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Read-in Protests
USG Law Revision
NYPD Spying
NYPD Spying
Vegetarian on Campus
Calendar Debate
Comedy vs. Evil
Bike Share 2.0 20
FSA Recycles
Race @ SBU
RSP Walks
Corrections: In our last issue, two names were incorrectly spelled in the article Changes to Stony Brooks Academic Calendar Inevi-
Iable. SIony rook's rabbI Is named Topek, noI Tobeck, and USC's VP oI AcademIc AhaIrs Is AdIl HussaIn, noI HusseIn.
South Asian Commuters
America East Basketball
Music Comics
33Chiddy Bang 30Awkward Silence
30Out of Mana 33Bruce Springsteen
Book Ban
Transit Woes
23 Spirit Night
28 Pinterest
24 Singgalot
29 Starry Nights
25 Cult Classics
Dean Mean
26The Lorax
PC Terms
No Snowe
36 Book Review
32On the Reel
EDITORIALS March 6, 2012
LasI monIh saw Ihe Iull release oI les obIaIned by
Ihe AssocIaIed Press In regards Io wIdespread spyIng and
monIIorIng oI MuslIm SIudenI AssocIaIIons all over Ihe
NorIheasI. SInce DcIober, pIeces oI a Iruly IrIghIenIng se-
rIes oI polIcIes have been IrIcklIng ouI Io whaI should be
a sIgnIcanIly more ohended publIc. I's ImporIanI Io rec-
ognIze Ihe surprIsIng depIhs Io whIch Ihe New York SIaIe
PolIce DeparImenI wIll sInk In Ihe name oI proIecIIng Ihe
populace and Ihe way Ihey'll go abouI jusIIIyIng IheIr un-
real polIcIes: legally monIIorIng Ihe phone calls and nIer-
neI acIIvIIy oI suspecIed Ierror suspecIs and blaIanIly Iar-
geIIng a specIc eIhnIclrelIgIous group wIIh unwarranIed
surveIllance are Iwo enIIrely dIherenI IhIngs.
The NYPD had been monIIorIng Ihe nIerneI exchanges
and posIs oI MuslIm sIudenIs Irom aI leasI 16 dIherenI col-
leges, even goIng as Iar as Io send undercover agenIs Io
acIIvely spy on Ihe MSAs. ThIs represenIs noI only a mIs-
undersIandIng oI IundamenIal AmerIcan consIIIuIIonal
rIghIs, buI also a mIsInIerpreIaIIon oI radIcal relIgIous ex-
IremIsm. To assume IhaI almosI every group oI college-age,
educaIed MuslIm men and women harbors or encourages
relIgIous exIremIsm or IerrorIsm Is emblemaIIc oI deep-
seaIed Iears IhaI we are supposed Io be combaIIng Ihrough
educaIIon and Iolerance.
I's comIorIIng Io IhInk IhaI our law enIorcemenI om-
cIals are IryIng hard Io proIecI us. I would be much more
comIorIIng, Ihough, Io belIeve IhaI Ihe hIghesI Iorm oI
sIaIe law enIorcemenI knows Ihe dIherence beIween an
esIablIshed member oI al-aeda-or even Ihose In con-
IacI wIIh members oI Ihe IerrorIsI organIzaIIon, as was Ihe
case wIIh Iesse MorIon- and a member oI Yale's MuslIm
SIudenI AssocIaIIon. y ImmedIaIely handlIng Ihem boIh
wIIhIn a sImIlar specIrum oI InIensIIy, II IllusIraIes a severe
dIsconnecI IhaI one could excuse or undersIand II II was
an IndIvIdual polIce omcer prolIng someone on a whIm or
acIIng on unresIraIned Ignorance. The NYPD esIablIshIng a
program wIIh "Weekly MSA ReporI documenIs prepared
Ior PolIce CommIssIoner Raymond Kelly, however, repre-
senIs someIhIng decIdedly more InsIdIous.
The 5l11 aIIacks had a proIound ehecI on Ihe publIc
percepIIon oI Ihe average MuslIm man or woman. College
campuses are noI Immune Io Ihe conIInuaIIon oI baseless
sIereoIypes and broad generalIzaIIons. ChaplaIn Sanaa
NadIm, Ihe head oI SIony rook's MSA, puI II quIIe sImply
"ThIs Is college, man. I you don'I walk Ihe walk oI who you
are, Ihen where else? ThIs Is Ihe IIme when people explore
who Ihey are and become Ihe besI socIeIy has Io oher.
The basIc rIghIs oI prIvacy IhaI AmerIcan cIIIzens de-
serve cannoI be dIscarded Ior Ihe sake oI publIc well-beIng
when Ihe program InIrInges on Ihe very rIghIs Ihe govern-
menI Is meanI Io proIecI. DI laIe, Ihree would-be Ierror-
IsIs represenI Ihe spoIls oI IhIs clearly awed program and
oIhers lIke II. LegIIImaIe polIce work and reconnaIssance
on well-documenIed al-aeda sympaIhIzers and relIgIous
exIremIsIs appear Io bear Ihe same resulIs, wIIhouI bru-
Ially IgnorIng Ihe rIghIs oI AmerIcan cIIIzens based on IheIr
relIgIon or eIhnIc background.
There's an underlyIng bIgoIry aI work here, perpeIu-
aIed by Ihe IgnoranI belIeI IhaI a IIny IracIIon oI a specIc
populaIIon oI peaceIul AmerIcans represenIs anyIhIng
more Ihan a IIny IracIIon oI IhaI populaIIon. "CranIed,
Ihere are a loI oI bad apples, buI Ihe bushel Is good, saId
NadIm. AcIIng as II legIIImaIe relIgIous exIremIsIs and Ier-
rorIsIs are commonplace and prevalenI In MuslIm-AmerI-
can socIeIy, especIally Ihose moIIvaIed enough Io aIIend
college In a counIry IhaI suspecIs every sIngle one oI Ihem
Io be a poIenIIal IerrorIsI, Is unaccepIable.
The MSAs represenI groups oI sIudenIs IhaI sImply
wanI Io be comIorIable pracIIcIng IheIr relIgIon In a counIry
IhaI has become dIsIIncIly hosIIle. gnorance Is no excuse
Ior poor polIcy, and Ihe acIIons oI a Iew radIcal exIremIsIs
Irom a group oI 1.6 bIllIon represenI noIhIng more Ihan Ihe
crImInal percenIage Iound In any populaIIon.
FearIng whaI we don'I undersIand Is accepIable, usIng
IhaI Iear Io resIrIcI Ihe rIghIs oI InnocenI people Is noI-
especIally Irom governmenI groups IhaI should be enlIghI-
ened and InIellIgenI enough Io undersIand Ihe noI-so-sub-
Ile dIherences beIween IerrorIsIs and college assocIaIIons.
"ThIs Is college,
man. I you can'I
walk Ihe walk oI
who you are, Ihen
where else?
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
As reporIed In our lasI Issue, SIony rook UnIversIIy Is
plannIng Io ImplemenI a new academIc calendar nexI Iall
IhaI schedules classes on relIgIous holIdays IhaI have Ira-
dIIIonally been days oh, an earlIer sprIng break and, possI-
bly, days oh Ior sIudyIng beIore nals week. As Ihe debaIe
over Ihe changes Io Ihe calendar conIInues, sIudenIs, Iac-
ulIy and relIgIous leaders on campus have reacIed.
SpecIc relIgIous holIdays IhaI wIll be ahecIed Include
Rosh Hashanah, Yom KIppur and Ihe EasIer holIdays. VIce
ProvosI Charles RobbIns maInIaIns IhaI sIudenIs can ask Io
be excused In regards Io IheIr IaIIh. He saId Ihe calendar Is
noI meanI Io dIscourage people's belIeIs, buI Io organIze
schedulIng, promoIe equal respecI Ior all sIudenIs and In-
crease learnIng emcIency.
"The goal oI Ihe commIIIee Is Io presenI an academIc
calendar IhaI Is consIsIenI Irom year Io year, provIdes equal
respecI Io all IaIIhs In our dIverse campus communIIy and
maxImIzes classroom InsIrucIIon Ior sIudenIs In an emcIenI
and ehecIIve manner, saId RobbIns In an emaIl. "SIudenIs
wIll noI be penalIzed Ior observIng relIgIous holIdays and
Ihere wIll be no exams or assIgnmenIs due on Ihose daIes.
AccordIng Io PresIdenI Mark MalooI oI Ihe Undergrad-
uaIe SIudenI CovernmenI, sIudenIs wIll have oh Monday
and Tuesday oI Labor Day week and Ihe Wednesday, Thurs-
day and FrIday beIore ThanksgIvIng weekend. SprIng break
wIll be held earlIer and IradIIIonal readIng days, In whIch
sIudenIs wIll have no class so IhaI Ihey can sIudy Ior nals,
mIghI be IncorporaIed, In spIIe oI early proposals under
whIch Ihey were elImInaIed.
"There seems Io be a mIscommunIcaIIon by Ihe admIn-
IsIraIIon whenever changes are made, MalooI saId.
SIudenIs, IaculIy and relIgIous leaders are dIvIded on
Ihe Issue. Those agaInsI Ihe new calendar saId II dIscour-
ages relIgIon, and IhaI sIudenI InpuI was noI consIdered
when II was rsI proposed.
" really Ieel Ihey should have gIven sIudenIs Ihe op-
porIunIIy Io dIscuss II wIIh Ihem, saId ProIesIanI Rever-
end renda D. Ford. "I allows people Io have IheIr voIce be
heard, and Ihe sIudenI voIce Is apparenIly mIssIng here.
SocIology proIessor Norman Coodman, who pracIIces
IudaIsm, saId Ihe admInIsIraIIon was wrong Ior noI Includ-
Ing sIudenI and IaculIy opInIon when Ihe proposal was rsI
drawn up, and IhaI people's relIgIous belIeIs are more Im-
porIanI Ihan an organIzed calendar.
"Dne consensus IhaI everyone shares Is IhaI Ihe pro-
cess [by whIch] II was done was aIrocIous, saId Coodman.
"SIudenIs, as well as IaculIy and sIah, wIll be hurI when
admInIsIraIors Iake unIlaIeral acIIon wIIhouI consulIIng
Ihose groups [on] Issues IhaI ahecI Ihem. RespecI Ior Iac-
ulIy and sIudenIs and sIah should be more ImporIanI Ihan
Ihe goal oI emcIency.
IournalIsm major MIchelle Dkma, an aIheIsI, saId IhaI
sIudenIs' belIeIs are ImporIanI and should be respecIed,
even by Ihose who do noI agree wIIh Ihem.
" IhInk II's harmIul Io enIorce on someone who grew
up wIIh Ihese belIeIs, she saId. "You have Io be respecI-
Iul oI whaI Ihey belIeve even II you're noI personally con-
necIed Io Ihose belIeIs.
Those who supporI Ihe changes do so on Ihe grounds
IhaI Ihey promoIe equalIIy among all sIudenIs and IheIr re-
lIgIous belIeIs. AlIhough a reIracIIon Irom earlIer calendar
amendIng proposals, many also belIeve IhaI readIng days
are ImporIanI and wIll be more emcIenI Ior sIudenIs durIng
nals week.
" absoluIely encourage relIgIous holIdays beIng dIs-
mIssed because readIng days are more benecIary, saId
IulIenna MagrId, an EnglIsh and AmerIcan sIudIes sIudenI
and a ChrIsIIan.
Some Ieel IhaI sIudenIs should respecI Ihe school's
decIsIon because Ihe school Is secular and should noI Iol-
low a relIgIous calendar.
" Ieel lIke In Ierms oI beIng a sIaIe school, [II] makes
sense noI Io have a relIgIous calendar, saId musIc major
Kyle Manley, a CaIholIc. "I Is a problem, buI aI Ihe same
IIme, 'm noI sure II IhaI's Ihe school's problem.
"I's IaIr because II's a publIc school, saId a MuslIm
sIudenI who asked Io remaIn anonymous.
"DbvIously, II [sIudenIs or IaculIy] wanIed Io Iake Ihe
days oh Ihe school would accommodaIe IheIr relIgIous
The orIgInal calendar commIIIee was seI Io meeI In
2U15 and was expecIed Io address prevIously unconsId-
ered MuslIm holIdays. ChaplaIn Sanaa NadIm oI Ihe nIer-
IaIIh CenIer saId she was hurI IhaI MuslIm holIdays were
noI consIdered earlIer, buI IhaI she and Ihe nIerIaIIh Cen-
Ier would conIInue Io work wIIh Ihe admInIsIraIIon Ior Ihe
beIIermenI oI sIudenI lIIe.
"For me, II was dIsappoInIIng because my dream was,
aIIer 23 years oI servIce, IhaI Ihe MuslIm holIdays would -
nally be observed on Ihe calendar, she saId. " belIeve Ihe
admInIsIraIIon Is well InIended. belIeve IhaI we should
have had, maybe, more conversaIIon. More conversaIIon
and more consensuses [IncorporaIIng] people who are
more Involved In relIgIous lIIe on campus.
The daIe when Ihe calendar wIll be nalIzed Is sIIll
unknown. n regards Io Ihe admInIsIraIIon IncorporaIIng
sIudenI InpuI, MalooI saId he belIeves boIh sIdes need Io
dIscuss how Ihey Ieel In order Io compromIse.
"n general, IhInk Ihere needs Io be a chance Ior boIh
groups Io aIr IheIr observaIIons, he saId, "and Ihen see
how we can meeI Ihose Irom opposIIe ends.
by John Fischer
NEWS March 6, 2012
I was a "sIand-up, read ouI proIesI
oI Ihe recenI dIsmanIlIng oI Ihe MexIcan-
AmerIcan SIudIes program IhaI was
ohered Io schools In Tucson, ArIzona.
The proIesI was organIzed by graduaIe
sIudenIs Irom Ihe women's and gender
sIudIes, arI and phIlosophy deparImenIs
and provIded a Iorum Ior people Io
peIIIIon agaInsI Ihe bannIng oI LaIIno
books In Tucson, as well as Io lIsIen Io Ihe
conIenI oI Ihe books Ihemselves.
ArIzona's SuperInIendenI Ior PublIc
nsIrucIIon, Iohn HuppenIhal, decIded on
Ianuary 1U IhaI Ihe MexIcan-AmerIcan
sIudIes program ohered aI some schools
In Tucson vIolaIed TIIle 15, ArIIcle 112
oI ArIzona's RevIsed SIaIuIes, whIch
sIaIes IhaI school dIsIrIcIs cannoI provIde
maIerIal IhaI Is desIgned prImarIly Ior
pupIls oI a parIIcular eIhnIc group or
"advocaIes eIhnIc solIdarIIy InsIead oI Ihe
IreaImenI oI Ihe pupIls as IndIvIduals.
When dIscussIng Ihe MAS program
lasI year, HuppenIhal saId Ihe program Is
eIhnIcally bIased.
"I all you're IeachIng Ihese sIudenIs
Is one vIewpoInI, one dImensIon, we
can readIly see IhaI II's noI an accuraIe
hIsIory, saId HuppenIhal. "I's noI an
educaIIon aI all, II's noI IeachIng Ihese
kIds Io IhInk crIIIcally.
The dIsmanIlIng oI Ihe MAS program
ImmedIaIely provoked a proIesI on Ihe
sIreeIs oI Tucson Irom enraged sIudenIs
enrolled In Ihe program, 6U percenI oI
whom are oI MexIcan descenI.
I also prompIed socIal jusIIce groups
Dn Wednesday,
sIudenIs passIng
Ihrough SIony rook's
MelvIlle LIbrary would
have come across
a crowd oI people
lIsIenIng Io and
readIng Irom LaIIno
hIsIory books and
Irom unIversIIIes across AmerIca Io proIesI Ihe law and Ihe subsequenI
removal oI hIsIory books Irom ArIzona classrooms.
AcIIvIsIs Irom SIony rook, as well as 11 oIher unIversIIIes Irom around
Ihe UnIIed SIaIes, held read-In proIesIs on campus where sIudenIs could
sIgn a peIIIIon Io have Ihe law repealed whIle lIsIenIng Io speakers readIng
excerpIs Irom Ihe banned books.
AccordIng Io MarIIna Koegeler, a graduaIe sIudenI aI SIony rook who Is
compleIIng her masIers In ComparaIIve LIIeraIure and helped organIze Ihe
read-In, Ihe LaIIno-auIhored books are vIIal Io Ihe hIsIory oI AmerIca.
"These are such ImporIanI books Ior AmerIca, saId Koegeler. "Who Is
one dIsIrIcI judge Io decIde whaI should be IaughI? I's seIIIng a precedenI
by Olivia Burne
Photo by Tom Johnson
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
by Jodie Mann
The UndergraduaIe SIudenI CovernmenI SenaIe
approved a revIsIon Io Ihe FInancIal ylaws AcI on Thursday
IhaI wIll allow clubs Io spend as much money as Ihey wanI
on guesI speakers.
The acI, whIch sIrIcIly lImIIed club spendIng on cerIaIn
acIIvIIIes, was passed lasI Iall. The revIsIon removes boIh
Ihe $2,UUU cap on any one speaker as well as Ihe $6,UUU
cap on all speakers per academIc year.
Members oI Ihe MuslIm SIudenI AssocIaIIon approached
Ihe SenaIe proposIng Ihe $6,UUU lImII be raIsed Io $1U,UUU
In order Io Iund IheIr annual slamIc Awareness Week,
whIch IradIIIonally IeaIures mulIIple guesI speakers In one
SumaIya qbal, presIdenI oI MSA, spoke Io Ihe SenaIe
aI Thursday's meeIIng abouI Ihe beneIs oI numerous and
dIverse lecIurers.
"Members oI our club cannoI access Ihese speakers
normally, qbal saId. "I Is ImporIanI Ior us Io provIde
Ihese opporIunIIIes Io sIudenIs.
SenaIor DavId Adams wenI one sIep IurIher and
amended Ihe modesI MSA-InspIred revIsIon on Ihe SenaIe
oor Io remove all lImIIs on guesI speaker IundIng.
"rIngIng known personalIIIes Io campus Is a greaI
evenI Idea, Adams saId.
The revIsIon wIll also requIre IhaI clubs wanIIng Io
conIracI wIIh speakers Ior more Ihan $2,UUU provIde prooI
IhaI Ihe speaker has been paId a sImIlar prIce aI a prevIous
evenI. Clubs wIll have Io provIde USC wIIh eIIher an InvoIce
or check Irom a speaker's prevIous evenI where Ihey were
paId wIIhIn 1U percenI oI whaI Ihe club wIll pay Ihem.
Ior oIher schools.
Tony DIaz, Ihe Iounder oI NuesIra Palabra, an
organIzaIIon IhaI promoIes LaIIno lIIeraIure, agrees wIIh
Koegeler's perspecIIve.
"WIIh IheIr record oI anII-ImmIgraIIon legIslaIIon,
polIIIcIans In ArIzona have become experIs In makIng
humans Illegal, saId DIaz In a press release Irom hIs proIesI
organIzaIIon LIbroIracanIe. "Now Ihese same legIslaIors
wanI Io make IhoughIs Illegal. I we allow IhIs Io happen,
Ihese laws, Ioo, wIll spread.
LaIIno hIsIory books and lIIeraIure were removed Irom
Ihe classrooms and placed In sIorage, buI are sIIll avaIlable
In school lIbrarIes.
The read-In aI SIony rook's lIbrary made use oI Ihe
banned books, whIch are sIIll avaIlable here. I was also
sIIuaIed In such a way IhaI any sIudenI walkIng Ihrough Ihe
lIbrary would be Iorced Io sIop and lIsIen.
Dne such sIudenI, Ienny Hernandez, a junIor arI hIsIory
and bIologIcal anIhropology major, decIded Io sIgn Ihe
peIIIIon Ior a repeal oI Ihe ArIzona law aIIer walkIng pasI
Ihe read-In.
" had no Idea IhaI IhIs was goIng on unIIl came Io
Ihe lIbrary, saId Hernandez. "I's helpIng oIher people geI
InIormed, she saId oI Ihe read-In.
DIher sIudenIs Iound Ihe lIsI oI banned books Io be
polIIIcally moIIvaIed.
Enoch AlloIey, a junIor bIology major, saId IhaI one oI
Ihe banned books, Voices of a Peoples History of the United
States by Howard ZInn, "Ialks abouI AmerIca's hIsIory.
"EveryIhIng Ihey're IalkIng abouI [In Ihe book] Is noI
maInsIream hIsIory, saId AlloIey. "I's really conIroversIal,
II's noI cIIon. can see why polIIIcally Ihey wouldn'I wanI
II ouI Ihere.
We have yeI Io see II Ihe naIIonwIde proIesI wIll
achIeve any law change, buI accordIng Io Koegeler and Ihe
oIher proIesI organIzers, "II's ImporIanI Ior sIudenIs Io be
8 8
NEWS March 6, 2012
arbara Chernow
has been promoIed
Io be Ihe SenIor VIce
PresIdenI Ior AdmInIs-
IraIIon, a new posIIIon
creaIed Io encompass
boIh FInancIal and Hu-
man Resource ServIces
as well as Ihe respon-
sIbIlIIIes oI her old job
as Ihe VIce PresIdenI
oI FacIlIIIes and Ser-
Chernow sIarIed aI
SIony rook 1/ years
ago as a specIal assIs-
IanI Io Iormer presI-
denI ShIrley SIrum
Kenny. n addIIIon Io
her posIIIon In admIn-
IsIraIIon, she also serves as Ihe presIdenI oI Ihe unIversI-
Iy's FaculIy SIudenI AssocIaIIon.
"I's noI a shorI lIsI, Chernow saId oI Ihe deparImenIs,
programs and projecIs she's currenIly Involved In aI an ad-
mInIsIraIIve level. n boIh her currenI and Iormer posIIIon,
Chernow has played a role In overseeIng Ihe non-sIop con-
sIrucIIon goIng on around campus.
A large 3-D model oI Ihe unIversIIy's proposed FacIlI-
IIes MasIer Plan, a projecI Chernow has been an "InIegral
parI oI, accordIng Io a UnIversIIy PublIc RelaIIons press re-
lease, sIood In Ihe corner oI her omce nexI Io aerIal phoIo-
graphs oI Ihe campus.
The same press release descrIbed Chernow's posIIIon
as "consolIdaIed, whIch seems approprIaIe consIderIng
IhaI she'll be chaIrIng Ihe ProjecI 5U Forward DperaIIonal
Excellence Program ManagemenI Dmce. LasI Fall, Ihe UnI-
versIIy SenaIe voIed Io requesI IhaI Ihe IplemenIaIIon
oI shared servIces be halIed unIIl Ihe admInIsIraIIon had
more IaculIy InpuI.
"No program works II you're jusI goIng Io do II Iop
down she saId, addIng IhaI II's possIble IhaI every deparI-
menI's plan could look slIghIly dIherenI.
"I's been very successIul wIIh IheaIre and arI, she
saId, emphasIzIng IhaI allowIng deparImenIs Io make IheIr
own changes wouldn'I jusI make Ihe UnIversIIy SenaIe
happIer, buI would be beIIer polIcy.
Chernow saId IhaI despIIe havIng Io oversee even more
people, she wasn'I worrIed abouI beIng spread Ioo IhIn. "n
admInIsIraIIon we work as a Ieam, she saId, addIng IhaI
she'd sIIll be Involved In FacIlIIIes and ServIces InIIIaIIves.
How much IIme she gIves each oI her responsIbIlIIIes wIll
"jusI depend more on Ihe day, she saId.
Under Ihe dIm glow oI ChrIsImas lIghIs, sIudenIs
dressed In everyIhIng Irom drag Io jeans were gaIhered
aI Ihe LCTA's Fancy-As-You-WanI Dance ParIylSecond-
Chance Prom In Ihe UnIon allroom Thursday nIghI. I was
Ihe second IIme Ihe LCTA has organIzed IhIs evenI, and
year's Iheme was "Forever Alone.
"None oI us had daIes Ior ValenIIne's, so we were lIke,
"Fuck IhaI! We should jusI have a dance where we could
have a good IIme as IrIends and celebraIe love In a dIher-
enI way, saId Laura DrapkIn, Ihe club's Ireasurer.
Traces oI ValenIIne's Day were evIdenI In Ihe decora-
IIons. Paper hearIs lIned Ihe wall opposIIe Ihe club's large
raInbow ag, and hearI-shaped candy boxes were among
Ihe oIher IreaIs Ihe club had avaIlable Ior guesIs.
The prom-goers parIIcIpaIed In a walk-oh and a very
InIense game oI musIcal chaIrs, all seI Io musIc provIded
by DI Mohammad Dsman. "He's a IerrIc ally, saId Colleen
D'Connor, LCTA presIdenI. AccordIng Io her, Dsman DI'ed
Ihe evenI Ior Iree.
"Every mInorIIy group needs allIes, saId aIIendee
Colby Allen. "There are allIes here. I's really good Io see
The LCTA holds Ihe annual prom Io gIve sIudenIs IhaI
may have mIssed puI In hIgh school a second chance aI en-
joyIng Ihe evenI. "Well dIdn'I even go Io prom because
knew IhaI was queer as a $3 bIll, saId D'Connor. " knew
IhaI wouldn'I Ieel IhaI comIorIable aI prom because II's
jusI Iull oI people bumpIng and grIndIng and doIng sIraIghI
The club's ExecuIIve oard and Allen agreed. "You kInd
oI geI Io go Io prom agaIn wIIhouI Iear oI beIng judged or
anyIhIng lIke IhaI. I's a really lIberaIIng evenI.
The LCTA plans Io hold anoIher prom In Ihe IuIure, as
well as IheIr upcomIng annual Drag Show. "We always wanI
people Io come and jusI know IhaI Ihere's a saIe space,
saId DrapkIn. " IhInk Ihey'll realIze preIIy quIckly IhaI we
are noI Ihe judgmenIal Iype.
by Terichi Bellinger
by Trevor Christian
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
ComedIan Ieh KreIsler's rsum reads lIke a besI-oI lIsI Ior leII-
leanIng comedy consumers.
HIs coverage oI Ihe 2UU8 elecIIon Included bloggIng Ior Comedy
CenIral's "ndecIsIon and DbamaCIrl's YouTube Channel. He wroIe Ior
Ihe UprIghI CIIIzens rIgade, was execuIIve edIIor oI a spooI oI The
Wall Street Journal and penned Ihe popular Get Rich Cheating, an aI-
Iack on Ihe pracIIces oI Ihe nancIal IndusIry.
HIs rsum now Includes a perIormance aI SIony rook UnIversIIy,
Ihough II cerIaInly wasn'I a career hIghlIghI. Many oI hIs jokes, espe-
cIally Ihose IhaI pushed Ihe envelope, Iell shorI In IronI oI Ihe small
crowd. SIIll, he oIIen had Ihe enIIre crowd laughIng by pokIng Iun aI
For example, he saId IhaI he hoped polIIIcal parIIes would come Io
new conclusIons regardIng women. "Women are such a greaI resource.
We've goI Io Iap IhaI.
The show IhaI was held Wednesday nIghI In Ihe SIudenI AcIIvIIIes
CenIer was paId Ior by Ihe SIony rook College DemocraIs and was
parI oI KreIsler's selI-descrIbed progressIve Comedy AgaInsI EvIl Iour.
DespIIe heavy adverIIsIng Ior Ihe evenI, Ihe crowd barely lled
Ihe rsI Iew rows oI Ihe SAC audIIorIum, someIhIng IhaI KreIsler made
lIghI oI as soon as Ihe show began.
"'m counIIng on each oI you Io laugh Ior Ien people, KreIsler saId.
" wIsh more people had come ouI, saId
SIony rook College DemocraIs PresIdenI KaIe
WaII, "buI we booked a bIg venue In case Ihere
was a loI oI InIeresI.
The College DemocraIs saId Ihey enjoyed
Ihe perIormance. As Ior Ihe conIroversIal maIe-
rIal, WaII wasn'I surprIsed.
"He was exacIly whaI we expecIed. WaII
had been IryIng Io geI Ihe comedIan Io perIorm
here sInce lasI year.
The small crowd even reacIed nervously Io
some oI hIs jokes, especIally Ihose IhaI ImplIed
someIhIng more sInIsIer abouI RepublIcans
Ihan even Ihe room Iull oI lIberals would IhInk.
When he poked Iun aI Ihe people who ques-
IIoned when Dbama was born, he suggesIed
IhaI Iohn McCaIn could have been braInwashed
In VIeInam and IhaI II was a much more reason-
able IhoughI Ihan any conspIracy InvolvIng Ke-
"UnlIke Ceorge ush, he saId oI McCaIn,
"he dId noI skIp Ihe VIeInam War. He jusI sucked
aI II.
DespIIe hIs amlIaIIon wIIh Comedy CenIral,
where Ihe Iwo bIggesI sIars argue Ior sanIIy In
polIIIcs, he compared RepublIcans Io NazIs.
"Where are RepublIcans goIng Io IhreaIen
Io move? he asked aIIer observIng IhaI Demo-
craIs occasIonally say Ihey'll move Io Canada II
IhIngs geI Ioo bad here. "153Us Cermany?
He even Iook aIm aI Ihe PresIdenI's eIhnIc-
"I an AIrIcan-AmerIcan can become PresI-
denI oI Ihe UnIIed SIaIes wIIh jusI a caIchy
slogan, Ihen shouldn'I Ihe resI oI us be able Io
make bIllIons oI dollars wIIh jusI a caIchy slo-
gan? Yes we can.
AIIer Ihe perIormance, KreIsler saId he oI-
Ien walked Ihe lIne beIween comedy and con-
" lIke Io IhInk IhaI even when push II a lII-
Ile bII, jusI provIde a dIherenI vIew, he saId.
ecause oI IhaI aIIIIude, and because oI a
personalIIy IhaI he called boIh sIlly and serIous,
KreIsler saId he was drawn Io polIIIcal comedy.
"I speaks Io Issues In my mInd oI Ihe abuse
oI power, he saId oI hIs rouIIne. He added how
ImporIanI II was Io generaIe dIscussIon on Ihe
IopIcs he joked abouI, whIch Include sIudenI
loans, racIsm and IhreaIs he saw conservaIIves
posIng Io Ihe poor.
" Iound, even In my own lIIe, 'd roll my eyes
abouI borIng Ialks on any IopIcs. When you add
humor, you sIay engaged.
by Trevor Christian
10 10
FEATURES March 6, 2012

n November oI 2UU6, a man born as Iesse CurIIs MorIon,

buI who wenI by Ihe name Younus Abdullah Muhammad
aIIer converIIng Io slam, allegedly IrIed Io recruII
Iollowers Ihrough SIony rook UnIversIIy's MuslIm SIudenI
AssocIaIIon. MorIon ran Ihe websIIe oI Ihe New York-based,
jIhadIsI organIzaIIon RevoluIIon MuslIm, and was a leader
oI Ihe radIcal slamIc ThInkers SocIeIy.
NoI only Is II unclear wheIher or noI he physIcally
vIsIIed campus or sImply aIIempIed Io conIacI Ihe MSA
onlIne, buI Ihere Is also no omcIal record oI IhIs IncIdenI
whaIsoever. DespIIe IhaI ambIguIIy, SIony rook UnIversIIy
became one oI Ihe many norIheasIern schools IargeIed
by Ihe New York SIaIe PolIce DeparImenI In IheIr coverI
spyIng operaIIon cenIered on MSAs In Ihe norIheasI. The
operaIIon was hIghlIghIed In Ihe AssocIaIed Press's mulII-
monIh InvesIIgaIIve reporI sIarIIng In DcIober oI lasI year
and culmInaIIng lasI monIh wIIh Ihe Iull dIsclosure oI Ihe
les Ihey obIaIned.
" dIdn'I know Ihe man. dIdn'I know hIs name. dIdn'I
know he came Io campus, says ChaplaIn Sanaa NadIm, Ihe
head oI SIony rook's MSA. "NeIIher me nor my sIudenIs,
pasI or presenI, knew anyIhIng abouI IhIs guy. The only
omcIal record oI IhIs IncIdenI and Ihe only explanaIIon Ior
why SIony rook made Ihe NYPD surveIllance lIsI Is Ihe
response released by polIce spokesman Paul rowne, whIch
dId noI clarIIy Ihe specIc cIrcumsIances. No menIIon oI
MorIon can be Iound In Ihe AP les, and SIony rook Is
sImply lIsIed aI Ihe boIIom oI a November 22, 2UU6 NYPD
ComplIcaIIng Ihe sIIuaIIon Is Ihe IacI IhaI MorIon
Is now consIdered a valIdaIed source oI InIeresI Io law
enIorcemenI and counIerIerrorIsm omcIals Ior acIIons he
wenI on Io commII. n AprIl oI 2U1U, MorIon encouraged
Ihe murder oI an arIIsI Involved wIIh "Everybody Draw
Mohammed Day and conspIred Io murder Ihe creaIors
oI SouIh Park, Trey Parker and MaII SIone, In response Io
IheIr 2UUIh epIsode IhaI depIcIed Mohammed In a bear
suII. n May oI lasI year, MorIon was deIaIned In Morocco
aIIer eeIng Ihere IollowIng Ihe arresI oI a co-conspIraIor,
Zachary Chessler. He pleaded guIlIy Io Ihree IelonIes-
conspIracy, communIcaIIng IhreaIs and InIernal sIalkIng-
on February 13.
uI aI Ihe IIme when Ihe NYPD was compIlIng
"Weekly MSA ReporIs and sendIng Ihem Io Ihe desk
oI PolIce CommIssIoner Raymond Kelly, MorIon was a
IargeI only Ior hIs amlIaIIon wIIh Ihe slamIc ThInkers
SocIeIy. "UndersIgned also vIsIIed Ihese MuslIm SIudenI
AssocIaIIons and dId noI nd sIgnIcanI InIormaIIon
posIed on IheIr web sIIes, Iorums, blogs and groups, says
Ihe November 22, 2UU6 reporI beIore lIsIIng numerous
colleges IncludIng SIony rook.
The undersIgned omcer In quesIIon Is Mahmood
Ahmad, Ihough II Is unclear wheIher he was Ihe only one
Involved wIIh Ihe surveIllance oI SIony rook's MSA. DIher
schools on Ihe lIsI Included Ihe UnIversIIy oI uhalo,
UnIversIIy oI Albany, Syracuse UnIversIIy, Yale, ColumbIa
and RuIgers College, among oIhers.
n addIIIon Io monIIorIng Ihe MuslIm SIudenI
AssocIaIIon aI SIony rook, Ihe NYPD conducIed surveIllance
oI busInesses and mosques owned or operaIed by MuslIm
AmerIcans In Ihe Iown oI rookhaven. The locaIIons oI
Ihese esIablIshmenIs were Ihen ploIIed on a map oI Ihe
Town oI rookhaven, wIIh each ploI IndIcaIIng Ihe eIhnIcIIy
oI Ihe owner(s}, accordIng Io an AugusI 3, 2UU6 reporI also
by Nick Statt &
Nick Batson
Photo credit: Getty
Police Commissioner
Ray Kelly
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
released by Ihe AP.
Reason for Great Concern
haplaIn Sanaa NadIm's sIghs carry Ihe weIghI oI
decades oI mIsundersIandIng. As Ihe rsI Iemale
ChaplaIn oI any MuslIm SIudenI AssocIaIIon In
AmerIca, she has been Iorced Io Iace more Ihan her IaIr
share oI seemIngly InsurmounIable dIherences. ShakIng
her head aI beIng remInded once agaIn oI Ihe NYPD's
prolIng oI her organIzaIIon, her sIudenIs and her relIgIon,
she sums up her IrusIraIIon succIncIly, "'m jusI amazed aI
how we paInI people wIIh one brush.
"For Ihe lasI 23 years, we had Io deal consIanIly wIIh
currenI evenIs and IhIngs IhaI we dIdn'I even undersIand,
lIke IhIs. don'I undersIand IhIs, she says. "These are Ihe
IuIure generaIIons oI IhIs counIry. For years, MSAs have
broughI ouI Ihe mosI amazIng docIors, engIneers, Ihe mosI
promInenI members oI many dIherenI communIIIes came
ouI oI MSAs.
n response Io Ihe NYPD's acIIons, SIony rook
UnIversIIy Issued Ihe IollowIng sIaIemenI: "SIony rook
UnIversIIy, IncludIng Ihe UnIversIIy PolIce DeparImenI,
had no knowledge oI, nor was ever conIacIed by Ihe NYPD
or any oIher ouIsIde law enIorcemenI agency, or asked Io
provIde any InIormaIIon InIo Ihe surveIllance oI Ihe MuslIm
SIudenIs AssocIaIIon or any oIher relIgIous group In our
UnIversIIy communIIy. The MuslIm SIudenIs AssocIaIIon,
and all relIgIous communIIIes, are InIegral, apprecIaIed
and supporIed members oI Ihe SIony rook UnIversIIy
SIony rook's Dmce oI Ihe PresIdenI declIned Io
commenI IurIher on Ihe maIIers. uI NadIm says IhaI a more
dIrecI response, boIh Irom Ihe MSA and AdmInIsIraIIon,
Is In Ihe works. "'ve had meeIIngs wIIh Ihe sIudenIs,
programs wIIh Ihe sIudenIs. We're workIng on a campus-
wIde mulIIculIural program and we'll see, she says. "We're
workIng also wIIh Ihe PresIdenI's omce, Ihrough Ihe Dean's
omce, on a sIaIemenI IhaI should be made.
SIony rook's nIerIaIIh CenIer, whIch comprIses
chaplaIns Irom sIx dIherenI organIzaIIons (NadIm Included},
released an omcIal sIaIemenI harshly condemnIng Ihe
NYPD InvesIIgaIIon, callIng II "a reason Ior greaI concern.
The sIaIemenI goes on Io say, "WhIle II Is ImporIanI Ior law
enIorcemenI Io conducI operaIIons Io ensure Ihe saIeIy
oI all AmerIcans, IhIs does noI jusIIIy Ihe assumpIIon IhaI
because IhIs Is a MuslIm SIudenIs AssocIaIIon II or IIs
members In any way pose a IhreaI.
WIIh respecI Io draIIIng an omcIal unIversIIy response,
NadIm Is noI worrIed abouI Ihe admInIsIraIIon's supporI.
"Dean SIeIn, she says beIore brIey pausIng Io release
anoIher emphaIIc sIgh, ".has been a rock Ior us.
SIony rook's MSA soughI ouI SIeIn's assIsIance In
combaIIng Iwo raIher conIroversIal evenIs In Ihe laIIer
halI oI Ihe lasI decade. The rsI oI whIch was Ihe decIsIon
by Ihe EndurIng Freedom AllIance, a conservaIIve campus
club, Io brIng RoberI Spencer, an ouIspoken crIIIc oI slam,
In DcIober oI 2UU8. The second was "lasphemy Day,
an IncIdenI In whIch reprInIs oI Ihe InIamous DanIsh
carIoon depIcIIng Mohammed were posIed around campus
alongsIde relIgIously ohensIve Images oI Iesus ChrIsI and
DespIIe her IaIIh IhaI Ihe AdmInIsIraIIon wIll sIand wIIh
Ihe MSA, NadIm dId express proIound dIsappoInImenI wIIh
New York CIIy Mayor MIchael loomberg's sIaunch deIense
oI Ihe NYPD's IacIIcs. "Where Is Ihe counIry am a cIIIzen
oI? A counIry IhaI proIecIs your rIghIs, IhaI you are InnocenI
unIIl proven guIlIy.where Is she? WhaI happened? NadIm
says wIIh a blend oI desperaIIon and anger.
loomberg, In a publIc announcemenI on February
2/, saId, "EveryIhIng Ihe NYPD has done Is legal, II Is
approprIaIe, II Is consIIIuIIonal. When asked II he IhoughI
IhaI Ihe NYPD's planIIng oI an undercover agenI aI a
CIIy College oI New York's raIIIng IrIp was a sIep Ioo Iar,
loomberg responded wIIh, "No. We have Io keep IhIs
counIry saIe.
loomberg's commenIs came prImarIly as a response
Io one oI Ihe rsI ouIspoken crIIIcs oI Ihe NYPD's operaIIon,
Yale presIdenI RIchard LevIne, who saId IhaI surveIllance
based on relIgIon was anIIIheIIcal Io Ihe values oI
Yale. loomberg Ihen snarkIly remarked IhaI he cannoI
undersIand why keepIng Ihe counIry saIe was anIIIheIIcal
Io Yale's values.
SInce IhaI exchange, a resIorm oI crIIIcIsm has arIsen,
alongsIde requesIs Ior more In-depIh InvesIIgaIIons InIo
Ihe NYPD's IacIIcs. New Iersey and Iederal law enIorcemenI
omcIals held a summII on SaIurday, March 3 Io dIscuss
meIhods oI InvesIIgaIIng Ihe surveIllance, and AIIorney
Ceneral ErIc Holder Is currenIly revIewIng complaInIs.
WIllIam ChIIIIck, a proIessor oI AsIan-AmerIcan sIudIes
aI SIony rook, wasn'I shocked Io learn oI Ihe NYPD
surveIllance operaIIon. "I does dIsappoInI me, buI, gIven
Ihe currenI aImosphere, am noI surprIsed, he saId In an
emaIl message.
Chaplain Sanaa Nadim, head of Stony Brook Universitys Muslim Student As-
sociation. Photo credit:
FEATURES March 6, 2012
n a classroom aI SIony rook UnIversIIy, sIudenIs can
always guaranIee Ihey wIll be dIherenI Irom IheIr peers:
Ihey wIll have dIherenI skIn colors, be oI dIherenI eIhnIcI-
IIes and dIherenI relIgIons. RacIal dIversIIy Is one oI Ihe
mosI promInenI aspecIs oI IhIs campus, and II Is someIhIng
IhaI Is celebraIed and embraced.
uI SIony rook dId noI always relIsh In IhIs charac-
IerIsIIc. ack durIng Ihe days when sIudenIs were PaIrIoIs
InsIead oI Seawolves, Ihe campus communIIy had a much
more negaIIve aIIIIude Iowards mInorIIy groups. SIudenIs
rIoIed, some proIessors Iaced dIscrImInaIIon and even Ihe
AdmInIsIraIIon dIsplayed a prejudIce agaInsI majors re-
gardIng mInorIIy culIures. n Ihe years IollowIng Ihe CIvIl
RIghIs MovemenI racIsm was an Issue IhaI oIIen appeared
on Ihe pages oI Ihe Stony Brook Press.
n 1576, abouI Ien percenI oI SIony rook's sIudenI
populaIIon oI approxImaIely 11,UUU consIsIed oI mInor-
IIy groups. They Included black, HIspanIc, AsIanlPacIc s-
lander, AmerIcan ndIan and Alaskan sIudenIs. I was a IIme
when polIIIcal acIIvIsm peaked among young, college-go-
Ing lIberals, and proIesIs and rallIes were noI abnormalIIIes
on campus.
n a predomInanIly whIIe communIIy, black sIu-
denIs sIruggled Io achIeve boIh academIc and socIal accep-
Iance durIng Ihe laIe 157Us. "Some kIds looked aI me lIke
Ihey have never seen blacks beIore, saId PaIrIck HIlIon,
Ihen Ihe projecI's coordInaIor Ior lack SIudenIs UnIIed,
abouI when he rsI came Io SIony rook.
TensIons beIween Ihe U.S. and ran In 1575 sparked
a rally aI SIony rook agaInsI Ihe laIIer counIry's leader aI
Ihe IIme, AyaIollah Ruhollah KhomeInI. CramII denouncIng
ranIan sIudenIs covered many surIaces around campus,
only Io be replaced by pleas such as, "ranIan B U.S. SIu-
denIs UnIIe!! A racIsI war, we won'I ghI!!
The Stony Brook Press ran an InIervIew wIIh an ranIan
sIudenI abouI hIs vIews on Ihe polIIIcal sIraIns beIween
Ihe Iwo naIIons as well as hIs experIence beIng an ranIan
aI an AmerIcan unIversIIy. The sIudenI, under Ihe nom de
plum Moshen, openly saId he supporIed KhomeInI. A nega-
IIve response Io IhaI InIervIew Irom an anonymous ranIan
sIudenI ran In Ihe nexI Issue oI Ihe Press.
"AIIer readIng Ihe arIIcle, was ashamed Io be an ra-
nIan, Ihe respondIng sIudenI wroIe. "The arIIcle mosI cer-
IaInly dId noI represenI Ihe majorIIy vIewpoInI oI ranIan
sIudenIs here aI SIony rook. The sIudenI quesIIoned Ihe
moIIves oI Ihe Press In publIshIng Ihe one-sIded sIory, as
II gave readers Ihe wrong ImpressIon oI ranIan sIudenIs'
belIeIs and Ideas.
The early 158Us saw a rIse In Ihe NaIIonal SocIalIsI
ParIy, a Neo-NazI group. DIher groups such as Ihe IewIsh
DeIense League, a mIlIIanI group, opposed IhIs parIy and
oIIen IhreaIened II wIIh vIolence. ThIs parIy gaIned po-
lIIIcal momenIum-embers, mosIly RepublIcan, excelled
In presIdenIIal prImarIes. And whIle such groups exIsIed
In AmerIca, sIudenIs aI SIony rook were boIh acIors and
vIcIIms oI dIscrImInaIIon, Ioo. n Ihe laIe 158Us, mInorIIy
clubs sIruggled Io be IreaIed equally by PolIIy, Ihe prede-
cessor oI Ioday's UndergraduaIe SIudenI CovernmenI.
The members oI Ihose clubs puI IogeIher a IoInI MI-
norIIy SIaIemenI In an ehorI Io show PolIIy IhaI mInorIIy
clubs dId exIsI on campus, and IhaI Ihey were IIred oI be-
Ing excluded Irom Ihe budgeI-makIng and club recognIIIon
processes. uI Ihe real problem aI hand, as a Press edIIorIal
suggesIed, was IhaI Ihe clubs IelI Ignored by noI only Pol-
by Alyssa Melillo
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
IIy, buI by campus medIa, Ihe AdmInIsIraIIon and Ihe whIIe
majorIIy. RecognIIIon, however, was gradually comIng Io
Ihem aIIer Ihe sIaIemenI was made.
"A people only become Ihe mInorIIy when Ihey allow
Ihemselves Io be Ignored by a majorIIy, Ihe edIIorIal read.
"Do noI be Ignored.
uI Iraces oI racIsm showed up wIIhIn mInorIIy groups
as well. n 1552, Ihe MInorIIy PlannIng oard denIed a
membershIp Io Ihe HIllel SIudenI DrganIzaIIon, a group
IhaI emphasIzes IewIsh campus lIIe. Dne reason, saId Er-
nesIo saac, chaIrman oI MP, was because Ihe board mem-
bers IelI IhaI HIllel was more relIgIous Ihan culIural and
dId noI I In wIIh Ihe mIssIons oI oIher board members.
Members oI HIllel argued IhaI MP denIed II membershIp
because II was noI close Io Ihe black sIudenI clubs, whIch
made up mosI oI Ihe board members. The Issue resulIed In
a revIsIon oI MP bylaws.
As Ihe number oI mInorIIy sIudenIs Increased aI SIony
rook-mInorIIy groups made up 27 percenI oI Ihe sIudenI
populaIIon by 1588, Ihen soared Io 62 percenI In 2U1U-
sIudenI leaders aIIempIed Io hInder mInorIIy clubs once
agaIn. n 2UU3, USC IhoughI Io consolIdaIe all oI Ihe 11
AsIan sIudenI organIzaIIons InIo one enIIIy. Many oI Ihe
groups argued IhaI IheIr mIssIons dIhered because oI varI-
ous eIhnIcIIIes, Ihus makIng Ihe merger a bad Idea.
SIeven Chao, Ihen Ihe presIdenI oI Ihe ChInese Asso-
cIaIIon aI SIony rook, saId he dId noI belIeve II was an acI
oI racIsm on USC's parI. The AsIan-AmerIcan E-ZIne's news
edIIor aI Ihe IIme, Leo Na, however, IhoughI dIherenIly.
"They don'I undersIand.Ihey probably IhInk ChInese peo-
ple are Ihe same as Korean people. ThaI's racIsI.
FaculIy members planI Ihe seeds oI learnIng InIo Ihe
rIch mInds oI sIudenIs. They moIIvaIe Ihem, challenge
Ihem and ulIImaIely guIde Ihem on Ihe paIhs Iowards IheIr
goals. uI proIessors are noI Immune Io racIsI acIs.
n Ihe 157Us, sIudenIs accused SIony rook IaculIy
members oI beIng racIsI Iowards mInorIIy sIudenIs. Donna
FranklIn, who was a member oI Ihe ScholasIIc AchIevemenI
Ior mprovemenI oI Non-TradIIIonal SIudenIs, claImed IhaI
proIessors were noI wIllIng Io spend IIme ouIsIde oI class
wIIh black sIudenIs. n Iurn, Ihere were no programs cre-
aIed Io IuIor Ihose sIudenIs.
ProIessors were also vIcIIms oI racIsm. AmIrI araka,
a poeI and proIessor In Ihe AIrIcana SIudIes deparImenI,
was arresIed In 1575 aIIer a serIes oI IncIdenIs InvolvIng
Ihe polIce. araka was double-parked one nIghI ouIsIde a
movIe IheaIer on UnIversIIy Place In ManhaIIan when a po-
lIce omcer grabbed hIm ouI oI hIs car by Ihe collar and hII
hIm wIIh a nIghIsIIck. Three oIher omcers also hII hIm, Ihen
dragged hIm on Ihe pavemenI Io Ihe polIce car, shoved hIm
In and held a gun Io hIs head. araka saId Ihey never asked
hIm whaI was goIng on or Ior hIm Io move hIs car.
The omcers Iook araka and hIs wIIe Io Ihe 6
cIncI sIaIIon In ManhaIIan. The couple had been ghIIng
when Ihe polIce came, so when II was IIme Io come up wIIh
charges, Ihey saId Ihe proIessor hII hIs wIIe, hII Ihe omcers
and was carryIng a deadly weapon. "You know Ihe weapon
you people always carry, araka recalled an omcer sayIng
Io hIm-a swIIchblade.
n hIs InIervIew wIIh Ihe Press, araka saId Ihe jury se-
lecIIon aI hIs IrIal Ior Ihe arresI Included only one black
man. He saId IhaI II he were whIIe, InsIead oI pullIng hIm
ouI oI hIs vehIcle and hIIIIng hIm, he belIeved Ihe omcers
would have quesIIoned hIm and Ihe sIIuaIIon would have
been handled In a more cIvIlIzed manner.
ProIessors oIIen crIIIcIzed Ihe AdmInIsIraIIon Ior hav-
Ing racIsI polIcIes In Ihe laIe 157Us. AcademIc deparImenIs
such as AIrIcana SIudIes had very quesIIonable exIsIences
In Ierms oI Ihe supporI Ihey receIved. Dnly one member
In IhaI deparImenI, ChaIrperson LeslIe Dwens, had Ienure.
Dwens resIgned Irom hIs posIIIon Io proIesI Ihe condIIIon
oI Ihe deparImenI because II lacked omce space, Iull-IIme
proIessors and room In Ihe lIbrary Ior IIs collecIIon oI 2,UUU
books. Dver 3UU sIudenIs also joIned Dwens In proIesIIng.
Many argued IhaI Ihe AdmInIsIraIIon should have done
more Ior mInorIIIes aI SIony rook. The VIce PresIdenI oI
SIudenI AhaIrs, ElIzabeIh WadsworIh, saId Ihe unIversIIy
dId noI oher enough Io creaIe a culIurally dIversIed cam-
pus. And even Ihough SIony rook aIIempIed Io combaI
racIsm Ihrough holdIng symposIums, Ior example, II never
puI IorIh consequences Ior commIIIIng racIal acIs.
The AdmInIsIraIIon, however, began Io accepI more
mInorIIIes as Ihe years passed by, especIally In 1588. ThaI
year Ihe unIversIIy ImplemenIed a MInorIIy DuIreach Pro-
gram. SInce IhaI year, Ihe mInorIIy raIe aI SIony rook has
doubled, and mInorIIIes groups have acIually become Ihe
AlIhough SIony rook Is more accepIIng oI mInorIIIes,
problems sIIll arIse when II comes Io race. MInorIIIes now
have hIgher graduaIIon raIes Ihan whIIes, and reporIs re-
vealed IhaI Ihe NYPD has been spyIng on MuslIm sIudenIs
here and aI oIher norIheasIern colleges.
And naIIonally, amrmaIIve acIIon admIssIons polIcIes
In Texas are beIng revIsIIed by Ihe Supreme CourI because
AbIgaIl Noel FIsher, who applIed Io Ihe UnIversIIy oI Texas,
claImed she dId noI gaIn admIIIance InIo Ihe school be-
cause she Is whIIe.
SIony rook's hIsIory shows IhaI geIIIng rId oI racIsm Is
noI an easy Iask. AlIhough II Is noI as common now, II does
sIIll exIsI. uI Ihe numerous programs, clubs and organIza-
IIons dedIcaIed Io represenIIng Ihe unIversIIy's mInorIIy
groups show IhaI Ihe accepIance oI everyone In Ihe cam-
pus communIIy, regardless oI Ihe color oI hIs or her skIn,
surpasses Ihe haIe.
FEATURES March 6, 2012
ne nIghI lasI DcIober, was hangIng ouI wIIh IrIends In
H-uad's enedIcI College, a world away Irom my room
In buIldIng A oI Ihe WesI AparImenIs. I was nearIng 1
a.m., and decIded Io nally Iake my IaIher's advIce and call
Ihe campus rIde servIce so IhaI wouldn'I be walkIng back
alone. My IaIher had been naggIng me abouI II Ior over a year.
"You shouldn'I walk alone aI nIghI, ArI, he'd say, over and
over. "Call Ihe walk servIce, IhaI's whaI Ihey're Ihere Ior. Dr
call Ihe rIde servIce.
So called Ihe rIde servIce.
"Hello. UnIversIIy PolIce.
"HI, can geI a rIde back Io WesI Irom enedIcI? don'I
Ieel comIorIable walkIng by myselI so laIe aI nIghI.
"Dh, no way! Ihe dIspaIcher responded.
was conIused. 'd uIIered Ihe ever-ImporIanI words IhaI
no campus omcIal Is legally allowed Io Ignore: " don'I Ieel
AI Ihe omcer's suggesIIon, called Ihe walk servIce and
was Iold by a Iemale dIspaIcher, who sounded very relucIanI
Io even speak Io me, IhaI would have Io waII 2U mInuIes.
AbouI Ien mInuIes aIIer hung up Ihe phone, realIzed Ihe
dIspaIcher hadn'I asked Ior my phone number or any InIorma-
IIon aI all. called back.
She saId she dIdn'I IhInk was plannIng on waIIIng Ior Ihe
walkers and asked II wanIed Io call back In 2U mInuIes Io see
where Ihey were. My IrIend WIll Ihen, relucIanIly, walked me
back Io my room-a 2U-mInuIe walk Irom hIs.
The nexI day, sIarIed IhInkIng abouI whaI Ihe polIceman
had saId Io me. 'd asked Ior a rIde, and he'd responded, "oh,
no way!
SomeIhIng dIdn'I seem rIghI.
Iony rook UnIversIIy brochures and websIIes adverIIse
Iwo phone numbers Io prospecIIve sIudenIs and IheIr
parenIs-632-WALK and 632-RDE-buI exIensIve pub-
lIcIIy does noI mean IhaI Ihe programs are wIIhouI IheIr aws.
And am noI Ihe only one who's seen Ihem.
TonI FosIer, a senIor lInguIsIIcs major aI SIony rook, oI-
Ien called Ior rIdes lasI summer because she was workIng In
ChapIn buI lIvIng In Ihe WesI AparImenIs.
AIIer drIvIng her back Io her resIdence hall on a Iew occa-
sIons, Ihe polIce would reIer her Io Ihe walk servIce, she saId,
whIch seemed senseless Io her because Ihe walk Irom ChapIn
Io WesI Iakes 35 mInuIes, and II was dark ouIsIde.
AccordIng Io FosIer, Ihe dIspaIcher would someIImes Iell
her IhaI Ihe polIce were noI provIdIng rIdes IhaI nIghI.
"I Ihey really don'I wanI Io do II, Ihey shouldn'I oher Ihe
servIce, she saId.
Her maIn concern, she saId, Is Ihe aIIIIude oI Ihe campus
polIce deparImenI.
"They jusI don'I care abouI anyIhIng, FosIer saId. "They
don'I care abouI Ihe sIudenIs. They don'I care abouI IheIr re-
She also saId IhaI some oI her male IrIends have called
Ihe rIde servIce and been denIed.
" have had Io call Ior IrIends because II Ihey call Ihey
won'I geI pIcked up. uI II Ihe omcer on Ihe oIher end hears
a Iemale, [Ihe sIudenI Is] more lIkely Io geI pIcked up, FosIer
Cender, she saId, should noI be a IacIor.
"I you Ieel unsaIe, you Ieel unsaIe, II doesn'I maIIer II
you're a guy or a gIrl, she added.
Dne nIghI, asked a male IrIend oI mIne Io Iake a walk
Irom WesI Io H-uad wIIh Ihe servIce.
FIve mInuIes aIIer he called, Iwo male walkers In IheIr sIg-
by Arielle Dollinger
Illustration by Sam Liebrand
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
naIure neon yellow vesIs arrIved Io walk hIm back. They Ialked
Io Ihe sIudenI abouI school and IheIr job, made oIher small
Ialk and were very polIIe, Ihe sIudenI saId. They even com-
plIed wIIh no complaInI when he asked Ihem Io waII ouIsIde
Ihe SIudenI UnIon whIle he wenI In Io buy a drInk.
I Is unusual IhaI male sIudenIs use Ihe servIce, Ihe walk-
ers Iold Ihe sIudenI when he asked.
Two Iemale sIah members oI Ihe Stony Brook Press used
Ihe walk servIce as parI oI Ihe InvesIIgaIIon, and had no prob-
lems. n boIh cases, Ihe ResIdenIIal SaIeIy Program workers
arrIved In under 15 mInuIes.
week aIIer my rsI brush wIIh Ihe servIces, decIded Io
do an experImenI. wenI Io enedIcI agaIn, and called
Ihe rIde servIce around 2 a.m. was Iold IhaI Ihey were
"noI gIvIng rIdes IhaI nIghI, so asked whaI Ihe polIcy was, Ior
future reference.
"The rIde polIcy?
"Yeah, mean, Ihe rIde polIcy. LIke when you can geI a
" honesIly have no Idea.
And Ihere II was-prooI IhaI my prIor experIence hadn'I
been a uke, prooI IhaI II hadn'I been an IsolaIed IncIdenI oI
Ignorance or neglecIed duIIes. There was a problem.
called Ihe walk servIce. AbouI 2U mInuIes aIIer called,
Ihree male walkers In neon yellow vesIs came Io accompany
me on Ihe Irek back Io WesI.
"We almosI weren'I goIng Io come walk you back, one oI
Ihem Iold me. "I's jusI so laIe and we're so IIred.
MakIng me Ieel embarrassed, he also Iold me IhaI people
normally "use Ihe servIce once and Ihen realIze II's poInIless.
NoI exacIly a comIorIIng IhoughI.
We arrIved aI my buIldIng and Ihe guys saId good nIghI
and good-bye, and wenI on IheIr way.
The nexI week, receIved a Facebook IrIend requesI Irom
one oI Ihe walkers, as well as IrequenI messages Irom hIm In
Ihe weeks IollowIng. AccordIng Io Ihe ResIdenIIal SaIeIy Pro-
gram manual, a copy oI whIch acquIred Irom a Iormer RSP
employee, walkers are noI supposed Io IraIernIze wIIh Ihe 1U-
26-Ihe expressIon by whIch Ihey reIer Io Ihe sIudenI Ihey're
The walk servIce Ialls under Ihe umbrella oI RSP. Though
UnIversIIy ChIeI oI PolIce RoberI I. Lenahan saId In an emaIl
IhaI Ihe program has noIhIng Io do wIIh Ihe polIce deparI-
menI, Ihe unIversIIy's websIIe begs Io dIher.
AccordIng Io Ihe webpage, RSP Is "a proIessIonal and sIu-
denI managed organIzaIIon IhaI promoIes saIeIy on campus
and "works wIIh UnIversIIy PolIce, sIudenIs, and sIah Io en-
sure a saIe envIronmenI.
The rIde servIce Is run compleIely by Ihe UnIversIIy Po-
lIce. As oI DcIober 2U11, Ihe servIce provIded close Io 2,UUU
rIdes In Ihe pasI year.
"The program was orIgInally developed Io provIde Irans-
porIaIIon Io sIudenIs who were concerned Ior IheIr saIeIy,
Lenahan saId. "AlIhough Ihe concepI has good InIenIIons,
IhroughouI Ihe years Ihe program has evolved Io a poInI
where many sIudenIs see Ihe program as sImply a Iree Irans-
porIaIIon servIce.
ThIs, Lenahan explaIned, Iakes a Ioll on Ihe resources oI
Ihe deparImenI, as sIudenIs aIIempI Io use Ihe servIce Ior
purposes oIher Ihan proIecIIon. The deparImenI reserves Ihe
rIghI Io reIuse Ihe servIce II II deems II unnecessary. RequesI-
Ing rIdes wIIh Ihe InIenI oI goIng Io Ihe sIore or hangIng ouI
wIIh IrIends Is noI approprIaIe, he saId. Use oI Ihe servIce be-
cause oI a medIcal condIIIon Is noI allowed eIIher.
"I Ihere was noI such a large number oI sIudenIs who
were usIng Ihe servIce as a perceIved Iorm oI publIc Iranspor-
IaIIon, Ihen Ihe program would operaIe aI a much hIgher level
oI emcIency, Lenahan saId.
n an emaIl on DcIober 21, Lenahan saId IhaI sIudenIs and
parenIs have led complaInIs abouI Ihe rIde servIce specI-
"We provIde Ihe rIde servIce Io over /,UUU sIudenIs on a
yearly basIs, he saId. "AlIhough rare, Ihere have been some
complaInIs wIIh regard Io Ihe servIce.
When complaInIs are receIved, Lenahan saId, Ihe deparI-
menI InvesIIgaIes Ihe claIms Io deIermIne wheIher or noI Ihe
servIce provIded was sumcIenI, and Io check Io see IhaI Ihe
reason Ihe sIudenI called Ihe servIce was based on saIeIy con-
"The rare complaInIs IhaI we receIve IypIcally deal wIIh
Issues such as prompIness, courIesy and servIce, he saId.
uI copIes oI Ihe omcIal complaInIs are "InIernal docu-
menIs, Lenahan Iold me, whIch meanI could noI see Ihem.
knew he was wrong, and II was conrmed aIIer havIng con-
sulIed my medIa law proIessor. The complaInIs are publIc In-
led a Freedom oI nIormaIIon Law requesI on DcIober
31. My requesI was acknowledged wIIh an emaIled leIIer on
November 2, and was asked Io IurIher descrIbe Ihe records
was lookIng Ior. AIIer speakIng Io Records Dmcer Douglas
PanIco, dId so askIng Ior "any omcIal complaInI documenIs
regardIng Ihe ResIdenIIal SaIeIy Program's walk servIce and
Ihe UnIversIIy PolIce SaIe RIde ServIce made wIIhIn Ihe pasI
Ihree years.
Dn December 15, receIved an emaIl Irom PanIco InIorm-
Ing me IhaI Ihere were no records responsIve Io my query.
Lenahan reIused a requesI Io meeI In person, and dId noI
respond Io an e-maIl askIng Ior clarIcaIIon by publIcaIIon.
AccordIng Io Ihe unIversIIy's 2U11 Annual SecurIIy and
FIre ReporI, whIch was released onlIne, Ihere were seven Iorc-
Ible sex ohenses, Iour aggravaIed assaulIs and one sImple as-
saulI on campus In 2U1U.
ecause Lenahan has yeI Io respond Io Ihe emaIl senI
hIm on February 15 requesIIng more currenI sIaIIsIIcs and
askIng abouI Ihe records dIscrepancy, many oI my quesIIons
are sIIll unanswered.
SomeIImes sIlence speaks louder Ihan words.
FEATURES March 6, 2012
Welcome Io Campus CuIde Io eIn' Veg! Us vegeIar-
Ians have a IracIIon oI Ihe already-sparse Iood selecIIon aI
SIony rook, and II you don'I know where Io look, you may
be sIuck wIIh geIIIng Ihe same shIIIy pre-packaged veggIe
wrap sold aI every dInIng cenIer. uI have no Iear: here's
a brIeI, yeI comprehensIve guIde on your opIIons around
Veggie Burgers, Charcoals (Kelly, SAC, UnIon}
I you're wIllIng Io waII Ihe 1U-2U mInuIes II Iakes Io
make, Charcoal's VeggIe urgers can be well worIh II.
-Carden VegeIable urger - The besI oI Ihe bunch, IhIs
soy, egg, and wheaI paIIy Is an easy subsIIIuIe Ior a real
burger. SuggesIIon: II you can, sneak some jalapenos on II
Irom Ihe salad bar. Fuck Ihe sysIem.
-lack ean urger - Though II IasIes ne, Ihe black
bean burger has an odd mushy consIsIency. I you're okay
wIIh sloppIness and wanI a shII-Ion oI sodIum, IhIs Is Ihe
way Io go.
-CaulIower urger - SomeIhIng's jusI noI rIghI abouI
IhIs one. Cood source oI proIeIn Ihough.
-SweeI PoIaIo urger - You'll probably love Ihe rsI Iew
bIIes, buI II's so dense IhaI II's closer Io cake Ihan II Is a
-EggplanI urger - SkIp II.
Picantes (Kelly, UnIon}
Every IrIp Io PIcanIes Is a gamble. WIll Ihey be ouI
oI IomaIoes agaIn? How could you skImp me ouI on Ihe
cheese lIke IhaI? ThaI's way Ioo many jalapenos. Uhhhh-
hh. 'm preIIy sure my quesadIlla has been grIllIng Ior Ioo
long. Even when II comes ouI ne, II's hardly a meal Io be
sIoked abouI.
Wrap It Up (Kelly, SAC}
Dkay, here's whaI you do: IomaIoes, onIons, leIIuce,
and jalapeos, Iopped wIIh provolone cheese and Ihou-
sand Island dressIng, wrapped In a IomaIo IorIIlla. CeI IhaI
bIIch IoasIed.
You're welcome.
Mulberry Street (Kelly, SAC}
by Samuel Liebrand
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
Probably Ihe besI pIzza on campus (whIch Is only kInd
oI sayIng someIhIng}, Mulberry SIreeI usually has a ready
opIIon Ior vegeIarIans, mosIly In Ihe Iorm oI peppers and
onIons. I you don'I eaI meaI buI would sIIll lIke Io Ieel lIke
a slob, you can'I go wrong wIIh a slIce.
Native Spice (UnIon, SAC}
MosI oI Ihese enIrees have meaI In Ihem, buI Ihere are
a handIul oI InIernaIIonal veggIe dIshes. The IalIan roasI-
ed vegeIables are a good beI, as are Ihe smashed sweeI
poIaIoes. AIIer vIsIIIng NaIIve SpIce, you mIghI ask your-
selI whaI Ihe Iuck mexIcorn Is. esI leI IhaI one remaIn a
Taro 13 (Kelly, UnIon}
There Is a sIark dIherence beIween Ihe Taro 13 aI Kelly
and Ihe one aI Ihe UnIon. WhIle Ihe one aI Kelly usually
has borderlIne passable vegeIable lo-meIn, Ihe one aI Ihe
UnIon has a IhIck and saucy consIsIency, and IasIes lIke II's
been lIered Ihrough a pool oI salI. n eIIher case, you'll
Ieel so Iull IhaI you'll be sIck Io your sIomach almosI Imme-
dIaIely, buI you'll somehow be hungry agaIn an hour laIer.
Dunkin Donuts (Tabler} - Hahahaha. CeI Iood here?
ThaI's a good one.
Omelet Pan (SAC}
LIke waIIIng on long lInes Ior an omeleI Irom a box?
Really? Well Iry IhIs place, guess.
Au Bon Pain (PreIIy much everywhere}
There's always a vegeIarIan soup avaIlable here. 'm
parIIal Io good ol' IashIoned IomaIo soup myselI, buI Ihe
garden vegeIable Is preIIy IasIy Ioo. 'm noI sure II Ihey leI
Ihe vegeIarIan chIlI sII Ihere IhroughouI Ihe week, or II II
jusI naIurally looks lIke IhaI.
Eco Cravings (Kelly}
ThIs enIIrely vegan resIauranI changes IIs menu daIly
and weekly, so you'll have Io check back Io Iry IhIngs Ior
yourselI once and a whIle. However, here's a good rule oI
Ihumb: any whIIe meaI IoIu Is usually preIIy delIcIous, as
wIIh Ihe un-buhalo chIcken sandwIch. Any knock-oh red
meaI Is a bII oI a rIsk, and you should Iry aI your own dIs-
creIIon. NoneIheless, Ihe majorIIy oI IheIr non-Iaux-meaI
based Ioods, lIke Ihe alsamIc ToIu, are preIIy awesome, II
noI llIng.
California Pizza Kitchen (RoIh}
Though Ihose basIards Iook away Ihe IanIasIIc roccolI
FusIllI earlIer IhIs year (R..P.}, Ihe VegeIable PanInI Is sIIll
avaIlable Io greaI acclaIm, even II II does Iake Iorever. Ask
Ior avocado on II, you won'I regreI II. As always, sIay away
Irom Ihe pIzza, II's jusI noI worIh II, Iolks. And serIously,
why Isn'I Ihere a salad on Ihe menu IhaI doesn'I have meaI
In II? Why do you IhInk people eaI salads?
Wendys (RoIh}
The only Iull sIzed vegeIarIan meal here Is Ihe aja Sal-
ad, whIch comes wIIh an easIly dIsposed oI sIde oI meaIy
chIlI. WhaI you're leII wIIh Is someIhIng IhaI has a closer
resemblance Io a bag oI DorIIos Ihan II does a nuIrIIIous
salad. uI Iuck II, why are you goIng Io Wendy's II you're a
vegeIarIan, anyway?
Roth Market (RoIh}
I's lIke a shIIIIer osIon MarkeI, and IhaI's sayIng
Jasmine (Wang CenIer} - I you're down wIIh EasIern
Iood, IasmIne can usually somewhaI saIIsIy your cravIng.
You wIll never nIsh Ihe rIce bowl Irom Ihe ndIan Iood
secIIon, so always only geI a sIde. Also, Ihe Na'an bread Is
IuckIng delIcIous. The ThaI resIauranI Is almosI compleIely
vegeIarIan, and IheIr ThaI rolls are a good place Io sIarI. The
vegeIable dumplIngs aI Ihe ChInese secIIon can hardly be
consIdered anyIhIng buI our besI aIIempI yeI aI Ihe bas-
IardIzaIIon oI EasIern dIshes, buI Iuck, II's IasIy. IusI don'I
go Io IasmIne beIween class blocks, unless you enjoy beIng
cramped by crowds oI people In a narrow hallway.
A good burger can take you places, you know?
Carlton Banks enjoys himself some good fucking lo mein.
Illustrations by Vin Barone
FEATURES March 6, 2012
ThIs summer, SIony rook UnIversIIy wIll be dIIchIng
Ihe old bIke share bIcycles Ior a seI oI new wheels. Trans-
porIaIIon and ParkIng ServIces Is IeamIng up wIIh EnvIron-
menIal SIewardshIp Io brIng Ihe X bIke share program Io
Ihe unIversIIy by mId- Io laIe summer.
The unIversIIy plans on releasIng a small-scale versIon
oI Ihe bIke share sysIem already In ehecI In major cIIIes
around Ihe world IncludIng London, osIon, ToronIo and
Melbourne. SIony rook wIll be Ihe IhIrd unIversIIy In Ihe
naIIon, behInd WashIngIon SIaIe UnIversIIy and Harvard
UnIversIIy, Io brIng Ihe X bIke sysIem Io sIudenIs.
"We looked aI a loI oI oIher munIcIpalIIIes as well as
unIversIIIes and we benchmarked whaI was ouI Ihere, whaI
are Ihe besI pracIIces goIng on, saId Iames D'Connor, Ihe
DIrecIor oI SusIaInabIlIIy and TransporIaIIon DperaIIons.
"We Iound ouI IhaI a loI oI Ihem are ImplemenIIng a hIgher
qualIIy bIke and a brand name bIke.
The InIIIal bIke share pIloI program was announced
aI EarIhsIock 2U11 and ImplemenIed durIng Ihe Iollow-
Ing summer. The rsI 25 sIudenIs chosen by loIIery were
gIven a bIke Ior Ihe enIIre semesIer aIIer havIng Io pay a
$15 parIIcIpaIIon Iee and anoIher $15 lock, key and helmeI
renIal Iee. NoI only dId sIudenIs have Io worry abouI pay-
Ing Ihe Iees buI Ihey also had Io Iravel back and IorIh Irom
Ihe Campus DperaIIons B MaInIenance buIldIng Io Ihe bur-
sar's omce In order Io geI all Ihe paperwork managed. ThIs
sysIem made Ihe program dImculI Ior many sIudenIs Io un-
dersIand and decreased desIre Ior parIIcIpaIIon.
"From Ihere we Iook a loI oI good InIormaIIon and de-
lIverables abouI whaI we can do In order Io grow Ihe bIke
share program, saId D'Connor. "We're also IncreasIng our
markeIIng and our ouIreach ehorIs In order Io communI-
caIe how Io parIIcIpaIe In Ihe bIke share program.
AsIde Irom Ihe lack oI accessIbIlIIy Io Ihe sysIem,
D'Connor and Iames AmbrIose, Ihe ParkIng DperaIIons
Manager and projecI manager on Ihe bIke share program,
by Amanda Douville
"We IhInk II's goIng Io
be a huge hII because aI
Ihe end oI Ihe day II's all
abouI accessIbIlIIy.
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
also receIved Ieedback Irom sIudenIs claImIng Ihe
bIkes could be more appealIng and nIcer. NoI only
are Ihe bIkes ugly accordIng Io some sIudenIs, buI
Ihey have also sIarIed Io buIld up some wear Irom
Ihe year Ihey have been In use.
nsIead oI ImprovIng on Ihe currenI bIke share
program aI Ihe unIversIIy, D'Connor and AmbroIse
decIded Io Iry someIhIng enIIrely new, a Irue bIke
share In Ihe Image oI some oI Ihe more success-
Iul programs worldwIde. n keepIng wIIh Ihe SIony
rook IradIIIon oI "goIng green, Ihe new bIkes
wIll be sIaIIoned aI solar-powered kIosks where
sIudenIs wIll be able Io swIpe IheIr IdenIIcaIIon
cards and Iake a bIke. ThaI sIudenI wIll Ihen have
2/ hours Io rIde Ihe bIke wherever beIore havIng
Io reIurn II Io anoIher kIosk where IheIr name wIll
be cleared.
The plan Is seI Io roll ouI In phases, wIIh Ihe
rsI sIarIIng IhIs summer. Phase one enIaIls seI-
IIng up one kIosk aI Ihe SIudenI AcIIvIIIes CenIer
and one In WesI AparImenIs, near buIldIng D, sIa-
IIonIng 25 bIkes IoIal. Phase Iwo, whIch wIll Iake
ehecI Ihe IollowIng summer, wIll add a kIosk aI
SouIh P loI as well as addIIIonal kIosks aI Ihe SIu-
denI AcIIvIIIes CenIer addIng 25 more bIkes Io Ihe
program. n laIer phases oI Ihe plan, kIosks wIll be
InsIalled IhroughouI Ihe campus aI locaIIons In-
cludIng Ihe raIlroad sIaIIon, ChapIn AparImenIs
and Ihe MedIcal CenIer.
"WhaI we really plan Io do Is roll IhIs ouI cam-
pus-wIde over a number oI years, saId D'Connor.
"We IhInk II's goIng Io be aI leasI a ve year plan
Ior a comprehensIve, really aggressIve bIke share
program Io be In all oI Ihe locaIIons IhaI we would
lIke Io have Ihem In.
Dne challenge IacIng Ihe new InIIIaIIve would
be how Io Include IaculIy and sIah In Ihe opera-
IIon. The unIversIIy plans Io Include Ihe bIke share
Iee under Ihe IransporIaIIon Iee all sIudenIs musI
pay, jusI as SUNY uhalo has done. The only prob-
lem wIIh IhaI Is IaculIy and sIah do noI pay Ior
IhIs Iee and an alIernaIIve Iorm oI paymenI would
need Io be esIablIshed.
"We're IryIng Io geI IheIr sysIem Io commu-
nIcaIe wIIh our D sysIem so IhIs way sIudenIs
can jusI come In and swIpe IheIr card and II could
dIsIInguIsh beIween an employee and a sIudenI,
saId AmbroIse.
The poInI oI Ihe new bIke sysIem Is Io provIde
sIudenIs wIIh an easy and accessIble alIernaIIve
Io IakIng Ihe bus or usIng a car. ThIs susIaInable
soluIIon wIll noI only gIve sIudenIs anoIher means
oI IransporIaIIon ouIsIde oI buses, buI II wIll also
help SIony rook reduce IIs carbon IooIprInI one
bIke rIde aI a IIme.
Stony Brook will still be full of bike racks like the one above, but after the new bike
share program is implimented, high-tech racks from BIXI, like the one below, will show
up around campus, starting at the West Apartments and the SAC.
"Dur InIenIIons are InsIead oI addIng more buses Io rouIes, and
congesIIon, Iramc and Iuel consumpIIon, sIudenIs would evenIually
be enIIced Io grab one oI our bIkes, saId D'Connor. "Crab II, use II,
go wherever Ihey need Io go, and geI rId oI II.
D'Connor and AmbroIse hope IhaI Ihe bIke share program Io be
released In New York CIIy IhIs summer Ihrough Ihe PublIc Ike Sys-
Iem Company, Ihe same one SIony rook wIll be usIng, wIll encour-
age sIudenIs Io become more InIeresIed and parIIcIpaIe.
"We IhInk II's goIng Io be a huge hII because aI Ihe end oI Ihe
day II's all abouI accessIbIlIIy, saId D'Connor. "I's a really cool,
green Iechnology.
"I's a Irue bIke share program, saId AmbroIse.
FEATURES March 6, 2012
The SIony rook EnvIronmenIal Club, In parInershIp
wIIh Ihe FaculIy SIudenI AssocIaIIon and Ihe SusIaInabIlIIy
SIudIes Program, Is workIng on InIIIaIIves Io make Ihe
campus greener.
The projecIs Include Ihe InIroducIIon oI reusable bags,
more energy emcIenI lIghIs and greener Iood opIIons. They
look Io joIn already successIul InIIIaIIves, such as ndIng
cleaner Iuel Ior campus buses.
VIcIorIa Hargreaves, a sophomore envIronmenIal
sIudIes major, saId, "We need Io sIress Ihe ImporIance
oI Ihe envIronmenI. She added, "n 5U years we'll be In
charge oI everyIhIng.
CInny Clancy, Ihe CoordInaIor oI Ihe SusIaInabIlIIy
SIudIes Program, saId, "SIudenIs geI Io work IogeIher Io geI
experIence, Ihey use Ihe campus as a lab Io do research.
There are many acIIve InIIIaIIves sIrIvIng Ior a greener
campus, one oI whIch Is Ihe LIghIIng AudII ProjecI. "The
projecI Is a collaboraIIve approach Io research and learnIng
cenIered on an Issue. The projecI Includes sIudenIs Irom
dIherenI elds oI sIudy workIng wIIh menIors Irom Ihe
SusIaInabIlIIy SIudIes Program, saId Arlene CassIdy, Ihe
DIrecIor oI SusIaInabIlIIy SIudIes.
The projecI Ieam Includes 25 sIudenIs who collecI
daIa around campus. For phase one, a IaculIy member and
IheIr Ieam are assIgned a buIldIng Io do a lIghIIng audII.
The Ieam oI sIudenIs wIll Ihen Iake cloudy day readIngs,
and sunny day readIngs aI hIghly populaIed places lIke Ihe
SIudenI AcIIvIIIes CenIer.
"The quesIIons we hope Io ulIImaIely InvesIIgaIe
Include, saId CassIdy, "WhaI Iypes oI lIghIs are beIng
uIIlIzed? Are Ihe presenI lIghIs meeIIng sIandards mosI
emcIenIly? Are Ihere lIghIIng alIernaIIves IhaI provIde Ihe
sIandards yeI decrease energy cosIs?
CassIdy's Ieam Is In charge oI Ihe SocIal ehavIoral and
ScIences buIldIng and Ihe members are Hargreaves, DanIel
PenzI, Fareen slam and WIll PolchInskI. AIIer Ihey collecI
Ihe daIa, Ihey'll move on Io proposIng soluIIons.
AlIhough Ihe projecI Is volunIary, Ihe sIudenIs IhaI
are runnIng Ihe LIghIIng AudII ProjecI are all receIvIng
IndependenI research credIIs.
"Maybe on a sunny day In Iune, we won'I need all Ihe
lIghIs on, saId Clancy. "We're IryIng Io reduce our carbon
IooIprInI. We maybe can keep some oI Ihe lIghIs oh when
noI needed or have alIernaIIve lIghIIng.
The LIghIIng AudII ProjecI Ieam IhaI audIIed Ihe SS
buIldIng Iook lIghI readIngs on Ihe sevenIh oor. When
exIIIng Ihe elevaIor, Ihe Ieam ImmedIaIely noIIced lIghI
xIures IhaI were In IronI oI a wIndow IhaI was provIdIng
Ihe hallway wIIh naIural lIghI. "We could use Ihese wIndows
Io our advanIage, saId PenzI. Hargreaves added, "These
lIghIs could be oh rIghI now.
UsIng lIghI meIers Io measure Ihe lIghI InIensIIy oI
specIc areas, Ihe group deIermIned IhaI Ihe sevenIh oor
was overlII. Hargreaves saId, "We need Io gure ouI whaI
Is besI. I's noI lIke we can Ialk Io Ihe buIldIng and Iell II Io
Iurn oh specIc lIghIs.
The sIudenIs also Iake readIngs InsIde Ihe buIldIng
durIng overcasI days, sunny days and aI nIghI because Ihe
meIers pIck up boIh ambIenI and arIIcIal lIghI.
AlIhough IhIs InIIIaIIve Is IaIrly new, oIhers have been
ongoIng. For example, Ihe buses on campus use bIodIesel, a
clean alIernaIIve Iuel IhaI conIaIns no peIroleum. IodIesel
Is bIodegradable, nonIoxIc and essenIIally Iree oI sulIur.
The FSA has parInered wIIh Ihe EnvIronmenIal Club Ior
by Briana Neuberger
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
abouI Ihree years and Ihey have collaboraIed on InIIIaIIves.
Dne Includes composIIng pre-consumer Iood wasIe. I halI
an onIon Isn'I used, II won'I end up In a landll. nsIead, II
wIll be senI Io a naIural IerIIlIzer composI.
FSA DIrecIor oI MarkeIIng and CommunIcaIIons Angela
Agnello saId, "The beneI oI Ihese ehorIs Is IhaI II reduces
Ihe amounI oI maIerIal senI Io landlls, Ihereby reducIng
Ihe use oI IossIl Iuels and Ihe carbon IooIprInI on campus.
n addIIIon, aerobIc composIIng, unlIke anaerobIc landll
degradaIIon, does noI resulI In Ihe release oI meIhane, a gas
IhaI Is reporIed Io be 25 IImes more powerIul as a global
warmIng agenI Ihan carbon dIoxIde. So, Ihe unIversIIy
communIIy's Iood wasIe would have an ehecI on global
warmIng as well.
The ehorIs also Include InsIallIng solar Irash
compacIors, usIng envIronmenIally-IrIendly cleanIng
producIs, provIdIng cell phone baIIery recyclIng poInIs,
and RecycleManIa, a huge ehorI on campus Io geI sIudenIs
Io recycle. FSA has also InsIalled lIered waIer sIaIIons In
Ihe SAC dInIng hall and In Ihe MelvIlle LIbrary commuIer
lounge Io encourage Ihe campus communIIy Io use
reusable waIer boIIles.
Though SIony rook and IIs EnvIronmenIal Club work
IogeIher oIIen, noI every projecI IhaI sIudenIs wanI Io see
Is underIaken.
MelIssa CzernIawskI, Ihe club's presIdenI, wanIs Ihe
unIversIIy Io sIop usIng plasIIc bags and use reusable ones.
She wanIs Io sIarI In places lIke Ihe SAC or Ihe SIudenI
UnIon, where Ihere Is a hIgh volume oI people.
"The unIversIIy oughI Io be held accounIable Ior IheIr
claIms oI susIaInabIlIIy, CzernIawskI saId.
She saId reusable bags would be made ouI oI coIIon
and polyesIer and "you pay a dollar once and reuse II
over and over agaIn. She would also wanI Io ImplemenI a
dIscounI II sIudenIs have a reusable bag, jusI lIke SIarbucks
does when a sIudenI brIngs a reusable Ihermos.
The EnvIronmenIal Club has even Iaken Ihe lead on
carryIng ouI some oI Ihe InIIIaIIves II works on wIIh Ihe
unIversIIy, such as IheIr organIc garden In Ihe SouIh P loI
and rooIIop garden on Ihe HealIh ScIence CenIer.
CzernIawskI says Ihe cheIs In Ihe hospIIal wanI Io use
Ihe Iood Irom Ihe garden Ior Ihe paIIenIs. She says she
wanIs Io geI garden spaces on campus so IhaI sIudenIs
don'I have Io go all Ihe way Io SouIh P.
"I would be so much easIer II II was only a ve mInuIe
walk, she saId.
n regards Io Ihe LIghIIng AudII ProjecI, CzernIawskI
saId, "I's very basIc, Iurn Ihe lIghIs oh aI 1U PM and Ihen aI
1U AM. I's Ihe easIesI IhIng Io do.
When asked whaI she wanIs Io see Irom Ihe unIversIIy
In Ihe IuIure, she saId she hopes Io see more green space
and more susIaInabIlIIy programs.
" hope Ihe school keeps up IheIr susIaInable manIra-
whaIever IhaI claIms Io be.
Sadman slam, a junIor aI SIony rook UnIversIIy,
belIeves IhaI IhIs IncIdenI has IurIher ruIned Ihe
relaIIonshIp beIween Ihe governmenI and Ihe MuslIm
communIIy. "I added a lIIIle more oIl Io a re IhaI has been
ragIng, he saId.
"IusI because we are MuslIm does noI mean we are
goIng Io do someIhIng IerrIble, says FIrhan Mohl, a junIor
aI SIony rook UnIversIIy. "How do know now IhaI when
geI In Irouble wIIh Ihe law, Cod IorbId, wIll geI IaIr and
equal IreaImenI?
MulIIple oIher MuslIm sIudenIs were conIacIed Ior
IhIs pIece, IncludIng boIh members and non-members oI
SIony rook's MSA, buI Ihey declIned Io commenI on Ihe
Issue Ior Iear oI beIng assocIaIed wIIh vIews opposIng
counIerIerrorIsm measures.
The Element of Trust
adIm Ieels IhaI Ihe largesI ImpacI Ihe NYPD spyIng
has had Is on Ihe relaIIonshIp beIween MuslIm
AmerIcans and Ihe communIIy aI large, Irom Ihe
InsIIIuIIons IhaI are meanI Io proIecI Ihem Io Ihe values
reInIorced by a legal sysIem InIended Io mInImIze Ihe
InIrIngemenI oI cIvIl rIghIs.
"I we are proIecIIng, Ihen we should have all Ihe
cIIIzens be In on Ihe process oI proIecIIon, wIIhouI
creaIIng an aImosphere oI suspIcIon, wIIhouI creaIIng an
aImosphere oI malaIse, wIIhouI creaIIng an aImosphere oI
"I's almosI lIke we're IellIng Ihe sIudenIs IhaI Ihey're
noI cIIIzens: 'We don'I really care how you Ieel because we
are aIraId oI you.'
I Is Ihe elemenI oI IrusI IhaI NadIm sees deIerIoraIIng
aI all levels oI Ihe relaIIonshIp MuslIm AmerIcans Iorm wIIh
IheIr Iellow cIIIzens. "They really need Io learn Io IrusI Ihe
people IhaI have been here so long. mean people IhaI are
jusI beIng AmerIcan MuslIms and jusI lIvIng Ihe lIIe IhaI
Ihey have been ohered by Cod. Talk Io Ihem, she says,
exasperaIed by Ihe whaI she Ieels Is a very sImple gesIure
IhaI conIaIns Ihe poIenIIal Io brIdge unIaIhomable gaps oI
"Some oI Ihem [sIudenIs] say, 'WhaI do you wanI us Io
do, SIsIer Sanaa? WhaI are we suppose Io be doIng IhaI we
are noI doIng IhaI IhIs Is happenIng Io us?'
" say, 'NoIhIng, keep doIng whaI you are doIng. Pray
your ve IImes a day, eaI your HIllel Iood, IasI, do your
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
For some sIudenIs, geIIIng Io class Is as easy as rollIng
ouI oI bed and walkIng Io a classroom. For NIsha Choud-
hary, a SIony rook sIudenI whose name has been changed
Ior prIvacy, II means wakIng up ve hours beIore class, Iak-
Ing Iwo IraIns, and makIng II Io class jusI barely on IIme. I
means IravelIng Ihrough all sorIs oI condIIIons, Iour hours
a day. I means IallIng asleep on publIc IransporIaIIon, do-
Ing homework on Ihe road and never mIssIng a IraIn. uI
above all, II means IollowIng Ihe wIshes oI her parenIs.
Choudhary Is one oI several SouIh AsIan Iemale sIu-
denIs aI SIony rook whose parenIs have prohIbIIed her
Irom dormIng, no maIIer how convenIenI II may be Ior all
parIIes Involved. As rsI generaIIon AmerIcans, Ihese sIu-
denIs are exposed Io Iwo culIures: a conservaIIve one aI
home IhaI Iells Ihem IhaI leavIng Ihe house beIore mar-
rIage Is wrong, and Ihe ouIsIde world whIch Implores chIl-
dren Io become IndependenI aI a young age. The resulI Is
a backlash Irom ImmIgranI parenIs, who Iry even harder Io
hold on Io Ihe cusIoms Ihey Iollowed back home.
"ndIa, PakIsIan, angladesh and AIghanIsIan are Ira-
dIIIonal socIeIIes wIIh IradIIIonal roles and values Ior
women, saId ProIessor ShIkarIpur N. SrIdhar, DIrecIor oI
SIony rook's CenIer Ior ndIa SIudIes. "And Ihe culIure Is
exIremely proIecIIve, added hIs wIIe and colleague, Dr.
Kamal K. SrIdhar.
AccordIng Io Ihe SrIdhars, Iemales are encouraged Io
geI an educaIIon In SouIh AsIan culIures, buI IheIr parenIs'
maIn goal Is Io keep Ihem Irom experIencIng IempIaIIon.
And Io Ihem, IempIaIIon comes In all Iorms.
uI Ihere Is no greaIer evIl enIIcemenI In IheIr eyes
Ihan Ihe pull Iowards, as ProIessor SrIdhar says, "sexual
promIscuIIy. AccordIng Io hIm, one oI Ihe prImary aIms oI
parenIs In Ihese culIures Is Io proIecI IheIr daughIers Irom
becomIng Immersed In a sexual college envIronmenI.
"ThIs Iree sexualIIy In AmerIcan socIeIy Is boIher-
some, saId Dr. SrIdhar, an assocIaIe dIrecIor Ior Ihe CenIer
Ior ndIa SIudIes. "Men can Iool around, buI women cannoI
succumb Io IempIaIIon.
The Idea IhaI women musI proIecI Ihemselves Irom
sexual acIIvIIy sIems Irom Ihe noIIon IhaI Ihey musI keep
Ihemselves pure In order Io be consIdered Ior marrIage.
"Some more orIhodox parenIs wanI Io preserve IheIr
daughIers' purIIIes so IhaI Ihey can be ohered as perIecI
brIdes Io IuIure husbands, saId Dr. SunIIa S. MukhI, Ihe
DIrecIor oI AsIan and AsIan AmerIcan Programs aI SIony
Female commuIers agree. "My mom Iells me IhaI as
soon as a woman leaves Ihe house, her value drops Io zero,
saId a sophomore aI SIony rook who commuIes Irom Hun-
IIngIon and who also wIshed Io remaIn anonymous.
AnoIher IempIaIIon IhaI SouIh AsIan parenIs Iear IheIr
daughIers wIll be drawn InIo Is Independence. The Iear IhaI
an AsIan woman wIll Iorgo her IradIIIonal role as a wIIe and
moIher and InsIead enIer Ihe workIorce as an IndependenI
seems, Io many AsIan parenIs, devasIaIIng.
"Dn Ihe one hand Ihere Is proIecIIveness, and on Ihe
oIher Is Ihe Iear IhaI IheIr daughIers may also be exposed
Io IemInIsI Ideas and Ireedom, and Ihen become Ioo Inde-
pendenI, and cuI-oh or noI wanI a conservaIIve domesII-
caIed lIIe, saId Dr. MukhI,
AccordIng Io ProIessor SrIdhar, SouIh AsIan parenIs
are accusIomed Io a culIure oI "emoIIonal enmeshmenI,
a Ierm Iound In Ihe "SpIrIIual SelI In ndIan Psychology by
Alan Roland. I explaIns IhaI young women are held IIghIly
by IheIr parenIs In order Io be kepI under conIrol. ProIessor
SrIdhar crossed hIs arms and squeezed IIghIly. "LIke IhIs,
he saId.
"For Ihe young woman, II Is sIIIng, hIs wIIe added.
SIIll, many parenIs are lookIng Iorward, and many
SouIh AsIan parenIs already leI IheIr daughIers leave
home. "Many parenIs realIze IhaI Ihey musI change wIIh
Ihe IImes, saId ProIessor SrIdhar. He saId IhaI he would be
open Io leIIIng hIs daughIer leave home Ior school, II he
had a daughIer.
SIudenIs are opIImIsIIc abouI whaI Ihe IuIure holds Ior
generaIIons Io come. "When my parenIs hear abouI a gIrl
who, Ior example, dorms, Ihey don'I look down on her. They
jusI geI uncomIorIable wIIh Ihe IhoughI oI leIIIng me go
Ioo, saId Choudhary. "They aren'I accusIomed Io IhIs kInd
oI Ideology and are noI ready Io change yeI.
by Teena Nawabi
"My mom Iells me
that as soon as a
woman leaves Ihe
house, her value
drops Io zero.
CULTURE March 6, 2012
MIcrophone In hand and nerves on hIgh, sIood In Ihe
mIddle oI PrIIchard CymnasIum. A raInbow oI colors lled
Ihe sIands surroundIng me Ior SpIrII NIghI, one oI Ihe ma-
jor evenIs IhaI make up Ihe Ig Red Howl, SIony rook's
spIrII week. The colors represenIed each oI Ihe sIx quads
on campus, as well as Ihe ChapIn, Schomburg, and WesI
AparImenIs. The sIudenIs were compeIIng In Iwo areas,
Ihe judges would deIermIne whIch quad had Ihe besI skII,
and Ihe ResIdence Hall AssocIaIIon and NaIIonal ResIdence
Hall Honorary would decIde who had been Ihe mosI spIr-
IIed IhaI nIghI and presenI Ihem wIIh Ihe SpIrII SIIck.
My co-MC was ChrIs Murray, Ihe Manager oI Came Day
PresenIaIIon and MarkeIIng. He hyped up Ihe crowd by
shouIIng ouI Ihe name oI each resIdenIIal area. WIIh Ihe
sIudenIs ready Io go, InIroduced Ihe ve judges Ior Ihe
nIghI and Ihe quad dIrecIors. AIIer hIs InIroducIIon, Wole,
our beloved mascoI, ran a lap around Ihe gym.
AIIer a pIece Irom Ihe dance Ieam, II was IIme Ior Ihe
perIormances Io begIn. RHA and NRHH wenI rsI wIIh a
Wizard of Oz-Ihemed skII. I made me proud Io hear a gIggle
here and Ihere, even Ihough we weren'I beIng judged Ior
our perIormance. Mendelsohn uad wenI nexI wIIh a skII
IhaI used Ihe sIrengIhs oI each quad Io revIve Ihe "Wole
oI. Dnce alIve agaIn, Wole oI and hIs Mendy IrIends
danced Io LMFAD's "Sexy and Know I.
NexI, IelI a bII oI dj vu wIIh RoosevelI uad's rendI-
IIon oI Ihe same song. dId IhInk RosIe's song was clever,
and wIsh could remember more Ihan "When walk Io Ihe
SAC, IhIs Is whaI see!
RoIh was up nexI wIIh a skII IhaI Involved Ihe quad's
buIlI-In waIer IeaIure and a slow moIIon run. LIke Mendy,
RoIh's skII IncorporaIed Ihe oIher quads. They even had an-
oIher quad wIn one oI Ihe races In IheIr skII.
We Iook a lIIIle break Irom Ihe perIormances Io wIsh
Wole a happy 17Ih bIrIhday, and almosI everyone goI ouI
oI IheIr seaIs Io dance Io hIs IavorIIe song, "CoIIon-Eyed
Ioe. Dnce Ihe song ended, Ihe cheerleaders perIormed
a rouIIne Ior Ihe crowd, and "Ig Red Howl I-shIrIs were
Iossed ouI InIo Ihe bleachers.
WIIh new shIrIs In hand and anoIher round oI cheer-
Ing, perIormances resumed wIIh Kelly uad. They dId IheIr
own rendIIIon oI "ThIngs SIony rook SIudenIs Say IhaI
Included reIerences Io IheIr dInIng cenIer.
ChapIn AparImenIs Iollowed wIIh IheIr versIon oI
American Idol. Dne group oI sIudenIs perIormed as Ihe
"Undergrads, and a lIIIle boy danced. He was probably Ihe
mosI adorable IhIng 've ever seen In my lIIe, especIally
when he handed ouI owers Io Ihe Iwo Iemale judges, CIna
Vanacore, Ihe AssocIaIe DIrecIor oI ResIdenIIal Programs,
and Dr. Laura ValenIe, Ihe Dean oI ResIdenIIal EducaIIon.
IhInk everyone In Ihe audIence could have waIched
IhaI lIIIle boy dance all day, buI II was IIme Ior some Tabler
love. They perIormed Io a myrIad oI songs IhaI Ihey had
recorded Ihemselves sIngIng, and Ihe audIence sang along
wIIh Ihem. had an "Dh, IhaI's my jam! momenI whenever
a new song came on.
The perIormances ended wIIh H uad's quesI Io nd
Ihe hoIIesI place on campus. The skII ended In cheers
Irom H uad resIdenIs, whIch evenIually led Io cheerIng
and dancIng Irom Ihe oIher quads. There was even a dance
baIIle beIween Wole and Mendy's Wole oI as RHA and
NRHH decIded who would geI Ihe SpIrII SIIck and Ihe judg-
es IallIed up IheIr scores.
AIIer IhankIng Ihe Campus AcIIvIIIes and Major Pro-
grams commIIIee Ior plannIng Ig Red Howl, along wIIh Ihe
judges and C-CERT, MIchael Cordova, an RHD and member
oI Ihe CAMP CommIIIee, announced IhaI Ihe judges had
chosen Mendelsohn uad Ior besI skII! RHA and NRHH had
pIcked Mendelsohn as mosI spIrIIed IhaI nIghI and award-
ed Ihem wIIh Ihe SpIrII SIIck.
Dverall, SpIrII NIghI seemed Io be a Iun evenI IhaI
everyone enjoyed. Even Ihough Mendy Iook home all Ihe
gold IhaI nIghI, H uad pIcked up Ihe mosI poInIs Ihrough
Ihe course oI Ihe race. had a greaI IIme servIng as MC Ior
Ihe nIghI, and can'I waII Ior SpIrII NIghI nexI year!
by Terichi Bellinger
CULTURE March 6, 2012
NIneIeen-year old Iordan Del FIerro was jusI wander-
Ing In Ihe Charles . Wang CenIer, waIIIng Ior hIs IrIends on
a Tuesday aIIernoon. Suddenly, Room 2U1 caughI hIs eye.
CurIous, he enIered Ihe spacIous room and soon noIIced
Ihe large panels oI phoIographs, charIs and InIormaIIon on
Ihe walls and Ihe large accordIon dIsplay aI Ihe cenIer oI
Ihe room. He had unknowIngly walked InIo "SInggaloI: The
TIes IhaI Ind.
SInggaloI Is produced by Ihe SmIIhsonIan AsIan PacIc
AmerIcan Program. AccordIng Io Ihe program, Ihe exhIbII
"deIaIls Ihe hIsIory oI FIlIpInos In AmerIca, honors early Im-
mIgranI pIoneers.and addresses Ihe communIIy and cul-
Iure oI FIlIpIno-AmerIcans Ihrough hIsIorIcally-sIgnIcanI
"I's very InIormaIIve and really InIeresIIng, saId Del
FIerro, a sophomore and marIne bIology major. Del FIerro
was born InIo a halI-FIlIpIno, halI-CaucasIan IamIly. "To see
my hIsIory laId ouI Ior me was jusI amazIng.
Each black and whIIe phoIograph depIcIs FIlIpInos
IhroughouI hIsIory. MosI oI Ihese lm clIps oI hIsIorIc mo-
menIs donaIed by Ihe FIlIpIno AmerIcan NaIIonal HIsIorIcal
SocIeIy NaIIonal Dmce, Filipinas magazIne and Ihe descen-
danIs oI Ihe IamIlIes dIsplayed. For example, Ihe orabod
FamIly oI New Drleans and Ihe acalso FamIly oI ChIcago
were among Ihe rsI FIlIpIno ImmIgranIs who were hIred as
"sakadas, or conIracI laborers, Irom 15U6 Io 1535.
There are also charIs and graphs showIng Ihe "Popula-
IIon oI FIlIpInos In Ihe U.S. ThIs Includes Ihe "SIaIes wIIh
Ihe LargesI ConcenIraIIon oI FIlIpInos In 2UUU, boIh pure
and mIxed, as well as Ihe populaIIon oI "FIlIpInos In Ihe U.S.
TrusI TerrIIorIeslMIcronesIa.
uI Ihe pIcIures and charIs do noI jusI provIde InIorma-
"I shows how Ihey overcome Ihe challenges, ex-
plaIned NIdIhI NaIr, a sIudenI assIsIanI Ior Ihe AsIan AmerI-
can Program aI SIony rook UnIversIIy.
The panels narraIe Ihe IascInaIIng sIory oI an eIhnIc
group colonIzed by Ihe SpanIsh Ior more Ihan 3UU years
IhaI gaIned Ireedom only Io be handed over Io anoIher
colonIzer, Ihe UnIIed SIaIes, aIIer Ihe SpanIsh-AmerIcan
War In 1858. Each panel Iold a sIory oI each sIruggle FIlI-
pIno ImmIgranIs had Io Iace whIle on AmerIcan soIl beIore
nally beIng granIed cIIIzenshIp In 15/6 along wIIh Ihe In-
dependence oI IheIr home counIry.
The exhIbII has been IourIng Ihe counIry sInce 2UU8,
vIsIIIng sIaIes wIIh large FIlIpIno communIIIes such as CalI-
IornIa, llInoIs and PennsylvanIa. ThIs year, II has made IIs
nal sIop In New York, specIcally In SIony rook.
"I's good because II's noI In a large area lIke ManhaI-
Ian buI here In Long sland, saId IennIIer acona, Ihe Pro-
gram CoordInaIor oI Ihe AsIan-AmerIcan Program.
NoI many sIudenIs have vIsIIed Ihe exhIbII sInce II
"I's mosIly been slow Ior now, acona admIIs.
However, boIh Ihe CommunIIy DpenIng Program on
Ihe March 3 and Ihe Campus DpenIng RecepIIon a Iew days
laIer on Ihe March 8 have already receIved many responses
Irom InIeresIed paIrons, boIh sIudenIs and non-sIudenIs.
acona Is condenI IhaI Ihe number oI vIsIIors wIll grow In
Ihe upcomIng weeks.
Del FIerro saId he would love Io aIIend eIIher one oI
Ihe programs II hIs schedule allows hIm.
" don'I IhInk FIlIpInos In AmerIca realIze IhaI Ihere Is
such a culIure, he saId. "IusI because 'm FIlIpIno doesn'I
mean 'll jusI acI lIke a FIlIpIno, or 'm an AmerIcan so 'll
jusI acI lIke an AmerIcan. No, Ihere's also a FIlIpIno-AmerI-
can culIure.
by Caithlin Pena
Photo by Trevor Christian
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
Paul Newland is the Staller Centers Outreach Coordina-
tor. Starting last semester, the Staller Center has been show-
ing classic movies free for Stony Brook students. On February
28, we sat down with Paul to talk about the program.
Stony Brook Press: Why dId you sIarI IhIs serIes?
Paul Newland: Well, Ihere are a loI oI reasons. ParI oI
my job Is Io geI sIudenIs Io come Io SIaller CenIer. And
we always say around here IhaI we don'I wanI sIudenIs Io
come here Ior orIenIaIIon, and Ihen come here when Ihey
graduaIe, and Ihen noI do anyIhIng In beIween. So g-
ured sIarIIng a movIe serIes IhaI's Iree Ior sIudenIs wIIh
culI classIcs IhaI you haven'I necessarIly seen on Ihe bIg
screen would be a greaI opporIunIIy Io brIng sIudenIs InIo
the theater.
SBP: You show Ihe classIc movIes once a monIh, cor-
PN: Well, we've only done one so Iar. ThaI was Pulp Fic-
tion In November. We're doIng Clockwork Orange Iomorrow,
and 'm hopIng, sIarIIng nexI semesIer In Ihe Iall, IhaI we'll
do Ihree per semesIer. Probably one In SepIember, DcIober
and November.
SBP: DId you come up wIIh Ihe Idea and sIarI IhIs pro-
PN: dId. FIrsI wanIed Io do Ihe Star Wars lms, buI
Ihey weren'I avaIlable, so wenI ImmedIaIely wIIh Pulp
Fiction because everyone knew and recognIzed IhaI lm.
IhoughI IhaI would be a greaI sIarIIng poInI Io geI sIudenIs
Io come In.
SBP: How are you payIng Ior Ihe lm rIghIs?
PN: Well, we're noI chargIng sIudenIs Ior Ihe lm. All oI
Ihe IundIng Ior IhIs Is comIng Irom Ihe arbara N. WIen (En-
dowmenI Ior ArIs and EducaIIon}. ThaI's where Ihe IundIng
Is comIng Irom Ior Ihe screenIng and Ior Ihe sIudenI sIah
IhaI's here IhaI nIghI.
SBP: How has Ihe aIIendance been?
PN: We've only done Ihe one, buI Ihrough lImIIed ad-
verIIsIng on campus, we had jusI over /UU Ior Pulp Fiction.
'm hopIng Ior a much bIgger house Ior Clockwork Orange.
SBP: haven'I seen IhaI one yeI, buI heard II's good.
PN: I Is good. I's also a lIIIle dIsIurbIng. The process oI
pIckIng ouI Ihe lms has been wIIh Ihe sIudenI sIah here.
would Ihrow ouI IIIles and Ihey would gIve me suggesIIons.
Maybe some oI my Ideas dIdn'I oaI wIIh people who are
2U years younger Ihan me.
SBP: Have you goIIen any sIudenI Ieedback?
PN: Yeah, acIually aIIer Ihe Pulp Fiction screenIng,
a bunch oI sIudenIs came up Io me and had suggesIIons
and puI Ihem on a lIsI. We've goI The Breakfast Club, Pink
Floyd-The Wall, Trainspotting, and IhInk 'd really lIke Io
do, maybe around Halloween nexI year, one oI Ihe classIc
horror lms. Maybe even a double IeaIure, someIhIng lIke
Night of the Living Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. uI
IhIs depends on aIIendance. I we go Ior Ihe nexI Iwo wIIh-
ouI geIIIng a loI oI people, don'I know how we're goIng Io
conIInue IhIs.
SBP: Have you IhoughI abouI playIng any culI classIcs
IhaI are so bad Ihey're good? LIke maybe The Room? 've
heard oI screenIngs In Ihe cIIy where, sInce Ihe maIn char-
acIer's aparImenI In Ihe lm Is decoraIed wIIh all Ihese
weIrd pIcIures oI spoons, people brIng spoons Io Ihrow aI
the screen.
PN: SInce our IheaIer Is so busy and so valuable we
won'I do lms lIke The Room or The Rocky Horror Picture
Show where people are IhrowIng sIuh aI Ihe screen.
SBP: ThaI movIe's so awIul IhaI you enjoy II.
PN: Even Rocky Horror, don'I know II you've ever seen
II In Ihe IheaIer wIIh audIence InIeracIIon, II's Iun. uI II
you jusI waIch II, II's a IerrIble movIe. don'I IhInk II's en-
joyable II people aren'I dancIng and IhrowIng IhIngs aI Ihe
SBP: Do you have anyIhIng else planned Ior IhIs semes-
PN: We have The Big Lebowski planned Ior AprIl 18Ih.
by Mike Pedersen
CULTURE March 6, 2012
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Is a kId's classIc IhaI crIIIcIzes
bIg corporaIIons and supporIs envIronmenIalIsm. WhIle
Ihe new lm versIon proves Io be an enIerIaInIng waIch
Ior mosI audIence members, Ihe sImplIcIIy oI Ihe lm Is
losI because oI Ihe complIcaIed back-sIory and rIdIculous
musIcal numbers. AlIhough II Is endearIng Io see a new
generaIIon oI kIds see my IavorIIe chIldren's sIory come
Io lIIe, II leII me wonderIng wheIher or noI Ihey could see
Ihe message.
UnIorIunaIely, wIIh IhIs adapIIon Ihere Is a lack oI Dr.
Seuss' rhyme and creaIIvIIy. NoI only do screenwrIIers CIn-
co Paul and Ken DaurIo opI Io rewrIIe Ihe dIalogue, Ihey
made no aIIempI Io rhyme Ihe scrIpI aI all. When you read
Ihe book aloud, as you're meanI Io, II becomes clear how
sIgnIcanI Ihe rhymIng Is. Lucky Ior us Paul and DaurIo
came up wIIh a subsIIIuIIon, Ihey Iurn II InIo a musIcal IhaI
made my Iace Iall aI, sans a sIngle raIsed eyebrow.
As In nearly all oI Dr. Seuss's sIorIes, Ihe characIers and
creaIures are supposed Io be enIIrely cIIonal. WhIle IhIs Is
noI necessarIly negaIed In Ihe movIe, II Is sImply brushed
asIde. Those IhIngs meanI Io resemble bears? They're ac-
Iually rown ar-ba-looIs. Those duck-lIke IhIngs? They're
Swomee-swans. The closesI Ihey geI Io Ihe orIgInal Is Ihe
mIraculously operaIIc sh, known as HummIng-FIsh. The
magIcal world IhaI Dr. Seuss had creaIed came across as
cavalIer and unImagInaIIve In Ihe lm.
uI Ihe anImaIIons are superb. ThIs Is Ihe sole aspecI
by whIch Ihe movIe Improves upon Ihe book. The lm man-
ages Io show whaI Is ImagIned In Ihe mInds oI young chIl-
dren on-screen. No longer does a Tuhula Tree appear as an
elecIrIed ball oI mIss-colored grass-II looks lIke combed
coIIon candy wIIh IuIIs soII and lIghI enough Io IIckle your
ThIs lm also shows a lack oI clarIIy when II comes Io
Ihe moral oI Ihe sIory. The maIn Iocus changes Irom moral
sIandards Io polIIIcal ones when D'Hare AIr, Ihe anIagonIsI
oI Ihe lm, Is puI ouI oI busIness. ThIs Is even more convo-
luIed when The Lorax Is paIred wIIh Ihe new 2U13 Mazda
CX-5 crossover SUV, a gasolIne-powered car. Then Ihere Is
sImply Ioo much com-
peIIIIon Ior aIIenIIon
beIween Ihe Dnce-
ler's sIory and Ihe pup-
py love beIween maIn
characIers Ted and
Audrey. WIIh Ihe nal
lInes oI Ihe movIe, Ihe
audIence Is happy IhaI
Ted manages Io planI
a Iree and D'Hare goes
ouI oI busIness. How-
ever, Ihe sIory leaves
readers wIIh ouI Ihe
knowledge oI how
easy II Is Ior greed Io
desIroy, and IhaI Ihere
Is always hope when
IhIngs go awry.
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
The key Io greaI comedy Is makIng an audIence laugh
so hard IhaI Ihey never wanI Io sIop. n Wanderlust, a new
comedy sIarrIng Paul Rudd and IennIIer AnIsIon, IhIs acIIon
happens rarely, II ever.
Ceorge (Rudd} and LInda (AnIsIon}, are a marrIed Man-
haIIan couple lIvIng In a "mIcro-loII unIIl Ceorge loses hIs
corporaIe job (whIch he haIes}, and LInda IaIls Io sell her
documenIary abouI penguIns wIIh cancer. The couple Ihen
ees Ihe cIIy and hIIs Ihe road, headIng souIh Io AIlanIa Io
lIve wIIh Ceorge's obnoxIous broIher (Ken MarIno}. Dn Ihe
way, Ihey seek one nIghI's reIuge aI ElysIum, a hIppIe com-
mune. AIIer lIIe aI Ihe broIher's becomes Ioo much, Ihe Iwo
head back Io ElysIum In an ehorI Io gIve Ihe commune's
peace and Iree love, cannabIs consumIng, IwIggy-beverage
lIIesIyle a Iry. WhIle Ihere, Ihey are Iorced Io adjusI Irom
IheIr Iormer laIIe- and smarI phone-addIcIed lIves. TheIr
new lIves Include Ihe sexy Eva (MalIn Akerman} who Iurns
her charms on Io seduce Ceorge, as well as Ihe absoluIely
Iull-oI-shII, buI sIIll compleIely appealIng and charmIng
SeIh (IusIIn Theroux}.
UnIorIunaIely, whaI should have been a greaI seI-up
and premIse wIIh a sIrong casI oI zany characIers played by
some wonderIul comedIc acIors and dIrecIor DavId WaIn,
Ialls shorI oI whaI II could have been. The heIIy parI oI Ihe
blame goes Io Ihe sad scrIpI, whIch doesn'I do eIIher Ihe
characIers, Ihe acIors who play Ihem or Ihe sIory jusIIce.
Many oI Ihe gags go on Ior Iar Ioo long, IallIng aI almosI
ImmedIaIely, Ihen persIsI In IryIng Io press Ihe audIence
Io laugh aI Ihem In Ihe
hopes IhaI conIInuIng Ihe
joke wIll suddenly make II
Iunny. The one excepIIon Io
IhIs Is a IaIrly long sIreIch oI
IIme when Rudd's characIer
Ialks Io hImselI In a mIrror, a
spoI IhaI was hopeIully all
ad-lIbbed on Rudd's parI.
DIherwIse, II Ioo Is a poorly
wrIIIen joke meanI Io jusI
sIreIch Ihe scrIpI ouI long
enough Io lasI a mInImum oI
an hour and a halI.
There Is also a genuIne
lack oI chemIsIry beIween
Rudd and AnIsIon, whIch makes II hard Io rooI Ior Ihem Io
work Ihrough any Issues Ihey may have as a couple. ThIs Is
In addIIIon Io an IronIc lack oI chemIsIry beIween AnIsIon
and oIher lm love InIeresI Theroux, her real lIIe parIner.
I's hard Io belIeve LInda, aIIer she Is Iully seduced by com-
mune lIIe, would sIIll go Ior SeIh, because hIs charm really
doesn'I go very Iar.
Dverall, Ihe lm Isn'I really worIh Ihe IIckeI prIce, be-
cause Ihe laughs don'I susIaIn Ihe audIence over Ihe one-
hour IhIrIy-eIghI mInuIe runIIme. You're beIIer oh IryIng
Io nd a commune oI your own-chances are II'll provIde
more laughIer Ihan ElysIum does.
n Ihe new IhrIller Gone, Amanda SeyIrIed plays IIll Par-
rIsh, who comes home Irom workIng Ihe nIghI shIII aI a run
down dIner Io dIscover her sIsIer, Molly, has dIsappeared.
HavIng escaped Irom a kIdnappIng Ihe year beIore, she Is
convInced Ihe same kIdnapper has come back Ior her sIsIer.
I she doesn'I do someIhIng quIckly, Ihe nexI IIme she sees
her sIsIer could be In a body bag. When Ihe polIce reIuse
Io belIeve IhaI IIll's so-called abducIor Is responsIble, she
grabs a gun and goes In pursuII oI Ihe sly kIller herselI, nd-
Ing ouI hIs secreI whIle IryIng Io save her sIsIer.
Her search Is lled wIIh ludIcrous breaks, chases on
IooI and by car and close-call escapes, all whIle comIng
up wIIh sIory aIIer sIory so IhaI no one she Ialks Io knows
she's InvesIIgaIIng her sIsIer's dIsappearance. All oI IhIs
husIle and clear ehorI lead up Io an absurd and horrIbly
craIIed lasI roll, makIng you yawn and sneak a peek aI your
waIch Io see how much IIme you wasIed.
hand II Io SeyIrIed, Ihough, she seems Io have Ihe role
oI an unsIable characIer down paI. Known besI Ior her dII-
sy perIormance In Mean Girls, she denIIely has become a
well-rounded acIress, able Io play dIherenI characIers and
pull Ihem oh preIIy well. uI somehow she always geIs
sIuck playIng Ihe role oI a beaIen down characIer, makIng
her hold back her Irue abIlIIIes and leavIng her In a posIIIon
where she can'I shIne on her own.
esIdes SeyIrIed, IhIs lm was made up oI acIors and
acIresses IhaI are noI very well-known, especIally Ihe se-
rIal kIller who was only seen Ior a Iew seconds on Ihe bIg
ThIs so-called IhrIller wasn'I so scary aI all, and Ihe
spooky scenes, lIke openIng up a door as eerIe musIc plays
In Ihe background, dIdn'I make me say, "No, don'I go In
Ihere! nsIead, II made me hope Ihe end was near.
I Is a IoIal leIdown. AIIer goIng non-sIop IhroughouI
Ihe lm, runnIng around lIke a madwoman wIIh a gun, Sey-
IrIed keeps you guessIng. ThaI Is, unIIl Ihe clImaIIc conIron-
IaIIon leaves you IhInkIng IhaI Gone never should have ar-
rIved Io begIn wIIh.
by Nicole Kohn
WANDERLUST by Lauren DuBois
CULTURE March 6, 2012
n an age when every new socIal medIa websIIe Is au-
IomaIIcally IouIed as "Ihe nexI TwIIIer or Facebook by Ihe
press and wanna-be "pIoneer users, II's hard Io gage IheIr
sIayIng power. Take, Ior example, Ihe release oI Coogle+
lasI summer. Every nerd on Ihe nIerneI prophesIzed IhaI
II would brIng abouI Ihe ulIImaIe deaIh Io Facebook only
Io nd IhaI II bored early adopIers beIore II was even ouI
oI beIa. New socIal medIa websIIes have a Iendency Io be
hyped by people IryIng Io be ahead oI Ihe curve on new
Iools Io whore IheIr personal brands.
PInIeresI, a sIarI-up IhaI has surged In popularIIy over
Ihe pasI monIh, Is a vIrIual corkboard Ior sharIng IhIngs
Iound on Ihe nIerneI, Irom home dcor and cloIhes Io
memes and vIdeos. EssenIIally, II's a mIxIure oI Tumblr and
TwIIIer In IhaI pages are cusIomIzed Io reecI Ihe person-
alIIy oI Ihe user, and Ihere's no real sIIgma aIIached Io go-
Ing on a posIIng rampage. Though Ihe websIIe's InIerIace
Is quIIe InIuIIIve and IhoughIIully desIgned (IhInk a bIgger,
more compacI versIon oI Facebook's IImelIne}, IIs Iunc-
IIonalIIy Is lImIIed Io saIIsIyIng only Ihe savvIesI and mosI
dedIcaIed socIal medIa junkIes.
The InIeresIIng IhIng abouI PInIeresI Is IhaI IIs core
Idea Is a move In Ihe opposIIe dIrecIIon oI mosI socIal me-
dIa sIIes. Every Facebook prole updaIe has Iaken a Iurn
downplayIng personal IdenIIIy secIIons lIke IavorIIe mov-
Ies and quoIes, wIIh Ihe realIzaIIon IhaI people care less
abouI who you are Ihan whaI you're doIng. TwIIIer doesn'I
even boIher havIng Ihese selI-IdenIIcaIIon secIIons, al-
lowIng someone's posIIng hIsIory Io speak Ior IIselI.
The only Iorm oI InIeracIIon on PInIeresI Is Ihrough
pIcIures and lInks, lImIIIng Ihe socIalIIy Io Iorms oI selI-
IdenIIcaIIon. WhIle people can posI orIgInal conIenI, II's
nearly always re-hashed lInks Irom oIher websIIes, whIch
are In Iurn re-dIgesIed Ihrough "re-pInnIngs by oIher peo-
ple. ConsIderIng IhaI Ihe websIIe Is largely relIanI on selI-
InIeresI and buIldIng an onlIne personalIIy over real InIer-
acIIon, Ihe resulIIng news Ieed leaves users sIIIIng Ihrough
borIng pIcIures and novelIy producIs, noI organIzed by any
useIul algorIIhm.
uI II's hard Io argue wIIh numbers: PInIeresI Is by some
esIImaIes saId Io be Ihe IasIesI-growIng socIal neIwork In
hIsIory, wIIh excess oI Ien mIllIon users, even Ihough II Is
sIIll In InvIIe-only mode. UnlIke Coogle+, whIch was way
Ioo selI-aware Io succeed, or FormSprIng whIch had a nIIe
usabIlIIy, PInIeresI has Ihe same draw as websIIes lIke LasI.
Im, where Ihe goal Is abouI buIldIng a prole IhaI's oI more
use Io you Ihan II Is Io your IrIends. UlIImaIely, Ihe success
oI PInIeresI wIll lIe In a change In user behavIor IhaI hasn'I
come yeI: some people wIll need Io sIop IryIng Ioo hard Io
please IheIr Iollowers, and oIhers wIll need Io realIze IhaI
II's okay Io sIop IollowIng your IrIend who only posIs pIc-
Iures oI kIIIens and Ice cream. And lIke TwIIIer, someIImes
II's beIIer Io jusI sIay on Ihe sIdelInes and waIch oIhers.
PInIeresI Is probably here Io sIay, buI don'I IhInk II's
any sorI oI new Facebook, TwIIIer or even Tumblr. I may be
drawIng InIeresI now (especIally Irom women, who make
up 8/ percenI oI users}, buI Ihe only people lIkely Io end
up sIayIng aboard are Ihe mosI obsessIve conIenI-Iarmers
and nIerneI shoppIng addIcIs. For mosI oI us, II's preIIy
by Sam Liebrand
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
Dn February 28, a group oI sIudenIs and IaculIy puI
on "SIarry NIghIs aI SIaller CenIer, a concerI IeaIurIng re-
nowned musIcIans, IncludIng MeIallIca's KevIn Cobb and
Ihe DrchesIra oI Ihe MeIropolIIan Dpera's Pedro DIaz.
Named Ior IIs generally well-known parIIcIpanIs, Ihe
evenI Is held once a semesIer on Ihe SIaller CenIer RecIIal
Hall sIage.
The serIes allows boIh sIudenIs and IaculIy Io "play Io
boIh hIghlIghI IheIr abIlIIIes, and Io show Ihe collaboraIIve
spIrII whIch Is Ihe core phIlosophy oI Ihe deparImenI, saId
MIchael HershkowIIz, dIrecIor oI ConcerIs aI SIony rook.
MusIc proIessor ColIn Carr, Is Ihe arIIsIIc dIrecIor Ior
Ihe producIIon and even parIIcIpaIes In Ihe perIormances
as a cellIsI. The sIudenIs, So Young ae, AlexandrIa Le, and
Susanna Mendlow, as well as Ihe IaculIy do noI aIIend oIh-
erwIse IypIcal mulIIple rehearsal sessIons Ior IhIs Iype oI
"ecause oI Ihe dImculIy oI IryIng Io schedule rehears-
als around Ihe busy IeachIng and perIormance schedules
oI each oI Ihe players, Ihe acIual preparaIIon IIme Is ex-
Iremely condensed, and usually consIsIs oI a Iew hours oI
rehearsals IogeIher beIore Ihe concerI, saId HershkowIIz.
The players rehearse IndIvIdually and Ihe preparaIIon
Ior such an evenI can Iake "weeks or monIhs beIore Ihe
acIual perIormance. The lImIIed amounI oI joInI prepara-
IIon, however, has less ehecI because Ihe musIcIan's In-
dIvIdual pracIIce allows a "perIecI undersIandIng oI IheIr
IndIvIdual parIs.
The recIIal consIsIed oI Iour pIeces, Ihe rsI beIng Lal-
lIeI's "TrIo Ior Dboe, assoon, and PIano. The pIece allows
each InsIrumenI Io play Ihe role IhaI II Is besI suIIed Ior:
Ihe pIano lIghIhearIedly playIng and medIaIIng whIle Ihe
bassoon and oboe engage In a harmonIous conversaIIon.
The second pIece, lacher's "DIverIImenIo Ior TrumpeI,
Trombone and PIano, consIsIed oI jazz-Inuence harmo-
nIes and melancholy ballads Irom boIh Ihe IrumpeI and
The audIence responded more Iavorably Io Ihe IhIrd
pIece, MarIInu's "Revue de CuIsIne, a lIvely movemenI
IhaI Is jazz-InspIred and conIaIned a march-lIke Iempo. I
sIrongly resembled Ihe CharlesIon, and engaged Ihe audI-
The nal pIece, SchuberI's "TrIo Ior PIano, VIolIn and
Cello, In -FlaI was perIormed wIIh melodIc beauIy and
rhyIhmIc InvenIIveness. I was energeIIc and served as a
greaI conIrasI Io Ihe modern pIeces IhaI came beIore II.
Dverall, Ihe IechnIcal abIlIIy on dIsplay was hIgh, as
boIh sIudenIs and IaculIy awlessly execuIed each move-
menI wIIh grace and precIsIon. WhIle Ihe sIudenIs were
anxIous abouI perIormIng beIore Ihe publIc, Ihey are able
Io "learn Io manage IheIr anxIeIy, " saId HershkowIIz.
by Brianna Peterson
CULTURE March 6, 2012
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
AIIer waIchIng Ihe IndIe lm Happy, Happy (orIgInal IIIle Sykt Lykkelig}, Ihere Is only one
IhIng can say wIIh cerIaInIy: don'I undersIand NorwegIans.
The sIory Is seI In Ihe mIddle oI Nowhere, Norway. A couple wIIh marIIal Issues (probably
because Ihe husband may or may noI acIually be homosexual} Is renIIng ouI IheIr second house
nexI door Io anoIher couple wIIh marIIal Issues (mosIly because Ihe wIIe had an ahaIr}. LoIs oI
awkward and depressIng IhIngs happen In Ihe hour-and-a-halI lm, buI Ihe prImary awkward
scenarIo Is IhaI WIIe #1, Kaja (Agnes KIIIelsen}, begIns sleepIng wIIh Husband #2, SIgve (Hen-
rIk RaIaelsen}, and all hell breaks loose. ExcepI IhaI II doesn'I because everyone seems Io be
mosIly okay wIIh II.
ThIs lm leII me conIemplaIIng Ihe InIrIcacIes oI human InIeracIIon and how much Iun
II wouldn'I be Io run naked Ihrough Ihe snow. UlIImaIely, IhInk II's worIh waIchIng II one Is
InIeresIed In Ihe oddIIIes oI relaIIonshIps, buI don'I expecI someIhIng happy or excIIIng. -IEN
Melancholia drove several SIaller paIrons Irom Ihe IheaIre, buI had no desIre Io leave
even Ior ve mInuIes. The InIrIcaIe ploI probably conIrIbuIed mosI Io Ihe exodus, buI 'm sure
Ihe nudIIy dIdn'I help eIIher.
There are Iwo sIsIers, IusIIne (KIrsIen DunsI} and ClaIre (CharloIIe CaInsbourg}. IusIIne
has jusI been marrIed, and Ihe weddIng recepIIon Is beIng held aI her sIsIer's esIaIe. I quIckly
becomes apparenI IhaI IusIIne Is suherIng Irom melancholIa, a Creek word meanIng "sadness,
whIch was used In ancIenI IImes Io descrIbe a varIeIy oI menIal dIsorders, IncludIng depres-
sIon. The word Iakes on a double meanIng when II Is used Io name a planeI IhaI Is on a collIsIon
course wIIh EarIh.
The lm Is slow aI IImes, and Ihere are a loI oI scenes IhaI dIdn'I seem relevanI Io Ihe ploI.
I had Ihose complaInIs abouI any oIher lm, would say, "don'I wasIe your money. However,
In IhIs case, II's very worIh II. DespIIe Ihe seemIng lack oI ploI and slow-movIng pacIng, II Is a
very capIIvaIIng lm. Also, Ihe lasI scene alone Is one oI Ihe mosI InIense IhIngs 've seen In a
When SIanley KubrIck's 1571 masIerpIece A Clockwork Orange comes up In polIIe conver-
saIIon, one IopIc InevIIably emerges: vIolence. As orIgInally descrIbed In AnIhony urgess's
1562 novel oI Ihe same name, Alex, a hIgh school-aged Ihug wIIh a IasIe Ior eeIhoven, heads
a small gang In a crIme-rIdden dysIopIan IuIure England. Through Ihe course oI Ihe movIe's rsI
acI, he and hIs "droogs rob, plunder and rape boIh Ihe rIch and poor wIIh ImpunIIy, spewIng
RussIan-Inuenced "nadsaI slang all Ihe whIle. n order Io leave prIson early aIIer a robbery
goes wrong, Alex parIIcIpaIes In an experImenIal "IreaImenI Ior crImInal behavIor IhaI robs
hIm oI hIs Iree wIll.
NoI surprIsIngly, Ihe movIe makes mosI audIences proIoundly uncomIorIable. Alex and hIs
IrIends sIng and dance as Ihey commII acIs oI bruIal rape and unabashed depravIIy, backed by
a joyIul classIcal score. I's dIsIurbIng, buI In IIs own way II's also Iunny (an Irony seemIngly
losI on some}. The paIrIng oI hIgh arI wIIh hIgh crIme, along wIIh grandIose speech and a casI
oI paIenIly absurd characIers, Is a key parI oI urgess's darkly comedIc novel. I's a sIaIemenI
on Ihe IuIIlIIy oI crIme conIrol and Ihe conIused InIenIIons oI bureaucraIs xIng noI Ihe cause
oI IheIr socIeIy's Illness, buI merely IIs sympIoms. I you squIrm aI Ihese Images, consIder II a
good sIgn. I means IhaI In all lIkelIhood, you're sane.
To be ohended by a work oI arI Is ne. n IacI, II you nd someIhIng ohensIve, II's probably
because Ihe creaIor wanIed you Io. uI when you decIde IhaI you are only ohended-IhaI Is,
dIsIurbed wIIh no accompanyIng InIellecIual grasp oI a work's message or meanIng-Ihen you
are choosIng Io Ignore whaI Ihe arIIsI Is IryIng Io say. I's a reducIIve and oversImplIed poInI
oI vIew. urgess hImselI laIer saId IhaI he regreIIed Ihe degree Io whIch A Clockwork Orange
was so oIIen mIsInIerpreIed. uI can IhInk oI a Iew sIorIes wIIh less InIellecIual value Ihan
IhIs-IncludIng one In whIch Ihe Romans naIl a guy Io a cross Ior encouragIng people Io be nIce
to each other.
So geI ouI Ihere and geI ohended. ecause II you've made II IhIs Iar wIIhouI makIng an eI-
IorI Io undersIand Ihe unpleasanI, you're doIng someIhIng wrong. -ANDY PDLHAMUS
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
AlIernaIIve hIp-hop has been makIng waves In Ihe
musIc IndusIry and Is becomIng IncreasIngly popular.
Early arIIsIs such as Asher RoIh InIroduced Ihe newesI
wave, whIch blends elecIronIc beaIs wIIh caIchy rhymes.
ThIs has paved Ihe way Ior oIher arIIsIs Io come InIo Ihe
PromInenI among Ihem Is Ihe PhIladelphIa-based
duo ChIddy ang, a group IhaI's comIng InIo Ihe maIn-
sIream. AIIer gaInIng crIIIcal acclaIm Ior IheIr hIp-hop
spIn on Ihe MCMT hII song "KIds, Ihe duo released
Iwo EPs mIxIng IheIr sIgnaIure sound: blendIng elec-
IronIc beaIs Irom ndIe-ElecIronIc bands such as PassIon
PII wIIh lyrIcs IhaI anyone can remember such as "wIll
somebody please Iell RoIh IhaI don'I love college.
TheIr rsI sIudIo album, Breakfast, IeaIures Ihe very
sounds IhaI Ians have come Io love. The problem Is IhaI
Ihere's noI much change In sound beIween IhIs album
and earlIer EPs. You can hear Ihe echoes In sIyle Irom
earlIer songs lIke "The DpposIIe oI AdulIs and "The
Cood LIIe.
ThaI's noI Io say IhaI IhIs record Is bad, Ihough. The
rhymes and melodIes are memorable, and II cerIaInly
puIs you In IhaI "Ieel-good mood. When II comes Io
caIchy beaIs Io nod your head Io, ChIddy's Iully sIocked
and ready Io delIver.
"CaIchy may be Ihe besI way Io descrIbe IhIs re-
lease. You'll nd yourselI hummIng Ihe melody or cho-
rus Irom Iracks such as "Ray Charles or "MInd Your Man-
ners Ior hours aIIer lIsIenIng.
However, IhIs album seems more oI a conIInuaIIon
oI prevIous releases as opposed Io a sIep In a new dI-
recIIon. I doesn'I exacIly sIand ouI In any way. ChIddy
doesn'I dIsIInguIsh IIselI In anyway Irom oIher arIIsIs In
Ihe IndusIry. ThaI's one oI Ihe major downIalls oI Break-
fast. You can hear Ihe sImIlarIIIes beIween IhIs release
and HoodIe Allen's "Pep Rally or ChIldIsh CambIno's
All In all, Breakfast Is a decenI album. I's goI some
caIchy songs, buI Ihe lack oI varIeIy makes II almosI bor-
Ing. wouldn'I exacIly call II Ihe "breakIasI oI champI-
Dear Mr. SprIngsIeen,
won'I preIend we haven'I had our ups and downs. My
parenIs never lIked you, Ior one, whIch 'm sure was Iough Io
hear, consIderIng my whole IamIly Is Irom your home sIaIe.
Then Ihere was Ihe mIddle oI your career, whIch Is spoIIy
enough Io gIve even your mosI dedIcaIed Ians pause. mean
really, Is Ihere anyone who IhInks Lucky Town Is a decenI al-
bum? DuIsIde oI jaIl, mean.
uI we had our good IImes, Ioo. There was Greetings from
Asbury Park, N.J., In whIch you IdenIIed yourselI as a clev-
er lyrIcIsI wIIh a aIr Ior Imagery and a sIrong soul sensIbIl-
IIy. And Ihen Ihere was Born to Run, whIch-as everybody
knows-seI Ihe sIage Ior where you are Ioday. My personal Ia-
vorIIe Is Nebraska. And don'I even geI me sIarIed on Ihe socIal
poIgnancy oI Born in the U.S.A. uI leI's be real wIIh ourselves.
AIIer '85, you kInd oI lose me. undersIand IhaI you had jusI
realIzed you were geIIIng old and sure, IhaI can be scary. uI
come on. NamIng a record Tunnel of Love Is sorI oI creepy and
jusI generally noI a good career move.
Look, whaI 'm really wrIIIng Ior Is Io Iell you IhaI even
Ihough we don'I see much oI each oIher anymore, respecI
whaI you're doIng now and hope we can be IrIends. Sure, your
album oI PeIe Seeger covers was preIIy lame, buI II seems lIke
you've nally been able Io combIne Ihe arena rock IhaI made
you Iamous wIIh Ihe Iolk Inuence IhaI so closely echoes your
polIIIcs. "Shackled and Drawn Is a greaI song wIIh a sIompIng
rock beaI and an AppalachIan-sIyle melody, Ior example, and
your new record's IIIle Irack "WreckIng all Is noIhIng shorI
oI beauIIIul. As usual, you've based your songs around Ihe so-
cIopolIIIcal sIaIus quo, so your songs abouI Ihe CreaI Reces-
sIon cerIaInly hII home. Dn a Iew oIher Iracks, can IoIally
hear you geIIIng back Io your rooIs-all IhaI pIano, you know?
And Ihe way you end on a brIghI noIe Is awesome.
IhoughI 'd nIsh by sayIng Ihanks. I was lookIng shaky
Ihere Ior a preIIy long IIme, buI you've come Ihrough Ior us
agaIn. I's good Io see you're doIng well.
Your FrIend,
P.S. Sorry Io hear abouI Clarence. 'm sure he's soloIng up
In heaven, or wherever sIdekIcks go when Ihey dIe.
CULTURE March 6, 2012
Kaiser Chiefs - Start the Revolution Without Me
rIIIsh IndIe rock band, Ihe KaIser ChIeIs' IIh sIudIo album opens wIIh Ihe
ImpossIbly caIchy "LIIIle Shocks, makIng II obvIous IhaI lIsIeners are In Ior a
IreaI wIIh IhIs new record. Snarky lyrIcs and upbeaI rock Iempos demonsIraIe
IhaI Ihe band has yeI Io lose IIs Iouch Ior makIng musIc, and when II's Iollowed
up by Ihe rsI sIngle oh Ihe album, "Dn Ihe Run, II's evIdenI IhaI Ihe InIec-
IIous melodIes and smooIh vocals are only goIng Io geI beIIer. LInes lIke "sIarI
Ihe revoluIIon wIIhouI me. 'll denIIely be aI Ihe nexI one, Irom whIch Ihe
album Iakes IIs name, are noI only apropos Io IhIs day and age when cIvIl unresI
seems rampanI worldwIde, buI Is also delIghIIully saIIrIcal and show IhaI Ihe
band doesn'I Iake IIselI Ioo serIously. AlIhough, Iwo well-placed ballads near
and aI Ihe end remInd lIsIeners IhaI Ihe KaIser ChIeIs are noI all Iun and games.
Start the Revolution Without Me Is easIly one oI Ihe mosI comprehensIvely solId
albums In recenI years and come March 6 when Ihe album Is nally released In
Ihe U.S., you'll wanI Io leave II on a loop.
Yellow Ostrich - Strange Land
Yellow DsIrIch's Strange Land Is denIIely a major sIep Iorward Ior Ihe band.
FInally IakIng advanIage oI IheIr new Iull-band seIup, Ihey've evolved Irom
clever Ideas IhaI aren'I always Ideally-execuIed Io a solId, well-produced rock
album IhaI 'd recommend Io anyone. I's Ien Iracks oI creaIIve, hook-drIven In-
dIe musIc IhaI blends elemenIs oI RadIohead, NeIl Young and Paul SImon InIo
someIhIng IhaI has Io be heard. RepeaIedly.
Xiu Xiu - Always
Say "hI Io Ihe harsh world accordIng Io IamIe SIewarI on Ihe new XIu XIu
album Always, SIewarI II Is noI a happy place. ThIs album can be unseIIlIng
Io Ihe lIghI-hearIed because oI Ihe InIense lyrIcs IhaI range Irom aborIIon Io
"an AIghanI Ieenage boy murdered Ior sporI by AmerIcan soldIers.'' I capIures
Ihe damagIng, cruel world In a genIle way. The songs are enlIghIenIng and Ihe
sound Is elecIronIc, II can be dreamy aI IIme wIIh sIrIngs, lIke In "lack Drum
MachIne.'' Enjoy lIsIenIng Io Always In a dark, goIhIc room In solIIude.
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
Magnetic Fields - Love at the Bottom of the Sea
AbandonIng Ihe grIndIng shoegaze-IInged sounds oI Distortion and Ihe
acousIIc croonIng oI Realism- The MagneIIc FIelds heads back Io IamIlIar Ier-
rIIory wIIh IheIr elevenIh album-synIh-pop romance. Fans oI early work such
as Holiday and The Wayward Bus/Distance Plastic Trees wIll rejoIce aI Ihe sound
oI IhIs album. The MagneIIc FIelds conIInue IheIr gender-bendIng lyrIcs wIIh
Ihe rsI sIngle "Andrew In Drag, delIverIng a solId oherIng on par wIIh IheIr
pasI classIcs, The MagneIIc FIelds can sIIll craII greaI IndIe-pop musIc.
Burial - Kindred
urIal once agaIn has shIned a lIghI oI creaIIvIIy InIo Ihe relaIIvely sIale,
bass drop-obsessed elecIronIc musIc scene wIIh hIs laIesI EP, Kindred. The dII-
IerenI elemenIs oI IhIs album mesh IogeIher seamlessly. From Ihe heavy, dIs-
IorIed bass lInes Io Ihe reverberanI, haunIIng vocals and Iwo-sIep percussIon,
Ihe EP ows uIdly Irom one Irack Io Ihe nexI, conveyIng a IranquIl ambIence
IhaI capIIvaIes. hope IhIs Is a sIgn oI whaI's Io come Irom urIal, as Ihe execu-
IIon oI IhIs EP Is Iruly ImpressIve.
Ceremony - Zoo
AIIer shockIng Ians wIIh 2U1U's souIhern rock-InIused RohnerI Park, hard-
core punk veIerans Ceremony are back wIIh IheIr IourIh Iull-lengIh, Zoo. I's
a good newslbad news release. FIrsI, Ihere's Ihe IacI IhaI wIIh Zoo, Ceremony
have sIepped IurIher down Ihe paIh oI IradIIIonal guIIar-drIven rock and roll
whIle maInIaInIng IheIr sIgnaIure hardcore sound. And Ihe bad news.Well ac-
Iually, IhaI's Ihe bad news, Ioo. The punk communIIy may have been surprIsed
Iwo years ago when Ceremony rsI sIepped away Irom IheIr rooIs. Zoo Is an
ImpressIve conIInuaIIon oI Ceremony's new sound, and Is sure Io appeal Io
Ians boIh new and old. ThaI saId, lIsIeners aren'I lIkely Io nd any surprIses
Punch Brothers - Whos Feeling Young Now?
Punch roIhers recenIly dropped IheIr IhIrd and already besI-charIIng al-
bum In Whos Feeling Young Now?. Even Ior consIsIenI lead sInger ChrIs ThIle,
Iormerly oI NIckel Creek, IhIs album Is ImpressIve.
LIke many oI Ihe oIher alIernaIIve Iolk bands who have Iound success In
recenI years, Punch roIhers relIes heavIly on rIch-soundIng guIIar harmonIes
and clever lyrIcs. uI IheIr songs are even more Iree-Iorm Ihan whaI's IypIcal
Ior Ihe genre, oIIen jumpIng beIween wIldly dIherenI sounds In Ihe course oI
one Irack. I doesn'I always come IogeIher, especIally In Ihe song "Hundred
Dollars, In whIch Ihe sIronger melody Iakes a back seaI Io conIrasIIng, weaker
one. When II does work, lIke on Ihe whImsIcal, ehorIless and caIchy "Don'I CeI
MarrIed WIIhouI Me, II's absoluIely brIllIanI. The Irack Io look ouI Ior Is "ThIs
CIrl, whIch has Ihe melody and energy oI radIo-ready Iolk wIIhouI Ihe cheesI-
ness IhaI so oIIen hInders Ihe genre.
CULTURE March 6, 2012
Recently, I had the chance to experience something
known as a book. A book is a bunch of paper with dried
ink glued together onto a board. They leave some separa-
tion so you may turn the paper, which are also individually
known as pages.
The best way to describe a book would be to imagine
o foreign Ionguoge fIm. Pemember fhe subfifIes of fhe
bottom that let you know what everyone is saying? Now
imagine a medium that was completely subtitles without
ony ocfuoI fIm in fhe bockground. If forces your broin fo
imagine the scenarios the characters are in: a cop-out on
fhe producfion feom's behoIf.
On the other hand, a book can last much longer than a
fIm. If you're reoIIy enjoying fhe subfifIes, if con Iosf up
to a week. This is quite the double-edged sword, however,
becouse if you don'f enjoy fhe subfifIes, you're in for o
long car ride with screaming children.
Since books do nof ocfuoIIy show you whof's hoppen-
ing, fhey somefimes wrife senfences fhof oren'f dioIogue
to describe what characters are doing and where they
are. This would have been the most tedious part of a book
if you were not required to turn the pages yourself.
Another regrettable decision on the part of book
producers is fhof fhey connof be enjoyed of nighf. Ap-
porenfIy you need Iighf fo reecf off fhe poges ond info
your eyes to be able to read. This is a massively unbear-
able situation for those who prefer their foreign language
fIms on poper wifhouf fIm of nighf.
There are many kinds of books, but all of them involve
reading, unfortunately. They have their 3D-movie equiva-
lent books that have pictures stand up as you turn the
glued paper.
Some books have hard covers and others have soft
covers. The harder a book is, the more expensive it is.
The worsf fype of book is one fhof's in o foreign Ionguoge
ond doesn'f hove subfifIes of ifs own. Who fhoughf fhof
would sell well?
I've found mony uses of books fhof weren'f fheir in-
tended use. For example, people who employ the tech-
niques of Pooping Z.0 wiII fnd fhof books roise your feef
fo on oppropriofe IeveI for effcienf excrefion. If you fnd
fhof your popers y obouf on o windy doy, fry seffing o
book atop them.
I have also found them quite useful on dates. Say
you're woifing on o Iody or genfIemon of your IocoI feoshop
ond fhey're o IiffIe Iofe, prefend you're inferesfed in fhe
book. For some unknown reason, people assume correctly
fhof I'm quife infeIIigenf when I hoId o book. Your dofe
will make this assumption as well. And for the barbarian in
us all, books could also be used to bludgeon someone you
severely dislike.
My dad told me that the papers in books are made
from trees. I went to do some research on this to vali-
date his claim on an Internet website known as Google,
but there were so many words to go through that I never
fnished my quesf. I coIIed up my grondmo fo see if if's
frue fhof poper is mode from frees, buf she's deod, so
she didn'f onswer.
OveroII, I wouIdn'f recommend books fo onyone.
They're on oufdofed medium for sfory feIIing. Why wouId
you ride o horse when you couId y on oirpIone7
by Dan Cashmar
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
Now, my Iellow em-
IssarIes and aposIleIIes,
beIore begIn, would
lIke you all Io read Ihe
IollowIng words In your
mInd, wIIh a deep, sexy
basso voIce, much lIke
IhaI oI your Morgan Free-
man or Pope enedIcI
XV: WhaI's Ihe deal wIIh
gay marrIage, man?
Now, know 'm goIng
Io geI a loI oI ack Irom
old-IarI FaIhers claImIng
IhaI gays havIng sex Is
an abomInaIIon. uI whaI
Ihe Ible specIcally
sIaIes Is, "Ihou shalI noI lIe wIIh mankInd, as wIIh woman-
kInd: II Is abomInaIIon (LevIIIcus 18:22}. Now look, Cod
knows, men lIe a loI. As a /2-year-old vIrgIn myselI, lIe
abouI my vIrgInIIy, Io men and women, all Ihe IIme. And
lIe In Ihe same way every IIme: rsI IIme, was on a prIvaIe
jeI Io arbados. belIeve named her KIkI. So many HaIl
Now, know whaI people are sayIng, "FaIher, buI Ihe
Ible Is IalkIng abouI sex. The rsI IhIng usually say Is,
" dId noI have sexual relaIIons wIIh IhaI woman. 'm noI
your IaIher. Then, we usually go on The Maury Show, and
II Iurns ouI IhaI am, In IacI, Ihe boy's IaIher. True sIory.
Anyways, II you wanI gay people Io sIop havIng sex,
you should sImply leI Ihem geI marrIed. Everyone knows
IhaI once Ihe honeymoon's over, so Is Ihe sex. I's Ihe cIr-
cle oI lIIe, rsI you lose your baby IaI and sIarI havIng sex,
Ihen, because oI chIldren and pregnancy, you gaIn back
your baby IaI and sIop havIng sex. ThIs probably only ap-
plIes Io lesbIans. Unless your name Is Thomas eaIIe. Then
you're shII ouI oI luck.
Happy SI. PaIrIck's Day. 'm celebraIIng early IhIs year.
FaIher Dean Mean, D.D., MFA
Father Dean Mean is a locally syndicat-
ed columnist. He is a fan of Genesis and
Black Sabbath.

Tucson UnIed School DIsIrIcI has "banned MexIcan-
AmerIcan SIudIes books Irom classrooms - well, Ihey may
have, dependIng on your denIIIon oI ban.
School IexIbooks are beIng Iaken ouI oI Ihe MAS class-
rooms, and Ieachers are beIng Iold by admInIsIraIors IhaI
Ihey need Io Iake precauIIons when IeachIng Irom oIher
books, as well as whaI currIculum Ihey use.
The school dIsIrIcI says Ihere are no books beIng
banned, Ihese books are sIIll avaIlable In lIbrarIes. SIIll,
Ieachers are beIng Iold Io sIay away Irom books and les-
sons IhaI have Io do wIIh race, eIhnIcIIy and oppressIon.
So why are Ihey bannIng Ihese books Irom Ihe currIculum,
buI sIIll makIng Ihem avaIlable Ior sIudenIs Io read In Ihe
lIbrary? I's lIke IellIng someone Ihey can'I have Ice cream,
whIle puIIIng a bIg bowl oI II In IronI oI Ihem.
WhaI don'I geI Is how IhroughouI our mIddle school
and hIgh school careers, every EnglIsh Ieacher Iells us IhaI
readIng Is ImporIanI and II Is someIhIng we should all do.
We were gIven a cerIaIn amounI oI books IhroughouI Ihe
school year Io read, lIke Animal Farm by Ceorge Drwell
and The Great Gatsby by F. ScoII FIIzgerald. So whaI has
ThaI lIsI oI banned books Includes Occupied America: A
History of Chicanos, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Rethinking
Columbus, Critical Race Theory, The Tempest and Chicano!:
the History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement.
WhaI bames me Ihe mosI abouI IhIs ban Is Ihe IacI IhaI
a school dIsIrIcI Is IakIng away an eIhnIc sIudIes program
and IIs books jusI because II Iocuses on MexIcan-AmerIcan
lIIe and culIure. Haven'I we all been IaughI ever sInce we
sIarIed school Io accepI people and noI judge one anoIher?
So why Is a school dIsIrIcI bannIng books because IhIs Io-
cuses on a cerIaIn culIure and race?
eIng a sIudenI
myselI who enjoys
readIng, and proudly
admIIs IhaI some oI
my IavorIIe books are
Ihe ones 've read In
my EnglIsh classes
durIng hIgh school,
IhInk II's unIaIr Ior Ihe
sIudenIs who aIIend
Tucson UnIed School
DIsIrIcI Io be resIrIcI-
ed In Ierms oI whaI
books Ihey can and
cannoI read In class.
I makes me IhInk,
II Ihey wIll ban books
Irom Ieachers' currIcu-
lum, whaI wIll Ihey do
by Nicole Kohn
OPINION March 6, 2012
"Now, don'I wanI Io sound InsensIIIve.
" hope don'I ohend anyone, buI.
" know can'I say Ihe word because 'm [InserI race].
Everyone says II. Everyone does II. And everyone
doesn'I do II. WhaI Is II?
PolIIIcal CorrecIness.
As our world has grown more IoleranI oI dIversIIy, peo-
ple have slowly realIzed IhaI cerIaIn words have Ihe power
Io ohend or emoIIonally harm oIhers.
Every race has counIless derogaIory names. When II
was jusI race IhaI was Ihe Issue, beIng polIIIcally correcI
wasn'I a bIg IhIng Io ask Ior, Ihough many people sIIll IaIled
Today, II's even more complIcaIed. NoI only can you noI
say [InserI racIal slur] unless you acIually are oI IhaI race,
buI you can'I say "remen or "reIarded.
know, know. 'm a IerrIble person Ior suggesIIng IhaI
promoIIng IemInIne equalIIy Is such a bIg deal. uI hon-
esIly, whaI's Ihe dIherence beIween "remen and "re-
HIsIorIcally, "men was Ihe Ierm used Ior Iwo reasons:
1} mosIly men dId IhaI Iype oI job, and 2} "mankInd Is kInd
oI a IhIng. MosI exIreme women's lIberaIIon people lIke Io
IorgeI Ihe second parI, or aI leasI Iry Io lump II In wIIh Ihe
And IhaI's Ihe oIher Issue. DId you noIIce IhaI saId
"exIreme? ecause Ihose are really Ihe only people who
geI ohended by cerIaIn words.
When dId we sIarI carIng so much abouI semanIIcs? We
murder Ihe EnglIsh language counIless IImes on Ihe InIer-
A PC DILEMMA by Jen Novotny
My long journey begIns aI Ihe bus sIop home. am up-
seI because Ihe Suholk CounIy TransII buses run hourly,
and are usually laIe. AlIhough receIve a sIudenI dIscounI,
do noI Ieel valIdaIed. The campus does noI value Ihe
needs oI IIs commuIer sIudenIs.
My commuIe beneIs Irom Ihe season's mIld weaIher,
however, wInIers pasI have been bruIal. I Is shockIng IhaI
Ihe SU buses run IImely, on every quarIer hour, whIle
Ireeze Io my seaI aI Ihe bus sIop waIIIng Ior a Suholk Coun-
Iy TransII bus. I Is a IerrIble sIIuaIIon because commuIers
are In Ihe elemenIs wIIhouI proIecIIon.
The raIn complIcaIes my journey. CommuIers huddle
under a small bus sIop enclosure whIle hIIIIng each oIher
wIIh soggy umbrellas. We need more enclosed bus sIops
IhaI wIll cover all rIders In InclemenI weaIher. The acIIon
would beneI Suholk CounIy TransII bus and SU bus rId-
UnIorIunaIely, pay a IransporIaIIon Iee, buI do noI
beneI Irom SU IransporIaIIon. I Is unIaIr IhaI pay Ior a
servIce IhaI do noI uIIlIze. The campus needs Io heed Ihe
wIshes oI IIs Suholk CounIy TransII bus-rIdIng commuIers.
Those who do noI use SU buses or parkIng In SIony rook
parkIng loIs should be exempI Irom Ihe IransporIaIIon Iee
so IhaI Ihey can pay Ior IheIr bus rIdes.
My IrIp becomes arduous. When nIsh laIe, am aIraId
because am waIIIng In Ihe dark Ior an hour. AlIhough am
surrounded by oIhers, Ieel agIIaIed. n an ehorI Io allevI-
aIe Ihe sIIuaIIon, Ihe Suholk CounIy TransII buses should
run every halI-hour durIng Ihe nIghI run.
My journey becomes a moneIary hassle. n Ihe credII
and debII card age, am expecIed Io carry exacI change.
do noI see Ihe logIc. n order Io Improve Ihe sIIuaIIon, Ihe
Suholk CounIy TransII bus sysIem needs Io adopI New York
CIIy's meIro-bus sysIem, and allow pre-paId MeIro Cards
on every bus. The card would IacIlIIaIe maIIers and allow
Ior an easIer rIde.
DIher Suholk CounIy TransII bus-rIdIng commuIers
have a more dImculI journey Ihan me. As a resulI oI poor
plannIng, Ihose who do noI have a dIrecI rouIe home Irans-
Ier aI Ihe SmIIh Haven Mall IransII hub. These unIorIunaIe
rIders spend IIme waIIIng aI campus and longer aI Ihe mall.
The sIIuaIIon needs Io change because II Is grossly unIaIr.
The long road home Is IrusIraIIng and my paIIence Is
aI a premIum. have been Irozen, chIlled and weI, all In
Ihe sake oI Ihe journey home. see a beIIer way. The SuI-
Iolk CounIy TransII sysIem needs Io reorganIze IIselI. AI-
Ierwards, IhIs ouIdaIed servIce would run emcIenIly and
IacIlIIaIe IIs rIders.
by Lisa Crimaudo
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
When SenaIor DlympIa Snowe announced her reIIre-
menI, was dIsappoInIed, buI In no way surprIsed.
The problems IhaI have drIven her Irom Ihe upper and
more dysIuncIIonal house oI Congress are easy Io see, and
anger jusI abouI anyone who Iollows polIIIcs. I's obvIous
why Snowe mIghI be IrusIraIed enough Io walk away. uI aI
Ihe same IIme, her decIsIon Is InIurIaIIng. Her leavIng wIll
make Ihe SenaIe's mosI serIous problems-brInksmanshIp
and grIdlock-IhaI much worse.
'll mIss SenaIor Snowe. Her opInIons on legIslaIIon
were almosI always more nuanced Ihan Ihose oI her col-
leagues. She asked Ior relevanI changes Io bIlls InsIead oI
wrIIIng alIernaIe, radIcally-parIIsan versIons or demand-
Ing amendmenIs Io Ihe consIIIuIIon In exchange Ior pass-
Ing a rouIIne budgeI. Her consIIIuenIs were Ihe people oI
MaIne, noI Ihe jusI Ihe RepublIcans oI MaIne, someIhIng
evIdenced by Ihe 7/ percenI oI Ihe voIe she won In 2UU6.
n a SenaIe where Ihe majorIIy parIy wIll Iry Io block
amendmenIs Io IheIr bIlls (oIIen rIghIIully} and Ihe mI-
norIIy parIy IhreaIens Io lIbusIer absoluIely everyIhIng,
Snowe IoughI Io change Ihe lIbusIer and consIanIly
backed amendmenIs worIhy oI debaIe.
uI people lIke her are dIsappearIng.
ScoII rown, who won a specIal elecIIon In Massachu-
seIIs aIIer Ted Kennedy's deaIh, Isn'I seen as a man who ac-
curaIely represenIs everyone In Ihe sIaIe, buI as someone
who Is vulnerable Irom boIh Ihe leII and rIghI. SImIlarly,
a number oI conservaIIve DemocraIs Irom red sIaIes are
In danger oI or already have been replaced by IradIIIonal
Many oI Ihose bold enough Io voIe ouIsIde oI IheIr
pack relaIIvely oIIen are Ideologues lIke ernIe Sanders,
Tom Coburn and Rand Paul. They're cerIaInly noI parIy polI-
IIcIans, buI IhaI doesn'I mean Ihey can be reasoned wIIh.
And Ihen Ihere are Ihose who wenI Ihe way oI Iohn Mc-
CaIn, sprInIIng away Irom Ihe cenIer aI Iull speed when Ihe
Tea ParIy rose Io promInence. I all adds up Io Ihe Increas-
Ingly rapId dIsappearance oI reasonable people Irom Ihe
Snowe's essay In The Washington Post explaIned her
reasonIng well enough. She doesn'I see Ihe SenaIe Im-
provIng any IIme soon and, aIIer /U years oI publIc servIce,
she'd raIher move on Io advocacy, whIch she now sees as a
more noble cause, Ihan spend sIx more years beIng hope-
lessly IrusIraIed.
LIke saId, undersIandable, buI horrIbly deaIIng Ior
Ihose oI us sIIll holdIng ouI hope Ior IhIs counIry.
The only possIble good IhIng abouI Snowe's deparIure
Is IhaI MaIne has a repuIaIIon Ior elecIIng people InIeresI-
ed In compromIse Io Ihe SenaIe. Susan CollIns, Ihe sIaIe's
junIor senaIor, wIll lIkely remaIn open Io negoIIaIIons.
HopeIully, Ihe same can be saId Ior Snowe's replacemenI.
SAY IT AINT SNOWE by Trevor Christian
neI every day, so why do we suddenly geI up In arms over
InsIgnIcanI phrases?
'm noI even goIng Io Ialk abouI Ihe rIdIculousness oI
arguIng over wheIher Io say "Merry ChrIsImas or "Happy
HolIdays. And Ihere are plenIy oI oIher areas oI polIIIcal
correcIness IhaI dIdn'I Iouch on eIIher.
DI course, Ihere's a Ip sIde Io IhIs. Phrases lIke "IhaI's
so gay or "you're reIarded, can acIually be emoIIonally
harmIul Io oIhers. I Ihe oIher person Is homosexual or
has a sIblIng who Is menIally handIcapped, sayIng eIIher
oI Ihose IhIngs Is denIIely InsensIIIve. uI jusI because
some phrases ohend a IaIr amounI oI people doesn'I mean
everyIhIng does.
My maIn poInI Is IhIs: Ihe worsI IhIng abouI PC Ierms Is
IhaI a loI oI people don'I geI why Ihey're necessary, and a
bunch oI oIher people Ip ouI II Ihey aren'I used.
SPORTS March 6, 2012
SIony rook's men's baskeIball Ieam wIll hosI Ihe
AmerIca EasI ConIerence ChampIonshIp, Ihanks Io a lasI-
second IIp-In by senIor Iorward DallIs Ioyner agaInsI Alba-
ny's CreaI Danes on Sunday.
ComIng wIIhIn less Ihan halI a second beIore Ihe nal
buzzer, Ioyner's IIp senI Ihe Seawolves back Io PrIIchard
Cym, buI noI In deIeaI, raIher, Io prepare Ior IheIr second
bId In as many years Io head Io Ihe bIg dance.
They wIll Iace oh agaInsI Ihe UnIversIIy oI VermonI
CaIamounIs, who beaI Ihe Seawolves In IheIr lasI meeIIng,
endIng an eIghI-game wInnIng sIreak.
AIIer besIIng Ihe InghamIon earcaIs and Ihe Danes,
SIony rook Is all warmed up Ior IheIr IoughesI maIch-up
The Seawolves ended IheIr rsI round wIIh ve scor-
ers In double gures, IncludIng junIor Tommy renIon wIIh
a double-double, leadIng Ihe Ieam wIIh 1/ poInIs, 11 re-
bounds, 5 sIeals and 3 assIsIs.
Sophomore Dave Coley also conIrIbuIed 1/ poInIs, and
had a kIller mId-range game. HIs pull-up jumper bamed Ihe
deIense oI Ihe earcaIs, and ESPN commenIaIors called hIs
Ihe "mosI explosIve rsI sIep In Ihe conIerence.
SenIors ryan Dougher and DallIs Ioyner and sopho-
more AnIhony Iackson each had 13 poInIs. The Seawolves
Iruly domInaIed on deIense, ouI-reboundIng InghamIon
36-25, 1/ oI Ihem leadIng Io second chance poInIs.
Though SIony rook gaIned a lead early on, Ihe earcaIs
hung In Ihere, hIIIIng key Ihree-poInIers and clawIng back
each IIme Ihey Iell behInd.
EndIng Ihe game 78-65, Ihe Seawolves pounded Ihe
ball InIo Ihe paInI, creaIIng ohense usIng Ioyner's skIll wIIh
Ihe backboard, and maInIaIned a solId and consIsIenI de-
Iense, showIng exacIly why Ihey're Ihe Iop deIensIve Ieam
In Ihe conIerence.
FacIng oh agaInsI Ihe CreaI Danes on Sunday, SIony
rook came ouI as a Iorce Io be reckoned wIIh, scorIng
quIckly and gaInIng momenIum In Ihe rsI ve mInuIes oI
play wIIh a 1/-8 lead.
renIon pIcked up hIs second Ioul momenIs laIer and
was resIgned Io Ihe bench Ior Ihe resI oI Ihe halI, IurnIng
Ihe IIde Io Ihe NorIh as Albany Iook advanIage oI Ihe mo-
menI Io go on an 11-3 run. Dougher led by example wIIh a
Ihree-poInIer IhaI reclaImed Ihe lead, Iollowed by a hook
shoI Irom Ioyner, keepIng Ihe Seawolves' heads above wa-
The Ieams were IIed aI Ihe halI, and Dougher came
back Io keep pace wIIh Albany's leadIng scorer, Cerardo
Suero, a player who looked as Ihough hIs IeeI could y ouI
Irom under hIm aI any momenI as he bolIed Io Ihe baskeI.
Suero Is Ihe leadIng scorer In Ihe AmerIca EasI ConIer-
ence, averagIng 21.6 poInIs per game.
DallIs Ioyner came Ihrough In a bIg way, IacIng a dou-
ble Ieam aI every Iurn and sIIll perIormIng well boIh deIen-
sIvely and ohensIvely.
by Rebecca Tapio
Photos by Tom Johnson
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10
n Ihe end, Ihe game came down Io deIense, wIIh SIony
rook shooIIng aI 38.5 percenI and Albany shooIIng 35.6-
Ihough Ihe Danes had one more Iurnover Ihan Ihe Sea-
wolves. The lead changed nIne IImes, Albany layIng down
Ihree-poInIers IhroughouI Ihe nIghI, shooIIng 55 percenI
Irom behInd Ihe arc.
The key momenI came wIIh seconds leII on Ihe clock,
as SIony rook seI up Ior one nal play. Dave Coley re-
ceIved Ihe ball, and, IacIng deIenders In Ihe lane, backed
ouI and Iook a jump shoI wIIh Iour seconds remaInIng. As
Ihe ball bounced oh Ihe rIm, every player In Ihe paInI made
a leap Ior II, buI DallIs Ioyner was Ihe one who succeeded
In IIppIng Ihe ball InIo Ihe baskeI jusI as Ihe buzzer was
abouI Io sound.
AIIer an omcIal revIew, Ihe play was deemed good, and
Ihe Seawolves celebraIed as any Ieam aIIer an InIense baI-
Ile deserved Io.
Head Coach SIeve PIkIell was named Coach oI Ihe Year
Ior Ihe AmerIca EasI ConIerence. ryan Dougher and Tom-
my renIon were boIh named Io Ihe All-ConIerence Team,
wIIh renIon nabbIng Ihe IIIle oI DeIensIve Player oI Ihe
Year. Dougher ended Ihe rsI Iwo rounds oI play jusI Iwo
poInIs shy oI breakIng SIony rook's all-IIme DIvIsIon
scorIng record, wIIh a career IoIal oI 1,585 poInIs.
For a Ieam IhaI wIll head Io Ihe conIerence champIon-
shIp Ior Ihe second IIme as parI oI DIvIsIon baskeIball,
IhaI's a major success.
They don'I have IIme Io relax quIIe yeI, however, wIIh
jusI a week Io prepare Io Iace Ihe CaIamounIs, IheIr mosI
challengIng opponenIs so Iar.
Along wIIh Head Coach Iohn ecker, In hIs rsI year
wIIh Ihe Ieam, VermonI Is lookIng Io head back Io Ihe NCAA
IournamenI aIIer a loss In Ihe rsI round Io Iop seed Syra-
cuse UnIversIIy In 2U1U.
AIIer IheIr deIeaI oI Ihe UnIversIIy oI HarIIord
on Sunday In double overIIme, Ihe CaIamounIs
won'I be goIng down wIIhouI a ghI.
They won whaI commenIaIors called a "war
oI aIIrIIIon, conIInuIng Io puI In IheIr besI eI-
IorI even aIIer boIh Ieams losI IheIr Iop scorers
and were In Ihe bonus. They persIsIed Ihrough 25
lead changes, evenIually besIIng Ihe Hawks wIIh
less Ihan a mInuIe In Ihe second overIIme, 73-77.
SIony rook wIll have Io sIIck Io IheIr guns,
IakIng VermonI ouI oI IheIr game by poundIng
Ihe ball InsIde and kIckIng II ouI Io Dougher be-
hInd Ihe arc, as well as conIInuIng IheIr IndomIIa-
ble deIense. I would be Ihe Seawolves' rsI ever
IrIp Io Ihe NCAA IournamenI.
The AmerIca EasI ConIerence ChampIonshIp
wIll be held aI 11 a.m. on SaIurday, March 1U In
PrIIchard CymnasIum. The Stony Brook Press wIll
be lIve-IweeIIng IhroughouI Ihe game vIa Ihe
handle @sbpress.

AA E-ZINE March 6, 2012
Since December, Knicks fans have been wondering:
Whos that guy at the end of the bench? You wouldnt
assume the Taiwanese American 23 year?old sitting in the
last bench seat at Madison Square Garden would
emerge as the NBAs most electrifying young talent.
You also wouldnt assume that the same guy, scoring
109 points in his first four career starts, more than any
other player in the leagues history, was a graduate of
Harvard University.
Jeremy Lin has become New Yorks newest and
brightest sports star, coming out of utter obscurity and
bursting onto the hardwood as one of the more
decorated point guards in the league. After a brief stint
last year with the Golden State Warriors and averaging
just under ten minutes and 3 points per game, Lin was
waived and sent to the Houston Rockets, only to be
waived once again at the start of this season.
As one of the very few Asian Americans to ever play
in the NBA, Lin is representing one of the smallest ethnic
groups in US sports. Receiving no scholarship offers after
a successful high school career at Palo Alto H.S. in
California, Lin chose to attend Harvard University
because he was guaranteed a spot on its basketball
team. After graduating with an economics degree, Lin
went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft. His strong summer
league showing didnt lead to playing time, even after
he was chosen by the Warriors.
The New York Knicks claimed Lin shortly after
Christmas to be a backup for guards Toney Douglas and
Mike Bibby. It seemed as though the same affair would
occur in the Big Apple, as Lin received hardly any
playing time, essentially being a benchwarmer. But as
injuries plagued the Knicks roster, with guards Baron
Davis, Toney Douglas and Carmelo Anthony hurting, Lin
was called upon to try to do something, anything, to
revive a slumping Knicks season. Lin entered February
s game against the New Jersey Nets and exploded
for an unexpected 25 points, after scoring just two in the
previous game.
And with that, Linsanity was born. His story is one of
true perseverance. Lin was on the verge of being cut by
his third team in three years, making a meager salary
and sleeping on his brother or teammates couches. In a
week of superstardom never before seen, Jeremy Lin
had risen as a true starZ after the win against the Nets, he
led Knicks on a 7?game win streak, all while averaging
almost 25 points, gaining the starting point guard job and
being signed to an official Knicks contract and receiving
a higher salary. Hes now got a Trump Tower apartment,
a nice upgrade from the living room couch.
Stony Brook students, fans of basketball or not, are
also buying into Jeremy Lins success. I didnt tell
anyone I was a Knicks fan, but now Ill admit it, said
Trevor Christian.
Not just in the U.S., Lins appeal is being felt
worldwide. His number?17 jersey is the best?selling item
according to In China and Taiwan, hes
become a cultural icon and heroZ even with a drastic
time difference, fans overseas stay up to watch Lin
electrify the league.
Hes influenced his own breed of terms Linsanity,
Linning, LinspirationP countless plays on his last name
are sweeping the world. Through all of that, hes also
hearing the one chant hes waited to hear his whole life:
MVP ? Most Valuable Player.
L|nson|ty kocks Sports Wor|d
by Joe Damiani
Vol. XXXIII, Issue 10