Volume 106 No. 9www.centralrecorder.comWednesday, October 28, 2009

CENTR A L CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY

FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT: www.centralrecorder.com

In The Recorder This Week:

CCSU Confi rms First Case of Swine Flu

“Take what you can. Give nothing back.”

Th ere Is No “I” In

CollegeVideo Game and Album

ReviewsBold Structures Inhabit

Chen GalleryPaul Armstrong: Th e

Scouser in the NetPage 2 Page 5 Page 10Page 7 Page 12

See CCSU Open House Page 3 See Cannabis Awareness Page 3

See Town & Gown Task Force Page 3

MATT KiERNANThE RECoRDER

Th e CCSU Open House was given to incoming students to inform them on the process needed to att end the university as well as answering any questions about classes and campus activities.

“College is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in your life,” said Director of Recruitment and Admissions Larry Hall to a full-capacity att endance in the Kaiser Hall gym during a welcoming ceremony.

Th e ceremony was held by Hall, Provost Carl Lovitt , Interim Vice President of Student Aff airs Laura Tordenti and Student Government President Andrew Froning to let parents and future students know that CCSU has a knowledgeable faculty and staff that are willing to help in any way possible.

Open House Att racts Potential CCSU Students

Town & Gown Meeting Addresses Resident-Student Confl ict

Transfer and fi nancial aid workshops were held to highlight main problems and issues that families and students may face when applying or transferring to CCSU. Deadlines are seen as a key to having an easier experience and if students apply earlier, they’ll have a simpler transition into gett ing housing and fi nancial aid.

“We try to give as much credit as possible and make it as easy as possible to come to Central,” said Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions Douglas Benoit.

Credits must come from regionally accredited institutions in order to be eligible to transfer for major or elective credits. Transfer students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 to be considered for admitt ance, and when they come to the CCSU their GPA doesn’t transfer with them, but begins anew.

Th e Open House also hosted an academic

Group Looks to Raise

Cannabis Awareness on Campus

MiChAEL WALShThE RECoRDER

Ross Martowski claims he would pass a drug test with fl ying colors.

Some might fi nd those to be peculiar words from the president of the soon-to-be announced Cannabis Awareness Group. But Martowski’s says his interests in the plant don’t lie in the popular aft er eff ect it can leave with users.

“I want to raise awareness of the truth behind marijuana and cannabis through reason, science and historical documents,” said Martowski. “I’m hoping to do a cannabis awareness week that would look at the history of the plant, accurate health eff ects, the plant’s use and prohibition.”

Martowski hopes to educate and debate with both faculty and students on campus about a number of diff erent subjects, including cannabis hemp as a renewable resource for bio fuel and paper, the medical use of marijuana and why marijuana has become so demonized. He looks to engage discussion by way of guest speakers and documentaries.

And as far as skeptics go, they’re welcome. Martowski admits it would make his day to change a few minds with the information he’s learned. “It will and I already have,” said Martowski. “People have been overwhelmed by the information and probing questions have been asked. A lot of people have had a hard time believing that smoking cannabis doesn’t cause lung cancer or emphysema.”

Martowski had his fi rst presentation on October 8th in the Africana Center. According to Martowski, it was a closed-door meeting with an open-door policy, as interested passers-by, that included one police offi cer, wandered into the room. “Th e next day I found a fl ier with a marijuana leaf and ‘Legalize It!’ on it on a wall in Maria Sanford,” said Martowski.

His second schedule presentation hit a snag as it was shut down at the last second. Currently, the Cannabis Awareness Group is under the International Film Club and

fair to allow for time for potential students to browse majors. Various schools including the School of Business and School of Technology tabled in Alumni Hall and passed out pamphlets and brochures while faculty members dispersed throughout the crowd.

Workshops by the nursing, teacher education, business, engineering and technology and athletics off ered information on specifi c majors and the entrance requirements for each program.

Th e admissions for gett ing on-campus housing was discussed in a residence life workshop that talked about the diff erent dorms on campus as well as what needs to be done for a student to make sure they have met all the deadlines. Aft er being admitt ed for housing, students must send a deposit of $250 to secure their place or they’ll be put back on

MELiSSA TRAyNORThE RECoRDER

An open forum designed to address the concerns of New Britain‘s Belvedere neighborhood residents exposed several persistent issues spanning from average noise and party complaints to att empted breaking

and entering.Th e Town & Gown task force that

incorporates members of CCSU’s administration and members from the community including Mayor Tim Stewart of New Britain, his staff , the CCSU and New Britain Police Departments and local landlords met last Tuesday in a forum sett ing

to speak about parking violations, incessant partying and all types of criminal activity in the area perpetrated by students. While there was a large showing on behalf of residents, few students att ended.

Tracy Makay, a single mother with a son in elementary school, previously had positive

Student Presence Annoys Belvedere Neighborhood Residents

Ross Martowski

Photo illustration: Edward Gaug | The Recorder

News2THE RECORDERWednesday, October 28, 2009

A Weekly Stand-Alone Photo Captured at CCSU

Dominick Tomanelli waves his CCSU Blue Devils f lag as Central wraps up their win over Bryant this past Saturday afternoon.

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

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scene @ ccsu

SAMANThA FOuRNiERThE RECoRDER

The newly forming Lunar Exploration Club leaders’ goal - to build a vehicle that could withstand the half mile course of lunar-like terrain, which includes “craters,” rocks, “lava” and “lunar soil” - hasn’t exactly changed this year. They just have to engineer and construct a better vehicle than last year.

Founders of the soon-to-be lunar exploration club Hitesh Shah and Mounir ElRassamni participated in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Great Moon Buggy Race last April in Huntsville, Ala. and plan to bring their club to this spring’s competition.

The group is proud to have

been the first group of students from a Connecticut university to participate.

“It was an amazing experience. We met a lot of international students and gained knowledge about different designs,” Shah said of the competition.

The group consists of 20 students: 19 engineering students and one graphic design major. The club is open to students of all majors, who are interested in building or publicizing the moon buggy.

“As engineering students our main goal is to apply all of our engineering skills,” said Shah, one of last year’s buggy drivers.

While last year’s moon buggy didn’t place first in the international

Lunar Exploration Club’s High Hopesrace, Shah said that the contributing students learned the value of building a project together.

Returning to the NASA race, the group now has a prior experience advantage and know the limits of their buggy designs.

“Some of the design work wasn’t suitable for the project,” ElRassamni said of last year’s buggy. This year the group has an improved design, which they hope will increase the speed to 20 to 25 miles per hour opposed to last year’s six mile per hour total.

They also have to take into consideration the many rules set by NASA for the moon buggy race. Two students, one male and one female, must race the human

powered moon buggy on the winding half mile obstacle course, while buckled in. The team has 12 minutes to assemble the buggy and make it to the finish line. The team with the fastest time is the winner of the great race.

Currently the club meets once a week and is working with modeling software to design the moon buggy, which is scheduled to be built early next semester.

The club hopes to participate in several other projects such as microgravity and creating astronaut space suits. Students interested in joining the Lunar Exploration Club can obtain contact information for Shah or ElRassamni by contacting the Student Activities and Leadership Development office.

MELiSSA TRAyNORThE RECoRDER

In an email sent out to CCSU faculty and staff on Monday, Associate VP of Marketing and Communications Mark McLaughlin announced CCSU’s first confirmed case of the H1N1 virus or swine flu.

The ill student, who was not named in the email, was sent home at the first signs of flu-like illness and tested positive for H1N1. McLaughlin wrote that the student has recuperated fully.

The letter also announces that instead of original plans to use a classroom in Welte Auditorium for temporary housing, CCSU has designated a stand-alone trailer as a space for self-isolation, which is located near the CCSU Police Department. Welte is out of consideration because it would upset students and faculty who normally use the building.

“People were going to feel very uncomfortable and very scared,” Health Service Director Dr. Christopher Diamond said. While rooming in Welte would also have allowed students to self-isolate, there would be an increased perceived risk of more healthy students becoming infected with H1N1.

Trailer space is meant for ill international students or those whose hometowns are not reachable

within three hours. Ill students who cannot go home and wish to stay away from others are encouraged to contact ResLife Director Jean Alicandro to make arrangements.

McLaughlin’s letter points out that there is an 80 percent chance that those experiencing flu-like illnesses have the swine flu. Though CCSU is not formally testing for the H1N1 strain, health officials are encouraging students who experience a fever and other flu-like illnesses to stay home until at least one day after they recover from the fever. So far the average recovery period is five to seven days for most cases of swine flu.

He also noted that the university is hosting clinics to administer seasonal flu vaccine; the first took place yesterday, Oct. 27 and the second will be Nov. 2 at the Student Center in Bellin Gallery A from 3 to 6 p.m.

While original predictions for swine flu vaccine distribution were set for the month of October, McLaughlin wrote that the 300 doses of vaccine Diamond requested are not guaranteed and the university does not know when they will arrive. Currently, the first wave of vaccine is meant for students under 18 years old with high health risks such as asthma and immunosuppressive disorders.

The letter reminded faculty to wash their hands regularly, be well-rested and keep work areas clean.

CCSU Confirms First Case of

Swine Flu

Photo courtesy of Lunar Exploration Club

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 28, 2009 / NEWS 3

the waiting list.“Usually if you’re accepted

into the university, it comes at a first come, first serve basis,” said Associate Director of Residence Life Ryan Baumann.

Students are encouraged to meet their future roommates first rather than looking at the social networking Web site Facebook to make a decision on if they would be happy rooming with him or her. Under certain circumstances there will be a switch allowed for a student to live with someone else.

“Sometimes doing a swap on

the first day is a way to reach that,” said Baumann.

Residence halls gave tours of their buildings with parents and students being able to stop by whenever they wished with residents and RA’s showing them around their floors. They were able to view potential rooms they could see themselves living in, including the air-conditioned James Hall, Gallaudet Hall’s suites and Beecher Hall with its newly designed gym.

Transfer students are encouraged to apply by January 1 to make sure they’re admitted into the university for the Fall semester.

CCSU’s WeekendOpen House

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

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Club PromotesCannabis Awareness

Town & Gown Task ForceContinued from page 1because of this also came under fire when there were licensing issues with the International Film Club’s website in the form of names and pictures of films it was planning to show. Regardless of the unfortunate events, Martowski has said he hasn’t given up hope, and still hopes to educate people on the truth.

One of Martowski’s main inspirations is the work of Marc Emery, a Canadian cannabis activist. “I came across some of the information, including the likes of Emery, and thought it would be cool if it was legalized,” said Martowski. “I want to lose the hippie scene and take the professional and scientific route.”

Martowski aims for a fact-based argument and not an opinionated one. “I don’t want people expressing ignorant opinions with no facts,” said Martowski. He looks to aim at the false amount of history involving cannabis. “Did anyone stop to ask about the prohibition?” asked Martowski. He has even expressed the desire for a future documentary to be made about the information he has found, along with public demonstrations.

And facts are one thing Martowski is loaded with. According to him, industrial hemp, a product

you can’t get high off of because of low Tetrahydrocannabinol levels, is the most untapped resource out there, yet it is illegal to grow. “The cannabis plant can be used for over 20,000 products, including textile, bio fuels and paper,” said Martowski. Citing a 1930’s Popular Mechanics article, Martowski says 10,000 acres worth of industrial hemp turned into paper is equal to 40,000 acres of trees turned into paper. “Industrial hemp can be manufactured, distributed, imported, exported and eaten yet you can’t grow it in most states, even though you can’t get high off it,” says Martowski.

Martowski isn’t looking for the most radical change either. He still would like to see regulations around marijuana. “People shouldn’t be walking down the street smoking,” said Martowski. He also stresses keeping it out of the hands of children, with a 21-year old age limit much like alcohol. He also doesn’t want to support chronic smokers. “Legalization does not mean the rampant chaos of marijuana use. It means the responsible use.”

As Martowski’s plan develops and information arises, he may change his goals and start a Students for Sensible Drug Policy club instead of his initial plan to help gain outside support from an already accredited program.

experiences with students who lived and partied near her home on Stratford Road, but since the spring she has “called the cops more times in six months than in the last two years” to file complaints about students.

One of those calls made to New Britain Police occurred after a CCSU freshman Daniel Galvin, 18, broke into the front porch entrance of her home on Sept. 13 around 4 a.m.

That night she phoned the police, who had r e s p o n d e d earlier in the night to a fight in the street outside her house. Makay said Galvin, who plays for the men’s soccer team, was intoxicated at the time of the break-in and she decided not to press charges. He was arrested for creating a public disturbance - an infraction - and was taken to the hospital that night.

She explained that the new batch of students who’ve moved in have committed acts of vandalism, have left the area littered with condoms and broken glass on Friday mornings after the infamous “Thirsty Thursdays,” and other various acts of public disturbance.

Dr. Laura Tordenti, interim VP of Student Affairs and also a member of the Town & Gown task force, was one of the CCSU administration officials who was involved in handling Galvin’s case. She approached the microphone at the forum to directly address Makay.

“I feel awful after what you just told us. I mean, that’s intolerable and that kind of behavior on the part of our students... It’s disgusting and it’s unacceptable and I’m very, very sorry,” she said. “However, you should have pressed charges, frankly.”

According to the CCSU athletics department Galvin was suspended for three games after the incident.

“[Galvin’s case] was dealt with very swiftly and very severely,” Tordenti said.

“That student was addressed. I cannot disclose in terms of what happened, but more than an $85 ticket and other things did happen,”

Campus Judicial Officer Chritopher Dukes explained.

He added that the problem they are dealing with is also the mentality of certain students who believes it is their right in college to party and disrupt neighborhoods.

“What we have to do is catch these individuals as they are coming into our doors because you can’t see it on their transcript - ‘loves to party.’ We have no idea who’s coming into our doors,” Dukes said. He affirmed that he met with the soccer team and athletics department heads to address the situation.

Other issues raised at the open forum included concerns by residents that parking regulations were not being obeyed and there were also questions about zoning ordinances that put a limit on the number of unrelated persons living in a single residence. Some houses, the Belvidere residents said, were shared by up to seven or eight roommates, potentially all with their own cars.

Lisa Petachi, a Belvidere neighborhood resident of two years, said she was immediately mistaken for a student and her neighbors told

her that they didn’t want students moving into the area. Petahci, 31, who lives on N. Wellington Road, is an adjunct instructor at CCSU.

“So part of the problem, I think, with the students is that we need to embrace them maybe a little bit more and to show them that we’re willing to communicate with them,” Petachi said. She added that the problem was residents view students as a nuisance and not neighbors worthy of respect.

While many of the residents applauded the work of the CCSU and New Britain Police Departments, they also asked for more surveillance of the Belvidere neighborhood.

Scott Fontana of Roxbury Road

wondered whether crime alerts could be sent out to neighborhoods, especially the area around the intersection of Carlton and Roxbury where he said a series of break-ins occurred a month ago. He is the self-proclaimed neighborhood “watchdog” and said he takes note of suspicious activity in the area.

“If there’s a gang of people breaking into homes, [can you] just let us know that everybody needs to be more observant?” he asked of the New Britain Police.

When the issue of expanding on-campus housing was introduced, President Jack Miller explained that purchasing Essex Place apartments, located at 1317 East Street, would have been an unwise decision. He said that as of five years ago, when the university looked into it, Essex housed approximately 600 residents, 400 of which were students, which would not eas problems.

He also said that the university looked into expanding outwards on the other side of Rte. 9 where East Street meets Fenn Road, but ran into environmental problems and has since shifted plans.

“Right now we are deeply invested in how to build somewhere between 600 and 1,000 more residence hall spaces on the existing footprint of the property,” he said.

Representing the student residents in the Belvidere neighborhood were a handful of CCSU students, some of whom attended the open forum with their neighbors. Dona Blazuk lives across the street from CCSU students on Carlton Street and admits that in the past she was apprehensive whenever new students moved in.

“The last two times, we find this works for us: we go over to them and we introduce ourselves with our dogs and we cook for them. We brought them a big cake,” said Blazuk.

Nora Christopher, CCSU ‘11, moved in with two roommates on Carlton Street, across from neighbors Fidel Del Rosario and Blazuk who live on Stratford.

“They let us have parties and whatnot, but they don’t get out of control,” Christopher said. “Dona always says if we’re too loud she’ll let us know.”

Del Rosario said that the line of communication goes both ways.

“The first thing they did when they moved was introduce themselves and we introduced ourselves. My belief is that, it goes both ways. A good student is going to be a good neighbor,” Del Rosario said.

Daniel Galvin

“We find this works for us: we go over

to them and we introduce ourselves with our dogs and we cook for them.”

-Dona BlazukNew Britain Resident

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 28, 2009 / NEWS4

Editorial/Opinion

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RuSSELL BLAiRThE DAILy CAMPUSU. CoNNECTICUT

Over 1,000 students, athletes, faculty and UConn officials attended the candlelight vigil to remember UConn cornerback Jasper Howard Wednesday night in the Student Union Mall.

Speakers included UConn president Michael Hogan, USG president Tom Haggerty as well as UConn football coach Randy Edsall and Howard’s teammates. The vigil drew not just student-athletes but members of the general student body who Howard had touched in some way, whether it was through his play on the field or his character off of it.

The vigil opened with remarks from Hogan before Edsall took the stage and thanked the UConn community for their overwhelming support in a time of great need for the football program. Edsall then read a letter that senior defensive end Lindsey Witten had written as a tribute to the fallen Howard. As Edsall donned his reading glasses tears were visible in his eyes.

“Live 365, we love you man,” Edsall read. “Man Jazzy, we was just trippin’ in the locker room thinking about how MJ was gone so soon. Now I’m thinking about those words from the emergency room. Our prayers go out to your family and friends and we hope your folks know you have 104 brothers all the way to the end. Your parents should know that your life did not end, and God never makes mistakes when he calls angels to come in. We all had common goals and aspired to rise to the top, and now with your wings we shall never be stopped.”

After Edsall left the stage Howard’s teammates came and

Memorial Held for UConn’s ‘Jazz’ Howard

remarked on the overwhelming kindness they had received in the past days but begged students not to be sad for them but to be happy for the life that Howard lived.

“On behalf of the team we’d like to thank you for showing your love and support,” Kijuan Dabney said.

“We want you to be strong, it’s been a week of mourning but it’s time to move on from that and be strong. We don’t want you to walk around campus looking at the players and feel sad, just be happy that Jazz taught us what he taught us. He wouldn’t want to see any of

you all like this crying. Jazz liked to see people smiling.”

Before the vigil progressed onward to Mirror Lake, the team had a surprise in store for Edsall. All day Monday Moore and his teammates had traversed the campus with a UConn varsity letterman jacket getting the signatures not just of the entire football team but of students and faculty alike. The back of the jacket was adorned with a picture of Edsall embracing Howard. The gift was to thank Edsall for standing tall through the entire Howard ordeal.

“Coach Edsall, he lost a son,”

DON WEBERThE RECoRDER

The Latino ConnCAS Mentorship Program continues its mission of helping Latino students with their education.

ConnCAS, which stands for Connecticut College Access Success, offers incoming students support to not only begin their college endeavors, but to maintain those efforts. Students begin working almost immediately after their high school graduation to prepare for college.

The ultimate goal of the Latino ConnCAS Mentorship Program is to keep students in school and help them graduate. Not only does the program focus on simply getting a degree, but also getting a degree while building a solid resume.

Internships, grade honors and community service are just some of the items that ConnCAS focuses on. Students are encouraged to help each other out and to seek help if they need it and as they do it becomes more of a confidence boost.

The program tries to keep students confident that they can succeed. Students should feel brave enough to look for help if needed and also insightful enough to help others who may not be willing to seek help out, a significant balance of individual and group support.

This past Wednesday the

program students were given a lecture from Mr. William Dyson. It’s not a lecture, but an inspirational speech.

Dyson always provides personal reflections and easily connects with students. He offered insight that falling off the education course

is very similar to being down by fifty points when going into halftime from a basketball game.

“You have to play to catch up, not just to get ahead,” Dyson acknowledged. Students who maintain their grades and degree focus hopefully never have to worry about the “catching up” process.

Dyson is very open to talking about his own

life. He told personal stories about attitude adjustment and stated his college mission vow, “I gotta make something for myself. Not just for me, but for my friends that were always there for me.”

In his stories, Mr. Dyson allowed the Latino ConnCAS Mentorship students to see that a degree is for them, their friends and their family.

The Latino ConnCAS Mentorship program continues to thrive in the CCSU institution. Students each year spend at least five dedicated weeks during their summers to get ready for what lies ahead.

Each student dedicates significant time to get their degree, and pushes through challenging courses that most would simply avoid taking.

Former Conn. State Rep. Supports Program Empowering Students

Moore said. “And we really want to thank him for being strong and representing us, he had to hold his head up high.”

Edsall accepted and donned the jacket but seemed speechless at the podium.

“This is what makes this job so special,” Edsall said. “It’s a privilege, not a right, to be the head coach and coach young men like these guys here.”

Edsall proceeded to implore the crowd to turn to someone next to them, hug them and tell them they were loved.

Haggerty gave a passionate speech commending the way the university united in spite of the tragedy.

“The spirit of UConn remains strong,” Haggerty said.

The vigil traveled to Mirror Lake where the participants circled the lake and listened to remarks from Dr. Wilena Price, director of the African American Cultural Center. After her remarks and a brief moment of silence, the participants were asked to blow out their candles.

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Bill Dyson

Editorial/OpinionEditorial

THE RECORDERWednesday, October 28, 2009

TyLER MASSiESPECIAL To ThE RECoRDER

This was it. After two years of exploring, indulging, pondering, and observing - predominantly observing - the strange and fascinating phenomenon that is collegiate dorm life, I’d inadvertently stumbled upon the key to all of my many questions.

I was leaning casually against the wall of a student’s apartment, sipping on a fresh beer, surrounded by fellow undergraduates, when I looked up and first noticed the brand-new homemade banner running along the top of the opposite wall. Right away I knew it was a classic. It was the perfect college mantra.

One slogan to rule them all. It read: “TAKE WHAT YOU CAN GIVE NOTHING BACK.”

The capitalized, bold text drew rave reviews from the guests, and its underlying message couldn’t have been more clear, or accurate: college students can sometimes make Kanye West look humble.

This isn’t exactly fresh news. It seems that our professors have been monitoring us from the outside for decades. A study conducted at the University of San Diego administered a standardized evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory to over 16,000 college students from 1982 to 2006, and the study found that college students are scoring repeatedly higher on the test over time - indicating that college students may be more narcissistic today than they were a few decades ago.

We could blame any number of factors for the discovery. The self-esteem movement increases in the standard of living and affluence, or social problems such as the skyrocketing divorce rate (which forces so many children to develop in sub-optimal family conditions)

are all potential culprits. Some may argue more generally, that America itself is caught in the grip of a steady moral decline.

Pick your favorite, or invent your own. Whatever the cause, YOU ARE HERE, as any shopping mall map will tell you. So what’s the big deal? Does it matter if college students happen to be incredibly selfish and conceited? Isn’t it just a phase?

Well, maybe. It’s true that a college campus is essentially a separate world, its own utopia (or insane asylum, if you prefer) of pretty faces and an ever-flowing river of booze. As with all supposed idea places, the college experience represents only a fleeting moment in our lives. After that, we are loosed into the ranks of working America: to learn to live on our own, be responsible and contribute to society. Many members of the older generation look back to their college years and shake their heads at their own excess and immaturity. They can joke and laugh about this now, because these are people who have gone on to lead happy and productive lives.

And yet, the San Diego study offers some dour warnings about the long-term consequences of unchecked egotism. According to the study, narcissism has an extremely adverse effect on our relationships with others. Romantic relationships involving narcissists are more likely to be “short-lived” and “at risk for infidelity.” They also tend to “lack emotional warmth” and involve plenty of “game-playing, dishonesty, and over-controlling and violent behaviors.” Aside from “romantic” relationships, a narcissist’s interactions with society at large aren’t any better: they often “lack empathy, react aggressively to criticism and favor self-promotion over helping others.”

Sounds a lot like some college

students, doesn’t it? While I have met many truly wonderful people here on campus, there are others whom I wonder about. I suspect that many college students can’t handle the newfound freedom of the college scene. The environment is perhaps more challenging then ever, given the social trends. College students toil in a constant, unprecedented state of flux, as friends, fashion, and lovers can all change at a moment’s notice in the Information Age. In such a free-reign environment, the narcissistic attitudes under steady development prior to college can suddenly explode like an athlete on steroids.

It’s easy to become lost in such a wilderness: it may be difficult to find the way back. I often wonder if a “point of no return” actually exists for externally-cultivated narcissism, wherein the trait ingrains itself permanently into one’s personality, and I wonder if college can possibly be a catalyst for reaching that point. I wonder if some college students are building upon an empty ethos that may haunt them well into their adult life—and make all their higher education and experience virtually worthless in the larger context because they’re so unhappy at their core. This unhappiness can be seen in the eyes of a drunk girl hunched over the toilet and crying, or (more subtly) heard in the cynical, acid-tongued retorts of a flippant frat boy.

A lot of valuable knowledge can be gleaned in college. Knowledge that we hope furthers our careers and our personal development. Who we are when we graduate will help determine what we bring to society’s table. If what we bring is narcissism and its symptoms—selfishness, insecurity, insincerity, and ultimately, misery—society will be that much worse off.

Let’s hope it’s just a phase.

There Is No “I” in College

Students, Residents Deserve Mutual Respect

CCSU’s English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta, in part-nership with The Golden Key Honor Society, have created a one day event, entitled the Book Bash, to be held at Gaffney Elementary School on October 30th.

It’s premise is simple: we want to help children build home li-braries. We have collected over 1,000 books, and each child at the school will receive 2 books. In ad-dition, we have a local author who

Letter to the Editor

Fellow Blue Devils, First we would like to thank you for permitting us to represent you, the student body, as YOUR stu-dent government President and Vice-President for the 2009-2010 Academic Year. We cannot express how grateful we are that you have put your trust in us to act as your voice for this university. Please note that we have ad-dressed you not as a student, but as a fellow BLUE DEVIL, because that is what we are. The moment you got your acceptance letter you became a blue devil. We intend to make this campus proud of the fact that we are Blue Devils. There has been a saying going around cam-pus that, “WE BLEED BLUE”. We want our school spirit to spread and show. There have already been whispers in the school news paper, The Recorder, of how our school spirit is starting to show. Well, we are here to turn those whispers into a deafening roar all around campus, at intramurals, at club sports, and at our Division 1 ath-letic games. So this year show off the Blue Devil in you, because we can guarantee we will be right there with you. This year we want to obtain the attention of the whole student body. Over the past years there has been a missing connection be-tween the SGA and the Student Body. We are here to change that. We, along with the rest of the sen-ate are dedicated to reaching out to the student body. We are here for you, so use us! We have hopes of working with other media organi-zations to keep you better informed of what we are doing and what is-sues are being looked at. We will be creating more opportunities for

students to voice their concerns and issues and we will be there to listen. We will establish a resilient connection with you, the student body. Over the past 5 years there have been many changes in higher level positions in the university, which weakened the bond between stu-dents and the administration. Just as we are here to establish a bond between students, we are here to bring students and administration closer together. Without you, the student, there is no university and with no university the administra-tion wouldn’t be here. What we are trying to say is that the admin-istrators, believe it or not, are here for you. And we, the SGA, will be here for you, to act like that friend at a party who introduces you to everyone, and make sure you get known amongst the administra-tion. We will establish those con-nections and make sure the student body’s voice gets heard and work hand in hand with the administra-tion to get your needs meet.

We will be dedicating every-thing we can to you. All we ask in return is your support and partici-pation as the entire student body. Together we are an alliance of ded-icated students, that will be able to wear their CCSU apparel with pride, and instinctively yell out “SU” whenever they here “CC” vo-calized. Because in the end we are all BLUE DEVILS and we will BLEED BLUE to make sure every-one knows it.

Respectfully Yours,

Andrew Froning & Matt VekakisSGA President and Vice President, 2009-2010

A Letter from the SGA President and Vice President

will be reading her book to the children as well as leading an art project, in which the students will be creating their own bookmarks. We have raised all the money (for the art supplies, bookmarks, etc.) our own so this is costing the school nothing.

The event time is 9:30am-11:00am, and 12:00pm-2:00pm.

Phillip Day

Without a significant amount of ties to the area, student residents in the Belvedere neighborhood - CCSU’s neighbors to the immediate west - may not have much motivation to forge friendly relationships with their neighbors and take care of the area. Most students will see their living situation with a handful of roommates in a house on Stratford Street, for example, as temporary and only that.

While this is true, students should take a good look at their one- or two-year leases in this residential neighborhood and see it for the stepping stone it should be. For many, it is the first time they

have lived away from home, or away from the dorms, and have to interact with neighbors who have their own leaves to rake and lawns to keep tidy. Their neighbors may have small children who need extra care and a safe place to play. Students must use the chance to shape themselves into the neighbors they’d like to be when they become homeowners themselves.

Likewise, the New Britain residents who have chosen the Belvedere neighborhood as their permanent address should not overlook the most important fact about their area: that it is located next to a university. CCSU will

undoubtedly remain a suitcase school, therefore Thursday will remain thirsty. While permanent residents will always see this as an inconvenience, it is an inconvenience that has been apart of college life at CCSU became a dry campus a few decades ago. This same issue plauges every college campus that isn’t self-inclosed into its own community. Even a school like the University of Connecticut that maintains a higher on-campus to off-campus student ratio, faces similar issues with off-campus students who live as far as 20 minutes away from Storrs. As much as the residents of the Belevedere neighborhood have

the right to expect an orderly and upstanding place to call home, they should be expectant of noise and disturbance issues when purchasing a home in such small proximity to a public university.

Many residents of Belevedere seem to have a very negative outlook on the semi-permanent neighbors, quickly dismissing college students as loud, beer-swilling, drug addicted teens with no sense of responsibility. While this outlook might fit a few, it doesn’t speak for the majority of CCSU students who managae to work near-full time to afford to pay their own way through a degree. These hard-working

student-professionals are being given little to no chance to show why type of person they really are before being silently judge by their older counterparts across the street.

Belevedere residents should use this indifference as a way to strengthen their neighborly relationships, rather than peering through the curtains anticipating something bad to happen. Reach out to your neighbor and voice any concerns you might have, this might lead to the neighborhood experience many are looking for without alienating these two drastically different groups.

5

6 UpgradeTHE RECORDERWednesday, October 28, 2009

P dcast of the Week: This Week in Tech

MiChAEL WALShThE RECoRDER

Less is more is the mantra carried out by director Oren Peli throughout his debut fi lm Paranormal Activity. Th e mockumentary style horror fi lm has been making noise, creating buzz and scorching up the box offi ce charts ever since its initial limited release in September.

And it’s easy to see why a fi lm such as Paranormal Activity can frighten and excite audiences so easily. With no suff ocating glitz of a typical Hollywood horror fi lm or thick wall of fake installed to separate the audience and the characters, Paranormal Activity is a realistic, believable and modern take on the haunted house genre.

A lot of the believability and realistic tendencies of the haunting of couple Katie and Micah come from the minimalistic nature of Peli’s fi lm. Leaving some of the scare unexposed and inside the mind, the fi lm encourages audience imagination. In a time where the horror genre is saturated with fi lms whose intentions are to expose as much pain, terror and grief as possible, Peli shows he understands that the opposite of that method can be just as eff ective, if not more.

Th e most macabre fi lms of the 1940’s and on made their way into spooking audiences through

Minimalistic Paranormal Activity An Old School Horror Sensation

atmosphere and terror of another kind, not by seeing how many pounds of intestines they can show moviegoers. And with Paranormal Activity there is a sort of rousing of this old school style found in those more classic types of horror fi lms. With a miniscule budget of $15,000, Peli faced that same sort of barrier an older fi lm with no means for extravagance might have, but one he overcame and seemed to most certainly welcome. Peli’s methodical fi lm is a reminder that the lost art of making truly terrifying cinema isn’t so lost aft er all.

In full, P a r a n o r m a l Activity is a toxic mix of the techniques of Th e Blair Witch Project and the spooky happenings of Robert Wise’s classic 1963 horror fi lm Th e Haunting. And I say all that as only to shed some light where the inspiration of this fi lm comes from, not to imply any sort of “been there, done that” att itude. And even though there are striking similarities to the BBC’s faux news program Ghostwatch that

was broadcasted on Halloween in 1992, this is somewhere horror fans simply haven’t been yet. Th is is the rare litt le fi lm that could, breaking through all conventions of the genre seen in the more modern years.

Peli’s grassroots direction is both deliberate in nature but oh so

vicious and intense at climax. Peli creates what can only be described as textbook horror suspense. Th e fi lm is a constant cycle of buildup and slowdown, separated by day and night. And even when you know and can feel that something is about to happen, the fi lm still manages to place you on the edge of

your nerves, even to a point where the most frightened viewers of the fi lm will fear night and the darkness it brings as much as the haunted Katie does.

Many words are fair game in describing the scares brought on by Peli. Freaky, creepy and disturbing

would rank on the top of that list. Whether the fi lm will truly frighten you both in theaters and later that night at home when you turn the light off is completely subjective. Th ose who feast on the terror will be reeling from the excitement of it all, while those most susceptible to fright might fi nd themselves in over their heads.

It isn’t my job to tell you if

you’ll be scared by this fi lm or not. If you’ve been scared by a horror fi lm before, chances are you’re in for something here, as the fi lm has the capability to unsett le even those most steel-nerved horror fanatics. But Peli’s fi lm will only be eff ective on those who allow it to be. I can’t

stress enough how necessary it is to let yourself into the fi lm and truly want to be scared by it. On that level is where Paranormal Activity is most eff ective.

And if anyone has trouble placing them inside this fi lm it might be due to the interaction between Katie and Micah, the two that combine to make for one irritable couple. Th ey don’t act like they’ve been dating for three years, and Micah’s constant desire to not listen to his partner is almost as disturbing and unlikeable as the demons haunting their nights. I found this to be really forgett able and forgivable, as Peli has already said that the dialogue was “natural” because there was no true script to the fi lm, just situations to set off improvisation. But in a strange way, Peli’s course for natural dialogue pays off , as it hides the rather amateurish acting of both Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston. Just don’t go looking for any sort of character development.

While I’m prett y sure Paranormal Activity hasn’t made me afraid to sleep with the lights off , it’s most certainly a wonderful case of how sometimes a genuinely haunting atmosphere and perfect suspense building combined with a believable style of storytelling can make for some of the most eff ective and unnerving moments the horror genre has seen in years.

EDWARD GAuGThE RECoRDER

I’ll be the fi rst to admit that I am a giant nerd. A big enough nerd to spend nearly two hours a week listening to three or four bigger nerds talk about nerdy things like Google Wave, data loss for Sidekick users via Danger as well the ups and downs of the Windows 7 release this week.

Th is Week in Tech, which is streamed live on www.twit.tv Sunday evenings is available in the iTunes Store Monday mornings and is hosted by the self-proclaimed “president of the Internet” Leo

Laporte. President Laporte has been covering tech news since the 1980s and hasn’t lost a step on covering what is important to all those tethered to their mice and keyboards.

Joined nearly every week by tech writer and general curmudgeon John C. Dvorak, the “twits” discuss important stories throughout the tech world with a side of humored insight from people within the fi eld of technology.

For myself, each episode of TWiT has delivered a view into something new on the Internet that I wouldn’t have otherwise discovered. It may be something small like Brizzly, a website that tracks trending topics on twitt er and maintains a wiki-like explanation of what they meant. Th at way, people can understand

why their Twitt er feed is fi lled with hash tags like “#wheniwasyoung” or “#followfriday”.

Along with gett ing news from laport and Dvorak, you get special guests like Patrick Norton of Revision 3, Tekzilla and formerly of “Screen Savers” on Tech TV and Kevin Rose, founder of the social networking site Digg. Guests like Norton and Rose bring a ton of credibility to an overlooked source of news.

While most people don’t see them selves as nerds, the more time you spend tweeting and playing Farmville on Facebook, the closer you are to the netbook-toting, Gizmodo-reading nerd sitt ing next to you in class. It also means that you just might enjoy a few things while listening to Th is Week in Tech.

xkcd.com

Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 28, 2009 / UPGR ADE 7

SAMANThA FOuRNiERThE RECoRDER

“I love it. It’s the color, it’s the feeling. His work seems to have a half organic, half urban feel,” CCSU student Tina Ciarcia said.

She was referring to Steve Di Benedetto’s work, which will be displayed in the S.T. Chen Gallery. Di Benedetto’s paintings will be available for viewing until November 19 during gallery hours.

Sixteen bold paintings are displayed across the wall of the gallery. Each painting is infused

Bold Structures Inhabit the Chen Gallerywith bright colors and clear structure, which is contrasted against unmanageable forms. Most of the paintings have key elements in them, including an octopus, helicopters, and buildings, which give the paintings their geometric feel.

“I like it when things that are made in a deliberate manner are [put] in situations that are unclear,” Di Benedetto said of his work, adding that “the best things are always enigmatic.”

If you looked at the painting titled “Reflection” you would be

able to identify the objects in the picture as a copper colored octopus and a blue skyscraper, but you may not be able to decipher why the octopus is crawling up the side of the building.

“The more you look at it, it changes,” CCSU student Andrew Cusson said of the images he’d observed so far.

“Ideally they should work to present a challenge and sense of comfort for the viewer,” Di Benedetto says of his paintings. Di Benedetto compares the sense of structure and the unmanageable forms found in each of his paintings as a metaphor for the struggle between

controllable and uncontrollable situations encountered in everyday life.

The size of “Edge Dwelling” makes the painting feel almost overwhelming. A tall skyscraper is surrounded by helicopters with whirring blades. At the base of the building, a slimy octopus figure takes form. Movement is created in the painting through the helicopters and extraneous lines surrounding the building.

“My work used to be more abstract in the 80’s,” Di Benedetto said. One thing that hasn’t changed is the “optically charged” look that Di Benedetto adds to all of his

paintings.

“It’s very interesting. I like the color in them, I’m a big fan of color,” Katia Porter, creator of the recent exhibit Second Shift held in the inner gallery.

“[You’re] making committed pictorial experiences where you’re trying to create visually exciting experiences [for the viewer],” Di Benedetto added of his aim.

Di Benedetto’s paintings are sure to stimulate the mind and the eye of any viewers that visit the exhibit, just as they did the night of the opening reception.

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Edward Gaug | The Recorder Steve Di Benedetto shows off on of his paintings.

Photo courtesy of Fox Seachlight Pictures

DON WEBERThE RECoRDER

The new biopic Amelia is a filmic captures a unique side of the legendary female pilot Amelia Earhart that viewers may not have known about her. Director Mira Nair uses stunning visuals, from candy apple airplanes to portrait-esque landscapes, to surround the plot.

Amelia begins in the middle of Earhart’s journey around the world, but touches on personal reflections

Amelia Spreads Its Wingsof Earhart’s life, played by Hilary Swank. The film’s primary focus is on the romantic life of Earhart. She leads to a loose marriage to publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere) and an awkwardly functionable affair with Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor). Ultimately, Amelia is portrayed positively and no character is burdened with negative light from the romantic clash.

Each character in Amelia is developed and colorful, as each actor adds their own comedic and dramatic moments to the

mix. Surprisingly, there aren’t an abundance of characters, which allows the audience the opportunity to focus on those central. Swank and Gere are also matched by a smaller role, Fred Noonan, as portrayed by Christopher Eccleston. Overall, the acting is well done and each actor holds their own scene by scene.

Interestingly enough, the only real problem with the film is the pacing. The romantic endeavors of the main characters are initiated fairly quickly and we hardly have time to adjust to them. Conversely,

had Nair stretched the film’s storyline out, it would have likely become too lengthy.

Amelia is the type of film you can watch without being brought down. The inspirational story, key uplifting music and elaborate visuals will make the viewer want to get up and go be revolutionary. All of the characters are genuine and while some may be overlooked, they each have their own moments.

Aside from depicting an American icon like Amelia Earhart, look for Amelia to take some

trophies home come award season. Swank and Gere will likely get their chances, and the cinematography team could have an opportunity as well.

Amelia holds the attention of both adults and children, making it well worth watching. Great acting, good scenery and a great depiction of the time’s lifestyle, all make for an enjoyable film. Viewers can expect a combination of deep and comedic moments, but will leave the theater completely satisfied with the result.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 28, 2009 / UPGR ADE

ChRiSTOPhER BOuLAyThE RECoRDER

SMITHFIELD, R.I.- CCSU held off a late rally, and a missed extra point by Chris Bird with nine seconds left sealed the win for the Blue Devils, as they held off Bryant 24-23, on a blustery day at Bulldog Stadium on Saturday.

Senior running back James Mallory scored on a one-yard run with 47 seconds left in the game to put the Blue Devils up 24-17, and would prove to be the game winner.

“Love it. Six-one sounds great,” Mallory said. “Th at eff ort shows that we are not a one man team. We have multiple people that can make plays at any given time. You gott a love it. It’s a team eff ort, and we stuck it out and got a win.”

Bryant received the ensuing kickoff and started with good fi eld position, as they drove down the fi eld with time ticking away. Th e

drive would be capped off when quarterback Matt Tracey threw a seven-yard pass that would seemingly tie the game, with barely any time left on the clock.

“Our kicker didn’t kick it as far as far as I would have liked. But you still have to defend. With 47 seconds and one timeout, you gott a think that they weren’t gonna get down there,” Coach Jeff McInerney said. “Th ey made a great play, you gott a give them all of the credit in the world.”

But what is usually an aft erthought became something of a nightmare for Bryant. Bird kicked the ball wide right, and CCSU would hold on to the win by the slimmest of margins.

“I probably would have went for two and called it a day,” McInerney said. “Th e last time [Bird] was down there, he almost missed it. It was a boomerang. [He missed it], and you hate it for him. But that’s football.

I’ve been on that side of it. I went down to Robert Morris with a freshman kicker, with the ball right in the middle [of the fi eld] and he missed it, and it cost us a nine-win season.”

Mallory ran for 89 yards on 25 carries, nearly half of the 240 yards the Blue Devils gained on the ground during the game.

“Th ey really just wanted to take me out of the game. If you watch fi lm, we have a lot of quarterbacks that can run. So if you want to take me out and let our quarterbacks run, then go ahead,” Mallory said.

Quarterback Hunter Wanket put the Blue Devils on the board fi rst when he ran for a 16 yard touchdown, just over fi ve minutes into the fi rst quarter.

Th e Blue Devils gave up three sacks, one that knocked Wanket out of the game with a non-throwing arm injury.

Aubrey Norris entered the

game, and turned the heat up on the Bulldogs, going 4-for-9 passing for 65 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Rob Fisher, with 58 seconds left in the fi rst half to make the score 17-10 at halft ime.

“We run that route all the time. I tried to just step up,” Norris said. “[Fisher] made a great catch, the o-line had perfect protection, and I just tried to throw it in there. He came up with the ball.”

Bryant’s running back Jerell Smith knott ed the score at 17-17 with 12:22 left in the game. Smith fi nished with 81 yards on 14 carries.

Bryant scored their lone touchdown in the fi rst half when Michael Croce connected with Mike Canfora for a six-yard touchdown, with 5:22 left in the opening quarter.

On the defensive side, Lawton Arnold had 10 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for a loss. Dominique

Rose had fi ve solo tackles, and Marcus Dorsey added three solo tackles.

For Bryant, Aaron White had 13 tackles, one sack and three tackles for a loss. Andre White had eight tackles, and Jason Riff e added six.

CCSU returns home on Saturday to play the University of Albany. Th e Great Danes are 5-0 in the conference, and the game will decide who will be alone in fi rst place in the NEC.

Notes: Both teams were 4-4 in the red zone. CCSU had 314 yards of total off ense compared to Bryant’s 208. CCSU dominated time of possession, 38:14 to 21:37. Th e Blue Devils are 2-0 all time against the Bulldogs, their last meeting was last season, where CCSU won 45-37. Both teams had one turnover, an interception by Wanket by Samad Wagstaff , and a fumble by Bryant running back Kevin Monawanu.

Blue Devils Survive Missed Extra Point Gives CCSU Win Over Bryant

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 28, 2009 / UPGR ADE10

StingIf On a Winter’s NightDeutsche GrammophonOctober 27, 2009

DON WEBERThE RECoRDER

Sting releases yet another album, this time for the upcoming holiday season. This album, as the title might describe, is a winter album with many Christmas spirited songs. The songs will bring white and blue snow scenes from your

Kurt VileChildish ProdigyMatador RecordsOctober 6, 2009

MATT KiERNANThE RECoRDER

It’s a rare occurrence in rock ’n roll when an artist is able to combine early influences and modern music that’s being played at a moment that separates them from others. Kurt Vile is an artist that collects small pieces of multiple genres and melts them together with ease.

Childish Prodigy, the second release by Vile, shows a honing of his skills and talent following his debut album Constant Hitmaker. Childish Prodigy holds a better production following his move to indie-label giants Matador Records along with stronger songwriting and composition.

Vile’s voice holds a tone resembling that of Lou Reed with a bit of laziness and recklessness to his singing which is balanced out by his perfection of guitar playing. His lyrics are just as complex and original as Reed’s with long and

REVIEWS

PelicanWhat We All Come To NeedSouthern LordOctober 27, 2009

MiChAEL WALShThE RECoRDER

I find it somewhat difficult to express how I really feel about Pelican. Instead, the four-piece instrumental band from Chicago prefers to constantly make its post-rock sound laced with metal collide with my senses, leaving me with no room to function.

What I really love about Pelican and their sludgy, sometimes droning, but always engaging music, is how it absolutely always cuts to the chase. There is no fooling around here, no need for an unnecessary and sometimes anti-climatic buildup technique other prominent bands inside the post-whatever genres make use of. And the band’s fourth album What We All Come to Need is one of the best examples of this yet.

“Glimmer” opens the album, grabs you, and makes a point that it isn’t going to let go of you. All four members of this band are simply incredibly competent in letting their instruments do the heavy speaking. Sibling rhythm section of Bryan Herweg on bass and Larry Herweg on drums keeps the music flowing consistently while the band’s dual guitarists Trevor de Brauw and Larent Schroeder-Lebec place biting and harsh riffs on top of it all.

“The Creeper” and “Ephemeral” stand out as two favorites of mine. They both have this uncanny hooking ability thanks to the quartet’s ability to work and feed off of each other. The rest of the album is simply more of the same.

Before all is said and done with the pulsating eight track album,

diehard Pelican fans will be hearing something different on the eighth and final track. Fans might be surprised to hear vocals on “Final Breath”. It’s true, you aren’t hearing things. Ben Verellen of Harkonen provided vocals for what is the first Pelican song to ever feature vocals, and the experiment avoids disaster.

Not much more can be said for a band like Pelican. You’ll either love it or hate it. There’s no catch to their straightforward sound, but at the same time it ends up being satisfying and addicting. They might just be the most accessible band inside the many post-rock genres, and What We All Come to Need is more proof of that claim.

lengthy phrases drawled out of his mouth.

Combining indie-rock with blues and folk songs with a lyricist who rambles along is in a model in the same mold as singer/songwriter Beck. Vile though, creates a sound original from everyone else using stimulating guitar notes and chords that echo to give a reverberating atmosphere.

The album is kicked off with the blues song “Hunchback,” consisting of only two chords but holds the New York toughness that resonates from where he comes from.

The seven-minute long “Freak Train” is a Bob Dylan type of track in which Vile speaks about being apathetic and getting by in life and plays the song while being supported by his guitar and thudding drums.

“Blackberry Song” is a calm acoustic track helped by a repeated piano chord that may have fit into the album Led Zeppelin III. Sliding guitar strings and a lo-fi feel gives it a touch of Vile’s music’s characteristics.

Childish Prodigy is an album that breaks through the genre of indie-rock and into all of rock ‘n roll with a progression of combining different influences into a sound that’s all its own.

past to mind.If On a Winter’s Night isn’t for

those people who hate seeing holiday decorations before Thanksgiving. However, for those who can get into the Christmas spirit early, this album is surprisingly good.

It may be a shocker to learn that Sting is releasing another album, but similar to seeing a surprisingly good movie, Sting’s new album comes out of nowhere and ends up being very good. Sting makes great use of different languages, cultural instruments and captivating background sounds. Track by track, you may find yourself becoming enthroned in the raspy-voiced songs that play.

As someone who likes Sting about as much as everyone else, and who doesn’t particularly fantasize about Christmas, I was very impressed by the entire concept. This album could make you start appreciating the time of year a little more, and it could just give you a relaxing thirty minutes to be plainly content.

This album isn’t like Sting’s other works. He seems to understand that he is aging and never pushes his voice out too far. These songs don’t resemble The Police or the solo works he produced throughout the eighties and nineties. There are no belting vocals and you won’t hear Sting’s voice crack while stretching like his older live renditions. Instead, Sting utilizes backup vocals and worldly tunes. His voice is like a soft narration to a Christmas movie. Think the 1982 film The Snowman.

It’s very disappointing that this album will probably be overlooked. If you like Sting, Christmas songs or need a good, soft-toned album, check out If On a Winter’s Night. Even if you just go to a local music store and finish a cup of coffee while sampling this album in the store, it’s definitely worth the time.

Sting has produced a dark horse among the many band comebacks so far this year. The difference is that his album is holiday-themed and not just a reworking of previous hits. These aren’t classic songs, reminiscent of the artist’s past, but they provide for a genuinely good new album.

Flight of the ConchordsI Told You I Was FreakySub PopOctober 20, 2009

KALiN BuChOLzThE RECoRDER

Popping I Told You I Was Freaky, the sophomore album from folk rock duo Flight of the Conchords, into my car’s CD player, I knew what I was in for right away.

This was an enjoyable experiment because I hadn’t seen season two of the duo’s television show, which features all these same songs. Regardless, the album stands on its own two feet without being familiar with the series.

Listening to I Told You I Was Freaky, the songs delivered comically and I constantly found myself pleasantly surprised by the quality of the music. For a comedy album, it got my head bobbing with tracks like “Too Many Dicks (On the Dance Floor)” and “Fashion Is Danger,” and chuckles at lines such as ‘’Your breasts are balls of flames and I’m burning my hands playing these ball games’’ from the track “Demon Woman.” I burst out laughing a number of times, particularly from a track that is a perfect spoof of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and also from an uncanny parody of The Police’s “Roxanne,” where Jemaine Clement plays the story of a person forced into prostitution.

Even though I Told You I Was Freaky may not be in your regular rotation, when you do listen to it again, it succeeds at the rare feat of being an album you can enjoy to from start to finish. Clement and Bret McKenzie, the show’s two main stars, offer up a great, if not better successor to their Grammy-winning first season album. With the news that the duo will most likely not be back for an attempt at a third season, we can at least say they went out at the top of their game.

ALEx JARviSThE RECoRDER

I’ll start with this: Tim Schafer’s newest game, Brütal Legend, takes those doodles you used to draw in the margins of your eighth grade notebook and turns them into a video game you can actually play.

The Main character of the game is Eddie Riggs, a Roadie (voiced by Jack Black, with his roadie/rock philosophy making up for a chunk of the impetus for the story) who has been thrust into the world of his dreams: demons ride on fast cars through a destroyed landscape, face melting guitar riffs actually melt faces (no, seriously you guys, that’s an ability you get to have) and mosh-pits are a legitimate strategy to victory. If you are familiar with any of Schafer’s previous work, then you already know that the game is cleverly written, visually gorgeous,and fairly deep.

The music, of course, is also brilliant. Taking notes from the

entire catalog of rock history, we are really only missing Led Zepplin and a few other masterminds to call this complete. Despite the lack of Led, you do get Ozzy, who also has a starring role in the game, Dethklok, Metallica and (of course) Tenacious D. Strangely enough, that is not what drew me in.

The most devious trick of Brutal Legend is that its advertising has been terribly misleading. It fashions itself a sort of mid-line action game, hacking and slashing through a metal world with an axe (the kind with a blade) and an axe (the kind that makes music). However, during one portion, the enemies of lionwhyte (the game’s first large rival, a hair-metal inspired troupe) attack your base. You assemble a stage to defend them, start to manage resources (“fans”) that you can turn into units that you instruct to certain points on the battle field and... holy hell, the game just changed into a Real-Time Strategy. What’s great is that it is actually one of the few RTS titles

on a console I’ve ever truly enjoyed - the third-person view of Eddie as he hovers above the battlefield (on demon wings, so metal) allows you to either stay in your ivory tower, or - if you are a rough-and-tumble type - take part in the action yourself. During whole other sections of the game, it fashions itself as a car-combat title, defending the touring van from potential interlopers. The game changes up constantly, and it is fairly refreshing.

Should you buy Brütal Legend? No, no you shouldn’t. What you should do is reach deep down inside that cynical, hipster heart of yours and find that strange, confused 14 year old that wore wristbands, loved ACDC, and really believed in the music. You hand him the sixty dollars and your pink Xbox 360 controller that you constantly get teased about and let him go buck wild, then you listen to Say Anything or something and sulk. He’ll tell you how awesome it is when he’s done.

‘Brütal Legend’ Is Three Kinds of Metal

Photo courtesy of Double Fine Productions

Sick of reading album reviews for bands no one has heard of?

Email suggestions to editor@centralrecorder.com.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 28, 2009 / UPGR ADE 11

Calendar10.28 - 11.04

MUSIC10.28State Radio@ Toad’s PlaceNew Haven, Conn.$20 / 7 p.m.

10.28King Khan and the BBQ Show@ Iron Horse Music HallNorthampton, Mass.$15 / 8:30 p.m.

10.31Mischief Night, Music Fest & Costume Contest@ The SpaceHamden, Conn.$10 / 5 p.m.

One hundred-dollar grand prize for most creative costume2nd Prize - 4 Free Tickets To The Space for any show in November3rd Prize - 6 Pack of Monster Energy Drinks !

Judged By Eric Schrader - Independent Horror Film Director & Guitar Player for Nationally Touring Horror Punk Rock Band COVIN

Band appearances: Beyond Her Eyes, Oath of Insanity, Until the Day Dawns, As Pirates Often Do, Desolation Reigns, Her Killer Smile, The Rampage and Send Your Regards.

10.31Say Anything@ The WebsterHartford, Conn.$16.50 / 7 p.m.

11.1F*ck Buttons@ Pearl Street NightclubNorthampton, Mass.$14 /8 p.m.

ART10.31ArtSpace Underground Halloween Party@ ArtSpaceNew Haven, Conn.$5 / 8 p.m.

Live Music performances by Lima Research Society and the Simple Pleasure. Dance party starts at 8 p.m. with the musical stylings of DJ Sofia Cavallo. Costume Party! Wear a pink cos-tume to support breast cancer re-search. And as always, Art2Go by local artists in the adjoining galleries.

FILM10.28, 29Art & CopyHate advertising? Make better ads.@Real Art WaysHartford, Conn$6.25 / 7 p.m.

“ I made a movie about people who grew f lowers in hell.” - Doug Pray, filmmaker, in the Huffington Post

This film isn’t about the 98 per-cent of advertising that annoys and disrespects the audience. It’s a film about the greatest advertising minds of the last 50 years, the few who managed to move, inf luence, and inspire our culture with their work.

10.28- 10.31Taking Woodstock@ CinestudioHartford, Conn.$7 / 7:30 p.m.

Taiwanese director Ang Lee turns an outsider’s lens on America’s mythic past, from the Wild West (Brokeback Mountain) to the sexual revolution (The Ice Storm). In Taking Woodstock, Lee is less interested in the iconic concert than in its effect on a shy, gay-but-closeted interior designer. Comedian Demetri Martin is real-life Elliot Tiber, who leaves Greenwich Village to help his Russian-Jewish parents when the Woodstock organizers encamp in their Catskills motel. We witness Elliot’s often very funny journey towards liberation as he meets a cross-dressing Marine, a radical theater troupe who do a nude ver-sion of Chekhov’s Three Sisters, and his tortured high school buddy recently back from Vietnam, bril-liantly played by Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild).

“ Lee instills a sense of sponta-neity and wonder in an event that

has been otherwise ambered in its own myth... a surprisingly subver-sive movie” - Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

@ CCSU10.28Phi Sigma Sigma Pumpkin Decorating Table@ Student Center Lobby10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

10.28PRIDE Masquerade Ball@ Semesters CafeStudent Center6 to 9 p.m.

10.29Women’s Center Massages@Student Center Lobby9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

10.29

Middle East Lecture@ Marcus White Living Room5 p.m.

10.31Family Day on Campus:

RECentral Family Day in the •Bubble, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.“Patterns in the Sky” •Planetarium Show in Copernicus, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.Music & Student Organization •Showcase at Semesters Cafe, Student Center, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.Family Weekend Arts, Crafts •& Novelties in the Nutmeg

Room, Memorial Hall, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.ASO Haunted House and •Family Day in the Africana Center, Marcus White, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.G-Force Movie in Torp •Theatre, Davidson, 2 to 4 p.m.

11.1Best Robotics Conference@ Student Center6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

11.2VNA Flu Clinic@ Sprague RoomStudent Center3 to 6 p.m.

11.3Albanian Students Organization Toy Drive@ Student Center Lobby11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

11.3Lambda Theta Phi Fraternity Coat Drive@ Student Center Lobby2 to 5 p.m.

11.3African Women in Film Series@ Torp TheatreDavidson Hall5 to 8 p.m.

11.4Phi Sigma Sigma Clothing Drive@ Student Center Lobby10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

11.4Central Authors Presents “Red Baron: Life and Death of an Ace and Black Fokker Leader” by Peter Kilduff@ BookstoreStudent Center12 p.m.

11.4“Platanos and Collard Greens” Performance@ Torp TheatreDavidson Hall5 p.m.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 28, 2009 / SPORTS12

BRiTTANy BuRKEThE RECoRDER

Th e CCSU ice hockey team skated away with a 5-2 win, at home against the University of Maine.

Coming off of a major win against the University of New Haven, 14-3, at home on Oct. 18 the Blue Devils took to the ice as a new team. For the most part the game was clean, with 10 penalties within the entire sixty minutes.

Th e team was in control of the puck more than they had been in past games and was able to get numerous chances at shot on goal. Th ey got off to a slow start in the fi rst period, being held to zero goals, while allowing the Black Bears the fi rst point on the board.

Aft er the fi rst break CCSU came back and were rejuvenated. Th eir skating and puck handling improved, they were able to clear the net - something that Coach Adams had wanted his team to work on - and hold the Black Bears to the one goal from the previous period.

While the defense stepped up the team was able to get their fi rst goal, made by Captain Joe Dabkowski, with 16:20 left in the period.

“We started off a litt le slow. Th en our line started to pick it up, working down low, [Brett Holmes]

took a good shot, missed the net scratched the net and put it in,” said Dabkowski.

Th e game started off at a slow pace, but aft er the fi rst goal made by Dabkowski, from Holmes’ assist the Blue Devils seemed to really pick it up.

“We were fl at footed for the fi rst period and once we got that fi rst goal we got a spark and just didn’t look back from there,” said sophomore forward Zack Vidmosko.

Th e outcome of the game was fi nally sealed for CCSU in the third when they were able to score three back to back goals within two minutes and twelve seconds of each other.

Th e fi rst, a shorthanded goal was made by senior, Mike DiClemente while Jonathan Knobloch was in the penalty box with a minor tripping penalty. Diclemente made the goal from an assist by Joe Dabkowski with 18:38 left in the period. Th at goal was soon followed by junior Eric Blewett ’s goal, assisted by Th omas Carroll to make the score 4-1.

Th e third goal of the period was also the second goal of the game for sophomore Zack Vidmosko, who’s fi rst goal came in the second period.

“Well I was just workin’ hard in front of the net and the D did great

work gett ing the puck in front and I was just there for the tip,” said Vidmosko. “I think I started off sloppy and then picked it up aft er I got confi dence aft er that fi rst goal.”

While the Blue Devils scored fi ve goals, they were able to keep the puck away from their own zone. When the Black Bears crossed the neutral zone into the defending zone, it was the fi rst year Blue Devil goalie, sophomore Ross Mocko who held them. Mocko only let the Black Bears score two goals on his net in the fi rst and last period.

“It was kind of a slow game from my end of the ice. Th e guys played really well in front of me so I had to really stay focused for when the puck really did come into the zone,” said Mocko. “A couple of times I was a litt le hesitant as to what was going on but it’s just stay focused, batt le hard and the team ended up coming out on top tonight with a good win.”

CCSU came out against the Black Bears conditioned and ready to play their brand of hockey.

“Started off with a lot of hard work - our line started to fi nally put it together. We had a couple of games where we were kind of shaky,” Dabkowski said.

CCSU will look to improve their record at home next on Nov. 6 against Holy Cross at 9:35 p.m.

Hockey Defends Against Bears

Paul Armstrong: Th e Scouser in the Net

ChRiSTOPhER BOuLAyThE RECoRDER

Senior Goalkeeper Paul Armstrong, like most of the foreign players on the CCSU men’s soccer team has come a long way. Not just the 3,222 miles from Liverpool, England to New Britain, but the soccer journey he has taken as well.

Armstrong began playing amateur soccer when he was nine. At 14, while still unatt ached to a youth outfi t, he fi nally got his chance. He was picked up by Wigan Athletic Football Club, currently an English Premier League side, and given a spot in their youth organization. From Wigan, he went to Morecambe F.C., then Crewe Alexandra F.C., which are both members of League Two, the fourth division of the English Football Pyramid.

Aft er his stints with these clubs, he went to Chester City F.C.

“Within four or fi ve years, I moved to four diff erent clubs,” Armstrong said. “Most of the time I was moving because of ease of transport.”

Despite the diffi culty gett ing around England to play for his clubs, Armstrong realized that his dream of becoming a professional footballer could come true.

Th is is where his journey to United States began. “Scouse,” a nickname for people from Liverpool, and what he is called by many of the players and staff , experienced a strange and enlightening trip.

Aft er successful try-outs with ScholarshipsUSA.com, a company helps give foreign soccer players an opportunity to play for U.S. college soccer, Armstrong immediately got recreuitment calls from coaches all over the States.

“Overall I had 14 or 15 off ers to come and play,” Armstrong

said. “Eventually I chose Central. I was speaking to Shaun [Green], everything was going brilliant. Th en, I lost contact with Shaun for two months.”

Armstrong would later fi nd out from former assistant at CCSU, Todd Dufresne, that Coach Green had suff ered a heart att ack, and was in no condition to recruit.

“I was left in limbo. I didn’t know whether I was going or whether I was going to have to stay [in Liverpool.]”

Time started to become a factor for Armstrong, as the NCAA has a time limit on signing, so he had to act quickly.

Aft er Armstrong found out about the situation with Green, Dufresne emailed Armstrong and told him that CCSU isn’t going to take him.

Other off ers for Armstrong’s services kept pouring in, and it looked like he would choose Ohio, as he went as far as making a verbal agreement with the school. But two days before he was to sign his lett er of intent, Armstrong received a call.

“I got a call from Shaun,” he said. “He asked, ‘are we still on?’ It was out of the blue for me.”

Armstrong and Green straightened the situation out, and the keeper was soon a Blue Devil.

Th e adjustment coming to America was diffi cult for Armstrong, but with a bit of help and guidance from some of his former teammates, he was able to make the transition to life in America.

“I got lucky that Shaun got me the apartment with Dave Tyrie, and that helped a lot for sett ling in. I was with English lads, and they were able to understanding the feelings I was going through: homesick, not talking to your family on a daily basis, so they were able to help with that.”

Armstrong has started in net for the Blue Devils for the last three

years, but to him, nothing is more memorable than the run to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament.

“When I was with the professional squads in England, we had a few cup runs, but we never got very far,” Armstrong said.

With Armstrong in net, CCSU was able to string victory aft er victory together to qualify for the NEC Tournament, where they upset #1 seed Monmouth, and St. Francis to lift the NEC title.

“I’ve never been more proud in my life than when we beat St. Francis,” Armstrong said.

“We went on to beat Harvard and Tulsa and they were great games, but the fact that we beat [St. Francis] in the fi nal and Monmouth in the semifi nal aft er the adversity that we had gone through, starting off so slow, all the odds were stacked against us, and for us to pull together as a team and do that, it was an amazing experience.”

Coach Green praised Armstrong for his work on na doff the fi eld.

“Paul’s been a great goalkeeper for the program. I have seen him come on and really improve his skills over four years and he’s been a great leader,” Green said. “I think he has an opportunity to play beyond, maybe at a professional club, if that is what he wishes to do. Paul is an outstanding kid. He’s one of those few kids that come along who exemplifi es everything we’re about.”

It is too early right now to know what his path will be aft er he leaves his spot under the woodwork on CCSU’s home pitch, but he is enjoying it now.

“To do something that you love every day is a great opportunity.,” Armstrong said. “When I got signed, it was one of the best moments of my life.”

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Dane Anderson puts a shot on net late in the second period.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 28, 2009 / SPORTS 13

SPORTS STARTS ON BACKPAGE

ChRiSTOPhER BOuLAy Sports Editor

CARMiNE vETRANOAssistant Sports Editor

EDWARD GAuGManaging / Photo Editor

MiChAEL WALShEntertainment Editor

Seattle at Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas

St. Louis at Detroit Detroit St. Louis Detroit Detroit

Miami at NY Jets NY Jets Miami NY Jets NY Jets

San Francisco at Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis

Cleveland at Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago

Denver at Baltimore Denver Denver Denver Baltimore

NY Giants at Philadelphia NY Giants NY Giants Philadelphia NY Giants

Houston at Buffalo Houston Houston Houston Houston

Jacksonville at Tennessee Jacksonville Jacksonville Tennessee Tennessee

Oakland at San Diego San Diego San Diego San Diego San Diego

Minnesota at Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Minnesota Minnesota

Carolina ta Arizona Arizona Arizona Arizona Arizona

Atlanta at New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans

PickYour

Poison

NFL Predictions for Week 8Week 7 mixed up the leaderboard, placing Brittany Burke in a tie for first place. On the field, the Giants got outplayed by the Cardinals and the Patroits flew across the Atlantic to beat the Bucs. As we head to the finish of the season, The Recorder wants to hear about your picks of the week. E-mail us at: editor@centralrecorder.com

This Week’s NFL Pick’Em Leaderboard

Rank Name Total Points Current Week

1 Brittany Burke* 71 11

1 Nicholas Menapace 71 8

1 Carmine Vetrano* 71 8

1 Marc Chouinard 71 8

5 Christopher Boulay* 70 11

5 Anthony Gonsalves 70 8

7 Matthew Kitson 69 11

7 Ryan Kennedy 69 10

7 Tonya Malinowski 69 9

10 Edward Gaug* 68 10

10 Michael Walsh* 68 9

10 Joshua Davenport 68 8

13 Timothy Farrell 57 9

14 Michelle Traynor 56 8

15 Kevin Dennis 55 8

16 Chris Culmone 54 9

17 Nick Caiafa 48 9

18 Melissa Traynor 47 8

* indicates the person is an editor at The Recorder**Only people included in this list will continued to be counted.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 28, 2009 / SPORTS14

Photo courtesy of CCSuBlueDevils.com

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

CCSuBLuEDEviLS.COM

The Central Connecticut women’s soccer team improved to 6-0-1 in Northeast Conference play this season with a 1-0 victory on the road over Monmouth on Friday afternoon.

The win moves the Blue Devils into sole possession of first place

Women’s Soccer Shuts Out Monmouth to Move Into Sole

Possession of First Place in NECin the NEC. The Blue Devils and Hawks both entered the game 5-0-1 in league play. Junior Beth Lloyd scored her seventh goal of the season in the victory for the Blue Devils.

Lloyd’s gave the Blue Devils the 1-0 lead with her seventh goal of the season at 27:47 in the first half. She took a feed through the defense and beat Monmouth goalkeeper Lia Fierro for the 1-on-1 goal to give the Blue Devils the lead.

Lloyd has now scored seven goals in the last nine games for Central, six of those coming in league victories.

Monmouth 0

Blue Devils 1 Senior goalkeeper Caity Casey had an impressive game for the Blue Devils in goal. She tallied four saves in the first half and seven more in the second to post her fourth shutout of the season and second in the last three games.

Her 11 saves in the game were a season-high as the Blue Devils move into first place with 19 points.

The Blue Devils return to action on Sunday at Mount St. Mary’s beginning at 1 p.m. The game is the final regular season away game for Central this season.

CARMiNE vETRANOThE RECoRDER

The CCSU baseball team is looking for new memories to be made on their brand new baseball field. The freshly renovated Balf Savin Baseball Field is the new home of CCSU baseball.

If fans were looking for the baseball team last season, they were playing at New Britain high school at the historic Beehive Stadium. The Blue Devils, who had to drive to their home games, could not experience the feeling of having home field advantage. However, the team is hoping all that turns around by playing at the brand new field this spring.

Without waiting until Spring 2010 to break in the new field, the baseball players have already begun with fall ball workouts. Even though the outside of the stadium is still surrounded by dirt and concrete, CCSU ball players are piling onto the turf to get early practices in.

“Guys are excited, we are very excited as a whole program,” Assistant Coach Pat Hall said. “It is exciting to get out here. The weather has rained but we’re allowed to come and get to practice right away.”

Some of the advantages of having a turf field, which is green on the infield but red on the warning tracks and everywhere else, is the less time needed for field maintenance.

“Last year we lost seven to eight games because of rain,” Hall explained. “We could have got in those games with turf. Natural fields need an extra 30 to 40 minutes of prep to get ready for practice and so forth.”

With the new field in CCSU’s back yard the Blue Devils can come to workout whenever they want. They do not have to drive to Newington High School to get in practices, where they traveled to last season.

Senior outfielder Richie Tri is extremely happy about the availability the field offers the team, even though it is not completely finished.

“We can get a lot more work done here and its helpful because we can come out here whenever we want and just get stuff done with out the coaches,” Tri said.

And as for the home games, senior outfield Kyle Zarotney enjoys the anticipation of having a home crowd.

“Its awesome, especially now when people don’t need to get directions to our games,” Zarotney joked. “ [The field] is walking distance and we hope to get bigger crowds this year. We haven’t had a home crowd in 2 years.”

Zarotney, who spent his summer on Long Island playing for the Sag Harbor Whalers of the ACBL where he was an All-Star, likes the how fall

Wears Number Five, Plays Like Number One

CCSU Drop Vital Home Games, Eliminated as Postseason Contenders

Rafael Guimaraes got the Blue Devils on the board in the 73rd minute, after Armstrong booted the ball into the Terriers’ end and Cavener crossed it in to set up a lovely strike.

Only four minutes after Cavener converted the penalty, another takedown occurred, this time in the Blue Devils box, where St. Francis was awarded a penalty, and converted it to level the score.

“We’re winning 2-1 with 10 minutes left. We’ve got to be able to shut teams out,” Cavener said. “We can’t allow them to get a penalty and let them get back into the game. It’s bad defending.”

Regarding the flood of goals that have gone in during recent games, Coach Green put the onus on the defenders, who have been less than stellar throughout the season.

“We’re making stupid mistakes at the back,” Green said.

Armstrong made eight saves, compared to St. Francis’ Chris Antonino, who made two.

St. Francis outshot the Blue Devils 20-11 and had one more corner kick, 5-4.

The match was card-laden, to say the least. In addition to Jackson’s

two cards, Atiba Fraser received a yellow for the Terriers in the 59th minute. St. Francis Head Coach Tom Giovatto was given a yellow for dissent in the 105th minute. For the Blue Devils, Spieker received a yellow card in the 88th minute.

On Sunday, LIU scored with only 47 seconds left in the second overtime, when Josh Maley shot on net, and the ball deflected to Jakeem Johnson, who tallied the winner for the Blackbirds.

Cavener received a yellow card in the 36th minute, and defender Jared Spieker was given a straight red in the 83rd minute for taking part in a scuffle on the pitch.

CCSU was outshot by LIU 26-22. Armstrong made four saves in the loss, while Blackbird Adam Janssen made six saves.

Forward Taylor Morgan missed both matches with knee and ankle problems.

The Blue Devils now sit last in the NEC with four points from seven games, ending any hope to advance to the postseason for the first time since they reached the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament two years ago.

The Blue Devils are in action again Friday at Monmouth. They play their final match of the season at home on Friday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m.

receivers, but it hasn’t slowed him down.

“I mean, if we come up with the win, I’m always happy with that,” said Paul. “But when you’re a play maker like me, you want the ball in your hands.”

CCSU has had problems this season scoring in the first half. In fact, they have been trailing in the first half in 5 of their last 6 games, yet they have still gone 6-1 on the season, and have won their last 5 games in a row. Paul is not especially bothered by that fact, and neither is coach McInerney.

“Coach has never really been stressed [about trailing at halftime],” said Paul. “I mean he realizes we just need to calm down.”

Paul and his teammates have been dealing with issues other than the wars waged on the football field. He remarked on the traveling to away games.

“On the road it’s so long, it’s stressful,” said Paul. The Blue Devils have played 5 of their 7 games this year on the road. “The whole team has ‘bus legs,’ you know, our legs are

just tight.” Despite “bus legs,” the Blue Devils have gone 4-1 on the road.

The Blue Devils have a real shot at making the Division I-FCS playoffs, as well as the Gridiron Classic game coming up at the end of the regular season, and Paul seems to agree. He was part of two solid seasons; back in 2007 the team went 6-5 (4-3) and in 2008 they had a record of 7-4 (4-3), but this one seems to be the strongest in recent memory.

“This is the best team I’ve been on as far as leadership and everything goes,” said Paul. “This year, I feel like we’ve got to win it. If we’re not going to win it now, then who knows when.”

The Blue Devils know how to win a ball game, and players like Paul make it easy. His skills at receiving, returning and special teams have really made him a standout player this season, and he will continue to make that “big play” whenever his number is called. Opponents would be wise to start taking notice of this junior on the field, because he wears the number 5, but plays like a number 1.

Continued from page 16

Continued from page 16

ball is going so far.“We have a lot of returning kids

but the freshmen here are already exceeding our expectations,” Zarotney said. “ The pitching staff has done great so far this fall. All the young guys are doing good.”

The Blue Devils saw there season end in heart-breaking fashion last year, as they dropped a nail biter to top-seeded Wagner College by a score of 6-5 in extra innings. CCSU had a 5-2 lead thanks to the bat of then senior catcher Sean Parker, who had a pair of home runs.

However, Coach Hall is excited about the mix of the veteran and new players after seeing some fall practices.

“We need to get the younger guys up to speed, up to game speed,” Hall said. “The younger guys have ability to step in and will help us continue to get better. The junior college guys should help and be impact players right away. But the vets we have back along with hard work and preparation, we should have successful year.”

Coach Hall is calling this field, which is 400 feet dead center, one of the top fields in the Northeast and is hoping it will serve as a recruiting tool for influencing future players.

As fall turns into winter in the coming months, the CCSU baseball team will continue to take advantage of their new home field in preparation for the 2010 season.

New Field, New Hopes for CCSU Baseball

Josue Paul celebrates with Matthew Tyrell after his touchdown vs. RMU.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 28, 2009 / SPORTS 15

Kalin Bucholz | The Recorder

Junior libero Kaitlin Petrella now holds the school record in digs.Edward Gaug | The Recorder

BRiTTANy BuRKEThE RECoRDER

Number 15 Kaitlin Petrella, or “KP” as she is known to her coaches and teammates, may be small but she is packed with a lot of power.

During the Blue Devils’ away game versus the Columbia Lions on Oct. 7 Petrella officially surpassed former Blue Devil Jennifer Moshier to claim the top spot in CCSU’s annals for career digs.

The 5 foot 3 libero was able to break Moshier’s record of 1,215 career digs just seventeen matches into her junior season. Moshier has held the record for career digs since 1995, but after Petrella’s seventh dig in the Columbia game there was a new athlete at number one.

CCSU lost to Columbia that night, 3-0, but breaking the record eased the sting of defeat according to Petrella.

“It is really exciting, especially as a junior, to break a career record,” said Petrella. “It made the loss feel a little better.”

The loss to Columbia helped improve Petrella’s dig count to 1,219, a number she continues to build upon in each game. As of their fall to Rhode Island of 1-3, Petrella continues to lead CCSU with 366 digs.

Breaking a school record while still in the midst of her junior season is a major accomplishment and has

come as no surprise to her coach Linda Sagnelli.

“I think it’s wonderful. KP has started in every match for us, so she came in as a freshman and was starting libero right away,” said Coach Sagnelli. “That freshman year she had a lot of matches where her dig total was pretty up there and she’s constantly on the court for us and she’s matured as a libero. She’s actually the foundation of our defense.”

In her freshman year, Petrella led the Blue Devils with 366 digs, a number that also got her name in the record books, as sixth in all time CCSU Single Season digs. As a sophomore she improved on her previous season and set the CCSU Single Season record with an astounding 594 digs.

Petrella is an athlete who leads by example both on and off the court and is someone whom her teammates really turn to.

“In a lot of ways I think she is a leader on the court and every single person can look to her and respect her, not just for her talent, but for her dedication and determination” said Junior Co-captain Amanda Bayer (11).

Petrella, who discovered volleyball in the ninth grade with help from her middle school basketball coach, wasn’t expecting to enter CCSU and break a career record but now that she has she is setting her sights on something

Petrella Moves to Number One in the Record Booksbigger, an NEC championship to share with her teammates.

“I guess you got to dream big,” said Petrella of her accomplishments thus far and her goals for the future. “Team-wise I really think we can pull off an NEC win. We’re growing as a team, so we just keep getting better.”

The junior Blue Devil has proven that she is an immensely talented athlete, and powerful addition to the Blue Devils and it is that athleticism that has led to her numerous on court triumphs.

She still has a lot of time left to make an even bigger mark on the Blue Devil program, but Petrella does not look at her career as an individual effort. Everything she has accomplished has come with the help of her teammates.

It is her teammates and coaches that have helped her rise to the top and Petrella is, “just happy to be a part of this team.”

While she strongly credits her team, it is a large feat to break a career record.

“It’s something special to even be here to see,” said Co-captain Amanda Bayer. “She’s not even done with her junior season and to like make that kind of a mark on the program already, I think it says a lot about her.”

With the new record under her belt, Petrella turns her focus to0 an NEC title.

TiM FARRELLThE RECoRDER

A rainy and miserable Saturday morning in New Britain didn’t dampen the spirits of the men’s cross country team as they finished second in the field of 11 teams competing for this Mini Meet victory.

The Blue Devils were led by Freshman Craig Hunt, who was the top finisher for CCSU. Hunt finished the five kilometer course in 15:19.08, and led his team for the first time in his career at the college level. Hunt’s highest finish prior to this weekend’s fourth place overall was a fifth place finish at the CCSU Invitational at the beginning of the season.

Blue Devils Hunt Down Second Place Finish

TiM FARRELLThE RECoRDER

The Central women’s cross country team battled the weather along with the 10 other teams competing for a victory this past weekend. The Blue Devils finished fifth overall and scored 135 points in their final race in preparation for the NEC championships this upcoming weekend.

Leading the way for the team was junior Katherine Bossardet who finished the three kilometer course in 15th place with a time of 10:46.86. It was a good finish for the women as they were able to defeat two NEC rival teams, Long Island

CCSU Women’s Cross Country Take

Fifth at Mini Meet

Central had recorded 71 points during the race and beat out NEC challenger Quinnipiac as they finished third. The winning team was Providence, which finished with 33 points and had five of their runners finish in the top 14, including Michael Anderson, who was the top finisher with a time of 15:09.13. Other notable NEC teams in this race were Wagner (placing fifth with 126 points) and Long Island (ninth with 238 points).

The Blue Devils carried on with noticeable performances from sophomores Sam Alexander (15:25.98) and Jeremy Schmid (15:31.90), both finishing in the top 15, seventh and 12th respectively. In addition to them, freshman Josh

Trares (15:41.81) had an 18th place finish while teammate Kevin Tiernan (15:53.10) rounded out CCSU’s scoring while finishing 30th.

CCSU has finished second overall in 4 of their 5 meets this season, showing much improvement off of years past. In 2008, the Blue Devils had only 3 races in which they finished in the top 5 overall, including a 7th place finish at the NEC championships in New Jersey.

This year the conference meet is taking place a little closer to home. Quinnipiac University will play host to the NEC championships this upcoming Saturday at 12 noon. CCSU will join its fellow NEC members as Quinnipiac will try for its 4th consecutive NEC title.

and Wagner, who finished in ninth and 10th respectively. They did, however, fall to Quinnipiac who ended up winning the meet with a score of 32 points.

The Blue Devils had some other notable finishers for the team including Alyssa Cole (10:52.00) who took 20th. Other finishers for CCSU included junior Nicole Coiteux (39th with a time of 11:16.60), senior Kim Savino (46th with a time of 11:25.60), and sophomore Amanda Asaro (47th with a time of 11:25.75).

The women will be heading to Quinnipiac this Saturday at noon to compete for the NEC championships, a race at which they finished fifth last season.

Kalin Bucholz | The Recorder

Top: Junior Robert Weston finished with a time of 16:08:70, which was good for a 43rd place finish.Left: Senior Kim Savino placed 46th with a time of 11:25:60.

Sports 10.2816

THE RECORDERWednesday, October 28 , 2009

InsideThis Issue: Blue Devils Hunt Down

Second Place FinishHockey Pulls Out Win

Over UMaine Black BearsSee Ice Hockey Page 12 See Men’s XC Page 15

See Wears Number Five Page 14

See Pick Your Poison Page 13

NFL PICK ‘EMSHow dId you MaTCH uP IN wEEK 7?

See CCSU Drops Page 14 Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Blue Devils Hold On Late

Wears Number Five, Plays Like Number OneTiM FARRELL

ThE RECoRDER

The Blue Devils have numerous weapons at their disposal on this year’s football team, including one modest wide receiver, Josue Paul.

This junior has been coming up big for CCSU in clutch situations, always making the “Big Play.”

ChRiSTOPhER BOuLAyThE RECoRDER

CCSU men’s soccer ruined their NEC Tournament hopes this weekend with two gut-wrenching double overtime losses, a 3-2 loss to St. Francis (N.Y.) on Friday, and a 1-0 loss to Long Island University on Sunday.

On Friday, the Blue Devils gave up a goal with 10 seconds remaining after a free kick by Greg Baum from just outside the 18-yard box, that made a last moment dip under the left side of the crossbar.

“The last second, [the ball] just changed. It took everyone by surprise,” Coach Shaun Green said. “I don’t know what to tell you. I thought the team played well. I thought we deserved a share of the points today, if not win.”

St. Francis played a large part of the match down a man, after Tevin Jackson received his second yellow card in the 73rd minute after making a rash tackle. His first was for dissent in the 56th minute.

“[St. Francis] were full of fire. I expected us to have a response to that,” Green said. “When you’re a man down, you have to work hard.”

Though the Blue Devils had a man

advantage for over 37 minutes, they were not able to stay separated from a feisty Terriers squad.

Scoring opened in the 27th minute when Terrier Javier Gonzalez headed a Semso Nikocevic corner past CCSU keeper Paul Armstrong.

In the first half, CCSU scored a goal that was immediately disallowed because of a foul by defender Jared Spieker, something that Green did not agree with.

“I thought it was a perfect goal. I didn’t see any foul, I didn’t see any protest from their players, Green said. “It wasn’t like a player went down and started yelling that he was fouled. It was a perfect goal, it should have counted, in my estimation.”

Despite the loss, captain Robert Cavener scored his first goal of the season, off of a penalty kick in the 80th minute, after a St. Francis defender made an obvious takedown in the Terriers’ box.

“Personally, a good game, got a goal, but at the end of the day, not happy about the team,” Cavener said. “We needed a win to keep our hopes alive for the playoffs, but sadly, with 10 seconds to go, we conceded.”

Collapse: CCSU Eliminated as Postseason Contenders

“I’m a play maker, I like the ball in my hands,” said Paul.

However, when you take a look at his statistics this season, that conclusion is hard to come to. Twenty-six receptions, 317 yards, and 2 touchdowns; these aren’t really numbers that jump off the page for a leading receiver on a 5-1 college football team.

Then again, numbers aren’t everything. In the game against Duquesne, he had arguably the best game of his college career, amassing

142 yards on 8 catches, including a 64-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Hunter Wanket. To accompany his receiving totals, the 6 foot 1 Paul also returned 4 kickoffs for a total of 70 yards, as well as picking up 10 yards on a running play.

And in his past, odds are that whatever the teams asks of him, he’s going to put on a show while he does it. In addition to the Duquesne game, Paul returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown against the Colonials of Robert

Complete Story on page 8

Morris, capitalizing on his explosiveness.There is no question that the Blue Devils

have become a deadly force on the ground since Head Coach Jeff McInerney joined the staff. In 2007 and 2008, CCSU had nearly twice as many rushing yards as they did passing, limiting the abilities of its wide receivers, forcing them to excel at other aspects of the game. Paul has been one of those suffering

Jared Spieker wins a ball in front of the LIU net, but CCSU was unable to score, losing 1-0.