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SPORTS: Dance team aims even higher A&E: WRPR hosts annual
this year ~ page 13
THE RAMAPO NEWS
Dark Room Series ~ page 8
Student Leaders Provide Mariachi Osorio
A publication by the students for the Ramapo College community THURSDAY, November 12, 2009 XL No. 9
New Perspective on Serenades J. Leeʼs
African History, Culture By AMY FEZZA Osorio said. “For example, any time any-
Staff Writer one breaks up in Mexico or South America,
men will send out Mariachi’s to their ex-
An authentic Mariachi singer came to
girlfriends in order to get them back, the
Ramapo to teach the history and culture of
songs and the performer of the Mariachi
his profession, but due to an error on the
tend to fix a broken heart and make every-
advertisement, hardly anyone was there to
thing better.”
watch. Fortunately, the students who did
Osorio explained that three centuries ago
show up enjoyed the extra-intimate mood
a priest came to teach Catholicism to the
in J. Lee’s last week.
Indians through music in Mexico. This is
“I definitely felt more connected with the
how the Mariachi came about; Indians
speaker since there wasn’t that many peo-
mixed their music with the Spanish, he
ple in the audience, it was a very relaxed
said.
atmosphere,” sophomore Colleen Steel
Most of the instruments were made out of
said.
animals.
Just because he’s from Colombia, Juan
“The instruments were made out of some
Carlos Osorio said that doesn’t mean he
wild things, for example an armadillo’s top
doesn’t love Mexican music.
and intestines were used to make a bass.”
“Colombian people listen to more
Osorio also passed around clothing worn
Mexican music than their own, that’s just
by a Mariachi singer.
the way it is.”
“The hat was much more heavy than I
Osorio came to Ramapo to talk about the
expected,” Steel said.
history of how Mariachi came about and
The clothing was all black with a couple
why he believes it is so beautiful.
embellishments and a majestic black hat to
“I’m a Spanish major and I thought it
complete the outfit.
would be interesting to learn more about
“The wardrobe, the style of singing, and
the culture outside of a classroom,” sopho-
the presentation are all very key to how a
more, Melanie Orinski said.
Mariachi truly comes to life,” Osorio said.
Osorio started his presentation by singing
Throughout Osorio’s lecture, he used a
a Mariachi love song, which quickly got
PowerPoint presentation to accompany
the audience’s attention.
him with each historical Mariachi figure he
“Mariachi is about telling stories and fill-
ing yourself with happiness and joy,” see TELLING on page 6
photo by Keri Ann Flaccomio
Members of BMAD and Omega Phi Chi at Going Back to Africa.
By KERI ANN FLACCOMIO past the common misunderstandings in
Staff Writer order to appreciate their own ancestries and
societal traditions.
Brothers Making a Difference sponsored
“The oldest fossil link that was found
Going Back to Africa on the evening of
came from Africa, so somehow, we are all,
Nov. 5, in an effort to provide a fresh per-
in a sense, linked to this continent,” Harris
spective on the continent’s history and its
said. “I think it’s important to start decon-
influences on the modern-day culture of the
structing those myths, those stereotypes that
United States.
in a sense kind of scare people away. I think
Going Back to Africa, co-sponsored by
it’s very sensationalized over there—people
Omega Phi Chi, Inc., was one of many
say everyone’s sick and that there’s so much
events held as a part of Black Solidarity
poverty, and while certain factors of what
Week, which gave African American stu-
people say may be true, in its entirety, Africa
dents the opportunity to come together and
is just as industrialized, just as functional,
reflect upon the contributions made by their
just as politically, economically, socially
ancestors, and to see how the past and pres-
and culturally strong as any other conti-
ent have correlated to carry them to where
nent.”
they are today.
The night began with refreshments,
Anthony Harris, senior advisor for
including ethnic selections of chicken,
BMAD, believes that it is essential for peo- photo by Amy Fezza
ple to understand African history and move see GOING on page 6 Juan Carlos Osorio talks about the history and traditions of Mariachi.
Students Unhappy with Weekend Dining Hours
Page 2 The Ramapo News Thursday, November 12, 2009
By SAMANTHA ULLRICH more expansive hours on the weekends,
Staff Writer we cannot do so without adding signifi-
cant cost,” Cammarata said.
The limited weekend cafeteria hours on Studies have shown that campus dining
campus are forcing students to eat out, halls are open during the busiest eating
students complain. times for students.
Of the two main dining halls on campus, The hours of operation are well thought
the Atrium is open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on out, Cammarata said, and are based on
Saturday and closed Sunday, and the counts done to accommodate the most
Birch Tree is open from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5 popular eating times throughout the day.
p.m.-7 p.m. and 9 p.m.-1 a.m. on Dining services and SGA representa-
Saturdays and Sundays. The Convenience tives declined comment on this issue.
Store is only open from 4 p.m.-11 p.m. on Chang, who has lived on campus with
Saturdays and Sundays. As a result, stu- his wife for 25 years, agrees more cafete-
dents who reside on campus are forced to ria hours would be convenient for stu-
accommodate their eating schedules dents.
around the hours that the cafeterias are “When they introduced Late Night, we
open for business. all thought that was great. But I do agree
“I try to have a good college experience photo by Kim Ciocon
with the students that there should be a
Students enjoying Late Night dining Wednesday night in the Birch.
even though I live close. I have the place to eat on campus with more hours
Sensible 6 plan, so I’m pretty limited to during weekends,” Chang said.
School officials say that it has always thing and want to grab a sandwich or
eating at the cafeterias. I try to go at least There are about 3,000 residents on cam-
been a commitment to keep students on salad. But if we want food during the time
once a day,” student Amy Fezza said. pus and over 2,300 have a meal plan, but
campus on the weekends, in order to dis- gap that Birch isn’t open, we have to wait
Cammarata said Ramapo needs to look at
pel the notion that Ramapo is a “suitcase” until it reopens or go off campus to get a
how to meet student needs and stay on
school - where students go home on real meal,” student Colleen Steel said.
budget.
weekends. According to Miki Cammarata, associ-
Students without cars also find it diffi-
Pat Chang, associate vice president for ate vice president for student affairs, there
cult to accommodate rides to go off cam-
student affairs stated in an email, will be no increase in dining hours as long
pus to eat when dining services are
“Previous dean Nancy Mackin had Public as there are enough seats during the cur-
unavailable. Even those with means of
Safety conduct occasional car counts in rent hours.
transportation are unhappy with gaps
the residence halls to determine how Cammarata said there is actually a fair
between cafeteria openings throughout
many residents stayed over the weekends amount of assessment that goes into
the weekends.
and found out that actually a majority determining dining hours. The current
“They didn’t give us a say whether it
stayed.” hours for the Birth Tree Inn and Pavilion,
would be okay for us to have limited
Ramapo students who do choose to stick in effect for the past few years, were
time,” Fezza said. “I don’t want to have to
around on the weekends argue that they determined based on the academic sched-
go home every weekend to get a good
don’t have flexibility to eat when they ule and consultation with students.
meal. I mean, I’m paying for it, so I feel
want. “Existing volume and traffic patterns
like I should get it here.”
photo by Kim Ciocon “There are times when my friends and I are also taken into consideration. While it
The Birch Tree Inn dining hours, are walking back from the gym or some- is unlikely that students would object to
which some students want changed.
THE RAMAPO NEWS: STAFF, CONTACT & POLICY A publication by the students for the Ramapo College community
Cortney Collins Contact us at:
Editor-in-Chief
The Ramapo News Telephone: (201) 684-7842
Charlie LaPlaca Katie Sobko Robert A. Scott Student Center Advertising: (201) 684-7842
News Editor Arts & Entertainment Editor 505 Ramapo Valley Road Fax: (201) 684-7939
Mahwah, NJ 07430 E-mail: rcnjnews@ramapo.edu
Joey Lewandowski Daniel Rist
Sports Editor Business Manager
Dan Sforza Kimberly Ciocon
Whenever necessary, The Ramapo News will publish corrections or clarifica-
Technical Advisor Photo Editor
tions in the following issues. All corrections must be brought to the attention of
the editor as soon as possible. The Ramapo News strives for accuracy. In
keeping with journalistic standards, pre-publication review of any article, quote
Staff: Lianna Albrizio, Megan Anderle, Michelle Angelino, Natasha Arena, or editorial is not allowed. Viewpoints may be dropped off at SC-218 or e-
Morgan Balog, Francesca Baratta, Erica Buchman, Kristen Burnell, Alyssa mailed to rcnjnews@ramapo.edu. The Ramapo News reserves the right to edit
Connors, Kelly Craig, Deanna Dunsmuir, Jake Edinger, Amy Fezza, Keri Ann viewpoints for content, style and space. Anonymous viewpoints will not be
Flaccomio, Melanie Framo, Rachel Frank, John Fraze, Andrew Gould, Louis accepted.
Guerrero, Lauren Haag, Ashley Hastings, Bryan Kaminsky, Jeremy Kelly, Nick
Kolani, Scott Laudati, Jon Lindenauer, Ryan Mallory, Stefanie Mauro, Nicole Paid advertisements are accepted at the sole discretion of The Ramapo News
Mazewski, Kaitlin McGuinness, Jenna Moonjian, Dave Ragazzo, Lindsay staff and are due no later than the Monday of that weekʼs issue. Rates are
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Rachel Wintermute.
ARCH
AROU N D THE
Learning That Can’t Occur in a Classroom
Thursday, November 12, 2009
By COURTNEY CERRETA government is similar to that of the United spoke about France and its liberty, equality
Staff Writer States’, Africa is known as “The Dark and diversity. She said France is very diver-
Continent.” They talked about the Islamic sified, from the landscapes to the food and
The School of American and International Democracy and how there are very few coun- music. The landscape consists of seas,
Studies (AIS) presented “An International tries that are both Islamic and democratic. mountains and plains covered in different
Evening” on Nov. 9 in Friends Hall. This The main religion in Africa is Muslim, monuments. France is the largest country in
presentation involved Fulbright Scholars which makes up about 90 percent of the Europe. The French are well known for their
coming from all over the world to talk to the population, while the rest is 5 percent different types of wines, cheese and bread.
students at Ramapo College about the coun- Christian and 5 percent other. Zhu Yige, a visiting scholar from China,
tries they came from and their native cul- Gabriela Serrano spoke about Brazil. She gave the final presentation. China has 5,000
tures and languages. The countries discussed is from the city of Rio de Janeiro, which she years of history and has the largest popula-
included Mali, Brazil, Croatia, France and referred to as “a marvelous city,” compared tion of any country in the world - 1.4 billion
China. to California because of all the famous peo- people.
Dr. Hassan Nejad, the dean of AIS, ple and beaches. Sugar Loaf Mountain, one Yige spoke about the Chinese flag and its
explained his thoughts on our country, say- of the Seven Wonders of the World, is locat- meaning. The red background of the flag
ing that we have “a wonderful group of peo- ed in Rio. Brazil is known for its music, symbolizes the blood of the heroes who died
ple in this country.” This presentation, he dancing and legendary carnival. They created during the revolution and the yellow color
thinks, we cannot learn about in a class- the Samba, an upbeat and famous Latin symbolizes the glorious history and culture.
room. They come to us so we can learn dance. The night was concluded with a sampling
about their contributions and customs. Martin Ivankovic spoke of his homeland photo by Stefanie Mauro of the different ethnic foods brought by the
Rosetta D’Angelo, coordinator of this Croatia, a country in southeastern Europe. An “International Evening” featured presenters. The presenters mingled with the
event and Italian professor at Ramapo He grew up in a historic coastal city named speakers of different countries, food crowd, giving the guests an opportunity to
College, said, “We should do it as many Dubrovnik. Ivankovic compared Dubrovnik and music. ask them questions about their countries and
times as we can. Hopefully, twice a semes- to Greece, pointing out that Croatia has Cait Burns, junior at Ramapo, said it was cultures. “An International Evening” was a
ter. We want to have a symposium on world 1,100 islands. Some of the ethnic cuisine exciting to learn about Croatia. She said she huge success, giving those in attendance a
languages next semester.” includes dishes such as stuffed peppers, would be interested in learning more, adding, reason to look forward to future cultural pre-
Aissata and Oumou Diawara are sisters shrimp scampi, seafood, and peppers and “That’s not a place I really know much sentations.
who come from Mali, Africa. They gave a onions, which he served to guests after the about.”
Peterson Delivers UN: the Good, the Bad and the Future
presentation about Africa; even though their presentation. Laura Nicolas, a Fulbright professor,
By MEGAN ANDERLE the UN? Is the UN doing an excellent, fair, or they are doing enough. Also, there is not which ranged from global culture in transi-
Staff Writer poor job in its work? What kind of a budget enough news on the UN in the United States.” tion, to global ethic, to there being a clash of
does the UN have?” A major success of the UN Peterson recalled cultures, as a reaction to globalizing trends
Though there are many facets of the UN and The two former questions elicited positive was when the organization eradicated and elim- perceived to be threats, causing conflicts.
what it accomplishes, Peterson’s lecture, reactions from the audience as a whole, with inated small pox during the 1970s. The theory he most aligns himself with
“Diversity and Similarity: The United many audience members raising their hands “Using a modest budget, the UN assembled deals with the global marketplace.
Nations’ Culture,” focused specifically on for the “excellent” option. Audience members doctors from various countries, who cooperat- “We’re moving into a global culture, but it’s
“how the UN deals with culture and values in failed to come up with an answer to the last ed to find a cure,” Peterson said. a very slow process, and we’ll see more inter-
the context of controversies today, concerning question, however. One woman thought the On the flip side, a major frustration of cultural influences going on. I think there will
globalization and civilization.” budget was $50 million. Peterson’s regarding the UN is the organiza- be a hybrid of several major cultures emerging
A mouthful. In reality, the UN’s budget is a sizable $1.9 tion’s failure to respond to genocide in Darfur. in the years to come. This will be a prelimi-
Peterson began his presentation with a pop billion, though only 4 percent of New York In the future, he hopes the UN to accom- nary step before global culture. We can see
quiz, to assess the audience’s general opinion City’s budget, to put the number in perspec- plish its millennium development, which basic principles in common now as a result of
of the UN. tive. Peterson explained to the audience a real- strives to reduce global poverty by 50 percent modernization,” Peterson said.
“How many of you have a positive view of ity of UN’s goals; they can only be accom- by 2015, and to reduce infant mortality rates. Overall, the feedback from the presentation
plished through adequate funding. As of right now, however, the budget to was positive.
“Look at the organization’s goals, and com- accomplish the millennium development is “Peterson conveys a positive and progres-
pare them to the resources. One must evaluate limited. sive viewpoint of the UN,” said Walter
the UN’s successes and failures in that con- “Is there enough money pledged? No, but Popiel, vice president of the Culture Club.
text.” we’re moving towards these goals, and we’re “I’m happy about the way he expresses the
Another limitation the organization faces is moving in the right direction,” Peterson said. importance of the UN on modern culture.”
sovereign Nation States pursuing their own Peterson also spoke about the United There will be another presentation on
national interests. Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Monday, Nov. 16, in Friends Hall at 1:00
“It’s impressive that they’ve accomplished Organization (UNESCO). As its name sug- p.m., featuring Dr. Gerardo Pina-Rosales, a
as much as they have,” Peterson said. gests, UNESCO is a body of the UN devoted professor at the Graduate School and Lehman
Though general consensus of the UN was to the international collaboration of education, College, C.U.N.Y who is the president of
positive, there were some disparities. science and culture, all while fostering coop- North American Academy of the Spanish
Senior Marie Murray agrees that the UN is eration and peace between nations, according Language.
doing a good job. to Peterson. His lecture, “Culture and Society: The
“I think they’re doing a good job in terms “The ultimate goal of UNESCO is to English Influence in the Spanish Language,”
of all the fields they’re trying to reach.” increase dialogue between cultures,” Peterson is presented by the Culture Club. Food and
photo courtesy of Ramapo.edu In contrast, Ramapo student Bryan said. refreshments will be served.
Professor Clifford Peterson firmly Edgecomb feels the UN is doing a fair job. His lecture provided the audience with sev-
believes in the UNʼs effectiveness. “They’re doing a fair job because I don’t feel eral different theories about globalization,
Page 4 The Ramapo News Thursday, November 12, 2009
Roving Reporter
“If you could only live with the Internet, a cell phone or TV, which would you pick?”
Question and Photographs by Erica Buchman
“Internet” “Cell Phone”
-Jonathan Saitzyk -Robert Bolejszo
Junior Sophomore
“Internet” “Cell Phone” “Cell Phone”
-Kristen Oblosky -Mohammad Bidas -Keble McDermoth
Sophomore Junior
Financial Planner Helps Create Budgets, Manage Expenses
By KERI ANN FLACCOMIO suggestions for cutting back on everyday
Staff Writer expenses, such as: cut out one restaurant meal
per week, make your daily coffee at home, use
The Department of Human Resources host-
coupons at the grocery store and rent a DVD
ed a financial workshop with ING Financial
rather than going out. One participant also
Advisers on Nov. 6 to counsel employees on
mentioned that going to the library can be an
budgeting and managing expenses.
effective way to cut costs.
Jeanne Weaver, a certified financial planner
Weaver concluded the presentation by pro-
since 1984, led the workshop roundtable style,
viding useful Web sites such as
using a PowerPoint presentation and working
www.debtfree.org for information on credit
off the feedback from the participants—six
counseling and annualcreditreport.com for a
members of the Ramapo faculty.
free credit report each year.
Weaver said that the function of the work-
All six faculty members who were present
shop was mainly to develop skills that are use-
declined to comment on their reasons for
ful in the current economy, specifically for
attending the workshop and what they gained
managing expenses.
from the presentation, due to the sensitivity
“I’ve seen every form of a budget,” she said,
associated with financial circumstances.
beginning the presentation, “or lack thereof.”
After the workshop had formally ended, the
Walking the participants through the steps of
participants were entitled to meet individually
planning out a successful personal or family photo by Keri Ann Flaccomio with a financial planner for a complimentary
budget, Weaver explained that the most Jeanne Weaver lectures faculty on managing budgets during her workshop. consultation.
important factor is exercising control, and
In these difficult economic times, Weaver
being able to find the “black holes.”
erenced the post-Depression era, during which closely at them, even though there are mis- says the most important thing that people can
“We speak in big terms,” she said, “but I
many families budgeted by separating money takes. do to secure their finances is to manage out-of-
think it’s the little things that kill us.”
for food, gas and other necessities into One participant agreed, describing how control debt, especially through credit cards.
The first step in planning a budget is figur-
envelopes stored in their kitchen drawers. wireless telephone companies often put addi- For those trying to plan a budget for the first
ing out what one’s expenses are, the second
“You need to know where the money is tional charges on their monthly bills, which time, she recommends conducting a three-
step is comparing those expenses against
going before you can plug any holes,” Weaver can lead a consumer to pay extra unless he or month analysis of one’s check book, credit
income, and the final step is creating a plan to
said. she makes a call to dispute the fluctuating cards and cash usage.
cut back on the expenses in order to have a
She also cautioned against automatic deduc- costs. “It’s a way to prepare yourself,” Weaver said,
decent sum of money remaining.
tions, saying that people tend to stop looking Throughout the presentation, Weaver offered “so you don’t get stuck.”
To provide a realistic example, Weaver ref-
Obama Mourns Those Lost in Fort Hood Shooting
Page 5 The Ramapo News Thursday, November 12, 2009
By ANN GERHART president noted, "were killed here, on Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison. From the lives ahead of them. They were randomly
The Washington Post American soil. ... This is the fact that makes Pentagon came Defense Secretary Robert gunned down," Fleming, 45, said as he wait-
the tragedy even more painful, even more Gates; Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the ed in the parking lot of the Ghost Warrior
Each blow against America has seemed incomprehensible." Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Casey. Lanes bowling alley. "That hurts."
unimaginable: When 220 soldiers died in the What made it unimaginable, Obama left The service was open to the public, and the Heather Guerra, 22, drove an hour from
shattered Beirut barracks. When the fertilizer unsaid: The man accused is one of the Army's mourners began coming several hours early. Moffat, Tex., and sat on a curb in the bright
bombs blew apart a federal building and its own, a major, a psychiatrist, scheduled to Companies marched in formation to the sun with her infant son Jeremiah on her
workforce in Oklahoma City. When the deploy to Afghanistan and to help those buck- large grassy field, carrying their flags. Army knees. She saw the attack as a "mini-9/11"
hijackers brought down shining twin towers ling under the brutality of war. That, said wives lowered babies off their hips to go and said her presence was "the least I can do."
and more than 3,000 lives. Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the Army's chief of through metal detectors, then swooped them The picnic atmosphere ended abruptly when
Each time, the president has stepped from staff, was "a kick in the gut." Obama did not up again. The ones whose husbands are a bagpiper began his keening.
the wings to face a sea of his citizens, mention Nidal Hasan by name. deployed came together, in twos and threes, The Army has perfected a traditional cere-
shocked, angry and suffused with grief. Many of the dead and wounded also were passing around communal bags of animal mony, piercing in its simplicity — a single
On Tuesday, that heavy task fell to President warrior therapists, called to treat emotional crackers. The ones whose husbands were still bugler, a three-gun salute, the final roll call, a
Obama. At a memorial service five days after wounds. Obama eulogized each fallen soldier in garrison came glued to their sides. The powerful and painful finish. Its intention is to
the largest mass killing on a U.S. military individually. couples dotted the field, arms wrapped tight- end the period of shock and denial and to
base, he reached for words of sorrow and sol- He spoke of the Eagle Scout who decided to ly around each other's waists. summon the troops back to their mission.
ace, then summoned determination. defuse bombs, and the guitar player who There were flashes of sardonic wit. An offi- The president was delivering his first eulogy
"Neither this country, nor the values that we could make up songs on the spot, the retired cer told some staff sergeants guarding a visi- after the tragedy. Two weeks earlier, at Dover
were founded upon, could exist without men veteran who returned as a physician's assis- tor entrance, "If anybody comes to you and Air Force Base in Delaware, he had stood
and women like these 13 Americans" who tant and came back to work right after a heart says he's a Killeen VIP," referencing the silently in the middle of a cold night to salute
died in a hail of bullets, Obama said. "Their attack, and the immigrants, a Mexican, a Texas town that sprawls around the post, "No. the return home of soldiers killed in a bloody
life's work is our security and the freedom Thai, one middle-aged, one young, who saw 1, he's probably not, and No. 2, he's certainly week in Afghanistan.
that we too often take for granted. Every opportunity in volunteer military service. not." "So we say goodbye to those who now
evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; Casey noted they were "newlyweds, single Everywhere were signs of what Casey calls belong to eternity," Obama said Tuesday. "We
every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moms, immigrants, teenagers and 50-some- resilience, the Army's sturdy ability to ignore press ahead in pursuit of the peace that guid-
moment that an American enjoys life, liberty things — all bound together" by the common the surreal and just hup two. A little boy wan- ed their service. May God bless the memory
and the pursuit of happiness — that is their desire to serve the country. Among them, they dered over and banged away on the insta- of those we lost. And may God bless the
legacy." had 19 children, and one on the way. walls of the open-air memorial ground. The United States of America."
He faced a crowd of several thousand sol- Their family members sat in the front rows, same steel canisters that create military As the final notes of taps faded away, the
diers dressed in desert camouflage fatigues their faces a tableau of the most personal fortresses against insurgents overseas now president, joined by his wife, Michelle, stood
and dusty combat boots. Their black berets grief, hands twisting hands, heads bowed or hastily served as a fortress for a president and and walked along the 13 memorials at the
formed a rippling acre of funereal bunting rigidly straight. Near them were the soldiers a shattered community. But they did make a stage, pausing to take in the photographs, the
under a blue sky. The soldiers are practiced at who had survived, some on crutches, some in snappy percussive sound in the hands of a dog tags, the empty boots and the M-16s
this ritual; 545 from Fort Hood have died in wheelchairs. Several remain hospitalized kid. topped by helmets. Obama placed a com-
the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, so many around the region. Samuel Fleming Jr., who lives in Killeen, mander-in-chief coin at each. They then left
that new granite tablets keep being added at Farther back were Sen. John McCain, R- said he showed up "to reflect, to mourn with to meet the wounded, and the family, friends
Ariz., Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry and them a little bit today." and fellow soldiers began the long, sad pro-
Always Greener: Green Facts Challenge Underway
each company's memorial.
Yet those being mourned Tuesday, as the the state's two Republican senators, John "You're losing people who had their whole cession.
By BRYAN KAMINSKY The Overlook with 295 residents, con-
Staff Writer served electricity usage of 180 values per
student and a natural gas use of six values
per student, as well has having a 51 percent
The Green Facts Competition urges stu-
recycling compliance.
dents to compete to see which residence hall
In seventh place was Pine Hall with 500
can conserve the most energy. It has had
residents. Pine Hall conserved electricity
noticeable results in the past and saved the
usage of 107 values per student and a natu-
college over $50,000 to date.
ral gas use of 7.1 values per student, as well
The competition is judged in four cate-
has having a 15 percent recycling compli-
gories: electricity use, natural gas use, recy-
ance.
cling compliance and sustainable attitude.
In eighth place was Linden Hall with 240
Electricity and natural gas use are moni-
residents. Laurel Hall conserved electricity
tored by looking at data and using formulas
usage of 228 values per student and a natu-
to calculate the amount of energy saved.
ral gas use of 28 values per student, as well
Recycling compliance involves calculating
has having a 14 percent recycling compli-
the percentage of rooms in a residence hall
ance.
which put their recycling out each week.
The anticipated prize this year for the res-
The competition started in April 2008, and
idence hall with the highest overall score is
has continued successfully in November
a Green Facts Party. This will offer organic
2008 and April 2009.
pizza, beverages, music and some raffled
The following are the statistics from the photo courtesy of Bruce Trail
prizes. The residence hall with the highest
competition last November. By showing the
score also gains the pride of being the Green
results, the goal is to do better than last year. electricity usage of 239 values per student usage of 485 values per student and a natu-
Facts winner for the semester.
The winner of the November 2008 Green and a natural gas use of 25 values per stu- ral gas use of 18 values per student, as well
Participating in the Green Facts
Facts Competition was Oak Hall with 250 dent, as well has having a 53 percent recy- has having a 52 percent recycling compli-
Competition is a great way to be green and
residents. cling compliance. ance.
more sustainable while setting a good exam-
Oak Hall conserved electricity usage of The CPAs, with 500 residents, conserved In fifth place there was a tie between the
ple for the rest of the campus community.
258 values per student and a natural gas use electricity usage of 159 values per student Maple Hall and the Overlook.
of 11 values per student, as well has having and a natural gas use of 18 values per stu- Maple Hall with 360 residents, conserved
.
a 33 percent recycling compliance. dent, as well has having a 37 percent recy- electricity usage of 186 values per student
Green Fact of the Week: Keep your tires
In second place there was a tie between the cling compliance. and a natural gas use of 11 values per stu-
inflated to their desired pressure to maxi-
Village and the CPAs. In fourth place was Laurel Hall with 432 dent, as well has having a 22 percent recy-
mize your car’s fuel economy
The Village, with 528 residents, conserved residents. Laurel Hall conserved electricity cling compliance.
Going Back to Africa Dispells Myths, Enhances Knowledge
Page 6 The Ramapo News Thursday, November 12, 2009
Continued from page 1 “People should take away respect for
the diversity of the African people and
beans and couscous, as well as cookies cultures,” said Alecia Phillips, secretary
and assorted drinks. of Omega Phi Chi.
Professor Karl Johnson, the faculty Following the presentation, participants
advisor for BMAD, shared a PowerPoint were directed to different stations set up
presentation entitled: “Africa in the around the room for the African countries
Ancient World,” along with pictures of of Egypt, Sierra Leone, Kenya and
African architecture and modern-day Nigeria. Each station had an information-
Ethiopia. al poster providing background informa-
Encouraging everyone to keep an open tion on its country, and a cultural activity
mind, Johnson said, “You have many per- set up for people to take part in.
ceptions of current Africa, but not many The most popular activities included
people know about the past.” writing hieroglyphics at the table for
He went on to point out that Africa is Egypt and face painting at the table for
four times the size of the United States— Kenya.
not including Alaska—and that Sudan Those running the event hoped that peo-
alone is larger than Spain, France and ple would leave the presentation being
Germany put together. able to analyze African culture from a
“When you look at Africa, you have to more informed, objective standpoint.
start with geography to develop an under-
photo by Keri Ann Flaccomio
Professor Karl Johnson presents a PowerPoint on the history of Africa. “I think that, so much of the time, we
standing.” tend to assume that we are disconnected
Showing examples of exquisite works from the continent, but I think when peo-
While displaying images of African excuse for slavery by making people
of art produced on a consistent basis, such ple come here and they see the different
architecture from over 1,200 years ago to believe that Africans were primitive peo-
as the Nubian Queen Malakaye, Johnson countries, I think they realize how much
counter the myth that all Africans lived in ple who were at least being provided with
explained that these are representations of of modern society is so heavily influ-
huts, he said, “Come on, I’d live there better housing and living conditions in
a high-end, well-ordered civilization, enced by Africa,” Harris said. “It’s in
1,200 years ago—in fact, I’d live there America, which was completely false.
where people are sufficiently fed and knowing more about these countries that
now! I’m old enough to remember that Julissa Candelario, president of Omega
have a reasonable amount of leisure time. we can know more about ourselves and
people in America still had outhouses in Phi Chi, explained that it is important for
Throughout the presentation, Johnson our futures.”
the 60s.” people to understand the variations of the
plugged humor to keep the audience inter-
Another point that Johnson stressed was different countries and cultures, because
ested.
how the misconceptions created an each one is so different.
Telling Stories and Filling
Yourself With Joy: Osorio
Continued from page 1 with passion regarding the history of the
Interested in filling this space?
Mariachi and how much it meant to him.
wanted to cover. “When coming to America, I began lis-
“First off, I want to say that the word tening to all the different genres of music
‘Mariachi’ means ‘festival’ and that’s what that it has to offer. I was able to see that
we’re going to do tonight, we’re going to
Write for The Ramapo News.
country music is much like the Mariachi
celebrate.” because it tells stories and is very expres-
Osorio sang, conversed, made key points sive.”
and even joked around. Osorio wanted the Students who previously never dreamed
atmosphere to feel very light and wanted they would be interested in Mariachi music,
the audience to learn all that he knew
Mondays and Wednesdays
left much more open to the idea.
through having fun. “I love music and I have a wide variety of
Osorio went on to talk about all the men a music in my collection. I thought it would
7:15 p.m.
who were the “founding fathers” of the be good for me to go and see what the
Mariachi and said he would try to be as Mariachi was all about and maybe find
descriptive as possible on their many tal- something new to add,” sophomore Ken
ents as both, singers and performers. Rodenheiser said.
“My English isn’t that good, so I want to
SC - 218
show clips of the actual performers so you
know exactly what I am talking about.”
Osorio covered all the greats: Jorge
Negrete, Pedro Infante, Javier Solis, Antoni
Aguilar, Vincente Fernandez, Alejandro
Fernandez and Pepe Aguilar.
All were very unique singers and were
well-known for the different characteristics
of which they held.
Through each person, Osorio would
describe their strengths and weakness, as
well as how they helped form the Mariachi.
“The Mariachi singer that I love and look
up to the most is Pepe Aguilar,” Osorio
said. “He was my hero because we are the
same age and when I saw him perform at photo by Amy Fezza
age 8, I thought to myself ‘this is something Juan Osorio shows the crowd at J.
that I could do too!’” Leeʼs traditional Mariachi
Through Osorio’s presentation, he spoke wardrobe.
VIEWPOINTS Thursday, November 12, 2009
A Good Education Turning Forty Never
Campus views are the sole opinion of their respective authors, submitted to The Ramapo News and in no way reflect the views of either The Ramapo News or Ramapo College of New Jersey.
vs. a Good Image Looked So Good
by the people who have been charged its humble roots to become a respected
with educating me. At every turn, I’m and a premier college in Northern Jersey.
told to contact public relations for As much as Founders’ Day is a celebra-
answers to my questions. tion of how far our college has come, it
The reason for this was revealed to me is a celebration of all those that helped
in a recent meeting with marketing. to make Ramapo the place it is today
Apparently Ramapo is looking to culti- and keep it relevant despite an ever-
vate its brand image. Meaning, they want changing world.
to have a positive public reputation. One of these major influences on
They want to provide cohesive brand mes- Ramapo was our Founding President,
saging. While that is an important goal - George T. Potter, who passed away just
especially in this economic climate - it last week. President Potter was best
shouldn’t come at the expense of students known for his efforts to establish
seeking information about their college. Ramapo College, as well as create the
By CORTNEY COLLINS
Editor-in-Chief As a student, I don’t want the answer By TOM NG academic structure of the institution.
that makes Ramapo look good; I want the SGA President His efforts were recognized when the
With Founder’s Day approaching, I want truth. library was named in his honor.
to commend Ramapo College on the I didn’t choose Ramapo because of the Once a year, students gather in the stu- One of the biggest complaints I hear
great job they have been doing educating way they were perceived in by the public. dent center to cut a big cake with a pic- from students regularly is that there is
students for the last 40 years. I might I came to Ramapo because I liked the ture of the arch on it and get free cotton not enough spirit or pride on our cam-
complain about the school a lot, but I can campus and I knew I would get a quality candy. Year after year students eagerly pus. Founder’s Day provides a perfect
never complain about the quality of the education. await these free gifts, often never know- opportunity to come to a daylong event
education I’m receiving here. However, in their desire to brand them- ing the historical significance behind the and experience “Ramapride” at its finest.
And while I’m still receiving a great selves as New Jersey’s Public Liberal celebrations. Festivities will commence on
education, Ramapo’s latest public rela- Arts School, Ramapo may have forgotten These festivities are inspired by Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 11 a.m.-3:30
tions policies are interfering with that that their number one priority shouldn’t Founders’ Day, a Ramapo-specific holi- p.m. in the Student Center, with the
education more than they should. just be public perception, but providing day celebrating the anniversary of the cake cutting ceremony occurring at 1:30
As a journalism student, my homework top tier education. founding of our school. This year marks p.m. The celebration will move to the
assignments often entail writing articles the school’s fortieth birthday and I hope Birch Tree Inn at 9 p.m.
about events on campus. I usually seek students come out to celebrate this If celebrating our college’s past is not
out faculty, staff and administrators for momentous occasion. enough for you to come out for the
interviews. Lately, I’ve been stonewalled There are several reasons to participate Founders’ Day festivities, there are other
in this college-wide Rama-party. incentives to show your Ramapo pride.
For starters, it is a wonderful way of Namely, free commerative t-shirts,
commemorating how far our campus has goodie bags, prizes, tie-dye shirts, photo
come over the years. Ramapo started as booths, balloon artists, magicians and
a response to the state’s demands for (as always) cotton candy.
more open seats in higher education Whether you come to celebrate
institutions in order to support growing Ramapo’s past, recognize those that
Got an opinion?
graduating high school classes. It also spent their careers transforming Ramapo
served to meet the needs of students into what it is today, or simply to line
looking for a nontraditional college your pockets with tons of free stuff,
experience focused heavily on individual don’t forget to take part in Ramapo’s
student growth. fortieth anniversary next Wednesday.
Come and be heard.
These founders established Ramapo on
scenic land in the heart of the Ramapo
mountains, with only the CPA’s to
house students, an academic building (A,
B, C, D and E wings), a smaller version
Monday and Wednesday nights
of the student center than we have today
and a large parking lot. There were also
in SC 218 a lot of trees.
Clearly Ramapo has transformed from
ARTS &
E N T E RTA I N M E N T
WRPR’s Dark Room Series Lights Up Friends Hall
Thursday, November 12, 2009
BY JON LINDENAUER Jace Everett’s “Bad Things” (best known as
Staff Writer the “True Blood” theme song) after asking
Aptly named for its dimmed setting, the the crowd if they like vampires.
WRPR concert event “The Dark Room The band also featured a song with the
Series” boasted a significant turnout that event’s organizer, Tina Bock, on guest
treated Ramapo students and alumni to a vocals.
night of diversified rock performances and Afterwards, the final band of the night - Big
song covers on Friday, Nov. 6. Wilson River - did not take the stage, but
Leading up to WRPR’s 30th anniversary, rather the center of the room, where they
the concert has been a staple in the WRPR performed in near-total darkness, capping off
event line-up for over a decade, according to four hours of musical entertainment.
Brian Reilly, general manager for WRPR. Despite the event’s considerable length, it
However, Reilly acknowledged Tina Bock - came at no charge for anyone who wished to
WRPR disc jockey and future assistant mar- attend. Bock noted the free-admission, a sit-
keting manager - as the chief organizer of the uation that is infrequent with many music-
concert. She began planning the pre-anniver- based events on-campus.
sary-week musical celebration back in “Most of the concerts - like Rama-shows -
September. they all charge $5 for other people,” said
“I think it’s really important, it’ll definite- Bock. “We’re doing it totally free: we have
ly help people know about the [WRPR] free food [and] free music.”
radio [station], and hopefully tune into the
photo by Brian Shinsec Cuisine and revenue were far from the
Orchestra Green opened the event which included several bands that had point of the event, which is only the first
radio [station] and hopefully come to more Ramapo students as members.
events on campus,” said Bock. “We have a installment in what WRPR hopes to be a
bunch of really talented bands and I don’t at the event, each bringing its own brand of the rap segment of Usher’s “Love in this several event series according to Bock.
think enough people come to these sort of style. Club”. They were followed by Congress, “The goal is to get people to hear the tal-
things.” Nonetheless, each band was decidedly sim- whose exuberant shoeless dancing lead ent we have here at Ramapo, for everyone to
A steady stream of people did appear at the ilar in one regard. singer wailed out a segment from Outkast’s recognize the radio and to celebrate our 30th
intentionally dim lit venue, where bands “I think it’s different because all the bands “So Fresh, So Clean” during their unrelent- anniversary as a radio station,” said Bock.
performed and cleared the stage area on a have at least one member from Ramapo,” ingly climactic finale song. The weekend of Nov. 14 is the WRPR
roughly 45 minute rotation. said Bock. “So it’s all student bands, which Sunchild and the Moonlight Flux was 30th Anniversary Radio-thon, courtesy of
During those rotations, instruments uti- I think is important because I think we have third, leading into the popular Ramapo indie the Ramapo Broadcasting and Alumni
lized by the musicians ranged from guitars a lot of talent here, and there are a lot of band The Front Bottoms who played the Association. The event begins Saturday at 4
and drums to synthesized keyboards and bands that are really talented.” musical accompaniment to their own music p.m. in Friends Hall.
pianos. Yet despite the broad assortment of The night of Ramapo-related bands was video “Not Yet” as it played on a projector
instruments used, no band was out-of-place kicked off by Orchestra Green, which had its screen above the stage.
keyboardist come into the crowd to perform West the Defender’s set included a cover of
photo by Brian Shinsec photo by Brian Shinsec
West the Defenderʼs set included an on-stage appearance from concert organizer Tina Justin Posyton kept the audience interested during West
Bock. the Defenderʼs set.
Clooney’s Latest Wages War on Terror ... and Goats
Page 9 The Ramapo News Thursday, November 12, 2009
By FRANCES CA BARATTA tor, so Wilton feels that the logical thing to
Staff Writer do is run off to Iraq to show his ex-wife that
he is a tough and important journalist so that
“The Men Who Stare at Goats” begins with
she will get back together with him.
a man trying to faze himself through a wall
While waiting to cross over the border to
and failing. Then a black screen comes up
Iraq, he meets Lyn Cassady, played by
saying, “More of this is true than you would
George Clooney. This meeting sparks a new
believe.” This one sentence made the audi-
adventure for Wilton.
ence pay much more attention to a story that
Cassady tells him that the military in 1980
seems way too crazy to ever occur.
at Fort Bragg put a lot of money into a mis-
A journalist named Bob Wilton, played by
sion called Project Jedi. Bill Django (Jeff
Ewan McGregor, is living a normal life,
Bridges) created this program after seeing
writing for a paper in Ann Arbor, Michigan
that rookies in the military do not shoot to
when his life is turned upside down by the
kill. After he was shot, he saw a vision of a
death of a co-worker and a divorce from his
woman saying, “Their weakness is their
wife. She leaves him for his one-armed edi-
strength.”
There is always a man to mess things up
though. This man comes in the form of
Kevin Spacey who plays Larry Hooper, a audience and Wilton are kept on edge, not small detail to focus on and ignoring the big
failed science fiction writer turned psychic. knowing if Cassady is really telling the truth picture of the news. Despite the director
In a tragic turn of events, Hooper destroys about the military’s psychic spies. Although Grant Heslov and the original author Jon
the program and makes Cassady use his the characters were cast well, none were quite Ronson’s good intentions, the whole story
powers to kill a goat by staring at it. as funny as audiences expect them to be. seems too insane to be real, so unfortunate-
This film is split into the past history of However, there are various parts, including ly, that part of the film is also not taken seri-
Project Jedi and the present trials of a the training montages and a scene where a ously.
reporter trying to find the ultimate story. In whole army is tripping on drugs that are Overall, it is an entertaining movie with
both times, Clooney is a very funny actor, hilarious. some very funny moments and a somewhat
whose comedic ways are, for the most part, “The Men Who Stare at Goats” may not be slow moving plot.
underappreciated. as funny as the trailers suggested it would
McGregor is also a very versatile character be, but it did show realistically how America
throughout the film, fully showing the emo- took advantage of the Iraqis in the beginning
tions of a man who has gone through a parts of the War on Terror and the ways that OVERALL
divorce and then found himself on a crazy some troops tortured them for information. RATING:
adventure through the Iraqi desert.
Lady Gaga Schools Us All
The film also showed how the media deals 8 OUT OF 10
Another great part of the film is how the with stories such as these, picking only a
By CORTNEY COLLINS Relationship advice? Don’t deal with
Staff Writer the jealous boys or those with no ambi-
tion (refer to “Summer Boys” and “Paper
Call her what you want: crazy, over the Gangsters”). And boys, she even admits
top, a hermaphrodite – say anything you that girls are just naturally crazy and like
want. to start drama – we plain just “Like it
She doesn’t care. In fact, she encourages Rough.”
it. Which is only part of the reason she Essentially, her debut album “The
is so cool. Fame” is a survival guide to college.
Lady Gaga is the epitome of cool. And Interested in a one night stand? Leave
not only that, but everything you need to some lipstick in the ashtray for later.
know in life can be gleaned from her fab- Thanks for the tip Gaga – it really helped
ulous words. me out. Also, if you want a repeat per-
Need a new euphemism for penis? Try formance, buy the girl some eggs the
disco stick. next morning. It’s really not so hard
boys; and the infamous Walk of Shame
is so much less embarrassing if you got
some decent food out of it.
Also, if you’re gonna get sloppy (and I
know you are), be sure to look your best
while doing it. I took that directly from
“Beautiful, Dirty, Rich” which is also
fabulous for another reason. It has a built
in apology for when you fail out of col-
lege as a direct result of your hard paaar-
tying: “Daddy, I’m so sorry…We just
like to party.”
If nothing else, let her carefree attitude
and intense creativity inspire you. She
may be the one of the most innovative
performers today, constantly straddling
the line between reality and fantasy – but
that’s what makes her so good.
And if you really can’t appreciate her
music or creativity, take a small piece of
advice from her and JUST DANCE.
photo courtesy of Flickr
Punk Rockers Faber Rock Out Underground, Literally
Page 10 The Ramapo News Thursday, November 12, 2009
By JOHN FRAZE at the end. Although a short song, and one
Staff Writer with simple lyrics, it really brings out the
best in the crowd.
Faber is a punk rock band from somewhere The second to last song the band played is
between Carteret and South Amboy, N.J. called “No Void To Fill.”
These guys are not your average “punk” band This is a solid, ska/punk rock song any-
though; their music has some intense con- body could enjoy; with Fritz and Heyer, a
solidation of punk, ska, metal and a touch of real solid rhythm section, providing a sweet,
“It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.” skankable groove, with Porta belting out
The band consists of Alex Heyer on the lyrics with Heyer on backup and Rager com-
bass and backing vocals, Mike Fritz on the ing through on the breakdown with a sweet
drums, Joe Porta playing rhythm guitar and lead riff. Who could not like it?
lead vocals and Tim Rager on lead guitar. The final song in Faber’s set was “Carteret
Travis Novack is also a part of the band, and City Limits/South Amboy Rock City,” or
is currently rockin’ it from the Middle East “C-Town” for short. Essentially, the song is
with the Marines. about why Carteret sucks as opposed to
On Saturday, Nov. 7, Faber played an inti- South Amboy, which rocks.
mate, invite only, basement show in South Faber played a fantastic show. These guys
Amboy, N.J. The set consisted of seven of really push it to the limit and put a lot of
the band’s finest songs. To start, the band love into their craft.
rocked out “J+H(Jekyll and Hyde).” This is a
photo by John Fraze For more info on them, and to hear some
Porta and Heyer helped to impress the invite-only audience. songs including “No Void to Fill” and “Day
fantastic song, and a perfect way to start a
set. man” you can visit their MySpace at
fantastic bar in all of New Jersey, possibly “Dismemberment” poked its head out after
It started off with Porta and Rager both www.myspace.com/faber. Also, supporting
the entire universe. It is located in South “Living Tragedy.” The intro of this song dis-
hammering on and pulling off notes on the Faber is supporting the Marines, since one
Amboy, home (kind of) of Faber. played an obvious metal/hard punk influ-
high and low E strings on their guitars. Fritz of their band members is over in the Middle
After “Lagoda’s,” the band started up with ence, but flowed into a more ska/hard punk
slowly increased the tempo with quicker and East. Check these guys out!
the masterful ska/hard punk fusion song, feel.
quicker drums hits and then Heyer brought “Living Tragedy.” The next song Faber broke out was a cover
us into the song with a slide up his guitar’s The song started up with some ska style and a crowd favorite, and it’s where the band
neck. The lyrics of the song are also quite up-strumming on the guitar, a solid drum gets that little touch of “Always Sunny”;
entertaining, as inverse as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. beat and a fancy bass line to get everyone ladies and gentlemen, Faber then performed OVERALL
Hyde themselves. moving, then switched into distortion to get the epic tale that is “Day Man.” RATING:
Next, the band rocked one of their most everyone’s heads banging. By the end of the Faber has taken this song and created a slow
10 OUT OF 10
Fall Ball Tour Attracts Sell Out Crowd for Local Stop
intense love ballads of all time: “Lagoda’s.” song nobody was quite sure how to dance to starting version that speeds up verse after
A little background: Lagoda’s is the most it, but they know they enjoyed it. verse and eventually explodes into awesome
By JENNA MOONJIAN annual “Alternative Press Tour,” which get the crowd going, they just weren’t hav- still bring back high school memories,
Staff Writer occurs every spring and features some of the ing it. Until they covered Miley Cyrus’ Alternative Press Magazine is doing their
most popular up and coming bands. “Party in the USA,” few people were even best to change that. Their “Fall Ball” tour
Chances are the words “fall ball” evoke The magazine makes it their point to appeal singing along. was a hit with fans across the country.
images of high heels, dresses, suits and danc- to an array of fans. “Fall Ball” featured You The “Fall Ball” took a different route when
ing, not thousands of adoring music fans. Me At Six, The Secret Handshake, Set Your Set Your Goals took over. A significantly
Alternative Press Magazine has put a new Goals and co-headliners The Academy Is… less poppy addition to the tour, they were
twist on the high school tradition with their and Mayday Parade. sure to attract a whole other set of fans, a OVERALL
“Fall Ball” tour. The “Fall Ball” made its rounds to New higher male population the other bands neg-
Jersey’s own Starland Ballroom on Saturday. lected. It was hard to not be consumed by
RATING:
“Fall Ball,” a cross-country tour, follows in 9 OUT OF 10
the fashion of Alternative Press Magazine’s The largest stop on the tour thus far, over them, with the amount of energy and excite-
2,500 fans packed into the venue for a sold- ment surrounding them.
out show. Since “Fall Ball” alternates who plays last
You Me At Six was the first to take the between its two headliners, The Academy
stage. As a popular British pop-punk band Is… was next on the lineup. Singer William
making their first attempt at translating their Beckett engaged the entire crowd, darting
popularity in the States, it was almost back and forth between sides and acknowl-
impossible to tell that there was ever an edging any fan within sight. The Academy
ocean between us. You Me At Six seemed to Is… ended their set with Beckett joining the
fit almost perfectly within the show, as if crowd and jumping off of the bass drum,
they were seasoned veterans in the American knocking it off of the riser and the band exit-
music scene. ing the stage.
Their music was more indicative, in a pos- With a little re-working of the stage,
itive way, of a band from the United States – Mayday Parade was ready to close the “Fall
outright catchy but not to a fault. They were Ball.” A newer band than their co-headliners,
excellent at filling their job as openers in the pop-punk band gained their popularity by
getting the crowd hyped. Demanding move- supporting the likes of Metro Station and
ment, the band was energetic and highly All Time Low.
interactive with the crowd. They even Mayday Parade managed to play a perfect
engaged the American crowd during an mix of songs from their older albums and
impressive rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Poker their recent release. They even made sure to
Face.” Mayday Parade vocalist Derek Sanders play “Jersey,” an appropriate tribute to the
joined them on stage for “Save It For The show’s state. After an extremely short break
Bedroom.” and hundreds of fans screaming for it, the
photo by Kristen Melfi The Secret Handshake appeared to have less band came out for an encore and ended the photo by Kristen Melfi
Beckett kept the crowd engaged fans in comparison to the other bands. While “Fall Ball” with a bang. Bassist Adam Siska of The Academy
with his on stage antics. the singer made the best attempt he could to While for most people “Fall Ball” might Is... helped keep the energy level up.
A Christmas Carol Hits a Few High Notes With Fans
Page 11 The Ramapo News Thursday, November 12, 2009
By JON LINDENAUER of all ages. It has been made and remade Ebenezer Scrooge role exceptionally well -
Staff Writer countless times in various incarnations capturing the sympathetic and sinister
(including an earlier animated version in nature of the character - with his portrayal
Every person who celebrates the holiday which Scrooge is played by Donald Duck). of the jolly-but-ultimately-chilling “Ghost
knows that Christmas begins and ends on Thus, one might be tempted to scoff at yet of Christmas Present,” also worthy of
Dec. 25. However, in the film industry, another revival of the Charles Dickens recognition.
Christmas begins the first weekend in classic. However, the latest retelling has Additionally, Gary Oldman delivers his
November, to cash in on the full breadth of the added draw of Jim Carrey, on whose typical intense performance in the role of
the November-December holiday season. performance the film almost entirely relies. Jacob Marley, though the majority of his
This was the case with the past two entries Fortunately, Carrey does an outstanding performance is spent as Bob Cratchit,
in “The Santa Clause” series, as well as job with the material afforded him, which which calls for a more reserved enactment.
“Elf.” This year, the Christmas season is plays greatly to his strengths as a tremen- Bob Hoskins and Robin Wright fill out the
kicked off with latest 3-D motion-capture- dously physical actor with proven skill main cast - both being severely underuti-
animation epic by director Robert when it comes to over-the-top character act- lized, with only one major scene each
Zemeckis “A Christmas Carol.” ing. along with other minor appearances.
“A Christmas Carol” is certainly a Playing Scrooge and all three Christmas Despite the talent of its key players, it is
Christmas fable that is familiar to people Ghosts, Carrey plays both sides of the unquestionable that the primary realm of
focus for Zemeckis was the visuals, and he
does not disappoint in that area. Much of
the film’s runtime is delegated to sweeping
aerial views of towns, fast-paced journeys
or pursuits, and enchanting - if sometimes
disturbing - imagery.
Keeping with the family angle of the ent involved in the production is given sec-
movie, also weighing out of the film’s ond-billing in favor of the catchy visuals.
favor is its tone. “A Christmas Carol” has It seems almost paradoxical that a film’s
always been a family-oriented tale, thus its main message to be wary of reliance on
many adaptations have always to some superficial things relies very heavily on
extent kept this idea in mind. Zemeckis’ “A superficial elements in its execution.
Christmas Carol” is an exceedingly dark Nonetheless, there is little reason to grum-
journey. In particular, there are scenes ble “Humbug” on the way out of the the-
including grotesque depictions of the living ater.
dead that many young children might find
troubling, especially when the experience
is being offered in three dimensions.
Overall, the Zemeckis-Carrey portrayal of OVERALL
the beloved Dickens classic “A Christmas RATING:
Carol” does not bring anything new to the
table; though the visuals are indeed out-
7 OUT OF 10
Dark Runner by Ryan Mallory
standing. Furthermore, the much of the tal-
Page 12 The Ramapo News Thursday, November 12, 2009
RAMAPO SPORTS Thursday, November 12, 2009
Ramapo College Dance Team Takes Another Shot at Victory
Now with the ultimate victory in reach, the dance team it wasn't performed by the majority of the team. It was
By BRITTANY TEMPLE is taking their routine to a new level in order to wow done in groups to give a more visual effect. Our routine
Staff Writer judges at this year’s competition. for this year definitely has more team difficulty in it
along with the visuals that are required to deliver an
We see their sleek, shimmering red and black uniforms, entertaining performance.”
bright smiles and killer routines at the half time of bas- The team is aware that they have hills to climb before
ketball games and the annual Midnight Madness celebra- they can secure their victory. As of this year, the team has
tion. taken on ten new girls who were not there to experience
They are not cheerleaders. the competitive nature of last year’s nationals.
Most students are unaware of the fire and spunk, let
alone the existence, of Ramapo’s own dance team.
Once only a club team, there were no tryouts and no
competing. But the dance team has kicked it up several
notches since its club days and has now visited Daytona,
Fla., for the NDA National Championship three years in
a row. This past year marked a great accomplishment for
the ladies as they soared all the way to second place. photo by Brittany Temple
“We went down there with the goal in mind to just place Ramapoʼs dance team rehearsing their dance
in the top five highest ranking teams,” said Michelle moves at a practice.
Fernandez, who has coached the team for the past five
years. “As a young team, we felt that was a pretty ambi- photo courtesy of Chelsea Goldstein
“Half the team is new this year which means it's going
The dance team is led by (from left) captains
tious goal but definitely attainable. Not only did we reach to be more work to get everyone on the same page as far
Chelsea Goldstein, Alyssa Perri and Tina Bock.
our goal but came extremely close to taking the champi- as understanding the intensity level the nationals routine
onship title for the very first time in our three years down “We’re including a lot of lifts, more intense turning needs to be at to get that championship title,” Fernandez
there.” sequences and movements that are really going to show said. “The good thing is that the new blood on the team is
Despite the achievement, the team still strives to one-up off our flexibility,” Goldstein said. really eager and determined not to let their upper class-
last year’s rank – and they have a solid grasp on how they Fernandez has been working the girls hard to polish their men down and want to pull through for everyone.”
plan to do so. routine. After seeing what it takes to get to first place and Fernandez remains optimistic in spite of the team’s new-
“This year we’re building new technique and motions coming incredibly close, she thinks they are ready for the comers.
that include more team movement in order to deliver a challenge. “I definitely think we have what it takes to take that No.
fierce performance,” said captain Chelsea Golstein, who “I think what kept us from first place last year was that 1 spot this year,” she said. “I'm really excited to see what
leads the team along with fellow captains Alyssa Perri the team that beat us had a bit more team difficulty as far the final outcome is this year at nationals, but regardless
and Tina Bock. “This differs from last year when the team as technical skills are concerned,” Fernandez said. “Our of where they place, I couldn't be happier with talented
would break into smaller groups throughout the routine.” routine last year was jam-packed with technical skills but team I've been given this year.”
Yankees Recap: A Season of Firsts... and a Twenty-Seventh
By NATASHA ARENA Alex Rodriguez out, Mark Teixeira slump- Angels in the ALCS. The team got out- helped give the Yankees an 8-5 victory.
Staff Writer ing throughout April and the Red Sox standing starting pitching from series In Game Four, the Yankees defeated the
sweeping the Yankees in Fenway, the sea- MVP Sabathia (who had two wins), A.J. Phillies again 7-4. The Phillies tied the
It was the first snow fall New York City son did not look very promising. Burnett and Andy Pettitte. Mariano Rivera game in the bottom of the eighth after
has seen this year. Well, sort of. Then came May and the return of A-Rod. was lights out for the Yankees, which Pedro Feliz homered off Yankees’ reliever
The New York Yankees took the trip In his first at-bat (his first pitch, even), he helped lead to a 4-2 series victory. Joba Chamberlain. But it was Johnny
down the Canyon of Heroes on Friday for launched a three-run home run. Mark In the World Series against the Damon’s night when he fought hard
the people of New York to pay tribute to Teixeira’s bat finally woke up and inspired Philadelphia Phillies, fans saw a combina- against Lidge in the ninth inning and had a
the newly-crowned World Champions. But the rest of the sleeping Yankees. tion of the two most powerful teams in two-out, single into left field. Damon then
before the trip down the streets of New The Bronx Bombers exploded in August baseball, two big hitters in A-Rod and stole second and third base on one play.
York, before the men in pinstripes were with a sweep over Boston that put them Ryan Howard and two great closers creat- After Teixeira was hit by a pitch, A-Rod
given the keys to the city and way before atop the AL East. In September, the ed an unforgettable series. drove in the winning run.
the champagne was poured, the 2009 New Yankees took home their first division title The series opened up with a Game One Game Five could have been the last game
York Yankees had a season to remember. in the new stadium. Also, history was in pitching duel: Sabathia vs. Cliff Lee. Lee of the series, but the Yankees came up
The season opened with championship the making when Derek Jeter passed Lou was outstanding, throwing a complete short, losing 8-6 and bringing the series
No. 27 seeming light years away. When Gehrig as the Yankees’ all-time hits leader. game, while Chase Utley hit a pair of back to the Bronx for the final games.
filling out their roster with free agents, the Then came the playoffs. A-Rod, who has home runs to help beat the Yankees, 6-1. The Yankees won Game Six with a 7-3
Yankees raked in two free agent pitchers always been criticized during the playoffs, Game Two reminded Yankee fans every- victory, capping off the World Series win.
A.J. Burnett and CC Sabathia, as well as quickly turned into A-Bomb. The quest for where what it felt like to win in the World World Series MVP Hideki Matsui had six
first baseman Mark Teixeira. 27 was now on the horizon. Series. Burnett was outstanding and RBIs, leading the Yankees to win their
Then came Alex Rodriguez and his off- The division series saw the New York Rivera closed out a win. The Yankees were 27th World Championship – the most in
the-field issues, including admitting to Yankees take on the Minnesota Twins. able to tie the series with two homers from sports. It was a night to remember; the
steroid use while on the Texas Rangers and Everything was going right for the Matsui and Teixeira. Bronx was a celebration in itself and the
undergoing hip surgery that would leave Yankees with their starting pitchers, The Yankees came out on top when the new stadium brought a new memory to a
him out of the lineup until May 8. bullpen and even Rodriguez, who was Fall Classic returned to the Phillies’ ball- new dynasty.
The season did not look any more prom- coming through in the clutch. The Yankees park. In Game Three, Jayson Werth had a
ising when the Yankees opened up their clinched the series after a 3-0 sweep. pair of home runs, but Rodriguez hit an
brand new ballpark with a 10-2 loss. With The Bronx Bombers met the Los Angeles instant replay-aided two-run homer, which
Page 14 The Ramapo News Thursday, November 12, 2009
Week Nine: Comebacks Galore NFL: Consistently Inconsistent
NFL ZONE - NFL ZONE - NFL ZONE - NFL ZONE - NFL ZONE - NFL ZONE - NFL ZONE - NFL ZONE
By JEREMY KELLY interception return to the 4-yard-line, with a have four wins between them.
By JOEY LEWANDOWSKI
Staff Writer 17-14 lead. But a holding penalty pushed That brings us to the other “top” teams in
Staff Writer
the Giants back 10 yards, and Big Blue the league: the Broncos, Cowboys and
The NFL Network has a Top 10 list of the eventually settled for a field goal, keeping What has surprised me more than any- Bengals. While each has six wins, I’m not
greatest come-from-behind victories of all the deficit at six points with 2:11 remaining. thing else this NFL season is the incredible sold on any of them.
time. While none of last week’s matchups Rivers responded by calmly leading the inconsistency of most of the teams in the The Broncos’ six wins have come against
are likely to crack the list, nearly every Chargers on an 80-yard drive that ended league. There are only five teams that I’m the Bengals, Browns (yuck), Raiders
game gave viewers a prime example of why with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Vincent sold on at this point: the Colts, Patriots, (yuck), Cowboys (when they were a mess),
they shouldn’t turn the game off too early. Jackson with 21 seconds left. The loss was Saints, Steelers and Vikings. Patriots (when they were a similar mess)
After 11 straight losses dating back to last the Giants’ fourth straight heading into their Questions arise even within those five and Chargers (another mess). In what
season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won 38- bye. San Diego has won three in a row. teams. The Colts are 8-0 but barely could be argued were their two toughest
28 over the Green Bay Packers, thanks in The Eagles continued to show their incon- squeaked by the 49ers and Texans. The games of the year, Denver fell flat against
part to two fourth quarter touchdown pass- sistency as they lost a key home contest to Saints are also 8-0, but their defense has the Ravens (a humiliating 30-7 loss in
es by Josh Freeman in his first career start. the Dallas Cowboys, 20-16. Despite keep- given up an average of 27 points per game Week Eight) and the Steelers.
Tampa Bay trailed 28-17 with nearly 13 ing breakout wide receiver Miles Austin in over their past four wins, which isn’t very I have no idea what to make of the
minutes to play, but Clifton Smith returned check for most of the game, Dallas quarter- championship-like. Cowboys. They’ve lost to the Giants and
a kickoff 83 yards to set up a Tampa touch- back Tony Romo still threw for 307 yards, After struggling early, the Patriots have Broncos, who are more good than bad, so
down, leaving them 4:20 to play. An inter- including a critical third-down completion appeared to once again return to their dom- that’s excusable. They’ve also beaten the
ception return for a touchdown by Tanard to tight end Jason Witten late in the game. inant selves. To be fair, though, their last Falcons and Eagles, who are both good.
Jackson with under a minute to play iced Dallas gained sole possession of first place three wins came against the Titans (pre However, four of their wins have come
the win for the Bucs. in the NFC East with the win. Vince Young revival), Buccaneers (pre against the Bucs, Panthers, Chiefs and
The New Orleans Saints stayed unbeaten Several games featured failed comebacks, Josh Freeman) and Dolphins – three teams Seahawks, who are all more bad than
through yet another tough game. They but still great efforts. The Washington who aren’t going to come anywhere close good. So are the Cowboys good? Maybe.
trailed the Carolina Panthers 17-3 in the Redskins trailed the Atlanta Falcons 24-3 to the playoffs this season. Are they bad? Maybe. I’m really not sure.
second quarter, but rallied for a 30-20 win and got as close as 24-17 before falling 31- The 7-1 Vikings haven’t had too many The Bengals could be 2-6 as easily as they
to extend their record to 8-0: their best start 17. The Chicago Bears fell behind the impressive wins either. They knocked off are 6-2. Four of their wins were by less
in franchise history. Arizona Cardinals 34-7 and made it back to the Packers twice, but those wins were than one score, leading to their nickname:
In Seattle, the Detroit Lions leaped out to 34-21 before falling 41-21. The Kansas more a result of the Vikings’ biggest the Cardiac Cats. Their wins have come
a 17-0 after one period, but then watched City Chiefs trailed the Jacksonville Jaguars strength – their pass rush – exploiting the against impressive teams, however: the
the Seahawks dominate the rest of the game 24-6 with only three minutes remaining but Packers’ biggest weakness – their offen- Packers, Steelers, Ravens (twice) and
for a 32-20 victory. Detroit quarterback cut the deficit to 24-21 before losing. sive line. The Vikings did manage to beat Bears, albeit not in the dominant fashion a
Matthew Stafford, in yet another learning There are several huge matchups this the Ravens, but lost their toughest matchup good team would or should win in.
experience, threw five interceptions. week, with the Cincinnati Bengals traveling in Week Seven against the Steelers. Then there’s the Ravens, Bears, Jets,
In New York, Phillip Rivers came up big to Pittsburgh, the first-place Cowboys The Steelers look impressive at 6-2, but Texans, Jaguars, Chargers, Eagles, Giants
late in the game against the team that draft- going to face the Packers, and the only three of their wins have come against and Cardinals. Each of these teams have
ed him as the San Diego Chargers defeated Indianapolis Colts hosting the New “good” teams – the Vikings, Chargers and shown flashes of brilliance or dominance
the Giants, 21-20. New York appeared to England Patriots. I’m sure we’ve never Broncos. Their other three wins came at least once this season, but I have little to
have the game clinched late following an heard of THAT matchup before. against the Titans, Lions and Browns, who no faith in any of them.
NFL WEEK 10 STAFF PICKS
Week 10 Joey Lewandowski Charlie LaPlaca Jeremy Kelly Dave Ragazzo Andrew Gould Natasha Arena
Matchups Overall (36-28) Overall (37-27) Overall (32-32) Overall (33-31) Overall (35-29) Overall (31-33)
Last Week (7-1) Last Week (4-4) Last Week (5-3) Last Week (3-5) Last Week (4-4) Last Week (3-5)
JAX @ NYJ New York New York New York New York New York Jacksonville
CHI @ SF San Francisco Chicago San Francisco San Francisco Chicago San Francisco
ATL @ CAR Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta
CIN @ PIT Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh
KC @ OAK Kansas City Kansas City Oakland Kansas City Kansas City Kansas City
DAL @ GB Green Bay Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas
PHI @ SD Philadelphia Philadelphia San Diego San Diego San Diego San Diego
NE @ IND Indianapolis New England Indianapolis New England New England Indianapolis
Page 15 The Ramapo News Thursday, November 12, 2009
NBA Rookies Look to Exceed Expectations and Make a Mark
By ANDREW GOULD Curry definitely has the ability to score and assists as turnovers (3.1 a game) is not going be Jennings’ biggest competition for Rookie
Staff Writer could become a less selfish Ben Gordon for to cut it. of the Year. At 6’6’’ and 220 pounds, Evans
Golden State. So far, Brandon Jennings has seized the has a large physique for a point guard, and
I participate in a fantasy basketball league early lead in the Rookie of the Year race. has used it to drive to the basket with regu-
where everyone keeps all their players from Jennings grabbed everyone’s attention by larity. After Kings’ star shooting guard
the previous years, which means that there is playing basketball in Italy instead of going Kevin Martin fractured his left wrist, Evans
an annual draft to select the rookies. Since to college. While it seemed like an odd led the Kings to two straight victories, scor-
my team was terrible (thank you, Gilbert move, Jennings looks more experienced ing 55 points in the two wins combined.
Arenas), I had the second pick. After the than any other rookie, scoring 18.4 points Evans will get the chance to shine as the star
obvious choice, Blake Griffin, was chosen per game with 4.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists of the team this year, and Sacramento might
first, I realized that the rest of this year’s for the rejuvenated Bucks. be looking at a future All-Star.
draft class is rather lousy. For Knicks and Nets fans enduring terrible
The Clippers lucked out for once, winning basketball, is there a silver lining to be found
the draft lottery and drafting Oklahoma with their youngsters? The Nets might have
standout Blake Griffin. Unfortunately, that found a gem in Terrence Williams, a
luck didn’t last long, as Griffin fractured his guard/forward with tremendous physical
left knee in a preseason game. It will be a attributes. While Williams is still raw, he has
while before Griffin makes his NBA debut, the ability to play several positions. With
but he has the potential to be a double-dou- Devin Harris out for a couple weeks,
ble machine and the face of the Clippers Williams will get some playing time at the
franchise. point, where he excelled at Louisville.
Who else has the potential for stardom? While the Nets are currently the worst team
With the second pick of the draft, the in the league, Williams has the potential to
Grizzlies took a chance on 7’3’’ center become an Andre Iguodala-like player in the
Hasheem Thabeet, who looks to be a long- photo courtesy of Eric Richardson future.
term project. In seven games, Thabeet has a The Clippersʼ Blake Griffin, the No. 1 As for the Knicks, forward Jordan Hill has-
measly four points and eleven rebounds. overall pick this year, is sidelined n’t been given much of an opportunity this
Most shocking, though, is that he has 13 for eight weeks with a broken knee. season. He has the ability to run and score in
fouls – in 42 minutes of play! Right now, it’s coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense, but it’s hard
looking like Thabeet, at best, could develop Although Spanish phenom Ricky Rubio to picture him becoming productive enough
into a defensive stopper down the line. opted to remain in Spain, the Timberwolves that fans won’t look at him and think that the
The majority of this draft’s talent can be were prepared for that possibility, drafting photo courtesy of Brad Ward Knicks could have Jennings instead. Knicks
found at the guards. After leading underdog Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn with the The Netsʼ Brandon Jennings has fans should see that last year’s struggling
Davidson deep during 2007’s Final Four, sixth pick of the draft. Flynn is already jumped out to an early lead in the rookie, Danilo Gallinari, is leading the
Stephen Curry quickly became a star in col- showing the ability to score in the NBA, Rookie of the Year race. league in three pointers in his second season,
lege basketball. While Knicks fans were posting 14.3 points per game through seven so patience can pay off.
hoping Curry would run their offense, the games. However, he still has work to do as a My choice for my fantasy basketball team
Warriors grabbed him ahead of New York. point guard – averaging the same amount of was Kings guard Tyreke Evans, who might
College Basketball: Kansas Jayhawks Top Preseason Rankings
By DAVE RAGAZZO ers, four were on the 2008 team that won under investigation for violations that men join All-American Patrick Paterson to
Staff Writer the NCAA Championship game, including occurred in 2008 when his team went to form a very dangerous team, especially in
guard Sherron Collins and big man Cole the National Championship. The looming a mediocre Southeastern Conference.
The Kansas Jayhawks began their season Aldrich. The Jayhawks’ depth is the reason Reigning champion North Carolina also
ranked first in the Associated Press that many people believe they can win the makes the preseason rankings as they are
Preseason poll. Many familiar teams make NCAA Tournament this year. sixth in the Associated Press top ten. The
out the top ten including Michigan State The only issue for the team is off the Tar Heels were dominant last year, but had
and North Carolina, while Kentucky court, rather than on it. The team had a dis- four of their five starters enter the NBA
returns after a slight exile from the rank- turbing off-season that included a team through the draft this offseason. Replacing
ings with a brand new roster. brawl with the football team and a suspen- all that talent is usually a struggle for any
sion of Brady Morningstar for the first team, but not for Coach Roy Williams,
semester after he was suspected of drunk who has rarely had to rebuild through his
driving. If the Jayhawks can clean up their coaching career.
off-court behavior, they have all the pieces Up front, the Tar Heels will have senior
to win a National Championship. Deon Thompson as well as Ed Davis, who
National runner-up Michigan State also was the team’s highly touted sixth man last
returns a strong nucleus of players this season. The loss of a true point guard will
season and is ranked No. 2 behind Kansas. be the biggest question for the Tar Heels as
Reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin they begin their pursuit of back to back
Lucas returns to solidify the back court championships.
with Durrell Summers. The frontcourt is The season tipped off on Monday, Nov. 9
young but talented, as they look to replace as the Tar Heels defeated Florida
NCAA tournament star Goran Suton and International, 88-72. The win spoiled the
Marquis Gray. They will have to play one debut of Florida International’s coach, for-
freshman up front along with sophomore mer NBA great Isiah Thomas. Thompson
Delvin Roe, who saw limited playing time scored 20 points and had ten rebounds in
photo courtesy of Dirk Hansen last season. If these young players develop photo courtesy of David Giard only 22 minutes, while Davis added 13
Sherron Collins (left) will be coun- quickly, the Spartans can easily make their Durrell Summers will help lead points and 11 rebounds. The Tar Heels also
ted on for the Kansas Jayhawks. sixth Final Four in the last 12 seasons. Michigan Stateʼs backcourt. committed 26 turnovers, which is not only
One of the bigger stories this off-season uncharacteristic of a Williams-coached
The Jayhawks bring back their entire involved the No. 4 ranked Kentucky investigations have not affected Calipari’s team, but is also not good enough to beat
team, except for one bench player who has Wildcats and their new coach, John reputation, at least with players, as he was many of the top teams that they will be
been replaced with number one recruit Calipari. Calipari, who left Memphis to able to persuade many of his recruits to playing.
Xavier Henry. Among the returning play- join the prestigious program, has been join. Calipari and five top-ranked fresh-
WRPR Celebrating 30 Years
