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So a new semester has begun and for some of you returning students its back to business as usual but for the freshman and incoming student’s things are still new. Well let’s play a game of did you know!
Did you know that Cogan hall has an automotive program located off of Williams access road that fixes cars for students, for the small fee of $15? Here is how it works. The program operates every Tues, Weds and Thursday from 8 am to 11:50am. You must first call 518 629-7189 to make an appointment. You must have an up to date registration in your name a valid insurance card and pay a $15 lab fee at the cashier office before you can get your car fixed. Once you have received an appointment date you bring the receipt of payment along with proof of insurance and registration to the Cogan hall with your car.
Once all of the documents and are submitted and a short form filled out, the technicians will fully diagnose your vehicle. You must supply all of the parts the mechanic tells you that you will need. If you know already what’s wrong you can supply the parts at the time of inspection. If your car takes more the one visit you would need to pay the lab fee of $15 for each visit until the work is complete.
Did you know that you can purchase two movie tickets with your student ID for $5 each, every Tues on the second floor of the student campus center? Yes it’s true! The tickets don’t have an expiration date and there are no restrictions. If you are a day student you can purchase them between the hours of 10am and 4pm. If you are a night student you can purchase them from 4pm to 6pm.
Did you know that HVCC offers a food pantry for all students on the second floor of the student campus center? All
Starting this semester, HVCC will be using software called Readabout.me to recognize student achievements online, offering students an online presence to share with potential schools and employers.
“Basically this is a way for us to, more effectively, highlight student accomplishments and student achievements on campus. In some ways it serves as an online resume,” said Eric Bryant, Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing.
Getting involved in campus activities and socializing on campus can be a daunting task for many new students, but Hudson Valley Community College has approximately 50 chartered clubs and organizations to make this easier and more enjoyable.
“All campus clubs are open to all HVCC students,” says Professor Jeffrey Schoonmaker, faculty adviser for the Student Christian Association. “It is the camaraderie, friendships, growth, and mutual encouragement and support that occur, primarily at our weekly meetings, that is a great benefit for the members.”
The clubs are all unique in purpose and diverse in membership. Clubs range from the strictly educational to the solely recreational, so there is something for everyone. “We have lots of fun and welcome new members!” says Professor
For any student with a creative spark in need of an outlet, HVCC has its own literary publication of student work. Threads is more than just a little book that comes wrapped up with the college bookstore’s English Composition I bundle.
Volume 61, Issue 1
Additional Copies25 Cents Each
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January 24th, 2012
This Week’s Sports BreakdownPage 5
Vinny The VikingPage 4
Movie Review: “Red Tails”Page 4
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Threads: Hudson Valley’s Student Literary Magazine
FATIMA HUSSAINSTAFF WRITER
The 2011 issue of Threads, the annual student literary magazine.Fatima Hussain
“It’s a magazine of student writing and art,” said Professor Noah Kucij, one of the four editors of Threads.
Threads is published annually and consists entirely of student submissions, right from the picture on the front cover to the words on the very last page. Submissions are made via
email to [email protected] and the annual deadline is Feb. 28.
The works accepted to be considered for publication range from classroom essays to personal creative writing, to visual art such as photos and drawings.
Every April, the Threads issue for that calendar year is published and the English Department hosts an event to honor the published writers and artists. At this presentation, all selected writers are given the opportunity to read their work aloud in front of an open audience of faculty, staff, and students, as well as family and friends.
Not only do students whose works are accepted for Threads get to see their name and work in print, but they are also eligible for the Threads Writing Awards. These are monetary awards given to some of the published students.
“There are somewhere between one and three awards for writing that we deem award-worthy,” said Professor Kucij.
In 2011, students sent in a total of 125 entries for consideration for publication. From this pool of submissions, the four-member Threads
Committee then selects those works deemed most insightful and creative.
Currently, this editorial committee includes Professors Noah Kucij, Jaime Barrett, Ethan Roy, and Sara Tedesco.
“We try to select stuff that we…think is well done. It could be cleverly crafted [or] it could take on a topic in a very intelligent way,” said Professor Kucij.
He said that some selection decisions may be based on how well a particular work meshes in with the rest of the selected works, in order to create a “well-rounded issue.”
Threads has been around for more than a decade now, with the concept first being developed in 2000 by Professor Susan Hogan. In spite of its long history, Threads has never been published more frequently than once a year.
“It’s a lot of work. I don’t know that it would make sense to publish it more than yearly,” said Professor Kucij, explaining that publishing the magazine incurs a considerable cost to the college.
He also said that since students often submit work
created for classes, and that publishing an issue every spring semester allows for the most submissions.
The fact that Threads is only published annually does not eliminate the possibility of creating a more frequent literary publication, however. Professor Kucij suggested starting a student-run publication as another possible outlet.
“If there were a couple of students interested in taking it on, they could do a smaller-scale magazine or little journal of creative work. Students could take that initiative, if they really wanted to” he said.
At present, however, Threads still continues to be HVCC’s only literary publication, and the editors encourage all students to submit their work to it.
“We love getting submissions, we enjoy reading everyone’s work, and we can’t wait to see what comes through the pipeline this year,” said Professor Kucij.
For more information on Threads, or to read the 2011 issue online, visit threads.hvcc.edu.
Many Clubs on Campus,
Plenty of Room to Get
InvolvedFATIMA HUSSAINSTAFF WRITER
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Students’ Achievements Displayed Online Using Readabout.meFATIMA HUSSAINSTAFF WRITER
Readabout.me is a website that allows an academic institution to create individual profile pages for its students and list their accomplishments in both academic and non-academic activities.
Students, in turn, can edit their landing page and add on more achievements which the school may not have listed. They can then choose to share their page with friends and family on social media such as Facebook.
In addition to allowing students to share the honors they receive, Readbout.me also tracks
the hometown newspapers of each person being honored and sends out a press release to those newspapers.
“It takes a lot of the back-end work of us trying to find those newspapers and reach the right person out of the equation,” said Bryant. This allows HVCC students from places like California, Puerto Rico, and Florida to have their achievements published in their local newspapers.
Readabout.me was used by HVCC for the very first time on January 16th, when the
What Do You Really Know About HVCC?
President’s and Dean’s lists were released. Students on the lists were then sent an email informing them that their achievement was now online.
Within two days of the lists’ release, 443 of the recognized students had shared their achievement on social media, mostly Facebook, resulting in about 8000 page-views of HVCC’s Readabout.me profiles.
Although so far, Readabout.me has only been used to display badges honoring students on the President’s and Dean’s lists, the college is planning to extend its
use to other accomplishments over the semester.
“Our hope is that…when [students] are appointed to a leadership position in a school club or an organization, when they are named to Phi Theta Kappa, when they get any other scholarships and honors here on campus, that we’ll be able to do that same thing,” said Bryant.
The communications department will be notified of these honors and achievements by faculty, department chairs, club advisers, etc. Bryant has contacted many of these people
to ask them to name students they wish to honor, and urges students to approach them also.
“I really encourage students to, if they’re involved in any activities [or] academic honor societies, to talk to their advisers about that and how they might be able to benefit from being recognized,” he said.”
Among the other honors that Bryant hopes to display on Readabout.me are departmental awards, leadership in student clubs and organizations,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
TEMBA “EVERY DAY” KNOWLESMANAGING EDITOR
you have to do is go to the student activities window show your student ID and you will be escorted into the back food pantry room where you can pick from whatever food is available at that time. You are allowed to take as much has 2 shopping bags will hold. You can do this once a month until the school term ends.
Did you know that the HVCC dental program offers inexpensive X-rays, free cleanings and preventative dental care for students? The dental program is located at the Fitzgibbons hall room 127. You can drop by in person to schedule an appointment or call 518 629-7400. The staff is made up of first year and second year students working on their Dental degrees. The program is overseen by a group of competent instructors with full accreditation in the dental field.
Stay tuned for more of Did you know in the coming issues of the Hudsonian.
Hudson Valley dental students take care of their patients using the dental facilities on campus. HVCC staff and students can receive free cleanings and preventive dental care.
Courtesy of hvcc.edu
FIRST ISSUE OF THE SEMESTER!
You’re busy. We know, we’re busy, too. That’s why we have our QR code on the left. For smart phone users, it’s the fastest way to check
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Page 2
News
The Hudsonian
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Troy, New York 12180
Phone: (518) 629-7107
Editor: (518) 629-7187
Questions & [email protected]
EDITORIAL BOARDEDITOR-IN-CHIEF: MARTIN ROBINSONMANAGING EDITOR: TEMBA “EVERY DAY” KNOWLESLAYOUT EDITOR: GABY ALLEN COPY EDITOR: JENESSA MATISPHOTO EDITOR: ROMANDA MENTORNEWS EDITOR: ZACH “BABY FACE” HITTCREATIVE EDITOR: MONET THOMPSONSPORTS EDITOR: KYLE GARRETTWEB EDITOR: DAVID ELLIS
ADVISERS RACHEL BORNN MAT CANTORE
DAILY GAZETTE ASSOCIATEJIM GRANDY
STAFF WRITERS (THIS ISSUE)HANNAH INFANTATO, FATIMA HUSSAIN, EMILY HART,
RASHEEN AUSTIN, NATE MCCLENNEN
PHOTOGRAPHY STAFF (THIS ISSUE)FATIMA HUSSAIN, FRANK APPIO, HANNAH INFANTADO
The Hudsonian is the exclusive studentnewspaper of Hudson Valley Community
College. Any unauthorized use of the newspaper’s name and/or articles with-out permission
is strictly prohibited. Violators will be prosecutedto the fullest extent of the law and of HudsonValley Community College’s penal system.
Additional information regarding printed materialcan be obtained by contacting The Hudsonianoffice on the second floor of the Siek Campus
Center.If you would like to join The Hudsonian,
please attend our weekly meeting on Mondaysat 2 p.m. in the meeting room next to our office.Or, you can fill out an application during office
hours. The Hudsonian does not discriminateagainst race, gender, age or ethnicity. However,if you join The Hudsonian, please remember weare only students like you and not professionals.
January 24th, 2012
The Hudsonian Holds its Weekly Meetings Every Monday at 2pm in the
Conference Room next to our Newsroom.
Those interested in joining are encouraged to attend.
E-mail us at [email protected] for more information.
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that you want everyone to hear?
E-mail us your Letters to the Editor and we
might publish it in our next edition.
Ian LaChance, theatre club adviser.
Some of these clubs, such as the Muslim Student Association and the Black and Latino Student Union, celebrate and spread awareness of certain religions and cultures. Others, like the Animal Outreach Club and the Habitat for Humanity Club, unite likeminded people with common goals.
There are also clubs that are most suitable for academic-minded people and students seeking professional experiences.
For example, the Niemond Zonders Club was created by nursing students and does health-related volunteer work, and the Radiologic Technology Club provides opportunities for radiography students.
The American Society of Civil Engineers Student Club is another example. “Our club is a student branch of a professional organization,” says adviser Professor Craig D’Allaird. “Students who plan to pursue
a career in civil engineering have excellent networking opportunities through our student club.”
For the athletically inclined, several sports-related clubs also exist. These include the Running Club, the Wrestling Club, the Table Tennis Club, and the Ski and Snowboard Club.
“Our club is the largest and most active on campus,” says the Table Tennis Club’s faculty adviser, Professor George Nagy. “We are also the oldest club with an uninterrupted history of 37 years.”
Students with a flair for the performing arts may wish to join the Hudson Valley Dance Team, which participates in talent shows and lends support at campus sporting events, or perhaps the Theatre Club, in which members not only act and direct, but also design sets, costumes, lighting, and sound.
All of the campus clubs hold regular meetings and often partake in various club-related events and activities. These can
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1Students’ Achievements
Displayed Online
participation in student government, athletic honors, membership in departmental honor societies, and graduation.
The advantage students get from using Readabout.me as opposed to some other online means of displaying their accomplishments is that what is listed on Readabout.me is recognized directly by the college itself and, therefore, acts as evidence.
“Those profile pages are live on the web, so if you want to show, let’s say, an employer or someone who’s maybe looking at you to transfer to another school…this is a college-verified list of achievements,” Bryant said.
The stories about students’ honors that are displayed and sent to hometown newspapers are based on a template detailing the achievement. Information about the student’s name,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 hometown, and academic major is then imported from the system and inserted into the template.
Once Readabout.me begins to be used to promote more student accomplishments, badges displaying honors will automatically be added by the school every time a student achieves something new. Decisions regarding when exactly the college will start making more frequent use of Readabout.me and extend the range of honors have not yet been made.
“It’s something that’s new for the college, but it’s something that I think could be very beneficial, not only for the students who are being recognized, but also for the college in general,” Bryant said.
For more information on this, visit HVCC’s Readabout.me page at readabout.me/edu/hudson-val ley-community-college
include fundraisers, speeches, competitions, and trips.
“We compete annually in the Student Steel Bridge Competition and the Concrete Canoe Competition,” Professor Craig D’Allaird says about the American Society of Civil Engineers Student Club. “Our region is very competitive.”
The faculty adviser for the Jewish Student Union, Professor Crystal Heshmat, enthusiastically lists some of the club’s activities. “Events have included a Shofar workshop, a presentation of Sukkah on campus, a Chanukah Party, and an information table for Purim.”
Other campus clubs are no less active – the Investment Club enjoys mixers and competes in investment challenges, the Environmental Sustainability Committee organizes the Earth Day event and Electronics Recycling event, and the Theatre Club produces five shows every academic year.
The designated time for
regular club meetings is Mondays from 2-4pm, when no classes are scheduled. Most clubs hold weekly meetings during these hours, and these meetings are open to all interested HVCC students.
Joining a club can have many benefits for a student. “The social experience of joining a club can truly enhance a student’s college experience,” explains Professor Ian LaChance, faculty adviser for the Theatre Club. “Additionally, having club membership can make students more appealing to potential transfer schools.”
If a group of ten or more students has a common interest that no existing group caters to, it is also welcome to create its own and request official recognition. In the words of Investment Club adviser Professor Joseph Stenard, “You get out of life what you put into it.”
For more information on campus clubs and organizations, visit www.hvcc.edu/clubs
Many Clubs on Campus, Plenty of Room to Get Involved
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and love. This will allow you to write a much stronger essay. Typically, the essay question or writing prompt will ask you to write about some aspect of your past, your present, or your future.
Essays that focus on the past will usually ask you to write about a person, an event, or an experience that influenced you in some way. If you write this type of narrative, make sure you use plenty of transitional words or phrases (such as first, later, eventually, etc.) to move your reader smoothly through the story. Also, try to avoid clichés or colloquial expressions such as the following: “She will be a forever friend”; “The event just blew me away”; or “The experience was totally awesome.”
Essays that focus on the present may ask you to describe yourself, your family, your favorite activity, your heroes, your philosophy of life, or your opinion on a current controversial issue. When you write description, you may be tempted to pull out a thesaurus to impress the college admissions officer with your vocabulary. If you use a thesaurus, make sure you also use a dictionary to determine the precise meaning of the word you’re considering. Using a word incorrectly or using a word that doesn’t fit with the rest of your essay may be even worse than using a cliché or a colloquial expression.
Finally, essays that focus on the future may ask you to explain what you hope to accomplish at the school you’ve chosen or what you hope to achieve with
As a student at Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC), you may soon have to write one of the most important essays of your life. No, this essay won’t be part of a final exam, and this essay won’t even be written for a particular course. Instead, this essay will be part of your next college application.
If you decide to continue your education after your time here at HVCC, your college application essay may well determine whether or not you are accepted at the four-year college of your choice. Obviously, then, you want to do a good job. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind.
Start Early. Good writing takes time. The last thing you want to do is write your essay the day before your application has to be postmarked. Ideally, you should begin the writing process at least a month ahead of your deadline. This will give you plenty of time to brainstorm ideas, gather thoughts, write a first draft, get feedback from others, revise your essay, and proofread the final version. If you’re really struggling to get started, The Writing Center has a collection of sample application essays you can examine.
Write about Something You Love. Obviously, each college has its own essay guidelines, but most are general enough to give you some choice and some freedom to express yourself. So instead of pretending to be interested in a particular topic that you think will impress the admissions officer, choose a topic that you really understand
FeaturesJanuary 24th, 2012
Page 3
Writers’ Bloc
Have an opinion piece, story or any
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Where to Eat in the ValleyMONET THOMPSONCREATIVE EDITOR
Letter From The EditorIt’s been a week since
the start of the new semester. Students are purchasing the last of their supplies, dealing with any remaining financial aid issues, attending their classes, and meeting new professors and peers around campus. For the most part, new and returning students alike are trying to adjust to their routines of the new semester.
Hopefully, the routines for this semester include increased student involvement in on-campus clubs and organizations.
According to the article “Where’s the Student Involvement on Campus,” published in the Hudsonian on Nov. 8, an estimated 35-45 percent of students participated in student activities outside of classes.
In addition to that statistic, according to the voting data from the Freshman Class elections, a barometer for measuring the degree of student participation on campus, less than 200 freshmen voted in that election out of the estimated 8,000 eligible.
Reasons the majority of students choose not to participate in these activities can be attributed to commitments such as jobs, heavy course work, or child care.
While those might be acceptable reasons for not participating in these activities, apathy should not be one of them. In that same article, an HVCC senior said, “I’m not the least interested in what goes on around [HVCC] except in class,” as he explained his reasons for not participating in any extra-curricular activities.
On the bill of every student that has registered for classes, whether part-time or full-time, there is a student activities fee. This funds all the clubs and organizations on campus (including this publication), along with the activities and events that the college sponsors.
To have no interest in the activities going on around campus, means that you probably have no interest in what’s going on with the money you put in for these activities. The Hudsonian does not feel that this apathy
should be present in a college that boasts over 50 student clubs and organizations.
So to all students who might have a bit of free time on your hands this semester, the student newspaper encourages you to join a club or organization on campus. Not only would you be able have a say in how your Student Activities fee is spent, you would also be able to have something to add on your resume. Transfer colleges like to see students that participate in student activities, and there’s always that chance you’ll have a bit of fun in the process.
Below is a link to the college’s Clubs and Organizations page. There you can check out any clubs that might be of any interest to you. There is also a link to a club interest form that can be filled out online.
h t t p : / / w w w. h v c c . e d u /studentactivities/clubact.html
The Hudsonian wants all of our student readers to have a successful Spring Semester and encourages all of you to get involved on campus if you aren’t already.
JIM LaBATE WRITING SPECIALIST IN THE LEARNING ASSISTANCE CENTER
the education you obtain there. Obviously, you should be as specific as possible and be aware of the school’s strengths. Thus, you should be familiar with the school’s catalog or web page, and you should have a clear idea of both your short- and long-term goals. Try to present yourself as a serious student with a definite plan rather than as another average student who is simply climbing the next rung on the educational ladder.
Explain What Makes You Unique. Your application and the transcript that accompanies it will tell the school about your grades, your accomplishments, and your activities. Your essay, however, is the only chance you have to set yourself apart from all the other applicants. So, if you volunteered at a local day-care center, try to explain your motivation for doing so. Or if you played football, let the admissions officer know why the game is important to you.
Edit Thoroughly. Once you finish your essay, make sure you get some constructive criticism from a parent, a teacher, or a trusted friend, and make all the appropriate changes. Then, run your essay through the spell checker and the grammar checker on your computer and proofread your essay meticulously. After all, your essay should demonstrate not only your thoughts, but also your ability to express those thoughts logically and correctly.
The Writing Center is located on the second floor of the Marvin Library, and you can go there for help at any stage of the writing process.
Student’s new and old may find themselves asking a certain question at the start of the school year. Where are there good places to eat around here? The campus has an array of places to grab a bite. The Cafeteria on the second floor of the Campus Center is the biggest place with the widest variety of food, but there’s also a cafeteria in the Williams Hall, a kiosk in Brahan Hall, and a Café on the first floor of the campus center. Debit meal plans are available to you from the FSA(Faculty Student Organization) office, on the second floor of the campus center.
As for off campus dining, Senior Khalifa Jackson, independent studies, says that “there is no competition, Deli and Brew is the best. They have amazing fresh sandwiches, good pizza, and a slushie
machine!” Deli and Brew is a deli with a convenience store built in.”The prices aren’t bad either”, says Jackson, ”especially with the amount of food you get.” The Deli also has location benefits, as Jackson points out, “It is walking distance from the school, and has a nice place to just sit and relax, and there’s usually a bunch of students in there too so it’s a good place to meet new friends.” To see their menu and prices, you can visit their website at deliandbrew.com.
Another sandwich shop in the area is Subway, located right across the street from HVCC in the plaza. Subway, a popular sandwich franchise, may be a more affordable choice to eat sandwiches according to Jackson, saying, “Subway is less expensive, especially with their 5 dollar footlongs.”
Pizza shops located within a mile of HVCC are Infernos at 79
Campbell Avenue and Pizza Hut at 62 Vandenburgh Ave. While Pizza Hut is closer to the school, Inferno’s does let you buy by the slice, which is not a policy of Pizza Hut. However, Pizza Hut does offer a lunch buffet from 11 to about 1:30 Monday-Saturday. You can order online at infernopizza.com and pizzahut.com, respectively.
Kaylei Musella, senior, Theater Arts, chooses Taco Bell as her place to eat after classes. “It’s fast, easy and cheap”, says Musella. Taco Bell, located right on Vandenburgh Ave near Deli and Brew and next to Pizza Hut, is open later than most other eateries in the area. It’s open until 3 AM on Fridays and Saturdays and until 2 AM every other day according to its website. She also recommends off campus dining rather than staying on campus. “For me, it’s cheaper and the food is better.”
Did you know that The Hudsonian offers free advertising to campus
clubs and organizations?
For additional details, e-mail us at [email protected]
This year’s winter break saw a lot of good films in theatres, and though they came out too late to be reviewed, they still deserve recognition. Here are a few films that would have got a review had they come to theatres soon enough, and some notes on why they’re worth a look.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: David Fincher’s adaptation of the first book in Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy (originally titled Män som hatar kvinnor - or “Men Who Hate Women”) is as brutal as it is captivating, and lead actors Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara approach their roles as Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander with absolute commitment, easily drawing the audience in. Fincher directs like he was born for this film, blending intriguing mystery, an at-times disturbing look at humanity’s darker nature and enough of his own touches to make the adaptation feel like a fresh take on Larsson’s original instead of a half-baked cash in, though there are a couple pacing issues and everyone seems to lose track of Lisbeth as a character after a while. Describing it further would involve massive spoilers, so go see it, and read the book sometime if possible. Content warning: This film contains a graphic depiction of the act of rape. Watch at your own discretion. The character of Lisbeth Salander is also a
until this month. Based on John le Carré’s 1974 spy novel of the same name, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy follows Gary Oldman as British spy George Smiley as he is pulled out of retirement to track down a Soviet mole at the very head of British intelligence, in a dense, anxious but masterfully done plot guided by director Tomas Alfredson with the utmost skill. From the very start, this incredibly gripping spy thriller bombards the viewer with new developments and invites them to get involved, showing itself to be a whodunnit that seriously wants its audience to play along and has no intention of patronizing them. Add intense, near-perfect acting, all the evidence a viewer needs if they look carefully and plenty of character development, and you actually care about the final reveal more than you might have otherwise.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: Is a rather well-done, entertaining film, just like the 2009 one, if vexingly difficult to remember after leaving the theatre. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law still play off each other well, Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes is pure brilliance (and one of my favorite recent depictions of an openly gay character), and the expected mind games between Holmes and Moriarty (Jared Harris, doing quite a good job) are a pleasure to watch. Give it a look if it’s still in a nearby theatre.
When George Lucas tried to pitch Red Tails, his pet project for the past few decades, every single studio executive gave him a flat-out “No.” One studio’s executives didn’t even show up for the screening. The message was clear: after all the recent debacles in his once-illustrious film career, Lucas’s pop-culture collateral was worthless. The man who could once do no wrong was now seen as basically a hack.
He should have taken the hint instead of paying to make this film out of his own pocket.
Page 4
CommentaryJanuary 24th, 2012
Look Out for More Adventures with Vinny the Viking, Exclusively on The Hudsonian!
KYLE GARRETTSPORTS EDITOR
Red Tails isn’t offensively bad, but it can’t be called a good film, either. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American military aviators in United States military history, practically begs to be made into a film - in fact, it has been at least once before - but what’s come from all of Lucas’s effort is a film so bland, paint-by-numbers and timid the irony leaves me at a bit of a loss for what to say.
The first, most obvious problem is how much time Lucas has spent on the project. He has played with Red Tails on and off since at least the ’80s. How many screenplays has it gone
through? How many changes in cast and production team? What comes out is a classic case of the “too many cooks” problem, as the finished product we, as an audience see, is more the fused mess of so many different iterations of one idea - likely even different ideas of what the film was - that the film loses any identity it may have had on its own.
The wonder is that it managed to do so while being produced by the same person the whole time. Lucas had enough respect for this project not to direct it himself, handing it off to Anthony Hemingway instead,
Despite having one of the most incredible stories of WWII to work with, “Red Tails” is too timid to take off.
Courtesy of rottentomatoes.com
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Passion.Knowledge.Purpose.
“Red Tails”: A Cliched, Mediocre Messbut Hemingway doesn’t seem to have actually directed anything before, since he’s either just as lousy or let Lucas do it in all but name. Despite his good intentions, Lucas has produced a film that makes it impossible to even care about what is happening.
Every character is a one-dimensional cliché, with no attempt made to explore them as people with thoughts and feelings beyond, if they’re lucky, the one personality trait they’re granted. There’s the pipe-chewing superior, the professional, the maverick who’s also the best pilot of the lot, the racist officer, the Darth Vader-esque Nazi, and never is there a reason presented to develop any attachment to any of them. They’re all so blatantly cardboard cutouts I couldn’t even remember a single
character’s name. Any historical film already wrestles with the fact the audience will already know how it ends, and when the film fails to fall back on giving us a likable cast to invest in, it ends up feeling pointless. Have you seen a war movie? Do you know what a war movie is? You know the plot to Red Tails.
When the inevitable dogfights ensue, though, the film suddenly finds its competence. Every scene with the planes is beautifully shot, and even in the midst of the carnage you can always keep track of who is who, and where their plane is in the sky. This lends credence to the idea Lucas wanted a more “John Wayne” style film, but he seems to have forgotten the difference between the throwbacks that made him famous and just taking every convention and cliché in
the book, tossing them at a wall and seeing what sticks. The well-crafted flying scenes, as they are, also create a weird disconnect with the scenes on the ground, where cardboard cutouts go about their stage directions robotically, recite dialogue with enough corn in it audiences won’t need to drop by the concession stand before entering the theatre, and generally act like they only exist to provide an excuse for more shots of World War II era planes blowing each other up. It seems like nobody, from the cast, to the cameramen, to the writers, to even Lucas himself, is even trying. The technical competence is there, every nut and bolt where it should be, but it’s a film without a soul; the lights are on, but nobody’s home.
Skip it or wait for Netflix.
Movies You Might Have Missed Over BreakKYLE GARRETTSPORTS EDITOR
survivor of just about every kind of abuse, so consider this a potential trigger warning.
War Horse: Only someone with Steven Spielberg’s directing talent could make a film as blatantly sentimental as War Horse work in these cynical times. This is probably the only film to manage actual empathy and facial expressions from a horse; without wasting even a single dollar on a Disney-style voiceover for Joey the horse, Spielberg manages to make him a genuinely compelling protagonist, and even an early scene (before the “War” gets put in “War Horse”) of Joey plowing a field is actually interesting. As the story wanders throughout Europe and through World War I, Joey and his companion Topthorn are brought to the level of actors and characters themselves, witnessing the horrors of war - and the humanity on both sides, as Joey switches from owner to owner - as they try to just get home alive. Add the human characters’ stories being given an effective amount of weight and the result is a sappy, somewhat silly but very strong ensemble war film that just happens to star a horse. Fair warning, though: despite the PG-13 rating, the scenes of war are still what you’d expect from the man who directed Saving Private Ryan.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Though this film was initially released in Sept. 2011, it didn’t come out in the United States
World class boxing is finally returning to the Capital Region on Saturday, Feb. 4, as New York City-based promotion Star Boxing prepares to host their latest show, titled “KO at the TU,” at the Times Union Center.
Nestled between the legendary “Iron” Mike Tyson’s hometown of Catskill and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canasota, the Capital Region has been a source of boxing talent both in and out of the ring, but the Times Union Center has not hosted boxing since Dec. 4, 1997, when heavyweight contender Hasim Rahman scored a first round knockout over Tui Toia.
“There’s no denying that there used to be a bit more of a history [of boxing in the Capital Region] back in the day,” said Kevin Rooney Jr., a native of upstate New York and one of the fighters on the card. “Hopefully we can start putting boxing back on the map in that area.”
Rooney (2-1-0, 1 KO), who is the son of Kevin Rooney Sr., Mike Tyson’s trainer from 1985 to his 1988 defeat of Michael Spinks for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship, will be fighting heavy-handed rookie middleweight Stanley Harvey (1-1-0, 1 KO) on the undercard of February’s show, which includes fights for World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Association championships.
IBA World Heavyweight Champion Joe “The Future” Hanks (18-0-0, 12 KOs) is headlining the event with a defense of his title. Hanks, who has caught public and media attention with his five-year string of crushing knockout victories, will be facing the 6’7”, Cuban-born Rafael “The Cajun Connection” Pedro (21-9-1, 15
Erica Houle (Shaker/Latham). Houle converted four of her six total three-pointers in the second half, leading the Vikings with 24 points. Arianna Youngs (Lansingburgh/Troy) added 19 points and six steals and Kelly Kell (Kingston/Kingston) had a career-high 15 assists while adding nine points and seven rebounds in the win.
Jan. 11 - The men’s basketball team (11-4) defeated Word of Life (1-10) 84-49 on Wednesday evening. The Vikings jumped out to a 25-5 run to start the game and never looked back. Jeremy Taylor (Catskill/Catskill) had 18 first half points, finishing with 24 to lead all scorers. Kalik Parker (Ragsdale (NC)/Greensboro) added 17 points all of which came in the first half and Will Holleran (Cicero-N.Syracuse/Syracuse) added 9 points converting on three three-point field goals in the win.
Jan. 14 - The women’s basketball team (8-6) defeated Schenectady County Community College 74-57 on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings trailed by two points at the half, but a big second half earned the team an important conference win on the road. Arianna Youngs (Lansingburgh/Troy) led the attack scoring a career high 30 points. Erica Houle (Shaker/Latham) added 16 points and Kelly Kell (Kingston/Kingston) chipped in 13 in the win. The men (11-5) lost to Schenectady on Saturday, 55-48. Conor Maisch
January 24th, 2012Sports
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Upcoming Home Athletic Events 1/24: [Tues] Men’s Basketball vs. SUNY Adirondack @ 6 p.m.1/25: [Wed] Men’s Bowling at Hilltop Bowl, @ 3 p.m. (Hudson Valley Invitational)1/26: [Thurs] Women’s Basketball vs. Fulton Montgomery @ 5 p.m.1/26: [Thurs] Men’s Basketball vs. Fulton Montgomery @ 7 p.m.1/28: [Sat] Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Erie @ 1 p.m.1/28: [Sat] Men’s Basketball vs. Columbia Greene @ 1 p.m.1/30: [Mon] Men’s Basketball vs. Albany Pharmacy @ 6 p.m.
Jan. 2 - The men’s bowling team had their best finishes at two holiday tournaments over the break. The Vikings finished 20th out of 41 teams at the Roto-Grip Keystone Classic on Dec. 27 and 28th. Chris Strom rolled a team high averaging a 214 and finished 11th overall out of 205. In the second tournament on Dec. 29 and 30th, the men’s team finished 10th out of 40 teams at the Nittany Lion Kegler Classic. Ryan Sickler was high for the Vikings finishing 20th out of 200 bowlers averaging a 204. Victoria Jansen was high for the women’s bowling team in both tournaments. Jansen finished 28th out of 85 averaging a 183 in the Roto-Grip Keystone Classic and finished 22nd out of 85 averaging a 176 at the Nittany Lion Kegler Classic.
Jan. 7 - The men’s basketball team (10-4) defeated Cayuga Community College (4-9) 65-62 on Saturday afternoon. Kalik Parker (Ragsdale (NC)/Greensboro) scored 13 of his 22 points from the free-throw line in the win over the Spartans. Jeremy Taylor (Catskill/Catskill) recorded a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds and Jeffrey Kruzinski (Mohonasen/Rotterdam) added 12 points. On the same day, the women’s team (7-6) defeated Cayuga Community College (4-10) 76-70. The Vikings largest deficit of nine points in the second half was erased behind the three-point shooting of sophomore guard
This Week’s Sports BreakdownCOMPILED BY KYLE GARRETTSPORTS EDITOR
(Coleman Catholic/Kingston) led the Vikings with 13 points and Kalik Parker (Ragsdale (NC)/Greensboro) added 12 in the loss.
Jan. 15 - The men’s hockey team (3-8) opened the second half of the season by defeating the County College of Morris 6-3 on Sunday evening, avenging their loss earlier in the season. Ryan Broderick (Tamarac/Brunswick), Sal Cantali (Shenendehowa/Clifton Park), Tanner Cornacchini (Rhinebeck/Rhinebeck), Tyler Frederes (Blue Valley/Kansas City, MO), Daniel Honovic (Xaverian/ Brooklyn), and Roman Malyshev (School No. 90/Moscow, Russia) all scored in the win.
Jan. 15 - The men’s bowling team finished first out of 14 teams at the Hawk Invitational in Utica on Sunday afternoon. The Vikings slightly edged RIT, the number 10th ranked team in the nation, by one pin to capture the tournament victory. Ryan Sickler (Guilderland/Guilderland) won the singles event with a 1025 and averaged a 230 through eight games to win the All-Event Championship with an 1843. This was the highest All-Event tournament score ever for a Hudson Valley player. Sickler also teamed up with Michael Hartmann (Coxsackie-Athens/Coxsackie) to finish second in doubles with a score of 1680.For the women, Victoria Jansen (Kingston/Kingston) won the singles titles with a 792 and was the All-Event Champion with a 1497.
Jan. 16 - The women’s
basketball team (9-6) defeated Tompkins Cortland Community College (4-10) 74-56 on Monday afternoon, in their fifth consecutive win of the season. Tiana Lott (Columbia/Troy) and Angelica Smith (Shaker/Latham) each recorded a double-double in the win. Lott had a season-best 18 points and 10 rebounds while Smith tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds. Arianna Youngs (Lansingburgh/Troy) added 16 points and nine steals and Kelly Kell (Kingston/Kingston) chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. The men (12-5) also defeated Tompkins Cortland Community College (7-7) 65-58. The Vikings trailed by one at the half, but battled back in the second to earn their 12th win of the season. Kalik Parker (Ragsdale (NC)/Greensboro) led the Vikings with 19 points, converting on three second half three-point field goals. Conor Maisch (Coleman Catholic/Kingston) and Andrew Brown (Guilderland/Guilderland) each added 10 points in the win.
Jan. 18 - The women’s basketball team (10-6) defeated North Country Community College (6-9) 78-47 on Wednesday evening. Arianna Youngs (Lansingburgh/Troy) led the Vikings with 24 points
and Tiana Lott (Columbia/Troy) added a season-high 19 points. Erica Houle (Shaker Latham) chipped in 16 points converting on four three-pointers and Kelly Kell (Kingston/Kingston) recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds and 10 assists. All eight Viking players scored in the win, getting revenge from a loss earlier in the season at the hands of the Saint Bernards. The men (13-5) also defeated North Country Community College (10-8) 73-70. The Vikings trailed by 15 points in the second half but a three-point field goal by Conor Maisch (Coleman Catholic/Kingston) with just over four minutes left in the game gave them their first lead since the first half. Anthony Metzold (Schalmont/Schenectady) capped off the rally with a steal with six seconds left in the game and a pair of free-throws to give Hudson Valley the three point victory. Jacob Palmer (Coleman Catholic/Kingston) led the Vikings with 19 points and eight assists while Kalik Parker (Ragsdale (NC)/Greensboro) recorded a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Jan. 18 - The Hudson Valley Community College men’s bowling team finished first out of six teams at Columbia-Greene on Wednesday afternoon. High for
the men was Michael Hartmann (Coxsackie-Athens/Coxsackie) with a 259-699 series and for the women was Victoria Jansen (Kingston/Kingston) with a 223-639 series.
Jan. 21 - The Hudson Valley Community College women’s basketball team (11-6) defeated Herkimer County Community College (7-8) 78-52 on Saturday afternoon, winning their seventh straight game. Hudson Valley was tied 26-26 at halftime but an 18-2 run in the second half led to a 26 point rout. Tiana Lott (Columbia/Troy) led the Vikings with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Arianna Youngs (Lansingburgh/Troy) added 18 points and five steals. Angelica Smith (Shaker/Latham) recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds and Erica Houle (Shaker/Latham) chipped in 13 points in the win. Meanwhile, the men’s team (13-6) lost to Herkimer (15-1, #4 in the nation) 58-51. The Vikings kept in close throughout the entire game against the fourth ranked team in the nation but came up just a bit short. Kalik Parker (Ragsdale (NC)/Greensboro, NC) led the Vikings with 15 points, all coming from behind the arc and Conor Maisch (Coleman Catholic/Kingston) added 12 points in the loss.
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Boxing Returns to the Times Union CenterRASHEEN AUSTINSTAFF WRITERKYLE GARRETTSPORTS EDITOR
KOs). Pedro comes to the clash with Hanks with an aggressive ring style and a ledger of early stoppages, including his last fight in October, promising an action-packed main event.
In the co-feature fight, undefeated Russian bantamweight and current WBO European Champion Sahib Usarov (17-0-0, 6 KOs) is making his American debut. Usarov, who is ranked 10th in the world by the WBO, will take on fellow southpaw Yan Barthelemy (12-4-0, 4 KOs) for the WBO Intercontinental Championship. Barthelemy is older and has gone longer without a fight than Usarov, but he was a gold medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, and had a similarly dominant performance in his last outing, which was featured on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.
Super middleweight prospect Jason “Monstruo” Escalera (12-0-0, 11 KOs), known in the New York and New Jersey area for his devastating knockout power, which has ended his last five fights within the first three rounds, will battle Puerto Rican native Marcus Brooks (7-8-0, 3 KOs) on the undercard. Though Brooks has a losing record, he’s used to fighting undefeated prospects like Escalera, and has never been knocked out in his career.
Not all names have been released, but fighters from Troy, Schenectady and Albany are also on the card.
The Times Union Center is the premier sports and entertainment facility for upstate New York, and in a Jan. 2 press release, general manager Bob Belber commented on working with Star Boxing to set up the event.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to bring a Heavyweight title fight and championship boxing back to the capital region,” said Belber.
“With the fights taking place on a prime Saturday night at an affordable price, this is sure to be an event that Albany, as well as our surrounding areas, will be sure to embrace.”
Joe DeGuardia, President of Star Boxing, gave his thoughts on the event’s impact on local boxing.
“When fans go to see a boxing match, and [they] see a good fight, you create boxing fans,” said DeGuardia. “You give them the right fights, you give them a good entertainment night, and a mixture of other things as well, which will be surprises that we give over the course of the night, and you’re going to develop and keep fans... we’re able to get the college crowd out there, let them see what boxing’s all about, [and] let them see what seeing a big event is all about. It’s not just boxing, it’s being at an event... one that transcends boxing.”
The event is expected to draw people from outside the boxing world, particularly the entertainment industry. “When you have a big fight, things that come along with it oftentimes [include] movie industry people, music industry people, things like that,” said DeGuardia. “It’ll be a nice crossover night... it’s going to be the place to be. Not only are you going to be able to see great fights, but... for the spring semester, this is the place to be... you’ll be watching history unfold.”
Tickets are on sale for $30, $40, $50 and $75 at the Times Union box office and website (timesunioncenter.com), starboxing.com, ticketmaster.com and local Walmart music centers. There is also a college student discount being offered until Feb. 3 at the arena box office, with valid HVCC student ID. The Times Union Center is located on 51 South Pearl Street, Albany, NY, 12207. Courtesy of starboxing.com
Page 6
The Last PageStudents Share Their Hopes for the New Semester
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Pictured above is Mathew Zingerman.Emily Hart
Major: CISS, similar to computer information systemsGoal for this semester: somewhere around getting above a 3.0. Around there.How was your first week: It’s good. I’m having long days. Like for acouple. There are a few classes I couldn’t get into. So. Yeah it’sunfortunate.So Those were your only issues this week? Yeah so now I’m spread out pretty good. Like 2 hour breaks, 3 hour breaks.
Pictured above is Crystal Whitelaw.Hannah Infantado
Major: Individual Studies
Goal for this Semester: “To graduate.”
Pictured above is Jesse Collin Stead.Hannah Infantado
Major: BusinessGoal for this Semester: “To get a 4.0”First day of classes: “First days of classes were pretty good. This ismy first time on campus of all time - been taking online courses for couple of semesters, working full time.”Issues: “Just trying to find parking with the parking overflow. Tenminute walks wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t windier.”
