"The New Paltz Oracle" Volume 84, Issue 23

NEW PALTZ ORACLEoracle.newpaltz.eduVolume 84, Issue XXIII Thursday, May 2, 2013

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF THE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

THE

NO BUTTS ABOUT ITNew Paltz Campus Community Sees Potential Problems With Pending SUNY-Wide Tobacco Ban

STORY ON PAGE 5 | EDITORIAL ON PAGE 9

PHOTOS BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

VILLAGE PREPARES FOR BOARD ELECTIONSSTORY ON PAGE 5

NEW PALTZ ORACLEThursday, May 2, 2013

NEW PALTZ ORACLENEW PALTZ ORACLEThursday, May 2, 2013

Incident: Petit Larceny Date: 4/28/13Location: Parker TheaterTwo M/S arrested for stealing a Parker Theater Poster. One of the M/S also charged with resisting arrest.

Incident: DrugsDate: 4/30/13Location: Pond AreaF/S and M/S arrested for criminal possession of marijuana.

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

please visit the University Police Department.

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

About The New Paltz OracleThe New Paltz Oracle

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Volume 84

Issue XXIIIIndex

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The New Paltz Oracle 3oracle.newpaltz.eduNEWS

Thursday, May 2, 2013

New Guide Aims To Help New Businesses

The New Paltz Regional Chamber

Zoning and Planning Boards Practical Guide completed.

Available for download since Janu-ary on the Chamber of Commerce web-site and in print on-site, the guide spells out the do’s and dont’s of applying for zoning for potential businesses.

The guide was created after a visi-ble frustration from businesses concern-ing plans being denied by the zoning and planning board, according to Toni Hokanson, director of marketing and training for C2G Environmental Con-sultants.

As a former chairperson of the town planning board, Hokanson said she is aware of the frustrations both on the end of the planning board and the applicants involved in the process.

She said the guide was created in an effort to “give businesses guidance and help speed up the process.”

“These applicants are given a check-list of things to get done and attend the monthly board meeting with only three items completed, and it just increases the expense and the length of time,” Hokan-

son said. “We made this guide based on our experience seeing how people were not approaching the process in the most

the board.” After being approached by Michael

Smith, president of the Regional Cham-ber of Commerce, about challenges with applicants, both Hokanson and Robert McKenna, former director of planning and development for the city of New-burgh, developed the idea for a guide in the form of a checklist.

Smith said this type of guide is help-

“Most of the planning process is hearsay and verbal, but until now, there was nothing in writing about how to use practical guidelines when businesses ap-ply in front of the planning and zoning boards,” Smith said. “Being communi-cative with applicants is important, and we’ve approached various village board

guide, and they all say it gives a good outline of what to expect in a practical manner.”

According to McKenna, two reoc-curring themes in the guide state that applicants should take advantage of the resources available to them from the board itself, and as the employer, it is

their responsibility to follow through with a consulting engineer.

Because the zoning and planning board meets on a monthly basis, he said a missed deadline could be extremely detrimental to a business, so it is their job to make sure all paperwork is sub-mitted on time and complete.

“An incomplete application will cost a business time, and time is money in many of these cases,” McKenna said.

Since the guide was released recent-ly, there has not been much feedback on its success, however Smith said that it is being frequently downloaded from the Chamber of Commerce website, and has been positively recognized by the town supervisor and village mayor.

McKenna said the current guide will remain available for up to a year, and will then be improved as needed if

that this guide, if proven effective, could spark similar checklists in other areas.

“If it is successful when it’s in its best form, I see it as something that can be replicated by most communities,” McKenna said. “These issues experi-enced by applicants in New Paltz aren’t much different from those experienced by people in other places.”

By Suzy BerkowitzCopy Editor | [email protected]

The 17th annual Clean Sweep event took place on Saturday, April 27 in New Paltz, where 300 volunteers met, half of which were New Paltz students.

Clean Sweep, coordinated by Sue Stegen, chair of the Community Improvement Team, is a time for community members, students and busi-nesses to come together and clean trash off the streets, Service Learning Coordinator Erica Wagner said.

With winter ending and graduation near, she said it is the best time to do so.

“It is a day for the community to come togeth-er from all walks of life, from all different ages, all different backgrounds, to come together and really show that they care for their community,” Wagner said.

The event began at 8:30 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Church, where volunteers registered, ate a light donated breakfast and were assigned cleaning loca-tions, Wagner said. Volunteers were also given bags and rubber gloves and sent out to their designated locations by 9:30 a.m., she said.

According to Wagner, the cleaning takes place all over the village. There are trash clean-ups from Main Street to the New York State Thruway, down

said. Wagner said that for permanent residents, it

is a treat to see Main Street cleaned up, especially by students. In recent years, she said the number of student volunteers has increased.

“I think it’s really nice to see SUNY New Paltz students taking an interest in making a differ-ence. It is their home while they are here,” she said.

Payal Batra, a second-year public relations major and an Emerging Leader mentor, participat-ed in the Clean Sweep. With a group of 20, Batra mainly cleaned up cigarette butts on Main Street, she said.

-inally came to guide her Emerging Leader students in the clean up, but she also wanted to take part be-cause she missed out last year.

“I had a lot of fun. It was nice for all of us to bond and help out,” she said. “I think it’s awesome, because we are not just part of SUNY New Paltz, but part of the community. It’s great to help out the town.”

Although Clean Sweep is held once a year,

more often. She said that it is impressive to see how much trash is collected and that the event does make a difference.

“I think that this could be done twice a semes-

the town could use it.”

New Paltz

Community

Clean SweepsBy Caterina De GaetanoCopy Editor | [email protected]

The John R. Kirk Planetarium recently unveiled its new digital projector at a public showing.

The event, held on Thursday, April 11, was preceded by a V.I.P. reception and showing, which was attended by the Col-lege’s cabinet, deans, chairs of the School of Science and Engineering, members of the advisory committee and members of the lo-cal community with ties to the planetarium.

Raj Pandya, planetarium coordinator and lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, said the new projector will allow observers to completely understand what they are seeing, but also astronomy in general.

“I think it will be most useful in that people can get a better sense of the study of astronomy,” Pandya said. “It just has more features than the old equipment and you get a better sense of what’s actually happening in the sky.”

In addition to creating an updated and higher quality planetarium show, Pandya said this projector enables students to learn how to use equipment they will likely be re-quired to operate if they are employed at a planetarium in the future.

Willie K. Yee, president of the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association, said he is pleased with the new projector because it has more features than the old projector.

“We’re very excited about the new pro-jector,” Yee said. “It has capabilities that the old one did not and looks to be a very useful tool to teach people things about the sky and observing.”

Pandya said the new digital projector was paid for through a new tuition allocation fund on campus, which he applied for last spring, and it cost “approximately $40,000.”

The old projector will also stay in the planetarium, which Yee said he is happy

“I’m also glad that we’re keeping the old projector,” Yee said. “It has some ca-

pabilities that the new one doesn’t, so they really complement each other. The old one really presents a very realistic feel of the sky and pinpoints stars. The new one can do all kinds of manipulation and close-ups and things that the old one couldn’t do.”

Overall, Pandya said the new projector is a valuable addition because he feels that it puts the planetarium on the same level as other museums.

“Everyone I’ve talked to enjoys it a lot,” Pandya said. “I think it’s technology that ba-sically needs to be in a college environment. So, it’s basically like we’re just now getting up to speed with what a lot of other muse-ums have. It is high quality and it’s a major, major jump in improvement, so I’m very happy about it.”

The new projector will be used during “Astronomy Nights,” a series of public plan-etarium shows and observatory viewings. The last two “Astronomy Nights” of the se-mester will take place on Thursday, May 2 and Thursday, May 16.

Projector Gives Planetarium New FocusBy Andrew LiefCopy Editor | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle4 oracle.newpaltz.edu NEWS


NEWS BRIEFS WORLD

Syrian President Bashar Assad made a rare public appearance at a Damascus power station on Wednesday, while two bombs exploded near the city cen-ter, killing one and wounding over two dozen people, Syria’s state news agency

reported.

SYRIAN PRESIDENT VISITS

WORKERS UNITE FOR MAY DAY

Workers around the world united in anger during May Day rallies Wednes-day — from fury in Europe over aus-terity measures that have cut wages,

jobs altogether, to rage in Asia over relentlessly low pay, the rising cost of living and hideous working conditions that have left hundreds dead in recent

months.

MORALES EXPELS U.S. AGENCY

President Evo Morales acted on a longtime threat Wednesday and expelled the U.S. Agency for International Development for allegedly seeking to undermine Bolivia’s leftist government, and he harangued Wash-ington’s top diplomat for calling the West-ern Hemisphere the “backyard” of the U.S.

CUBA STILL ON LIST AS THREAT

A State Department spokesman said Wednesday that Washington has no plans to remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism that also in-

cludes Iran, Syria and Sudan.

RACE ISSUES EXPOSED IN ITALY

It was hailed as a giant step forward for racial integration in a country that has long been ill at ease with its grow-ing immigrant classes. But Cecile Ky-

Cabinet minister has instead exposed the nation’s ugly race problem.

Dozens of Bangladeshi garment workers whose bodies were too battered or decom-

funeral, a week after the eight-story build-ing they worked in collapsed, killing at least

410 people and injuring thousands.

BANGLADESHI VICTIMS BURIED

Compiled from the AP Newswire

Village Board Candidates Start Write-In Campaign

New Paltz Village Board candidates Don Kerr and Rebecca Rotzler will not be on the May 7 ballot, but are still campaigning to be written in.

After Trustee Sally Rhoads and former Trustee Vici Danskin successfully challenged Kerr’s and Rotzler’s petitions to be on the ballot, the Ulster County Board of Elections ruled the petitions invalid due to technical issues, the two candidates said.

According to Rotzler, some of the cases of

already given up their two signatures, voters who moved within the village but didn’t change their address, voters who moved out of the village bor-ders, voters who had gotten married and changed their last names and several other cases.

“The county board of elections invalidated both of our signatures where one should have been restored because it was a valid second sig-nature,” Rotzler said. “There are many instances like that where the valid signature could have counted for one of us, but instead the Board of

-peal was Friday, April 12 at 5 p.m., so the two

candidates spent Friday “scrambling back and forth” with their lawyer.

“Don had gotten the paper work from the county that morning so it wasn’t enough time to really look at everything, for one, so we decided to just go ahead with the write-in campaign be-cause even once we heard the words ‘challeng-es,’ we had already agreed that it was important enough for us to go ahead with the campaign regardless,” she said. “So write-in was instantly what we felt was a valid option.”

Though Kerr said he believes they could have prevailed in court, they “opted for lawn signs” and continued their campaigning by going door to door, volunteering at events like last Sat-urday’s Clean Sweep, writing letters to the editor and encouraging people to get out and vote.

“People have to write us in. Everyone gets a marker when they go to the voting booth and you can color in the bubble for a candidate on the ballot or you can write us in on the two lines,” Kerr said.

Kerr said he had decided to run for the posi-tion during Easter weekend, relatively later than other candidates, and wanted Rotzler to run with him. Kerr served on the school board when Rot-zler was a village trustee and deputy mayor for four years.

“We are forward looking and future looking in many of the things we’ve done in the past and the plans that we have for the village,” Kerr said.

criticism are better suited to face it in the future.”Putting much of her social justice work on

the back burner, Rotzler said she has devoted more time to their write-in campaign.

“It’s rare that a candidate comes so close with the amount of signatures and then to have it [the petitions] challenged and for a board of elections to knock you off the ballot essentially,” she said. “It’s a huge obstacle. This certainly was a learning experience but we’re so ready.”

By Zameena MejiaCopy Editor | [email protected]

This year, the New Paltz Rescue Squad cel-ebrated 40 years of helping the community.

The squad responds to more than 2,000 calls annually, serving SUNY New Paltz, the Town of New Paltz, Mohonk Mountain House and 10 miles of the thruway.

Chief of the New Paltz Rescue Squad Gina Bassinette previously worked at her own yoga stu-dio and as a social worker, but said she was drawn to the emergency aspect of the job and the urgency of responding to situations or “calls.”

According to Bassinette, the rescue squad consists of more than 80 members and about 95 percent of whom work as volunteers. Volunteers are assigned to a roster of two 12-hour shifts, provide constant support to the area and respond to vari-ous emergencies, such as chest pains, falls, campus medical problems or transfers to hospitals.

Volunteers are usually assigned to three-per-son crews made up of a paramedic, an EMT and a driver, Bassinette said. While an EMT is trained in basic life support, such as bandaging, splinting and CPR, the paramedic focuses on advanced life support. Their duties include the insertion of IVs,

medicine treatment and intubation if the patient cannot breathe. EMTs have roughly 200 hours of training, while paramedic training takes approxi-mately one year.

Responsibilities of a crew include setting up the ambulance – called a “rig” – to go out and run calls, which can last up to two hours from start to

running calls for their entire shift.“You’re with somebody for 12 hours in the

craziest circumstances,” she said. “You rely on each other. It’s like a family.”

The Rescue Squad’s Business Manager Debra Sokota was working as a chiropractor when she witnessed a motorcycle accident. She said the expe-rience made her realize she wanted to know how to react in an emergency situation. After earning EMT

“I started out part-time, and now it’s full-time and then some,” Sokota said.

She still goes out on calls as an EMT and han-dles the business side of operations.

Carrie Michaud, an EMT and 2011 SUNY New Paltz graduate, studied psychology and soci-ology. Although originally from Connecticut, she stayed because of her experiences working with the New Paltz Rescue Squad.

She said it’s the most important part of her life and a process of self-discovery.

“Medical knowledge is really important – it’s vital. But holding a hand is just as important as medication,” Michaud said. “Coming out of school, you want to do everything [you’ve learned] – but it’s more about being there than anything else.”

In the back of an ambulance rushing to the hospital, EMTs and paramedics strike up conversa-tion, assuage fears and comfort patients. Bassinette also said she thinks tending to a person’s mind is just as important as tending to their body.

“One of my favorite things is to take care of the elderly,” Bassinette said. “They can be so vul-nerable. Being able to take care of them and calm down...is just as rewarding.”

The job doesn’t come without its tough times, Bassinette said. Although the New Paltz Rescue Squad has had many successful calls, even a “text-book situation” call when Bassinette’s crew saved a choking baby, there is at least one call a week that doesn’t go as well.

“You want to make someone better, and some-times you just can’t,” Bassinette said. “You do the best you can under the worst circumstances. My mentor once told me, ‘If you can make it better, or not make it worse, you did a good job.’”

Rescue Squad Celebrates 40 Years Of ServiceBy April CastilloCopy Editor | [email protected]

Don Kerr and Rebecca Rotzler seek write-in votes.PHOTO BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

Despite a push from the SUNY Board of Trustees, SUNY New Paltz President Donald Christian thinks a potential SUNY-wide ban on tobacco products could be a drag.

Last June, the State University of New York Board of Trustees passed a resolution to support a SUNY-wide ban of tobacco on the grounds, facilities or vehicles con-trolled by the public school system.

The resolution, which is currently awaiting movement in the New York leg-islature, would make SUNY the largest public university system in the country to adopt a tobacco-free policy.

However, Christian said there has been “no guidance” from SUNY about how campuses should begin enacting the policy.

“It has gotten way out of whack,” Christian said. “Apparently there was even a committee who was watching how SUNY campuses were becoming smoke-free. I looked at the resolution more care-fully, and it’s a resolution asking the leg-islature to approve legislation that would declare SUNY campuses smoke-free. That hasn’t happened yet, and to my knowledge the legislature hasn’t even taken it up.”

Although the resolution is currently awaiting a response from the New York legislature, some SUNY campuses, such as Buffalo State and University of Buffalo, declared themselves smoke-free earlier this year.

SUNY New Paltz’s current tobacco policy prohibits smoking in all campus buildings, SUNY-owned motor vehicles, within 50 feet of building entrances and windows, all exterior stairwells and all building roofs.

According to newpaltz.edu, the col-lege relies on “campus community based enforcement” of the policy, stating that most violations of the policy can “be rem-edied through education and/or informal reminders.”

Christian said SUNY New Paltz would not follow the other campuses by declaring the college smoke free before any potential SUNY-wide ban, but instead is focusing on other ways to combat smok-ing.

“There are some campuses that have declared themselves smoke-free, but when you ask them how they are enforcing it, they throw their hands up in the air,”

Christian said. “We have chosen to focus our efforts elsewhere instead of creating another regulation that people defy.”

In addition to enforcement and imple-mentation complications, one concern Christian shared was for the safety of stu-dents who still choose to smoke if the ban were to be enacted.

“I have visions of a woman student up late and studying in the residence halls and she decides to have a smoke, and then needs to walk somewhere on the perimeter of campus,” Christian said. “How do we ensure people are safe in those settings?”

Danielle Kingsbury, an alumnus of SUNY New Paltz, said the potential ban has good intentions, but was brought to the legislature without adequate input from SUNY students.

“Students should be at the center of every discussion involving the SUNY system and in this case they have been blindsided,” Kingsbury said. “I am aware of the push for more smoking restrictions on the [New Paltz] campus from student senators, and that is the appropriate way to deal with such issues — through elected

-tentions known.”

In March 2012, three Student Associa-tion senators spearheaded a project to look into better ways of enforcing the already established policy at SUNY New Paltz. At the time, many students expressed interest in creating designated smoking areas on campus.

Vijay Buddiga, a fourth-year interna-tional relations major, said he thinks while the potential SUNY-wide ban has brought

the issue to light, respect for smokers and non-smokers needs to be considered.

Regardless of whether the ban is en-forced, he hopes the campus community will make a conscious effort to adhere to the current smoking policy.

“I really hope that even if it’s unen-forced that it encourages people to clean up more and smoke on campus somewhat less frequently than now,” Buddiga said.

Kingsbury agreed, however, she said she believes the campus should also pro-vide resources to those who are trying to quit smoking.

Student Health Services currently al-lows students to set up appointments to discuss the use of nicotine replacement therapy — or commonly used patches, gum, nasal spray and inhalers to curb nico-tine addiction. The Student Health Ser-

possible 12-week dosage of bupropion, a medication used to decrease the urge to smoke, according to their website.

Christian said he believes it’s impor-tant SUNY New Paltz “beef[s] up” the ef-forts Student Health Services provides for cessation, as national statistics show that large numbers of young adults develop smoking habits while attending college.

Despite the unclear way in which SUNY campuses should navigate toward a tobacco-free goal, Christian said it is something he would like to implement in the future.

“I’d love to be able to do it,” Chris-tian said. “I’d do it in a heartbeat if the en-forcement and implementation issues were clear.”

The New Paltz Oracle 5oracle.newpaltz.eduNEWS


NEWS BRIEFS NATIONAL

SUNY Smoking Ban Causes ConcernBy Andrew WyrichEditor-in-Chief | [email protected]

The New Paltz administration has reservations with the SUNY-wide smoking ban.

Three college friends of Boston Mar-athon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were arrested and accused Wednesday of trying to protect him by going into his dorm room and getting

-ly attack.

The Obama administration on Wednesday appealed a federal judge’s order to lift all age limits on who can buy morning-after birth control pills

without a prescription.

SUSPECT’S FRIENDS ARRESTED

WINDY WILDFIRE SCORCHES

by strong winds was raging through 2 1/2 square miles of Riverside County

scorched parts of wine country north of San Francisco.

NAVY MEMBERS CHARGED Two members of a Virginia-based Navy dive unit face military criminal charges of involuntary manslaughter and dereliction of duty in the Febru-ary drowning deaths of two divers at an Army facility test pond near Baltimore,

IMMIGRATION LAWS BATTLED

Demonstrators demanded an overhaul of immigration laws Wednesday in an annual, nationwide ritual that carried a special sense of urgency as Congress considers sweeping legislation that would bring many of the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. ille-

gally out of the shadows.

VALID STUDENT VISA NEGLECTED

One of three college students arrested Wednesday in the Boston Marathon bombings case was allowed to return to the United States from Kazakhstan in January despite not having a valid student visa, a federal law enforcement

OBAMA APPEALS AGE LIFT

Compiled from the AP Newswire

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA SCHWARTZ

The New Paltz Oracle 6 oracle.newpaltz.edu NEWS


Dean of the School of Business Hadi Salavitabar will be leav-ing SUNY New Paltz to become provost at the College of Saint Rose in Albany.

Salavitabar, who has worked at New Paltz for 31 years and as a dean for 12, said he has “grown up” with the business program,

Among all that he and his team have accomplished for the school, he said he is particularly proud of increasing the business program’s enrollment, creating additional undergraduate degree and MBA programs and achieving international accreditation.

When the press release announced his departure on April 12, Salavitabar said a day that was supposed to be “cheerful” turned

“I got hundreds of emails, very emotional emails from stu-dents, alum, the business community, my colleagues across the campus,” he said. “The part that I had the hardest time with...I had

my heart.”Salavitabar said while he will miss “everything,” he will miss

his students the most. Having built close relationships with many of them, he said he treats them like his own sons and daughters and has already promised to return for their graduations, award ceremonies and other important events.

Despite his love for New Paltz and the School of Business, Salavitabar said the transition is something he needs right now and students should take it as a learning experience.

“It was not an easy decision at all, but I believe it’s the right decision. It’s the right time in my career to do a bigger thing and to take on more challenges,” he said. “I’m hoping my students take that as a part of their education, that you always have to make sure that you don’t get too comfortable in one thing to do forever. You have to always think about ‘what else can I do to make a bigger dif-

ference’ and that was really what motivated me to do that.”Salavitabar said Saint Rose is a very tight-knit and service-

oriented community with great faculty, staff and students. He said their ideas match up with his and he plans to expand on what they already have, establish new programs and seek other accreditations.

“The bottom line...is to create an environment and services where students can be best educated, where students can get to the point where they can really be very successful when they graduate from a school,” he said. “That’s really what we’re all here for.”

Chaitali Gajjar, a fourth-year international business major, has

the Accounting and Finance Association. She said he has been a mentor to her and his openness and closeness to students makes him feel more like a friend than a dean.

was especially upset because she will still be here for the Master’s program next year.

“I was so sad because I’ve been working so closely with him, he’s almost like a father to me,” she said. “When I saw the email that he’s leaving, I was like, I’m still going to be here for a year and

feel about a family member leaving, that’s how I felt.”Third-year marketing major Liz Sydney said she felt similarly.

of the Dean’s Student Advisory Board. Working with him for two years, Sydney said he has shown

himself to truly be a role model for all students. Although she said it will be “impossible” to replace him, Sydney said he has brought the school to a place where it can continue to thrive.

“He made such a foundation for this school that it’s going to

but I think that a good leader teaches you how to do it and how to be successful,” she said. “A bad leader just does it themselves, and because he works with everyone and taught everyone what was supposed to happen, not just told them, the business school’s going

As Saint Rose is only an hour and half away, Salavitabar said he will still keep in touch, help students when they need it and stay in their lives. He said he is extremely “privileged” to have worked for New Paltz for so long and that the School of Business will al-ways be his “baby.”

“It’s such a great family, it makes it very hard,” he said. “By going to the College of Saint Rose, the way I look at it, I’m going to establish another family, but it doesn’t mean I’m leaving this family. There’s nothing wrong with having two families.”

Dean Of School Of Business Leaving New Paltz By Rachel FreemanNews Editor | [email protected]

Dean of the School of Business Hadi Salavitabar will be leaving.

PHOTO BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

Former Provost Lavallee To Return To New Paltz

After leaving SUNY New Paltz four years ago, David La-vallee will be returning next spring.

The Journal News recently reported that SUNY will begin a search for a new provost once Lavallee steps down from the posi-tion on July 31. According to SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher,

role once Lavallee returns to New Paltz.In a recent statement, Zimpher said Lavallee’s leadership

has lead to “unprecedented strides” in SUNY academic affairs.-

vid’s vision, knowledge and commitment to building a stronger university,” Zimpher said.

In his press release, SUNY New Paltz President Donald Christian said that when Lavallee had left the position of Provost at New Paltz in 2009, it would not be the last New Paltz saw of

him. Christian said both the university and Lavallee agreed that, at some point, Lavallee would return to the Hudson Valley.

Christian also said Lavallee will be taking a study leave dur-ing the fall 2013 semester, but will resume his duties at New Paltz with the title of University Professor, which will cover a broader spectrum in terms of duties in the SUNY system.

“This is a title that the Board of Trustees may confer on senior leaders stepping down from their administrative roles who take on new responsibilities beyond the normal scope of faculty work,” Christian said in the press release.

Lavallee was SUNY New Paltz’s Provost for a decade, be-ginning in 1999. Dean of Science and Engineering Daniel Freed-man started with Lavallee that year, as an assistant professor in the chemistry department. Freedman said he is looking forward to Lavallee’s return in 2014.

“I have a great deal of admiration for him across the board,” Freedman said. “He is an excellent administrator. We were really looking forward for him to come back to the chemistry depart-

ment when he stepped down as provost.” Lavallee, who earlier in his career was a researcher at CUNY,

taught inorganic chemistry on different occasions. Freedman said when Lavallee would teach classes, students responded well to him and said they “gained a lot” from Lavallee’s instruction.

Freedman said while it is unclear what Lavallee’s exact du-ties will be once he starts, he believes what he has to offer as someone who has worked both at a SUNY school and in the sys-tem will be able to offer SUNY as a whole.

“I think having that view from the systems, one of the things the chancellor has been emphasizing for the past couple of years is what she calls ‘systemness,’” he said. “Like a lot of other state institutions, the universities tend to behave like separate institu-tions. I think her point of view is that there’s a lot to gain by co-ordinating the campuses in some respects. Having someone like David who understands where they [SUNY] are trying to go with the system from an inside point of view will have a good idea on how to direct campuses toward that.”

By Cat TacopinaManaging Editor | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle NEWS


7oracle.newpaltz.edu

SUNY New Paltz will be launching a new SUNY Global Engagement Program starting this fall, according to Faculty Director S. Ilgu Ozler.

After getting her tenure, Ozler proposed the program and began discussing it with SUNY Global and International Programs, SUNY New Paltz Administrators and her department mem-bers. She said it took about a year and a half to two years to completely put it together.

The program, which will run each fall and have 13 to 14 students enrolled next semester, is based in New York City and gives students the chance to immerse themselves in international affairs for a semester, Ozler said.

Students will complete a six to nine credit internship, which Ozler will supervise, along with a weekly seminar she will teach at the SUNY Global Center.

“The courses are designed to enhance the student’s internship experience. We will be studying to understand the on the ground experi-

-tive,” Ozler said. “‘What do we know from the literature about the impact of non-governmental organizations on the intergovernmental world like the United Nations?’ ‘What is the relation-ship between civil society and the United Na-tions?’ ‘How does the business world impact the work on NGOs and IGOs?’”

The internship and classes will be accom-panied by a research colloqium where they will

write a full-length paper on their internship top-ic, she said.

The program is open to any student inter-ested in international affairs and global issues, and the deadline to apply for the next round is March 30. Treated like a study abroad, the Cen-ter for International Programs is supporting the program and the application is available online.

Ozler said she expects the program to grow more competitive as the word spreads to other SUNY schools.

While the school will guide and help stu-dents with their internship search, Ozler said they cannot guarantee placement or ensure stu-dents keep their internship. She said, in the end, it is up to them to “make that happen.”

“Students will be asked to get internships that are globally engaged. The internships are

the students are immersed in topics of interest,” Ozler said. “The options are endless given New York City is the center of globally interconnect-ed world with the United Nations.”

There are a variety of internship opportu-nities, such as advocacy organizations like Hu-man Rights Watch, foundations like the Clinton Foundation and research based organizations such as the Council on Foreign Relations and the Foreign Policy Assoc-iation, Ozler said.

The seminars will cover topics including international relations, global politics, intergov-ernmental organizations and international non-governmental organizations, but Ozler said she intends to cater the readings to student’s intern-

ship placements.“We can enhance their experience in the

academia in understanding how global politics and international relations work around their in-ternship experience,” she said.

Students will be graded based on multiple components. Ozler said these include internship performance, which involves weekly journals,

-ence and their effectiveness on the job, as well as seminar attendance and participation and the

Alexander Elmasri, a third-year interna-tional relations and sociology double major, will be participating in the program this fall and said he decided to apply in order to get a unique ex-perience that will help him in his career.

“I wanted to have a chance to do something that was worth more than the average in-class experience that I would get from a usual course load in New Paltz,” he said. “This would give me the perfect opportunity to not only experi-ence what I am passionate about, but also hope-fully allow me to make connections for the fu-ture for life beyond college.”

His top three choices for an internship are with the Council on Foreign Relations, the Clin-ton Foundation and the World Policy Institute. He said he wants something dealing with policy and that the program’s internship focus is very valuable.

“I am really happy that SUNY New Paltz and Professor Ozler were able to put this pro-

gram together before I graduated and still had time to take advantage of this opportunity be-cause I think it is becoming increasingly nec-

and maintain a relevant high-quality internship before they graduate,” he said.

Third-year political science major Caitlin O’Donnell will also be part of the program next semester. She said she will be looking for an en-vironmental advocacy organization and is also interested in gender issues and development.

Currently concentrating in American gov-ernment, she said she has not studied global af-fairs much, but is looking forward to doing so.

“I am realizing that studying within this

way world politics works,” O’Donnell said. “I am hoping that the Global Engagement Program will give me the chance to be exposed in this

within my career path.”Ultimately, Ozler said she hopes to give

students real world experience that will help them better understand the discipline and work to add something to it and improve it.

“My goal in making this program happen is to have students who are well connected to

said. “Students who understand the structure of international relations well, who can analyze it critically and from experience and be able to understand how and what they can contribute to make the world a better place for us all to live in.”

New Global Engagement Program Launches This FallBy Rachel FreemanNews Editor | [email protected]

TRANS action Event Covers Important Campus IssueTRANSaction Part 2, following last year’s

TRANSaction program, was recently held to in-crease awareness of transgender issues on cam-pus.

The event was on April 24 in Lecture Cen-

some who became emotional about the equality issues and common stigmas about the transgen-der community.

The event was conceptualized by Stephanie Abrams and the LeFevre Hall staff and present-

Residence Hall Student Association national communications coordinator, said.

Last November, SUNY New Paltz won the Program of the Year Award for TRANSaction at

-versity Residence Halls Regional Conference, Wright said.

This year, several speakers were invited

from the campus and community including students and others such as Pauline Park, an advocate for transgender rights in New York. Continuing their efforts for equality, the pro-gram gave attendees a survey about transgender issues both before and after the event. LeFevre staff even sold TRANSaction shirts to promote the event and the topic.

-en’s, Gender and Sexuality studies and sociol-ogy, presented a “Trans 101” slideshow at the event.

He noted that the belief that there are only two options, male and female, is not accurate.

“It’s not true. It’s not supported by empiri-

doesn’t naturally occur. It’s a belief system, it’s not a description of the real world.”

He also outlined the problems transgender individuals face on a daily basis that “normal” people do not even think about. The fact that they need to be separated into a different cate-gory other than “normal” is one of them, he said.

where one must either pick “male” or “female”

Trans people are punished, disadvantaged and considered inferior for stepping outside of the system and are thought to require some explana-tion for why they are the way they are, he said.

“Strangers don’t ask [straight people] what your genitals look like or how you have sex,”

Another speaker, Mickey, known at her work as Mike, wore a professional black busi-ness suit and had long gray-black curly hair, but was “physically” a man. She said sometimes she is male, sometimes she is female, depending on her mood.

“You’ll have to remember, I’m a Virgo, I’ll have to do my best to live up to that,” Mickey said. “I am a dual gender person and I enjoy both. I’ve learned to accept it and enjoy it.”

Mickey was born male, is married to a “loving and supportive wife” and noted that her transformation occurred in stages.

“As time went on, I learned that my mother had some pretty wonderful clothes that hap-

to think people like me were nuts. Maybe they were right, but any psychologist will tell you ... there is no such thing as normal.”

Students then discussed local problems for transgender students, including campus bath-room accessibility, lack of gender-neutral hous-ing, inaccuracy of formal records stating gender and overall segregation in the campus based on sex.

“Starting in SUNY New Paltz, we’re advo-cating for transgender acceptance and equality. In doing this, we hope to shed light and educate the community on a topic that has been more or less kept in the dark,” the TRANSaction Face-bookthriving and we want to show it, especially in regards to those under the trans umbrella. We should be so open to any person, and any indi-vidual. We all are a part of this world;; a part of this Earth.”

By Jennifer NewmanCopy Editor | [email protected]

AD The New Paltz Oracle 8 oracle.newpaltz.edu

S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W YO R K

www.newpaltz.edu/summer

There’s no better time thanSummer time to make up credits or get a jump on next year.

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With over 90 online classes, you can even go home —and still study at New Paltz this summer!

Register Today! // Payment due May 13

SUMMER 2013

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BFA and MFA ExhibitionsExploring the Process at the

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The New Paltz Oracle2B oracle.newpaltz.edu


FEATURES

The newly-formed Tattoo and Body

Facebook

She said that when she was 3 years

lationship with her father

is put on a donor list for

toos, it only hurts for the

opposed to the time

By April [email protected]

Students Intricately InkedTATTOO AND MODIFICATION CLUB TURNS BODIES INTO ART



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is put on a donor list for


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


For Jonathan Espinosa, this essay was

more than just a well- crafted set of words.

This was something close to home.

Drawing inspiration from his brother

who was diagnosed with autism when he

was 10 months old, the fourth-year sociol-

ogy and Black Studies double major spent

-

per for Dr. Karanja Carroll’s Psychology

of the Black Child class. What he didn’t

know was that soon this paper would be

recognized across the nation.

Espinosa’s paper titled “Racial Dis-

parities In Treating And Diagnosing Men-

tal Health Disorders,” was awarded sec-

ond place in the National Council of Black

Studies Student Essay Contest. The essay

explores the cultural reasoning for mental

health diagnoses in the United States and

the effects they have on the psychological

development of children of color.

“I live with a brother who was diag-

nosed with autism,” Espinosa said. “Hav-

ing this paper done, I am able to under-

stand more of what is going on and can put

it into practice.”

Espinosa said his research allowed

him to delve into potential reasons for

disparities in not only ways of learning in

children of different races, but also cultur-

al trends that might have led to this.

Espinosa said that in societies of predomi-

nantly European descent, most traditional

disciplines stem from that culture. How-

ever, he said because different cultures

have different sets of values in terms of

learning –— or the rate at which someone

learns –— there are misconceptions in the

treatments and diagnoses given to children

of color.

“Some people who are really socially

according to the criteria,” Espinosa said.

“But, it’s subjective. It’s a projection of a

dominant society that wants to use its own

mental health standard and impose it on

other people. If you don’t meet that stan-

dard, you are considered a problem and

diagnosed.”

Espinosa said Black students are

more likely to be placed in special edu-

cation classes and are more likely to be

diagnosed with a mental health disorder,

is problematic, as students of color are less

likely to receive proper treatment for their

disorder.

After writing the essay last semester,

Carroll suggested Espinosa submit it for

recognition. Then earlier this semester, a

surprise landed in Espinosa’s email inbox.

“I submitted it and I really didn’t

think I would win, I was just submitting it

to do it,” Espinosa said. “Honestly, I for-

got about it and in my email one day it said

‘congratulations!’ and I was like, ‘whoa, I

completely forgot about that!’”

After being awarded second place,

Espinosa traveled to Indianapolis, Ind., on

of his paper in front of nearly 100 people.

While the time he was allotted was

shortened from seven minutes down to

three, Espinosa said the experience was

still one worth remembering.

“It’s sort of like a trophy. I am a Black

Studies major and I earned this. It’s some-

thing I can be proud of about my major,”

Espinosa said. “A lot of people don’t give

Black Studies the credit it deserves, so it

shows I have invested my time and energy

into my major to the point where I won

this national award.”

Moving forward, Espinosa said he

hopes to continue writing about issues he

is passionate about and that it will hope-

fully one day culminate in a published

work, or even just more knowledge for his

ultimate goal of becoming a counselor in

the Bronx.

“I have this dream of publishing a

book somewhere down the line,” Espinosa

said. “I was thinking of compiling all of

my major essays in one book, so this es-

say could be a chapter in that. I want to

build off of what I wrote, I want to put it

to practice.”

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

Delving Into Diagnostic Disparities STUDENT ESSAY RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Espinosa’s essay researched cultural trends and mental illness in communities of color.

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


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Pieces Of Huguenot HistoryANTHROPOLOGY CHAIR SPEAKS ABOUT ARTIFACTS

Visit Our Award-Winning Website!Oracle.newpaltz.edu

A fragment of a settler’s pipe scaled in relation to a quarter. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHANIE BRYNES

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And The Shortest Term Goes To... OFF-CAMPUS STUDENT BRIEFLY RESUMES RESIDENCE LIFE

A while back, before the new resident assistants (RA) were picked for next year, I was picked up as a mid-year hire.

This surprised me. After not getting it last spring, I moved off campus and I’ve made it very clear to anyone who would listen that I’d made the right choice. I also mocked the idea of the position a little more than I probably should have.

“You couldn’t pay me to go back to campus,” I’d say to the people who asked if I’d reapply.

But, of course, when I got that fateful email on a Friday night, my resentful heart melted. I asked the Resident Director (RD) if I could think it over. I had until Sunday afternoon.

My parents were conveniently visiting that Saturday.“Jordan,” my stepmom started, using her fork to scoop ice

cubes from her water into her red wine. “You’d be stupid not to take it. Think of all the money you’ll save.”

True. No more rent. All the Hasbrouck I could eat. Free laundry (now I wouldn’t have to wait until I was out of un-derwear to force myself to the laundromat) and the free Wi-Fi would be nice.

friendly acquaintance when we moved in, has become a best friend (Thursday wine night and lying in bed watching Bar Res-

I was also living with my boyfriend at the time and we made 21 S. Chestnut our little home. He bought incense and tea lights to put on the windowsills. I would water our plants and chose a new comforter for the bed.

Leaving was not an easy decision, but it was one I made

Sunday morning I woke up miserable. Oh man, I thought. This was a mistake. All day, I moped. When I started packing my things in a

pile in the kitchen, I held back tears and wiped my nose on my wrist.

fore the move. We had to watch “The Walking Dead” at our friend’s house. Even an RA position could wait for zombie kill-

ings and negotiations over the prison.Finally, we pulled up behind the residence hall and I called

the RA on duty to let me in. After some quick hellos, we brought

green paint on the walls was horrifying. So were the door tags that I knew I should make so I could be the cool, new RA to the

All of a sudden, I hated the building. I hated the familiar smell of hundreds of bodies in one building. I wanted to tear down the boards packed with colors and glitter. I didn’t want to create the programs that the same 10 or so students would at-tend and I had no interest in leaving my bedroom door open to bond with my residents.

When I shut the door to my new room behind me, I felt like I’d just slammed shut the bars to a prison cell.

ten, I started bawling.“I want to go home. This was a mistake,” I cried to Mack-

enzie.“Well…are you serious? Or are you just freaking out?” he

said.“No. I gotta get out of here,” I said.He looked at my small pile of things. I’d brought some lin-

ens, a laundry bag stuffed with clothes, a box of books and my laptop.

“Wanna do something crazy?” he asked with a huge grin.I nodded and after a beat, we grabbed everything. He

shoved my laptop in a pillowcase and I balanced the box on top of my laundry bag. With everything in our arms, we scanned the room.

“Should we take something?” Mackenzie asked.I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go!”With super stealth, we ran down a side set of stairs to the

car.“Home?” he asked. And we drove away on my triumphant

escape. Maybe I can get the “Shortest Term Award” at the banquet.

* Editor’s Note: This piece represents the opinions of the

writer and not those of The New Paltz Oracle or its staff.

By Jordan WilkinsonContributing Writer | [email protected]

COPY DESK

COOKOFF:

I’ve been given the task of being

ridiculous. I’m probably the least quali-

of instruction regarding the preparation of food, yet here I am.

I will try my darndest.

reader how to microwave Hot Pockets or Lean Cuisines, but since everyone can read (I’m assuming) there’s no point, unless we start putting out an is-sue in braille. One can dream.

I then settled on shitty, microwave-able eggs, because, why the hell not? Eggs on the stovetop is one of the few things I actually can do, but fuck it, I will teach the poor, lazy way.

Step 1: Crack an egg. Or two if you’re feeling brash. Or egg whites if you avoid calories like the plague.

Step 2: Put into small microwave-able container.

Step 3: Add seasonings such as garlic powder, paprika, cumin, sugar, chocolate sprinkles, whatever you think will taste good in that yellow (or white) cesspool.

Step 4: Now, this is very tricky. De-pending on your wattage, you will want to put them in for 60-85 seconds. Who knows? The fun thing about science is that it’s unpredictable, right? Just make sure they don’t explode.

Step 5: Take piping hot egg mess out and put it onto bread, croissant, ba-guette, sub roll, etc. and put on toppings such as cheese, bacon (another potential microwaveable mess) and call it a day and try not to hate yourself too much.

Each week, one of the members of our Copy Desk will share their masterful

culinary chops with you. Bon appetit!

COPY DESK

COPY DESK

COOKOFF:

COOKOFF:

“Microwavable Eggs”

By Matt [email protected]

Do You Want To Write For The Features Section?

Email us at [email protected]

CAMPUS CONFIDENTIAL : STORIES FROM THE STUDENTS

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ARTS ENTERTAINMENT&

For six weeks out of the year, the Dorsky is trans-formed into a Mecca of student artwork, as the museum displays the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) thesis exhibitions. The museum houses

and found-object sculptures.Dorsky Director Sara Pasti said the museum enters

-ence.

“When the students come to us, they’ve been work-

-

to provide a formal capstone presentation of a student’s work — this is essentially their thesis paper in the form

After the students have chosen the works they’ll show — in conjunction with their faculty advisor — Pas-

how to best display their artwork.

the thesis show’s curatorial process is quite collabora-tive. Pasti said the exhibitions are student-developed and

-

--

that will make everyone’s work look really well — some

With about 10 to 12 students per thesis show, space -

work.

-

-

his artwork.“I liked the cave because my work — video and in-

-

BFA show opens on Friday, May 3.

-ulations that the students have to abide by in order to exhibit their work. The museum prohibits nails in the

system. -

sistency for the entire show, Pasti said the Dorsky pro-vides labels for all works.

said. -

The second BFA exhibition opens on Friday, May 3, and the MFA exhibitions open on May 10 and 17.

By Carolyn QuimbyA&E Editor | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle7Boracle.newpaltz.edu

The Art Behind The ArtworkTHE DORSKY DISPLAYS BFA AND MFA THESIS SHOWS

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


For the last two weeks, costumed, singing Nazis invaded McKenna Theatre.

The SUNY New Paltz Theater Department staged Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” as their spring Mainstage production — and one of the largest in the department’s history — from Fri-day, April 18 to Sunday, April 28.

had a six-year run on Broadway starting in 2001 and won a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards. Centered around Max Bialystock — a money-hungry Broadway producer — and Leo Bloom — a fearful accountant with theatrical dreams — the show is based on their joint scheme to

history, “Springtime for Hitler.”New Paltz’s production, which was di-

rected by Theater Arts Department Chair Jack Wade, featured 23 cast members, including Mi-chael O’ Connor as Max Bialystock, Ian Brod-sky as Leo Bloom and Brittany Martel as Ulla. Wade was joined by Musical Director Stephen Kitsakos and Choreographer Joe Langworth. Joe Paparone, a faculty member of 43 years,

retiring.Having seen the iconic show so many

times, Wade said he tried to start with his own “fresh” approach.

“When I’m directing anything, I intention-ally try to stay away from the original or any previous production,” Wade said. “In the profes-sional theater, the last thing you want to do is

copy somebody else’s work.”Wade said he allowed the satire in the piece

to speak for itself. Although the comedy is di-rectly written into the script, Wade said he likes to let the scenes come to life naturally.

“I like to let my actors go out and I’ll just say ‘Let’s see what you wanna do’ so that I’m working off of their natural impulses,” he said. “Off of that, I’ll begin to carve that out and work on composition on the stage and amplify what they’ve given me very organically.”

The show’s music pays homage to musical theater written in the 1940s and 1950s with what Kitaskos called “big, brassy, bold and beautiful” numbers.

As musical director, Kitsakos wanted the orchestra of 14 professional musicians to be vis-ible during the show. He arranged for the techni-cal director to have the orchestra — the largest one New Paltz has ever featured in a musical — play from a suspended platform hanging above the stage.

“One of the things about live theater is that when you have live music, you want to see the musicians, you don’t want to feel like you’re getting tracks that are just coming out of speakers,” Kitsakos said. “The orchestrations are complex and it requires agility in the voices as well. The two leading characters sing an ex-tensive amount, especially Max, and it really pushes the energy level that’s required.”

Below the suspended orchestra, characters made the most of the stage with leaps, twists and different types of dances. For much of their weekly rehearsals, the cast primarily focused

on choreography technicalities of the show and then worked on developing their roles.

“After that’s all put together, watching a run through, you realize you’ve got all of this surface stuff,” Wade said. “Then, underneath that surface, we have to build real people who we can empathize with, so we talk to actors about ‘What are your objectives? What just hap-pened to life that affects you?’”

Despite all the rehearsals and practicing, an unanticipated event changed the course of the production just three days before opening night.

a third-year theater and production major, broke his costume heel in the turn table and sprained his ankle. Martel said the cast was worried for O’Connor, who was walking around on crutches the next day.

“Everyone was like ‘Oh my god, what are we going to do?’” Martel said. “When we all had that little moment of panic we were like, ‘What’s gonna happen? Are we going to have to cancel the show?’ We didn’t have an understudy who could go on so what were we to do?”

O’Connor sat in a chair down stage left for the rest of the dress rehearsals and although many adjustments were made in order to interact with him, Wade said the show was still fantastic.

“Because everyone was a little bit wor-ried about [O’Connor], the rest of the cast really started giving more and their characters came up to a different level as well,” Wade said. “When one door closes, another one opens. These kind of tragic things that happen to us during tech week led us into, amazingly enough, a

better show.”O’Connor said he and the choreographer

restaged the show over the phone. For extra support they gave him a cane, something he had

-formance with it, Wade told him he loved the idea of Max using a cane so much that he kept it for the rest of the run.

“It was very scary just knowing that we opened in three days and I could not walk — that freaked me out a lot,” O’Connor said. “I had so much support from everyone on the cast, the professors, the crew and that just helped tremen-dously.”

Brodsky, a fourth-year music and theater contract major, played one of his dream roles as weak-in-the-knees Leo Bloom.

“I like to think that Leo is one of the most relatable characters because he’s something that’s coming in from the outside and he’s this embodiment of insecurity and discovery,” Brod-sky said. “His personality alone is sort of how I grew up. [O’Connor’s sprain] was sort of a hap-py accident for me because it was that last step I needed to really let go of myself and indulge in the character.”

O’Connor said “The Producers” has been his most exhausting production, but the most fun show he’s ever been in.

“A lot came out of it,” O’Connor said. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

Brodsky quipped about his costar’s ability to perform despite his injury.

“And he made some sweet lemonade out of that,” Brodsky said.

By Zameena Mejia Copy Editor | [email protected]

The SUNY New Paltz Theater Department staged Mel Brooks’ “The Producers.”

It’s Springtime For A Musical HitTHEATER DEPARTMENT STAGES MEL BROOKS’ ICONIC COMEDY

PHOTOS BY DANA SCHMERZLER

The New Paltz Oracle 9Boracle.newpaltz.eduA!"# $ E%"&!"'(%)&%"


SUNY NEW PALTZ STUDENT FINDS HIS VOICE AT LOCAL VENUES

One Tuesday night in February, Chris Ow-

ens was getting ready to perform with his band,

stepped on stage, Owens said he felt the anxiety

he expected before performing in front of an au-

dience, and that he was sweating more than usual

Once the music began, Owens said he was

of various songs that he and the band picked to-

Owens, a third-year digital production ma-

jor, had never taken lessons or performed on

stage, but was used to singing in front of people

“Sometimes a song would come on that I

knew the words to, and I would just sing it as

ed telling me that I actually had a really good

From Neil Young to Nickelback, Owens

ens’ roommate Charles Guenancia, a third-year

anthropology major, said Owens seems to know

of a song in the exact same rhythm as the actual

Even after realizing his talent, Owens did

While he enjoyed singing more and more, Ow-

ens did not intend to perform anywhere besides

“Singing for me was a just a fun hobby, sort

been approached, I wouldn’t have gone out of

Despite his original intentions, Owens was

eventually noticed by members of The Other

“I’ve been friendly with Chris for a while

now,” John Morrison, a third-year history major

he could sing until I randomly heard him one

Since then, The Other Brothers have per-

formed several times at New Paltz venues like

come more enthusiastic about his role as a lead

cess comes from availability of venues in

always willing to let new people come in and

next Beyoncé in order to perform at these places,

and now I’m usually able to sing at these events

tion from singing in the shower to being the lead

singer of a band, he is still a full-time student

schedule makes singing more of a secondary

now, I expect to make a living off of what

I’m studying in school right now, and

that needs to be my primary focus,” Ow-

band has been a great experience, and

around here has a voice or can play

go to one of the local bars and have

By Niko PrassasContributing Writer | [email protected]

cess comes from availability of venues in

always willing to let new people come in and

next Beyoncé in order to perform at these places,

and now I’m usually able to sing at these events

tion from singing in the shower to being the lead

singer of a band, he is still a full-time student

schedule makes singing more of a secondary

now, I expect to make a living off of what

I’m studying in school right now, and

that needs to be my primary focus,” Ow-

band has been a great experience, and

around here has a voice or can play

go to one of the local bars and have

From Friday Night Sing-Alongs To Frontman

LAURA STEVENSON’S THIRD ALBUM SUCCESSFULLY EXPLORES ABANDONMENT

The Long Island native, singer-songwriter Laura Stevenson,

released her third full-length album, Wheel

Kevin McMahon, producer, recording engineer and owner of

Marcata Recording, produced Wheel in a barn in Gardiner, a town

eral recognized artists, including Swans’ My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Skycept album The Monitor and Real Estate’s sophomore album Day

Lathered with motifs of abandonment, apathy, death and de-

struction, Wheel’s content contrasts Stevenson’s previous 2011 re-

lease, Sit Resist, which addresses an urgent message to listeners

Wheel commences with the gentle track “Renee,” which ac-

ers with an initial display of her fear of death as the arrangement

climaxes and she sings “the hardest part is getting older, the hardest

Stevenson and the Cans heighten the grand sound laced

brant percussions and an infectious chorus, which deftly mask the

despondent content as Stevenson shouts “and as for all your suffer-

In the same vein, Stevenson preserves the somber themes dis-

Stevenson communicates her fear of abandonment on “Bells

and Whistles,” a favorable candidate for the second single, as she

chants, “and everything you love will turn into crumbs so stop wor-

“Sink, Swim,” succeeded by a soft folk track, presents force-

ful and spirited riffs with lyrics that denote environmental destruc-

Stevenson croons the meditative ballad, “L-Dopa,” the

commences with unhurried movement and highlights the Cans’ in-

mimicked on the fourth cut of the album, “Every Tense” — as she

Wheel features doleful content and grand instrumentation, yet maintains an utmost attractiveness that unceasingly commands re-

By Samantha SpotoContributing Writer | [email protected]

Laura StevensonWheel

The ‘Wheel’ Of Inspiration Keeps Turning

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


The last time I encountered “The Producers,” I was 16, sewing sequins onto swastikas in my high school costume shop. When I found out the New Paltz Theater Department had chosen the Mel Brooks’ dark comedy as their annual musical, the memory of working on a show with the most bizarre costumes I had ever seen was brought to the forefront of my mind.

As someone who thoroughly enjoys offensive, satirical humor, the content of “The Producers” was right up my alley. Never having seen the movie (gasp), though, there was no holy grail I held my standards up to, which I guess is a good thing. I entered the theater not quite knowing what to expect, which automatically made my experience watching the show all the more enjoyable.

“Enjoyable” is an understatement, really. My experience watching “The Producers” sharpened my tongue, heightened my love for the theater (if possible) and left my sides aching for days. Having been that audience member whose obnoxious snort-laughs resonated in the theater long after a line was deliv-ered, I would say “The Producers” was one of the best shows

I’ve seen in New Paltz to date.The performance would have been meaningless without

the witty, comedic banter between the show’s namesakes: Bi-alystock and Bloom, played by third-year theater performance major, Mike O’Connor and fourth-year musical theater major, Ian Brodsky, respectively. From Brodsky’s cracking voice and security blanket to O’Connor’s dirty-old-man one-liners and forceful nature, the pair had an undeniable energy that carried the entire show.

Second-year theater performance major, Brittany Martel, embodied her character of Ulla through her seductive body lan-guage. Although her accent seemed inconsistent throughout the show, I appreciated the genuine and endearing nature of her on-going romance with Brodsky.

As if I wasn’t already in stitches after the scene featuring “Hold Me-Touch Me,” the absolute thief of the show, Franz Liebkind, played by third-year theater performance major Rob Gagnon, came along.

The aforementioned snort laughter I emitted was during

playwright of the show within the show, “Springtime for Hit-ler.” Gagnon was completely committed to every move he made. The depth in which he immersed himself in his character was

a character as ridiculous as Franz with as much professionalism as a more serious character. However, Gagnon was able to both separate and connect himself from and with the humor and ab-surdity of this neo-Nazi in order to do justice to everything his character was created to stand for.

I have to mention how incredibly amazed I was with the work of third-year theater performance major, Julia Register, throughout this entire show. An undeniably bright and shining star of this department, Register has an ability to commit to any and every role she is given, which in this production encom-passed “Hold Me-Touch Me,” a blind ensemble member and even a prison guard.

She was a complete breath of fresh air from the bloomers and dusters she donned to her violin bow that doubled as a walk-

characters she’s cast as, and she more than held her own in “The Producers.”

From the “Springtime for Hitler” showgirls wearing a vari-ety of ridiculous objects on their heads to the extravagant Roger

tumes I’ve ever seen and the department was able to emulate that vision exceptionally well. Likewise, the extremely neces-sary technical decisions, from the incorporation of the turntable,

effective lighting cues indicating the passing of time, were nec-essary, impressive and seemingly effortless in this production.

I think it’s pretty evident by the amount of glitter and pride seeping out of this review that I absolutely adored this produc-tion, but if not, I’ll reiterate — I adored it.

Taking on a challenge and tackling a show so far up the insane meter was incredibly ambitious, but it paid off in the long run. If I had any expectations, the Theater Department’s produc-tion of “The Producers” would have far exceeded them, and then some.

“The Producers” Is Far From A FlopNEW PALTZ MUSICAL ADAPTATION EXCEEDS ALL EXPECTATIONS

* e Front Bottoms Talon of the HawkMay 21, 2013

The Front Bottom’s self-titled EP is one of my favorite albums ever, so it’s no suprise that this would be the album I’m most excited for. They released their single “Twin Size Mattress” in early March, and I think I can say that the full-length is going to be amaz-ing. They’ve maintained their signature, rough-around-the-edges sound and meaning-ful, soul-crushingly beautiful lyrics. I cannot wait to drive down the highway with my best friends, blasting this album.

By Carolyn QuimbyA&E Editor | [email protected]

For me, summer means driv-ing around Long Island with my windows down, music blaring, looking for some-thing — anything — to do.

With my current collection of mixtapes getting a little stale, I’ve been looking for new music to get me through the warm, sunny days and sticky, humid nights.

Luckily, three of my favorite bands are releasing new al-bums. So, here are my picks for the albums you should pick up this summer.

So, roll down your windows, soak up the harmonies and enjoy. I know I’m going to.

Seeking Out Summer Soundscapes

By Suzy Berkowitz Copy Editor | [email protected]

“The Producers”Directed by Jack Wade

* e Wonder Years! e Greatest GenerationMay 14, 2013

With college coming to an end, my love for The Wonder Years has resurfaced with a ven-geance — just in time for the announcement of their new album. For me, no band captures all the uncertainty, wonder and beauty of youth quite like them — which makes their music the perfect summer staple. I hope listening to their new music makes us feel like The Greatest Generation, and, maybe, for those 40 or so minutes, we might believe we are.

Lemuria! e Distance Is So BigJune 18, 2013

I’m not going to lie, I was a little late to the Lemuria party. But over the last year or so, their music has become some of my most played songs on iTunes. Their simple, gut-wrenching lyrics and husky, alt-punk sound is unparalleled, and I can’t wait to see what they bring to the new album. And, honestly, if their new music is as beautiful as the cover art (a colorful mosaic of circles) we’re not going to have a problem.


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

Contact Carolyn Quimby at [email protected]

MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK:JOSEPH STATEN

YEAR: FirstMAJOR: UndeclaredHOMETOWN: Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

DO WANT TO BE...YOU

Contact Carolyn Quimby at [email protected]

MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK?

CHECK OUT JOSEPH STATENPERFORMING BY

SCANNING THIS CODE WITH ANY SMARTPHONE!

WHAT’S YOUR INSTRUMENT OF CHOICE AND WHY?

WHO HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO LATELY?

Cello is my instrument, for several rea-

sons. The most prominent reason is its

sound — the register of the cello is very

close to that of the human voice, and pro-

duces a variety of sounds.

Lately, I have been going through all of

Beethoven’s nine symphonies, as well as

some cello pieces by Brahms.

WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES?Yo-Yo Ma. Mstislav Rostropovich. Janos

musicians.

ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING MUSICIANS?Practice, practice, practice.

WHAT ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH MUSICALLY?I am a member of Upstate Rubdown and

Dudemandude, both bands comprised of

students at the University. Off campus, I

am involved with the Manhattan School of

Music precollege division, and my private

instructor there, Marion Feldman.

WHAT’S YOUR PLAN FOR THE FUTURE?For the future, I hope to transfer to a col-

lege/conservatory, such as NYU, and pur-

sue a degree in cello performance, while

HOMETOWN: Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY?

Write a review for the A&E sec-

tion of a recently released album,

movie, TV show, comic book, vid-

eo game or something else! Make

them less than 500 words and rate

them out of four stars.

Email them to:A&E Editor Carolyn Quimby at

[email protected]

MAKE SURE TO HAVE A STRONG OPINION!

Amidst the self-portraits and anatomical mazes on display at

April 26, were 24x36 inch photos of abandoned shops and exist-

ing parking lots.

the surrounding Long Island area, all of which had been affected

by toxic spills.

These sites, recognized by Su-

perfund — “the federal government’s

program to clean up the nation’s un-

controlled hazardous waste sites,”

according to the United States Envi-

ronmental Protection Agency website

— have been toxically affected by

spills seeping into the surrounding soil

which tap into groundwater, contami-

nating water wells in up to two towns

away.

Although Superfund is an organi-

zation dedicated to cleaning up these

sites, Cambi’s documentary project

proved that all of the sites photo-

graphed and many more that she ex-

plored had been abandoned and untouched.

The toxins found in the drinking water of surrounding Long

Island areas were found to cause headaches, blurred vision, skin

rashes, asthma, kidney dysfunction and cancer. Many of the sites

Cambi photographed were located next to elementary schools,

residential areas or have since been purchased and built over by

major companies.

“A professor from my previous school was working on

a similar project, focusing on sites upstate,” Cambi said. “My

friend’s parents had cancer, and they were convinced it had to do

with the poor drinking water in Hicksville. I became interested

in how this affected Long Island, and

decided to stick to that area since that’s where I’m from and it’s

personal to me.”

Cambi found Superfund sites through online records of law-

work and blueprints with company names printed on them. She

said that although some sites’ addresses were listed, many loca-

often inexpensive, making it a hot commodity for residential or

business purchase. People are not informed of the land’s toxicity,

and because not many people are

aware of the Superfund organiza-

tion, many people don’t know to

look online for locations and their

legal standing.

“It’s not that no one knows

about it, it’s that so few people

know about it,” Cambi said. “I’m

not trying to create an uproar with

my project, I’m trying to bring

awareness to people and their sur-

roundings.”

In tandem with the eight photos

case, Cambi also created a book

called “Superfund Long Island,”

containing even more photos taken

during her project, along with a summary of the locations, toxins

found on-site and side effects of those toxins being ingested.

Cambi said the most challenging part of her project was in-

serting herself into it. After trying to shoot an image dead-on and

failing to convey the emotion she was hoping for, she took to

shooting from lower angles and connecting to the space more in

an effort to make the photos “more personal.”

“When I shoot photos, I tend to give off a loneliness in my

work already,” Cambi said. “These sites gave off sadness any-

sites. I just shot what was presented.”

By Suzy BerkowitzCopy Editor | [email protected]

BFA EXHIBITION CAPTURES CONTAMINATIONSuperfund, Not Superfi cial

“ I’m not trying to create an uproar with my project. I’m trying to bring awareness to people and their surroundings.”

-MICHELLE CAMBI

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING?

TUNE IN!

LOCAL NEWS STARTS EVERY WEEKDAY

AT 7 P.M.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SARA HULSE ARRANGED BY SAMANTHA SCHWARTZ

This Week in

Major: BFA Photography

Year: Fifth

In!uences: Larry Sultan, Annie Leibovitz,

Gregory Crewdson

Website: www.behance.net/shulsephotography

“I love everything antique and vintage, hence the reason

my work focuses a lot on time and history. I recently had

one photo, ‘Welcome to Woodhaven,’ in the Eyesores ex-

hibition that took place in the Calumet Gallery in NYC on

March 16. Also my thesis show, ‘!cie"ka "ycia’ (Polish for

Path of Life), a documentary about my aging grandfather,

just opened on April 26 in the Dorsky.”

SARA HULSEtHe Deep END

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

On any given day, especially as the weather gets nicer, the

buildings;; SUNY motor vehicles;; within 50 feet of building en-trances and open windows;; exterior stairwells;; and any build-ing roofs. The system-wide ban would be enacted on 64 SUNY campuses, and would affect 468,000 students and 88,000 em-ployees.

President Donald Christian said New Paltz won’t declare -

ed. He believes there are more realistic and practical ways of

regulations that people actively disobey.We at The New Paltz Oracle -

ing ban has good intentions, it is not the correct or practical way of cultivating a healthier campus.

The fact that so many people will be affected by the ban raises questions about the ability of the university to implement the policy and university police to enforce. If cops approach a

Will they be able to forcibly remove the cigarette from the per-

be enforced. Some SUNY campuses such as Buffalo State and Univer-

sity of Buffalo have already adopted this tobacco-free policy. However, according to the Buffalo State Record, the enforce-ment of these policies has been “mild” with students and fac-

President Christian also said the policy could raise poten-tial safety concerns. For example, what if a student wants to

Security and Fire Safety Report, which showed a 30 percent increase in total “forcible sexual offenses” with four offensives in 2009 to 12 in 2011.

Undoubtedly, this policy will be met with resistance from --

ties try to restrict civil liberties, it’s not a good thing. However,

and the wishes of your fellow campus community members.

are more practical and less intrusive ways to promote healthy

-other option would be to set up channels through the school to

-

is an attempt to promote public safety and a healthier lifestyle,

the SUNY system should also respect the choices of those who

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

!e New Paltz Oracle 9 oracle.newpaltz.eduEDITORIAL


SPARKING SOME CONCERNS


10 oracle.newpaltz.edu OPINION The New Paltz Oracle

A CALL TO SUNY NEW PALTZ:

TOWARD A STRATEGIC

ENVIRONMENT OF RACIAL EQUITY

This message is directed to the students and academic faculty of this college, and also its administrators who are delegated to sustain a mission of “diversity;;” [1] the same adminis-trators who have yet to formally acknowledge a decline in the black student population at SUNY New Paltz as a priority issue.

Data shows that the percentage of incom-

SUNY New Paltz has dropped from 12 percent in 2000 to six percent in 2011 [2], and the per-centage of total black undergraduate students has declined from 7.9 percent in 2001 to 4.7 percent in 2012 [3]. As of 2012, there were about 302 black undergraduate students, 96 of them black males [4]. This decrease is not unique at New Paltz, as colleges throughout the nation have witnessed similar trends. Contrary to popular belief, racial discrimination and in-equalities remain rampant as the majority of African Americans remain disproportionately underrepresented in nearly all U.S. institutions

administrative and faculty levels at SUNY New Paltz [6]. Hence, we the Student Associa-tion (SA) do not solely blame this college as

-ate Admissions has consciously strengthened recruitment efforts in communities of color. However, we do not relieve students, faculty and administrators of their civic responsibility to be more proactive on behalf of historically underrepresented students by aiming to re-verse these disturbing trends. And yet, the goal for equity has been vaguely cloaked under a “diversity” label that fails to probe this issue.

“Diversity” is often associated with race

and suggests that anyone who is non-white is “diverse” and is used to “diversify” a mostly white population. This means that predomi-nately white institutions such as SUNY New Paltz use people of color as tokens to boast about how “diverse” the institutions are, ulti-

a “diverse” institution when they are the only person of color in a classroom where most of their professors are white and teach from a Eurocentric, patriarchal and heterosexual perspective? Are people of color experienc-ing “diversity” in a racially-hostile campus climate where “colored only,” “lynch niggers” and “Django Hall” signs are posted throughout campus? “Diversity” at this college is mea-sured as 26 percent students of color, yet this

-table, multiracial environment [7].

After recognizing these disturbing re-alities, SA communicated with administra-tors hoping to begin a plan of action, only to

Christian’s assertion that the decrease in racial diversity is a “myth” dismisses how a decline in one racial group reveals an overall drop in ra-cial diversity [8]. Additionally, Vice President of Enrollment Management L. David Eaton,

Lucy Walker’s claim that the school’s racial composition data is inaccurate fails to mention the fact that the black undergraduate student population has been declining before and after the 2009 change in self-reporting methods [9].

that the current percentage of black students at SUNY New Paltz is more than two times lower

than the proportion of black people in the U.S. and almost three times lower than the same percentage in New York State [10].

Overall, history has shown us that prog-ress is minimal as long as the problem remains unacknowledged. History has also taught us that it frequently takes a “small vocal minor-ity” to initiate positive change [11]. Therefore, we call on the students, faculty, administrators, and alumni of SUNY New Paltz to recognize

students as a crisis that affects not only black students, but members of all colors in this in-stitution and ultimately threatens the college’s mission to promote “diversity [12].” We fur-ther urge students, faculty, administrators and alumni to strategize and work together to re-solve this crisis in order to preserve a vigorous racial campus climate and an environment of racial equity. Let us all make a difference to-gether, for everyone.

- Jonathan Espinosa, Student Associa-

tion Vice President of Academic Affairs and

Governance at SUNY New Paltz

Endorsed by the Student Association Ex-

ecutive Board;; Black Student Union;; African

Student Union;; Caribbean Student Organiza-

tion;; New Day Ensemble;; Caribbash Week;;

African Women’s Alliance;; Students Against

Mass Incarceration;; Envied Fashions;; Black

Studies Student Organization;; Phi Iota Alpha

Fraternity, Inc.;; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity,

Inc.;; Black Week;; Lambda Tau Omega Soror-

ity;; Inc., Impacto Sensual;; Rock Against Rac-

ism;; Team Locates;; Omega Phi Beta Sorority,

Inc.;; Students for Justice in Palestine;; Latino

Week;; Sigma Lambda Upsilon Sorority, Inc.;;

Queer Action Coalition;; Lambda Pi Upsilon

Sorority Inc.;; Shades Step Team;; Urban Lyr-

ics;; Chi Upsilon Sigma Sorority Inc.;; MALIK

Fraternity, Inc.;; Fahari Libertad;; All People

United;; South Asian Culture Association;;

Scholar’s Mentorship Program;; First World

Graduation;; Students for Sustainable Agri-

culture;; Sigma Iota Alpha Sorority, Inc.;; Latin

American Student Union;; Students for a Sen-

sible Drug Policy;; and Lambda Sigma Upsilon

Fraternity, Inc.

-------

1. SUNY New Paltz Mission Statement.2. 2011 SUNY New Paltz Middle States

3. Dean Of Undergraduate Admissions. “Enrollment Trends at SUNY New Paltz.” PowerPoint presentation.

4. Endnote #2.

-versity of California Press.

-

Diversity in the SUNY System.” New York -

versity at Albany, SUNY. Spring 2012.

Academic and Professional Faculty Meeting. March 15, 2013.

Walker, L. David Eaton.” The New Paltz Or-acle. April 11, 2013

County QuickFacts, 2011.

Academic and Professional Faculty Meeting. December 7, 2012.

12. Endnote #1.

OP-ED

Interested In Joining The Oracle As A Copy Editor?

We Currently Have Spots Open For Fall 2013! For More Information, Contact Us At:

[email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle 11 oracle.newpaltz.eduSPORTS

THE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTS

By Andrew [email protected]

FINISH LINE

KILLS PER SET: 3.29

DIGS PER SET: 1.44

SERVICE ACES: 0.30

BLOCKS PER SET: 0.43

BY THE NUMBERS:

The New Paltz Oracle12oracle.newpaltz.edu SPORTS

By Angela [email protected]

Ferriter Hits Big in Rookie Year

KILLS PER SET: 3.29

DIGS PER SET: 1.44

SERVICE ACES: 0.30

BLOCKS PER SET: 0.43

BY THE NUMBERS:

The New Paltz Oracle 13 oracle.newpaltz.eduSPORTS


The Softball team ended their regular

season on April 27, sweeping SUNY Oneonta

in a doubleheader.

score of 2-1 before dominating the second

wins under their belt, the team has secured

the No. 5 seed in the 2013 SUNYAC Soft-

ball Championship Tournament, which starts

Thursday, May 2, and runs until Saturday,

May 4 at the College at Brockport.

coach at New Paltz completed, Tony Cic-

carello said he feels great about the way the

team has responded to him.

“I feel the team made some outstanding

oped a winning attitude and swag. They are

starting to play with a playground mentality,

something I stress in my coaching.”

a 11-7 conference record. Ciccarello admits

that the team must go in with the right attitude

the conference — that can go anybody’s way.

we can win it,” Ciccarello said. “The way the

conference is this year it is really anyone’s

title to win.”

teria must be met and the team needs to be-

according to Ciccarello.

“If we play our game, get some clutch

conference.”

Thinking back on this season, Ciccarello

future.

situational hitting and consistency,” Ciccarel-

base running and putting the other team in

Though saddened by losing key fourth-

Kull said she is hopeful the team will return

time around.

otta, a huge contributor to our offense and

defense, we are returning most of the team

and we hope to come back stronger and more

appear in the SUNYAC Tournament for the

By Matt Tursi Copy Editor | [email protected]

SOFTBALL SWEEPS TOWARD SUNYACS

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Urgent Medical Care

The New Paltz Oracle14 oracle.newpaltz.edu SPORTS


I saw it out of the corner of my

right eye, and felt my heart bounce

a beat. A long, silky body trailed be-

hind its rounded gray head, bearing a

mouth of razor sharp, menacing teeth.

He glided through the water with ease,

and to my relief didn’t even seem to be

curious about our presence in his hunt-

ing grounds at all. I thought to myself,

“Holy shit, I’m swimming with sharks!”

encounter, I was sitting in a classroom

at the Deep Sea Diver’s Den in Cairns,

a city in Northern Queensland, Austra-

lia. I was on Easter holiday and had off

from school, so I decided to spend that

time attaining a license to scuba dive.

And what better place to do that than on

the illustrious Great Barrier Reef?

I went and signed myself up for a

entry-level course conducted by the

Professional Association of Diving In-

structors (PADI). My course instructor,

a 27-year-old Londoner by the name of

hostel at 7:30 a.m. in a big white van

with the dive center’s name painted in

cations, and has been a diving instruc-

dives in Belize, the Caribbean Sea and

all throughout the Great Barrier Reef.

I climbed into the van and we were off.

was introduced to my two classmates,

19-year-old Prema Shah from London,

England and a 20-year-old third-year

mechanical engineering major at Cor-

nell University, Arturo Sullivan. Artu-

ro, or Art, was also on Easter break from

his university at the time. He is study-

ing abroad in Brisbane at Queensland

University, about an hour’s drive north

from where I’m studying now on the

er in the course, were each other’s “dive

buddy.”

Although it was slightly reminis-

cent of being in a class lecture, I rather

enjoyed our class time at the diving cen-

ter. Apart from the cheesy PADI videos

that had more than obviously been pro-

duced in the early 1980s, learning the

skills and techniques used by scuba div-

what to do if you or your dive buddy’s

air tanks are depleted while still under-

water, and how to clear out your mask

learned about nitrogen narcosis, a depth

that occurs when diving around 30 me-

ters below the surface and safety and

practical skills that divers have discov-

ered over time.

classroom, the other half was spent

underwater in the dive center’s indoor

pool. In the pool, we practiced the

skills we had seen in the instructional

pretty adamant about having us repeat

our skills, so that they would be drilled

were second nature in the off chance we

came across any of the problems he was

preparing us for. Although most of the

situations he readied us for are normally

easy to avoid, its better to be safe than

shit out of luck.

the big white van with the black letters

on its side pulled up at 6:50 a.m. on the

aside its large sliding door and yelling

for me to jump in. There was a greater

bones that morning, because we weren’t

headed for the dive center. Instead, we

were going to the largest spanning coral

reef system that Earth has to offer, the

home of tens of thousands of various

marine life species. I was on my way

ing to dive the Great Barrier Reef.

outland for around two hours to get to

the reef. I don’t do too hot with sea-

sickness, so I took some anti-nausea

meds and dozed off. As we arrived at

lie hastily woke me up, telling me I had

suited up as quickly as I could, checked

that my equipment was all in order and

then got in line at the side of the boat

it was my turn to jump, I held my mask

and breathing regulator tight with my

left hand, while my right was secured to

the weight belt that hung snugly around

my waist. I took a wide step off the edge

and fell into another world.

As my head submerged beneath the

crisp, 70 degree water, I felt like I had

just swam through a screen onto the

ing attention to my instructor who was

having us run through our skills in an

actual open water dive (as opposed to

were amazing patches of coral, teeming

swimming in and out of its anemone,

a stingray with a sleek gray back with

purple dots that looked to be painted

and a sleek gray reef shark that glided

effortlessly through the water.

dive instructors said they see often,

must’ve weighed well over 500 pounds

ever meet. He would swim over to us

if we clinked rocks against our air tanks

fat, blue lips.

nights and three days, we spent all of

our time either diving or sleeping on a

large boat with about 30 other divers.

lights! My classmates and I all passed

necessitate the ability to breathe under-

diver has always been a dream of mine,

and becoming one at the Great Barrier

Reef was a pretty nice way to tick that

goal off the bucket list.

Diving Into The Great UnknownANALYSIS:ANALYSISBEN KINDLON

New Zealand Correspondent [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle 15oracle.newpaltz.eduSPORTS


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HYTHM

LUESHIRTS

&

Collins ConundrumIt’s been three years since Terry Collins has

taken up management with the New York Mets. In that time, he has seen two midseason col-lapses and only lackluster Mets squads. It may be early and it may have been predictable, but it looks as if the collapse is coming much sooner than expected.

In the minors, Wally Backman manages the new Las Vegas 51s, where he attends to the de-velopment of (hopeful) future stars Zack Wheel-er and Travis d’Arnaud. Backman is held in high regards with the Mets organization, and he has a knack for motivating young players.

And so, with a slumping 2013 Mets and a promising minor league squad, Andrew Wyrich and I ask each other this question: Do the Mets get rid of Terry Collins and bring Wally Back-man into the picture? Should we keep our faith in Terry?

Andrew, who loves Backman and is biased, believes it’s time to say goodbye to Collins due to the unsuccessfulness of the past several sea-

sons. In this rebuilding era, everything has to change, and management is something that often time does for the sake of the team.

Backman has been popular among players because he is fearless when it comes to defend-ing them. His profanity-laced tirade circa his years with the South Georgia Peanuts went vi-ral. He’s the kind of manager particularly young players will stand behind because there is a mu-tual level of respect between both parties.

And while I agree with all of Andrew’s points as to why Backman should come into the picture, I really don’t have the heart to say Col-lins should be let go. However, with my own per-sonal feelings aside, Terry Collins shouldn’t go.

I am of the belief that when the ship sinks, it is usually the leader who is to blame. However, Collins has been doing a solid job as manager in New York. Sure, the Mets have tanked in the second half of the season on multiple occasions, but let’s face it — they weren’t supposed to tank because they were expected never to have been

The Mets have been expected to be among the worst teams in baseball for several years. These years of humungous contracts that never worked out and a string of bad luck left the Mets in an awful position. They have become the laughing stock of the league. Once Sandy Alder-sen came in 2010 and brought in Terry Collins, people weren’t sure what to expect from the lat-ter.

But I’m sure those people didn’t expect Collins to help bring some respect back to the Metropolitans.

Yes, Terry Collins may have seen two mid-season collapses, but he also saw two very strong

ple wondered whether or not the Mets were the “real deal.” We should have all known the Mets wouldn’t fail to disappoint and would eventually tank, but there was hope to start off the season, and Collins is a large part of that.

The entire Mets roster likes, responds to and

and willing to stick up for his players, and he has done so on multiple occasions. Young players like Wheeler and d’Arnaud are going to respond to Collins the same way they are responding to Backman.

And if I’m being honest, Collins has had some awful teams. No one expected the Mets to be anything these past couple of years, so the fact that Collins was able to at least make it seem like maybe, maybe there was something there, is rather impressive.

Terry Collins has done nothing to warrant

take away from what the Mets are trying to do.

often painful. The Mets knew this when they started to do so in 2010. But the pain in waiting is almost over, and letting go of Collins when

lack of patience for something that could truly be special.

So, uh, how about them Rangers?No, but seriously you’re going to have to

bear with me this week. I’ve never written about hockey before and only have a passing interest in the sport (read: when it’s on, I watch it). But, I’m going to take a crack at it in this column — and what better time to write about the Rangers than right before the playoffs are set to begin.

The Rangers, who hold the No. 6 seed in the Atlantic Division, are squaring off the No. 3 seeded Washington Capitals for the fourth

Blueshirts for three straight series before 2012, we should expect a different outcome this time around.

There are quite a few big questions on both sides of the puck. Alex Ovechkin — who has both fallen from grace and dominated the league with precision shots — needs to produce for the Capitals to have any shot of capturing the series. However, the success of the Rangers will hinge on the ability of goalie Henrik Lundqvist to el-evate himself into a playoff dominant goalie if the Rangers hope to advance to the next round

of the playoffs.Something the Rangers should be happy

about is the Capitals’ inability to hold onto the puck. The Caps currently have a 47.72 posses-sion rating, just under the average 50 percent for playoff teams. Matched up against the Rangers quite stellar 53.88 possession score, you would think the series should easily be handed to the Madison Square Garden-dwelling team.

On the defensive side, both teams don’t have much to brag about. Without Marc Staal the Rangers are losing one of their best shot-blockers. While the team can still play solid defense, they don’t scare other teams with their impenetrable defense as they once did.

The good news is the Capitals don’t ex-actly have a dynamic defense either — unless of course Mike Green can play up to what he is capable of.

Either way, this matchup is as close as it can get in terms of talent and should be an in-teresting series to watch. Each team has a litany of question marks coming into the playoffs and whichever team can answer their respective questions faster will come out on top.

pelled themselves to the top of their division by six points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets. Late-season surges are always critical for teams head-ing into the playoffs, and if the Rangers hope to compete in the series a fast start will be needed — especially with the Caps having home-ice advantage.

In the end, I think the Rangers will come out with the series win — but it’s going to be

close. Although, a series win entirely hinges on Lundqvist proving he is as good of a play-off goalie as he is in the regular season. The Blueshirts will also rely heavily on Rick Nash continuing his scoring streak and work with Derek Stephan to deliver a strong offensive side of the puck.

This series is too close to give a prediction,

fun to watch.

Ready To Rumble

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PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR USER CLYDORAMA

SPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

Tennis Team Finishes With Wins In New Paltz Tournament : PAGE 11

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PHOTOS BY ROBIN WEINSTEIN

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SEASON’S ENDINGS

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