The New Paltz Oracle, Volume 83, Issue 11

NEW PALTZ ORACLEoracle.newpaltz.eduVolume 83, Issue XI Thursday, December 8, 2011

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF THE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

THE

TO BE

UP IN SMOKE? Campus Community Begins Discussion

Of “Smoking Zone” Possibilities

STORY ON PAGE 7

LATE PROFESSOR

REMEMBERED Campus Holds Memorial Service For

Daniel Schackman After Sudden Death

STORY ON PAGE 3

Students Organize Protest About Library Hours

STORY ON PAGE 6EDITORIAL ON PAGE 11

#OCCUPIED

PHOTO BY ANDREW WYRICH

PHOTO BY JIMMY CORRAO

Julie MansmannEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Andrew Wyrich MANAGING EDITORSOCIAL MEDIA CHIEF_________________

John Brandi NEWS EDITOR

Rachel Freeman FEATURES EDITOR

Zan StrumfeldARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Cat Tacopina SPORTS EDITOR

_________________

Samantha Schwartz

Robin Weinstein PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS

Josh KusaywaCARTOONIST

_________________

Jaleesa Baulkman

Kate Blessing

Maria Jayne

Katherine Speller

COPY EDITORS

Pete Viola

Katie Kocijanski

ASSISTANT COPY EDITORS_________________

Sara FederbushWEB CHIEF

Patrick MartzBUSINESS MANAGER

Kathryn SmithDISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Suzy Berkowitz, Felice Bernabo, Sunya Bhutta, Nicole Brinkley, An-drew Carden, Jimmy Corrao, Beth Curran, Dean Engle, Nick Fodera, Elexis Goldberg, Maeve Halliday, Ryan Patrick Hanrahan, Ross Hamilton, Ricardo Hernandez, Zach Higgins, Sarah Hurd, Mathew John, Brian Kearney, Angela Matua, Jessica Mingoia, Clarissa Moses, Carolyn Quimby, Jack Sommer, Pete Spengeman, David Spiegel, Em-ily Sussell, Chris Thurston, Pete Thompson, Olivia Wells, Annie Yu

STAFF

Incident: DrugsDate: 12/04/11Location: POND AREA

Two M/S admitted to smoking marijuana after being observed by PO on patrol.

Incident: DrugsDate: 12/04/11Location: PLATTEKILL AVE

criminal possession of a controlled substance.

University Police BlotterDisclaimer: This is only a partial listing. For all incidents, please visit

the University Police Department.

SUNY New Paltz University Police DepartmentEmergencies: 845-257-2222

About The New Paltz OracleThe New Paltz Oracle

Our circulation is 2,500. The New Paltz Oracle is sponsored by the Student As-sociation and partially funded by the student activity fee.

The New Paltz Oracle

for all submissions is 5 p.m. on Sundays in The New Paltz Oraclee-mail at [email protected].

ness 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.


Articles, photographs and illustrations are assigned to the pool of staff and contributors.

Volume 83

Issue XIIndex

Five Day Forecast

Thursday, December 8 Partly Cloudy

High: 40 Low: 27

Friday, December 9 Partly Cloudy

High: 44 Low: 25

Saturday, December 10 Mostly Sunny

High: 35 Low: 20

Sunday, December 11 Mostly Sunny

High: 36 Low: 24

Monday, December 12 Mostly Sunny

High: 41 Low: 26

NEW PALTZ ORACLETHE

NEWS

THE GUNK

EDITORIAL

REFLECTIONS - KATE BLESSING & RACHEL FREEMAN

SPORTS

THE DEEP END

FEATURES PG. 3B A&E PG. 7B SPORTS PG. 15

FOLLOW THE ORACLE

1B-12B

3-10

12B

11

12

15-20

The New Paltz Oracle @NewPaltzOracle

WANT TO LISTEN TO WHAT YOU’VE READ IN THIS ISSUE? TUNE IN!

The New Paltz Oracle 3oracle.newpaltz.eduNEWS

Thursday, December 8, 2011

SUNY New Paltz Professor Dr. Daniel Schackman died Nov. 20 from a heart attack. Schackman, who worked as an assistant professor in the Commu-nications and Media Department, was 47 years old.

reached the campus community the morning after the heart attack. Interim Chair of the Department for Communi-cations and Media Eugene Heath was

brother.“I had received an e-mail from Dan’s

brother asking for me to call him,” Heath said. “When I got in contact with him he told me that he had died dur-ing the night. I was so surprised and shocked to hear the news.” Schackman earned his Ph. D. in

mass communications from the S.I. Ne-whouse School of Public Communica-tions at Syracuse University. He earned

-sity and his undergraduate degree at Clark University. Schackman served as the senior story editor and supervising producer for National Geographic T.V. from 1999 to 2001.The news of Schackman’s death

came as a shock to third-year commu-nications major Joe Neggie. Neggie said he had a feeling something may have been wrong before Schackman’s death.“He said a couple of times through-

out the semester that he wasn’t feel-

missed so many classes in the begin-ning of the semester he couldn’t can-cel class. I remember thinking he must have had something serious since he cancelled his last class before we heard the news, but I didn’t imagine anything like that would happen.”

Paltz in 2008 as a lecturer while com-pleting his Ph.D at Syracuse. Heath said Schackman was a leader in shap-ing the media management program.“He played a pivotal role in the de-

partment,” Heath said. “He was the person to help revise and leading the development of our media manage-

and a great colleague and a scholar who was contributing already and had a lot to contribute.”Within the department, Schack-

man’s colleagues said he was a consci-entious “teddy bear” not just as a pro-fessor, but as a man.“Dan was such a presence in our

department,” Professor Lynn Spangler said. “It’s so hard to believe we won’t see him anymore.”Spangler also said Schackman

spear-headed new directions for the Communications and Media Depart-

“Dan indeed was the one to bring us into the 21st century in a very collab-orative, wonderful kind of way,” Span-gler said.

A memorial service was held for Schackman on Dec. 7. In an e-mail to the campus community, SUNY New Paltz President Donald Christian said all students, faculty and staff were in-vited to attend to pay tribute to Schack-man’s memory and support his family, students and colleagues grieving the loss of a “truly remarkable man.”At the memorial service, Heath,

Christian and Spangler talked about Shackman and the energy he brought to the classroom and the department.

shared his memories of Schackman.“I am so grateful for the time that I

the department, volunteered to teach Schackman’s classes for the rest of the semester. Heath said “almost all” of the classes Schackman was assigned to teach in the spring 2012 semester have been taken by other professors as well.

-dents and faculty said Schackman’s death has left an impact on all associ-ated with the department.“It’s a blow, there’s no question

about it,” Heath said. “It weighs on us in lots of different ways. We’re all try-ing to move forward but it is very, very

Neggie said he will remember Schackman fondly as a “straight-for-ward” professor who always had some-thing interesting and meaningful to say. “I’ll remember him as a man who

loved his job,” Neggie said. “He was passionate about everything he talked about and wanted his students to share in that passion.”Colleagues said Schackman was

passionate about enabling students to travel and share their projects with pro-fessional organizations, proposing the idea of donating part of the winnings from a trivia night to helping students do so. To continue Schackman’s pas-sion for this, the Daniel Schackman Memorial Fund for students has been set up in his memory.The Department of Communication

and Media set up the fund and said the “purpose of this fund will be to defray the expenses of students studying with-in our department who wish to present their academic work at a conference or submit their creative work for review or evaluation by a recognized organiza-tion.”With Schackman’s death, Neggie

said he is trying to move on as best as he can. “They (the department) let us know

that they were there if needed,” Neggie said. “They assured us that we were in good hands.”While still processing the loss,

Schackman’s colleagues said the mem-ory of Schackman will be with them always.“The thing that we have to remem-

ber is that his affect on us is lasting,” Spangler said. “He will forever be in our hearts and our minds.”

By Cat TacopinaSports Editor | [email protected]

Professor Daniel Schackman died on Nov. 20 after suffering a heart attack. He was 47 years old.

The CampusRemembers The Late Professor Daniel Schackman

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEWPALTZ.EDU

In his presidential report, Student Asso-ciation (SA) President Terrell Coakley talked about Rainbow Month and how the clubs par-ticipating should collaborate so it could be co-hesive and integrated. Coakley also talked about his expectations

for senate elections, saying that he expects to see more than 1,000 students vote this semester.In her report, Vice President of Academic

Affairs and Governance Ayanna Thomas said she wants to create a Student Affairs Commit-tee. Members of the Student Affairs Committee would meet and talk to students about issues

over winter break.Executive Vice President Eve Stern said she

-ute the gender-neutral survery.

senate voted to endorse a petition to expand -

mittee and reinstate a committee. After the reports, the legislative body heard

a proposal from fourth-year international re-lations and Women’s Studies major Ashley Drzymala and third-year political science ma-jor Roberto LoBianco about their plans to use direct action in trying to expand library hours and their petition. “It’s not going to be a huge demonstra-

tion… [it will be a] time for students to discuss their grievances [about library hours],” said Dryzmala. LoBianco said that the protest could also

turn into a teach-in. They said they might take the time to teach the participants about budget cuts.

They plan on having a peaceful sit-in (or a study-in) at the lobby of the Sojourner Truth Li-brary (STL) Friday Dec. 9 and they asked the Student Associaton (SA) to endorse both the petition and the sit-in. Sen. Matt Clarkson said he wasn’t sure SA

should support the sit-in because it violates the student handbook.“[The sit-in] could hurt the efforts that the

senate has been making all semester,” said Clarkson. This sparked a discussion about whether

sponsoring the sit-in will hurt SA, because they also have been working to modify library hours. Sen. Mark Malizia motioned for a vote to

approve the SA sponsoring of the sit-in in the lobby of the STL. With a 9-9 vote and three senators abstain-

ing, Senate Chair Alberto Aquino broke the tie by voting to oppose the SA sponsorship of the

library sit-in. A member of the legislative body motioned

to vote on whether the SA should endorse the petition. With a unanimous vote the SA en-dorsed the petition.

Black and third-year student Petra Vega to be interviewed for a seat on the Liberal Education Ad Hoc Committee. Shortly after the nominations, Sen. Rich-

ard Jean-Louis proposed to resurrect the Se-nior Week Committee. Members of the Senior Week Committee would be responsible for or-ganizing events geared for graduating students. In the past, the Senior Week Committee have planned career resource programs and a ball for the graduating class. The legislative body voted to reinstate the

Senior Week Committee and make Sen. Jean-Louis the chair.

Senate Hosts Final Meeting Of The SemesterThe New Paltz Oracle4 oracle.newpaltz.edu NEWS


NEWS BRIEFS NATIONAL

In wheelchairs and on walkers, the old veterans came Wednesday to remember the day 70 years ago when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. But FDR’s “date that will live in infamy” is becoming a

more distant memory.

The Rod Blagojevich who once chal-lenged a prosecutor to face him like a man, the glad-handing politician who took to celebrity TV shows to profess his innocence, was nowhere to be found Wednesday as he was sentenced to 14

years in prison for corruption.

A DISTANT MEMORY

NOT AN EASY MORNINGIn a surprise move with election-year im-plications, the Obama administration’s

regulators and stopped the Plan B morn-ing-after pill from moving onto drugstore

shelves next to the condoms.

SIGNS OF HOPEBreast cancer experts are cheering what could be some of the biggest advances in more than a decade: two new medi-

-til women with very advanced cases get

worse.

PEACE OF ‘MINE’ Money - even a lot of it - is cold comfort to some relatives of the 29 men who died in the worst mining disaster in decades. They want justice, the kind that comes with a courtroom and a prison cell.

BUSTING THROUGH THE WALL-

ries in real-world settings have earned the TV show “MythBusters” a devoted fol-lowing, but a stunt gone awry met with an unhappy audience when an errant can-nonball went shooting through a Califor-

nia family’s bedroom.

BLAGOJE-PISSED

Compiled from the AP Newswire

By Jaleesa Baulkman Copy Editor | [email protected]

SA President Terrell Coakley talked about Rainbow Month and how participating clubs could collaborate with one another. PHOTO BY JACK SOMMER

“Best on the East Coast.”-Anthony Bourdain

MEXICALI BLUE10% OFF WITH STUDENT ID

WE ACCEPT HAWK DOLLARS!

OUR DAILY SPECIALS ARE ON OUR WEBSITE

WWW.MEXICALI-BLUE.COM

CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOKCHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK

845-255-5551

FREE DELIVERY!

COME IN AND SIGN UP FOR OUR EATING CONTEST!

WE ACCEPT VISA, MASTERCARD AND DISCOVER!



NEWS BRIEFS WORLD

Leading international broadcasters on Wednesday accused Iran of increasing its intimidation of foreign media and acceler-ating efforts to jam satellite broadcasts in Farsi from reaching Iranian audiences.

The Jorge Montt Glacier is shrinking faster than any other in Chile, with its snout re-treating 1 kilometer (more than a half mile) between February 2010 and January 2011,

glaciologist Andres Rivera said

A DUBIOUS DUB

MAJOR MELT

AN END TO HOSTILITIESOne of two remaining leaders of the Shin-ing Path guerrilla group in Peru said his troops will cease attacks and is calling for a truce to start peace negotiations with the

government.

COUNTING BALLOTS Tensions ran high in Guyana’s capital on

counted paper ballots two days after an ap-parently tight national election in the South

American country.

RETURN TO SENDERPolice are investigating what they de-scribed as a “suspicious delivery” ad-dressed to Deutsche Bank chief executive

Josef Ackermann, the bank said Wednesday.

A HARSH REVIEWStandard & Poor’s threatened Wednesday to downgrade the European Union’s triple-A credit rating, two days after adopting a similar stance toward many countries in

the region.

Compiled from the AP Newswire

SUNY New Paltz recently adopted a new policy where students are required to obtain their advisor’s signature on their graduation application along with an at-tached progress report.

This practice was implemented after numerous students applied for graduation,

“It was clear that no one was looking at their progress report and the progress re-port really tells you whether you’re done or not,” Registrar Bernadette Morris said. “In this way we can serve the students better.”

This process puts an emphasis on the progress report and how integral it is in de-termining a student’s graduation date. Mor-ris said this system, which she established a month ago, helps to make the progress accurate and tells students what they still

number one, they have a progress report that reads correctly and they know what they need to take next semester,” Morris said. “If they’re applying for graduation there’s no ‘Oh God, I hope I don’t get a notice.’ If the system says you’re okay then you’re O.K.”

With the progress report now attached to the application, Morris and other man-agers are able to immediately see if there is a “no” on the report and alert the student. This method has also reduced the amount of graduation clearance time from six to eight weeks down to three weeks, Morris said.

According to Morris, many times

needed substitutions of classes. Meeting with an advisor for the necessary signature allows students to speak with them about issues such as substitutions, and make the report show the right information. Advi-sors can also see what is missing, whether

education requirement.The signature also makes students feel

more comfortable about the status of their application.

“Students feel ‘Well good, my advisor also said I’m okay,’” Morris said.“If the advisor said O.K. without [the progress re-

to jump on the phone and say ‘Why would you have done that?’”

Morris, an alumnas of SUNY New Paltz who was caught two upper division

credits short for graduation, wishes some-thing like this was available to her as a student and hopes it will make the process easier.

“It’s a traumatic thing to send a stu-

hard for your degree and then at the point

Morris said. “I want to stop traumatizing students and make sure everything’s okay and that the advisor is aware of what is go-ing on.”

Thus far, Morris said she has received nothing but positive responses and they are

50 percent, “an alarmingly high percentage of students,” were not prepared for gradu-ation. However, since the new practice has been put into place, about 100 percent of students are set for graduation. Morris said

-fore the deadline for May applications and now they are all coming in complete.

“I really feel for the students, you’re very, very busy,” Morris said. “[In] your last semester you’re really kind of stressed out. Students are worried about jobs, grad-uate school. I want to take that burden off the students’ shoulders and get them out in a timely fashion.”

Graduation Applications Under Review

By Rachel Freeman Features Editor | [email protected]

Graduation applications will require students to obtain their advisor’s signature and an attached progress report. PHOTO BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

The New Paltz Oracle6 oracle.newpaltz.edu NEWS


Students Show Dissatisfaction With Library Hours

Students will occupy Sojourner Truth Li-brary on Friday, Dec. 9 as part of a protest to show their dissatisfaction with the building’s closing time and hours of operation. In a petition circulated by “students with a

common goal,” recent budget cuts to the SUNY system were blamed for the decrease in hours and the recent spikes in tuition for in-state and

for their cause. On Tuesday, Dec. 6 the student senate voted

to sign onto the petition, supporting the occupa-tion. “The group of students organizing this ac-

tion wanted to be able to tie the larger message of ‘Occupy Wall Street’ to something tangible on campus that effects students every day,” third-year political science major Roberto Lo-Bianco said. “The lack of library hours is a good way to do that.” Currently, SUNY New Paltz has the low-

est weekly operational library hours on SUNY campuses at 93, with SUNY Brockport and SUNY Oswego being the only other schools with hours below 100. The group plans to walk into the library’s lobby at 8:30 p.m. and intends to stay past the scheduled closing time of 9 p.m.Cody Hill, a third-year sociology major,

said the restricted hours are inconvenient for students because they are unable to do work and research at any time other than late nights. “Students may not have access to comput-

ers, internet, printers, or any of the library’s other academic material at home, and as a col-legiate institution, it is SUNY New Paltz’s re-sponsibility to accommodate students who are

paying for their education,” Hill said. In a campus wide e-mail sent on Dec. 6,

Dean of the Library Chui-chun Lee announced library hours will be extended beginning on Fri-day, Dec. 9. From Sunday to Thursday, the library will

be open an extra hour from its usual 11:30 p.m. closing time and the regular late night study room hours will be open until 3 a.m. on Sunday through Wednesday. “The extension of library hours this Friday,

[New Paltz’s low hours of operation],” LoBian-co said. “If you compare New Paltz’s extended

still pretty dismal.” LoBianco said the reduction in hours was a

“direct result” of budget cuts to higher educa-tion and was only one example students could see. Hill said the students involved will hold teach-ins to discuss the SUNY budget situation and talk about ideas and concerns to educate and motivate people involved. “The same message can be applied to out of

control class sizes, limited availability of class-es needed to graduate, overbearing workload for our professors and tuition hikes which will increase in-state by 30 percent and out-of-state by 60 percent over the next 5 years,” LoBianco

faced $1.5 billion in cuts, this is unprecedent-ed.” LoBianco said the protest has been in the

planning stages for about two weeks, but want-ed to emphasize that the library staff has been

“[We] will ensure that this is done in a re-spectful manner so as not to inconvenience their faculty and staff,” LoBianco said.

Before occupying the library’s lobby, the group intends to meet on Thursday Dec.8 at 6 p.m. in Cafeteria on Main Street to prepare and attend an “Occupy New Paltz” meeting at the same location. The ultimate goal is to motivate students to become active in knowing more

about their education, Hill said. “This is by no means a movement against

the library, but against those who decide that access to the library and our educational enrich-ment should not be made an absolute priority,” Hill said.

By Katie Kocijanski Asst. Copy Editor | [email protected]

Dean Chui-chun Lee of the Sojourner Truth Library (STL) is retiring after more than 40 years of service.

“I look forward to a new chapter of my life and the op-portunities to explore things that I’ve not had time to do while working,” said Lee.

Lee began her career at STL as an assistant to the librarian in 1969. From there, she held numerous positions including di-rector of the library from 1995 to 2008. She assumed her current role in 2008.

Lee said one of her many accomplishments lies in her staff. She said she has been very fortunate to be able to work with a team of talented and dedicated librarians and staff over the years.

“Together we have accomplished a great deal, particularly in the areas of enhancing information services and resources through innovative technologies,” said Lee. “Integrating the in-formation literacy component into [General Education] courses, establishing liaison programs with academic departments and creating the Friends of the Library to promote outreach activi-ties.”

Upon her retirement, Lee will miss New Paltz. Lee said it’s

the people with whom she’s worked closely with for many years that she will miss the most.

Lee received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence and Librarianship in 1989.

She said she will continue to learn upon retiring. A col-league once called her “a perpetual student.”

“I think what I am going to in the future is to continue to learn, whether it will be a new skill, experience, or career,” said Lee.

Her retirement brings opportunity for new leadership and for new projects to begin at the library.

as library renovation and reorganization. The new dean will see

to the next level,” said Lee. Lee received her Bachelor’s in English from The Chinese

University of Hong Kong and received two Master’s degrees from Syracuse University in library science and English litera-ture. Lee later earned a Master’s in Asian studies from New York University and a doctorate from SUNY Albany.

The retirement reception for Lee is scheduled for Dec. 15 from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the pre-event space outside the Mul-tipurpose Room in the Student Union.Chui-chun Lee will retire after more than 40 years of service.

COURTESY ROBERT LOBIANCO

By Andrew Wyrich Managing Editor | [email protected]

Library Dean Closes Book At New Paltz

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEWPALTZ.EDU



Student Association (SA) President Terrell Coakley is currently starting discussons about an issue concerning some students, faculty and staff: cigarette smoking on campus.“I saw several students, at least 10, who

were concerned about seeing littering from smoke butts on campus everywhere,” Coakley said. “Simultaneously I heard concerns that people weren’t following the 50-foot rule.” According to the 1240 Workplace Smoking

Policy, “Smoking is prohibited out of doors in the following areas: a. within 50 feet of build-ing entrances and open windows, b. in all exte-rior stairwells and c. any building roofs.” Although the 50-foot smoking policy is en-

forced by the college, Coakley said many stu-dents do not follow the rule and it has become a problem for non-smokers.“I think one of the major problems is that

students smoke right in front of Humanities be-fore class, but if you follow the 50-foot rule, you go closer to Wooster or Old Main. There’s no where you can really go,” Coakley said. “It’s inconvenient for people who smoke but it’s also inconvenient for people who don’t want to be near smoking.”Coakley presented the students’ concerns to

President Donald Christian’s cabinet. Although nothing is set in stone and everything is still

in the preliminary planning process, Coakley and the cabinet are working on implementing smoke-free zones on campus.Director of Environmental Health and

Safety Mike Malloy said there are three ways to approach the issue at hand. One would be to improve the present plan by having more smoking-butt containers. “The main complaint I’ve gotten from stu-

dents, faculty, staff is that there aren’t enough butt containers,” Malloy said. Malloy said the current containers have a

plastic neck and can melt and burn from the cigarettes. He said they will have “newer and better ones put up on the concourse.”Second, Malloy said they could have “des-

ignated smoking areas,” like gazebos through-out the campus. The third would be to have an entirely smoke-free campus. A few SUNY schools have already started to implement a smoke-free campus, including SUNY Canton and SUNY Cortland. Malloy said they will probably form a

tobacco committee with “smokers and non-smokers…to come up with a solution.”Additionally, Malloy said they will add

more signs around campus to enforce the 50-foot rule, especially near places like the Atri-um. Since the Atrium is a roof, smoking is pro-hibited. The signs will be donated by the Ulster County Anti-Tobacco Coalition.

Malloy also said the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is looking to offer smoking cessation programs and Student Health Servic-es offers counseling, nicotine patches and gum.Cath Cole, a third-year sociology major,

campus would be a good idea and “help to sat-isfy both the smokers and the non-smokers on campus.”“I don’t think it would be fair to completely

ban smoking from the campus considering a vast majority of both students and faculty are active smokers,” said Cole. “I would be com-pletely on board for a gazebo, seeing as how one of the biggest struggles for smokers – espe-cially in a winter in New Paltz – is hiding from the rain and snow.Clarie Slow, a non-smoker and a fourth-

year organizational communication major, said she understands that smokers could be upset with a smoke-free campus.“I think this is going to be an ongoing issue

said Slow. “In terms of health issues, though, I think that we should become a smoke-free campus because we have the information on how bad smoking is for our health, why not

idea but it’s going to create a strong divide be-tween smokers and non-smokers.”

By Zan StrumfeldA&E Editor | [email protected]

Smokers could be fuming soon, the implementation of “smoking zones” on campus os being discussed. PHOTO BY JIMMY CORRAO

By Jaleesa BaulkmanCopy Editor | [email protected]

The New Paltz Board of Educa-

plans for the 2012-13 budget year.

least two versions of their budget. One would have a strict 2 percent tax levy and another would trigger a need for a super majority vote.

The 2 percent property tax cap, which was passed in June, establishes a tax levy limit on local governments to restrict the degree to which they can raise the increase of property taxes.

Director of CRREO Gerald Ben-jamin said that the tax cap will be challenging for schools because they are “hard pressed to operate within the cap.” Schools and local govern-ments will have to control their costs

money.“We’re planning to deal with the

tax cap,” School Board Vice President K. T. Tobin Flusser said. “[But] we still have to watch Albany to see what they’re going to do about state man-dates.”

Tobin said they’re waiting be-cause they heard that Cuomo was go-ing to modify the tax package.

Last Sunday, Cuomo announced that he was going to create new tax brackets in New York called the “Fair Tax Code Reform.”

Bloomberg.com reported that the new tax rates would generate a billion dollars in additional revenue while “cutting levies for 4.4 million middle-class residents by $690 million.”

Tobin said she hopes the 2012-13 budgets will allow educational pro-gram to remain.

“[I hope the budget] maintain ed-ucational programs with a reasonable budget that the public can support.”

Assistant Superintendent for Busi-ness Richard Linden said that New

what they tax levy is until they have all the date which will be available by the end of January or mid-February.

The New Paltz Oracle 8 oracle.newpaltz.edu NEWS


Campus Leaders ‘Uncertain’ About Budget ClimateBy Julie MansmannEditor-in-Chief | [email protected]

While SUNY trustees approved of an $8.1 billion budget

administrators, faculty and others are optimistic but unsure what the next year will bring.

billion in requested taxpayer support, a 9.2 percent increase over current funding, would raise spending for university-wide programs and system administration 7.7 percent.

At SUNY New Paltz, President Donald Christian said he and his colleagues remain optimistic in regards to whether

rather than cut funding as they have in recent years. However, he said “a lot of uncertainty” remains because the projected

“How big that is and how that plays out is one of the big sources of uncertainty,” Christian said. “There are many in the Legislature who I think have realized that SUNY has been hit so

our mission.”

with legislators several weeks ago, and these “positive” conversations indicate that they have support for SUNY and funding the system.

“We’ve also met with [Charles] Schumer and we’ve met

Christian said administrators discussed how they felt state

the form of Pell Grants and Perkins Loans for students. A 10 percent cut in state funding to the SUNY system this

of the shortfall included cuts to the utilities, other than personnel services and part-time personnel budgets, among others.

Peter Brown, president of the campus chapter of the United University Professions (UUP) union, said he shares Christian’s feelings about the upcoming year because he does not see how the state’s government could cut the system any more.

“I read the same tea leaves that he does,” he said. “I am also cautiously optimistic that we will not be cut further, but we can’t predict the future.”

Christian said students should note next year, in spite of any cuts that may or may not be handed down from the state, funds collected from recently approved tuition increases will

support.”

support of the plan called a rational tuition policy, allowing for

the college will be in a situation in which the increase will be above and beyond the tax payer base of funds SUNY New Paltz starts with.

those tuition revenues into things that matter to students -

20 new faculty members to begin working on campus next fall. Administrators said this would not have been possible without the $2.4 million generated from the rise in tuition.

“I know the heartburn that many students have about tuition, and yet I hope everybody recognizes that because of the tuition increase that we got this year, we’re able to hire new faculty who will be here to teach courses and advise students and supervise student research and projects,” he said.

Other ways in which tuition revenue may be used include

although individual members opposed them because they felt the state should have provided additional funding to the SUNY system.

The SUNY budget request would also increase community

Searches are underway for three of the highest-

Currently, the dean of the School of Education, the dean of the School of Science and Engineering and pro-

“The search committees are crafting position de-

portant initial steps that search committees need to take for positions like this,” President Donald Christian said.

Earlier this year, Professor Daniel Freedman as-sumed the role of interim dean of Science and Engi-neering following Daniel Jelski’s departure after serv-ing in this capacity for four years. Karen Bell, who served as an associate dean of her academic unit from

of Education in December 2010. She succeeded Robert

New Paltz. Dr. Cheryl Torsney was appointed interim provost

Donald Christian’s former seat.

committee members in a campus-wide email sent on Nov. 8. While Christian said the students, faculty and

cide to hire a candidate before the dean search groups

that outcome is likely.

tian said. “It would be reassuring, I think for someone

boss would be. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to do that just because of timing.”

While there is no strict calendar in place for the search process, Christian said the provost search and

Aaron Isabelle, a professor in the Elementary Edu-cation department and the School of Education dean

committee chair, said the group has put together an “extensive” list of desired qualities gathered from the School of Education faculty members and have nar-

sis of the application screening criteria. “We value a dean who has achieved a high level of

sion and skills necessary to generate external funding,” Isabelle said.

Dr. Richard Halpern, physics professor and chair of the School of Science and Engineering dean search, said his committee met on Dec. 6 and put together a search advertisement for the position that will be avail-able to the public on the New Paltz website after it is approved by the Human Resources Department.

Freedman, who said he took the Science and En-gineering dean position because he hoped to work on a number of “exciting and interesting” projects – in-cluding the construction of the new science building on New Paltz’s eastern corner – said he would “probably” be submitting his application for a permanent role.

Torsney felt similarly and said she is “considering” putting herself in the running for the provost position beyond this year.

Christian said the goal is to have all three positions

By Andrew Wyrich Managing Editor | [email protected]

School Searches For Three Administrators

’’’’’The search committees are crafting position descriptions, criteria, quali-

initial steps that search committees need to take for positions like this

DONALD CHRISTIAN



By Maria JayneCopy Editor | [email protected]

Campus Leaders Host ‘Racial Equity’ Forum

SUNY New Paltz administrative and student leaders hosted a forum last week in response to the racial incidents that took place on campus nearly one month ago. College President Donald Christian and Student Associa-

tion President Terrell Coakley sponsored the forum entitled, “Can We Talk About It? A campus discussion about race and racial equity.” It was held on Nov. 30 in various rooms through-out the Student Union from 6 to 8 p.m and culminated in the Multipurpose Room. Christian said he hoped the forum would prove to be an im-

portant event in the life of the college and the community would be able to begin healing the wounds caused by the incidents. He said he hopes this begins to address issues of race and racial equity as well as other issues of equity that the community may see.

on Nov. 8, when a sign reading “colored only” was found above a fountain in the Humanities Building, was one of the reasons the discussion took place. Christian said this incident is still un-der active investigation. Although the incident was a large part of the conversation,

students, faculty and staff in attendance were asked to discuss their feelings on six different questions in small groups of 15-25 people. The questions were as folows: “how did the incidents make you feel, beyond this incident how does racism manifest itself, what does racism mean to you, has anyone ever made an assumption of you based on your race, have you ever made an assumption based on someone’s skin color and does the color of your skin dictate your potential in life?” “We need to think about how we perpetuate hate in our-

selves and think about what we can do,” said Chanel Ward, Black Studies adjunct professor and resident director of Bouton

uncomfortable to support human-to-human emotion.” After hearing different opinions voiced and meeting new

people, attendees were encouraged to smile and say hello to the people they met. Coakley said he hopes people could possibly feel comfortable enough to talk about these issues in the future.

Second-year sociology major Emily Wever said she thought this was an excellent idea. She said the most comforting aspect of the forum was knowing others on campus feel the same way she does and that an open mind is important. Participants said they believed that this type of discussion

was necessary and being in small groups allowed people to

Some students said they felt they didn’t have enough time to talk about their topics. Third-year Black Studies major Jada

and more time was required to get to the core of the subjects.“We need more discussions among faculty and this needs

Young.

step toward increasing awareness on the topics of racism and for fostering a greater sense of community at New Paltz. “It’s really important to raise issues and to raise conscious-

ness,” said Abigail Robin, a retired Women Studies professor.

Even though the forum created a platform for discussion to begin, others still feel that there is a lot of progress to be made. “I’m fearful about the people who didn’t come,” said Wever.

“I know we are all open-minded [at the forum], but the people that posted those signs probably weren’t here.” Others agreed with Wever, saying the forum only reached

people that were willing to change or at least speak about the topics at hand. Young said the topics were good, but it was like preaching to the choir. In the future, Coakley said he hopes to have other forums on

different topics such as gender of homophobia because the topic cannot be addressed without recognizing other issues at hand. Coakley said speaking up and having discussions on more

and more topics is necessary to combat all injustices. “Until we hear about each other, we can’t care about each

other,” said Coakley.

Student Association Executive Vice President Eve Stern hosted a program entitled, “White Privilege: Does it Exist?” on Monday, Nov. 28, in the main lounge of Bouton Hall.

At the program, conversations ranged from race to the racial signs posted in the Humanities Building and Lefevre Hall.

“A program and discussion was something I had wanted to do since early in the semester,” Stern said. “I kind of wanted [to] have a program where we got everyone together to be honest with each other about what goes on on this campus.”

Stern said honesty regarding race is important for our campus. Despite claims that our campus is diverse, she said there

is still a sort-of-segregation taking place between students from within their friend groups.

As a part of the Black Studies Department, Stern said she feels strongly about educating other students on race. She and a few of her classmates organized the talk, putting together a structure for the conversations to follow. Stern said they had a decent turn out of students who were interested in learning about the issues of race.

“I know one of my friends was angry. He was hoping more angry, super-racist, white people would come so they could try to be educated,” Stern said. “I was hoping for people to come to the program that were open-minded but not necessarily educated.”

Stern said the current education

system plays a large part in the ignorance of the overall public. She said she never talked about racism when she was in high school and many students had similar experiences. She said white people often respond to being told of their advantages in a more hostile way, tending to look at situations in a “micro” scale rather than the “macro.”

“When you tell a white person that they receive more advantages due to the color of their skin, they don’t want to listen to that,” Stern said. “If you have so many issues and problems going on in your own life, it takes a lot to admit that someone else might have it worse than you. ”

Josh Simpson, a third-year Black Studies major, said that the need for frank discussion of race and white privilege transcends the need for political

correctness.“We explained that it needs to be

called ‘white privilege’ because white people are the only ones who get any privilege based on the color of their skin,” Simpson said.

Keeping the conversation alive is what the student organizers of this program hope to do as they said these discussions are the only way to combat white privilege and racial inequality.

“I know that nothing can change overnight but hopefully with programs like this one and the forums that have occurred on race will hopefully aid in changing out society,” Simpson said. “I would hate to see all of the hard work that many students have done go to waste and have these incidences on campus get forgotten over winter break.”

Racial Incident Discussions Reach Residence HallsBy Katherine Speller Copy Editor | [email protected]

“Can We Talk About It? A campus discussion about race and racial equity” forum was held on Nov. 30. PHOTO BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

The New Paltz Oracle 10 oracle.newpaltz.edu ADS


Highly regarded doctoralprogramsThe Graduate Center is theprincipal Ph.D.-grantinginstitution of the CityUniversity of New York. Manyof the Graduate Center’s morethan thirty doctoral programsare regularly ranked amongthe best in the country.

Renowned teacher-scholarsOver the last decade, theGraduate Center has addeddozens of world-class scholarsto its already eminent facultyroster. Among their manyrecent awards are fiveGuggenheim Fellowships.

Fellowships for incomingstudentsAbout 300 fellowshipsavailable to first-year studentsprovide each recipient with$18,000–$24,000 a year forfive years, plus tuitionremission and low-cost healthinsurance.

The heart of New YorkCityLocated across from the EmpireState Building in one of theworld’s most cosmopolitanenvironments, the GraduateCenter offers students a widerange of research opportunitiesand presents myriad culturalevents.

Please visitwww.gc.cuny.eduto learn more about this remarkable institution.

Office of AdmissionsCUNY Graduate Center365 Fifth AvenueNew York, NY 10016Phone: [email protected]

Public Education to the Highest Degree

SUNY_New Paltz_ad_11.5 x 6:Layout 1 11/17/11 11:14 AM Page 2

If you’d like to get involved next semester, contact us at

The GUNK

NOAM CHOMSKYHoward Zinn honored by

Story on page 2B


PHOTO BY JIMMY CORRAO

The GUNK

The New Paltz Oracle2B oracle.newpaltz.edu


FEATURESNew Paltz Honors Howard Zinn

More than 1,300 people gathered in

-

activist Noam Chomsky speak and honor

up by community activist Mark Rausher -

ogy Benjamin Junge, organized the lec-

his prominence and strong political be-

and gives us a hard-driving and cogent

around these themes — especially in the

-

the events and inviting attendees to submit

-

-

-

-

loved to be among the people taking part

-spired by the creativity, by the dynamism,

including health care, the environment,

-

great moments that ultimately enter the

he “literally changed the consciousness -

-ment as he said it is small actions by un-

-

Facebook and

Facebook asked them to comment on public higher educa-

-

throughout history have struggled against

Chomsky also compared education --

Event volunteer Danielle Kingsbury,

-

that Chomsky spent so much time dis-

great, but the media is trying to portray it -

and tackle societal and humanitarian is-

-

Junge said students are encouraged -

tions on the event page at http://on.fb.me/newpaltz-zinn

NOAM CHOMSKY DISCUSSES HISTORIAN, OCCUPY MOVEMENT AND FOREIGN POLICY

By Rachel FreemanFeatures Editor | [email protected]

New and expecting mothers of New Paltz now have somewhere to turn to for their breast-feeding needs. Instead of traveling 30 minutes to Kings-ton or Poughkeepsie, they can visit New Baby New Paltz owner and lactation expert, Donna Bruschi.

Located at 15 Plattekill Ave., New Baby New Paltz offers a wide variety of classes about concep-tion, pregnancy, birth, infancy, childhood, sleep and adult relationships. Bruschi also sells breast-feeding and baby accessories such as breast pumps, nursing tops and bras, organic skin care products and cloth diapers.

Bruschi said many doctors are ignorant when it comes to specialized information about breast-feeding. She is there to answer any questions a mother may have.

“People call me all the time with crazy things they’ve heard from friends or doctors,” Bruschi said. “I just try to set the record straight based on the latest research and my knowledge.”

A single mother of three, Bruschi said she has been helping mothers for more than 14 years. She started New Baby New Paltz two years ago as a small group where new mothers could connect and have a place to go regularly because, according to Bruschi, new mothers can often feel isolated and may not have anywhere to turn.

Bruschi said that in recent times, new moth-ers do not have a large network of neighbors they can turn to because they generally work up until birth. New Baby New Paltz seemed like a natural response to the needs of mothers in the community, she said..

After receiving a great response to her group,

more accommodating place in the New Paltz area. “We grew out of ourselves very quickly and

now it’s much bigger than I ever dreamed of,” Br-uschi said. “It was kind of an accident. I would have been happy having a group and doing my private consultations.”

Bruschi said New Baby New Paltz encom-passes all of the job and interpersonal skills she has acquired in the past and she has a lot of experience. She previously ran her own business, worked for a consulting group, as well as in retail. However, she has greatest experience as a lactation consultant and said her number one passion is breast-feeding and teaching new mothers helpful techniques.

“When a woman decides to breast-feed she re-ally should be supported in that,” Bruschi said.

Breast milk is rich in antibodies and a balance of nutrients, fats, sugar, water and proteins that are essential to the growth of a baby and easier to digest than formula, according to Womenshealth.gov. The organization also said research shows breast-feed-ing can reduce the risk of type one and two of dia-betes, childhood leukemia, asthma, obesity, respira-tory infections, ear infections and atopic dermatitis.

Bruschi said breast-feeding allows the child to regulate their food intake on his or her own, as well as make a human connection instead of relying on a security blanket or a bottle for comfort.

“No matter how long you breast-feed you’re

“The longer the better, but even just a couple of

New Baby New Paltz is dedicated to the envi-ronment and sells organic and healthy local prod-

ucts, including natural skin care products that are non-petroleum based and made from organic oils

By offering locally-made products, Bruschi feels she is providing a great opportunity to stay-at-home mothers by supporting their businesses and making their products available to the public, instead of them only selling their products on the Internet. She currently offers products from more than 10 mothers in New Paltz.

Another effort New Baby New Paltz makes toward lessening their environmental impact is by selling cloth diapers. When disposable diapers are

used, parents are committing to spending more than $3,000 on waste, Bruschi said, whereas the use of cloth diapers allows parents to avoid these large amounts of garbage.

New Baby New Paltz also refers women to helpful local programs that may provide extra sup-port for new mothers such as Women, Infants and Children, Family of New Paltz, therapy, chiroprac-tors and many other agencies, so no disorder goes unnoticed and each mother and child receives the best care.

Information about the store can be found on www. newbabynewpaltz.com.

Holistic Health Care For Babies NEW BABY NEW PALTZ PROVIDES CARE FOR ALL-NATURAL MOTHERS

The New Paltz Oracle 3Boracle.newpaltz.eduF!"#$%!&

Thursday, December 8 , 2011

Donna Bruschi opened New Baby New Paltz to help local mothers.

By Maria JayneCopy Editor | [email protected]

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA SCHWARTZ

By Kelsey DamradStaff Writer | [email protected]

The Philosophy of Climate Change GOODMAN’S LECTURE LINKS BUDDHISM TO ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION

Associate Professor of Philosophy at SUNY Binghamton, Charles A. Goodman ad-dressed the consequences climate change on Monday, Nov. 14 in his lecture, “Buddhism,

father and my aunt,” Goodman said. “When I began to meditate, I learned things about my mind that I had never imagined before, and I

from letting the mind rest and relax.” ‘From his personal meditation practices

and study of Buddhist thought in his career, Goodman said that Buddhist philosophy might be the key to addressing climate change.

“Buddhism teaches that all forms of life

are interdependent in complex ways,” Good-man said. “As humans, we recklessly cause environmental damage through our own greed and fear.”

While basic versions of ethics (both virtue and Kantian) are not well equipped to handle climate change, Buddhists are in a position to make a contribution to the “global conversation of ethics,” Goodman said.

Goodman said that in order to develop healthier ways of treating the environment,

-zation is not among the list of requirements;; instead, he said the world needs to become conscious of the effects of humanity’s actions on other beings while learning to live in har-mony.

“We can develop ecological conscious-ness in a variety of ways,” Goodman said.

He continued to explain that Buddhism, a philosophy governed by the “Doctrine of No- Self,” maintains that one’s body and mind - which he said are both of a continu-ously changing nature - are not one’s true self. He said the true self is forever unchanging and permanent. Goodman said the philosophy ar-gues that suffering is optional and exists only in one’s own mind, and that humanity is af-

-gression to harmony: attraction, aversion, and indifference.

Goodman’s book “Consequences of Compassion: An Interpretation and Defense of Buddhist Ethics,” explores the relationship between Buddhist and Western ethical theo-ries.

“My hope is that by bringing together the insights of many world cultures, we can

develop a global ethic that will lead to a wise response to the severe moral challenges of our time,” Goodman said.

According to Goodman, the focus of this ethic must be “preventing harm and suffering to all sentient beings” as well as the develop-ment of characteristically sound qualities ap-propriate for creating harmony.

He suggested what people can do indi-vidually to help prevent climate change: stop eating meat, call one’s congressman, study the “Doctrine of No-Self,” and try some Buddhist meditation practices.

“One very effective way to develop care for the environment is to cultivate loving kindness and compassion through traditional Buddhist meditation practices,” Goodman

more I want to hug trees.”

The New Paltz Oracle4B oracle.newpaltz.edu F!"#$%!&


During the 1800s, Christmas in colonial America was a “special time of year” where workers demanded appreciation from the upper classes of society. Today it is viewed in a very different light.

Assistant Professor Reynolds Scott-Childress of the History Department further explored this perspec-tive on Christmas during the presentation of “Cross-Dressing, Misrule and Mayhem: Christmas Before Santa in Early America” at Historic Huguenot Street on Dec. 1.

Scott-Childress said it is crucial for people to un-derstand that Christmas is a way to see how the develop-ing middle class tried to privatize a public event.

The lower classes took to the streets after a long year during Christmas time to demand “social betters” from the upper classes. They demanded treats, beer and wine — anything to make them happy. If the upper class

barns destroyed or their homes broken into.The presentation focused on how the Puritans saw

Christmas. During the early 1600s and well into the 1700s, the Puritans saw Christmas as a time of social

anarchy and chaos. They hated the misrule and public drinking associated with the holiday.

Scott-Childress said one of the practices the Pu-ritans hated was mummers. Mummers is when adults wore masks or soot to cover their faces as they engaged in the disarray they created on Dec. 25.

As a result of social anarchy, the middle classes took it upon themselves to make the holiday a private affair to be celebrated only among families.

Scott-Childress said, the upper classes added the religious aspect to Christmas in the 1800s as a way to bring the celebration into their separate churches. Christmas was no longer celebrated as a community.

Scott-Childress said some believe the religious side of Christmas has been overlooked and Christmas has lost religious value.

“Christmas was always impure and secular,” Scott-Childress said. “It was about social relations, not about celebrating Jesus.”

Scott-Childress said Christmas has always been about excess. Workers from colonial America wanted gifts from the upper classes, like alcohol and extra clothes.

Today, Scott-Childress said it is all about the gifts. He said people buy in excess and all items must be nov-

el rather than practical. “It’s a buying orgy, buying more than we really

need, buying treats,” Scott-Childress said.Scott-Childress said this excess is not a sign of

societal decline by any means.“It’s all about celebrating each others company

and celebrating relationships,” Scott-Childress said.

Secular Approach To The HolidaysHISTORY PROFESSOR HOLDS LECTURE ON COLONIAL CHRISTMAS AT HUGUENOT STREET

Professor Scott-Childress teaches holiday history.

By Katie KocijanskiAsst. Copy Editor | [email protected]

PHOTO BY K. KUPRIAN

ATTENTION STUDENTS!!!SPRING 2012 SEMESTER

SOUTHSIDE TERRACE APARTMENTSOFFERS SEMESTER LEASES

Studio, one & two bedroom apartmentsHeat & Hot water includedAll apartments are furnished

Clubhouse, basketball courts many extras!Walking distance to the college & town

SOUTHSIDE TERRACE APARTMENTS

4 SOUTHSIDE AVENUE

The New Paltz Oracle 5Boracle.newpaltz.eduF!"#$%!&


Fresh PaltzFRESH PALTZ’s mission

is to document what people

especially around the campus of SUNY New Paltz.

CHECK OUT TO SEE MORE OF WHAT NEW PALTZ IS WEARING!

INTERESTED IN SEEING MORE OF “FRESH PALTZ?” FRESHPALTZ.COM

Name: Lindsey Buckley Major: Photography BFAAge: 21 Hometown: Nyack, N.Y.

Photo by Dean Engle, [email protected]

Lindsay’s romper speaks for itself, but she pairs it perfectly with a sleek blazer and tights for an autumn adaptation. Her pen-dant adds just the right amount of drama.

Caption by Rachel Freeman, [email protected]

The Last good Book I Read: ‘The Shattering’ by karen healey

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM

By Nicole BrinkleyStaff Writer | [email protected]

Keri plans for everything. Living in Summertown, probably the nicest place on earth, she doesn’t really have to worry about these things...but she does anyway. Earthquake? She knows what to do. Broken arm? She’s got it. She’s probably prepared for a zombie apoca-lypse, too (I know I am).

But the one thing she wasn’t prepared for was her brother’s suicide. When her childhood friend Janna appears near a dumpster and explains that her brother was murdered, it seems to make sense. Janna’s brother died the same way years ago. And Sione, a tourist Janna knows, found his brother after he committed suicide earlier that year.

So the trio team up to investigate. A pattern quickly emerges and it seems somebody (or somebodies) in Summerton are killers.

I never actually meant to read Karen Healey’s “The Shattering” (Little, Brown Books, September 2011). I just happened to pick it up one afternoon because I was

bored and then read it in two hours. It was absolutely fantastic.

For once, despite the slightly paranormal elements, the characters are completely normal. There’s no 107-year-old sparkling vampire that wants to get into a young girl’s pants, no man who shapes into some weird beast every time the full moon hits him. Everybody is strangely normal — normal people, normal goals, nor-mal lives.

And the slightly paranormal elements shouldn’t deter anybody from reading the story — they’re based on real religious beliefs, so depending on what you be-lieve, the story might not even fall under paranormal. It reminds me of some of the old mystery novels I used to read where magic was supposedly involved but the mystery was still solved at the end. It’s like “Scooby Doo,” but the young adult version.

I recommend reading it. It’s a fabulous novel, and one which I would love to have the experience of read-ing again.

The New Paltz Oracle6B oracle.newpaltz.edu F!"#$%!&


Marching Against RapeSUNY New Paltz students banded together and

made signs against sexual assault and victim blame on Sunday, Dec. 4 during the Walk of No Shame.

Participants walked through campus in op-position to sexual violence, as well as to empower victims and survivors and encourage community safety. They confronted the issue of victim blame, which they feel is commonly supported by the media. They also encouraged the teaching of “not to rape” rather than “how to not get raped.”

A presentation featuring Urban Lyrics, War-riors, burlesque and Male Call, along with rape statistics followed the walk. All donations from the event went to Green Chimneys Shelter, a haven for LGBTQ youth.

CAPTION BY RACHEL FREEMAN PHOTOS COURTESY OF FACEBOOK.COM

STUDENTS ADVOCATE FOR CONSENT IN THE FIRST WALK OF NO SHAME


ARTS ENTERTAINMENT&

Eight photographers were admitted into the Bach-elor of Fine Arts (BFA) program for the spring 2012 semester.

“As a BFA, I really have to push myself in my fu-ture work and strive to be a role model for new pho-tographers,” said third-year photography major Linda Edwards, one offered into the BFA.

She said being accepted makes her feel that she’s

career are concerned.

school during a summer arts camp and has used it as her creative medium ever since. Though she originally expressed herself through drawing, her inability to do realistic work made photography a perfect alternative.

“Photography was a way to completely capture one’s essence and put my own spins and twists on it,” said Edwards.

Edwards had to apply for the visual arts program during her freshman year. She said she already under-stands the pressure accompanied with submitting work for criticism, explaining that it enhances her drive, knowing she is one of the 125 students selected.

“Having to apply into the art department instead of simply going into college and declaring you’re an art-ist makes you have to work for it and realize that you can’t always get what you want,” she said.

Edwards said she realizes the vast difference be-tween studying photography on a Bachelor of Science (BS) level and completing a BFA.

“A lot more pressure is put on BFA students than BS students. Not only do we have to prove to our pro-fessors that we deserve it, we must prove ourselves to our fellow majors and upcoming photography stu-dents,” said Edwards.

Although she is beginning her journey in the BFA program, Edwards said she has grown considerably as an artist over the past two years studying photography at a BS level. She said her artwork and their concepts have matured and her years of study at New Paltz have helped her form meaning in her photographs.

“Being [here has] made me think conceptually and really gave me a purpose to my work, instead of just taking pictures for the sake of doing so,” said Edwards.

Like many artists, Edwards’ work comes from what she has experienced.

“My main inspiration for art is primarily based on my...own life,” said Edwards. “This usually pertains to memories, strong emotions or inspirations I draw from the work of photography greats.”

Edwards said she hopes to teach photography at the college-level one day. Though she has experience teaching classes on middle-school levels and assistant teaching at both high school and college levels, she

said she feels college students have much more pas-sion, interest and drive.

-wards does not let it discourage her. She said she pur-sues it simply because she loves it.

“My grandfather always told us that, ‘If you do something you love every day, you’ll never work a day in your life,’” said Edwards.

By Suzy BerkowitzStaff Writer | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle7Boracle.newpaltz.edu

Third-year photography major Linda Edwards was recently accepted into the BFA program. PHOTO BY LINDA EDWARDS

In Focus: Linda EdwardsPHOTOGRAPHY MAJOR RECENTLY ACCEPTED INTO BFA PROGRAM

Mapping Metal with Blythe MillerSENIOR COMPLETES BFA JEWELRY THESIS REFERENCING HUDSON VALLEY

Every undertaking in life can be considered a journey, and for her Bachelor of Fine Arts thesis show, fourth-year metal major Blythe Miller had a map to follow.

Miller’s work, recently on display in The Dorsky, was a col-lection of jewelry that was modeled off topographic maps of the Hudson Valley.

“I focused on Ulster County, the Catskill Region [and] really interesting places like the Shawangunk Mountains,” she said.

Miller said she checked several times online to make sure this idea wasn’t already taken, citing it as one of her biggest con-cerns. Miller described the process as intricate and time consum-ing. She said crafting and sanding the metal to get the desired shape was one of the biggest challenges.

“It involved a lot of careful forming of the wire, and a lot of

process.” Some of the names Miller chose for her jewelry pieces in-

clude ‘Elevate’ and ‘Peak.’ She said these are based on the topo-

graphical details a map provides, such as the elevation heights, contour lines and shaded relief for peaks and below sea level ar-eas. Every map includes these details for those adventurers’ that wish to scale these mountains and be alerted to both naturally oc-curring and man-made features.

Miller’s jewelry follows these contour lines building on top of one another, giving it a 3-D appearance. Some pieces look as though they are computer-generated models of the mountain, giv-ing the observer a 360-degree bird’s eye view. This unique per-

Miller’s favorite piece out of her collection is the “necklace.” However, she said each piece can be worn.

Still, Miller said she’s done with maps and that she’s looking over the mountains to see what’s on the horizon, and that just may be New York City.

“I want to make jewelry for a company for a while, and then eventually start my own studio and have my own line,” she said. “[I’m] happy that it’s done, happy to move on.”

Inside the metal studio, Miller has worked with a blow torch heating scraps of copper and crafting dome shapes out of the same material, one such project included a teapot. Some of the chal-lenges to that project, she said, were attaching the spout and lid.

The thesis show is a time for creative, young student talent to showcase their work before they graduate out of their respec-tive program. Some others showcased for this season included the impact of logos, the effects and colors of freezer burn and a focus on sculptures.

By John BrandiNews Editor | [email protected]


The Athens Boys Choir will perform at “F to eMbody” on Monday, Nov. 21 from 6 to 11 p.m. in SU MPR.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.ATHENSBOYSCHOIR.COM

The New Paltz Oracle8B oracle.newpaltz.edu A!"# $ E%"&!"'(%)&%"

Getting ‘Bare’New Paltz students performed a production of “Bare: A Pop Opera,” directed by

Brett Rothstein, in McKenna Theatre on Dec. 2, 3 and 4. The musical follows the story of lovers, Peter and Jason, as they come to terms with

-ments in a Catholic boarding school.

enough to really impact an audience. We see these issues being brought up in most new-age television shows: ‘Glee,’ ‘Degrassi,’ ‘True Blood,’ ‘Skins,’ etc.,” said Nicholas Mannino, who played the role of Jason. “The thing is, we as an audience are becoming

-ity and religion, which still are distinct in society, without breaching a heavy and con-

what does it matter who we chose to fall into that love with? Peter and Jason had a love that was pure and sincere.”

Sister Chantelle, a nun at the boarding school, makes a statement essentially sum-ming up the theme of self-acceptance in the play: “God don’t make no trash.”

“I think the writers of ‘Bare’ really wanted to drive the point home that no matter who you are, gay, straight, lesbian, transgender, what have you, God is not judgmental and nobody should be ashamed of who they truly are,” said Stephen Kalogeras, who played the role of Peter.

By Katherine SpellerCopy Editor | [email protected]

PHOTO BY DARRIAN AMAKER

PHOTO COURTESY OF BLYTHE MILLER


A&E Editor Zan Strumfeld’s Album Admiration

TUBA

SKI

NNY

SIX

FEET

DOW

N (2

010)

beir

utth

e ri

p ti

de (2

011)

The

Head

& T

he H

eart

se

lf-t

itle

d (2

010)

Bill

ie H

Olid

ayLa

dy D

ay (2

001)

Frui

t ba

tsm

outh

fuls

(200

3)

LISA

HAN

NIGA

Npa

ssen

ger

(201

1)

Lisa Hannigan is a seductress. Her quiet Irish voice sounds like she’s straining her vocal cords through 20 years of smok-ing cigarettes. I have no idea if she even smokes, but her raspy yet tranquil voice works perfectly. And she’s getting big — Rolling Stone just reviewed her album (evidently that means she’s good). And I recently found out we have the same

birthday. So, of course, I’m trying to channel her.

Must hear: “Passenger,” “Safe Travels (Don’t Die),” “Little Bird”

This is by no means a new album, but I just started listening to Fruit Bats this year. They’re so Shins-y (since Eric D. Johnson is in both bands) — but some-how it’s oddly refreshing. With a folky, psychedelic-pop feel, the melodies are marinated with melting harmonies and the poetic lyrics unfold into a beautiful story.

Must hear: “The Little Acorn,” “Seaweed,” “Rainbow Sign”

It was probably the best and worst idea to make a Rainy Day playlist...with mostly Billie Holiday. But, oh well! She caresses all the smooth and dark spots that no one likes to go to or think about, all

vulnerability.

Must hear: “What A Little Moonlight Can Do,” “Billie’s Blues”

I cannot begin to explain how many times I’ve listened to this album. I discovered The Head and The Heart this

Chronogram...of course it was two days after they had a show at Bearsville The-atre. With heartwarming three-part harmonies and simple yet intricate melodies, this Seattle-based band is not to be

missed.

Must hear: “Coeur D’Alene,” “Honey Come Home”

This album is the perfect middle-ground between The Flying Club Cup and Gulag Orkestar. It’s upbeat, beau-

matured with his songwriting abilities and it’s inspiring to have witnessed the journey. And the NPR Tiny Desk Con-cert is awesome to watch him, especially for someone who

hasn’t seen him live (...me).

Must hear: “East Harlem,” “Payne’s Bay,” “Sante Fe”

Tuba Skinny may be the closest our generation is going to come to 1920’s and 1930’s New Orleans blues and jazz. With the combination of guitar, tuba, trombone, trumpet, banjo, washboard and the swingin’ sexy sounds of vocalist Erika Lewis, it’s impossible not to move your

feet, shake your hips and smile.

Must hear: “Do Your Duty,” “You Can Have My Husband”

I spent a lot of time in my car this summer heading back and forth to Kingston for an internship at Chronogram magazine. With only a CD player to keep me company, I became ridiculously obsessed with a few albums. I’d like to say they helped shape my journey into this somewhat strange semester. So, I’m sharing them with you, hoping you can enjoy them, too.

The ones that just missed the cut:The Wood Brothers Smoke Ring Halo (2011), The Decemberists The King is Dead (2011), Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues (2011), Laura Marling I Speak Because I Can (2010)

By Zan StrumfeldA&E Editor | [email protected]

A!"# $ E%"&!"'(%)&%"The New Paltz Oracle9Boracle.newpaltz.edu

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALLMUSIC.COM

The New Paltz Oracle10B oracle.newpaltz.edu A!"# $ E%"&!"'(%)&%"


WHICH OF THESE MUSICIANS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?

MAIN ACTS:

Matt & KimRegina SpektorBig SeanWale

Soullive & LettuceThe Wailers

Taking Back Sunday

Check your hawkmail to vote for our spring concert!voting CLOSES DEC. 13, 11:59 P.M.

SUPPORTING ACTS:

Jay ElectronicaSuper Mash Bros.Chris Webby

Kendrick LamarThe Pimps of Joytime

Superheroes in 1602GAIMAN AND KUBERT TACKLE HISTORIC RE-IMAGINING

Neil Gaiman (“Sandman,” “Coraline” ) has ma-jor Midas powers;; everything he touches is a guaran-teed purchase for me. “Marvel 1602,” the eight issue re-imagining of the well-known franchise, penned by Gaiman after he was approached by Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada with artwork by Andy Kubert (“Un-canny X-men”), is no different.

The story follows an alternate universe where su-perheroes (many of Marvel’s staple characters) appear.

This launches the traditional “heroes grapple with their power and inner angst while challenging the world-end-ing plans of external evils”-style plot.

A particular characteristic of Gaiman’s writing is his careful attention to word choice and detail. He has a great understanding of his craft and the very point of writing: conveying a message. He isn’t trying to trick his reader and, while his works are never simple or simple-minded, there’s something beautifully obvious about his stories.

A prime example is Rojhaz, a hulking, blond-haired, blue-eyed, Native American character who serves as a bodyguard of sorts to the young Virginia Dare (a histori-

the Americas, gifted with the ability to transform into animals in Gaiman’s universe.) It’s almost surprising when, at the end of the book, Rojhaz is revealed as Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America. Aside from the sound-alike names, it’s subtly handled. But, really? Of course

and all the hope that goes along with the new world: who else could it be?

In this sort of re-imagining, the writing was in constant danger of parodying the original characters. Gaiman doesn’t lose touch on the motivations of his characters, going above and beyond simply giving them funny accents and dressing them all in tights. Beside the superheroes (or “witch folk” as they’re called in the book), there’s some grit and complexity keeping the readers seriously engaged.

This theme of subtlety carries into the artwork as well. Overall, it’s a beautiful book. You can’t really talk comics without going into aesthetics and “Marvel 1602” is just so pretty. What’s interesting about the process for this artwork is that instead of the initial pencil drawings being sent to an ink artist, they were immediately sent to the colorist, Richard Isanove. This technique, called

only drawing attention to the elaborate line detail, but the beauty of the era the artists are trying to capture.

By Katherine Speller

[email protected]

Marvel 1602Written by Neil Gaiman


Muppet MasterpieceNEW FILM IS FUNNY AND CHARMING

MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK:ANDREW STEIN

After more than a decade, the Muppets are back on the big

screen in their new movie, “The Muppets” and I’m glad to see them

back.

Fans of the series and newcomers alike will love this new mov-

ie. The plot involves new Muppet character Walter, his brother Gary

(Jason Segal) and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) taking a

trip to Hollywood where they discover that oil baron Tex Richman

(Gary Cooper) is plotting to buy and destroy the Muppet theater to

get to the oil lying underneath it.

Walter and Gary, both long-time Muppet fans, set out to stop

him by gathering the now split-up Muppets to put on a massive tele-

thon to raise the money and buy back the theater.

Before “The Muppets” came out, a lot of people (myself in-

cluded) dismissed it as another nostalgia movie like “The Smurfs,”

with forced humor. But “The Muppets” is different.

From beginning to end, the movie is a barrage of self-referential

humor. Goofy but charming jokes, fourth wall breaking gags and hi-

larious celebrity cameo’s including Jack Black at his comedic best.

Honestly, the movie just made me happy;; it gave me an ear to

ear grin that didn’t go away until the next day. I didn’t know how

much I missed the Muppets until I saw this movie.

“The Muppets” is a labor of love from everyone involved –

having fun in the production and it shows in the quality.

At the end of the day “The Muppets” is a funny and charming

movie reminding us why we always loved these characters and at

the same time introducing them to a whole new generation. Now if

only we could get them back on TV.

By Richard FordStaff Writer | [email protected]

YEAR: ThirdMAJOR: Jazz StudiesCONCENTRATION: VoiceHOMETOWN: New Hyde Park, N.Y.

MAJOR: Jazz StudiesCONCENTRATION: Voice

New Hyde Park, N.Y.

MAJOR: Jazz StudiesCONCENTRATION: Voice

New Hyde Park, N.Y.

DO WANT TO BE...YOU

Contact Zan Stumfeld at [email protected]

MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK?

CHECK OUT ANDREW STEINPERFORMING BY

SCANNING THIS CODE WITH ANY SMARTPHONE!

WHEN DID YOU START SINGING?

WHO HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO LATELY?

I’ve been involved in music my whole life because of singing.

A lot of Phish shows. Postal Service — I can listen to that album over and over...and do.

A!"# $ E%"&!"'(%)&%"The New Paltz Oracle11Boracle.newpaltz.edu

WHAT ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH MUSICALLY ON CAMPUS?I’m the musical director of Absolut A Capella. I’m also a member of Male Call. I was also the musical director of student-run shows, like “Assassins” and “Charlie Brown.”

WHAT’S YOUR PLAN FOR THE FUTURE?I’d love to have a band, but mainly I’m looking to teach music. I’m hoping to pursue that in grad school.

WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES?Death Cab for Cutie. Phish. Modest Mouse. The Mars Volta.

DO YOU WRITE YOUR OWN SONGS?I’ve written a few songs, not as many as I’d like, mainly because since coming to college, I’m more involved with a capella and it takes up my time. I tend to write about a song a semester.

The MuppetsDirected by James Bobin

TOPTENTHE ORACLE’s

WEDNESDAYS 7:30 P.M. TO ??? THE WINTER WEARY WOES THEME

1. “Winter Song” - Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

2. “A Song For A Love of Long Ago” - Justin Vernon

3. “Service Bell” - Grizzly Bear & Feist

4. “Fake Plastic Trees” - Radiohead

5. “Sweet Baby James” - James Taylor

6. “The Engine Driver” - The Decemberists

7. “Christmas at 22” - The Wonder Years

8. “I’ll Believe in Anything” - Wolf Parade

9. “Both Sides Now” - Joni Mitchell

10. “Safe Travels (Don’t Die)” - Lisa Hannigan

TOPTEN

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KALI VENTRESCA. CAPTION BY SAMANTHA SCHWARTZ

This Week in

Major: BFA Metal

Year: Fourth

“!e pieces included in my thesis exhibition (open-

ing Friday, Dec. 9, 5 to 7 p.m., and on display until

Wednesday, Dec. 13), which I have been making

since the summer, are a combinations of "ne art and

costumes intended to be worn as head accessories

or sculptures. !e body of work is and approach to

harnessing the fantastical memories of my vivid

imagination that have been lost since childhood. !e

work is playful and dream-like.”

KALI VENTRESCAtHe Deep END

The New Paltz Oracle12B oracle.newpaltz.edu THE DEEP END

This Friday, Dec. 9 students with a common goal will be occupying the So-journer Truth Library in an effort to show-case their displeasure with the current hours of operation that are available to stu-dents.

We at The New Paltz Oracle applaud these students’ efforts to crusade for a cause, but we question certain aspects of their plan to achieve change.

While the protest has been shoehorned as part of the greater “Occupy” movement - a clear effort to gain notoriety and interest - we are incredibly impressed with these students’ ability to bring a national issue to a level that resonates with our student community.

It is also clear that the library’s re-duced hours are nowhere near acceptable for an institution like SUNY New Paltz. As “America’s hottest small state school,” we should not be short-changing our stu-dents and their educational needs in an ef-

cial climate. How can we tout ourselves as a progressive and growing collegiate campus when we cut off students from the heart of academic growth, the library, at 9 p.m. each night?

If New Paltz truly is striving to become a gem of the SUNY system, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and stop pinching pennies in areas that affect academics. It is unac-ceptable that we have the lowest amount of hours of operations among major SUNY campuses. It’s time for a change.

The petition these students have been circulating states that SUNY New Paltz’s mission statement ensures access to “high quality education” for students to utilize in their effort for further academic enrich-ment. How can students become more well-rounded members of society if the doors are tightly locked at such an absurdly early hour each day?

While we agree with these students that action needs to be taken, the timing of their protest is poor.

A protest during the week leading up

make the most impact, but it risks creat-ing a distraction for those who are trying to study for their all-too-stressful end of the

amount of students to become involved. In a time where the average student is locked in their residence hall, or (until they are kicked out of) the library, hitting the books and having their noses buried in their over-

to inspire people to get involved. Students simply don’t have the time to give a cause as important as this the required time.

Finally, we hope the students involved with organizing this protest are aware of the fact that student senators are actively trying to solve this problem through dip-lomatic means. If the organizers do know this, we hope they will work hand in hand

aware, we want to stress the importance of our Student Association leaders and their ability to bring about change on our cam-pus. Getting involved with the SA is the best way to change policies we as students are not content with, and by joining com-mittees, students would get opportunities to discuss matters with campus decision makers the average student does not.

We hope students will take the time to protest these unjust hours. This is our school, and we have a right to a better learning environment.

Editorials represent the views of the majority of the editorial board. Col-umns, op-eds and letters, excluding editorials, are solely those of the writ-ers 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.

The New Paltz Oracle 11 oracle.newpaltz.eduOPINION


SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY

COLUMN

I’m an English major. I’m also a senior English ma-

jor, which means I have a number of

I’m talking about, so I’m not going to whine.

But here’s why I’m pissed at the library:

This semester I took three 400-lev-el English classes. I’ll just say it was...

was due this past Monday, another on Tuesday. My plan was to spend the en-tire weekend writing both simultane-ously. You can tell me to stop ranting

right now by asking, “Why didn’t you start the papers earlier?” and I’d re-spond by saying, “Clearly you’re not a college student...and you’re also not a part of The Oracle.” But I digress.

I had high hopes Friday afternoon until I went to the library website to

p.m. There’s one more week of classes, no one will shut up about how stressed they are about their work...and the li-brary isn’t open.

O.K., so new plan: stay in Friday, do the work I can, then wake up early Saturday and Sunday mornings and go

open until 1 p.m. I just don’t get it. Doesn’t our col-

lege pride itself on its academics? How

into’ and all? Believe me, I know we’ve had budget cuts. But it’s embarrass-ing. There are many university librar-ies open for 24 hours, yet we can’t even

I’m not sure if my anger is getting across as strongly as I want it to. I spent the last few days trying to calm down after the hell that was this weekend.

How? Let me tell you how it ruined one of my research papers.

For my 20th Century British Litera-ture course, I decided to take a Freudian, psychoanalytic view of Samuel Beck-ett’s “Waiting for Godot.” I was having

on Sunday, my professor recommended two great articles. I immediately went

call numbers and ran to the basement

Don’t have a panic attack.

both articles are in particular quarterlies that are in storage. Locked up. Cannot be accessed until after renovations. And

I went home, changed my topic at

research paper in seven hours.I heard an “Occupy” protest was

happening on Friday in the library, and I believe with a silent protest that of-

ly...an “Occupy” movement that has a cohesive, smart idea that I agree with. Once a petition began going around, we just happened to receive an e-mail say-ing hours were later this Friday. Great, I guess.

I won’t be mad at the library for-ever. It’s not Sojourner’s fault. I just never thought I’d get to college and this would be a problem.

ZAN STRUMFELD A&E Editor

[email protected]

ZAN STRUMFELD ZAN STRUMFELD [email protected]

Zan Strumfeld hopes she will still do well in her classes this semester.


There are a lot of reasons not to go to college. It’s expensive and there are no jobs anyway, so why bother? You will inevitably cheat, lie and publicly humili-

make amazing friends and probably a few enemies and you will leave know-ing that you’ll never see most of them again. So, why do it?

guess about my time here at New Paltz. I’m graduating with nine semesters, 170 credits and two undergraduate degrees under my belt. I have studied abroad in both Spain and Australia and have trav-eled through four continents. I wrote for

The Oracle and interned in New York and was inducted into an honors society. I played on an award-winning, badass sports team and was voted captain. I did it all.

Coming out of this with a degree in journalism and another in art, I know that there is very little the job market has to offer me and I’m starting to be kind of okay with that. You see, college isn’t just about learning or drinking or making mistakes—it’s all of it. Now, at the end, I don’t really care that I’m about to be one of the many unemployed 20-somethings;; I’m just happy I did it.

I am a completely different per-son than who I was freshman year and I’m grateful for that in so many ways. I know, beyond a shadow of doubt, that I did everything I possibly could to make the last four and a half years a time that I will look back on and miss hereafter.

All the studying, traveling, party-ing, kissing and really stupid decisions helped me realize that I am absolutely ready for the next step — whatever that is. It could be grad school or law school or J-school or no school or a job babysit-ting, time spent unemployed, or I could even land my dream job writing to make real, spendable money (crazy, I know). I honestly don’t really care. I’m just happy for something new.

So yeah, the economy is bad and the outlook for recent grads is bleak, but there really is no rush. Taking this time to make mistakes and learn so much about myself is way more valuable than the degrees I will take away, and no amount of money could replace this experience. I’m going to miss this place and all of you, but I’m excited to take my adven-tures elsewhere because I’M FINALLY DONE!

12 oracle.newpaltz.edu OPINION

REFLECTIONS


KATE BLESSING Copy Editor

[email protected]

KATE BLESSING

[email protected]

RACHEL FREEMANFeatures Editor

[email protected]

RACHEL FREEMAN

[email protected]

I’ve been on The Oracle for two semesters now, but I won’t be here next semester which is pretty bizarre. However, I’m only going to Spain for the spring;; don’t worry, I will be right back here with a vengeance in the fall. For now though it’s not time to say bye, just see ya later (could I be any more cliché?).

Speaking of going abroad, I’m cur-rently stressing out because this whole visa application process is intense and

make sure I have all the right documents when I hop on a bus to New York City in a mere 3 hours to go to the consul-ate. I’m really freaking out actually, but by the time this issue comes out I’ll be done with that, which is weirdly com-forting.

I don’t want to get too sentimen-tal since I WILL be back...honestly, I

I would have way too much free time and get way too much sleep, and I’m just not used to that kind of lifestyle.

I’m having a hard time letting go of something that deprives me of a normal sleep cycle and probably takes up more of my time than my actual homework. I’m only going to be gone for a semes-ter - just a couple of months - but still, seeing that new e-board list is killing me a little inside (it’s 4:01 a.m. so I’m al-ready half dead anyway).

That being said, despite the separa-tion anxiety I will undoubtedly feel, ad-venturing to Spain is something I need and really want to do. My semester (and general existence) has been consumed by journalism. Three classes plus The Oracle equals a whole lot of articles, ed-iting and essays on the press. I was only in one Spanish class and it was terribly

my two majors when one clearly out-weighed the other. I see this as my short journalism reprieve where I can actually focus on my Espanol and come back all

cool and cultured.Although I am incredibly excited for

this experience because it caters exactly to my wanderlustful tendencies, I’m getting sad while I write this. I am going to miss each and every one of these little buggers who I make a whole newspaper with every week and who probably see me more than my housemates. I’m not

of y’all mean to me - that’s gotta wait

out into the real world and probably not getting a job since I’m a journalism ma-jor, but know that I will be thinking of you every Wednesday. I might be out drinking sangria or eating paella (what’s even the time difference?) while you’re slaving over InDesign and copy editing, but you’ll always be on my mind. And don’t worry, I will probably miss you all more than you miss me and constantly Skype you until you never want to see my face again, but oh well.

Look out for my column in my old features territory because you can’t to-tally get rid of me.

Until September, then.

WHAT THE EDITORS SAID: TOP QUOTES OF FALL 2011

“You’re a sick fuck, Charlie Brown.”

- John Brandi

“But I don’t care because I’m a misogynist and it doesn’t matter to me.”

- Kate Blessing

“I hope when I have babies, I don’t kill them with my voice.”

- Cat Tacopina

“It’s okay, my life is a joke and I’m in on it.” - Katherine Speller

“If they don’t let us back in soon, I’m going to pop off!”

- Cat Tacopina

“Big girls don’t cry...” - Kate Blessing

“I feel like it’s the walls. They’re closing in.”

- Cat Tacopina

“Zan: Sam, your hands are so cold. Sam: I know, the paper has more circulation than me.”

- Samantha Schwartz

“Zan, I hope you’re able to make eight little Zans.”

- Andrew Wyrich Check Out The Oracle Online At oracle.newpaltz.edu

The New Paltz Oracle 13oracle.newpaltz.eduOPINION


PHOTOS

ALL PHOTOS BY SARA FEDERBUSH

THE FALL 2011

E-BOARD

COPY EDITORS

“THE TOP TWO”

PAGE EDITORS

PHOTO EDITORS


The New Paltz Oracle14oracle.newpaltz.edu OPINION

OP-ED CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2012 SPRING

E-BOARD Editor-In-Chief: Andrew Wyrich

Managing Editor: Julie Mansmann

News Editor: John Brandi

Features Editor: Katherine Speller

A&E Editor: Zan Strumfeld

Sports Editor: Cat Tacopina

Copy Editor: Jaleesa Baulkman

Copy Editor: Suzy Berkowitz

Copy Editor: Kelsey Damrad

Copy Editor: Maria Jayne

Copy Editor: Katie Kocijanski

Copy Editor: Clarissa Moses

Copy Editor: Carolyn Quimby

Asst. Copy Editor: Pete Viola

Cartoonist: Julie Gunderson

By Jada Young

Coming off the heels of the “Can We Talk About It?” discussion, I have a lot to say in response! First, I need to let it be clear that I do recognize the importance that discussion has within communities. However, with that said, I am also criti-cal and skeptical of how far discussion can actually go in terms of creating and allowing for racial equity in any situa-tion, much less a white dominated one such as the one here at SUNY New Paltz. Basically, talk is cheap. Value can only be found when that talk leads to clear ac-tion. That is what we need on this cam-pus.

Nov. 30 forum, I will say the end re-sult of said forum was a disappointment to me. I think the idea was a promising one: faculty, staff and students coming together to “discuss issues of racial in-equity.” Though it was an improvement of the student-led discussion, I felt that it was too safe and too “we-are-the-world-esque.” It was too much of a visualized and frankly non-existent idea of campus unity that looked pretty for the media who were present. That is NOT what we need. Instead, we need to actively and clearly challenge issues of racial injustice. That cannot happen in simple surface-level discussion about race relations.

The campus president, who set the tone for the event, disappointed me in his introductory remarks. I felt that he focused too much on the “colored only” sticker (though to be fair, it was the “cat-

-pus). However, he conveniently avoided explicitly discussing the more violently bigoted “Lynch Niggers” signs which were posted in Lefevre Hall soon after. In referencing them, he simply called them “postings in elevators.” That to me

ready for any REAL discussion on rac-ism. While I appreciate that the president

-sion, we also need to be critical of the role he and other administrators play within the leading of these racially-based discussions.

With that said, the next step of many should be that the campus administration, faculty and staff have their own forum;; except, it needs to be a mandatory one. This proposed forum needs to be sepa-

rate from students, and should be taken seriously by all involved. This school is one of the most non-diverse schools I have ever been to especially in terms of the racial composition of faculty, staff and administration. Because of this non-diversity, as a Black woman on the cam-pus, I feel most comfortable in speaking and connecting with only Black Studies professors. Since I can’t deal with only Black Studies professors for my four years here, the lack of comfort I’m sure to face daily with some of my white pro-fessors is non-conducive to my educa-tional pursuits. Racial inequity also rears its ugly head in how many of the white professors deal with students of color on campus and in classrooms;; issues like this need to be addressed amongst faculty and staff, alone, in their own space. Once that discussion is had amongst them, we can then move forward and discuss these issues collectively as a campus commu-nity, otherwise, we will just be smiling for media cameras, and propagandizing an incredibly important situation.

On-campus student organizations also need to step up to the plate, espe-cially clubs and organizations which rep-resent the students of color. We need to take this situation and show some Umoja (unity). I propose that we unite around this issue and clearly show that we will not tolerate racial inequality nor will we tolerate surface-level critiques and dis-cussion that are being led by some of our faculty and administration. We need to take the freedom and opportunities we have here and use it in a way that is

Too often within this very white domi-nated and normative society we become victims of whiteness. We have a very unique and rare opportunity within this microcosm of society;; we can actively and loudly combat issues of racial injus-tice which show themselves on campus. This is an opportunity that we might not always have within the larger context of society. Since we have the platform to clearly do something about it at this lev-el, we need to take this opportunity and challenge injustice, full force. Doing so will pay homage to the beautiful legacy we share as students of color and it will become a part of the legacy we will leave behind for the generations of students of color who will come after we have long gone.

After a rough start in November, SUNY New Paltz’s Women’s Basketball team has rebounded.

Following a team-bonding experience playing bas-ketball in Costa Rica and a lengthy preseason, the Lady

before conference play was their home season-opener

their home-court advantage to beat Stevens 62-50.

said. “It also feels good because the last two years that

Stevens won 21 of 28 games and beat the Hawks 56-

gling with cohesion and consistency.“Beating Stevens, who usually wins their league def-

tain Kaitlin Clifford said. “It also allowed us to see what

at Hawk Center became SUNY Fredonia, according to Head Coach Jamie Seward. While the losses early on are

play.“It has been a slow start, but we had been a little

banged up, and that slowed our progress in practice

Fredonia 77-47.“We often have spurts where we play really well and

playing well for the full 40 minutes and that is what will

After Fredonia, the Hawks played Buffalo State at

reviewed the scouting report, but were punished by the 31 fouls that gave Buffalo 48 free-throw opportunities,

falo State, the Hawks faced SUNY Plattsburgh at home and won 75-61, led by a 19-point and 19-rebound display

by fourth-year forward Shanay Bradley, a career-high.“I go into every game with the same thought and it’s

stopping the other person from having a normal averag-ing night, and it does change depending on who it is, but

are sent back on the road. SUNY Oneonta will visit New

Last year, the team split their performance against the

road. Oneonta is 4-3 this season, having lost all games they’ve played away.

Clifford said. “We are athletic and fast and have players

will perform well on their own court.

I hope to approach these next conference games in a posi-tive way. I believe this team can be great and as a captain

The New Paltz Oracle 15 oracle.newpaltz.eduSPORTS

THE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTS

BOUNCING

BACK By Kate Blessing

[email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle16oracle.newpaltz.edu SPORTS


After months of deliberation between NBA players and owners, the two sides were able to come to terms on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, thus bringing the 149-day lockout to an end.

The deal was reached after a 15-hour bargaining session that concluded at 3:40 a.m. on Nov. 26, and still needs to be

jority of players will sign.The season is slated to tip-off on Christmas Day, leav-

ing only a few weeks for training camps and free agency. Normally teams use the summer to sign and bring back free-agents, but the owners and players spent those months this summer arguing with one another.

Either way, a deal has been reached and there will be NBA basketball this year—something that did not look so promising a few weeks ago.

A new NBA season comes with new expectations for the New York Knicks, who made the playoffs last year for

gether for their two superstars Amar’e Stoudemire and Car-melo Anthony, and they have their sights set on Chris Paul.

The Knicks want to add superstar Paul to create their own Big 3 to match the one established in Miami last sum-

mer. But despite reports that Paul wants to be a Knick, get-ting him to New York won’t be as easy as most Knick fans think.

Paul is in the last year of his contract with the New Orleans Hornets and will become a free-agent at the end of this season. The Hornets will be in the position the Denver Nuggets were in last year with Anthony. The Nuggets were forced to deal him in fear of losing him for nothing in free-agency. However, unlike last year when Anthony was dealt to the Knicks, the Knicks more than likely do not have the assets to trade for Paul.

There are numerous other teams in the mix including the Lakers, Celtics, Warriors and Clippers.

Unless the Knicks package together a bulk of their ros-ter, leaving them with essentially a three-man team, they are preparing for a season without Chris Paul.

Don’t count them out for next summer, though. There is no guarantee Paul will sign an extension with a team he is traded to and therefore the Knicks would be able to sign him when Chauncey Billups’ contract comes off the books.

For now the Knicks have other needs to address: The two major ones being a center and a backup point guard to run the offense when 35-year old Billups is on the bench.

The problem is the Knicks can only afford to offer vet-eran minimum and mid-level exception contracts because of Stoudemire, Anthony and Billups’ contracts. Some names

that have been thrown around include Kwame Brown, Jeff Foster, and former Knick Kurt Thomas. The Knicks also have the rights to 7’0’’ center Jerome Jordan, who is playing overseas.

center would be Ronny Turiaf. Turiaf is a high-energy guy who is effective off the bench, but the Knicks could use an upgrade at the center position.

The Knicks hope to improve their perimeter defense by-

Toney Douglas and Landry Fields returning. Shumpert, who was taken with the 17 overall pick back in June, impressed the Knicks with his play in the Las Vegas Summer League, and has the potential to replace Fields as the starting shoot-ing guard.

Despite the amount of guards, they still do not have a natural point-guard to back up Billups. Douglas is more of a scoring guard, as is Fields, and neither is capable of running half-court sets and controlling an offense. Carlos Arroyo, J.J. Barea, Sebastian Telfair and Earl Watson are all possibilities who wouldn’t break the Knicks’ bank.

ple of weeks before the season starts, as teams scramble to

Basketball.

By Brian ColemanContributing Writer | [email protected]

NBA Superstar Chris Paul said he would be interested in becoming a New York Knick. PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR.COM

Lockout Lifted, Knicks Under Pressure

The New Paltz Oracle 17oracle.newpaltz.eduSPORTS


Basketball Brings The Heat

SUNY New Paltz’s Men’s Basketball team has started their season with mixed results.

The Hawks won their 2011-12 season home opener with a score of 83-70 against cross-river rival Vassar College in a non-conference game. They are currently 3-4 on the season, with a 2-1 home record and 1-1 SUNYAC record.

Third-year forward Matt Devine net-ted a career-high for points during a single game against Mount Saint Mary College with 31. For his contributions during the game, Devine was selected to the Scout-ware/D3hoops.com Team of the Week for the week ending Nov. 27.

Devine credited his teammates for his accolades and said they were responsible for, “getting me open and drawing their de-fenders away.”

Even with individual players seeing success, Head Coach Mike Rejniak said his team can do a “better job defensively” and he hopes his “players “become more comfortable to make mistakes as a part of the learning process.”

Rejniak said he is proud of the way fourth-year guard/forward Harris Wichard, third-year guard Nick Taldi and Devine have “stepped up” scoring-wise and how Devine has earned SUNYAC player of the week this season.

Despite early success, the team has also seen upset. During the Radisson In-

against Centenary College but fell to the University of Scranton in the champion-ship round.

“Scranton was a tough team that had

and great execution,” Rejniak said. “But these are the teams that will make us a bet-ter team as a whole and we won’t achieve this by ‘playing cupcakes.’”

Defense, Rejniak said, is a key fac-tor to the team’s success. He said the team

needs to improve on, “valuing the basket-ball and limiting turnovers and not allow-ing the team to gain points through easy buckets.”

After the Radisson invitational, the team bounced back with victories against Vassar College and SUNY Fredonia. The Hawks led the Fredonia Blue Devils to

with Wichard, Taldi, Devine and fourth-year center Daniel Olsen leading the way to a 75-58 result.

The team has dealt with their share of competition over the past week, host-ing No. 16 Buffalo State on Dec. 3 at the Hawk Center and losing 89-83.

The Hawks knocked down 25 of 31 -

er, the Hawks were out-rebounded by the Bengals 49-45 and turned the ball over 21 times to the Bengals’ 14. The Bengals also totaled seven blocks as a team to gain the advantage over the Hawks.

Returning to the second half, the Ben-gals went on a 7-0 run and 9:17 into the

double digit lead. The Hawks fought to regain control and came out of the game with a low point margin between them and Buffalo State.

Coming into the season, concerns were raised about the team’s current 11-man roster. While having a smaller roster than what is considered normal, Rejniak and fourth-year Captain Shalik Jenkins are not worried.

“We just have to be better conditioned, which we are,” Jenkins said. “This allowed the entire team to be able to be worked into the rotation and everyone will be able to contribute to all our wins and successes.”

Jenkins said the Hawks can improve on playing as “a team,” and get used to the “new culture” brought on by in Rejniak.

The Hawks will continue competi-tion on Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. at the Hawk Cen-ter against Montclair State University. Their last game of the year will be Dec. 10 against SUNYAC rival SUNY Oneonta.

By Kaycia SailsmanStaff Writer | [email protected]

Third-year forward Matt Devine has been a key player for the Hawks this season. PHOTO BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

THE HAWKS WILL CONTINUE THEIR SEASON ON: Dec. 8 v.s.

Montclair State University

The New Paltz Men’s Soccer team will be going through some major changes next season.

There are 13 graduating seniors this year, some of which were main contributors to the team’s suc-cess during the fall 2011 season. The team will say goodbye to many fourth-year players including mid-

fourth-year forward Jimmy Altadonna, defender Ja-mal Lis-Simmons and goalkeeper Tom Viscardi.

Though there will be many changes for next sea-

not daunted by the situation.“I have been working my tail off recruiting, and

when you bring some good kids in you don’t know what is going to happen,” Ventriglia said.

Ventriglia, a New Paltz alumnus and a former

coach for West Point Women’s Soccer, said his goal is to bring New Paltz back to its glory days of the 1960s. Ventriglia said while he was playing, large crowds would come to watch the Hawks. A passion and feeling of pride for New Paltz is what Ventriglia said drives him to strengthen the soccer program at New Paltz.

Some of the contacts he acquired during his 25 years of coaching Division I college soccer, high school soccer and now at New Paltz, is what he said will help him create the team he believes will suc-ceed in the future.

“I changed the whole game and the guys were really receptive,” Ventriglia said.

a 4-4-1 conference record. During games where

Oneonta and Brockport, they were able to keep the

games tight by allowing only a one-goal advantage each game.

Returning players said they are ready and ex-cited for the upcoming season that will present new challenges despite losing

“It’s nice to have a smaller roster, it helps give

Ventriglia hopes to have recruits replace the void of graduating seniors and is being careful with his selections. He said he knows what the team is capable of and understands their ability to become a successful team. For Ventriglia, fall 2011 was a warm-up for a team used to a certain coaching style.

Third-year defender Nicholas DiPaola men-tioned a very popular saying for the team.

“We’re not rebuilding we’re reloading,” DiPaola said.

The New Paltz Oracle18oracle.newpaltz.edu SPORTS


By Melissa FleckensteinStaff Writer | [email protected]

at Hofstra, I got resourceful

A graduate degree gives you a real advantage — in a competitive marketplace and in your chosen career – by providing you with the tools to advance in your fi eld and shape your future. Hofstra’s programs in education, health and human services, business, communication, and the arts and sciences prepare our students for professional careers and are highly ranked in publications such as The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report, among others. Get ready to succeed.

A professor helped Joe Ryan secure an internship at Citi Private Bank while he was a graduate student in industrial/organizational psychology. That internship launched his career as a human resources executive and inspired him to earn a doctorate.

Joe Ryan ’05, ’08M.A., Industrial-Organizational PsychologyPh.D., Applied Organizational Psychology

Graduate Open HouseTuesday, January 10hofstra.edu/grad-day

Ever since the Atlanta Thrashers became the Winnipeg Jets and moved to Canada, everyone knew that the NHL would need to shift teams and more than likely realign teams

The realignment for 2012-13 was released earlier this week and proved a drastic step for the NHL, leaving many

West Conferences, there will now be four conferences, titled Conferences A, B, C and D (hopefully they’ll be changing

Of the four conferences, Conferences A and B will have

Conference rivals will face each other six times a season, while teams that do no play in the same conference will face

When the postseason begins, the top four teams from each conference will advance and one winner will come

determined, it is more than likley that the team with the most

least amount of points, the same way conference post-season

are saying this is the best the league could have done, there

changes for next season show promise for what will be ri-

For the Rangers, this isn’t that much of a drastic change

they’re going to play the Capitals and Hurricanes six times

What really sucks about this is how the Rangers will

games against teams such as the Bruins and the Maple Leafs

year now, there’s always an air of the hatred those Original

Some of the greatest Stanley Cup match-ups in New York Rangers history were against the Bruins and the Ca-

For Rangers fans the realignment shows exciting po-tential for what could be, but the new conferences and how

As far as Conference D goes, if the trend of this sea-son continues (which is very likely), it’s practiacally a given that the Flyers, Penguins, Capitals and Rangers will make

team, but they aren’t as good as the four teams previously

The possibility of playoffs becoming boring after see-

more pressure on teams that do not perform as well because

Regardless of what happens, this realignment will aid the NHL and has a chance to show a glimpse of what some

The New Paltz Oracle 19oracle.newpaltz.eduSPORTS


[email protected]

HYTHM

LUESHIRTS

&

LUESHIRTSLUESHIRTS

You’re So Last Summer

NHL Realigns Rivalries

[email protected]@hawkmail.newpaltz.eduandrew.wyrich63@[email protected]

watch another player as exciting as

the speed and the jolt of exhilaration Reyes injected into each and every game, but looking back on the news that Reyes will not be gracing the Citi

my all-time favorite players—who matured as a player in the same time

heart and soul was ripped out from in-

had a more infectious attitude and pas-

a Met from the moment he donned the

But, as much as it pains me to say this and considering the astronomical

Mets made the right decision to not re-

Despite the fact that Reyes was a four-time all-star, four-time NL triples leader, three-time NL stolen bases lead-er and the 2011 NL batting champion, his revolving door-like trips to the dis-abled list and suspect hamstrings did not warrant the long-term and expen-sive commitment the Mets would have

most realistic chance the team has of being above-average will be in 2013

on speed and agility to be the kind of

the disabled list when he was a young-er player, can’t we expect him to miss even more time as his body begins to age? The timing simply does not make

Reyes’ departure marks the true beginning of the Sandy Alderson era in

regime are slowly beginning to dis-appear, and Alderson can begin to

believes will result in the best overall

While seeing Reyes leave the only

home he’s ever known will hurt, three or four years from now we will likely look back at the day Reyes accepted the Marlins’ offer and think it was the

astronomical sums of money as an ag-ing shortstop past his prime, we will not regret the tough decision Alderson

Our team is now run with calcula-tion rather than emotion and while it might sting now, the future will shine

Despite all of this, it still burns me to the core to see Reyes wearing those

be a player quite like you to grace the

CONFERENCE A

CONFERENCE C CONFERENCE D

CONFERENCE B

-THE ANAHEIM DUCKS

-THE CALGARY FLAMES

-THE COLORADO AVALANCHE

-THE EDMONTON OILERS

-THE LOS ANGELES KINGS

-THE PHOENIX COYOTES

-THE SAN JOSE SHARKS

-THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS

-THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

-THE COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

-THE DALLAS STARS

-THE DETROIT RED WINGS

-THE MINNESOTA WILD

-THE NASHVILLE PREDATORS

-THE ST. LOUIS BLUES

-THE WINNIPEG JETS

-THE BOSTON BRUINS

-THE BUFFALO SABRES

-THE FLORIDA PANTHERS

-THE MONTREAL CANADIANS

-THE OTTOWA SENATORS

-THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

-THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

-THE CAROLINA HURRICANES

-THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS

-THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS

-THE NEW YORK RANGERS

-THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

-THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

-THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS

SPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEES SUCCESS AT HOME: PAGE 15Men’s SoccerLooks to 2012

PAGE 18

Men’s BasketballContinues Season

PAGE 17

WHAT’S INSIDE

MOVINGFORWARD

ALL PHOTOS BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

National Hockey League

SWITCHES THINGS UP

PAGE 19

Documents

The New Paltz Oracle, Volume 83, Issue 11