilled

our names and we know theirs. It’s a nice

This sandwich is truly one of the

cheese consists of two fried eggs, bacon,

homey vibe.”

best I have ever had. The chicken was so

American cheese and home fries for only

crispy and truly was magic. The breading

$5.50. It sounds like heaven on two pieces

anonymous student at SUNY New Paltz,

was beyond tasty and complimented the

of bread.

once eloquently said:

As

a

Russo’s

enthusiast,

an

coolness that the mayo provided. I would

What is truly great about Russo’s

“It’s the best feeling to walk into your

definitely suggest getting the sandwich on

though, beside their great food, is the

favorite place to eat and they know your

As for local products, Russo’s uses

focaccia. It just made it that much better. I

sense of community and love that Russo’s

name and order. It will always be that

“local produce in the summer, and local

had to get the same sandwich the next day

evokes within it’s customers.

magical place for me and for that I am

beverage companies all year around.”

just so I could have that magical chicken

actual cousin Luca. It’s my favorite sandwich,” Russo said.

I decided to go with the crowd

again.

“I love the community aspect of it,”

grateful.”

Russo said. “I love that people come in

Russo’s Italian Deli can be found

favorite, the # 3, My Cousin Luca for $8.

For breakfast, the breakfast grilled

and I know their cats names. In a world

on Facebook and Instagram or on their

The Luca is a chicken cutlet, prosciutto,

cheese was described to me in perfect

that is so disconnected, we are like an

website: http://russofamilydeli.com/

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Passion for Printmaking STUDENT ART ALLIANCE WELCOMES VISITING PRINTMAKER

By Jess Napp

Copy Editor | Nappj1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

It’s Wednesday morning in Lecture Center 100 and the sounds of wild coyotes reverberate throughout the large space occupied by an intimate gathering.

A woman at the front of the room silences the chaos as the howling fades into the distance.

On April 20, printmaker Nancy Diessner came to SUNY New Paltz to discuss her art in correlation with the Visiting Artist Lecture Series run by the Student Art Alliance. Diessner owns Dog’s Eye Print Studio in Massachusetts and her fascination with the complex relationship between humans and animals inspires these creations. Including the printmaker’s lecture, eight artists in total participated in the spring series.

According to Visiting Artists Lecture Coordinator Lydia Martin, the organization’s interest in Diessner derived from printmaking student’s interest in her work.

Martin said that at the conclusion of every spring semester the Student Art Alliance hosts a “Slide Slam.” Each art department nominates artists they wish to invite for the upcoming academic year.

The voting commences and the coordinator begins contacting these highly sought after innovators.

“The Student Art Alliance

and Visiting Artist Lecture Series is among the oldest and largest student run and funded organizations on campus,” Martin said.

Diessner’s conversation started with a few brief words of introduction and an expression of gratitude. The artist said that the small crowd warranted a show and tell of her pieces at the end.

She played a cellphone clip of coyotes wailing outdoors in juxtaposition with her dogs barking to present her overarching theme of the wild versus the domestic.

Then she provided the crowd with some history on her work.

In undergraduate and graduate school, she studied painting, but

PHOTO FROM EN.WIKIPEDIA.COMMONS.ORG

always created prints. During her late 20s and 30s she rekindled this passion. Diessner works in photo based prints. Her first exhibit revealed the initial rigid style of her craft. Yet, later on, blurry images lent themselves to more movement in Diessner’s wild wonders.

For her most recent series, “The Sky is Falling,” Diessner attached a camera to her back while walking in the woods to generate shaky landscape images. She contrasted the blurry wilderness with pictures of lifeless animals killed by a deceased game hunter. Diessner wanted to give the stuffed creatures a new environment to live in.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

“I always felt I needed things to be rectilinear, but then I realized I’m kind of a baroque at heart,” Diessner said.

First-year biology major Jaclyn Seals attended the talk for her basic metal class. She found the lecture to be informative and thought provoking. Seals said that prior to hearing Diessner speak she knew very little about printmaking and afterwards she garnered a greater understanding of the process.

“I like what she said about how all extra things eventually fall away and you have to figure out who you are as an artist,” Seals said.

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Beyonce Makes “Lemonade”

R&B SUPERSTAR DROPS VISUAL ALBUM ON STREAMING SERVICE

By Jackson Shrout

Staff Writer | Shroutj1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Many artists have that one iconic album that defines their careers. For Prince, that album was “Purple Rain.” For Marvin Gaye, it was “What’s Going On.” For Beyoncé, it’s “Lemonade,” which finds the R&B singer at her most expressive, her most nuanced and perhaps her most experimental.

The somber piano of “Pray You Catch Me” opens the album, as Beyoncé inhabits the role of a woman who just begins to realize her husband is cheating on her (the album as a whole seems to be confirmation of rumors of Jay Z’s infidelity).

The story develops over the course of 12 tracks, but it manages to avoid being a basic revenge story, with Beyoncé ultimately finding the strength to work through the infidelity. As a narrative, it’s both compellingly told by the lyrics and remarkably developed in its depiction of relationships in a way a lot of mainstream music isn’t.

Sonically, the album sees Beyoncé transcending style and genre. “Daddy Lessons” is a fullblown country song, and not in a way that feels surface-level.

Beyoncé inhabits the track very naturally, almost as if the genre of the song was decided by its lyrics’ thematic importance.

“Sandcastles” is a somewhat typical piano ballad that gets by on Beyoncé’s sentimental lyricism and remarkably expressive vocal performance. In fact, the

only weak link on the entire album is “Sorry,” a song that failed to impress me almost entirely because it was too safe and generic in its production and lyricism (although “He better call Becky with the good hair” is going to be quoted until the heat death of the universe).

The third track, “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” stands out as the best, with Beyoncé’s sharp, ferocious delivery reminiscent of the great Tina Turner. Jack White provides guest vocals, and it’s striking how well Beyoncé’s voice works with vocalists that sound nothing like her.

This is further exemplified in “Forward,” a contemplative duet with English singer/electronic music producer James Blake; Beyoncé matches Blake’s tender and delicate vocals perfectly. The features in general are sparse. Aside from the two aforementioned guests, Kendrick Lamar lends a verse to the explosive track “Freedom,” while The Weeknd graces “Six Inch,” settling in its gloomy atmosphere.

“Lemonade” is the “To Pimp a Butterfly” (Kendrick Lamar) of 2016. It’s an unapologetically bold piece of self-reflection and catharsis, as well as a strong message of empowerment for its target audience. Beyoncé commits to her concept, and carries it through to a satisfying completion.

For the longest time, my relationship with Beyoncé was one of respect, but not of patronage.

“Lemonade” has changed that.

PHOTO FROM WIKIPEDIA.COMMONS.ORG

Thursday, April 28, 2016

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9B

Late Nights, Early Music

MUSIC DEPARTMENT HOSTS ANCIENT MUSIC CONCERT

By Jackson Shrout

Staff Writer | Shroutj1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The SUNY New Paltz Department of Music held The Collegium Musicum at the Max and Nadia Shepard Recital Hall on April 24. The concert, intended as a tribute to early music, featured key pieces of the genre.

Concert director and music professor Joël Evans defined the genre music from antiquity, including music from ancient Greece and Rome, the Medieval Era, the Renaissance and the Baroque period. The songs performed at the concert were European in origin, some containing vocals and some not.

Evans gave a primer on the characteristics of different early music eras: typically, Medieval music was more vocally-oriented, while Renaissance and Baroque pieces tended to focus on instrumentation, he said.

Early music, particularly that of the Medieval Era, even serves as a framework for modern heavy metal due to its emphasis on power chords, he added.

Many of the musicians wore traditional Medieval and Renaissance garb, making the concert feel very lived-in and authentic.

“I find the students become involved in the particular period that

they’re singing or playing in,” Evans said. “This is a result of that involvement. They want to be dressing in the period as well as playing and making music in the period.”

Audience members seemed to appreciate those details. For one audience member, the concert made music and art in antiquity truly come to life.

“You can learn about music throughout history, and you can read it in a textbook, but when you see everyone in the costumes and you see it come to life, I think that’s a very exciting thing,” the audience member said.

The performers also used instruments common to the Baroque period, including the bass recorder. According to Evans, the bass recorder was a virtuoso instrument of the era.

The show worked well as an introduction to this large stretch of musical history, which Evans said spans about 1,705 years. Guest described the concert as “interesting,” “fun and upbeat” and “simple, yet very elegant.”

For those interested in further exploring more early music, Evan offered his favorite music composer of the era: Guillaume de Machaut of Medieval France.

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Arts & Entertainment

The New Paltz Oracle

Perks and Perils of the Web

MANZELLA REFLECTS ON MEDIA, SOCIETY AND INTERNET ADDICTION

By Sam Manzella

A&E Editor | Manzells1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Internet kids. You know them. If you’re my age (19 years and counting), you’re probably one of them. We’re the generation that grew up on the edge of the tech revolution during the late ‘90s and early 2000s. We grew up with YouTube videos like “Shoes” and “Charlie Bit My Finger.”

We remember the early days of Facebook, when aggregated timelines and complex advertisement algorithms weren’t a thing.

We’re the early adopters of any and all new technology, and we’re naturally savvy digital media users, adapting to the latest social media crazes with ease.

I’m no exception to the rule. In fact, I’m probably a prime example of an Internet kid. I’ve been blogging since I was 11 years old, when I ran a fansite for a popular book series on wetpaint.com. I made my

first Twitter account a year after the media site launched, and I had an Instagram handle mere weeks after its debut in the App Store library. I work at Sojourner Truth Library’s research desk, where I often help people with tech questions. As a digital media and journalism student, technology and the Web are intrinsically linked to my studies and profession. You know what they say: newspapers are a thing of the past, and blogs and digital news sites are where the money’s at.

As the Arts & Entertainment editor at The Oracle, I’m prone to thinking entirely too hard about media and its intersection with society and culture. You could say it’s one of my passions, sure.

Without a doubt, it’s taught me amazing things: my love of blogging instilled in me a passion for producing good content and a drive to do so on the regular. I know more about Wordpress blogging software

and programs like Adobe Photoshop than many of my peers. My years of blogging and social media usage taught me valuable communications skills that I still use today.

I’m the internet kid who’s grown up into the media mogul-wannabe adult, and the digital realm that once consumed only my free time now consumes my work, my academic pursuits and my leisure time. But I sometimes wonder where I should draw the line. Where my love of digital media, technology and online culture crosses the line from “passion” to “addiction.”

We’ve all heard the dangers of Internet overuse. It’s bad for our eyes, our brainpower and our attention spans. I’m willing to bet that all the Internet kids reading this know all too well the struggle of parents and family who “just don’t understand.” Who didn’t grow up with Twitter or smartphones or apps. There’s a palpable

Thursday, April 28, 2016

difference between us Internet kids and our parents, which often becomes a source of tension and animosity.

How do we rationalize our tendencies to scroll through Facebook and watch hours of YouTube videos? Can we honestly deny that our profuse use of Tumblr or Instagram border on addiction? As media professionals-in-training, do we run the risk of having the Web rule our lives?

Consider this your daily reminder to spend some time outside. Go get coffee with a friend. Leave your phone at home.

Talk a walk. Read a novel. Attend a lecture or event on campus. And when you get home or go to class the next day, sure, turn on your MacBook or iPhone. Just aim for a balance of online time and real-life interaction.

Trust me, fellow Internet kid. You’ll thank me for it later.

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11B

The Deep End

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The New Paltz Oracle

THIS WEEK IN

THE DEEP END M A D D I S O N

Major: Visual Arts

G I N T E R

Year: Fourth

Inspriation: Kristen Kieffer, Judi Tavill, Jennifer McCurdy

“I make functional pottery that displays elaborate and quirky decorative surface designs. I use these designs as the main focus of the pots by using a simple, comfortable, slightly bellied form and wrap the highly textured design around, encasing the pot.

I combine the twining, enveloping qualities of trees, the gnarled texture with vibrant colors on a clean form to create bright, eccentric pots ... I will be showing my work in the upcoming 32 Degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Sciences Senior Thesis Exhibition on Friday April 29.�

Images courtesy of Maddison Ginter

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“This program has really helped me have a better understanding of social justice through multiple lenses, not just my own identity.�

Kevin Lam Commission Coordinator Massachusetts Commission in LGBT Youth THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO BE AN EDUCATOR...WE CAN HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY The Humanistic/Multicultural Education program offers a self-reflective, process oriented approach to diversity and issues of social justice.

Students learn to work cooperatively to foster change and promote more humane, democratic and inclusive classrooms, organizations, and communities. } Still accepting applications www/newpaltz.edu/graduate Thursday, April 28, 2016

S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W Y O R K

The Graduate School

9

OPINION

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COLUMN

ANTHONY MITTHAUER-ORZA Copy Editor

mitthaua1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

It’s that time of the year where work piles on ferociously and seems to never stop.

I know, so much stress and so little time left before finals week.

Some say you can relieve stress by drawing, reading a book, or writing. Well, besides writing, I don’t really tend to do any of those. However, I like to consider hiking as my favorite stress relief.

Ever since I came in as a freshman to SUNY New Paltz two years ago, hiking has unexpectedly become my lifestyle. It is something I’ve done on many weekends, especially with the prominent bipolar weather that has been going on this year.

Back in my hometown of Long Beach located on Long Island, I never got to experience any sort of mountainous setting. It was mainly just a bunch of restaurants and a not so long beach nearby (yes, pun intended). So

SAM MANZELLA A&E Editor

Manzells1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

We live in a world that privileges nonstop hard work and sleepless nights of due diligence over mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. It’s a very real phenomenon, with social media feeds and television shows constantly glorifying sleepless nights and excessive caffeine consumption. Our heroes are ‘round the clock CEOs, athletes who train day in and day out and media moguls who slave away on social media to provide fans with 24/7 content.

Welcome to the cult of exhaustion.

At the very core of American values is the virtue of hard work, and the belief that with a will, there’s a way. Capitalist imperatives to work until we drop and earn as much money as possible — allowing us to collect material signifiers of our social status — saturate our world view. We value productivity and output over mental health and sufficient sleep.

We value exertion to the point of physical exhaustion over relaxation and recuperation. We

The New Paltz Oracle

Take A Hike

besides going swimming, going up a bunch of sandy lifeguard hills and jumping off for the fun of it, I never really got to experience the beauties of hiking until I started college.

I haven’t been to many areas besides Lake Minnewaska, the Gunks, and different portions of the Catskill Mountains, but it’s something many don’t even get to experience. In fact, it’s really just the starting points to whatever areas of the world I desire to travel to.

I have always been the adventurous type. When you go hiking, you’re always going to end up with some great stories or accomplishments, no matter how difficult the trail or how experienced you may be. Even if it’s getting lost on a trail and taking an extra hour to find your way back, or nearly injuring yourself to get the perfect photo on a beautiful sunny day, there are so many stories you

can share just from a relaxing walk in nature.

It’s nearly impossible to go on every hike without an avid hiker giving you a nice greeting when you pass them — a reminder that there are genuinely kind people out there, but don’t think it’s a free pass to talk to strangers, because these are two different things.

Sure, some places may get a bit pricy for the college student budget or just for any person trying to hike. But, just like studying abroad or paying for an expensive concert ticket, you shouldn’t let money get in the way of going out to experience the free world.

Through hiking I have found myself. I don’t know if its getting away from the Long Island pollution and getting a breath of real fresh air, but I always feel like I can do the impossible on these hikes.

And don’t stress it, hiking even makes

up for those times you convince yourself not to go to the gym. It incorporates walking and running the trail, climbing boulders and scaling the edges of rocks just to take the perfect picture for Instagram.

So, no matter what you do and how busy you are, it’s always beneficial to do something adventurous. Many college students are loaded with work, but if you have the time, it’s a very promising stress relief to just put down your books and take a few hours to go hiking with your friends.

Anthony is a second-year journalism student. He is a huge New York Islanders fan from Long Island who hopes to work for a sports publication in the future.

The Cult of Exhaustion laugh when we forget to eat a meal or two, and we bond over our espresso addictions with colleagues.

This cultural phenomenon certainly isn’t for lack of knowledge: we know the negative physical effects of sleep deprivation, nutrient deficiencies and reliance on substances to boost our energy. But our fast-paced world spins too quickly, and the demand for productivity, profit and advancement outweighs the dangers of exhaustion culture. For many, overexertion is a survival tool, an absolute necessity in a world undergoing global economic collapse. For others, it’s a cultural ideology so powerful that it plagues us with guilt or shame when we need a sick day or a day off for unexpected circumstances.

In many ways, college life is a microcosm of the “real world,” and exhaustion culture is a prime example. Colleges and universities like SUNY New Paltz offer late night study spaces with the expectation that students will pull all-

nighters to ace an exam or finish a term paper.

During midterms and finals seasons, my college extends the late night study room hours even more.

Prestigious institutions like Boston College and Columbia University regularly update their late night study spaces’ hours online. In 2011, University of Central Florida made local news after being the last public university in the state to offer 24-hour study spaces. But having these spaces and touting their availability can contribute to the normalization of exhaustion culture, and in some cases, fall just short of endorsement.

Students need safe, accessible and appropriately equipped study spaces. As a college student, I know very well the frustration of not having a place to read for class or work on an assignment. But we owe it to overworked and overwhelmed students to balance late night study opportunities with information about how to organize our responsibilities in healthy

Thursday, April 28, 2016

ways. We owe it to those with disabilities, mental health issues, anxiety or chronic conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome to promote a healthier balance of work, social events and relaxation time. We owe it to minimum wage workers who barely get by to support pushes for livable wages and regulated hours. We owe it to those who cannot work and must support a family to advocate for unemployment benefits and financial and emotional support.

We owe it to ourselves and our bodies to stop the glamorization of exhaustion and overexertion. Because it’s not cool, and it’s not pretty.

Sam is a second-year journalism major with a minor in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She loves YouTube’s beuty guru community and follows too many tattoo artists on Instagram. Follow her on social media as @sammanzella.

The New Paltz Oracle

Sports

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11

Baseball Looks for Playoff Appearance

By Michael Rosen

Copy Editor | Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The baseball team swept a pair of nonconference doubleheaders over the weekend to improve their record to 20-12-2.

This is the first 20-win season for the Hawks since 2011 when the team finished with a record of 20-19.

First the Hawks defeated NYU on Friday, April 22 by scores of 6-1 and 3-0.

In the first game, Hawks fourth-year co-captain Andrew DiNardo made his first career start on the mound and earned the victory by throwing four innings and surrendering just one run on six hits while striking out three to improve his record to 2-0. DiNardo worked in and out of trouble as he stranded runners on first and third in the first and fourth innings, and escaped a bases loaded jam in the third inning.

New Paltz scored first in the fourth inning, as second-year second baseman Anthony Pantano walked to start the inning and third-year first baseman Anthony Diana would drive him home with an RBI double to left field. Fourth-year co-captain Tyler Bell would walk, and DiNardo would help his own cause with an RBI single. Bell would later score on a wild pitch to make it a 3-0 game.

The Hawks scored three more runs in the sixth inning as second-year third baseman Tom Read led off the inning with a single and a double by first-year shortstop Ryan Frost moved Read to third. Fourthyear second baseman Kyle Gilligan pinchran for Read and second-year right fielder Nick DePietro knocked in Gilligan and Frost with a single through the left side.

DePietro would later score on a throwing error while attempting to steal third base to make the score 6-1, which proved to be the final tally.

Hawks second-year pitchers Brian LoRusso and Kevin Montefusco and thirdyear pitcher Kevin Frank combined for three scoreless innings out of the bullpen to keep the score intact. Diana led the New Paltz offense going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored.

In the second game, New Paltz scored a run in the first inning, and that would be all they would need as the Hawks shutout the Violets 3-0.

The Hawks manufactured a run in the first inning without the use of a hit. DePietro walked to start the game and stole second. Hawks second-year center fielder Jake

Williams would walk and later get caught in a rundown, allowing DePietro to score.

New Paltz would score again in the fourth inning as DiNardo would drive in second-year first baseman Chris Moran with an RBI single. An RBI triple by Williams in the fifth inning drove in DePietro and made it a 3-0 game, which proved to be the final score.

Hawks first-year pitcher Justin Stybel started the game for New Paltz and improved his record to 3-0 by throwing six scoreless innings, surrendering just two hits while walking two and striking out two.

Second-year pitcher Ryan Votypka would strike out the side in the seventh inning to pick up his third save of the season.

DePietro led the Hawk attack by going 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored. He also added three stolen bases to his stat sheet.

“It was great to take two against NYU,” Hawks fourth-year co-captain Brett Wisner said. “Those two wins give us a chance to potentially break the school’s win record and we also played some excellent baseball. The defense and pitching were especially stellar.”

Then on Saturday, April 23 the Hawks swept a nonconference doubleheader against Elmira College. New Paltz dominated the first game by winning 12-1.

The Soaring Eagles struck first in the first inning, as third-year first baseman Dylan Bellinger launched a solo home run over the left-center field fence. That would be the only run Elmira would score.

New Paltz got even in their half of the inning, as Williams came around to score on a fielder’s choice. DiNardo would come around to score on a double play in the second inning to give the Hawks the lead. New Paltz would then score four runs in the third inning, two in the fourth inning and four in the fifth inning.

Diana led the offense as he went 2-for4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Read also had a strong day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two walks, two RBIs and two runs scored. Williams, Pantano, Bell and Frost each had multiple hits in the contest.

Second-year pitcher Conor Donachie started the game for New Paltz, and allowed just one run on three hits in seven innings of work while striking out four to improve his record to 5-2. Second-year pitcher and outfielder Jeff Sarra pitched two perfect innings in relief.

The second game proved to be much closer, as the Hawks came out victorious 2-1 in an extra-inning game thanks to a walk-off home run.

New Paltz got on the board in the fourth inning, as Pantano led off with a double and Moran knocked him in with an RBI single to make it a 1-0 game.

The game was scheduled to only go seven innings, but Bellinger led off the top of the seventh with a double. He would advance to third on a sacrifice bunt.

LoRusso came out of the bullpen and threw one pitch to get one out, putting New Paltz one out away from the win. Votypka then came in for relief, and gave up a gametying double to Soaring Eagles second-year catcher Will Jenkins. Votypka struck out the next batter to end the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, DePietro doubled to right-center field with one out. A groundout advanced DePietro to third, but the Hawks could not capitalize on the opportunity.

Then in the bottom of the ninth inning DiNardo singled with one out and then Diana singled, advancing DiNardo to second.

Frost would then ground into a fielder’s choice to put runners on first and third with two out, but New Paltz failed to score again.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, DePietro finally ended the game by smashing a 1-0 pitch over the left field fence for a walkoff home run.

“The second game against Elmira just proved how hard we have been fighting all season,” Bell said. “I think last season we would have lost a game like that. Nick [DePietro] has been great all season, so for him to come up big with the walk-off home run really shows the type of impact player he is.”

On the day, DePietro went 2-for-5, a double and a home run, with an RBI and a run scored. Pantano went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored.

Hawks fourth-year pitcher Christian Huertas started the game and threw six and one-third innings, giving up just one run on two hits while striking out four. Wisner picked up the win in relief, his first of the season, by throwing two hitless innings out of the bullpen.

On Wednesday, April 27 New Paltz lost to Union (N.Y.) College by a score of 4-3.

DePietro stole home in the game, but the loss dropped the team’s record to 20-13-2.

“Union is a regional powerhouse,

Thursday, April 28, 2016

they’re always good,” Hawks head coach Matt Righter said. “The most important thing is getting our guys ready for the Brockport series. But every time we have a game, we go out there and we play to win.”

The Hawks will conclude their regular season this weekend with a three-game home stand against The College at Brockport from Friday, April 29 to Saturday, April 30. The Hawks will also host both Alumni Weekend and Senior Day during the series.

Bell explained that the team is really looking forward to the weekend.

“Being that it is senior day and alumni weekend when we take on Brockport; that really has us all excited to be able to play in front of a decent crowd,” Bell said. “Hopefully we can clinch a playoff spot after this weekend.”

New Paltz can clinch a playoff spot over the weekend, as they hold a two-game lead over SUNY Fredonia who sits in fifth place. The Hawks sit in fourth-place and the top four teams in the SUNYAC advance to the playoffs. Fredonia will face SUNY Plattsburgh, who are in last place in the SUNYAC, during the same weekend. The Hawks’ opponent, Brockport, are third in the conference and have clinched a playoff spot.

So long as the Hawks win one game against Brockport, they will clinch a playoff spot. They will also clinch a playoff berth if Fredonia loses at least two games to Plattsburgh. New Paltz went 3-0 against Fredonia this season, and therefore hold the tiebreaker. In addition to that, the Hawks can steal the No. 3 seed from Brockport if they win at least two of their games this weekend.

“Everyone knows how important it is for us,” Wisner said. “We are in a great spot since we essentially control our own destiny.”

New Paltz can also break their program-record for wins in a season this weekend, as they currently have 20 wins and the record is 22 wins that the team set during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

Aside from keeping the team both prepared and focused, Righter said he is hoping to pack the stands for the weekend.

“We’re contacting alumni and people around the campus to come to the games and make sure that there is a ‘10th man’ in the stands,” Righter said. “I’d love to have a lot of people there for that series and help give us a home field advantage.”

12 oracle.newpaltz.edu

SPORTS

Lacrosse Looks to End Season Strong

By Michael Rosen

Copy Editor | Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The women’s lacrosse team has lost against a trio of State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opponents in the last week.

First the Hawks dropped a 20-3 game at home against SUNY Oswego on Thursday, April 21.

The Lakers scored the first two goals of the game, but third-year co-captain Nicole Gottschalk cut the deficit in half with a goal at the 21:38 mark. Oswego would score two more goals, but another goal by Gottschalk made it a 4-2 game.

Hawks first-year midfielder Rachael Purtell would then make it a 4-3 game with a goal at the 3:16 mark. Oswego would score four more goals in the first half to make it an 8-3 game at intermission.

The Lakers would outshoot the Hawks 19-2 in the second half to score 12 more goals and win the game by a final of 20-3.

Gottschalk led the team with two goals, while third-year co-captain Melissa Wagner assisted both of her goals. Second-year attacker Kelsey Aeberli had two draw controls while fellow second-year attacker Orlagh Brady and first-year midfielder Joey-Lynn Henderson had two caused turnovers, each. Third-year goalkeeper Colleen Roemer had a team-high eight ground balls and made 11 stops in the net on her birthday.

The Hawks then dropped a 23-2 match to No. 11 The College at Brockport on Saturday, April 23.

The Golden Eagles scored the first seven goals of the game before Hawks third-year midfielder Alexa Criollo found the back of the net at the 18:41 mark,

thanks to an assist by Wagner, to make it a 7-1 game.

Brockport scored two more goals before Gottschalk scored on a feed from Aeberli to make it a 9-2 game. The Golden Eagles would score five more goals to enter the half with a 14-2 lead.

Brockport outshot New Paltz 14-4 in the second half to score nine more goals and secure a 23-2 victory.

Gottschalk and Aeberli each had two draw controls in the match, while Criollo and Brady had two ground balls each. Roemer made six saves in the loss.

“Our team has learned many different things from these SUNYAC losses,” Hawks third-year co-captain Nicole Petrullo said. “Coming out of a loss is hard, but we take the good things we did and look to improve on them. Always looking to improve ourselves is our overall goal. Being a young team, we need to look at these losses and learn from them so we can do better next year.”

Then on Tuesday, April 26 the Hawks played their final home game of the season against Catskill Cup rival SUNY Oneonta and lost by a score of 15-8. With the victory, the Red Dragons now lead the Hawks 2220 in the 2015-16 Catskill Cup standings.

New Paltz started the game strong, scoring the first four goals of the game. Oneonta would counter with four straight goals of their own, but a goal by Criollo at the 3:48 mark gave New Paltz the lead again and the score stood at 5-4 in favor of New Paltz at halftime.

The Red Dragons would score five-straight goals to open up the second half and take a 9-5 lead. The Hawks cut the deficit to 9-6, and later to 11-8 thanks to a goal by Gottschalk at the 10:39 mark. Unfortunately,

New Paltz would not score again and would ultimately end up losing 15-8.

Criollo led the offense with three goals and an assist, while also causing a turnover. Gottschalk and second-year attacker Caitlin Morris both scored two goals on the day. Gottschalk also led the team with three draw controls and she also caused a turnover.

Morris also chipped in with an assist in the match. Aeberli scored a goal, while Wagner led the team with two assists. Purtell contributed with two caused turnovers and two draw controls. Roemer made 12 saves in a losing effort.

Hawks head coach Liz Student said after the game that the team played very well for most of the match, but it was not quite enough.

“Our problem all year has been putting together a full game,” Student said. “Ninety percent of the game they performed really well, and we just had that lapse that has been killing us all year.”

The Hawks will conclude their season on Saturday, April 30 when they take on No. 1 SUNY Cortland on the road.

“We hope to work as hard as we can against the number one team and see everything we’ve been working on throughout the entire season come together,” Gottschalk said.

Student added that, although it seems unlikely, an upset can happen at any time.

“Yeah they’re number one in the country, but everybody has an off day,” Student said. “That’s the really cool thing about sports; any team any day. That saying exists because it has happened before.”

Tennis Closes Season with New Paltz Tournament

By Anthony Mitthauer-Orza

Copy Editor | Mitthaua1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The tennis team concluded their season with a 7-6 record on Saturday, April 23 after hosting the New Paltz Tournament against St. Thomas Aquinas (Div. II) and SUNY Cortland.

The Hawks went 3-1 in doubles and 6-2 in singles action against the Red Dragons. They then went 6-2 in singles competition while splitting doubles action against St. Thomas Aquinas.

With the tournament win, the Hawks finished with a winning record for the eighth consecutive season.

Against Cortland, Hawks second-years Brittany Grandville and Carol Tyson defeated their opponents in flight one doubles, 8-3. Also, third-year Olivia Ammirati and second-year Emi Lewis won their doubles match, 8-2.

The final doubles win against Cortland came from first-year Lindsay Haley and fourth-year captain Laura Tierney, as they defeated their opponents 8-4.

Against St. Thomas Aquinas, Grandville and Tyson fell, 8-5, in the first flight of doubles and Ammirati and Lewis dropped an 8-1 decision in flight two.

The Hawks rebounded, as Tierney and Haley won by a score of 8-6 in the third flight and third-year Kirsten Delvecchio and first-year Isabella Risius won flight four, 8-4.

Hawks head coach Rob Bruley said he was proud of the team’s performance in doubles play because of the focus he’s put on it during practices.

“We’ve improved especially in our doubles,” Bruley said. “I think doubles is the Achilles heel of this team. We’re a very strong singles team but we need to get points in the doubles category in order to get wins.”

New Paltz dominated singles play against both teams. Ammirati took the top flight, 8-1, while Grandville and Tyson took flight two and flight three in 8-5 and 8-0. Tierney, Lewis and Haley each also won their respective matches against Cortland.

Against St. Thomas Aquinas, the Hawks dropped

the first two flights but won the remaining six. Tyson won the third flight 8-1, while Tierney and Lewis won the next two 8-0 and 8-3, respectively.

Haley and Delvecchio won the sixth and seventh flights and Risius finished the singles competition with a close 9-7 win.

In her final match of her collegiate career, Tierney won all of her matches on the day to conclude her final season.

Tierney had 43 wins in singles play throughout her career as a Hawk. She was also part of the Second Team All-SUNYAC at No. 6 singles and an SUNYAC All-Academic Team member in the 2012-13 season and was named to the All-SUNYAC Singles First Team in the 2014-15.

Bruley recognized her for her athletic and academic contributions.

“She’s going to be sorely missed,” Bruley said.

“Her enthusiasm, dedication to the program and her leadership this year has really come to the front. She is a true leader on and off the court.”

Thursday, April 28, 2016

The New Paltz Oracle

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:

Natalie Stewart SPORT: Cheerleading YEAR: Second MAJOR: Political Science HOMETOWN: Tampa, Florida H OW DID YOU FIRST START CHEERLEADING? My mother put me into gymnastics when I was young, and I became a pretty serious gymnast in elementary and middle school. I was in the gym six hours a day, homeschooled, traveling for competitions, the whole deal. I adored tumbling so when I got out of gymnastics in high school, I wanted to continue. I checked out an all-star gym and just got hooked with the energy of cheerleading.

OUTSIDE OF CHEERLEADING, WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO?

I don’t really have much down time.

When I do though, I’m usually hiking. I grew up in Florida (I moved to New York in 2012), so mountains and I are still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship. My sister and I are always going on adventures, trying to find new trails around the Hudson Valley for us to conquer. I really just enjoy being outdoors.

WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST ROLE MODELS? My biggest role models are my sister, Alexander Hamilton and a golden retriever in an upper-middle class family, in that order.

ARE YOU A FAN OF ANY TEAMS? Yes, I like hockey (Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks) and baseball (Tampa Bay Rays).

DO YOU HAVE ANY SUPERSTITIONS? I have zero superstitions. Literally none.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS MEMORY? Catching Kintura (my flyer). She always lands only on me and we both end up wiping out on the floor. Makes me laugh every time.

DO YOU WANT TO BE ...

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK? Contact Michael Rosen at

Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

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Sports

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13

Softball Ends Road Trip with Doubleheader Sweep

By Anthony Mitthauer-Orza

Copy Editor | Mitthaua1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The softball team is currently pushing for a playoff spot with four games left in the regular season.

The Hawks split doubleheaders against The College at Brockport and SUNY Geneseo on Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 and seek to move up in the conference standings.

They currently sit in fifth place in the State University of New York Athletic Conference standings (SUNYAC). The top six teams make the 2016 SUNYAC Tournament, which will be held from Thursday, May 5 to Saturday, May 7.

Hawks head coach Brittany Robinson said she looks to see consistency in the last few games in order to make the playoffs.

“We just didn’t have focus for both games in the doubleheaders,” Robinson said. “We played really well one game and played terrible in the other game, so we just need to figure out how to put two wins together.”

Prior to the doubleheader against The College at Brockport, New Paltz had lost their previous nine games played against the Golden Eagles.

The first game saw the Hawks jump out to an early lead, as first-year shortstop Taylor LaFrance came home on an error. However, the Golden Eagles countered with a six-run second, with a two-run sacrifice fly giving the home team a 6-1 lead.

In the fourth inning, Hawks third-year designated player Nicole DeCosta cut into the lead with a two-run home run to make it a 6-3 game.

Brockport extended the lead to four with an RBI single from fourth-year designated player Amanda Yuhas in the fifth.

An RBI single by second-year right fielder Danielle Bruno brought the Hawks deficit back to three in the top of the sixth, but Brockport closed the game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull out the victory.

After losing their 10th straight to the Golden Eagles, New Paltz responded in game two with a six-run fourth inning. Six different Hawks crossed the plate in the fourth en route to a 9-1 win in six innings.

New Paltz scored the first four runs off errors by the Golden Eagles, then second-year third baseman Alexa Mastando drove in two more after hitting a triple down the left-field line.

Hawks first-year second baseman Shannon Fee plated one run in the fifth off a sacrifice fly before New Paltz scored two unearned runs on miscues in the sixth to grab a 9-0 advantage.

Brockport scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to bring the score to 9-1, but were unable to get any closer, as the Hawks managed to split the series.

DeCosta said that the team did not play their best in the first game against Brockport, but was happy with the turnout in the second game.

“I think we really need to buckle down and

play the game like we know how to,” DeCosta said. “We have to remember that it is a game and that we know how to do the simple things and make routine plays in order to win.”

The Hawks carried their momentum into the doubleheader against SUNY Geneseo on Saturday, April 23, winning the first game with another nine-run performance.

New Paltz scored in three different innings, and had another strong performance from fourthyear pitcher Katie Rutcofsky to grab the win.

The second inning saw LaFrance drive in a run followed by a bases-loaded walk by fourth-year catcher Jordan Fiore. After Geneseo recorded an out, Bruno scored on an error and third-year center fielder Fallon Spriggs finished the scoring outburst with a bases-loaded walk of her own.

Geneseo cut into the lead with two runs in the fourth, but the Hawks quickly responded with a two-run fifth, with runs from Bruno and Fiore to extend the lead to 7-2. The Knights were unable to comeback as New Paltz scored two more in the seventh with RBIs from Fiore and second-year left fielder Julia Perhacs.

Rutcofsky notched her 10th win of the season by giving up only one earned run and three hits, while striking out three.

“Katie [Rutcofsky] has pitched great,” Robinson said. “We challenged her towards the middle of the season to do better and she has stepped up to the plate and performed well.”

Geneseo bounced back in game two by exploding for 14 hits, with the Knights using a seven-run fifth to claim the victory.

However, the game was back-and-forth until then, as the Knights built a 3-1 lead early in the game. The Hawks answered back in the top of the fifth with a two-run home run by Perhacs.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Knights responded with seven runs off six hits, and finished their scoring outburst after first-year center fielder Alyssa Persich stole home to give the Knights the 10-3 win on their home turf.

On Wednesday, April 27, the Hawks swept the doubleheader against SUNY Potsdam. Both games went to extra innings.

Spriggs hit a home run in each game and broke Gina Marotta’s all-time program home run record (12) with her 13th of the season. Marotta set the former record of 12 from 1995-98.

The team will conclude their season over the weekend at home against SUNY Oswego on Friday, April 29 and SUNY Cortland on Saturday, April 30. New Paltz has an overall record of 17-14 and 8-6 conference tally. Oswego is looking to sneak into the playoffs as they are currently tied for the sixth and final seed.

“We have to mentally prepare for the weekend and know how important the games are,” DeCosta said. “Especially for our seniors, it will be the last time they play a game on our field in New Paltz and it’s something that will help us push to get a few wins this weekend.”

tines, Paine said. The routines involved nearly every element of cheerleading, including tumbling, basket tosses, transitional stunts, dance sequences, pyramids and cheers involving crowd interaction with signs and pom poms.

The win was well-deserved, Paine said, but the team’s victory came with a variety of unique challenges that forced the team to adapt their routines.

One minute into their first routine, one of the jumpers on the team injured herself. Though she continued to cheer for the remaining minute and 30 seconds of the routine, the injured athlete wasn’t able to participate in the next day’s routine, Paine said. They later found out that the cheerleader had actually torn her ACL, which made her heartiness and dedication all the more impressive to the team.

Despite the tough situation, the athletes of New Paltz Cheer pulled through

with a strong performance on Sunday.

Their win involved some quick thinking on Paine’s part: shortly after their first routine on Saturday, Paine learned that the team was ranked in first place by .1 points.

Paine decided not to reveal their lead to the cheerleaders, knowing very well that the team had a big challenge ahead of them with an injured teammate.

Weather conditions and space limitations at the tournament forced New Paltz Cheer to practice their revised routines for hours in a parking garage. Paine said she was proud of her cheerleaders’ grittiness when the competition came down to the wire.

“That’s such a big part of being an athlete,” she said. “You have to be ready for anything. You have to be ready to change on the fly and to just bounce back.”

The sport is truly a team effort, Paine said, and New Paltz Cheer demonstrated

incredible teamwork and resilience.

“You can have a star basketball player who can carry the team and get them where they need to be, but cheerleading is not like that,” she said. “Cheerleading takes every individual; they have to work toward a common goal together. You can have one amazing tumbler or amazing flier, but if she doesn’t have great bases to get her up in the air, it doesn’t really work.”

New Paltz Cheer’s plans for next year? According to Paine, their main objective is to rebuild their ranks. The team will lose many of its experienced cheerleaders, who are graduating this spring.

Paine is interested and excited to see the team transition from one group of student leaders to the next.

“It’ll be a lot of hard work for the new cheerleaders to fill the shoes of the seniors,” Paine said with a smile.

New Paltz Cheer Takes First and Earns National Recognition

By Sam Manzella

A & E Editor | Manzells1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

SUNY New Paltz’s cheerleading team took home first place at the Reach The Beach National Cheer Championships in Ocean City, Maryland on April 2-3.

New Paltz Cheer competed in a group of four teams in the coed collegiate limited division, which requires that teams have four male cheerleaders or under, said head coach Kayla Paine from Hyde Park, New York.

According to Paine, New Paltz Cheer knew that they were competing in the tournament for the entire cheerleading season. During the fall and winter, the team cheered for men’s basketball. They spent the spring semester learning their routines and preparing for the competition.

The championship was a two-day tournament, so the team prepared two rou-

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The New Paltz Oracle

Men’s Volleyball Takes Home

By Melissa Kramer

Sports Editor | Kramerm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

A portion of a black net hangs on the wall of an office.

The adjacent filing cabinet displays a maroon-colored trophy with a gleaming emblem that reads “2016 NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball National Champion.”

For the first time in program history, the No. 1 ranked men’s volleyball team has captured its first NCAA Div. III Tournament title, defeating No. 2 Springfield College, 3-1 (25-18, 2523, 23-25, 26-24), in the championship match on Sunday afternoon at Nazareth College’s Kidera Gymnasium in Rochester.

On the floor of that gym laid a dogpile of 19 men, all revelling in triumph.

The Hawks’ win on April 24 was the first-ever NCAA title for any New Paltz team.

Hawks fourth-year co-captain Christian Smith was named the NCAA Tournament MVP, while third-year opposite Joe Norman and fourth-year outside hitter Andy Fishman were named to the All-Tournament Team.

New Paltz concluded their incredible 2016 season with a 33-2 overall record, marking the most wins in program history. They accumulated 32-straight wins to finish their season, with a 30-0 mark against Div. III teams. Springfield ended their season with a 28-4 overall record.

Hawks head coach Radu Petrus said the team had dreamed of this moment for years.

“It was the dream and it came true,” he said. “It did not happen overnight.

We tried for the last two years. They fought and worked hard to win this national championship. Sometimes it is not about the coach. I do part of my work in the gym, but when they go on the court, they try to handle the game and control the emotional aspect.”

After the Hawks took the first two sets, Springfield fought back with a close 25-23 third-set win to force a fourth. Then second-year outside hitter Ben Cohen sealed the victory for the Hawks with a game, set and match-end-

ing kill.

Individually, Norman floored a career-high 21 kills and hit .444 (21-536). Hawks third-year middle blocker Steven Woessner finished the match with a .533 (10-2-15) clip off 10 kills and contributed four blocks (two solo, two assists). Fishman added 17 kills for the offense, while Smith dished out 51 assists and defended 11 digs.

New Paltz was the victor of the two previous regular season matches against the Pride.

In their past two seasons, the Hawks have made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament semifinals (2014 and 2015), but were unable to reach the finals.

Petrus said a turning point for this year’s team was a loss in last year’s semifinals when current fourth-year co-captain Kevin Nardone, one of the Hawks’ vocal leaders, sparked fire into the team. Nardone said they had to start from the beginning and win the national title this season.

“I remember that and will never forget it,” Petrus said.

Nardone said this year’s team had a fight in them like no other team he has been on before.

“Every time we had our backs up against the wall we dug deep and fought back,” he said. “This gave us the ability to win this championship due to the grit and toughness of this group.”

To get to the title match, the Hawks earned the win against No. 11 Wentworth Institute of Technology 3-1 (1925, 25-20, 25-15, 25-17) in the quarterfinals on Friday, April 22 and advanced to the semifinals.

Hawks fourth-year middle blocker Christopher Husmann notched his 1,000th career kill during the match.

Husmann, a two-time First-Team AllAmerican and an All-United Volleyball Conference (UVC) First Team honoree, became the sixth New Paltz studentathlete to reach the 1,000 kill milestone.

He finished his career as a Hawk with 1,012 kills.

They next defeated No. 4 Stevens Institute of Technology in the semifinals 3-1 (25-22, 25-27, 25-18, 25-15) the previous day. New Paltz had defeated

The Hawks pose for a photo with the 2016 NCAA Div. III Trophy.

the Ducks twice, once during the regular season and once in the UVC Tournament.

Smith distributed a career-high 55 assists and contributed two service aces, two digs and three kills.

This year, the Hawks played their season-opening matches in Puerto Rico.

They lost two of the four matches, which were ultimately the only losses of the season. This made the Hawks better, Petrus said.

“The Puerto Rican teams had something special,” he said. “They were very

Thursday, April 28, 2016

PHOTO COURTESY OF LORI COHEN

fast. The only one solution for this was to go over there and find out what the difference was and why they were special. We found that it was nothing special. We can handle that.”

The national title was one of the many accolades by the Hawks in their historic season.

It was announced last Thursday at the NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Championship Banquet that Smith was named the 2016 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Men’s Div. III National Player of the Year.

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15

New Paltz’s First-Ever National Title

The men’s volleyball team looks on during the national anthem.

Smith was also named United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Player of the Year earlier this season and UVC Tournament MVP this season making him the first New Paltz student-athlete of any sport to be named a national player of the year.

His third All-UVC First Team nod came this season as well. He also collected his third First-Team All-America honor, the ninth player ever to achieve the milestone.

Smith said winning the title meant the world to the team.

“We had worked so hard all year, especially these past four years for the seniors,” he said. “It’s an incredible feeling and hasn’t fully sunk in yet. Looking back, it was the best year in the history of any sport here at New Paltz and we are proud of that. We didn’t just do this for us, but for everyone who came before us and all the other teams at this school to show that New Paltz

can win in athletics.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN SMITH

As a team, the Hawks maintained the No. 1 ranking for six consecutive weeks in the AVCA Coaches Poll. Before winning the national title, the Hawks won their second-ever UVC Title, with the previous victory in 2014.

Statistically, the Hawks were nationally ranked in the top three in winning percentage (0.943), kills per set (13.39), assists per set (12.14), hitting percentage (.371) and aces per set (2.15).

At the helm, both Petrus and assistant coach Tony Bonilla earned major coaching honors this season. In his tenth year, Petrus was named 2016 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Men’s National Coach of the Year. Earlier in the month, Petrus was tallied as UVC Coach of the Year as well.

Bonilla, hailing from New Paltz and a member of the SUNY New

Paltz class of 1987 was awarded 2016 AVCA Div. III Men’s National Assistant Coach of the Year, announced Wednesday, April 20.

His son, Anthony, is a second-year outside hitter for the Hawks.

Petrus said winning the national championship was special for the entire school and he wants to keep the program up for the future.

“It’s great for the university, program and these students,” he said. “They deserve more than me.

They work hard, they did a job. I coordinated the program and the players did the right job.”

It was announced on Monday, April 18 that Fishman, Husmann, Smith and Woessner were named to the AVCA All-America First Team, while Nardone was named AVCA Honorable Mention AllAmerica. This was Husmann’s second consecutive First Team honor.

For Fishman, this was his first-

Thursday, April 28, 2016

ever All-America selection and he became the sixth different player in program history to win AVCA All-American honors and the fifth to be selected to the First Team.

This was Smith’s third First-Team All-American honor, making him the ninth player ever to achieve the milestone.

Five fourth-years: Smith, Nardone, Husmann, Fishman and fourth-year defensive specialist and libero Chris Lilley will not be returning next season due to graduation.

Petrus said as a result of the win, recruits for next season may now change their mind and are thinking about coming to play for Hawks, because of their trust in the program and will to be winners.

“Maybe a lot of people didn’t know about New Paltz,” he said as a tear came to his eye. “Now because of our win, they found out who we are.”

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