The New Paltz Oracle, Volume 83, Issue 17

NEW PALTZ ORACLEoracle.newpaltz.eduVolume 83, Issue XVII Thursday, March 29, 2012

THE

TOGETHERAGAINAdministrators, Student Leaders Prepare For A Safety-Related Follow-up To Other Campus Climate Fora

STORY ON PAGE 6

WORKING IT OUT?STORY ON PAGE 7

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF THE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

NEW PALTZ ORACLEoracle.newpaltz.edu Thursday, March 29, 2012

ALL PHOTOS BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

Andrew Wyrich EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Julie MansmannMANAGING EDITOR_________________

John Brandi NEWS EDITOR

Katherine Speller FEATURES EDITOR

Zan StrumfeldARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITORASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Cat Tacopina SPORTS EDITOR

_________________

Samantha Schwartz

Robin Weinstein PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS

Julie GundersenCARTOONIST

_________________

Jaleesa Baulkman

Suzy Berkowitz

Kelsey Damrad

Caterina De Gaetano

Maria Jayne

Ben Kindlon

Clarissa Moses

Carolyn Quimby

COPY EDITORS

Pete ViolaASSISTANT COPY EDITOR_________________

Sara FederbushWEB CHIEF

Mark Dellas MULTIMEDIA CHIEF _________________

Patrick MartzBUSINESS MANAGER

Kathryn SmithDISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Felice Bernabo, Nicole Brinkley, Andrew Carden, Jimmy Corrao, Beth Curran, Dean Engle, Rachel Freeman, Nick Fodera, Ethan Genter, Roger Gilson, Faith Gimzek, Elexis Goldberg, Maeve Halliday, Ricardo Hernandez, Sarah Hurd, Mathew John, Brian Kearney, Angela Matua, Jessica Mingoia, Kaycia Sailsman, Jack Sommer, Pete Spengeman, David Spiegel, Emily Sussell, Chris Thurston, Pete Thompson, Pamela Vivanco, Olivia Wells

STAFF

Incident: DrugsDate: 3/27/12Location: GHR/L staff reported an odor of marijuana. PO detected a strong odor in room;; matter referred to campus judicial.

Incident: PDAADate: 3/25/12Location: Rt. 32 S.PO while responding to an emergency call hit a mailbox on the side of the road.

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

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Deadline for all submissions is 5 p.m. on Sundays in The New Paltz Oracleand by email 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.

The New Paltz Oracle

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

Volume 83

Issue XVIIIndex

Five-Day Forecast

Thursday, March 29Partly Cloudy

High: 50 Low: 31

Friday, March 30PM Showers

High: 51 Low: 37

Saturday, March 31Showers

High: 44 Low: 35

Sunday, April 1Partly Cloudy

High: 61 Low: 44

Monday, April 2Showers

High: 71 Low: 44

NEW PALTZ ORACLETHE

NEWS

THE GUNK

EDITORIAL

COLUMN- MARIA JAYNE

SPORTS

THE DEEP END

FEATURES PG. 4B A&E PG. 7B SPORTS PG. 11

FOLLOW THE ORACLE

1B-12B

3-8

12B

9

10

11-15

The New Paltz Oracle @NewPaltzOracle

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

On Friday, April 20, SUNY New Paltz will host the ninth annual Institute for Disaster Mental Health (IDMH) conference.

This year’s conference is geared toward mental health professionals, students, emergency managers and volunteer responders, focusing on those who are traumatized by responding to disasters, IDMH Coordinator Meredith Johnson said.

“The well-being of trauma workers and emergency managers is closely tied to the success of disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts,” Johnson said. “The care that responders provide to others can only be as good as the care they provide themselves.”

Johnson said this year’s conference is unique because it intends to discuss the resilience of the helpers and responders as well as encourage the maintenance of their well-being. Those dedicated to helping others often ignore their own self-care.

According to the IDMH website, the 2012 IDMH conference will feature a series of presenters providing their expert opinions on the correlation between alleviating stress and increasing the

Each speaker will discuss a series of topics from “foundational

concepts, current research and recommended practices” to various “lessons learned” during their own personal experiences in the

Speakers include traumatologist Charles Figley, Ph.D, the Paul Henry Kurzweg M.D. distinguished chair in Disaster Mental

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis) and Richard Tedeschi, Ph.D, professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, recognized for his work on Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG).

In a lecture he gave to Intermediate Level Education students about PTG the United States Army School of Advanced Military Studies in Leavenworth, Kan. last year, Tedeschi said trauma is a threat to cognition and psychological integrity and provides a catalyst for PTG.

His work focuses on the U.S. Army soldiers and, like Figley, he attempts to provide avenues of resilience and relief for those suffering from trauma, according to newpaltz.edu/idmh.

“The theme [of the conference] correctly points to the key issues of modern disaster work: the human factors,” Figley said.

Figley said he hopes to shed light on different solutions

He said he hopes to connect with an audience full of disaster workers and their supervisors.

Intending to use his published books on trauma, resilience, coping, traumatic stress injuries and treatment methods, Figley plans to share advice on better leadership skills regarding human factors and Disaster Mental Health.

“The best plans in the world won’t work if the workers have

to the mental health and psychosocial needs of the workers,” Figley said.

Another one of the conference’s big attractions is the keynote presentation “New Strategies for Reducing Responder Risk: From Pre-Deployment Screening to Post-Deployment Support,” given by national American Red Cross leaders Rob Yin, manager for Disaster Health Services at the American Red Cross, and Valerie Cole, Ph.D, senior associate in Disaster Mental Health.

sending leaders from throughout the state who are involved in disaster response and recovery to include their own voices in the event.

“Expected outcomes? No idea,” Figley said. “But I’m hoping for a standing ovation.”

The New Paltz Oracle 3oracle.newpaltz.eduNEWS

Thursday, March 29, 2012

The New Paltz Board of Education met for the third time this month on Wednesday, March 21, to discuss the proposed budget cuts for the year.

“It’s a long thoughtful process,” Vice President of the Board KT Tobin Flusser said. “[The Board] is pretty con-sensus driven and diplomatically discusses disagreements. We certainly are not one mind…It’s strongly been a goal to have a union for the budget to see the entire board support the budget.”

She said the budget is complicated. A 2 percent tax levy increase for school districts throughout New York state was recently enforced by the Albany legislation. The tax raise

property taxes and health care. “If the tax is 3.4 percent or below, we need 50 percent

of the voters to vote positively for the budget to pass,” Tobin Flusser said. “We want to go above that 3.4 to 4.4 percent. It will be taking a chance for 60 percent to vote yes.”

Tobin Flusser said in order to reduce the percentage, schools can expect to see faculty and staff layoffs, increased class sizes and cuts in extracurricular activities. Debates over

and modify sports to low junior varsity, were also discussed at the meeting last week. She said the Board reached out to the Union for volunteer vouchers to possibly save these types of programs but they have yet to return an answer.

Meanwhile, Tobin Flusser said community members have shown a positive reaction to the proposed tax budget.

“Looking at historical data, eight out of 10 years the community has voted over 60 percent,” Tobin Flusser said.

Flusser’s optimism.

“They’re giving us a choice between a budget that -

late themselves for having done the job of ‘making the dif-

without pausing to ponder whether they just erected insur-mountable restraints on next year’s budget that will cascade

-able restraints the actual children entering school this year will encounter.”

Resident Brian Cournoyer shared a similar view to

“The problem I’m having with the board at the moment is that this budget proposal is based on a fear that the vot-ers would reject a budget that would maintain the current level of programs, and historically, that fear is unfounded,”

out what people will vote for, or who will vote ‘yes’ and who

will vote ‘no’…it’s their job to do what is right to educate the children of this community.”

New Paltz schools lost $2 million in state aid since 2008-09. In the 90s, the state contributed 40 percent toward education, but now it’s at 25 percent.

Tobin Flusser said she would like to see the govern-ment contribute more funds to schools across the state which would keep property taxes at a lower rate.

and sent out to community voters on April 11. Tobin Flusser said the committee will go through many meetings and look over the numbers before community members see a new plan.

“I would like to see the state restore funding and com-mitment to public education,” Tobin Flusser said. “The other alternative would be to take funding off of income tax. It would be more equitable than raising property taxes.”

By Caterina De Gaetano Copy Editor | [email protected]

New Paltz Set To Vote On School Board Budget

PHOTO BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

IDMH Conference Will Address Needs Of Trauma WorkersBy Kelsey DamradCopy Editor | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle4 oracle.newpaltz.edu NEWS


NEWS BRIEFS NATIONAL

From the T-shirt and hoodie sales to trade-marking slogans like “Justice for Tray-von” to the pass-the-hat rallies that bring in thousands, the case of an unarmed black teenager killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer is quickly turning into an

Internet-fueled brand.

Rep. Bobby Rush donned a hoodie during

deploring the killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, receiving a reprimand for violating rules on wearing hats in the

House chamber.

$URPLU$ $LAYING

KOFI’N UP SOME DIPLOMACYSeeking a new Syria, the Obama admin-istration hopes glimmers of diplomatic

-nan will accelerate the end of President

-sion.

WHAT A WAY TO SNOW

along with his wife of luring a popu-lar prep school teacher from her home by pretending their vehicle had broken down, beating and strangling her, strip-ping her body naked and throwing it into

the Connecticut River.

A DROP OFF IN DISEASECancer rates in the U.S. continue to fall,

A CARELESS CAMPSearchers found the body of a 4-year-

was tagging along with his aunt last weekend.

YOUR HAT, SIR

Compiled from the AP Newswire

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the semester to discuss the current status of their projects and plans for after Budget and Finance

the legislative body about possibly giving some clubs the ability to line item and placing that abil-ity in the constitution or setting a precedent for clubs to be able to do so to help with budgeting.

“Clubs that already have money will not be asking for more money,” Coakley said. “I think it is better in terms of budgeting clubs because we are supposed to be enabling people to learn how to budget.”

agreed money should not be wasted. She ad-dressed the issue of students underutilizing the composting stations in food service areas, which results in a waste of thousands of dollars. Stern asked senators to encourage students to use the composting stations and suggested there be more education about composting.

In her report to the senate, Stern discussed the gender-neutral housing project. She said she held a focus group for the idea last week and

week.Stern also addressed the recent changes in

Hasbrouck and Hawk Street Station, including vegan and gluten-free food options. In addition, she addressed that food orders at Hawk Street Station will be available until midnight. Stern said these changes are a result of a different food vendor. Continuous improvements will be taking

to discuss further changes, Stern said. She en-couraged senators to attend this meeting in order to voice their concerns.

Stern would like to form an advisory com-mittee composed of 10 students who will regu-

changes. She said she may attempt to make this committee a requirement by adding it to the con-stitution.

Stern informed the senate about her recent

board meeting, Stern requested a bigger selection of used books in the bookstore and discussed bet-ter ways to reallocate the leftover dining dollars.

-aged the senators to attend BFC weekend this Friday through Sunday, where money will be re-

the vice president of programming, Stern deliv-ered her report and told the senate the contract

placing bird feeding machines on the campus to allow students to feed birds in a healthier way.

Samaritan Policy and the recent public service announcements that were created in places such as Ithaca which promote the policy.

-vices Michael Patterson said the senators will

budget after BFC weekend. He also said this is

a referendum year during which the student body -

ity fee. He encouraged senators to support this referendum and get students to vote in favor of it.

Tejada in his project to improve the smoking situation and he suggested forming a committee

solution to the issue.Sen. Matt Clarkson spoke about the con-

struction project and the problem with the con-struction taking place around Shango.

to request updates every two weeks on the sta-tus of construction and more detailed emails to the student body about how the construction will affect them.

The senators concluded their meeting by discussing the progress they have made with the projects on their goals list.

Senate Talks On Their Progress And PlansBy Clarissa Moses

[email protected]

inaugurated as SUNY New Paltz’s eighth presi-

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be used to establish a fund supporting student par-

Christian said.

The New Paltz Oracle 5oracle.newpaltz.eduNEWSNEWS BRIEFS

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the front row.

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HE IS NOT ONE OF THEIR FANS

KEEPING THEM IN THE DARK

LETTING GO OF A NATION

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LOCKDOWN IN LONDON

A TRAGIC END

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Compiled from the AP Newswire

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different now and would depend on how large of

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but where would it go and who’s going to build

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Village May Explore Alternative Energy By Cat Tacopina

[email protected]

DIAL ‘M’ FOR MURDER

By Andrew Wyrich [email protected]

President Christian To Be Inaugurated In April

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The New Paltz Oracle 7oracle.newpaltz.eduNEWS

Workload Issues To Be Assessed

Students Debate Viral ‘Kony 2012’ Video

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By Maria Jayne [email protected]

Possible Discount?

By Katherine Speller [email protected]

By Julie Mansmann [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle 8 oracle.newpaltz.edu NEWS


On Feb. 25, SUNY New Paltz hosted a public engagement session with Mohonk Preserve to dis-cuss and draft plans for the new Mohonk Preserve Foothills.

Last September, the Preserve bought more than 850 acres of land from the Open Space Institute (OSI) and made plans to open it up to the public. The

vancy, bought the property from Smiley Brothers, Inc. (SBI). Negotiations with the Preserve began im-mediately, and a plan to open publicly was underway.

According to an OSI press release, the foothills consist of “three historic farms, hundreds of acres of

tant segments of a historic carriage road system that dates back to the late 1800s.”

the community in a couple of weeks, but preserve spokesperson Gretchen Reed said this is only the beginning.

“Over the coming years, Mohonk Preserve plans to incrementally purchase sections of the land from OSI as resources permit,” Reed said. “In the mean-time, the Preserve is already actively studying and managing the OSI lands, designated as the Mohonk

Preserve Foothills, and planning future conservation uses.”

About 80 people showed up to hear what the Pre-serve has planned. Important speakers included the

Thompson, Executive Director Glenn Hoagland and Michael Rudden of Dimella Schaffer, the consulting

Emphasizing the land’s agricultural roots, Thompson gave a speech about the use of farming, tanning and charcoal production in and around the area.

The foothills are part of New York’s water supply and home to many state protected species of birds. There are also rare state plants who cannot survive without the foothills’ wide grasslands, according to the press release.

Hoagland said the land would be open to both resort visitors and hikers with day passes to roam and

insisted that both the historical and biological aspects of the foothills would be protected.

OSI’s press release said this transfer will be “one

Valley in recent years,” but all parties say the farms affected can go about their usual business.

will continue leasing property, and cattle and haying operations will run normally. Any issues that occur will be handled in cooperation with both the town of

The foothills take up most of the eastern part of Shawangunk Ridge. They were originally a part of the Mohonk Mountain House resort, owned and op-erated by SBI for 142 years.

By Rachel Simons [email protected]

Plans Drafted For The Mohonk Preserve Foothills

ATTENTION STUDENTSYour Fall 2012 Residence Awaits You!

HURRY !Renting begins April 4th at 9:00AM

(for new residents)

SOUTHSIDE TERRACE APARTMENTSOFFERS SEMESTER LEASESStudio, one & two bedroom apartments

Heat and Hot water included

All apartments are furnished

Walking distance to the college and town

Ask about our great rates for the summer too!

SOUTHSIDE TERRACE APARTMENTS4 SOUTHSIDE AVENUE

GRETCHEN REED

’’’’’Over the coming years,

Mohonk Preserve plans

to incrementally

purchase sections of

the land from OSI

The GUNKThe GUNK Thursday, March 29, 2012

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA SCHWARTZ

JASON SPATAROPerfecting Poi With

Story on page 2B

The New Paltz Oracle2B oracle.newpaltz.edu


FEATURES

If you’re passing by Bliss Hall on any given week-night, it’s likely you’ll see Jason Spataro outside spin-ning poi.

“It’s all about balance and the motion of your wrists,” Spataro said, while spinning bright orange and red glow-ing patterns into the air to the rhythm of a Skrillex song.

Poi spinning is a type of performance art that in-volves spinning two weights at the end of strings to cre-ate different geometric patterns.

Spataro, a second-year sociology major from Kings Park, N.Y., has been spinning poi for about six months, but learned the art in only two. Prior to spinning, Spataro already had backgrounds as a martial artist and a pro-

in high school and taught himself to dance by watching people in nightclubs.

“I tried to do what they did and I did it,” Spataro said. “A DJ saw me dancing and said ‘I’ll hire you.’”

Spataro said he got into poi spinning when a friend who attended a college with a very prestigious circus program introduced him to it.

“I watched her do it and said I’d like to learn, so she taught me for a month,” Spataro said.

Spataro said his teacher, who had been spinning poi for a year and a half, stopped training him after he sur-passed her in skill in a few months.

Since then, he has continued on his own. “I haven’t found anyone to learn with, but I teach,”

Spataro said. While Spataro has been honing his craft, his real as-

and breathing.

It’s beautiful,” Spataro said. “And there are people who can use it regardless of its danger, because of its beauty,

-thing he hopes to pursue in the future. Spataro said he

he has not used yet.

probably be doing it on a beach,” Spataro said. -

cation major, has been learning how to spin from

Spataro. “I think he’s very talented and he works hard, and

Jessica Harvey, a friend of Spataro’s who attends

form and Spataro makes it look effortless.While spinning might be his passion, he doesn’t see

his hobby taking him anywhere in the future. “I don’t see a future in dancing, writing poetry or

practicing martial arts,” Spataro said. “But I like to be interdisciplinary, I like to engage myself and I like to learn. As long as I’m physically capable of doing it and have the time, I don’t see a reason to stop.”

Spataro said spinning is more than just a perfor-mance art.

that’s in the classroom, everything that comes out of a computer or cell phone or interpersonal relationships — it’s all gone,” Spataro said. “You just get lost in this. It’s really nice to be able to go outside, late night, early in the morning, whenever you want, put on some music and just spin.”

By Megan Eisenberg Contributing Writer | [email protected]

NEW PALTZ STUDENT PERFECTS PERFORMANCE ARTSpataro Spins You Right ‘Round

ALL PHOTOS BY SAMANTHA SCHWARTZ

Art imitates life in New Paltz alumnus Frank Marco-polos’ novel “Almost Home.”

The book is set on the New Paltz campus, follow-ing the lives of two college baseball players. Marcopo-los pitched for the Hawks for four years while attending school, so the theme of baseball hardly comes out of left

“I have a lot of personal knowledge and experience with the sport, and it was natural to use it as part of the story,” Marcopolos said.

The novel centers on two main characters: Enzo Prinziatta, a short-tempered baseball player from the Bronx who dreams of becoming a professional athlete, and Barry Budiski, a teammate who is a wealthy frater-nity leader and class president hoping to be a successful business man.

The novel follows the characters through countless twists and turns, showing the struggles they face with teammates, peers, girlfriends as well as with their own emotions and destructive behaviors. The book shifts from the college campus to the town, peering into off-campus

The story begins as a murder mystery, but as

becomes more apparent. “I suppose there may be other little things about Enzo

that have come from me organically,” Marcopolos said. “But, overall, the characters are a combination of a com-posite of multiple people, things completely made up and stuff from me.”

The book’s setting is based on and around the New Paltz campus, from the bars and restaurants in town. There

center, Hasbrouck Dining Hall and the Drama Club sev-eral times throughout the novel.

Marcopolos attributes this sense of familiarity to cre-ating the setting of his book.

“The setting of the novel derives from my general knowledge of the campus, plus my experience of having worked at McKenna Theatre, where one of my duties was to put up posters everywhere for upcoming performanc-es,” Marcopolos said. “I’ve found that, for me, I need to have an authentic, personal understanding of whatever setting my stories are in.”

Patricia Michelini, a New Paltz alumna, met Marco-polos at New Paltz in 1992. The alumni were residents of Bevier Hall. Michelini and Marcopolos lost touch after graduation, but rekindled their friendship a few years ago.

“Frank is very driven. He believes in the power of writing and storytelling and is passionate about showing

that power to others,” Michelini said. “He is extremely

improve himself.” Michelini was able to read Marcopolos’ novel from

a more intimate perspective. As a former student, she said that the novel hit home for her.

“I loved the fact that [the novel] took place at New Paltz,” Michelini said. “I have many, many fond memo-ries there, and it was really fun to read a story and be able to recognize the places in it and think, ‘I was there.’”

Marcopolos said he always knew he wanted to be-come a writer. The Brooklyn native traveled to New Paltz to attend college and study English, graduating in the winter of 1994.

Marcopolos began writing “Almost Home” in 2007. He said that it took him years to write, having gone through thousands of edits and restructurings to reach the

version only, available through downloads on amazon.com.

Marcopolos said e-books are the way to go these days.

“It seems to me that’s where the future of publishing is going, so I didn’t want to kill any more trees just for the sake of my ego being able to gaze upon the glories of a traditional, paper book,” Marcopolos said.

Localized Novel Hits Close To HomeNEW PALTZ ALUMNUS FRANK MARCOPOLOS PUBLISHES E-BOOK SET IN TOWN

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


By Caterina De GaetanoCopy Editor | [email protected]

By calling on past activists such as Rosa Parks and Gandhi to illustrate that you don’t have to be outspoken to make a change, Paul Loeb spoke to a crowded room on Tuesday, March 27 in the Lecture Center at SUNY New Paltz.

The lecture, named after his new book, “Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in Challenging Times,” was sponsored by 16 departments and or-ganizations including the humanistic/multicultural education program and Voice for Choice.

an activist for more than 35 years. He spoke at New Paltz in 2004 and encouraged people to think of ways they can make a difference in the world, according to Nancy Schniedewind, a graduate pro-fessor of humanistic/multicultural education.

Schniedewind said she was inspired by the mes-sages and stories in Loeb’s books and that this talk is important now more than ever because things

such as the Patriot Act and the reasons behind Occupy Wall Street have eroded civil liberties.

“[Loeb] said even in times of hopelessness there is so much people can do to make a differ-ence, ” Schniedewind said. “He tries to make peo-ple see the connections to other people that aren’t in their same locality, other people in the past and other parts of the world as well as the United States that are all working together with a common goal for a more just an democratic future.”

Loeb said his interests have always driven him and hopes they drive others, too. He said he wants people to get involved in important issues and sup-port others around them.

“When somebody steps forward on an issue we care about we have to encourage them,” Loeb said. “When people are silent other people are encour-aged to be silent.”

Loeb said in history there is a divergence be-tween image and reality and that lone activism is untrue. He said it takes a community to make a

change and everyone must be called upon. According to Loeb, in order to make a differ-

ence and act for change there are two steps every-

second is being strategic. “Here’s a situation that seems impossible but

you have to act, and that’s a leap of faith,” Loeb said. “And then you have being strategic, you look at a situation and you say, ‘Oh, how am I going to

accomplish, one must stick to it to make a change because giving up halfway through will not provide results. One suggestion he made was to keep going by maintaining a balance of work and doing things that “nurture your soul.”

He said it’s important to keep going and to remain dedicated to your goals.

“Have a sense of humor and don’t be intimi-dated,” Loeb said.

Keeping And Carrying On With LoebAUTHOR DISCUSSES ACTIVISM AND PERSISTANCE ON NEW PALTZ CAMPUS By Maria JayneCopy Editor | [email protected]

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


COPY DESK

COOKOFF:

When my brother left for college this past fall, my mom rediscovered her love for Italian bak-ing. She has always been an amazing cook and the reason why I’ve become jaded to most Italian cooking — it just pales in comparison to hers. She was never a huge baker, but that changed this past Christmas Eve when she made pizzelles.

Pizzelle are traditional Italian cookies which

maker to make these, but it is totally worth the money. These cookies are fairly simple to make and taste almost too good to be homemade.

Here’s what you’ll need to make pizzelles:

2 teaspoons baking powder 3 large eggs ½ cup unsalted butter, melted 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

prepping the batter. If the press is not hot enough,

baking powder together in small bowl, and set it aside. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs and sugar on medium speed until they thicken (a minute or so). Add the melted butter and vanilla extract in a steady stream (mixing for about 15 seconds).

15 seconds. Do not overmix.

vegetable oil, but it is not necessary. Measure out approximately 1½ -2 teaspoons of mixture on both cookie grids. Close and lock the press. The red indicator light will turn green when the pizzelles are done. Remove the cookies very carefully and place them on a rack to cool completely. Transfer them to a decorative tray and sift ample amounts of powdered sugar onto them. Once you think there’s enough sugar, sift more. When people start eating them, more sugar will end up on their clothes than in their mouths.

Of course a few cookies will break in the bak-ing process (and you are more than welcome to eat

lightly-sweetened, circles of heaven.

Each week, one of the members of our Copy Desk will share their culinary chops with you. Bon appetit!

“Pizzelle“By Carolyn [email protected]

When Holocaust survivor Anita Schorr spoke on cam-pus, she gave a vivid account of her experiences in Ger-many. Despite the horror she faced, Schorr said she was determined not to have people feel bad for her.

One question Schorr said she constantly asked herself during her experience was, “Why wasn’t the free world stopping these horrible things?”

Schorr spoke on Tuesday, March 6 to an auditorium in Coykendall Science Building. The event was sponsored by the Honors Advisory Board Events Committee and was made possible by honors student Sarah Hershey.

Hershey and Schorr have a long history. Hershey said Schorr’s story stayed with her after the two met at Her-

“I thought of Anita immediately, and I realized it would have been practically a crime if I didn’t try to get her here,” Hershey said.

The audience, comprised of students, faculty and other Holocaust survivors, listened as Schorr gave her ac-count of what had taken place in Germany. She began with a photo slideshow featuring personal photos of her family and friends.

“She’ll discuss her experiences, but she’s very deter-mined to look forward,” Patricia Sullivan, Interim Direc-tor of the Honors Program, said. “She [Schorr] is commit-ted to urging people to take action so there will never be another Holocaust.”

At the end of the event Schorr was given the opportu-nity to answer questions from the audience.

She said she tries not to dwell on hate alone and that she doesn’t want to harbor animosity toward the Germans. She wanted to make it very clear that if someone focuses all of their energy on hatred alone, they cannot become anything more than a hateful person.

“I do not hate the German people,” Schorr said. “I hate the Nazis.”

By Bryan AhrensContributing Writer | [email protected]

Holocaust Survivor SpeaksSCHORR SHARES STORIES OF HER PAST

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


By Maria Jayne Copy Editor | [email protected]

Hitting the

BooksKeep up with the latest

faculty writing projects!

Flowers and plants will bloom and be kept maintained in various parts of town thanks to the New Paltz Garden Club.

On Monday, March 19, the New Paltz Garden Club kick-started plans to maintain town gardens and planters dur-ing their annual pot luck dinner at 6 p.m. at Deyo Hall on Huguenot Street.

“Our goal is to stimulate interest in beautifying New Paltz’s surroundings, study all aspects of gardening and to promote conservation of natural resources,” Treasurer Misha Fredricks said.

Vice President Marilyn Minge said the groups always starts the year off with a pot luck dinner and a very short meeting.

“[This] gives our members a chance to mingle, enjoy each other’s company and share exciting plans for a new Garden Club season,” she said. “Luckily, most of our members are wonderful cooks. So, our buffet is always scrumptious.”

Every year, the club donates new gardening books and manages the plant booth at the Elting Library Fair fundrais-er. Club members also pass around baskets for members to contribute to the World Gardening Organization.

In addition, New Paltz Garden Club gives a $1,000 schol-arship to a graduating high school senior who plans on pursuing

a career in environmental science or agriculture. “We donate to the World Gardening Organization because

it strives to support women in other countries by teaching them better gardening and farming techniques for sustaining their communities and bettering their living conditions,” Club Sec-retary Karen Aspromonte said.

Minge said that for the past few years the World Gardening Organization has focused on building wells in Sudan. The New Paltz Garden Club has the lead in donations, winning many awards.

“I am told the average is about $700 a year, which is great for a small club,” Minge said.

Donations go to the Federated Garden Clubs of New York who distribute the funds. Last year, they collected money from garden clubs throughout New York and gave about $20,000 to World Gardening.

“We recognize how beautiful the SUNY campus is and the effort that students must make to help keep it as attractive as it is,” Minge said. “We would like to invite interested students and faculty and staff to consider joining our organization, as we work together to keep New Paltz a lovely place to live and learn.”

Club members meet on the third Monday of each month, from March until December.

By Crystal PattersonContributing Writer | [email protected]

The New Paltz Garden Club plans to maintain the town gardens and planters. PHOTO BY SAMANTHA SCHWARTZ

Flower PowerNEW PALTZ GARDEN CLUB MAKES PLANS TO BEAUTIFY THE TOWN

Editors: Laurence Carr, Lecturer for the English Department and Jan Schmidt, Professor in the English Department

Title?

A new major anthology of contempo-rary Hudson Valley women writers and poets, celebrating women’s voices and creativity.

How long have you been working on

this?

We’ve been working on the book for

about another year to complete.

Publication Date?

The book will be published by Codhill Press in 2013.

What Makes this Project Unique?

This new anthology will feature writ-ings by Hudson Valley women and will focus on all aspects of women’s lives and experiences (women’s social, spiri-tual, political, relationship, cultural and family issues).

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


The Last BAD Book I Read: ‘Cinder’ by Marissa Meyer

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Everybody and their mother seems to love Marissa Meyer’s “Cinder.” They call it innovative and origi-nal;; they call the characters creative and unique;; they call the world brilliant and stunning. Maybe I’m in the minority, maybe I’m blind, but the best part about this book is the fact that Cinderella is a cyborg.

I’m not that impressed.“Cinder” takes place in the futuristic New Beijing,

a city where humans and androids live in harmony. There’s a plague corrupting and killing humans every-where and a strange race called the Lunars watch the Earth from — you guessed it — the moon.

Our protagonist is Cinder — yes, her name is actu-ally Cinder — a mechanic cyborg still alive only due to the mercies of her unkind step-mother and relatively indifferent step-sisters. After Prince Kai brings her an android to repair, Cinder is accidentally thrown into a political struggle that could end in war. It doesn’t help

she’s a second-class citizen.I’ll give Meyer this: her main characters are quite

interesting and they’re the only thing that really make the story worth reading. Cinder is adaptable and clever in a story that she doesn’t deserve, and Kai has the adorability factor that a fairy-tale prince needs.

There’s not much else worth noting. While the world is interesting in concept, it’s missing key points in its world building that just left me scratching my head and wondering, ‘now, how does that work?’

Though the book is still rather predictable. Every-

it all out quickly. An oblivious reader would have it

teries are practically spelled out in giant bold letters.I was especially grieved by the Lunar people. I

have never been more disappointed in a villain set. They were bland and unoriginal. I felt like readers were supposed to fear them simply because they were set up as the villains, not because they were actually scary in any way. They never came across as real char-acters.

All in all, I give a big vote of “no” to this book. The protagonist deserved a better story than she got.

By Nicole Brinkley Staff Writer | [email protected]


ARTS ENTERTAINMENT&

Personal life and work complement one another for Poughkeepsie native and local art-ist Chelsey Freeman.

“I draw my inspiration from my personal life and put it into my artwork,” Freeman said. “I think it lets you learn and understand your-self more.”

A recent graduate of the Art Institute of Boston, Freeman said she had been interested in art from a young age. She began sketching as a young girl, and support from her father eventually led to her enrollment at the Art In-stitute of Mill Street Loft in Poughkeepsie.

Freeman said art took on a new mean-ing for her at the Loft. Her two years studying there sparked a deeper interest and desire to be an artist.

“It opened my eyes,” Freeman said. “It was there that I began to see painting and color in a completely new way, especially color. I’ll never forget when a teacher of mine there

orange.’ That changed everything.”Freeman said the early work she created

while at Mill Street Loft focused on women’s issues. A “very liberal, pro-choice kind of girl,” Freeman said most of her work focused on political issues.

While some of Freeman’s paintings from her time at Mill Street Loft focused on wom-en’s issues from her personal life, it wasn’t until college that her work became more per-sonal.

Freeman said the “small and unbeliev-ably supportive” artistic environment among professors and students helped her to further explore herself as an artist.

“Everyone critiqued you very well and they were always helpful, never negative,” Freeman said. “I was really able to be myself there.”

Freeman said many of her paintings focus on relationships with herself and her sexuality. She said painting with both of these things in mind helps her understand herself at a deeper level with each new artwork.

“There isn’t really a technical way I go about doing my work,” Freeman said. “For

-ity, similar to when you get lost in the moment of something. But that’s what I think is so fas-cinating — the way you experience your own world, and painting about stuff you remember

remember.”Freeman said one of her favorite pieces

is one of her most personal and “bravest.” The painting, “Sexual Girl Within,” shows a wom-an whom Freeman said you can tell is in a sex-ual position. The painting quotes poet Sandra Cisneros: “Sometimes, sweetheart, a woman needs a man who loves her ass.”

Freeman said this is her favorite painting because it shows a side of herself that isn’t al-ways out there for the world to see.

and literally said that this other part of me was there,” Freeman said. “I see myself as a very sweet girl and I think people don’t always see the sexual side of me because of that.”

Freeman’s most recent endeavor has been the unveiling of her painting exhibit in Bacchus. The show, titled “State of Affairs,” opened on March 2 and will continue until the end of April.

“The opening was great because not only did family and friends attend, but people from

-nitely a success,” Freeman said. “I didn’t ex-pect I would sell two paintings that night.”

Freeman said she hopes to have a couple more shows under her belt before applying to graduate school. Her artwork can be seen at chelseyfreeman.sharemyartwork.com.

By Cat TacopinaSports Editor | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle7Boracle.newpaltz.edu

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHELSEY FREEMAN

Artistic LiberationCHELSEY FREEMAN EXPRESSES HERSELF THROUGH PAINTINGS

Paintings by Chelsey Freeman from top clockwise: “Comfort Zones,” “Sexual Girl Within” and “Veiled Ambivalence.”

Put down the knitting, the book and the broom because the Theater Department’s Mainstage musical this year is “Cabaret.”

Set in Berlin in 1931, “Cabaret” fol-lows Sally Bowles, a young English per-former, and her relationship with Ameri-can writer Cliff Bradshaw. A sub-plot is a romance between a German boarding house owner, Frauline Schneider, and her Jewish elderly suitor, Herr Schultz. The Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat “Cabaret” Club oversees and narrates the show, acting as a constant metaphor for Germany’s dark political climate during that time period.

“Cabaret” has an amazing story and it’s structurally and theatrically interesting,” Director Nancy Saklad, professor of theater performance, said. “There are unique, realistic themes dis-persed within the show and they coun-terpoint one another. There’s darkness everywhere in it.”

A production as realistic and fan-tastical as “Cabaret” demands a cast with the ability to portray the range of emotions the show requires. The characters’ troubles and World War II looming overhead gives the show a dark and very animalistic tone, cast members said.

“I hope the audience can see hu-manity at the core,” Julia Register, a second-year theater performance major, said. “We’re always going to have good and bad and destruction but there’s al-ways going to be creation. It’s a great, fun, beautiful story.”

Register, who plays Schneider, speaks in a German accent during the musical. Although she said it’s always

lect, it became easier with more practice. Speaking in a German dialect was

the least work Register did to get into character. Schneider is a much older, more experienced woman, and Register had to tap into her own experiences to make up for the age difference.

“I’ve had to work hard on portray-ing an older woman,” Register said. “Crafting someone with 40 years of life under her belt is hard. I’ve been through a lot and I use the experience of having those experiences. I consider the circumstances my character is un-der and see how they’re similar to what I’ve been through so I can do the play justice.”

Many characteristic challenges were also faced by Julee Kwak, a fourth-year theater performance major from Korea. Kwak, as Sally Bowles, must speak in a British accent for the entire performance. After learning the English language herself, Kwak found it chal-lenging.

However, Assistant Director and Vocal Coach Francesca Haswell has taught her the ins and outs of the dialect.

“I had no idea how involved, dia-lect-wise I would be,” Haswell, a third-year theater major and exchange student from England, said. “Seeing Julee’s British dialect, it’s obvious that she’s growing and I’m really proud of her.”

Kwak is making her New Paltz per-formance debut portraying Bowles, a part she was initially intimidated by.

“Even though I’m a senior, this is

overwhelmed. It’s a lot of pressure and it’s a big role. I was very self-conscious and unsure of my abilities but my direc-tor saw my potential and I didn’t want to let her down.”

Saklad said this production of “Cabaret” is different from others, and it may not leave audience members feeling content;; however, that isn’t its purpose.

“I hope people see “Cabaret” in a

new light,” Saklad said. “In many ways, our pro-duction is less forgiving than others they’ve seen. Each theatrical experience is unique. This is a different ‘Cabaret.’”

The show runs at McKenna Theatre from Thursday, April 19 through Sunday, April 29 at 7 p.m. with one matinee performance at 2 p.m.

By Suzy BerkowitzCopy Editor | [email protected]

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


the least work Register did to get into character. Schneider is a much older, more experienced woman, and Register had to tap into her own experiences to make up for the age difference.

“I’ve had to work hard on portray-ing an older woman,” Register said. “Crafting someone with 40 years of life under her belt is hard. I’ve been through a lot and I use the experience of having those experiences. I consider the circumstances my character is un-der and see how they’re similar to what I’ve been through so I can do the play

Many characteristic challenges were also faced by Julee Kwak, a fourth-year theater performance major from Korea. Kwak, as Sally Bowles, must speak in a British accent for the entire performance. After learning the English language herself, Kwak found it chal-

However, Assistant Director and Vocal Coach Francesca Haswell has taught her the ins and outs of the dialect.

“I had no idea how involved, dia-lect-wise I would be,” Haswell, a third-year theater major and exchange student from England, said. “Seeing Julee’s British dialect, it’s obvious that she’s growing and I’m really proud of her.”

Kwak is making her New Paltz per-formance debut portraying Bowles, a part she was initially intimidated by.

“Even though I’m a senior, this is

overwhelmed. It’s a lot of pressure and it’s a big role. I was very self-conscious and unsure of my abilities but my direc-tor saw my potential and I didn’t want to

Saklad said this production of “Cabaret” is different from others, and it may not leave audience members feeling content;; however, that isn’t its

“I hope people see “Cabaret” in a

new light,” Saklad said. “In many ways, our pro-duction is less forgiving than others they’ve seen. Each theatrical experience is unique. This is a different ‘Cabaret.’”

The show runs at McKenna Theatre from Thursday, April 19 through Sunday, April 29 at 7 p.m. with one matinee performance at 2 p.m.

Mainstage Musical ManiaNEW PALTZ THEATER DEPARTMENT DANCES TO ‘CABERET’ IN MCKENNA

PHOTO COURTESY OF FRAN SMULCHESKI

Mainstage Musical ManiaMainstage Musical ManiaMainstage Musical ManiaDANCES TO ‘CABERET’ IN MCKENNA

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

Small Production Tackles Huge Question‘WHOSE LIFE IS IT ANYWAY?’ TO PREMIERE AT PARKER THEATRE

This semester’s Blackbox Production may be small, but it’s tackling a huge question.

“Whose Life is it Anyway?” directed by Brittney Pierri,

right to die after suffering quadriplegia (being paralyzed from the neck down) in a car accident. The show discusses the con-troversial issue of euthanasia and poses the title question to the audience.

“There’s so much gravity in this subject matter,” Frank Trezza, professor of theater arts and faculty advisor for the show, said. “The characters face complicated choices. It’s meant to make people think and question assumptions they have about certain situations.”

Pierri, a fourth-year theater studies major and director of this production, said she chose this play for its depth and controversial nature. Pierri originally chose a different medical play, but lost her performance rights when it started its run on Broadway. She was shown “Whose Life is it Anyway?” and was convinced this was the show for her.

more of a chord in terms of dramatic structure,” Pierri said. “There has been a performed version starring a male character and one with a female, and I chose the female version because there’s so much more wit and strength in Claire’s words.”

Third-year theater performance major Kat Gonzalez, who plays Claire, did a lot of work to get into character as she has never played a quadriplegic before.

“This was a huge challenge for me because I like to talk with my hands,” Gonzalez said. “I stretch before rehearsing so my hands are more relaxed. I would lie down in bed and tie my-self up with belts to feel what it was like not to be able to move. I also talked to people in wheelchairs. I felt like they’ve been living with what they have for so long, they have embraced it, but that’s what my character didn’t want.”

The play begins with a scene added to the production of Claire before the accident, sculpting a piece of clay onstage. It later divulges into a legal battle and touches upon the sanity of

and reacting to the situation. Part of Gonzalez’s character work involved her defending herself and debating whether or not she

suffered from depression. “The audience sees me before the accident sculpting some-

thing and doing what I’m passionate about and I think that’s necessary because they get to see just how much I’m losing,” Gonzalez said. “If I’m going to die, I want to die with dignity.”

“Whose Life is it Anyway?” will run from Friday, March 30 to Sunday, April 1 in Parker Theatre.

By Suzy BerkowitzCopy Editor | [email protected]


PHOTO COURTESY OF BRITTNEY PIERRI “Whose Life is it Anyway?” will premiere on March 30.

PHOTO COURTESY OF YOUTUBE.COM

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


Feeding Into The Hype? Battling Out ‘The Hunger Games’

The only good thing that came out of last

week’s release of “The Hunger Games” was the

dope-ass beard that one forgettable character

pulled off throughout the whole thing.

Well, that and the fact that it was so undeni-

ably bad that I was unable to contain the rage

bursting out of me as I left the theater.

for producing an utterly disappointing and as-

toundingly horrible movie.

Secondly, I need to discuss how much of a

waste of potential this movie was. Not only did

“The Hunger Games” drunkenly stumble over

the ripe and intellectually stimulating (not to

mention horrifying) theme of kids being forced

to kill one another, it produced it in a less im-

pactful way than a movie that preceded it by

The movie took an eternity to get to any

reached the action, it fumbled it. The shaking

sequences reminded me more of a cartoon rather

than a movie meant to provoke and stimulate.

-

ously a way to invite the plentiful audience of

pre-teens who have the ability to drain their par-

apocalyptic society has forced upon their public.

That very poignant message is lost beneath a

Simply, the movie utterly failed to gain

any emotion from me for any of the charac-

dry, Elizabeth Banks had a role that could have

been played by a tree stump and Woody Har-

relson was less believable than a drunken mem-

ber of the bar of broken heroes. Hell, if I was

Harrelson, I would have been inebriated too.

Being in this movie could have made anyone a

heavy drinker.

Jennifer Lawrence was actually pretty

impressive, carrying literally all of the acting

perpetually open mouth that seemingly allowed

him to think of easier ways to say his pitiful at-

tempts at lines. But Lawrence had command

over her role, even if it wasn’t written with an

ounce of talent. The movie is lucky to have such

a gifted performer willing to stick her neck out

for a franchise.

For a movie that had such hype and so many

shock at how horrid I felt leaving the theater. Not

more insulted for having given the movie theater

my credit card information.

same message as “The Hunger Games” but ac-

tually puts it into context that isn’t subdued for

American audiences, do yourself a favor and

your pallet after seeing this shit storm, but you’ll

“The Hunger Games” fans were starving

each time fell more in love with it.

Two and a half hours seems lengthy for

steady, comfortable pace and by the end of

the movie, I couldn’t believe that much time

had passed. There’s enough time for viewers,

whether they read the books or not, to grasp the

plot. However, no scenes were too long.

Since Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Law-

I was worried how this would be shown without

incorporated these elements in a very success-

ful way which deemed narrations unnecessary.

throwing Katniss a loaf of bread are strategi-

cally slipped into the early scenes. In the books,

Katniss explains that the Gamemakers create

shows scenes of the Gamemakers controlling

these events “behind-the-scenes.”

and actresses portrayed their parts well: Law-

rence was the brave, strong (both mentally and

physically), stubborn and protective Katniss and

(Lenny Kravitz) was Katniss’s caring men-

tor, while Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) began

as her drunk, unconcerned mentor. Haymitch

eventually became essential to Katniss and

to the movie with just a few lines and actions

(for example, giving a thumbs up to Katniss af-

ter she shoots the arrow at the Gamemakers).

was beautiful. I am certainly one for artistic

(Willow Sheilds), the camera pans in on the

two girls hugging, bringing out their troubled

a shaky hand, creating movement, excitement

and suspense. Conversations are shot with mul-

tiple views, perfectly capturing each character’s

reactions.

The score, composed by James Newton

-

strumental pieces were excellent decisions, as

words likely would have taken away from what

smooth, cool songs are the background to much

not paying too much attention to the music, but

it’s still there. The theme for show host Caesar

Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) is incredible (“War”

performed by the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble).

Contrasting with the rest of the score, it’s pow-

erful and exciting, and brings the right energy to

Caesar, the show and the studio audience.

It isn’t an easy task to transform a book

into a movie and to stay true to the story, but

success.

By Robin [email protected]

By Andrew [email protected]


Just The Tip Keeps It UpSTUDENT BAND SPREADS ITS TALENT THROUGHOUT NEW PALTZ

MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK:JACKIE STANITIS

Just The Tip hasn’t had a hard time thrusting themselves into

the New Paltz music scene.

Jeremy Truitt (drums), have been working to expand their

The band came together when Smith, who had

Slash Root gig with him. They decided to start

with just cover songs, then tried out drummers

and eventually joined up with Truitt, Smith’s

shows last semester,” Jackson said. “It

just seemed to happen naturally. It

Both Smith and Jackson

started playing music when they

were young. Smith learned the

when he was 13. Jackson, once

came interested in music about

showed him a Jimi Hendrix

DVD.

Just The Tip has been

“Come As You Are” and

Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”

ways working on originals

the covers.

“When we started, it

repertoire was covers and

40 percent was originals,

and now we’ve switched,”

ers as much as possible

because we don’t want to

be known as a cover band

necessarily.”

Smith said the band doesn’t try to impose a certain sound onto

their music.

“We want to create our own sound, but respect the music that

we love . . . by not sounding exactly like it,” Smith said. “We all

them all in a way that still sounds like us without disrespecting

the tradition.”

The band, which had once been strictly instrumental,

is now attempting to incorporate vocals into their music.

sprinkle in rappers and singers, and we’re trying

to learn how to sing ourselves to make it easier.”

Last month, Just The Tip recorded their

on Feb. 21. The band is currently working

on mixing and mastering it.

“We should be done with it

within a week at most,” Smith said.

“It’s going to be called ‘The Tip

Is In.’”

elements.

so whoever walks through the

bar is going to like something

like we represent New Paltz

people.”

The band plans to release

their demo, play more gigs

outside New Paltz and get

circuit.”

to keep playing. I don’t care

ing music with Jeremy and

Damien.”

Smith said he hopes

tening to them as the band

that,” Smith said, “we’re

going to be a lot happier.”

By Carolyn QuimbyCopy Editor | [email protected]

YEAR: Third MAJOR: International BusinessMINOR: Creative WritingHOMETOWN: Monroe , N.Y.

International BusinessCreative Writing

Monroe , N.Y.

International BusinessCreative Writing

Monroe , N.Y.

DO WANT TO BE...YOU

Contact Zan Stumfeld at [email protected]

MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK?

CHECK OUT JACKIE STANITISPERFORMING BY

SCANNING THIS CODE WITH ANY SMARTPHONE!

WHAT’S YOUR INSTRUMENT OF CHOICE AND WHY?

WHO HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO LATELY?

Viola. I chose viola because when I was

a little kid and you had to choose your

instrument and I copied my sister. She quit

shortly after, but I stuck with it.

Gorillaz. Andrew Bird. The Black Keys.

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

WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES?Flogging Molly. J.S. Bach. People I’ve

been around at New Paltz. I’ve jammed

with so many people and they have helped

shape my own sound.

ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING MUSICIANS?Remember why you did it and have fun. And

scales, the not fun part.

WHAT ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH MUSICALLY?I used to do orchestra here. Now I’m a

member of Year On A Mountain and a

permanent guest member of Amputations.

Just The Tip hasn’t had a hard time thrusting themselves into

Jeremy Truitt (drums), have been working to expand their

The band came together when Smith, who had

Slash Root gig with him. They decided to start

with just cover songs, then tried out drummers

and eventually joined up with Truitt, Smith’s

shows last semester,” Jackson said. “It

just seemed to happen naturally. It

Both Smith and Jackson

started playing music when they

were young. Smith learned the

when he was 13. Jackson, once

came interested in music about

showed him a Jimi Hendrix

Just The Tip has been

we love . . . by not sounding exactly like it,” Smith said. “We all

them all in a way that still sounds like us without disrespecting

the tradition.”

The band, which had once been strictly instrumental,

is now attempting to incorporate vocals into their music.

sprinkle in rappers and singers, and we’re trying

to learn how to sing ourselves to make it easier.”

Last month, Just The Tip recorded their

on Feb. 21. The band is currently working

on mixing and mastering it.

“We should be done with it

within a week at most,” Smith said.

“It’s going to be called ‘The Tip

Is In.’”

elements.

so whoever walks through the

bar is going to like something

like we represent New Paltz

people.”

their demo, play more gigs

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA SCHWARTZ

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BEN CAMPBELL. CAPTION BY SAMANTHA SCHWARTZ

This Week in

Major: Drawing and Painting B.F.A.

Year: Fifth

In!uences: Goya, Blake, Picasso, !re

hydrants, grandparents, Mondrian, Dürer,

Gustav Courbet, Alice Neel

“My thesis work is an exploration of the religious

nature of the art-making process and the human

fascination with the end of the world. My work

will be featured in the !rst BFA show, opening

April 27 from 5 to 7 p.m.”

BEN CAMPBELLtHe Deep END

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

Faculty did not just begin voic-ing concerns about their workload this spring. As the college’s operating bud-get continued to be scraped down to the barest bones, the number of faculty de-creased and the pressure on the remain-ing members became intense. With a

bringing professors’ expanding faculty struggles to balance scholarship, teach-ing and advising loads, administrators began making moves to assess what could be done to help the staff.

One year later, not much appears to have changed.

We at The New Paltz Oracle are

that faculty have become overworked, but we hope that progress will be made to address the issue in a more timely fashion.

President Donald Christian and other administrators said they were be-ginning a study on faculty workload last year. The issue was and remains to be as complex as they said it is: measur-ing a professor’s workload means more than counting the number of courses they taught in a given semester or how many students were in their classes. Statistics cannot measure how well a faculty member advised their students, whether they were responsible for 20 or 200. Therefore, it is understandable that a study of faculty workload has and will take a long time to conduct and review.

The constant carousel of our top-ranking administrators certainly doesn’t help. Christian himself was only re-cently named the full-time president, and we are still in search of three major

-portant roles on this task force.

However, this does not change the fact that faculty are still stressed now. Portions of the $900,000 cuts to the part-time instructional budget still need to be enacted, according to the presi-dent;; more adjuncts will have to be let go. The college is still reeling from the effects of past cuts in funding from the

state government, and we will be for a while. Those left behind have to recov-er, and they can’t just wait for a study to be completed. They need administra-tors to begin acting now to relieve the stresses brought upon them from bud-get cuts and/or increased expectations to teach more students, begin more research and have more advisees. Per-haps there is no hard data to support the idea that workload has increased, but we hope that faculty testimonials about their struggles will be enough to cause concern at all levels of the college.

Problems associated with faculty workload have been brought up con-stantly by the United University Pro-fessions (UUP) union. We applaud the union for keeping this problem on the minds of everyone in the campus com-munity through events like next week’s forum and through their own publica-tions.

We are also impressed that UUP has already sent out a survey about work-load issues. We understand that ad-ministrators want their survey to be as thorough and well designed as possible, but perhaps getting some feelers out as soon as UUP has would be a good idea. Thankfully, the president said adminis-trators will be sending their survey out soon;; hopefully, the wait will be worth it.

Members of the union have also brought up problems they and their peers are having with managing their work in labor management meetings

The

Bullhorn, UUP members have said ad-ministrators have suggested that faculty have conversations with their direct su-pervisors that could involve saying no to requests to take on more work. We hope this means that higher-ups will be understanding if these conversations begin, as their necessity can already make faculty uncomfortable.

the survey that will be distributed to members of the faculty and then ana-

in the works, we also hope faculty su-pervisors or deans will work to spread work as evenly as possible around their unit or department. It will take a while to evaluate this information, but the faculty needs to be helped now.

Students should remain concerned with this issue plaguing the people who are responsible for educating them. It’s simple: the more overworked your pro-fessors are, the less time they will have

for providing you with individual atten-tion.

It is unfortunate that this issue at the center of the educational process at

on, and that the survey hasn’t gone out yet for that reason. We hope that al-though it has been a long year since the idea for this study was conceived, now there will be a steady stream of analysis

workload-related problems.

Editorials represent the views of the majority of the editorial board. Columns, op-eds and letters, excluding editorials, are solely those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of The New Paltz Oracle, its staff members, the campus and university or the Town or Village of New Paltz.

The New Paltz Oracle 9 oracle.newpaltz.eduOPINION


CARRYING THAT WEIGHT

CARTOON BY JULIE GUNDERSEN


LETTERYou may have noticed that a phrase

never uttered by President Obama at re-election rallies is “change we can believe in.” This is a sensible omission since he never delivered on the vague but emphati-cally deliberate promise of “change” that got him elected in 2008.

But taking time out from campaign-ing, conducting wars and apologizing for the excesses of U.S. troops, President Obama addressed a fundraising party in New York on March 1, explaining why so little change has transpired since assum-

He obviously owed the money people an explanation for what there’s no need mentioning to voters:

The change we fought for in 2008 hasn’t always happened as fast as we would have liked. After all that’s hap-pened in Washington, sometimes you look and see the mess and it’s tempting, I think, to sometimes say, “You know what, maybe change isn¹t possible....I know it¹s tempting to believe that. But...real change, big change is always hard.”

to those rather more perplexing obstacles

confronted by Mahatma Gandhi in India and Nelson Mandela in South Africa to explain why he should continue occupy-ing the White House and why wealthy people must give him money:

“Around the world (Gandhi, Nelson Mandela) what they did was hard. It takes time. It takes more than a single term.” But if “ordinary citizens keep believing” and “you’re willing to work with me.... I promise you change will come.”

Comparing himself to Gandhi and Mandela and their task of liberating mass-es of people from oppressive racist colo-

nialism, is, to be charitable, a big stretch.Obama entered the White House

when Democrats controlled the House and Senate and still run the Senate and the executive apparatus. Much of the time has been spent compromising half way with the far right Republicans and proving he’s no slouch when it comes to undermining civil liberties and expanding foreign wars.

This wasn’t the change Democrats “believed in,” but it’s what we got.

Jack A. Smith, New Paltz

COLUMN

So basically, “Friendless Friday” has become a staple in my week. It’s not necessarily a bad thing — it’s just a fact. I’d rather stay at home on Fri-day nights listening to reruns of “Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me” and work on my night cheese (for those of you that don’t know, night cheese is the tradition of eating cheese late at night as per Liz Lemon).

The funny thing is, I used to go out every Friday with friends to party and

get drunk just like everyone else. I know some say students on average have less than three alcoholic beverages a week but I don’t think they polled my friends. Hanging out with friends and partying was like this sort of college ritual that only the well-adjusted kids took part in.

bad for staying in my room for long pe-riods of time. I felt as if I always needed to be doing something and meeting up with friends. I made sure I didn’t eat alone, work alone, study alone and most importantly drink alone, because if I did

But now I couldn’t care less. I’m not sure if it’s an “age-thing” as my mom would say because I’ve become

mature and started to reprioritize my life (I mean, I tend to knit a lot and if you ask me who my favorite movie star is I’d say Fred Astaire…but that’s about the extent to which I am mature), or because I honestly don’t like having to entertain people anymore.

I think the problem — well, not problem, but reason — is I’m at this strange point in my college career (or life) where I dread having to do any-thing remotely time-consuming and then give up halfway. I don’t under-stand how someone can go to a movie

dom, or when we set up a board game and don’t even get halfway down the playing card. I feel like I’m constant-

ly planning things and never going through with them because there is a chance someone will get bored.

I understand some people can’t just watch videos on YouTube for hours or stare at pictures of cats until their eyes start to ache but that’s why I need “Friendless Friday.” It’s like this spe-cial time where I’m allowed to do what I want and then fall asleep as early as I please because there are no articles to read or awkward conversations about what we should be doing because being lazy isn’t an option.

If you’re willing to loaf around and

maybe I’ll make an exception, but I doubt it.

MARIA JAYNE Copy Editor

[email protected]

MARIA JAYNE MARIA JAYNE [email protected]

VISIT OUR AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE!

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10 oracle.newpaltz.edu OPINION The New Paltz Oracle

The New Paltz Oracle 11 oracle.newpaltz.eduSPORTS


This spring break, the SUNY New Paltz Tennis team “proved they can hang with the best teams of Div. III,” Tennis Head Coach Robert Bruley said.

The annual trip to Florida the team takes every

East Coast teams, coming home with a 1-4 record.

since October when they competed in the SUNYAC Tournament, but Bruley said the team was quick to “get back into the swing of things.”

Third-year Kayla DiPaulo said she expected the team to win at least three of their matches. However, the team met all of Bruley’s expectations.

“The team performed to their full potential,” Bru-ley said.

Bruley said the team wouldn’t ordinarily play these schools, each of which presented tough matches.

cial, and this year was no exception. The opponents

presented a “tough level of play” which was good for the team, he said.

“I think all the teams we played were great com-petition,” DiPaulo said. “We played the best we could against every one of them.”

The team started off with a 6-3 win against Law-rence University. They went on to lose against Hunting-don College and Grinnell College, each 5-4. Both close matches, Bruley said the Hawks had a chance to win either.

“The two 5-4 games were tied until the last set,” Bruley said. “They could have gone either way.”

On the last day of the trip, the team matched up against Colby College and lost 6-3. Later that same day, the Hawks played a match against Whitworth University, which Bruley “should never have sched-uled.” The girls lost 9-0.

“The team was exhausted,” Bruley said. “We won’t do two matches in one day again.”

Despite winning only one match in Florida, DiPaulo said she felt good about the team’s perfor-

mance, but knows they have a long road ahead.“I think the team has realized that we need to keep

in shape a little better,” she said. “We are completing a week long ‘hell week’ this week.”

The team’s schedule now presents matches against Union College, Ithaca College and a tournament to be hosted at New Paltz. Bruley said the Union College team is nationally ranked, and Ithaca College presents a good battle.

Bruley said players plan to work on becoming

summer to prepare for their conference champion-ship in October. This championship is the team’s main focus.

“We want to win the title back,” Bruley said. “Anything they can do along the way with tennis and conditioning, they are willing to do it.”

The trip only brought good things to the team and their spring season, Bruley said.

“We’re excited about spring, and we’re ready to go,” Bruley said. “We just want to get back outside.”

The SUNY New Paltz Tennis team traveled to Florida during spring break, returning home with a 1-4 record. PHOTO BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

THE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSQUICKSWING

By Robin WeinsteinPhoto Editor | [email protected]

Finishing off his four-year career in the 2011-12 season with 1,512 points,

all-time scorer in Hawk’s basketball history.

Wichard scored 450 points this season alone, averaged 17.3 points per game and led the team with 76 assists. Wichard played a crucial role in the Hawk’s access to the SUNYAC Men’s Basketball Championship for their third consecutive season.

Despite standing at only six feet tall, Wichard proved to be a dominant con-tender on the court and boards. Wichard stood as a lead scorer for the Hawks and landed eighth on the all-time rebound-ing charts. Wichard’s play this season earned him a spot on the All-SUNYAC Men’s Basketball Third Team.

Wichard said he and his teammates fought to make a name for New Paltz in the SUNYAC and to change the notion that the Hawks could be used as a “door-mat” for opposing teams.

“We’re taking more pride in the pro-gram now,” he said. “Don’t expect an easy game walking into the Hawk Cen-ter anymore.”

The Hawks played with only nine players for most of the season, allowing team members to see more playing time than previous years. High endurance and vigor kept Wichard on the court longer than any other Hawk this season, leading the team in time played with an average 35.9 minutes per game.

“My durability was a great factor,” he said. “I take pride in being able to play longer than my opponent.”

Along with being a leader for the team statistically, Wichard aimed to raise his teammates’ charisma and set an example for others through his own hard

greatest potential as a basketball player is his goal, he said.

“He’s the hardest working player, and the most talented player that I’ve probably ever played with,” third-year co-captain and forward Matt Devine said.

Devine led the league in scoring with 21.5 points per game (560 total) and was chosen for the SUNYAC Men’s Basketball Second Team. He said the team is looking forward to a strong sea-son next year, but Wichard is going to be hard to replace.

A fourth-year public communica-

balancing an extracurricular activity as strenuous as basketball while trying to maintain a solid grade point average. A player who can maintain a high GPA and remain a dominant athlete is unique, he said.

“A lot of people forget it, but the rea-son you’re here is academic,” Wichard said. “You don’t want to overlook that.”

Despite the end of the Hawks’ 2011-12 season, Wichard is still training with no intentions of leaving basketball. Fol-

lowing graduation, he plans to immedi-ately pursue his basketball career play-ing professionally overseas.

After graduation, Wichard said his teammates will be what he’ll miss the most. He said the hardest thing to let go of is the people involved.

“Basketball has introduced me to so much and so many phenomenal peo-ple,” Wichard said. “It’s been more than a game to me. It’s been a dream come true.”

The New Paltz Oracle12oracle.newpaltz.edu SPORTS


By Ben Kindlon Copy Editor | [email protected]

Leaving A Legacy


ORGANIC WHOLE LOCALSUSTAINABLE

Vegan/vegetarian,gluten-free optionsHot soups and lunchspecialsLocal farm productsBulk foods/snacksOrganic teas/coffeesRaw foodsBeauty productsNatural supplementsYoga supplies

The New Paltz Oracle 13 oracle.newpaltz.eduSPORTS


The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Tim

Tim Tebow is not a good quarterback — let’s get that straight right off the bat. That makes the Jets decision to trade two draft picks for the highly-polarizing but less-than-

enthralling team leader more than a head scratcher. It literally doesn’t make any sense. Let’s face it: the Jets did not acquire Tebow for football reasons. Don’t sell yourself short and be

naive here, it was a classic Jets public relations move that was made solely to steal some crafty New York Post headlines.“Tebowmania” hitting Broadway was not for some super-scheme wildcat offensive plan. It was a calculated attempt to steal some much-needed attention, which is something the Jets are quite adept at doing. Rex Ryan and Woody Johnson’s assurances that this was only a football-related move have about as much credibility as Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmerio saying they didn’t use steroids.

as Hades itself that are about to ignite around the God-loving quarterback. For a city that never sleeps and is full of lust-tempting “Timtations,” the circus that is about to engulf every waking second of Tebow’s life will surely drag him from his lofty perch.

Even if Tebow wasn’t a one-hit wonder and actually had an actuate arm that might have some semblance of an impact on the Jets 2012 season, the trade still doesn’t make any logical football sense. The ugly truth is that Tebow is a hyped-up quarterback who lacks the nec-essary skills to provide a team with a Super Bowl crown. He isn’t Eli Manning and he never will be.

Now the Jets have a convoluted quarterback controversy on their hands that will only get worse once Mark Sanchez inevitably continues his less-than-stellar career as a Jets passer. I’m not defending Sanchez here, but come on, anyone can agree that he is better than the running back who is pretending to be the quarterback that Tebow is.

Every single incomplete pass Sanchez makes will be met with the loud — not to mention incredibly misguided — chants of “Tebow” that will engulf Metlife Stadium. Is that the kind of attention you want to surround an already self-absorbed and inadequate quarter-back? I don’t think so.

Tebow and Sanchez are both laughably mediocre, which makes the media circus surrounding the con-troversy equally laughable. The idea that Tebow, who is possibly the most divisive player in NFL history, will actually solve the Jets copious off

to those currently on the team. But besides that, it’s not just one backup quarterback that is going to solve the litany of problems the Jets have.

At the end of the day, this move smells calculated and intended to steal some attention away from the Jets’ stadium-sharing rivals. The likelihood of the Tebow-experiment blowing up in Ryan’s face midseason is as high as the clouds his new quarterback constantly prays to.

Regardless of his passer rating or religion, Tim Tebow could resurrect a bygone New York Jets tradition: winning ugly.

The cockier new breed of Jets fans may not remember a time when Chad Pennington (who?) was at the helm and Herman Edwards told the world that “you play to win the game.” But those Jets made it to the playoffs too, all while fans wore Shrek ears in the stands. The ogre served as a perfect mascot for a too-often bumbling,

The 2012 Jets can be more accurately compared to the character Donkey: loud-mouthed and playing

of anonymity like middle school girls on AIM Instant Messenger than winning. Something needs to change. Believe it or not, a God-loving, good-ol’-boy who has been nothing but an underdog in his professional

career could be just what they need.Yes, Tebow’s 46.5 completion percentage was impossibly worse than that of current start-

er Mark Sanchez. But sports are as much about momentum as they are about statistics, and Tebow has been able to build plenty of the former. His fourth quarter heroics are too

few draft picks could be worth it for some “Tebow time.” The fact that Tebow has already been told he’ll be second string should

also ease Gang Green tension. If Mark Sanchez is worth a damn, this bold trade should make him better. The pressure is on to stop whining and start winning. The fear of hearing someone else’s name reverberate through MetLife Stadium the same way it did in Mile High bet-ter be enough motivation for Sanchez to not throw 18 intercep-tions. If a starting quarterback can’t handle high stress situa-

Then there’s the wildcat factor of this trade. While this formation isn’t fool-proof, the Jets have already reaped

Smith (who arguably played an integral role on the two-time conference championship level team). For a team that only rushed for 3.8 yards a carry last season, Tebow introduces a possibly ex-plosive option for an offense with a new coordinator eager to spice things up.

Hardened New Yorkers should also keep in mind that where Tebow goes on Sunday morning has nothing to do with

noon. The player has become polarizing in popular culture for his evangelical beliefs, but that ultimately is unrelated to football. From one-on-one inter-views with critics to being thrown to the press conference wolves without the support of anyone in the organization last week, Tebow has proven he can take the heat with, well....grace.

Tim Tebow’s wobbly passes aren’t pretty, but the Jets’ failure in the postseason hasn’t been either. The quarterback will certainly hit plenty of bumps on Broadway, but his determination can and should make him suc-cessful on some level in the NFL. No matter what, it will certainly be fun to watch.

By Julie MansmannManaging Editor | [email protected]

By Andrew WyrichEditor-In-Chief | [email protected]

No Divine Intervention Here I’m A Believer In Tebow

CARTOON BY JULIE GUNDERSEN

With the end of the 2011-12 school year approach-ing, SUNY New Paltz Athletics remains fourth out of 10 schools in the 2011-12 SUNYAC Commissioners Cup standings.

The Hawks currently hold a score of 6.77, trailing SUNYAC rivals SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Cortland and SUNY Oneonta.

Standings are compiled using a point system de-termined by the 20 different conference sports in the fall, winter and spring. Points are awarded based on how well a team does within the conference and the championship tournament.

-tive tournaments, with three New Paltz teams in the fall making it to their championship games. Women’s Volleyball and Tennis fell to Cortland and Geneseo re-spectively. Women’s Soccer won the conference title after beating Cortland by a score of 1-0.

Tennis Head Coach Robert Bruley said the main challenge of competing in a strong SUNYAC confer-ence is having the necessary team power to achieve the desired wins needed. He said there are struggles to gain the tennis athletes needed to play at the Div. III level

when most are looking at Div. I and Div. III institutions both for academics and athletics.

in his team and they are willing to take on challenges in order to reach their goal of a SUNYAC title.

“We have a very strong Women’s Tennis team who rise to strong competition and will be challenging for the conference championships,” Bruley said.

NCAA Div. III tournament, where they defeated both Lynchburg College and Rowan University. The Lady Hawks eventually lost against Tournament Champion Messiah College.

Aside from the team’s skill, Head Coach Colleen Bruley made sure the eight veterans let incoming play-ers know they were welcome and they would be ac-cepted not only as teammates, but family as well.

“I knew we had the talent to succeed, but we need-ed to come together as a team in order for us to win,” Colleen Bruley said. “We used preseason as a way to come together as a family and bond.”

For future seasons, Colleen Bruley said she be-

cohesiveness, they will be successful. While the team

is graduating two players, she said it will not be detri-mental to the team’s play come next season.

and continue to be a cohesive team, then we will con-tinue our success,” Colleen Bruley said.

The New Paltz Oracle14 oracle.newpaltz.edu SPORTS


New Paltz Sets Sights on Commissioner’s CupBy Kaycia Sailsman Staff Writer | [email protected]

New Paltz teams are fourth in the Commissioner’s Cup Standings.


The New Paltz Oracle oracle.newpaltz.eduSPORTS


[email protected].

HYTHM

LUESHIRTS

&

LUESHIRTSLUESHIRTS

innings of baseball each year?

From the depths of the chilly and

mundane sports period that runs from

the last minutes of the Super Bowl until

are littered with Sports Center highlights

that can only be described as downright

boring, comes the dawn of the baseball

season.

With one swoop, the sports land-

scape becomes dominated with baseball

— as it should be.

a childhood dream and make my way

the optimistic brand of baseball that

only Spring Training can provide. In

short, it was brilliant.

Not only was I mere feet from some

of my favorite Mets players, but I was

able to see a glimpse into the future

of not only this upcoming season, but

beyond.

As the Mets took on the St. Louis

Cardinals in an exhibition match, I was

able to see players like Lucas Duda and

Ike Davis continue their impressive

springs, while also being able to see just

how awful Mike Pelfrey really is.

First off, I think Duda is quickly

becoming one of my most anticipated

players to watch this season. The kid

possesses such raw power that it is hard

not to imagine what a full season in the

majors will allow him to produce. The

home run he crushed in the game was

unbelievable, as his swing makes it

seem effortless.

If Duda is able to play like he did

last season, I see no reason not to expect

20 or more home runs from the right

manent home as the Mets’ No. 5 hitter.

Davis also had an impressive game

and left me with no reservations over

the fact he will bounce back from last

year’s injury that shelved him for all but

which I expect him to continue into the

regular season.

Between Duda and Davis, the Mets

have two players with gushing power

potential to compliment David Wright’s

swing in the middle of the order. The

Mets starting pitching has been solid

so far this spring (minus Pelfrey) and if

that continues, the middle of their order

will be the key for a competitive season.

Finally, I had the misfortune of

watching Pelfrey start for the Mets. In

classic ‘Big Pelf’ fashion, he dazzled in

sinkers and confusing Cardinal hitters.

However, after that the wheels fell off,

much like fans have grown accustomed

to.

Four runs, a hit batter and a trip to

the mound later, Pelfrey had unraveled

into his seemingly normal self, ulti-

mately giving up the lead the Mets of-

fense had given to him.

half — or at the very least a serviceable

one — the Mets might be able to unload

him at the trade deadline come July 31.

The return package would not be overly

sweet, but at this point Pelfrey might be

doing more harm than good in Queens.

A Glimpse Into 2012

Some Simple To-DosWell folks, here we are. The Rang-

ers are almost done with their 2011-12

regular season and all eyes are on the

sible postseason scenarios.

Honestly, I really thought the stress

would be over after they clinched a play-

off spot on March 19’s game against the

Devils. After all, the stress of season’s

past has come from the whole ordeal

of whether or not this team was good

enough to make the playoffs. You’d

think rectifying that problem would

make things better.

Not this year.

Frankly, no one knows what the

Buffalo or Washington (my money’s on

Philadelphia.

Neither of these options are won-

derful. Buffalo matches up well with

the Rangers, but the Flyers will bang

the Rangers around. It’s not like the

cakewalk the Devils are going to have

against Florida.

There is no best/worst case scenar-

io, but this doesn’t mean everything’s

lost. After watching the game against

Detroit on March 21, you can’t help but

buy into the fact that the Rangers can be

competitive with anyone in the league.

Sure, there isn’t much the Rangers can

coast with, but they shouldn’t be count-

ed out against anyone.

There are a few things the Rangers

get to our to-do list, alright?

The power play- This has been the song and dance of the Rangers’ 2011-12

season;; a very good team with one of

the worst power plays in the league. But

honestly, it has picked up within the past

couple of weeks.

Brad Richards bringing his A-Game

this past month has helped pick the

power play up, but it’s still pretty bad.

While failure may not be an automatic

assumption anymore, saying “maybe

something will happen here” isn’t much

better.

The Rangers need to set up on every

power play, it can’t be a once a game

plays a game, that should be two or

three goals right there. Look at how

the Rangers have done this season, and

now think of how much farther ahead

they would be in the conference if their

power play wasn’t so bad.

This power play can be improved

if...

Michael Del Zotto gets smart- Del Zotto isn’t a bad hockey player. He has

all the talent in the world. But if anyone

ever needed to grow a brain and click

with running a power play, it’s him. He

needs to look up and realize his sur-

roundings.

And if Del Zotto does this, the team

will minimize...

Turnovers- They’re literally every-where now. I can’t remember the last

time the Rangers got by a game without

giving up a goal after allowing a turn-

over. This is undoubtedly happening

because fatigue and laziness that inevi-

tably comes with the end of a season,

especially for a team that battles hard 90

percent of the time.

they hit the postseason. But turnovers

aren’t so bad if the Rangers can get...

Secondhand Scoring- First of all, welcome back Brian Boyle. Where have

you been?

Secondhand scoring is the one abso-

lute, most important thing the Rangers

spot, but a long trip in the playoffs.

Gaborik may be approaching 40 goals,

Callahan may be approaching 30 and

Richards may have picked up his game,

but that isn’t going to be enough against

teams like Buffalo and Philadelphia and

maybe even Pittsburgh.

Brandon Dubinsky’s resurgence has

been an extreme help for the Rangers

these past couple of weeks. The team

missed Dubinsky’s scoring this season,

a part in losses throughout the season.

But that was then and this is now.

He’s been an impact player, especially

in the games against Toronto and Min-

nesota. If Dubinsky can keep producing

and other secondhand scorers like Boyle

and Artem Anisimov can come forth,

who knows? The Rangers could have a

real shot this year.

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

15

SPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

TENNIS READY FOR SPRING SEASON AFTER FLORIDA TOURNAMENT: PAGE 11

WHAT’S INSIDE

FLYING HOME

PHOTOS BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

Harris WichardMakes Hawks History

PAGE 12

New Paltz Teams VieFor Commissioner’s Cup

PAGE 14

Documents

The New Paltz Oracle, Volume 83, Issue 17