so close and yet so far away

Turn up
the heat
7
The student newspaper of the Rider community since 1930
Volume 77, Issue V - Friday, October 20, 2006
SAsohusband
Closeserves
and Yet so Far Away
in Iraq, sophomore hangs tough
Then about a week before
the party, Antonio revealed
to Vanessa that he had been
An average day for sophplanning to propose. Although
omore Vanessa Avila involves
Antonio did not have the ring
attending classes, going to her
right then, it was official: The
jobs — and feeling dread every
couple, who had been together
time her cell phone rings.
for five years, became engaged.
Her husband, Lance Cpl.
On the day of Antonio’s goingAntonio Avila, is currently
away party, he proposed on one
serving in the 3rd Battalion, 2nd
knee, with the ring, in front of
Marine division in Habbaniyah,
all their friends and family.
Iraq. The town is west of
“I had a feeling he was
Baghdad, between Fallujah
going to do it then, but I wasn’t
and Ramadi in Al Anbar provsure,” said Vanessa. “Everyone
ince, a region plagued by heavy
was so excited for us.”
violence.
As September quickly
“Antonio drives a Humvee,
approached, the couple spent as
which is why I don’t watch the
much time together as possible.
news,” said Vanessa. “I don’t
Unfortunately, because of the
want to put myself in a position
devastating conditions the vicwhere I need to worry more.”
tims of Hurricane Katrina were
Photo by Steph Nardi
A total of eight Marines
left to face, there was a massive
from Antonio’s unit have died Looking at a photo of her husband, a Marine in Iraq, sophomore Vanessa Avila remains strong
demand for additional aid, and
since he has been in Iraq and during difficult months. The two finally decided to tie the knot on June 10.
more specifically Marines.
even more have been injured.
Vanessa, a management
school graduation. He joined in across the military community. it’s tearing families apart.”
“The unit works like a
Indeed, as planning for major from Linden, N.J., April 2005 and left for training And it extracts a price.
phone chain,” she said. “Every
“The Iraq war is taking an Antonio’s going-away party was only three days into her
camp that September.
time someone from his unit
Although the kind of pain- incalculable toll on families,” proceeded, tensions rose freshman year at Rider when she
either dies or gets hurt, I get the
ful separation they have experi- reports an article in the current between the couple. With dropped everything and rushed
call.”
enced can barely be imagined issue of Newsweek. An Army mixed feelings, they questioned home to see her boyfriend off
Vanessa always knew
by most students and staff at wife is quoted as saying, “This their future together — even to South Carolina for training
Antonio was going to enlist
Rider, it is all too common needs to come to an end because whether there would be one.
in the Marines upon his high
See Iraq, p. 3
By Olivia Tattory
University to develop an energy master plan
Although the film is a good wake-up
tool for students, Rider’s administration
woke up when it began to feel a deeper
Before the viewing of An hole in its pocket.
Inconvenient Truth, students like Julie Karns, vice president of
freshman Jennifer Loureiro and senior Finance, said the University really picked
Tony Butch knew there was a worldwide it up when costs for energy spiked as a
environmental problem that is also on result of Hurricane Katrina.
campus, and admitted the mistakes of As a result, Karns alongside Phil
their fellow students.
Voorhees, assistant vice president of
“People go home for the weekend Facilities, is in the process of devising
and leave their lights on,” said Butch. an Energy Master Plan. A master plan
Even with TV, people go out for the committee will be formed, comprising
whole day, and no one is watching it.”
administration, faculty, staff and stu Loureiro placed some blame on dents alike.
herself, but hoped the movie, which One of the major steps forward
was being shown by the Student in the University’s energy conserEntertainment Council in the Bart vation efforts is the utilization of an
Luedeke Center Theater, would change external consultant, Utility Advantage,
her views. to assess the campus and discover ways
“Even when I leave the room I the University’s energy usage can be
would just leave the TV on and not even more cost-effective and environmenthink about it,” said Loureiro. “I wanted tally savings. According to Karns and
to come here so maybe it would give me Voorhees, this assessment process could
a different perspective on it. But I don’t be completed as early as May 2007.
even do it on purpose; it’s just like a For example, before Facilities
conscience thing.”
replaced the failing 40-year-old air
By Mike Caputo
Photo by Karly Hamburg
Lights burn bright in Memorial Hall long after classes have ended for the day.
conditioning unit in Lincoln Hall over
the summer, it consulted with Utility
Advantage. “They came in, verified the square
footage, the number of bodies in the
building and then looked at the number
of types of equipment that could provide what we needed,” said Voorhees.
“And then we took it a step further and
looked at the potential maintenance
and operating costs. We came full circle
because we came back to the original
piece of equipment that we suspected. It
was an interesting process.”
When it comes to energy usage,
there are no building-to-building statistics on it because there is only one meter
See Energy, p. 4
Visit the Rider News Online at www.rider.edu/ridernews/
102006p1.indd 1
10/19/06 10:12:26 PM
2 Security Briefs
Slip up
The kitchen staff at the
Bronc Diner work hard but
when they fall, they fall harder. On Tuesday, Oct. 17, at
12:28 a.m., while cleaning
the hoods above the grill,
a staff member slipped and
acquired a head injury. The
staff member had a severe
laceration and was taken to
the hospital via ambulance.
The staff member was treated
and released the same night.
Hit and run
The security cameras of
Big Brother may be watching, but it helped Public
Safety identify a hit and run.
On Sunday, Oct. 15, Public
Safety observed fresh damage to a car in the Open
Lot. By reviewing tapes, they
were able to determine a
suspect’s vehicle. Using the
information, Public Safety
approached the suspect and
the suspect admitted to the
accident. Police services were
offered and declined by the
victim and suspect.
Missing property
Based on recent incidents, theft seems to be a
big problem on this campus. Sometime between Friday,
Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14,
a wallet and cell phone were
stolen from a room in Ziegler.
It was reported Saturday, at
8:52 p.m. The wallet
contained a substantial
amount of identification and
several gift cards. The student
also cancelled his cell phone
service. Police services were
declined. Anyone with information, call Public Safety at
x. 5029.
She assaulted him?
When husbands beat
their wives, it is usually
reported to the police. It’s
rare when someone hears of
men being abused by women, but that’s exactly what
happened. On Friday, Oct.
13 at 3:48 a.m., Public Safety
was alerted to physical abuse
in ZBT. When Public Safety
arrived on the scene they
were notified that Lawrence
Township Police Department
(LTPD) was also called.
The male victim was
struck several times in the
face by the female suspect.
The victim had injuries but
he refused treatment. The
suspect was later arrested by
LTPD for domestic violence,
and was charged by Rider for
physical abuse.
- compiled by Jeff Frankel
Information provided by Director of Rider’s Department of Public
Safety Vickie Weaver.
102006p2.indd 2
Friday, October 20, 2006
Holt, Sinagra face off for supremacy
“I am for adult stem cell
research,” he said. “It has made
more headway, more advances
Both state and federal issues
and more solutions found for
were debated Tuesday as incumcures with adult [stem cells],
bent Democratic Rep. Rush
more so than with embryonic.”
Holt and Republican challenger
During the closing remarks,
Joseph Sinagra duked it out on
Holt mentioned that Sinagra
campus as the mid-term elecwants to get rid of minimum
tions on Nov. 6 near.
wage laws. Sinagra said they are
During the 12th District
outdated and won’t help small
Congressional Debate held
business owners.
in the Bart Luedeke Center
“As a business owner, if
Theater, a wide array of topics
I’m making $50,000 a year, that
were discussed, including Iraq,
doesn’t mean that I’m going
homeland security, stem cell
to make more money,” Sinagra
research and taxes. The control
later said. “Most small busiof Congress is at stake and each
nesses will probably get rid of
party is vying for power.
their employees.”
Photo by Karly Hamburg
“I have and I will represent
Dr. David Rebovich of
the values and the interests of Republican hopeful Joseph Sinagra, left, and Rep. Rush Holt, the Rider Institute for New
this district honestly and openly D-N.J., discuss their ideas on hot issues in the BLC Theater.
Jersey Politics, who served
and, I think, with ever-increasas moderator and panelist,
debated was illegal immigra- in.
ing effectiveness,” said Holt.
tion. Sinagra believes that a way “Even though I think stu- felt the event went over well
“I think I can say I’ve never
to curb illegal aliens is to stop it dent activism seems to be grow- despite Rider’s diverse student
lost sight of issues that directly
ing on the campuses, including population across the state.
in the schools, he said.
affect us here in New Jersey.”
“If schools would stop tak- Rider, it pales in comparison to Jamie Papapetros, Opinion
Meanwhile, Holt’s oppoing in illegal aliens, the incen- student activism in the ’60s,” he Editor of The Rider News, and
nent, Sinagra, outlined his plan
Robert Stern of The Times of
tives to get an education would said.
to lower education costs.
stop,” he said.
The candidates hold differ- Trenton, were also panelists.
“I will do my best to help
Holt sees there is a problem ent views on stem cell research. “Not all Rider students
those families and try and keep
with immigration as well and While both see a future in it, live in the 12th District,” said
those taxes down and bring
wants to fix it without deport- Holt does not want to place any Rebovich. “Rider students, like
education costs more in line,”
most New Jerseyans, and most
restrictions on it.
ing all of the illegal aliens.
he said. “As far as our fiscal
of
the country, are concerned
“The legal immigration “I certainly favor embrystate, I believe we are in good
about
the fate of the rest of the
system is broken,” said Holt. onic stem cell research,” he said.
shape. I believe we are on the
“Our approach to immigration “It holds great promise for cur- country.”
upswing.”
ing or relieving a number of
can be lawful and hospitable.”
The candidates greatly dif Holt feels the U.S. should things.”
fered on the situation in Iraq.
start being less dependent on Sinagra feels while the
Holt wants to pull forces out
fossil fuels in order to take over research is important, it’s where
immediately.
as the world’s dominant energy scientists get the stem cells that
“This war was arrived at
makes a difference.
producer.
in the wrong way, entered in
“In the coming years, there
the wrong way, executed poorwill be a huge market worldly and our continued military
wide for alternate technology,”
presence in Iraq is neither makhe said. “For many reasons, oil
ing us safer or the Iraqis safer,”
is not the way to power our
he said.
globe.”
Sinagra has a different out Sinagra feels drilling should
look. He says America must
be done in the Alaska National
stay the course to prevent civil
Wildlife Refuge until a more
unrest.
viable source can be found. He
“Regardless of how we got
doesn’t think alternative fuels,
involved, we’re there,” he said.
like ethanol are the answer.
“To leave now, I believe, would
“We need to come up with
create more bloodshed.”
a viable source of energy,” he
The two candidates had
said.
different ideas about home One topic stressed early in
land security. Sinagra is
the debate was youth participaworried about relaxed border
tion in elections. Both urged
patrol on the U.S.-Canadian
voter participation, starting at
border. He stated there are
the college level.
currently 15 known terrorist
“It requires convincing
groups in Canada.
each one that the issues being
“There’s over five agents
debated in the public forum
per mile protecting our southwill affect their health, happiern border and one agent per
ness and quality of life,” said
mile protecting our northern
Holt.
border,” he said.
Sinagra stressed that the
Meanwhile, Holt does not
nation’s youth need to get
like the USA PATRIOT Act
involved as soon as possible.
and how it takes away civil
“Young people today need
liberties.
to get involved, they need to
“We will not be made safer
stay involved and pay attenby domestic, warrantless surtion to what’s going on in the
veillance of your phone calls
world,” he said.
to overseas, by raiding libraries
Holt said being a student
and secretly getting the lists of
in the 1960s really changed
what books have been checked
his perspective on life and how
out,” he said.
students can and should get
Another hot-button issue
involved in the world they live
By Jeff Frankel
10/19/06 10:13:18 PM
Friday, October 20, 2006 3
Volunteers bare their soles
to end worldwide hunger
By Lauren Varga
One in seven people worldwide goes hungry, according
to the Rev. Nancy Schluter,
Protestant chaplain.
In an effort to raise awareness about hunger and homelessness, the CROP Walk, which
is organized by the University
and the Clergy of Lawrence
Township (COLT), took place
this past Sunday, Oct. 15,
starting at the Moore Library.
“It [the CROP Walk]
raises [people’s] consciousness
that there are people who are
starving in the world,” said
Father Bruno Ugliano.
Hunger awareness seems
to be growing on campus by
the looks of this year’s turnout. According to Ugliano,
about 55 students and faculty
participated in the walk.
“It’s a great opportunity for
people to get together and walk
for a good cause,” said Nicole
Iraq
Continued from p.1
camp. It wasn’t the actual call
that shocked Vanessa; it was the
short notice she was given to
say goodbye to the love of her
life: one day to be exact.
“Antonio called me that
same day and said he’d be
leaving the next day for Parris
102006p2.indd 3
Amato, senior and community service chair of Protestant
Campus Ministry (PCM). “If
I could do it again next year I
would.”
Other organizations from
the Lawrenceville community participated in the CROP
Walk, including Lawrenceville
Presbyterian Church, The
Church of Saint Ann,
Notre Dame High School,
Lawrenceville Prep and Harvest
Chapel.
The CROP Walk is an
annual event that has been taking place since 1996. The organization donates the proceeds of
the walk to the Church World
Services, who then gives the
donations to particular organizations who try to feed those
who have nothing, according to
Ugliano.
According to Schluter,
money donated was in excess
last year.
“The biggest group we’ve
[received] money from so far
is the SERVES group here on
campus,” said Schluter.
Money is still being
collected to support hunger
awareness, and if anyone would
like to donate to this cause, a
check can be made payable to
CROP and dropped off at Gill
Chapel.
The motto of the CROP
Walk foundation is, “We Walk
Because They Walk,” and participants walked 6.2 miles to
support those who walk to get
food and water for themselves
and their families.
“6.2 miles represented the
miles the less fortunate walk
everyday in order to survive,”
said Amato.
The CROP Walk isn’t the
only way students can help
prevent hunger. Students can
participate by preparing for or
attending Midnight Runs, volunteering at the Trenton Soup
Kitchen, or getting involved
with Hunger and Homeless
Awareness Week, which is
Island,” she said.
“He left early for boot
camp in order to be available
to help the country,” she said.
Over the next three months,
contact between the couple
was very minimal because of
a strict communication policy.
The couple was limited to letter
writing.
On Dec. 2, Vanessa and
Antonio’s family traveled to
Parris Island to see him graduate. Antonio was able to remain
home with his family through
Christmas working as a recruiter for the Marines. On Dec.
26, Antonio reported for duty
at Camp Lejeune in North
Carolina.
The couple originally
planned to wait to have their
wedding after Vanessa finished
college. That was until February
Photo illustration by Steph Nardi
Participants in the Crop Walk on Sunday, Oct. 15, wore out their
sneakers in order to walk off hunger throughout the world.
Monday, Nov. 13 thru Friday,
Nov. 17.
“There is awareness and it’s
growing, but I would like to see
more awareness on this campus,” said Schluter. “I’m really
pushing the soup kitchen just
because we have trouble getting
people for that. It’s not as glamorous as going into [New York].
However, we do that [volunteer
at the soup kitchen] the second
Thursday of every month.”
The involvement of the
campus community is greatly
appreciated by Schluter.
“I would like to thank
those who did come out and
the clubs who supported the
walk,” she said. “We hope those
who joined were able to reflect
upon the needs of others.”
-Additional reporting by Jessica Geiger
of this year
when Antonio
found out he
was leaving for
Iraq in July.
As
the
months passed
and Antonio’s
departure date
grew closer, the
couple decided
in April to tie
the knot early.
The next two
months were
filled with both
excitement
and stress as
Photo provided by Vanessa Avila
Vanessa vigorously planned The happy couple on their wedding day.
the couple’s
Christmas together last year
wedding. With friends and and this year I don’t think I’ll
family by their side, Vanessa even get to talk to him,” she
and Antonio wed on June 10 of said.
this year.
Once the holiday season is
“It just didn’t feel right for concluded, Vanessa will only
Antonio to leave without me have about a month standbeing his wife,” she said. “He ing between her and Antonio.
felt the same way. It was just Slated to return in February,
something we had to do.”
Antonio will have the month
It has been seven months of March off to spend with his
since Antonio left for Iraq, and friends, family and wife.
the newlyweds have spoken Right after that, Antonio
only a handful of times since will begin to train and prepare
their wedding. Vanessa writes for his second seven-month
to Antonio every day through tour of duty in Iraq beginthe Internet service Motomail, ning in September of 2007.
which hand-delivers printouts Although Vanessa would rather
of E-mails to soldiers in the have her husband home with
field, wherever they are. She her for those seven months, she
sends a care package every supports Antonio fully and pasweek.
sionately.
The next few months will be “Antonio may have enlisted
very difficult for Vanessa begin- but I was drafted,” she said. “It’s
ning on Oct. 31, which marks hard, but I get through it by
the couple’s six-year anniver- setting small goals for myself.
sary, followed by Thanksgiving I just know that, if I can get to
and Christmas.
this point, then I will make it to
“We at least got to spend the next and the next.”
10/19/06 10:16:29 PM
4 Friday, October 20, 2006
Taped confessions flawed,
says law school professor
By Jave Galt-Miller
Filmed interrogations and
confessions are like state-sponsored documentaries, said a
visiting professor from Boston
this week.
Dr. Jessica Silbey, a law
professor at Suffolk University,
contended that taped confessions are valuable to the state
because they advocate putting
suspects behind bars without
regard for innocence or guilt. They are meant to legitimize
the state’s use of force, she said.
“There’s a nationwide trend
requiring that criminal confessions be video-recorded,” said
the law professor. “I think it’s
time that we better understand
how film is both a legal tool and
an art form, and how those two
things merge.”
Silbey, lecturing in the
Movies in America guest
speaker series in a filled Sweigart
Auditorium, said film, like any
medium, gives one perspective
out of many, and it is therefore ambiguous. Even taped
confessions are “created and
constitutive.” They construct
something that was not there
before.
“It would be wrong to
say these films are neutral,
or somehow objective,” said
Silbey. “And they should not be
considered that way in a court
of law.”
According to the law
professor, confessions are “out-
Energy
Continued from p. 1
that measures usage on campus.
Having an individual meter
allows for third party utility
providers to take a look at all
the juice Rider is using, generating interest in doing business
with the University. Although
Public Service Gas and Electric
(PSE&G) is a required transporter of utility, the University
could look elsewhere for the
actual utility.
“Having that individual
meter, although it has great
advantage for buying power, it
has a disadvantage that we can’t
look at a specific building,’ said
Voorhees.
He mentioned that individual checks could be done, but
at a big cost. The assessments
in existing buildings conducted
by Utility Advantage should
answer many of the questions,
both Karns and Voorhees said.
When it comes to the
construction of new facilities
and renovations to older ones,
LEED (Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design)
102006p2.indd 4
come determinative.” If the
confession of a suspect is entered
into the court record, he will be
found guilty in almost every
instance. That is why it is so
important to examine the validity of videotaped confessions.
“When you confess to a
crime, the only way to make
sure that confession doesn’t get
into court is to allege that it was
coerced,” said Silbey. “Lawyers
believe that filming the interrogation will reduce challenges
to voluntariness.”
Lawmakers think that an
audio-visual record of a confession helps ensure that police
officers have not violated a
suspect’s rights. And because
so many people think that
film captures an unambiguous
record, video is supposed to
make it easier to convict the
guilty and harder to convict the
innocent. Silbey notes, however, that
the manner in which something
is filmed will affect a viewer’s
response to it. David Lassiter,
a professor at Ohio University,
conducted an experiment to
study the effect of point of view
on a viewer’s interpretation of a
confession. In the experiment, he filmed
the same confession from three
different angles: one focusing
solely on the suspect, one giving equal focus to suspect and
interrogator, and one of only
the interrogator. Lassiter found
that viewing audiences who
watched the first perspective
— on the suspect — found the
confession to be truthful and
voluntary, whereas those who
viewed the third perspective —
on the interrogator — found
the confession to be coerced.
“Point of view matters,”
said Silbey. “The same exact
confession filmed in three different ways is interpreted in
three different ways. And it’s
no surprise that all taped confessions focus solely on the
suspect.”
She illustrated her talk
with clips from the confession
of Bernhard Goetz, the 1984
“subway vigilante” who shot
four men attempting to rob
him. Goetz said he had been
in fear for his life, but in his
taped confession he admitted
he did not believe the men
were armed. Although the prosecution thought the rambling,
three-hour confession meant a
slam-dunk conviction, the jury
found him innocent based on
the same tape.
Whether it is perspective,
how the suspect is lit, or the
moment when the camera is
turned on or off, a filmmaker
can always affect viewers’ interpretations of what they see.
“Filmed interrogations do
tell us something valuable. They
give us some information,” said
Silbey. “But that doesn’t mean
we should anoint film as the
best evidence, where all other
evidence pales in comparison. That would be a mistake.”
standards come to mind.
Although there are not any
buildings at Rider, which are
officially LEED-certified, they
all conform to many of LEED’s
standards.
“Certain things have a payback certain things don’t,” he
said. “LEED has both. Where
a light fixture or light bulb can
give me a payback less than five
years. It’s very wise to do with
your lighting. It’s easy, a nobrainer type of thing to do.”
Voorhees claimed that
constructions and renovations
include the use of sustainable
materials and energy-efficient
insulation, heating, light fixtures along with double-glazed
windows and improved toilet/
shower water flow.
A co-generation power
plant or a wind tower is not
in the current plans of the
University especially because of
high costs, but Voorhees pointed out that conserving electricity, as a whole may be the best
solution.
“There’s only so much
capacity in the electrical infrastructure that we have in Mercer
County,” said Voorhees. “But
there’s an encouragement to get
a large volume user like Rider to
step back. If you cut your usage
it helps us with infrastructure
— especially on days where you
get that brown out situation
with the air conditioner.”
After Butch and Loureiro
saw the film, they explained
what they could contribute to
cutting back on energy inside
and outside of Rider.
“The movie sort of makes
me feel that I have a certain
level of responsibility that I
should try to maintain when
making choices in my life,” said
Butch. “Choices that affect the
environment, for example what
kind of car I drive, gas guzzler,
or a hybrid, how much water
I am wasting along with recycling and my disposal of other
natural resources that I use.”
While Butch discussed
long-term approaches to the
problem, Loureiro made actions
as soon as she came back from
the BLC Theater.
“When I came back I was
talking to my roommates about
it,” she said. “I told them to
turn off the TV — to turn off
stuff.”
Photo by Matt Freedman
Princeton campus publicist Anne Sears is joined by Joe Miller,
Westminster’s new director of choral activities. Miller conducted his unofficial debut with the Westminster Choir at a
reception for Merrill Lynch investors Oct. 12.
Local firm’s investors
feted at WCC gala
Westminster students
were the featured entertainment at a reception hosted by
Merrill Lynch for its clients
on Oct. 12. Attendees, there
by invitation only, enjoyed a
wine and cheese reception in
the lobby of the Princeton
campus’s Williamson Hall.
They then listened
to everything from the
Westminster Choir performing movements of Durufle’s
at a
moody Requiem to members
of the Westminster Music
Theater program singing
“Comedy Tonight” from A
Funny Thing Happened on the
Way to the Forum. Other selections included Verdi’s aria,
“La donna e mobile” from
Rigoletto, sung by tenor Bryan
Hoyos, and Kabalevsky’s
Rondo in A Minor, performed
by 13-year-old pianist Farshad
Tahvildar-Zadeh.
glance
New Year, New Clubs, New University Logo
New System
Nears Completion
Laura Claus, Clubs and
Organizations Chair, and Nick
Barbati, SGA vice president,
announced plans at the Senate
meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17,
to change the club recognition
process. The new system would
add more structure to the current one, allowing for a more
specialized group of students
to determine if a specific club
would fit in on campus.
SGA President Steve
Klemchalk introduced several of
the proposed images of Rider’s
new logo at this week’s Senate
meeting. These new symbols
will be available for student
viewing in the near future.
Environment-Friendly
C
A
Safety First
ampaign rrives
student
Senate
The
announced plans at this week’s
meeting to jump start the
“Yellow Can Campaign,” an
initiative to increase the number of students recycling and
throwing away their trash.
Information provided by Brian Pawelko
Security Week begins
Monday, Oct. 23. Several
events are planned throughout
the week to promote safety,
according to Jamiyl Mosley, area
director of Residence Life.
10/19/06 10:16:44 PM
Friday, October 20, 2006 5
WCC’s Nip/Tuck
Princeton campus takes a small step for renewal, a giant leap for students
By Nadine Tester
Dirty bathrooms, missing ceiling
tiles and a lounge in desperate need of
a paint job are not images one would
expect to find at Westminster Choir
College (WCC). But those are exactly
the conditions the Princeton campus
found itself facing not too long ago. Renovations, which were started
in the spring and completed a week
before move-in day, are the start of a
plan to upgrade WCC and its facilities
largely thanks to the stepping in of the
Princeton campus’ Student Government
Association (SGA). The revamping
included better sidewalks, repaired ceilings and bathroom upgrades on the
third floor of Seabrook Hall. New shower stalls, a sink vanity,
shower basins and additional drains were
installed to give the facilities a brighter
and more modern look. However, there
are still a few kinks in the system.
“Some of the shower faucets are
switched,” said Joan Aniano, a junior
at WCC. “When you turn on the cold
water, hot water comes out and vice
versa.”
“Even though everyone on the floor
knows about it, if cold water pours out
when hot is expected, it can be a shock,”
said Aniano.
“The bathrooms before the improvements were disgusting,” said Christian
Stuck, president of SGA at WCC. “Each
bathroom stall did not have its own
drain. More than 50 people shared one
bathroom.”
The drains were supposed to be
added last winter, but unfortunately for
the students, the discovery of asbestos
delayed the project. When the drains
were still not installed by late last summer, Stuck and the rest of SGA laid a
foundation of pressure to hurry it up.
“Now there are shower basins and
separate drains for all of the bathrooms,”
door of the residence halls and move our
stuff in.”
The student center was also
revamped. New doors were installed last
spring and ceiling tiles were replaced.
“The old ceiling tiles were wet,
water-stained and there were many missing,” said Stuck. “The room wasn’t welllit. Now there is a new drop ceiling grid
and much better lighting.”
New carpets and a fresh coat of
paint bring life to the dining hall and
the Thayer Lounge. However, Stuck
would have liked to see more attention
paid to detail.
“When it came to choosing colors
photos by Nadine Tester for the walls, it seemed like it could have
been better approached by planners,”
(Above) New sidewalks create a welcoming look to WCC’s Seabrook Hall, while
he said. “Upstairs [in the dining hall],
a new sink vanity (below) gives the hall a fresher appearance.
a beige color was picked out. SGA felt
that there could have been more thought
put into what the interior design was.”
SGA spent around $2,000 furnishing Thayer Lounge with new tables and
sofas, among other pieces. SGA also
picked the color for the lounge but had
little say in what the dining hall was
painted.
Students did not take as large of a
role in the renovations as they would
have liked.
“When the Bart Luedeke Center
was redone, there were several people
involved,” said Stuck. “There could have
been a better approach by designers. In
the end, the students were left out of the
renovations.”
said Stuck. “On the other floors, there walking over the blacktop was a pain,” There are still many things in the
was a lot of cleaning done in the bath- said senior Cliff Goldberg. “Now the master plan of the renovations. The cirrooms, but they are scheduled to be school looks better and it’s easier to walk cle in front of Williamson Hall will get
upgraded by the winter.”
from the hall to the student center or spruced up with new flowers and some
Among the other improvements wherever.”
of the other crumbling sidewalks may
are newly paved sidewalks in front of However, the broken-up sidewalks be replaced. However, the overall feel for
Seabrook Hall. Instead of broken-up did make some tasks easier.
the new improvements is positive.
blacktop, the clean-looking, smooth, “We used to be able to just drive “The campus looks great,” said
white pavement makes getting around over the old sidewalks,” said Aniano. Goldberg. “But there are still a few
“Now move-in day is a little harder. things that need to be worked out to
more enjoyable.
“It is definitely a plus because Before we could drive up to the front make it perfect.”
New efforts aim to put suitcases out of commission
By Megan Zakrzewski
Going home on the weekends was
not an option for freshman Jon Virgil
— he stayed against his will.
Virgil, who hails from upstate New
York, now chooses to voluntarily stay
because he “loves weekends at Rider.”
Being the sports fanatic that he is,
Virgil joined the Ultimate Frisbee team,
plays intramural basketball and attends
the Rider hockey games every Saturday.
But Virgil is only one of many students
who decide to stay on campus when the
weekend rolls around.
“I stay on campus because there are
a lot of cool things to do that the school
sets up, like weekend movies,” said sophomore Joseph Robinson. “Sometimes
there are trips.”
In past years, Rider University was
viewed as a “suitcase school,” according to Director of Campus Life Dave
Keenan. Going home on weekends was
apparently the “cool” thing to do.
However, there have been improve-
features1020.indd 1
ments and accommodations architecturally and socially in an attempt to
rejuvenate this ghost town, and coax
suitcase students to take a second glance
at Rider’s weekend potential.
In order to build a better community
Rider expanded its Student Recreation
Center (SRC) and created intramural
fields last year. The SRC is equipped
with basketball courts, a track and a fitness center. And for lounge lizards like
Robinson, the SRC’s lobby doubles as a
game room that includes a plasma TV,
video game systems and recliners.
“On the weekends, I can watch
football on the big screen TV,” said
Robinson.
Many don’t realize that the
University is equidistant from New
York and Philadelphia. Students will
get the chance to enjoy both hot
spots and learn what the cities have to
offer through each locale’s “Best of ”
programs.
The program should “develop a
feeling of independence to go out and
experience new things,” said Keenan.
The effort to save students from
the suffering of weekend boredom
started about seven years ago. After
resident directors and students started
working together and planning events,
student interest in weekend programs
rose, according to Keenan. Eventually
an electronic newsletter was created to
address different weekend activities. It
is still in circulation today at both the
Lawrenceville and Princeton campuses,
known as Weekend Warriors.
Graduate Assistant Melissa Vidam
is in charge of spicing the newsletter
up. Weekend Warriors details sporting
events, Bronc Buffets, Bronc Bingo,
movie showings and scheduled trips. “[The goal is] providing students
with informal interactions [and] ways to
entertain themselves,” Keenan said.
Although some students choose
Rider for the option of going home on
the weekends, senior Stella Hickman
said she has seen an increase in weekend
population. “Once we got older I felt more
people were staying on campus because
we have a lot more to do now than we
did before,” said Hickman.
The increase in the efforts of the
University to provide interesting things
for students on the weekends has not
gone unnoticed. Returning students
have seen a positive change in programming and recreational opportunities. To
many, it’s a pleasure to see a parking lot
full of cars.
“Rider is definitely thinking of more
events for students to participate in,”
said Hickman. “For example, we have
more events such as watching the SEC
movie of the week and [going to] Bronc
Buffets sponsored by various organizations. Students can [also] join intramural sports teams.”
And if an off-campus trip, an
Ultimate Frisbee match or a night at the
movies isn’t enticing enough, a student
can always find comfort in a hearty
Saturday breakfast.
“Brunch [at Daly’s] on the weekend
is always better than during the week,”
said Robinson.
10/19/06 9:35:19 PM
6 Friday, October 20, 2006
BLC says, ‘Buenvenidos a Miami’
Attack of the MAAC
By Oliver Joszt
Photo by Karly Hamburg
Sophomore Colleen Thornton and junior Kristen Lawroski are scared senseless at the Midnight MAACness ‘Fright Night,’ which took place last Friday, Oct. 13. Playing
off the unlucky date of the event, the Student Recreation Center was frightened up to look like a haunted house that led to the Alumni Gym, which was decked out in a
Phantom of the Opera theme.The night featured contests, performances, and the men’s and women’s basketball teams’ first official practice.
When I look back to the television show Miami
Vice, I think of the expensive pastel jackets worn over
T-shirts with the sleeves rolled up, the ’80s rock ’n’ roll
music, Ray Ban sunglasses and all of the other glitzy
cheesiness from the ’80s.
However, Michael Mann turned Miami Vice into a
more vicious and grim world, which looks amazing but
in the end fails.
Miami Vice, written by Michael Mann (Heat and
Collateral), stars Colin Farrell as James “Sonny” Crocket
and Jamie Foxx as Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs. Crocket and
Tubbs work undercover to take down a powerful narcotics kingpin, Arcángel de Jesús Montoya (Luis Tosar)
and his merciless middle-man, José Yero (John Ortiz).
Together Montoya and Yero are corrupting Miami by
flooding the city with illegal drugs and deadly weapons
including rocket launchers and automatic rifles. Their undercover jobs go far beyond ordinary
occupations and become all-consuming obsessions. The
lawmen’s lives become fully engulfed in the
case to the point where they’ll do
whatever it takes to get the
job done.
Meanwhile, a love
interest develops
between Crocket
and Montoya’s
right hand financial dealer, Isabella
(Gong Li), which
begins during a boat
ride to Cuba on an
exploration for the ideal
Mojito. Viewers are left
to wonder if the attraction between the two
is genuine or if
their relationship is strictly
Actors’ Equity steals spotlight in studio theater
By Jess Decina
At a dinner held last year to commemorate the opening of the
Spitz Studio Theater, one could argue that Miriam Mills had the best
seat in the house.
The professor of Fine Arts just so happened to be sitting next to
David Lotz, a Rider alumnus and communications director for the
Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).
“I mentioned to him that I would love to have Equity come and
speak to my kids about how to get into the union,” Mills said. “He
gave me a phone number and I followed through.”
From there, she contacted Amy Dolan Fletcher, the national education and outreach coordinator for Actors’ Equity. And on Thursday,
Oct. 19, Fletcher spoke to the aspiring actors and actresses in Mill’s
Acting I class.
“It is vitally important for the students to understand the ins and
outs of Equity,” Mills said. “In the professional theater world, if you
wish to work, Equity is the union that you must join. You cannot even
go to a professional audition without an Equity card.”
Fletcher has spent the past two years speaking to theater students
about how Equity works. Her presentation usually lasts from 60
to 90 minutes. About a half an hour of her presentation includes a
PowerPoint show that explains “the history of the union, the way the
union works [and] how to join,” then concludes with a question-andanswer session.
“It helps [students] weigh whether or not they want to become a
member of the union,” Fletcher said. “It’s a very important decision.”
Students frequently ask her about the Equity Membership
Candidate (EMC) program, one of the ways to join the Equity. The
102006p6p7.indd 1
7
Photo by Karly Hamburg
Amy Dolan Fletcher explains how the Actors’ Equity Association works.
The AEA provides benefits for those in the performing arts business.
program requires actors-in-training to earn a position at a participating EMC theater. After working there for 50 weeks, they are eligible to
earn an Equity card, Fletcher said.
“[EMC is] a mix of professionals and non-professionals,” she said.
“That gives people who are up-and-coming the opportunity to work in
a professional theater without having their Equity card.”
The EMC program also helps students see where they stand, and if
they truly want to pursue acting for the rest of their lives.
“You can [ask], ‘Am I ready to compete? Is this the kind of life I
want to have? Do I want to pursue this as a career?’” Fletcher said.
The Actors’ Equity is one of several labor unions that cover all
aspects of show business. The main job of Equity is to provide basic
benefits for its members, such as providing salary, safe working conditions and health coverage. More importantly, however, actors who
belong become members of a community that supports them, Fletcher
said.
“It’s a very insular career because you have to be focused on yourself and your craft and getting work,” she said. “It’s nice to be a part
of something that’s bigger than you are, where you can stand up and
speak for your colleagues and see change happen.”
Members of Alpha Psi Omega, the University’s honorary theater
fraternity, were also encouraged to attend. Senior Kerry Bowers, the
organization’s president, stressed the importance of knowing about “the
business side” of acting.
“If you don’t act like a business person when it comes to your acting career, you could end up doing community theater for the rest of
your life,” she said.
The presentation came as a slight shock to some, especially for
theater majors approaching the uncertainty of a career post-graduation. Senior Allison Alter didn’t realize until Fletcher’s presentation that
membership in the AEA is no easy task.
“I was surprised, to be honest,” she said. “I’m a little apprehensive.
I didn’t realize how much work would be involved.”
With a little help from Fletcher, Mills feels her students are one
step closer to having “the opportunities they need to succeed.”
“Trying to be a professional actor is difficult enough,” she said.
“Any tools we can help supply are important.”
business. Foxx (Ray and Collateral) and Farrell (Alexander and
Phone Booth) are believable as the rough and dangerous
undercover cops in Mann’s perilous Miami. These “good
guys” are just as hard-hitting and violent as the villains.
However, Foxx and Farrell have no chemistry as partners
and are barely seen on-screen together. Tubbs is not seen
for long stretches of time while the film concentrates on
Crockett working alone. Li’s (Memoirs of a Geisha) portrayal of the sexy
Isabella is enough to send the blood pressure of any
man through the roof. Her incorporation of seductive
moves creates sparks with Farrell’s tough guy appeal and
rugged good looks. Li’s difficulty in speaking English
is her one weakness. At times her lines are difficult to
understand. Through body language alone, she is able to
convey most of her feelings and thoughts.
The beautiful scenes of Miami that were showcased
in the 80s television program are nowhere to be found
in this movie. Half of the movie does not even take
place in Miami. A majority of the
film shows the characters going
to cities in Cuba and other
locales elsewhere in Florida,
including one scene where
Crocket, for some odd
reason, leaves his partner,
Tubbs, in Cuba.
For a movie about
undercover cops,
Miami Vice is completely lacking in the
thrill department.
The movie’s run-
ning time is two hours and 10 minutes, but sadly, only
about 20 minutes total is focused on action.
The rest of the movie is filled with useless dialogue, which does not help to further the plot and only
confuses the audience more. In one confusing scene,
Crocket and Tubbs are up against white supremacists
who are holding Tubbs’ lover hostage. The audience is
left puzzled, because the film never makes it clear as to
why these criminals were compelled to kidnap her in
the first place.
One of the movie’s only strong points is the cinematography, which is amazing. There are stunning images
and location shots that give the scenes a more dark and
raw look. Mann uses the grainy cinematography that he
is known for to create a fierce and rough feel. It brings
the picture alive and makes us experience the exotic
places that Crocket and Tubbs travel to during their
undercover adventures.
These undercover cops should be looking for the
plot, useful dialogue and heart-stopping action —
because it seems all have gone missing. With the exception of Farrell and Li, there is not much chemistry
between performers either. But, Mann’s influence
and trademark filming techniques bring alive the
dangerous and sensual atmosphere.
I would recommend that people save their cash,
skip this movie and instead invest their time
into watching the classic Miami Vice television series or see Mann’s work with Foxx in
Collateral instead.
Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx look
much tougher in the 2006 summer
blockbuster Miami Vice than their
‘80s counterpart Don Johnson ever
could. The film will be playing the BLC Theater this
weekend.
Photo copyright Universal Pictures
Cranberry crown up for grabs
Road to Coronation
Monday, Oct. 23
Vignettes
Afternoon
BLC
Wednesday, Oct. 25
Voting
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Daly’s Dining Hall
Thursday, Oct. 26
Voting
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
BLC Commuter Lounge
Monday, Oct. 30
Costume Contest
10:00 p.m.
BLC Pub
Tuesday, Oct. 31 through
Thursday , Nov. 2
Penny Wars
Saturday, Nov. 4
Self Expression & Final Ceremony
3:00 p.m.
BLC Theater
Photo by Pete Borg
The University’s second annual Cranberry Court shows off its Rider pride after
the spirit portion of the competition, which took place during Midnight MAACness
on Friday, Oct. 13. Seniors Anthony Coruccini, Karson Langenfelder, Mike Caputo,
Michael Grimm and Nick Barbati (top row) are this year’s finalists for king, while
seniors Nicole Southern, Lindsey Thomas, Daphkar Lahens, Alexandra Khashkes
and Shelly Helfgott (bottom row) are vying for the title of queen.
10/19/06 10:07:50 PM
8 Friday, October 20, 2006
Editorial:
Students challenge
LGBT status quo
A
esthetically, Rider is at perhaps its best. The Student
Recreation Center and Cranberry’s serve as hallmarks of
eye-pleasing progress. Yet, Rider is not up to par in an
area that cannot be improved with the construction of a new
building or fresh coat of paint. It is time the University moves
beyond a simple stage of awareness, tolerance and acceptance
of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students. The
administration needs to initiate a University-wide transformation to foster the supportive atmosphere all students deserve.
Perhaps the grading criteria used in the Oct. 13 issue of The
Rider News to measure Rider’s gay friendliness do not represent
a complete portrait of the situation. But the results do offer a
glimpse into the quality of life for LGBT students. Like it or
not, as gay-friendly as Rider has become, it can do better.
The stark reality for many is that the atmosphere at the
Lawrenceville campus is accepting of students who have already
come out. On the other hand, a member of the Gay Straight
Alliance (GSA) points out that the University does not offer
a particularly nurturing environment for students who are still
considering their sexuality.
On the other hand, Westminster Choir College (WCC)
has a higher proportion of openly gay students and professors,
according Christian Stuck, Student Government Association
president for the Princeton campus. This cultivates a comfortable environment for LGBT students at WCC.
“Life is absolutely different as an LGBT student,” said
Stuck. “At Westminster, students have one-on-one time with
professors who sometimes serve as surrogate counselors and
friends to all students regarding any issue,” said Stuck. “It is part
of everyday life.”
One only has to look at the University’s Statement of
Community Values, adopted in 2001, which says “that we celebrate our differences for they are our strength.” Beyond simply
codifying Rider’s value of diversity, more must be done to fulfill
this standard. Celebrating diversity on Unity Day or National
Coming Out Day is not adequate. Why not have a National
Coming Out Week that allows LGBT to feel embraced?
Budgetary concerns and lack of resources are insufficient
excuses. This matter affects the quality of life of many students,
including straight students, many of whom have a lot to learn.
The most immediate course of action Rider can take is
evident on the minds of GSA members: Establish an LGBT
resource center. LGBT students ought to have a refuge where
they can talk with a counselor and build relationships. It would
also be a place a place to turn to report any bias or harassment.
As a community, there is other action we can take. On the
way to class or during the course of conversation, how often
do you hear the expression, “That is so gay”? The phrase has
become so routine it desensitizes us. It may seem to be a harmless expression without any malicious intent. But for some it is
offensive. We should be all be offended for the widespread use
of this statement in a careless matter. Have we forgotten the
power of the spoken word? We don’t even need to mention the
inappropriateness of “faggot,” do we? As reported in last week’s
issue, it’s a word still heard on the Lawrenceville campus.
Realize this – LGBT students are not asking for special
housing or a separate graduation ceremony. It is simply time for
Rider to embrace LGBT students in the community unconditionally. True, change does not happen overnight but it has to
start somewhere.
People who remember Rider a decade ago have witnessed
some of the positive steps taken to reach out to this community. Training for administration, faculty and student leaders in
LGBT issues could help the University move further forward.
Currently, the level of preparation for counseling or referring
LGBT students is limited.
The impact of Rider’s rating for gay friendliness is clear.
“I think it means we are calling on student advocates and
leaders to grow the University tradition of diversity,” Stuck
said.
This weekly editorial expresses the majority opinion of The Rider
News editorial board and is written by the Opinion Editor.
102006_opinion.indd 1
The Issues Explained:
Scandal marks sprint to Election Day
With less than four weeks to go before the
midterm elections, negative campaign ads are
filling the airwaves. As voters, you must decide
what you’re going to believe and where you are
going to get reliable information.
Despite the fact that New Jersey State
Assembly Speaker Albio Sires and State
Representative Joseph Vas worked together in
the state legislature, this spring each viciously
attacked the other’s reputation in their race
for the Democratic nomination for a House
of Representatives seat. Vas accused Sires of
working with a businessman convicted on fraud
charges. Sires came back saying that Vas helped
a child molester and drug dealer receive a lighter
sentence. “What Joe Vas did wasn’t illegal. But it
was criminal,” a radio ad by the Sires campaign
said.
Republican ex-congressman Mark Foley sent
sexually explicit instant messages to congressional pages and some House Republicans; aides
to the GOP leadership knew about his behavior
long before he resigned last month. Voters appear
to have become angry over the Foley scan-
dal even more than this
year’s public corruption
scandals. These scandals
include the convictions
of several top Republican
aides like the one-time
lobbyist Jack Abramoff
and the House’s Randy Nicholas
“Duke” Cunningham of Ballasy
California, who resigned
last year, and Ohio’s Bob
Ney, who pleaded guilty last week. Campaign
commercials included the Foley scandal within
days of it coming to light.
To capture control of the House on Nov.
7, Democrats have to gain 15 seats. According
to a Washington Post analysis of the latest campaign disclosures, Democrats spent more heavily over the summer and early autumn than
their Republican challengers in tight House
districts, leaving Democrats at a disadvantage of
more than 2 to 1 in money on hand.
At the same time, Democrats are better off
financially in open seats where an incumbent is
See Scandal p. 9
Editorial & Managerial Board
Executive Editor
Mike Caputo
Managing Editor
Lauren Varga
News Editor
Assistant Entertainment
Editor
Advertising Managers
Jess Decina
Kerri Weidler
Beth Rumbel
Opinion Editor
Business Manager
Jamie Papapetros
Debra McCandless
Sports Editor
Webmaster
Leo D. Rommel
Kelley Stryker
Jeff Frankel
Assistant Sports Editor
Delivery Manager
Karl Holzer
Features and
Entertainment Editor
Paul Mullin
Photography Editors
Copy Editor
Stephanie Mostaccio
Associate News Editor
Nicole Southern
Assistant Features Editor
Paul Szaniawski
Stephanie Nardi
Karly Hamburg
Kelly Mangan
Enterprise Reporter
Dr. E. Graham McKinley
Dr. Thomas Simonet
Olivia Tattory
Faculty Advisers
www.rider.edu/ridernews/
The Rider News welcomes letters on all subjects of interest to the Rider community. Letters must
be typed and include the name, address, phone number and signature of the author for verification. Send to The Rider News via e-mail (ridernews@rider.edu), campus mail, or hand deliver to
the Ridge House. All letters must be received by midnight on the Monday preceding publication.
The Rider News reserves the right to edit all letters for space and clarity.
10/19/06 10:16:54 PM
Friday, October 20, 2006 9
The Wise Senior:
A few weeks ago I was shocked to find
myself in the middle of a debate about whether
or not Career Services is helpful. I say I was
shocked because in my mind there’s no question
about it; Career Services is one of the best things
Rider has to offer to its students.
From my “Interest Inventory” days as a
freshman to my MonsterTrak sessions as a
senior, Career Services has been with me during
every stage of my college career. Each year when
I’ve sat down with a career counselor, I’ve found
myself walking away more focused on what I
want to get out of Rider and life. The people
in the office not only give you suggestions
about where to direct your future, but they also
really encourage you to succeed. Every time I’ve
updated my resume a counselor has sat with me
multiple times going over it line-by-line, wordby-word until it’s perfect. They’ve gone so far as
to give me the envelope to send my paperwork
out in; if that isn’t attention to detail I don’t
know what is.
I’ve been offered four internships since I’ve
been at Rider and I really believe that wouldn’t
have happened were it not for Career Services.
Not only have the counselors helped me construct a resume that best highlights my abilities
but they’ve also searched with me online for
the positions that would match my talents. The
first internship I ever had
came from attending the
fall Career Day my sophomore year. Jean Falvo,
Coordinator, met with me
at least three times to help
me through the process
of writing the cover letter Janine
and filling out the applica- Vasconcelos
tion. For the internship I
have now Claire Hamm,
Associate Director, made herself available during my busy summer schedule to help me completely redo my out-of-date resume. With their
assistance I was able to go into my interviews
confident with what I was bringing to the table.
I already have an appointment scheduled for
after Career Day, which I’m looking forward to
attending, so I can begin the rather intimidating
task of planning life after college. I’m nervous
and overwhelmed, but I feel much more at ease
knowing my future is being guided by such
capable hands.
People can say what they want about Career
Services but I know the counselors given me
goals and plans when before it was just dreams.
Many doors have opened for me at Rider, and
Career Services has given me the necessary tools
to walk through them.
Letter to the Editor:
LGBT security requires extra training
Last week’s edition of The Rider News featured quite possibly the preeminent and most
objective article in its history in regards to
Rider University’s gay community. However,
while the article “Gay Point Average Could
Disappoint” was incredibly well-written and
researched, there was one rather crucial mistake
within it. In tallying Rider’s “gay point average”
as per the system developed by the new book,
The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students,
where several criteria are taken into account,
one point attributed to Rider is listed as “Trains
campus police on LGBT security.” The problem is, not every officer is given such training,
despite a universal need for it.
Some may criticize the standards that The
Advocate judges on as being overly sensitive
and unrealistic. Certainly, I believe it would
be a nearly impossible task to find a Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) student who
supports a checklist-suggested separate graduation solely for them and for “ally” students,
as some schools do. In this community’s quest
for equality, there are some steps that require
special attention before universal sameness can
be reached. There is a very real need for additional training of all our Public Safety officers
in terms of LGBT security and the sensitivity it
requires because a hate crime is not just a typical issue. That’s not to say I believe the Public
Safety department would handle a gay bashing
incident the same way it would a car vandal, but
I’d be more comfortable knowing that no matter who is called to respond to a problem, the
people helping are well-equipped to handle the
psychological needs of such an occurrence.
Perhaps the most unsettling part for me is
that I, as a student, assumed that every officer
was trained specifically to help minority groups
— not just LGBT students — who face a
much more likely chance at experiencing a hate
crime than the majority Rider student. I do
not just say that as an openly gay man; I stress
it as a concerned individual for anyone who is
assaulted verbally or physically for simply being
him- or herself. It is a great wish that someday
there will no longer be a glaring need for special
security training for any group, but for now and
the foreseeable future, there is. It is time we stop
masking laziness as equality.
-Nick Barbati
Vice President, Student Government Association
out their stances on the most important issues
like the Iraq War and the $3 trillion deficit
before casting a vote. While events mentioned
in negative ads like the Foley scandal may be
true, voters should still look into the candidates
not running. Despite this, of the 12 open as people and evaluate their stances. Take a
House races considered tight, Republicans have look at the big picture, like what is going on
more money to spend in seven of them. But in Washington with the party in power, to help
Democrats are ahead in five, according to the decide which candidate you will vote for at
home. Do not just listen to the ads you see on
Post analysis.
As a voter, you should visit your state par- television because some are flat out lies. Always
ties’ web sites to read about their platforms and ask questions and find answers through reliable
stances instead of just listening to negative ads. sources before you pull a lever in the voting
Go on your area candidates’ web sites to find booth.
Scandal from page 8
The Rider News, Ridge House
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102006_opinion.indd 2
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Think About It:
GPA fails to make grade
To summarize: Rider doesn’t house
its gay students together, give lesbians a
special graduation ceremony, or pound the
pavement looking to specifically recruit
transgender students.
Apparently, this is a bad thing. I know
— you could have fooled me too.
Maybe I’m generalizing a little bit
here. Let’s look at specifics. Last week, this JP
newspaper reported on the publication Krahel
of The Advocate College Guide for LGBT
Students. This guide professes to highlight
particularly LGBT-friendly campuses and, probably of greater
interest to upcoming LGBT high school graduates, it ranks
schools according to a 20-point checklist titled the “Gay Point
Average.” Only it’s not an average, it’s a total. And it’s not for
gays, it’s for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
Patronizing word play aside, the idea seems to be a good one,
right? In theory, yes. When you look at the actual tenets that
make up Rider’s “GPA,” however, it becomes clear to me that this
is one “F” we should be proud to earn. Think about it:
We got a point for having a nondiscrimination statement
inclusive of those with differing sexual orientation, but we
didn’t get the point for also explicitly including those of differing gender identity or expression. Strike one. We participated in
National Coming Out Day, but we didn’t stretch it out into a
full week. Strike two. Our lack of an active LGBT alumni group
makes an even three.
Well, not even. We missed 11 others, for a total of 14 missed
out of 20, but those were three. I suppose I ought to warn my
gay friends to request a police escort and steel themselves to face
the eventual bigotry that is sure to come.
I probably sound unduly agitated. Let me explain. I am
straight, but I am as certain as I can be that I’d feel completely
welcome at Rider if I were gay. I know several LGBT students
here, and the first time I’ve heard about persecution was in the
last paragraph of last week’s article. It deeply offends and disturbs
me to think that there could be a bright, motivated and talented
gay high school senior who at this very moment is reading The
Advocate College Guide. If you were gay and all you knew about
Rider was that its “GPA” was a six out of 20, would you come
here?
I understand that Rider can certainly improve in terms of
inclusiveness. Every organization can always improve. But to
arbitrarily boil down the strides a school has taken in terms of
inclusiveness and give it a monolithic numerical grade — favorable or otherwise — is as backwards as assuming that a lesbian
student is defined more by her lesbianism than by her humanity.
I understand the good intentions with which our “GPA” was
calculated, but I could not disagree more with the methods the
Guide uses, the results they’ve produced, or the damage they’ve
done to Rider’s reputation.
E-mail us at:
ridernews@rider.edu; newssection@rider.edu;
featuressection@rider.edu; entertainmentsection@rider.edu;
opinionsection@rider.edu; sportssection@rider.edu.
10/19/06 10:17:10 PM
10 Friday, October 20, 2006
Broncs’
Bits
(*denotes conference game)
Men’s Soccer
(3-8-4, MAAC 0-3-2)
10/13
Rider 2 Marist 3*
10/15
Rider 0 Siena 0 (2 ot)*
Field Hockey
(10-4, NEC 3-1)
10/13
Rider 5 Robert Morris 0*
10/15
Rider 1 Siena 0*
Women’s Soccer
(4-7-2, MAAC 2-3)
10/13
Rider 3 Marist 4*
10/15
Rider 1 Siena 0*
Volleyball
(7-12, MAAC 5-5)
10/15
Rider 3 Niagara 1*
10/16
Rider 2 Canisius 3*
Men’s Tennis
(1-8, MAAC 0-2)
10/15
Rider 0 Morgan State 7
Scores/Records
Josh
Continued from p. 11
Friday, Oct. 20
Men’s Soccer
at Iona 3 p.m.*
Women’s Soccer
vs Iona, 3:30 p.m.*
Field Hockey
vs Monmouth, 4 p.m.*
Volleyball
at Manhattan, 7 p.m.*
...And More Sports
Women’s Tennis
(4-5, MAAC 1-1)
10/14
Rider 1 La Salle 6
10/15
Rider 6 Morgan State 1
Freshman forward Heather
Connelly of the field hockey
team was named the NEC
Rookie of the Week for all
games played from Oct. 9-15.
F. Hockey
Tryout
Continued from p. 12
Continued from p. 12
Morris, whose team is in last
place in the NEC at 2-11 overall. “They’re always very good,
though. Whether it’s the coaching style or the recruiting or
whatever it may be, they’re certainly always a strong team.”
Junior forward Stephanie
Walker believes team chemistry
is a key ingredient in the program’s success.
“We’re never satisfied,” said
Walker, who has three goals
and five assists this season.
“The coaches always push us for
more.”
All remaining games are all
against formidable NEC opponents. Monmouth, which is 5-9
overall but 3-2 in the conference, plays at Rider on Friday,
Oct. 20. Sacred Heart, which
currently rests in third place at
11-4 overall, visits the Broncs
on Sunday, Oct. 22.
that’s a rare thing you want to
see and hold on to.”
Even though the tryout was
initially scheduled for a twohour time slot, it lasted only
an hour and 15 minutes. This
led many players to believe that
their performance was so poor
that there was no need to go
on.
“We made the tryout for
two hours because we didn’t
know whether 15 people would
show up or that 50 would,” said
Fischer. “It’s hard to accurately
judge 50 people in an hour.
Not too many showed up, so we
didn’t need as much time.”
Likewise, many players
felt that the tryout was a waste
of time given that no one was
chosen for the team.
“I feel like the whole
thing was for nothing,” said
junior Travarus Fauntleroy.
“I feel like the whole thing
was predetermined, like they
[the coaches] walked in there
knowing they weren’t going to
take anybody.”
According to an Oct. 6
article published in The Rider
News, the coaches stressed to all
participants that the possibility
of no one being chosen was a
likely outcome for the tryout.
“Most schools have walkon tryouts, some annually,”
said Fischer. “And very rarely
do those schools pick someone.
They have them just to see if
there’s additional talent on the
campus.”
Overall, the coaching staff
was pleased with the turnout
and display of talent at the
tryout.
“I appreciated the energy
that was brought to the court on
Monday,” said Dempsey. “Everyone out there showed they
knew how to play the game. I
just wanted to take the time to
thank them for coming.”
M/W Cross Country
at Lafayette Invitational
M: 11th of 13
W: 10th of 13
because he probably would
have pulled it out otherwise.
Fast-forward two class
periods. It’s now 5 p.m. He’s
as nervous as can be. He
stretches and then heads over
to the SRC. It is there that he
meets up with his friends, and
competitors, shooting hoops.
“I knew just about
every person that tried out
for the team,” acknowledged
Rodriguez. “They’re the same
people that I play ball with
everyday.”
It’s 5:55 p.m. and
Rodriguez heads to Alumni
Gym for the 6 p.m. tryout. He
has a knack for being early, but
- surprise, surprise – there’s a
volleyball game going on. The
tryout has been pushed back
to 8:30. Fine, OK. Rodriguez
sits in the stands with a friend
and watches the game.
After grabbing dinner –
grilled chicken with fries and
another apple (“I love apples,”
he said) – Rodriguez heads
back for the tryout.
Before he steps on the
floor, he begins to reminisce.
Back when he was seven years
old, he played basketball in
a Jewish league. That’s nothing extraordinary until you
take into consideration that
he is not Jewish; his parents
merely saw an ad in the paper
for a newly formed basketball
league and figured, hey, why
not let Josh play?
“It was funny because I
was the only one who did
not wear a yarmulka,” said
Rodriguez. “I really didn’t fit
in, but at least we won the
championship.”
The tryout begins sourly. Nothing is going right.
Rodriguez knows he has the
ability to dazzle but instead
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he’s playing sloppy. He’s
uneasy. He’s missing his shots,
losing the ball on crossover
dribbles and even gets himself
in harm’s way twice – once
while driving to the basket
and getting slapped in the
face, and then again later
when he dives headfirst into
the basketball pole trying to
save a loose ball.
He’s going all out, sweating and getting his face cut up.
He’s doing everything he can,
but wonders if it’s enough.
“Thing is you don’t know
what the coaches are thinking,” said Rodriguez. “You
wish you did. You wish you
knew what you had to do
to get on the team, but you
don’t, and that’s the part that
drives you insane.”
And then, all at once,
answers his own question: He
stops for a pull-up jumper
and the ball hits the backboard. That’s it. No net,
no rim, just the backboard.
Booonnnnnggggg!
He hates that sound. He
hates what it means. He’s cut
himself from the basketball
team.
“It’s tough making it on a
team,” Rodriguez later admits.
“Before Monday, I never
thought much of the saying
‘Well, at least you gave it your
all.’ But I do believe that now.
I do believe I gave it my all.”
After pausing to reflect
– the two exams, the four
classes, playing Jewish basketball, all the apples – he says, “I
can walk away happily knowing that I gave it my all.”
After the tough day you
had, that should be more than
good enough.
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Friday, October 20, 2006 11
Men’s tennis team’s youth a weakness
By Kristie Kahl
Adversity is a fact of life
that cannot be controlled. But
what can be controlled is how
one reacts to it.
With only a handful of
games remaining, the fall season for the men’s tennis team is
all but lost. The team currently
stands at a dismal 1-8 mark. At
one point it lost six matches in
a row and it has been shut out
four times.
And yet here they are, as
friendly and welcoming as ever
to one another.
“These are a great bunch of
kids,” said Head Coach Ed Torres. “Even though they’re losing,
they’re a close bunch. There’s no
finger pointing, no placing of
the blame on anybody’s shoulders. They’re a team.”
According to Torres, the
disappointing season has been
largely due to a group of very
youthful and inexperienced
players. Not only are six of the
nine players on the roster freshmen, but only one player, Jim
Leone, is a returnee from last
year’s squad, meaning that the
other eight are playing in their
first full collegiate season.
“It’s a rebuilding year,” said
junior Jim Leone. “It’s important that we bring leadership
in order to guide the new guys.
I think that everyone brings
something to the table.”
Other unforeseen factors
have also contributed to the
team’s struggles. Junior Jeremy
Finkelson-Reece and senior
Ragdee Saberson both transferred prior to the start of the
season and sophomore standout
Casey Jedlinski, though still on
the roster, has sat out the entire season to focus more on his
studies.
The results, according to
Torres, have been “a disaster.”
“It’s like taking the two best
scorers and the ‘sixth man’ off
the basketball team,” said Torres. “You do that and what do
you have? Not a very good basketball team. The same thinking
applies here.”
Although the age of the
team is a significant weakness now, more experience and
gained familiarity with the program may be beneficial in the
future.
“I think the fact that there
are five starting freshmen playing in the top six is a good thing,”
said freshman Will Haight, who
won at second singles and first
doubles in a 4-3 loss to St. Francis (NY) on Oct. 8. “We are all
gaining experience as soon as we
possibly could have, and that is
certainly going to pay dividends
for us in the years to come.”
According to Leone, the
freshmen come to the court
lively and energized every time.
“They bring a lot of energy,”
said Leone. “All of our personalities click well, so we’ll keep
working hard and hopefully it
will pay off in the spring.”
The unity of the team has
made a dreary season seem
more optimistic, added Torres,
Leo D. Rommel
The big
day
T
Photo by Peter G. Borg
Will Haight is one of six freshman players on a roster of nine,
and although the team remains close on and off the court, this
inexperience is one of the reasons the team has not done well.
particularly when its competition is not only talented but
also more experienced.
“These are 17- or 18-yearold kids going up against guys
who have played tennis for years
now,” said Torres. “The team
is learning and getting better.
Even though we’re losing, we’re
not losing as badly now.”
The team has four games
remaining to gain more experience before the start of the
spring season.
“We have four years to keep
playing and gain match experience that is critical to our success,” said Haight. “I’ve said it a
lot before, but once we get that
experience, and if we all continue playing, we could do great
things before we graduate.”
Men’s cross country prepares for the MAACs
By Shareef Hardin
A competitive schedule is
usually a trouble spot for athletic teams – and the men’s cross
country team is no exception.
the
MAAC
With
Championships only a week
away, the team has been concentrating on preparing themselves for tough competitions.
“Last year we had an
upsetting performance at
the MAACs, and we plan to
improve on that,” said junior
Thomas Westen. “We’ve had
two weeks to work harder to
prepare for the MAACs.”
Starting the season off at
the Fordham Invitational, the
Broncs finished sixth out of
19 teams, all the while dealing with the hot and humid
climates at Fordham University.
Junior John Smith did the best
of the Broncs, finishing 17 out
of 180 athletes with a time of
26:56.
“We were looking really
good going into the meet,” said
junior Jeff Stead, who finished
26th with a time of 27:24.
102006_p11.indd 3
That enthusiasm carried
over into the meet, and according to junior Ryan Donohue,
the team came out and performed better than expected.
“We ran pretty well, a lot
of guys up front ran well,” he
said.
The cancellation of the
Bronc Invitational gave the
team a bit of rest, but it found
out that too much time off
could be a bad thing.
At the Paul Short
Invitational
at
Lehigh
University, the Broncs’ enduring freefall began.
“It was a really fast course
but we didn’t perform well,”
said Donohue.
A team finish of 39th out
of 43 was also disappointing.
“Only a few of us made
improvements during this
meet,” said Stead, who finished
194th overall with a time of
26:48.
But it wasn’t all bad news
for the Broncs.
“The younger guys stepped
up,” Donohue said, referring
to sophomores Matt Dahl
(214th) and Tom McGuire
(274th) along with freshman
Phil Capaldi (250th).
The next meet at the Penn
Invitational turned out to be
the team’s best performance
yet.
With a competitive field of
opponents including Syracuse,
West Virginia and Oklahoma,
the Broncs finished 14th out of
17th teams. As the meet progressed, the team made some
strong moves to score points.
“It was a really good
showing after the problems at
Lehigh,” said Donohue.
With the best performance of the season, the team
has shown how much it has
improved and what is has to
offer to its conference rivals.
“We just push each other
and run a little better,” said
Westen, who finished 108th
overall with a time of 30:10.
At the fourth meet of
the season, the Broncs visited Lafayette for the Lafayette
Invitational.
“We could’ve done better,
but having two hard races before
might have affected our performance,” said Stead who placed
40th with a time of 27:01. The
team found itself struggling at
another tough meet.
“It was a step up from what
we’ve done in the past years,”
said Donohue. “It was the hardest course I’ve run so far.”
The loss of three of its top
runners hasn’t helped the team
either, but the Broncs are still
fighting to make a comeback.
“We have had some injuries
this season and with those losses, our season has been harder,
but we are not going to sit here
and complain,” said Stead. “We
will continue to play the hand
that has been dealt to us.”
As the team prepares for
the MAAC Championships on
Oct. 27, the athletes are putting
their all into having a good end
to a tough season, and looking
to put their best foot forward
for the most challenging meet
of the year.
“Third place is the highest
that cross country has finished
in the conference,” said Stead.
“To beat that, we have to bring
our ‘A’ game. Everyone has to
step it up.”
he next time you
think your life sucks
and you’re too busy
to shave, shower or take a …
you know what … stop and
think about sophomore Josh
Rodriguez.
Rodriguez
awoke
Monday morning totally
weighed down and out of
breath. Four classes awaited him, plus a pair of midterms worth God knows how
many points. Drop in a quiz
and you’d think Rodriguez,
a sophomore transfer from
Dominican College, was running for office.
Wait, there’s more:
Rodriguez was also trying
out for the men’s basketball
team. He was going to get the
chance of a lifetime, the twist
of luck he’s been yearning for
since he was in a crib and a
pacifier was in his mouth.
This was his chance to play
Division I ball.
“I love basketball,” said
Rodriguez. “This is all I do.”
So let’s get this straight:
in one day, Rodriguez is going
to pass two midterms and a
quiz and make the basketball
team? Can he do all that?
Let’s find out.
Rodriguez gets up and
heads to Daly’s for breakfast.
Pancakes and a bowl of cereal
… blah, blah, blah … typical,
you think, only Rodriguez
traditionally doesn’t do breakfast. But it’s the big day, and
he needs to keep his energy
up if he’s going to last.
Next, he’s off to his 9:10
class for exam No. 1. There’s
no question in his mind; he
passed it with flying colors.
Now its 10:20 and time
for French class. Say hello
to exam No. 2. It’s a challenging one. Don’t sweat it.
Rodriguez had it covered.
Lunch time comes and
he grabs two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, an
apple and some fries. That
should be enough to hold
him over for … ugh … two
more classes? It’s a good thing
Rodriguez buzzes his hair,
See ‘Josh,’ p. 10
10/19/06 9:48:57 PM
12 Friday, October 20, 2006
Better Luck Next Time
Walk-on tryout ends
without a selection
By Leo D. Rommel
No one was chosen to
join the men’s basketball team
following Monday’s longawaited, highly anticipated
walk-on tryout for a position
on this year’s squad, said Head
Coach Tommy Dempsey on
Wednesday.
The decision was reached
sometime Tuesday morning
after Dempsey and assistant
coaches Dane Fischer, Kevin
Baggett and Mike Witcoskie
sat down to discuss all possible
candidates for the position. After
conversing about a handful of
names, the staff unanimously
agreed that sticking with the
players they already had was the
best solution.
“There are some talented
young men walking around
campus and we wanted to get a
chance to watch them play,” said
Dempsey, whose team is seeking
to improve following a sub-par
8-20 showing last season. “But
in the end, we decided not to
add anyone to our roster.”
According to Fischer, 15
candidates were in attendance
at the tryout, a near 50 percent
increase from the original eight
that showed up at a mandatory
informational meeting back on
Oct. 2.
“The turnout was about
what I expected,” said Fischer,
who graduated from Ithaca
College in 2002 among the
top 10 in school history in
career assists and steals. “There’s
always more that’s supposed to
come, but saying you’re going
to try out and actually doing it
are two different things.”
The first open walk-on
tryout in school history, which
was originally scheduled for
6 p.m., was pushed back to
8:30 because of a rescheduled
volleyball game. Shortly after
8:40, the tryout finally began
with players competing in
various forms of dribbling and
shooting drills from all over the
floor.
After 20 minutes, the
players were asked to participate
in a one-on-one game and then,
altogether, in an all-out five-onfive full-court scrimmage.
“I walked into the tryout
thinking I was in really good
shape,” said sophomore Josh
Rodriguez, who hosts a talk
show on WRRC every Tuesday
night at 9 p.m. “But after the
first couple of drills, I realized I
wasn’t in as good of shape as I
should have been.”
Because of nervousness or
apprehension, many players
stated that the most grueling
part of the tryout was the
scrimmage. Participants were
frequently bumped and bruised
for nearly 30 minutes by diving
Photo by Stephanie Nardi
Newly hired Assistant Coach Kevin Baggett (left) and Head Coach Tommy Dempsey surveyed the
prospective walk-on players as they tried out on Monday night. It was decided by the coaches on
Tuesday that none of the 15 players who attended would be selected for the team.
into the stands, jumping for
loose balls, driving to the basket
for a lay-up or colliding headfirst
into the basketball pole going
for a rebound.
No player suffered anything
more than a couple minor
scrapes or scratches.
“I went all out on the
court,” said sophomore Gabriel
Ozonuwe, who at times cursed
out loud in frustration on
the court. “At times I lost
my composure. I was tense. I
worked so hard and so long to
get here that I just wanted to
keep my faith and do well.”
More than anything else,
the coaching staff was pleased
with the players’ willingness to
help one another out.
“Even though they were all
competing against one another
for one spot, they were all
motivating and cheering one
another to do well,” said Baggett.
“From a coach’s perspective,
See ‘Tryout,’ p. 10
Field Hockey team eyes
home field advantage
By Antonio M. Flores
and Leo D. Rommel
The field hockey team has
officially mastered the great escape. Now the Broncs seek to
make things a little easier on
themselves come playoff time.
Following its fifth one-goal
win of the season against rival Siena on Sunday, the field
hockey squad (10-4 overall,
3-1 NEC) stands alone in second place with four games to
go. This means, essentially, the
formula for the remainder of
the season goes as follows: win
two games and a playoff berth is
theirs for the taking.
Win all four – the last of
which is against first-place Lock
Photo by Peter G. Borg Haven – and the Broncs secure
home field advantage in the
Freshman forward Heather Connelly, recently named NEC NEC Championships.
Rookie of the Month, is second on the team with eight goals,
“Hosting the tournament
three of which were scored in NEC matches. She has helped would be a tremendous advanthe team hold on to second place in the conference.
tage,” said Head Coach Lori
102006_p12.indd 1
Hussong, a two-time NEC
Coach of the Year. “We can
win no matter where we play
but playing the tournament at
home would obviously have its
benefits.”
According to Hussong,
Rider is one of three schools
that still play its home games on
grass. The majority of its opponents are accustomed to playing
on artificial turf, a smooth and
even, carpet-like surface that
naturally makes the game faster.
This means hosting the tournament on a bumpy, sometimes
uneven, grass field would be a
major plus for Rider.
“Playing on grass is more
difficult for other teams because
it slows down their game,” said
Hussong. “That’s why so many
of our regular season games are
away. No one wants to play on
grass.”
However, first things first:
after losing two straight games
at Quinnipiac on Oct. 1 and
Lehigh on Oct. 8, the team has
rebounded to win three consecutive games to move within two
games of a playoff berth.
“That’s the primary goal
right now,” said senior midfield/back Liz Butterbaugh.
“We want to clinch a spot in
the playoffs and then move forward with our goal of hosting
the tournament.”
Being in such a glamorous
position is nothing new for the
field hockey squad. Last season,
the team went 14-6 overall and
7-1 in the conference en route
to its third NEC regular season
title in six seasons under Hussong’s direction. In 2000, 2002
and 2004, the team qualified
for the NCAA tournament.
“They’re a very strong team
with a lot of offense,” said Head
Coach Lisa M. Bell of Robert
See ‘F. Hockey,’ p. 10
10/19/06 9:47:30 PM