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WHAT’S INSIDE Gaga Aims for the Moon

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ENTERRTAINMENT Pg. 17

News......................1-5

Opinion..................7-9

Features................8-9

Comics....................10

Entertainment....17-20

Sports.................21-24

Every student feels anxious adjust-ing to the new school year, but for in-coming freshmen, beginning school can be almost traumatic. New college stu-dents have many concerns occupying their mind: Are classes going to be dif-fi cult? Will professors be interesting? How will they fi nd friends?

Although everyone has insecurities, it can be very diffi cult for freshmen to let go of their insecurities.

In fact, making friends at college seems to be the greatest concern for in-coming freshmen. As a self-proclaimed people-person, Brenna Beluk, a fresh-men living in DaSilva, has made numer-

ous attempts at fi nding friends in her dorm. Whether it’s knocking on each door in her hall to introduce herself or mischievously knocking on random suite windows to get attention, Beluk seizes every opportunity to socialize with other students.

“I was the only kid from my high school to go to St. John’s. I hope I can make friends, but if not, I have 6 million people in New York to make friends with,” said Beluk from Norwalk, Connecticut.

Even for commuter students or stu-dents from the local area who already have friends at St. John’s, making new friends is an important matter. Sammy Geffen already knows many students at St. John’s from his local Bayside High School. Yet, even he has been proactive

in making new friends. “In every class, I talk to whoever I

sit next to. I’m just that type of guy that is not afraid to talk to people,” said Gef-fen.

Another concern for the freshmen is adjusting from a high school to a col-lege schedule. Instead of being in class all day, the freshmen must adjust to hav-ing breaks between classes.

Geffen has learned to use his downtime successfully. St. John’s of-fers many places for his friends to meet between classes. Whether it’s sitting in the D’Angelo Center, eat-ing in Marillac, or walking across the street to Barnes & Noble or Coldstone, Geffen will never get bored with the options around campus.

continued on page 17

CAROLYN WARGULAFeatures Editor

St. John’s students have had a week to ad-just to the new class schedule implemented by the University at the end of last year.

The altered schedule listed one hour and 25 minute classes on Mondays/Thursdays and Tuesdays/Fridays. Three hour classes meet primarily on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Last year, students and faculty openly ex-pressed their frustration with the changes to the TORCH and at an academic forum. The ad-ministration looked into their concerns, but ul-timately decided that the new schedule would be upheld.

This past week, students and faculty re-turned to the campus and classes resumed.

After a few days, students were more than willing to express their feelings on how they feel the schedule worked for them.

Junior Bessie Thomas says that the new schedule leaves little time open outside of the classroom.

“I have fi ve classes straight with no breaks in between,” she said “All of my classes are one and half hours each, followed by a three hour lab. I get home too late to be able to max-imize studying time.”

Gabriella Dickens, also a junior, believes the University should have devised a schedule that would have been more appealing to the community.

“We should have the option of a Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday schedule,” she said. “That would have been more appeal-ing to the student body, having Fridays off.”

However, there are some students who have made the best of the situation, includ-ing sophomore Nicholas Bongiovanni. He be-lieves that “having class only two times a week with a day off in the middle makes things less stressful.”

Freshmen who are new to the school have also had a hard time getting used to the new schedule. Many are concerned that it will limit what activities they get involved in because of meetings and classes confl icting.

“This is my fi rst year at St. John’s, but from what I’ve heard I prefer the old sched-ule because there would be a common hour everyday instead of only once a week, which would allow me to participate in more organi-zations,” said freshman Sanjana Reejsinghani. “As an incoming freshman I’d like to look into various organizations.”

NELL O’CONNORManaging Editor

TORCH PHOTOS/BRIAN LOPEZ

Freshman students start their fi rst week of classes.

School year kicks off with new schedule

STJ welcomes incoming freshmen class

Directory

Business (718) 990-6756 Advertising990-6756Editorial Board990-6444

Features 990-6445 Letters990-6445News990-6444Sports990-6444

Special thanks to Richard Rex Thomas for assisting in the design of The TORCH

FeaturesGreen Dorm Rooms

The earth club is sponsoring Residential Sustainability Ambassadors to set an example in helping the environment.

Features Pg. 15

EntertainmentLiving the Teenage Dream

Inferno reviews Katy Perry’s latest album in “Hit or Miss.”

Inferno Pg. 19

Men’s BaseballShellshocked

The Men’s Soccer team lost 5-0 to the defending National Champion, Virginia

Sports Pg. 22

Freshman Anastasia Delvalle uses her new St. John’s issued Macbook outside of the D’Angelo Center. Freshman were given the choice between the traditional Lenovo laptop, or the Macbook for an additional fee.

GRADUATION OPINION PG. 10

FOR MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS: 718-990-6756 The TORCH is the offi cial student newspaper of St. John’s University. The Torch is written, edited, designed and produced by students of the University. All contents are the sole responsibility of the editors and the editorial board and do not nec-essarily represent the views of the administration, faculty or students of St. John’s University unless specifi cally stated.

This copy of The Torch is worth $ .75.

To contact The TORCH by mail:The TORCH, St. John’s University8000 Utopia ParkwayQueens, NY 11439

The TORCH is typically published on Wednesdays, approximately 20 issues throughout the academic year. Circulation per issue is 3,500 copies distributed free on campus.

TORCH PHOTO/NELL O’CONNOR

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Managing Board LXXXVIIIJUSTIN THRIFT, Editor-in-Chief

NELL O’CONNOR, Managing Editor

CAROLYN WARGULAFeatures Editor

SARA CAHILL MARRONNews Editor

BILL SAN ANTONIOSports EditorKRISTEN FARMERPhoto EditorBRIAN LOPEZAsst. Photo Editorw

SARAH LANEChief Copy Editor

MICHAEL MONTIJOArt Director

ELIZABETH MILLER

Layout EditorELLEN CAREYAdvisor

ADELLE PLATONEntertainment Editor

JOSÉ SILVAOnline Editor

MARK MCDONALD, General Manager

The ongoing debate over the construction of a proposed Islamic community center and mosque near the site of Ground Zero continues as the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the anniversary of 9/11 coincide.

Throughout the summer, the debate over the Park51 project has drawn the attention of lo-cal political, civic and religious leaders and generated discus-sions throughout the tri-state area.

The proposed Park51 struc-ture will be home to a commu-nity center focused on promot-ing understanding and tolerance through the arts, culture and education. According to the project’s website, all New York-ers are welcome to use the facil-ity, which will also host a small mosque in a yet-to-be deter-mined location.

Former mayor Rudy Giuliani came out against the center and mosque in August while speak-ing with Matt Lauer on NBC’s The Today Show. He said that if the developer, Imam Feisal Ab-dul Rauf, was legitimately con-cerned about helping the city’s healing process, “he [would] not got forward with this project. This project is not healing.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, however, believes that building

the community center will be benefi cial for the city. He fi erce-ly defended the Muslim com-munity’s right to build from the start of the debate back several months ago.

At a dinner honoring Rama-dan at Gracie, Bloomberg advo-cated the importance of protect-ing the rights of all Americans, regardless of their beliefs.

“If we say that a mosque or a community center should not be built near the perimeter of the World Trade Center site, we would compromise our commit-ment to fi ghting terror with free-dom,” he said.

Relatives of the victims of the 9/11 tragedies have also spoken out, many in opposition to the project. On August 26,

9/11 families and others rallied in support of the center, some in favor of the construction, others not.

Local politicians, including Rep. Peter King and former Rep. Vito Fossella, as well as candi-date for governor, Rick Lazio, have used the tension surround-ing the issue as a central issue for the ongoing fall campaign

season.The issue gained national at-

tention when President Obama strongly declared his support for the mosque at a White House dinner celebrating Ramadan last month.

According to the New York Times, the President acknowl-edged the deep emotions behind the issue, while fi rmly stating that he “as a citizen, and as pres-ident, [believes] that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country.”

Students at St. John’s have also been vocal about their opin-ions on the controversial issue.

Freshman Faterna Elias be-lieves that the project is a chance for the city – and the country – to show how important toler-ance is.

“Park51 will allow for re-ligious freedom and will allow Americans as well as the world to see that America truly is a free country which does not dis-criminate,” she said.

Sophomore Shilea Pinkett agreed that the right to build the center should not be denied un-der our constitution, but is not entirely comfortable with the project.

“They have the right of course, but with all the country has been through, I don’t think they should do it. It’s a ques-tion of decency,” she said. “It’s a fi ne line, and they’re playing with it.”

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Dining hours and eating options re-ceived a major overhaul this summer in preparation for the Fall 2010 semester. Chartwells dining services and St. John’s worked together to implement new meal plans ideas as well as upgrades to existing dining establishments.

The early closings of St. Vincent’s Diner and Montgoris this semester where done in an effort to consolidate Chartwell’s energy emissions, particularly late at night. According to Gina Capetanakis, Marketing Manager for Chartwells at St. Johns, scaling back on late night eateries was also done to economize businesses.

“Having too many locations open late at night and all at once is just spreading people around,” said Capetanakis. “If you have fi ve places to eat and only one hun-dred customers then you’re just spreading the people around.”

Several new dining concepts are now a part of the cafeteria located in the bot-tom fl oor of the D’Angelo Center. Blue Agave is a southern western eatery offer-

ing Mexican cuisine. At the Chop’d Salad Station, students can now order Boar’s Head signature sandwiches.

The Marillac cafeteria now offers gyros at Halal New York and wings at Atomic Wings.

Capetanakis said that results from stu-dent surveys indicated that the coffee in the Library Café was “too bitter.” In an effort to make the café a more enjoyable dining experience, the coffee brand has been switched to Seattle’s Best Coffee.

Other additions include new panini presses in the Boar’s Head Deli locations in Marillac and the Law School Café, as well as the planned installations of new induction cookers for the omelet stations in Montgoris.

In an effort to keep promoting a sus-tainable campus, new energy-effi cient Coca-Cola refrigerators and vending ma-chines have been installed campus wide.

Meal exchanges are now possible Monday through Friday, an extension from the Monday through Thursday re-strictions used last year. The time block for meal exchanges has shifted to 5:00 p.m. through 10:00 p.m. as compared to last year’s 3:30 p.m. through 8:30 p.m. time period.

SARA CAHILL MARRONNews Editor

TORCH PHOTOS/BRIAN LOPEZ

Montgoris will no longer stay open until 10 p.m. this fall semester.

NELL O’CONNORManaging Editor

The Ground Zero memorial is three blocks from the proposed Islamic center. PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE

Chartwells adds options to campus dining

Islamic center near Ground Zero stirs up emotional debate

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LOLJK OpensOn Thursday, September 9, the

Chappell Players and Alpha Psi Ome-ga National Theater Honor Society will put on their 2010 Opening Week Show: LOLJK at the Little Theater They invite all members of the St. John’s community to come laugh out loud … for free! All of the skits are di-rected and performed by STJ students. The show starts at 8 PM and is free to all.

BRIEFSTORCH

Compiled by Nell O’Connor

Activities Fair

Thunderbird’s B-dayJohnny Thunderbird will celebrate

his fi rst birthday with a barbecue right before Men’s soccer home opener against FDU on September 10. There will also be a party after the game in Carnesecca Arena.

Left: “Hot Air Balloon” on corrugated cardboard by Samatha Persich. Top right: two students walk through the fi rst room of the gallery. Bottom right: “Leaping Tiger” on corrugate cardboard by Theresa Flaherty.

Student Artists in Sun Yat Sen

The Fall Activities Fair will be held on Thursday, September 9 on the Great Lawn, from 12:00 PM to 3 PM. More than 100 organizations will be represented and available for inter-ested students to join.

Can’t get enough TORCH news? Visit our Web site

for online exclusives.torchonline.com

Artwork created by students was displayed at the Dr. M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Art Gallery in Sun Yat Sen Hall from August 17-September 8. Pieces ranged from acrylic on canvas to digi-tal photographic prints. Several larger pieces made of cardboard dominated the center of the room depicting a hu-man skeleton and a whale.

Student Art Exhibit

Public Safety Tip-Line

Public Safety has started a twen-ty-four hour tip line that students can call into and give anonymous tips. The line is completely secure and moni-tored by an automated-messaging machine. The offi ce of public safety assures students that all tips submit-ted to the line will remain completely confi dential. Public Safety vocalized their continued support of students “safety and well being” as their high-est priority. The tip-line’s number is (718) REDSAFE. (718) 733-7233.

The schedule change implemented this semester forced the structure of Discover New York courses to change drastically. Meeting every other Wednesday, each section will log only twenty-one hours of class time.

The supplements to the decreased class meetings are guest lecturers and Field Based Learning Excursions, called “FBL’s.”

Robert Pecorella, the director of the Institute of Core Studies spoke of the advantages of achieving more commonality in DNY classes.

“In previous years, we would have 100 sections and everyone’s experience was different,” Pecorella said. “They were all doing their own thing. This change is an effort to bring students together.”

Wednesday would effectively become “freshman days,” according to Pecorella. Students will attend class in the morning, and have their FBL’s and guest speakers in the afternoons.

Some of the FBL’s would require students to commit a large portion of their evening to the trip.

The trip to Ellis Island itself takes up several hours, but includes dinner and private tours.

Freshman Peter Quinn said he was looking forward to DNY this semester.

“I like how its every other week, and the way my professor set up his r e q u i r e d classes; we don’t have to go on fi eld-trip days,” he said. “I feel like Central Park will be really cool.”

The University has rented Ellis Island for two separate days in order to accommodate the 3,000 students that are enrolled in DNY.

The New York City Park service will give the students historic tours of the Island and they will also hear a lecture from author Nancy Foner.

Foner is the author of

From Ellis Island to JFK:New York’s Two Great Waves of Immigration.

Dissent to the new schedule was not limited to the students. Faculty members that teach DNY courses have had to make adjustments to their lesson planning to make the most of the class time that they

have. “ V e r y

few faculty m e m b e r s are pleased with the c h a n g e s made to the overall s c h e d u l e last year, but we have made the

best of it,” Pecorella said.Some FBL’s, like the Ellis

Island trip, require students to devote a large portion of their evening to the excursion, as well as balance their classes for the next day after getting back to campus or home late at night.

“My view, as a faculty member is that the cost is worth the reward,” Pecorella said.

The cohesiveness of the DNY course is the focal point amidst all the changes. Pecorella vocalized the necessity of creating this “commonality” for all freshman students.

Freshman Robert Whetsell noticed that his core classes related on varied levels, including DNY.

“I like how the classes seemed to be themed,” he said. “My DNY class is connected to my history class and vice versa.”

Whetsell and Quinn both said that they were most excited to tour Central Park.

“It seems really fun, the tour guides are going to show us around and provide some activities for us,” Whetsell said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

The Offi ce of Student Affairs created the current format of DNY for this semester, and it will be changed again in the near future to include weekly meetings in the classroom that will total 28 hours.

“This next schedule change will allow for more time with the professors in a classroom setting,” Pecorella said.

Discover New York: RevampedSARA CAHILL MARRONNews Editor

TORCH PHOTOS/NELL O’CONNOR

”“gg

They were all doing their own thing. This change is an eff ort to

bring students together.-Robert Pecorella

LIAM LA GUERREStaff Writer

The construction of a stairway over Lourdes Hall began last month in the latest effort to enhance the aesthetic feel of the University.

Over the past year, several large and small scale construction projects have taken place throughout the cmpus.

Recently, the makeovers of St. Augustine Hall and Carnesecca Arena, St. Vincent Hall, the RedStorm Café, and the D’ Angelo Center have brought new life to the campus.

This newest project also comes with a new fountain and redecoration of the lower level of the University grounds. The entire undertaking is the completion of the university’s plan to revitalize of the area around the D’ Angelo Center ,and also to complement the Great Lawn on the upper level.

Brij Anand, vice president of Facilities, said that plans to revitalize the campus existed long before the end of last year, when all the construction started.

“There was always a plan to upgrade the lower level, and this

project is simply a continuation of the D’ Angelo Center,” he said. According to him, the remaining funds from the same source made this venture possible.

The entire project includes the new staircase, located by the Marillac breezeway between the Global Language and Culture Center and Newman Hall, a large fountain and the entire lawn enclosing Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall and Chiang Ching Kuo Hall.

Although the breezeway already has a set of steps which connect pedestrians to the lower level, it was decided that a new set of stairs would be more effi cient instead of repairing the old staircase.

Anand said that the university community can expect to access the area as early as October 1st of this year and that there are no more plans for construction following this project’s completion.

He also said that the enhancements will help the student population by making them more comfortable in their learning surroundings.

“Based on research, if you can improve the academic environment, students will have a better educational experience” said Anand.

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A staircase over Lourdes Hall is expected to be completed by October 1st.

JUSTIN THRIFTEditor-in-Chief

NELL O’CONNORManaging Editor

SARA CAHIL MARRONNews Editor

Illustrator’s Corner:

Applying the Constitution Over the summer, the debate over

the construction of an Islamic com-munity center a few blocks away from Ground Zero dominated the news and minds of the whole nation. The inclusion of a mosque within the center infl amed arguments between citizens and politicians, reaching as far as the White House.

Here at the TORCH, we feel that this debate opens up an important conversa-tion on the topic of religious tolerance and how the Constitution is sometimes overlooked in day-to-day matters. It is not so much an issue of right or wrong, then, as it is an issue of legal or illegal.

Though it may not be as easy as it sounds, a simple application of Consti-tutional law is the idyllic solution to this dispute. According to the First Amend-ment, there is a clearly drawn line of separation between the church—any church—and the state. This grants ab-solute religious freedom to all, regard-less of beliefs and with no exceptions.

The situation at Ground Zero is no different. Although some peo-ple’s emotions may cloud their judg-ment and cause them to forget about certain fundamentals principles of the Constitution, there is still a legal answer to the debate at hand.

The Constitution defends the right of the Park51 project and backs the Muslim community’s right to worship when, where and how they see fi t, so long as those practices do not infringe upon the rights of others.

The main argument of those against the center is the lack of sensitivity of the project’s developers in terms of the location they have selected. Many feel that it is disrespectful to the memory of those who died as a result of the events of 9/11. They have asked the govern-ment to step in and legally block the

construction, a clear violation of the First Amendment and the separation of church and state. However, those behind the project maintain that the center will help to the wounds as a place of learning and conversation.

The TORCH believes that to truly honor those who have died, we need to honor those rights and values that are explicitly American, including, and especially, freedom of religion. To practice intolerance is to mimic the actions of those behind the attacks on the World Trade Center.

While it is important to never forget what happened nine years ago this weekend, it is even more important that we never forget what this country is founded on.

The rights put into place by the Constitution are there to protect the lives and interests of all Americans, no matter what their background, beliefs or circumstances. It is inter-esting to see people invoking another aspect of the First Amendment, the freedom to protest, to block a group’s right to freedom of religion.

While these people protest the Constitutional rights of other Ameri-cans, they simultaneously exer-cise their own Constitutional rights. This paradox, though rarely noted, is a perfect demonstration of what makes America, America.

We believe that both parties are justifi able in their actions and opin-ions because of their Constitutional rights. However, we also believe that decency and sensitivity should be enacted when dealing with matters of such emotional and cultural sig-nifi cance. By following and adhering to Constitutional law, we pay homage to those whose lives have been lost and the sacrifi ces that have been made.

Editorial Board LXXXVIII

FLAMES OF THE TORCH

Mail letters to:The TORCH Letters, St. John’sUniversity, 8000 Utopia Pkwy,Jamaica, NY 11439

E-mail letters to:torcheditorials@gmail.com

EDITORIAL POLICY

TO CONTRIBUTE

Editorials are the opinions of the Edito-rial Board of The TORCH. Columns are the opinions of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of The TORCH. Opin-

ions expressed in editorials, columns, letters or cartoons are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty or ad-ministrations of St. John’s University.

Please include your full name, year, and college (or department). Letters have a limit of 350 words and may be edited for content, grammar, or space. Unverifi able or anonymous letters will not be published. All letters are subject to the approval of the Editorial Board of The TORCH.

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/MIKE MONTIJO

COMPILED BY THOMAS CARNEVALE

STUDENTSPARKS: New ScheduleHow are you adjusting to the new schedule?

The schedule is confusing and I don’t like that Wednesday is the only com-

mon hour.

I have to wake up at 7:30 every day, but I get a lot of breaks so I can sleep in the interim. So it’s

not that bad.

Michael BernardSophomore

Dan LeeJunior

Jamie Mattera Freshman

COMPILED BY THOMAS CARNEVALE

I think that the University evades the real economic issues that are going on with ad-hoc ramshackle

measures.”Tim Barr

Junior

I think that the University evades the real economic issues that are going on with ad-hoc ramshackle

measures.”

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As a new class of St. John’s freshmen arrives on campus and another academic year begins, a word I’ve thought a lot about this week is “change.”

Say it out loud ten or twelve times and it be-gins to sound foreign and meaningless. Try to come up with a solid defi nition and it is more challenging than you may think.

But if asked to contemplate the idea of change itself, most of us could likely give examples that illustrate what change means to us, whether it’s in a social context, from a philosophical perspective, or in many other countless circumstances.

Over the past three years and during my time as a TORCH editor, I’ve seen a signifi cant amount of calls for change around St. John’s. I’ve heard endless complaints from friends and students in just about every major. I’ve talked to teachers and administrators who have shared their own ideas about changes they’d like to see brought to the University. I’ve even spoken with janitorial staff and public safety offi cers about the way they’re treated and compensated. What I’ve learned is that even the most contented member of the St. John’s community has his or her own ideas for change that would make St. John’s a better place.

President Obama adopted the idea of change as a central selling point to his ’08 campaign. His election is testament to the power that the idea of change has: it inspires renewal, evolution, and growth—things that if we were without, life would seem stagnant.

Though, if there’s one thing that can be learned from President Obama’s fi rst year and a half in offi ce, it’s that change is not as easy to come by as the mere uplifting thought of it. I’ll never forget watching Obama’s historical inauguration and seeing a reporter ask one woman what she liked most about the new president. She simply stated, “I like when he talks about change.”

The very idea of sweeping change was enough to earn this woman’s vote, regardless of how steep the challenge would be to actually bring about that momentous change. The movement consumed her.

In talking to many people from different levels of the St. John’s community it has become obvious to me that this University is, like many American voters in 2008, starving for change. And while many people seem to have all the answers, it’s the few individuals that actually pursue their ideas who become relevant.

There is something to be said for motivation and inspiration, but change is impossible without the dedication and sincerity to act. Words must be met with actions or nothing productive will ever take place, and change will never come. From what I’ve seen, change has slowly been happening all over St. John’s, and it’s due to the people who follow complaint with action.

Take the new men’s basketball coach, Steve Lavin, for example, who within four months of coming to St. John’s has already dramatically changed the prospects of our team and brought in promising recruits.

Take the construction of the D’Angelo Center last year, which offered students a dramatically improved environment from the old UC building. St. John and Sullivan Halls were also renovated this summer in order to improve the student experience. A change was needed and certain administrators came through, but the catalyst behind these events was students making their minds known to the administration.

As a freshmen in 2007, dining on campus was a nightmare for resident students. I like to think that the TORCH’s many editorials on the sorry state of

dining hours and availability had something to do with the eventually extended hours, newly-opened late night diner, and a more careful attention to the food being served. Dining on campus is still far from perfect, but real change occurred when action was taken.

Senior Erin Chalmers has caused a wave of environmental efforts at St. John’s, working with the Earth Club and sustainability offi ces to make the school a greener place. She has single handedly been the catalyst behind the student garden behind Donovan Hall that provides food to a local soup kitchen. She’s the reason for the “green dorm” movement and heightened green awareness on campus.

In all four cases—whether the issue at hand is large or small, practical or lofty—the need for change was met with action.

Like campus dining, St. John’s is still far from perfect. In fact, this University has a list of problems too long to pen; no institution is faultless and the changes that I have seen in my time here are encouraging.

Because of Lavin, I’ve spoken with people who plan on attending all home basketball games this year, some of whom have never been to Carnesecca Arena. From early in the morning until late at night, I see students fi lling the couches and tables of the D’Angelo Center, something that was almost unheard of in the old moldy UC building that stayed toasty warm in the summer and frosty cold in the winter.

These are substantial and immediate examples of change at St. John’s.

It’s encouraging to see this place grow, but it’s important to remember that every change depends on an action. If everyone embraced that idea, little would be left to change.

Justin Thrift is a senior English major who is cringing at the Red Sox’ chances of making the playoffs.

He can be reached at: torcheic@gmail.com

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Change can be seen around St. John’s

As of late, the spotlight in the American health care crisis arena has been cast on that of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, which up until its Outpatient Dialy-sis Center’s close one year ago, provided free dialysis treatments to uninsured illegal immigrants. Upon its close, due to a patient lawsuit and public scrutiny, the hospital agreed to maintain providing life-continuing dialysis care to 38 uninsured illegal immigrants whose lives depend on dialysis treatments three times a week for a whole year. That year has now elapsed.

It is speculated that these patients will continue receiving dialysis treatments free of charge. Three to fi ve patients will be taken in by nearby hospitals as charity cases and dialysis care for the remaining patients will be subsidized by Grady indefi nitely. The agreement being negotiated has many shortcomings apart from the obvious; it also fails to address concerns for care of future illegal immigrants.

This case has come to symbolize the ever-grow-ing health care debacle of the United States’ hundreds of thousands of uninsured illegal immigrants and the taxpayers’ money that ends up caring for them.

However, aside from the obvious counterintuitive nature of taxpayers’ money essentially caring for illegal immigrants who have never paid taxes, this conundrum defi es the new health care law, which maintains the federal ban on government health insurance for illegal immigrants, thus creating the perfect storm of discord on the political, ethical and societal spectra.

The whole purpose of the one year transition grace period that Grady allowed for the patients was so that they could make arrangements for continuing care once the year had elapsed, and yet 38 patients are still reliant on free dialysis.

And while Mexico’s health care system is mostly unequipped to pay the millions of dollars required in life-prolonging dialysis treatments for its citizens, let alone its expatriates, the Georgia counties of Fulton and DeKalb should no longer have to pay for them either.

Dialysis provides artifi cial replacement for diminished kidney function in patients with renal failure. Each dialysis session costs around $100 which amounts to $300 per week, per patient. The hospital estimates

that since closing its clinic one year ago, it has spent more than $2 million on these patients’ dialysis treatments.

Even though we as “Vincentians” are inclined to want to pay for every uninsured Tom, Dick and Harry’s dialysis treatments, it’s simply not fair.

Considering the current economic climate of this nation and the world against the backdrop of our sur-mounting $13 trillion debt, it is counterintuitive for U.S. citizens – taxpayers – to foot the bill for non tax-paying illegal immigrants’ medical care.

It is a harsh reality. However, these individuals are leeching on an already very imperfect system. They are at the end of their lives, sure, and they need these treatments to live. Again, it is unfortunate, and it is not to say they are undeserving of these medically-necessary treatments—they’re just technically are not entitled to these services.

The growing debate of where the government and public hospitals should draw the line is a heated and tricky one. While it is fi scally irresponsible to continue to provide free care to illegal aliens, it is morally repellent to send them back to their countries to die. And Grady is just one of thousands of hospitals failing to make fi nan-cial ends meet, crippled by its philanthropy. Therein lies the impossible task of brainstorming viable solutions to this metastasizing problem.

As it is, emergency rooms are full of illegal immi-grants across the country, costing hospitals billions of dollars a year. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act requires emergency rooms to pro-vide treatment for all patients. ERs cannot legally turn anyone away regardless of whether they have insurance or if they are legal. So where does it end?

It would be an understatement to say the United States health care system is severely crippled. With over 43 million uninsured taxpaying citizens in the United States alone, why should public hospitals have to pick up the slack for illegal aliens when the system cannot even care for the people who literally break their backs essentially funding this government and the hospitals via income taxes?

ANU BYAGARIStaff Writer

Atlanta hospital exemplifi es healthcare troubles

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/MIKE MONTIJO

Can’t get enough TORCH editorials? Visit our Web site for

online exclusives.torchonline.com

When we want to feel entertained or inspired, or long for an escape from reality, we might feel inclined to sit in front of a giant silver screen in a darkened room and watch people do things that we aren’t likely to ever do ourselves. What we see helps us refl ect and think, and can even challenge us to live beyond our wildest potential.

This used to be possible, but it’s been awhile since a trip to the movies could make these things happen. It’s tragic that misrepresent-ed novels and lethargic sequels to classics that defi ned the innocence of our youth constantly bog down the box offi ce with disturbing déjà vu. Adding to the tragedy is a new generation of moviegoers who sit with wide eyes, unaware that their fi rst cinematic experiences are becoming all the more jaded with each fl ickering frame onscreen.

Hollywood, it’s time for a change.Movies aren’t just movies anymore, but franchises for movie

studios. Franchises require multi-movie contracts, merchandising, and advertising to keep the cream rising and staying at the top of popular culture. Somewhere along the line—it can probably be traced back to the Star Wars trilogy of the 1970s and early 80s—fi lmmaking became less about storytelling and more about selling the popularity of storytelling’s aesthetics. Studios had to sell Luke Skywalker, not his heroism.

Franchise fi lms may be fun, but most are predictable and cater to specifi c demographics. Those who read the Twilight Series already knew what happened to Bella and Edward before they bought their Eclipse tickets the same way comic book geeks had a general idea of what kind of trouble Tony Stark could get into in Iron Man 2. While they brought in tons of money this summer, they didn’t attract anyone who wasn’t already excited to see them.

By the end of the summer movie season, only Christopher No-lan’s Inception could offer a truly artful cinematic experience. It made nearly as much as Eclipse at the box offi ce without selling itself to an audience prior to its release.

Stacked against its competitors, Inception shouldn’t have played at the local multiplex with the likes of Eclipse and Toy Story 3, but rather at extravagant fi lm festivals where it could be shown off like the dogs at Westminster. Unlike its competitors, it made the impossible seem plausible. It was a glimpse of the magic Hollywood had been missing.

Inception transcended not just because it was entertaining; its greatness was the result of Nolan’s approach to storytelling. Nolan and his writing partners are famous for writing their fi lms around particular themes—including both Batman fi lms, a franchise that Nolan wasn’t initially comfortable in resurrecting.

A theme is the very basis of storytelling, the well into which writers and directors draw the waters of their movies. A theme is original every time it is attempted because themes are abstract. That is how Nolan can make two movies in his career that share the same theme—both Inception and 2000’s Memento deal with characters who struggle to maintain a clear sense of reality—and are entirely independent of each other.

Themes often get lost these days, with many of the summer movies becoming campy sequels (Iron Man 2), adaptations of books (Eat, Pray, Love), or hollow vehicles designed to reignite an actor’s stagnating career (Tom Cruise’s Knight and Day, Ashton Kutcher’s Killers). All the aesthetics of movies—the vampires and werewolves and talking toys and Scottish ogres—become popular because of the themes they illustrate, and that’s why this summer’s movie sea-son fl opped. Themes should drive movies, not the pieces used to advertise them. Audiences got one without the other.

Though it eventually developed into one of the biggest movie franchises of all time, Star Wars is more like Inception than Eclipse. All three of the original Star Wars fi lms tell one connecting story, but each individual fi lm is borne out of a different theme. The fran-chise fi lms of today lack that individuality while striving for that same structure, and won’t shine over time the way Star Wars has despite their popularity. Even if Eclipse’s writers had a methodology in penning the movie, it wouldn’t have mattered—audiences had al-ready been so bombarded with advertisements of the franchise that they wouldn’t have noticed a theme anyway.

Going into the theater for the fi rst time, viewers didn’t really know what either Inception or Star Wars was about. Neither Warner Bros. nor Twentieth Century Fox had much to sell audiences other than mystery. Because of this, there was considerable risk involved for both studios. The problem with writing original work is that there is no guarantee audiences will like it. It is much safer to write a fi lm based on something that is already popular—a franchise fi lm— even if its quality isn’t very good. Too many dollars are at stake.

It doesn’t matter that Toy Story 3, Iron Man 2, and Eclipse brought out waves of fans. It doesn’t even matter that the fi lms now rank on the all time domestic box offi ce records list. Studios didn’t sell stories this summer, but vampires, werewolves, and Iron Man. What happens when people get sick of seeing vampires and werewolves? What happens when there are no more Twilight fi lms to make? What then?

We’d better hope studios haven’t lost faith in movies like Inception and Star Wars.

BILL SAN ANTONIOSports Editor

Examining Hollywood

We are nearing the end of an incredibly infl uential era. As technology improves and the Internet continues to grow, its days as our genera-tion’s version of the wild west are numbered.

Many of our hard drives are littered with the tattered remnants of an era that will be forgotten in the near future, but fondly remembered forever. For a lot of people, indiscretions of their digital youth should be dead and buried. Between all of the piracy, trolling, and general disregard for privacy or rules, the Internet became a place for everyone to live like an outlaw.

The computer nerds of the 80’s and 90’s will always remember BBS’s, c0deZ, warez, chat rooms, poor website designs, and a time when the Internet and new technology presented a sublime opportunity for the entire planet.

Soon enough, their vision will come to some sort of fruition. Just as the early American colonists’ ideals were realized with the emergence of the United States as a world superpower, those early web addicts will see their dreams materialize when the Internet reaches maturity.

News will be instantaneous and reliable. Using connectivity to socialize, create, and work is becoming standard for most of the population. Digital media has become an acceptable purchase, and the mighty blog has become a corporate tool, used for marketing and research.

For a short time, we all lived in our own version of the wild west. Like rebels and cowboys, we pirated songs, movies, software, and anything else we could get our hands on. We discovered new and exciting things, expanding

the horizons of our minds. We developed and supported the free software movement; which gave way to the rise of Linux, Firefox, and the presence of the free alternative. We blogged relentlessly. We poked, wrote on walls, and uploaded pictures and videos like madmen.

We used the strength of our numbers to cause a real change in this realm. We trusted and supported the blogs. We read webcomics and other digital creations, often shouting the praises of the creative commons license. We got rid of DRM. We beat the corporations, the governments of the world, and all who would oppose our freedom...or did we?

The days of piracy are all but over. More and more people are being caught, and the former reasons for piracy are no longer applicable with the general removal of DRM. The webcomics and digital creations that we support have become moneymaking staples in our lives, so similar to a syndicated strip that the distinction between the two is blurring even more as I write this.

Many of the blogging giants have been bought out. Facebook and other social networking giants have simply become the new marketing platforms. Big developers are now supporting free software such as Linux in order to reach a growing mar-ket, effectively working against the nature of free software itself.

With the incredible support we gave to these causes, we created the perfect storm. We gave out the most valuable thing we had—information—for free. Our feverish desire to hold onto these days meant that big money had to back our favorite institutions.

Because of us, the worldwide web is progressing beyond the tubes and into adulthood. Our contribution to the future is important, but I sure hope that we don’t forget our past. In twenty years, the Internet might be nothing more than a large cybermall. If that happens, I’ll long for nothing more than the ability to post a stupid comment on youtube as if it were my last breath of digital freedom.

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TORCHCOMICS08 September 2010

1-800- ARMSTACO Jonathan Roman

Pam’s World Michelle Alerte

Elevator-man Jordan Baum

Kitaro Jennifer Perez

As a dormer, Beluk has a diffi cult time adjusting to her new schedule.

“I’m so used to having my 7:30 to 2:15 schedule,” said Beluk. “My biggest problem right now is learning how to cope with freedom. I have to learn to do an as-signment or some homework instead of just watching TV between downtimes.”

Joanna Tam, another freshman com-muter at St. John’s, has been spending her downtime between classes by attend-ing events on campus. She loves to play basketball with her friends during open-gym at Taffner Field House. She also joined the fl ag football team upon being recruited at the St. John’s Fest.

Beluk, Geffen, and Tam agreed that St. John’s has numerous events to keep them occupied throughout the day. How-ever, Beluk admits that her greatest battle is choosing which events are worth her time to attend.

“Sometimes the events will be a let-down. I had high expectations for the foam party. But now that I know that I enjoyed the volleyball games, I learned to put my expectations in the sporting events instead,” said Beluk.

Beluk, like many out-of-state stu-dents, is most interested in exploring the metropolitan area. Despite moving-in less than a week ago, Beluk has already traveled to Manhattan three times and is enthusiastically planning her next visit to Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

“When I was applying for schools, it was about how close I can get to New York City,” said Beluk. “I have high ex-pectations for New York City so I’ve had to calm down out of fantasy world and realize that this is still college.”

For students outside of the metro-politan area, the required Discover New York classes keep them entertained while

giving the students valuable information about the city. The class, proclaimed as a “living textbook,” provides students with many fi eldtrips to experience New York and encourages the student body to ex-plore the city on their own.

“I really like the concept of the class,” said Beluk. “Any reason to go into the city is a good excuse for me.”

As for the other classes, Beluk, Gef-fen, and Tam agree that they are anxious for their new classes. Tam who is a phar-macy student admitted that her chemistry class is her biggest concern this semes-ter.

“I just had my fi rst chemistry class and it was very confusing to me,” admits Tam. “But then I had a recitation class af-ter which helped.”

Geffen has tried to develop a personal relationship with his professors to help him with his classes this semester.

“I try to talk to my professors after class and ask them questions,” said Gef-fen. “All my professors are very friendly and they seem to really care.”

Whether it’s asking for a clarifi cation on the syllabus or answering a simple

question from the homework, Geffen ad-vises other students to utilize their profes-sors for help.

He also encourages freshmen to be-come proactive with their future and use organizations to help them prepare for their desired careers.

“I talked to Dr. Zimmerman over the summer about getting into medical school. He told me that I should take an advanced chemistry class and helped me take a placement test for the class,” said Geffen.

Whether it’s reaching out to profes-sors, directors at the school, or even freshmen advisors, Beluk, Geffen, and Tam spoke highly of the support they had been given thus far.

“I always e-mail [my freshmen ad-visor] with whatever question and she points me in the right direction. It’s nice to have another person as a resource,” said Tam.

Although beginning a new school year can be diffi cult, by utilizing the re-sources given by the university, Beluk, Geffen, and Tam are confi dent they will succeed.

Fresh year, fresh concernsContinued from Page 1

Making the most of freshman year • Get involved. Join intra-mural sports or clubs that peek interest. Not only can it be a resume builder, but it can be a great way to meet new people.

•Pay attention in class. Put away cellphones and stop checking Face-book and Twitter while the professor is speaking.

•Create a written contract with roommates. If any argu-ments arise in the future., refer to the list.

•Explore the city. Students can easily get to Manhattan by taking the Q46 to the Kew Gardens subway station. From there, take the E or the F train into the city. Try to catch an express train to save some time.

TORCH PHOTO/BRIAN LOPEZ

Freshmen at STJ expressed their insecurities for the new school year.

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Earth Club promotes environmentally friendly living

In an effort to increase environmental awareness and responsibility among stu-dents, Dr. Robert Forman and the Earth Club have instituted a program promot-ing “Green Dorm Rooms” in order to promote sustainability in the resident vil-lage.

Erin Chalmers, a senior and co-presi-dent of the Earth Club, grew up in Alaska where environmental consciousness is expected.

Since coming to St. John’s, she has searched for outlets to express her pas-sions and fortunately discovered the Earth Club to aid in fi nding more produc-tive ways to protect the Earth.

Dr. Forman has also been an active participant in conserving the environ-ment. From his experience with his fami-ly’s victory garden in 1941, to his present day choice to walk to classes rather than use a car, he is a prime example of some-one who values sustainability as well as preserving the welfare of the planet .

“The problem with the environmen-tal movement is it is often identifi ed with ideology,” said Forman. “Real environ-mentalism has nothing to do with ideol-ogy.”

With the help of Earth Club, St. John’s students have the option of host-ing a “Green Dorm Room.” After at-tending various training seminars, stu-dents become Residential Sustainability Ambassadors and then they promote the positive effects of various environmen-tally conscious duties to members of their residence hall.

Ambassadors in training attend in-formative sessions concerning the proper recycling policies and reductions of en-ergy and water. Chalmers describes these informal sessions as a “family style” in which they utilize PowerPoint presenta-

tions and discussions. The Earth Club hopes to assign a

Residential Sustainability Ambassador to each dorm so that they can model the pos-itive effects of the program. From proper recycling to a voluntary compost system, representatives of the residential com-munity will have the ability to advocate environmental responsibility and the long term results it can produce.

“I hope that St. John’s students expe-rience a transformation of mentality when they go into the world, honoring environ-mental responsibility,” said Chalmers.

St. John’s students are supplied with recycling bins and compact fl uorescent lamps through the Earth Club, in hopes of reducing consumables, energy, and water waste. As most of the consumption on campus is due to the residential village, this program could greatly impact the re-duction of waste on campus.

The responsibilities of the Residen-tial Sustainability Ambassador include setting up a “Green Dorm” and modeling the aspects of an environmentally con-scious residence. Each RSA will promote the program through signage, and give in-formation about the program to prospec-tive members.

Representatives are still needed for some of the residential buildings. The Earth Club is very interested in recruit-ing people to promote the “Green Dorm Rooms” and model the effects of environ-mental awareness. Activities for potential RSAs will include the expansion of the compost, the gardens behind Donovan Hall, and the promotion of the initiatives of the Earth Club.

One of the unique aspects of the program includes a compost system har-nessing worm bins. Through worm bins, organic forms of waste can be properly recycled and reduce the negative effects of consumable waste.

Each dorm will be supplied with a worm bin in which items such as apple cores, coffee grinds, and tea bags can be properly eliminated.

The use of the worm bins, a form of a voluntary compost system, could prop-erly eliminate over four pounds of waste per person, per week.

The creation of “Green Dorms” will aid in the reduction of energy waste and improvement in the awareness of envi-ronmental issues.

Through the Earth Club, multiple is-sues are being addressed. Along with the “Green Dorm” initiative, the Earth Club will be participating in many other activi-ties this semester.

Their goals include the promotion of environmental and social responsibility,

not only to St. John’s, but to the surround-ing community.

“I think it is really important to high-light the fact that it takes the awareness, participation and passion of the entire St. John’s community to build a sustainable future. That is the main goal of this, and all of our initiatives,” said Chalmers.

For students interested in joining the environmental movement, please contact the Earth Club via OrgThink. Their ac-tivities are listed on the events calendar, and e-mail updates will inform potential members of the most recent initiatives and goals of the organization.

Features 4SectionThink Outside...

JOANNA ADDUCIContributing Writer

TORCH PHOTO/ BRIAN LOPEZ

Residential Sustainability Ambassadors model environmental awareness through proper recyling techniques and a voluntary compost system.

Textbook rentals off ered now at STJ

Nothing says the start of a new se-mester like purchasing textbooks. Some students fervently surf the web for deals while other students stand in line at the bookstore. But regardless of how the stu-dent acquires their books, lots of money is spent for the new school year.

The St. John’s Bookstore introduced Rent-A-Text to the University for the new semester in order to help students save money on books.

The bookstore has been pushing for the Rent-A-Text option for months. Un-fortunately, this was not possible unless the professor offered the textbook infor-mation to the bookstore during the sum-mer. Since very few professors were able

to make this commitment, the bookstore utilized Follett who would only make the program offi cial if it was successful at other schools. The St. John’s bookstore soon jumped on the bandwagon after re-ceiving approval from Follett.

In order to rent a textbook on a per semester basis, students must sign a con-tract with the bookstore supplying them with their personal and credit card infor-mation.

There is no limit on the amount of textbooks that a student can rent at one time. However, there is a $500 cap at the St. John’s Bookstore.

A limiting factor concerning Rent-A-Text is that only 38% of the textbooks in the bookstore are rentable. The rea-son is that books with an access code or loose-leaf packages often used in science, math, or marketing textbooks cannot be rented out. Follett has a national list of

books that can be rented in various school bookstores. Once more professors get on board then more textbooks can be rented through the St. John’s Bookstore.

“I think the program is great,” said Mia Vaz, a graduate of St. John’s current-ly employed at the bookstore. “The half price is easier on the pocket.”

Giselle Miranda, a junior at St John’s University, believes the program is a good idea and likes how the school is fi nally giving back to the student.

“I think that the option to rent text books is a great concept due to the fact that it’s a huge money saver,” said Miran-da. “Unfortunately as a math major un-der St John’s College, I wasn’t able to use Rent-A-Text because my textbooks didn’t fall under the program. On the up-side though, I hope to use the program in the future because I could stand to save some money.”

“With Rent-A-Text the benefi ts fall on the student,” said Denise Servido, the store manager of the bookstore. “They re-ceive all the books that they need while saving money. They have a big selection and we are working now to make the se-lection bigger.”

Saving the student between 45%-50% of the cost of the textbook, students pre-fer the new option at the St. John’s Book-store. So far, lines in the bookstore are twice as long as they have been in past semesters.

Servidio ensures that she is working hard to increase the selection of textbooks that can be rented in the bookstore but she needs the help of the professors to do so. She realizes that this is a huge money saver for the student and wants to do ev-erything in her power to make sure that the student continues to save money even if it’s just with textbooks.

IDA BRITTANY NEWKIRKStaff Writer

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Let’s start this off with a little word association - New York City transporta-tion. Now, quick, what’s the fi rst thing that comes to mind?

Subways? Maybe shudders arise from fl ash backs to being packed like sardines on the E train in the blistering heat.

When anyone thinks of a New York City commute, bikes are hardly the fi rst method that comez to mind. But it’s be-coming the preferred method of transpor-tation for many New Yorkers.

The image of NYC biking has always been of bike messengers or deliverymen darting all over the city, barreling through the seas of pedestrians on sidewalks. That scarring image is enough to seemingly convince only adrenaline junkies to bike around NYC.

However, due to increased environ-mental concerns, the past fi ve years have brought on a surge of the every-man biker

to NYC. Cycling has quickly become the reusable organic grocery bag of transpor-tation.

All around, in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, bikers are not just spandex adorned cyclists, but people in sundresses, business suits, even a few pigtail-wearing 5-year olds.

A cyclist waiting for a repair on his bike at Hudson Urban Bicycles in the West Village said, “At least 3 of the bor-oughs have done exceedingly well in ac-commodating the needs of our growing community of cyclists.”

The days of cyclists clinging to dear life in the midst of taxi drivers and Tri-State license plates are part of the past.

Once mentally preparing his last words, the STJ student can put all these ideas that biking in New York is safe, practical, and even fun, to the test.

The Greenway bike path by the St. John’s Manhattan campus, for example, is beautiful, relaxing, and has a rush of epic proportions.

After about 30 minutes of riding along

the shorefront of Lower Manhattan, stu-dents should attempt the integrated bike lanes along the roads of the West and East Villages. The cars not only respected the bike lanes, they seem to cater to the needs of the cyclists. If buying a bike or drag-ging one from home is not a practical sit-uation, consider renting one just for a day to explore the city. Many cyclists feel that

the best biking is on Governor’s Island, where visitors can easily rent a bike. It’s a great day trip if anyone needs a break from the city but doesn’t want to travel very far to do so.

As a city cycling convert, to butcher a Julius Caesar quote, “I rode. I saw. I conquered.” If he had biked around New York, he would have agreed.

“Go Global!” This is a very famil-iar slogan to those who are attending St. John’s University. However, many stu-dents believe the study abroad programs offered by The Offi ce of Global Studies exceed their fi nancial capabilities.

Mark Eckman, assistant director of the Offi ce of Global Studies, says that their goal is to make the programs available to a greater amount of students, especially by focusing on three major aspects: cur-riculum, cost, and culture.

To assist with the curriculum and personal interests, students are presented with many destinations and a wide vari-ety of courses. Semester programs allow students to spend 4 months abroad while completing their regular course work. The program is based on a traditional campus, either in Paris or Rome.

Discover the World is a semester long program and one of the more popular choices for interested students. It allows students to experience more than one des-tination by spending fi ve weeks in three different countries. Several types of ex-change programs are available with many locations and courses to accommodate the students’ interests.

Students can also choose a winter or summer intercession program. They are faculty based and are not set on a tradi-tional campus, but rather take place in remote locations, such as the Galapagos Island, India, or Egypt with courses spe-

cializing in biology, mass communica-tions, or Arabic. Since they are faculty based they are usually designed to ac-commodate certain majors.

The cost of the semester program is a normal St. John’s tuition in addition to a program fee. For the summer and winter intercessions, students are charged for a credit. Therefore they are able to spend a semester abroad with a similar cost to spending a semester in New York. To assist with fi nancial needs the Offi ce of Global Studies is offering fi nancial aid through several scholarships.

Ali Kaminski is one of the recipients

of the Italian Cultural Scholarship. “It allowed me to stress less and enjoy

my time abroad more,” said Kaminski. “I would recommend everyone to apply for scholarships. If there is a possibility to make your dream come true and make it more affordable, why not try?”

Last year, the Offi ce of Global Studies issued over $250,000 in scholarships.

Eckman admits that the culture shock is very strong for students who study abroad.

“The cultural aspect seems to be the hardest one to deal with,” said Eckman. “Students are not always sure if they feel

comfortable to go abroad.” Students who went abroad seem to

share this opinion. “I was out of my comfort zone fi rst,

but then I adjusted and I learned how to be responsible and how to take care of myself,” said Maria Pavese, who spent last Spring Semester studying in Paris.

However in the end, student experi-ences are usually very positive.

“Not only did I learn so much about Europe, but also a lot about myself. I grew in so many ways that I could have not even imagined. I feel much better rounded,” said Mikayla Butters, who par-ticipated in the Discover the World Pro-gram.

“I believe that studying abroad gives greater sense of independence and a broader world view. You will develop skills and abilities you didn’t know you had or were relevant to you. Like patience - you can’t help but learn it when you try to converse with people who speak a dif-ferent language,” said Eckman. “You gain the ability to understand that things that are different are not inherently bad.”

A number of study abroad attendees seem to confi rm his positive opinions. In 2006-2007 alone, 150 students went abroad; in 2009-2010, 700 students de-cided to take the plunge.

Study abroad applications are avail-able online. To be eligible, students must complete a full year in college, have a 2.75 GPA, and be in good judicial stand-ing. To learn more about studying abroad students can also visit St. John’s Gobal Studies Web site.

KAROLINA MAYStaff Writer

Study abroad program off ers more locations and courses

TORCH PHOTO/KRISTEN FARMER

Mark Eckman hopes to inspire more students to study abroad.

Cycling in style through the cityMARY JURADOContributing Writer

1. Brooklyn is the most bike-friendly borough, especially in the Williamsburg, Fort Greene, and Park Slope areas.

2. Manhattan is relatively easy to bike around if the biker is armed with a bike map. Stay away from Midtown and Chi-natown. Really, don’t tempt fate and even try those two areas. Anyone can get hit, knocked off their bike, run over a pedes-trian, and/or cry like a small child.

3. Queens is another great place to bike. Astoria and Long Island City seem to be the most bikeable areas. The area around St. John’s campus is also good turf during the day.

4. St. John’s is becoming a very bike-friendly campus, with a plethora of bike racks on the Queen’s campus.

5. A cyclist’s best friend is a good bike map, which can be found at www.nycbikemaps.com. The website offers great maps of routes, special conditions of roads, directions to bike on each road, and places to get repairs, rentals, sales, etc. in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and even New Jersey. The NYC Bike Map App for the iPhone is also a great free tool which can also be a lifesaver.

Tip sheet for city bikers

TORCH PHOTO/BRIAN LOPEZ

STJ Campus has become biker-friendly over the past few years.

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Inferno returns withInferno returns with the hottest films and the hottest films and music this summer music this summer

Blockbuster BreakdownINFERNO REVIEWS THE BEST AND WORST FILMS OF THIS SUMMER

If you’re a toy, a superhero, a vampire or a dream reader, you probably had the best summer ever.

Fantasy monsters, Disney tearjerkers and a single

thought-provoking thriller dominated the box offi ce this summer while competitors were either shrugged off or completely ignored.

Toy Story 3 was the summer’s top earner. As reported by Forbes.com, the third sequel to the Pixar classic earned over $1 billion worldwide in theatres, the fi rst fi lm in history to do so. Once again, viewers were reminded of their childhood playthings as Woody, Buzz and the gang question the love of their owner, Andy, who is now grown-up and college-bound. After being mistak-enly given away to a daycare center, Andy’s toys get sucked into the seemingly affectionate care of toddlers only to be mishandled and torn to pieces come playtime. They meet a group of resentful and deceitful toys, led by Lotso Bear, who eventually learn that love is unconditional, no matter how old you get. Overall, it was a true coming-of-age story for the young and the young-at-heart alike.

When it comes to celebrity superheroes, none compare to Tony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man. In a clever show of special effects and Robert Downey Jr.’s comedic-yet-charming portrayal of the cocky billionaire, the sequel was one of the summer’s hits, bringing in $622 million. Downey proves he was tailor-made to be the (barely) indestructible Iron Man as he struggles through memories of his past and the pressure to be as successful as his fa-ther. Stark’s relationship with his assis-

tant, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, is af-fected by his risky behavior as he tries to overcome his rockstar lifestyle while fi ghting off Ivan Vanko’s (played by Mickey Rourke) legion of killer robots. In the end, he learns he must take care of himself before he can save the world.

The summer’s most-talked about fi lm was undoubtedly Inception. Its A-List cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Ellen Page, lent to the thought-provoking thriller based on thought implantation and dream designing. Raking in more than $480 million, Inception is a movie worth every minute of the two-hour dream sequence it was made to be. Written by Christopher Nolan (responsible for the Batman movies), the fi lm explores the psychological motives behind one’s dreams and how they affect the perception of reality. A good chunk of its earnings can be attributed to the fact that moviegoers came back to theatres to watch the movie multiple times, hoping to understand it a little more with each screening.

But the good did not come without the bad. Summer burnouts included Sex and the City 2. Although the highly-anticipated chick fl ick provided a solid Friday night outing with the gal pals, the sequel was not as great as the fi rst. Let’s hope this is the last fi lm endeavor for Carrie Bradshaw and her crew.

Fairy-tale love stories proved to be the stuff that summer fi lms were made of. Shrek Forever After did not bank as much as the previous three, ending the ogre saga on a note that wasn’t so happily ever after. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse caused hysteria among Twi-hards who lined up at theatres the Wednesday night of its release. With a new director at the

helm and the same beloved characters in the form of a Edward Cullen, an Bella Swan and Jacob Black, Eclipse could not overshadow its predecessor New Moon, which earned $710 million in comparison to Eclipse’s $650 million.

Other summer breeze-throughs included the Russell Brand and Jonah Hill comedy, Get Him To The Greek, Prince Persia: The Sands of Time, Marmaduke and MacGruber. Forgive yourself if you don’t even remember these fi lms’ names. They were only good while they lasted.

Other potential contenders that reached theaters just in time for the

end of summer were Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Last Exorcism and Eat, Pray, Love.

This summer delivered quite a diverse selection that was either sink or swim. But overall, Inception successfully controlled the minds of viewers who kept coming back, hoping to make sense of the limbo. As for its fellow box offi ce buddies, it will not be the last we see of a vampire or a werewolf, especially this fall, with other fantasy fi lms set to be released. Regardless of whether you favor the fantasy or reality, fi lms will continue to serve as the pastimes meant to simply entertain.

ADELLE PLATONEntertainment Editor

PHOTO COURTESY OF DISNEY.GO.COM/TOYSTORY

Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the toy gang move to a new daycare center after struggling with the realization that their owner, Andy, is growing up.

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HIP-HOP’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL STAR RECLAIMS THE THRONE OF “POWER”

It’s been almost a year since fans last heard from the ever eccentric Kanye West.

During a year-long hiatus, West still remained in the spotlight for various reasons. From being spotted in Hawaii and in Paris at

Fashion Week 2010 wearing a full-fl edged fur coat, to being mentioned in a Saturday Night Live skit about the MTV Video Music Awards, West could not escape the spotlight. In addition, West produced Drake’s debut album Thank Me Later and even worked as an intern for Fendi in Italy while living in Rome.

It seemed that West did everything but work on what fans have been yearning for the past few months—music.

But the wait is over.The anticipation for a new album reached new

heights when West released his comeback single “Power” in May. Though leaked and unfi nished, the track gained positive reviews from critics and fans alike. After its offi cial release on iTunes, the single reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“Power” fi nds the once-emotionally struggling emcee declaring his awakened return, taking the music back to his roots of hard-hitting rhymes and signature beats. West also leaves his previous extensive use of the auto-tune behind. On “Power,” West discusses what went through his mind throughout his hiatus: “I just needed time alone with my own thoughts/ Got treasures in my mind but couldn’t open

my own vaults…” Speculation has already rose into collaborations

on his forthcoming album. Confi rmed collaborations include producers DJ Premier, Pete Rock, RZA and Q-Tip. Previously titled Good A** Job, the upcoming album allowed West to make a weekly event of releasing new songs (titled G.O.O.D Friday). Two have already received radio play including “See Me Now” featuring Charlie Wilson and Beyonce, as well as the star-studded “Monster,” which contains verses from hip-hop greats Jay-Z, Rick Ross and rap’s female newcomer Nicki Minaj. Drake and Raekwon are also said to contribute to the album.

To add to the hype, West even joined the latest fad in social networking, Twitter. Through his account (@KanyeWest), the rapper has given details about his daily whereabouts while letting go of some emotional steam. For example, he tweeted on Aug. 28, “When I create I try to submerge myself into a dreamlike state where I am a 5-year-old. Just enough information to still have my own opinion.”

West has also released a snippet of his music video for “Power.” He tweeted: “It’s not a video, it’s a moving painting…” Directed by Marco Brambilla, the video depicts West as a king in heaven amidst half-dressed female angels and warriors trying to decapitate him.

With an upcoming album set to be released in November, a recently announced upcoming EP with Jay-Z titled Watch The Throne, and a performance at the event responsible for his hiatus, the VMAs, West has a secret arsenal of music and projects just waiting to be unleashed. It’s safe to say that West is back and he indeed has the power.

Kanye West Makes His Comeback

PHOTO COURTESY OF MTV.COM

Kanye West is depicted as a godlike fi gure in the music video for his latest single, “Power.”

RALPH BRISTOUTStaff Writer

INFERNO REVIEWS THE MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUM RELEASES THAT SIZZLED UP THE SUMMER AIRWAVES

After two mediocre albums, Eminem has returned to top form with his latest album Recovery, deliver-ing his best work since 2002’s The Eminem Show.

Collaborating with other producers and composers besides Dr. Dre, who has largely managed productions on his previous albums, Eminem teamed up with veteran producers Just Blaze, Havoc, Mr. Porter and newcomers Alex da Kid and Boi-1da. These new sounds allowed Em to try different song concepts, expand his creativity and reach a broader audience.

A sharp diversion from last year’s album, Relapse, Recovery offers a more emotional and thoughtful opus. With newfound confi dence, he opens the album with the verbally scathing and rebellious track, “Cold Wind Blows.” Here, Eminem welcomes himself back to the music world and claims that the rap industry took a hit because of his hiatus.

Eminem opens up about his mental health on “Talkin’ 2 Myself,” which chronicles his spiral into drug addiction, discusses his near overdose in “Going Through Changes,” and celebrates his triumph in the single, “ Not Afraid.” He takes some time to point out how the hip-hop industry takes him for granted in the metaphorical track “25 To Life” as well as his rise to celebrity in “Almost Famous.”

The album continues to fl aunt Eminem’s wordplay with the track “Seduction,” in which he chronicles a romantic conquest. He feels other rappers can’t compare, saying: “I feel like I’m morphin’/ into somethin’ that’s so incredible that I’m dwarfi n’/ All competitors, better get your girlfriend.” A shadow of his old misogynic self fl ashes back between tracks, such as “Space Bound” and “Love The Way You Lie,” featuring Rihanna.

Recovery is a solid return to greatness for Eminem fans that stayed atop the charts for four consecutive weeks and sold over 1,287,000 units since its release. His lyrical delivery has never been better but above all, he takes a less offensive approach to music that music fans can appreciate.

Hit or MissCHARLES ONYEWUCHI Staff Writer

TheBLAZE

INFERNO OFFERS SIX TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST OF THIS SEMESTER!

With two chart-topping singles and album sales skyrocketing, Katy Perry’s cotton candy-scented album can already be deemed a triumph.

Teenage Dream consists of fun pop songs like “Hummingbird Heartbeat” and her second single, ‘Teenage Dream,” which any teenager can relate to. Perry has not been shy about her love for the inspiration behind both songs, comedian/actor Russell Brand, to whom she is engaged.

“California Gurls,” the West Coast summer anthem featuring Snoop Dogg, infected radios everywhere and stayed atop Billboard’s Hot 100 for sixteen consecutive weeks. It also induced sweet cravings with its delicious mu-sic video. “Last Friday (T.G.I.F.)” is another delightful track that is sure to be blasted on stereos by partygoers.

“I feel like I am being a voice for them in some ways and I’m giving them their soundtrack,” said Perry about her fans in an inter-view with Carson Daly.

Her sweet personality also shined in a recent performance at Rockefeller Plaza, where she had pillows and blankets delivered to fans who waited overnight to see the pop star perform in the Today Show concert series.

Songs like “Firework” and the ballad “Not like the Movies” challenge the artist’s sing-ing ability, putting questions to rest about her vocal strength. Her colorful charm bursts through in songs like “Peacock,” which pokes fun at the fellas and is not surprising to hear from a woman who began her career by announcing she kissed a girl and liked it.

Perry shows off a little attitude in tracks such as “Circle The Drain” (said to bash ex-beau Travie McCoy) and “Who Am I Living For,” exploring all aspects of her emotional spectrum.

Her growth as an artist is evident in this album and it has placed her on top of the pop world. The project has its hits and misses, but overall it is a chart topper that has exposed the songstress to unimaginable success. There is defi nitely more to be expected from her in the future.

EMINEMRECOVERY(HIP-HOP/RAP)

OUT OF 4 STARS

As if three No. 1 albums weren’t enough, hip-hop’s biggest “bawse” (boss), Rick Ross, still has a whole lot to prove.

The Miami native uses the moniker of former crime boss, John Gotti, to show why his resiliency against his haters makes him the “Tefl on Don” in his latest album of the same name.

Tefl on Don orchestrates an impressive body of work, evident on tracks like “Maybach Music III” which features hip-hop heavyweights T.I., Jadakiss, and R&B songstress Erykah Badu. The J.U.S.T.I.C.E League-produced track sounds more nostalgic to the defi ant Rat Pack sound of the 1950s due to its blend of melodic instruments backed by Badu’s

beautiful vocals.Ross ups the ante with a stellar cast of guest

appearances, including Kanye West, Cee-Lo and Drake, among others. Despite the overwhelming features throughout the album, Ross is not overshadowed.

In “Free Mason,” featuring Jay-Z, Ross displays his most impressive lyrics: “I’m iconic in the fi eld like Solomon’s Seal...” The track fi nds the two artists combating critics while boasting their stance in the rap game.

However, the abundance of guest appearances does eventually become bittersweet. This is evident on the track “MC Hammer,” which features Gucci Mane. Produced by Lex Luger, the song would have been better without Mane, who delivers a lackluster verse that’s barely heard over the thumping bass lines.

Another low point on the album would be the commercialized “No.1” featuring Trey Songz and P. Diddy. Although it has potential to infi ltrate the Billboard charts, the song takes away from the album’s emotional and street-oriented vibe.

From the superb production to Ross’ lyrical improvement, Tefl on Don embodies the essence of hip-hop by providing good quality music.

RICK ROSS TEFLON DON(HIP-HOP/RAP)

OUT OF 4 STARS

RALPH BRISTOUTStaff Writer

KATY PERRYTEENAGE DREAM(POP)

OUT OF 4 STARS

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ADELLE PLATON Entertainment Editor

1. Try something new. The best way to beat the redundant life of work, eat and sleep is to diversify your itinerary by joining various clubs or organizations that lie within your interests. Not only do you get to network and meet new people, you break out of your comfort zone and may discover a hidden passion within you.

2. Write a résumé and learn to interview. There are various workshops offered at the Career Center weekly designed to enhance your résumé writing and interviewing skills. Take advantage of these opportunities to gain a leg up in a competitive job market. Not only should you have a stellar list of accomplishments but the poise and personality to go along with it! Remember practice makes near perfect.

3. Write down your to-do list. Some of the smartest people of our time, such as Albert Einstein and Leonardo Da Vinci, wrote things down in order to solve the most complicated problems as well as perform with a well thought-out plan. It does not necessarily mean putting a pen to paper; you can simply use your Blackberry or iPhone to write an itinerary that helps keep you on track. So long as you don’t solely rely on your brain to get what you need done.

4. Set goals and believe you can achieve them. Want to be a more active participant in class this semester? Promise yourself to raise your hand at least once each class. Want to live a healthier lifestyle or save more money? Make your own meals or vow to get a 2-mile run in twice a week. Start out small then gradually amp your ambition once you start seeing results. Most importantly, you must be able to envision yourself accomplishing something before you can actually do so.

5. Set time aside for friends and family. As wonderful as it is that you want to rule the world and get that 4.0 GPA, remember that there is a life outside of work, internship and school. Sometimes, it is refreshing to do something you enjoy with the people who ask nothing from you but YOU! It shouldn’t be a hassle to pencil in people who add the color to your agenda. Something as simple as having dinner or catching a fl ick with some friends can be considered a much-needed break for all your hard work.

6. Don’t be afraid to fail. No normal person will be able to lose 10 pounds in 2 months or become an instant social butterfl y within the fi rst week of class. Sometimes the more rewarding experience is the actual journey of setting out to do something more so than fi nally accomplishing it.

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INFERNO MAKES ITS PREDICTIONS FOR THE WINNERS OF THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS

The MTV Video Music Awards began in New York in 1984, as a night where music’s biggest names gathered at Radio City Music Hall to celebrate the year’s best music videos. Madonna’s memorable “Like a Virgin”

performance opened the show, with names like Michael Jackson and Tina Turner in attendance. It became one of the most iconic nights in music history.

This year’s event will be no different. Broadcasting live from Los Angeles, CA., fans and artists alike can only guess what may happen. However, with a nomination list fi lled with artists who have fl ooded the airwaves and television sets with their hits, the winners for the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards are fairly easy to predict.

Lady Gaga is at the top of the list with the most nominations for her single “Bad Romance,” breaking two records with 13 nods (18 including her collaboration with Beyonce for “Telephone”), the most any artist has received in a single year. Lady Gaga is also the fi rst solo artist to be nominated twice for Video of the Year.

Eminem has racked up eight nominations for his “Not Afraid” video. In the Hip-Hop and Male categories, it is safe to say that Eminem will walk away winning at least half of his nominations because of his unyielding fan base.

The Best New Artist category holds some of the industry’s current favorites. The category includes Justin Bieber, Jason DeRulo, Nicki Minaj, Broken Bells and Ke$ha. Fans can vote for their choice until the day of the show.

The catchy chorus and creative video for “Airplanes,” should guarantee a win in Best Collaboration for B.o.B and Hayley Williams of Paramore.

After last year’s outrageous show in New York, Los Angeles has big shoes to fi ll. As always, the leading names in the industry are set to make appearances: Paramore, Usher and Drake, among others are scheduled to take the stage, with a pre-show performance from Nicki Minaj. Also, back to appear (and perform) after last year’s spectacle is Kanye West himself. Let’s hope Taylor Swift is prepared.

“You never know what is going to happen on an MTV VMA stage,” R&B artist Usher told MTV.com.

With the VMAs, the viewers should always expect the unexpected. Bold comedian Chelsea Handler is also set to host, making her the second woman to host solo in VMA history. See who walks always with the Moon Man on Sept. 12 at 9 p.m.

KARLA RODRIGUEZStaff Writer

And The Moon Man Goes To...

Fashion Forward: Back To School

Say goodbye to shorts and fl ip fl ops because summer is coming to its scheduled end, and the fall fashion season has fi nally begun. For students, the fall means the start of a new school year and a chance to fl aunt new styles

as well as revive old ones. Here are a few tips and trends that will have anyone looking like the most stylish coed on campus.

Consider the shades of the season and the shift in hues from bright to subtle. In preparation for the black and gray winter, the colors of choice for fall are more muted. Some colors to keep an eye out for the next time while shopping are khaki brown, olive, dark greens, plums, and understated reds. Tuck away the neons for the spring.

One of the most accessible styles for fall is denim. Denim jackets, shirts, and blue jeans are all the rage and can be easily customized as well as perfectly matched in any outfi t. However, it is very easy to fl ub this trend

by overdoing it. For example, a chambray shirt and a great pair of blue jeans is a great to look chic and feel comfortable, but a button-down shirt, blue jeans, and a denim jacket can look like a person got lost in a jean factory. The great Coco Chanel once said, “When accessorizing, always take off the last thing you put on.” Simplicity is key.

A trend that both male and females can rock is the ‘50s and‘60s era-themed pieces. The success of the AMC show Mad Men can be looked to for inspiration. During the spring fashion week, several designers, including Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana, sent models down the runway in outfi ts that seemed to come from the show’s wardrobe department. The characters on Mad Men dress impeccably in their dapper suits and curvy couture: the men show off their polished plaids and the ladies fl ourish in fl orals. Watching just one episode of the awarding-winning show can give anyone plenty of outfi t ideas.

For women, it is all about featuring curves and cleavage in a tasteful way. To achieve this look,sweetheart necklines and dresses with cinched waists are the way to go. A slim pair of slacks, especially those with high waistlines, is a better option than the shutter-inducing jegging (jean leggings).

For guys, it is very important to consider the fi t of your clothing. Nothing says well-dressed like impeccable tailoring. When deciding on a classy look for school, it is unnecessary to wear a full business suit. Even when keeping it casual, a blazer or vest with a pattern can turn an outfi t from plain to extraordinary.

It is important not to forget footwear. For both men and women, boots seem to be the popular choice. Different variations of the boot are popping up everywhere. Both boat shoes and moccasins emerged last fall and this year, they have transformed into their own form of a boot. Some hybrids even exist as a cross between popular shoe styles. For school, it is best to look for those with neutral colors such as black and brown for day-to-day wear that virtually match any outfi t. If one is looking for a signature boot, a Doc Marten can vamp up an outfi t with their selection of different colors and prints.

Most college students are more worried about paying tuition than buying clothes straight from the runways. Good places to shop for affordable and trendy pieces are Urban Outfi tters, H&M, Zara, Forever 21, and vin-tage thrift stores. The most important part of any outfi t, however, is confi dence, which can’t be bought in any store.

TIPS AND TRENDS TO MAKE YOUR CAMPUS WARDROBE CHIC AND CLASSYMcARTHUR JOSEPHStaff Writer

BEST COLLABORATION B.o.B feat. Hayley Williams

Title: Airplanes

Beyoncé feat. Lady Gaga Title: Video Phone (Extended

Remix)

3OH!3 feat. Kesha Title: My First Kiss

Jay-Z & Alicia Keys Title: Empire State of Mind

BEST FEMALE VIDEO Lady Gaga

Title: Bad Romance

Ke$ha Title: Tik Tok

Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg Title: California Gurls

Beyoncé feat. Lady Gaga Title: Video Phone (Extended

Remix)

Taylor Swift Title: Fifteen

BEST MALE VIDEO Eminem

Title: Not Afraid

Usher feat. Will.I.Am Title: OMG

B.o.B feat. Hayley Williams Title: Airplanes

Drake Title: Find Your Love

Jason Derulo Title: In My Head

BEST HIP-HOP VIDEO B.o.B. feat. Hayley Williams

Title: Airplanes

Eminem Title: Not Afraid

Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem Title: Forever

Jay-Z & Swizz Beats Title: On To The Next One

Kid Cudi feat. MGMT & Ratatat

Title: Pursuit Of Happiness

BEST NEW ARTIST Ke$ha

Title: Tik Tok

Jason Derulo Title: In My Head

Justin Bieber feat. Ludacris Title: Baby

Nicki Minaj feat. Sean Garrett Title: Massive Attack

Broken Bells Title: The Ghost Inside

BEST POP VIDEO Lady Gaga

Title: Bad Romance

Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dog Title: California Gurls

Ke$ha Title: Tik Tok

Beyoncé feat. Lady Gaga Title: Video Phone (Extended

Remix)

B.o.B feat. Bruno Mars Title: Nothing on You

BEST ROCK VIDEO 30 Seconds To Mars

Title: Kings and Queens

Muse Title: Uprising

Paramore Title: Ignorance

Florence + the Machine Title: Dog Days Are Over

MGMT Title: Flash Delirium

BEST DANCE MUSIC VIDEO

Lady Gaga Title: Bad Romance

Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull Title: I Like It

Cascada Title: Evacuate The Dancefl oor

David Guetta feat. Akon Title: Sexy Chick

Usher feat. Will.I.Am Title: OMG

VIDEO OF THE YEAR Lady Gaga

Title: Bad Romance

Florence + The Machine Title: Dog Days Are Over

30 Seconds To Mars Title: Kings and Queens

Lady Gaga feat. Beyoncé Title: Telephone

Eminem Title: Not Afraid

B.o.B feat. Hayley Williams Title: Airplanes

THE INFERNO’S PICKS

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With a roster of 17 freshmen and an offense that scored only one goal their last four games, the women’s soccer team needed someone to step up early in the season.

Sophomore Runa Stefandottir took on the challenge, scoring both game-winners in a pair of 1-0 defeats over Fordham University and the University of Rhode Island during the Hofstra Tourna-ment over Labor Day weekend.

“She was outstanding,” head coach Ian Stone said. “She was kind of everything I hoped that she was going to be. She always had so much potential, with her great quickness and left foot. Everything clicked into play this weekend. It’s all a credit to her. She worked so hard over the summer and in practice.”

Due to her heroics, the Red Storm (3-2-1) went undefeated at the Hofstra Invitational and fi nished in second place, dueto a tiebreaker of goals scored with Hofstra.

The midfi elder, along with seniors Raelynne Lee and Nicole Pasciolla were named to the all-tournament team.

During the 75th minute, freshman Jen Gibbons fed Stefandottir with a pass

in front of the net. The sophomore then nailed the ball at the top right corner of the net.

Over the fi rst half, Rhode Island (0-4-1) dominated possession of the ball, tallying seven shots. St. John’s goalkeeper Kristen Russell had a fi ve-save day and extends her shutout streak to four games.

Against Fordham (3-1-0), Stefandottir scored during the 38th minute of play from a long diagonal pass from freshman forward Franciasca Okoko.

The pair of goals marks Stefandottir’s third and fourth goals of her St. John’s career and her fi rst game-winners.

“The opponents this week-end were very physical, good-sized opponents,” Stone said. “We always knew we could play and keep the ball on the ground, but we really had to grind out some wins this weekend. [The opponents] forced us to play intense, hard, by being physical. It’s something that certainly came out this weekend and something our kids needed.”

After losing against Michigan

State and Texas A & M in Texas and then scoring only one goal against James Madison and tying against Virginia Commonwealth, Stone sees these pair of wins as very important.

“Everything is starting to come together nicely, starting to integrate the new players on the team,” Stone said. “Obviously the girls have been working really hard in practice. It’s more important form their point of view of their effort by winning these games.”

The past six games have shown Stone trait most young teams suffer from: inconsistency. Despite, what Stone calls the most talented freshman class in St. John’s history, he still doesn’t believe he’s seen 90 minutes of consistent play.

“I think we just have to remain consistent,” Stone said. “For me at the moment, we’re very good at being prepared for the game. But I still don’t think we’ve played a full 90 minutes yet in terms of being able to defend effectively and possess the ball effectively at the same time. We do it in spells but not the whole game. Heading into Big East play, we have got to do that.”

Stone looks for Stefandottir to emerge as a leader and a model of consistency for the young players.

“She has that potential to be a leader and our main scorer,” Stone said. “She will always be a threat because she’s just so fast and she has a tremendous left foot. I really do think she’s going to step up for the rest of the year. She basically won us both games this weekend. She was extremely impressive this weekend and will hopefully maintain this high level of play.”

DYLAN KITTSStaff Writer

Stefandottir’s goal helps Storm butt Rams

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Runa Stefandottir scored the team’s lone goal Sunday against URI.

St. John’s used to be the pushover of Big East basketball recruiting. Not anymore.

It used to be that the Johnnies were a good program that deserved better, getting solid players with reputations for working hard and being good character guys off the court. This was said usually by the coaches who cherry-picked the top recruits out of the Red Storm’s backyard while St. John’s could do nothing more than stand idle and hope that its recruiting pitch—a chance to revive the program while playing at the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden—could outweigh the others.

But in his fi rst recruiting season with the Red Storm, men’s basketball coach Steve Lavin changed all that, prying Los Angeles’ Dwayne Polee Jr. away from the West Coast, where he was widely regarded as the area’s top college prospect, and nipped Forrest Hills’ Maurice Harkless, a small forward who initially committed to Connecticut. Polee will join the Johnnies on the court for the upcoming 2010-11 season and Harkless will follow next season, when the team will have nine other

freshmen, as part of what Lavin calls his “Noah’s Ark.”

It seemed like St. John’s primed for something big. The program had been building to this crescendo all summer, as Ron Artest’s Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title and Anthony Mason Jr. took his talents to South Beach in joining the trio of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.

Finally, in late August, the current Red Storm squad received recognition when the conference’s coaches made their preseason rankings. Louisville’s Rick Pitino gave the Johnnies his fi rst-place vote. “Nine seniors,” he said in a text message to ESPN. “Everyone but Pitt and Villanova lost key players.”

But the big boom came just be-fore classes started on the Queens

campus, with Harkless announcing his commitment to the Johnnies right in front of the Garden, just as Amar’e Stoudemire did when he agreed to join the Knicks in their rebuilding efforts in July. When the rebuilding projects are done, neither will probably be the main star of either team, but the defi ance with which they chose New York speaks for the swagger both clubs are bringing back to basketball.

Which is why Lavin benefi ted more from the move than Harkless. The only way St. John’s basketball could revive the way New York expects it to is to have a guy who embodies tenacity leading the way—a guy who doesn’t take no for an answer and does whatever it takes to bring in the guys he targets.

Lavin has done that not once, but twice thus far, and he’s done so right in the face of UConn, one of the Big East’s perrenial powerhouses, by luring one of their former committed players. When he was hired, Lavin talked a big game of what he projected for his program and, at least on paper, he’s delivered.

Lavin will not let St. John’s stand idle while rival teams have their way

with the City’s talent anymore. Norm Roberts couldn’t do that, and from the looks of it, Steve Lavin relishes in defending his turf. And judging from last Tuesday’s announcement, it looks like Harkless is the kind of guy who does too, and those are the kinds of players you can expect Lavin to target and bring into the school.

This is not to say this attitude hasn’t ruffl ed some feathers. At Harkless’ introductory press conference, his advisor, Nate Blue, said the recruit received a text message from a rival Big East coach saying, “if Moe committed to St. John’s he would be double and triple-teamed on a team of nobodies.”

He says that because folks, the times they are a-changin,’ and the balance of power in the Big East is shifting. He says that because he can feel it. And he’s scared.

And he should be, because Blue had this to add: “There’s going to be a lot of help coming to St. John’s in the next few weeks. I won’t tip my hat, but there’s more coming soon.”

If that is true, the rest of the conference had better take notice.

Lavin introducing fresh attitude to Big East recruiting race

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Broken, beat and scarredMen’s Soccer team pummeled by blitzkrieg of Virginia goals

After defeating Virginia Tech 2-0 on Friday, the St. John’s men’s soccer team lost to defending national champion Virginia 5-0 on Sunday at Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.

The loss drops the Red Storm to 1-1 on the season.

The Cavaliers scored their fi ve goals on just 14 shots. Eight of those hit the target, and they scored on three of their fi rst six shots.

Virginia freshman forward Brian Span began the barrage in the 12th min-ute when his left-footed blast from 15 yards out sailed by freshman goalkeeper Rafael Diaz and into the top right corner of the net for the fi rst goal of his career.

After junior midfi elder Pablo Punyed’s shot was blocked in the 19th minute and senior midfi elder Tadeu Terra’s effort went wide in the 21st minute, Virginia struck again in the 23rd minute when sophomore midfi elder Ari Dimas’ pass found junior midfi elder Jimmy Simpson, who headed it in for his fi rst goal of the season.

Just 70 seconds later, the Hokies struck again when sophomore striker Will Bates settled a long pass and beat Diaz one-on-one to push the lead to 3-0.

St. John’s put its fi rst two shots on target in the second half within the fi rst fi fteen minutes. In the 49th minute, Terra tested Virginia keeper Diego Restrepo for the fi rst time. Ten minutes later, the Johnnies saw their best chance of the day when senior

striker Adam Himeno’s breakaway chance was stopped by Restrepo.

Less than three minutes later, Virginia sophomore Sean Murnane put home a pass from Span from 12 yards out. That fourth goal marked the end of Diaz’ day, as he was lifted for fellow freshman Alex Naples at keeper. Diaz fi nished the day with four goals allowed on just seven shots on goal.

The goal barrage fi nally came to an end in the 73rd minute, when Span, who had a hand in three of the fi ve goals scored, was on the receiving end

of a cross by Virginia freshman Marcus Douglas. He put the ensuing one-timer past Naples to cap the scoring at 5-0.

Head Coach Dave Masur lamented his team’s attitude, especially defensively.

“We played a little too wide open and a little too much attacking soccer,” he said. “We certainly were exposed. People have to understand how to play a little bit better as a group and not so much individually.”

For St. John’s, only senior midfi elder Kyle Hoffer, junior defender Connor Lade and freshman defender

Jordan Rouse played all 90 minutes, as 19 players saw action on the day. Rouse fi lled in for injured junior cen-ter back Bjorn de Hoop, who was out with a knee injury.

Tadeu Terra, who played 57 minutes off the bench, led the team with four shots, including one on goal. Himeno put up three shots, two on goal, in 60 minutes.

St. John’s will try to get back in the win column Friday, when they play their home opener against Fairleigh Dickinson at Belson Stadium at 8 p.m.

MIKE CUNNIFFStaff Writer

TORCH FILE PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

Senior Adam Himeno had four shots on goal against Virginia, but was unable to convert on any of them.

ST. JOHN’S 0

VIRGINIA 5

MEN’S SOCCER

Coming into the season, the St. John’s men’s soccer team had some clear holes to fi ll.

Starters like 2008 Big East Midfi elder Nelson Becerra, 2009 preseason All American defender Joel Gustafsson, All-Big East defender Ben Clack, goalkeeper Derby Carillo and defender David Reed graduated. All were key contributors during the team’s Big East tournament championship run.

Replacing them has proven to be no easy task.

Head Coach Dr. David Masur played nearly two thirds of his 31-man roster in Sunday’s

5-0 shellacking at the hands of defending national champion Virginia. Only three players managed to get through the entire 90 minutes without receiving the hook from the sidelines.

Masur attributed part of the team’s struggles to youth. Nine freshmen saw action against Virginia, with fi ve rookies in the starting lineup.

“[The team’s struggles are] a byproduct of youth, and a byproduct of having a lot of players that like the offensive side of the ball,” he said.

Among those who didn’t last the entire game was freshman keeper Rafael Diaz. After keeping a clean sheet and making six saves in Friday’s 2-0 win over Virginia Tech, Diaz was pulled after

allowing four goals in 61 minutes in favor of fellow freshman Alex Naples, who surrendered a goal of his own.

Despite taking him out, Masur still has confi dence in Diaz.

“Absolutely, 100 percent [confi dent],” he said. “He’s our No. 1 right now and I don’t think that situation is changing.”

Senior Sverre Wegge Gundhus, who earned fi rst team All-Big East honors last year playing striker for the fi rst time in his career, has moved to the back four in an effort to strengthen the depleted Red Storm defense.

“Sverre’s comfortable wherever he plays,” said Masur. Asked if he envisioned Wegge Gundhus

playing elsewhere as the season wore on, he was non-committal.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “We’re trying to fi nd the right fi t for our team right now. It’s not about Sverre. It’s about the team.”

His replacements at forward, senior Adam Himeno, sophomore Omar Edwards and junior Walter Hines, put up just two shots on goal between them.

Freshman defender Jordan Rouse, who didn’t see any action against Virginia Tech, was one of the three players to last all 90 minutes, along with senior midfi elder Kyle Hoffer and junior defender Connor Lade. Rouse was fi lling in for injured center back Bjorn de Hoop.

Another freshman, midfi elder Adrian L’Esperance, has started both games but played just 65 minutes.

The constant shuffl e of the Johnnies lineup, while more pronounced this year, has always been present during the beginning of any season.

“That’s what the beginning of the season has always been about,” said Masur. “We’re trying to fi nd out who’s responsible enough and dedicated enough to the team’s objectives.”

Masur will have four more games to see his young team in action and establish a consistent rotation before the Big East season starts at Notre Dame on Sep. 25. They play their home opener Fri. against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Masur still looking to fi ll the shoes of the departedMIKE CUNNIFFStaff Writer

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Last year, the St. John’s volleyball team didn’t notch its eighth win of the season until Sep. 25 against DePaul. This year, the Red Storm didn’t have to wait so long.

After winning its fi rst three matches in the St. John’s Classic, the Red Storm held off the University of Denver after losing the fi rst set to start the season 8-1, much to head coach Joanne Persico’s delight.

“I think it’s a gradual growth, our expectations are high, and we always expect to win the Big East,” Persico said. “We know we have to get it back, and crawl and take little steps to get back to where we want to be, but I think 8-1 is a really good statement that we’re really working together, and we’re really learning how to win.”

After falling 25-18 in the fi rst set against

Denver, the Red Storm dominated the next three sets 25-9, 25-12, and 25-19 to go a perfect 4-0 in their home tournament.

Junior transfer Brunna Kronbauer helped spark the comeback in the second set, recording fi ve kills and six digs. Junior Darlene Ramdin, who led a young Red Storm team last season, fi nished with 10 kills.

“When Brunna came into that second game it really swung the momentum in our favor,” said Persico. “She had some really awesome attacks and really gutted it through and really helped lead our team.”

The Red Storm were led by junior transfer Anzelika Lukjanska, who fi nished the tournament with 40 kills and 31 digs in four games, including a team-high 13 kills and nine digs against Denver. Lukjanska was named the tournament’s MVP and junior transfer Brunna Kronbauer was named to the all-tournament team after recording 22 kills and 17 digs.

“We played pretty well, and I’m proud of my teammates, they played great,” said Lukjanska. “It’s important for me because I came from junior college and I was on a

good level. I came here and didn’t want to sit on the bench, so I tried my best to do very well.”

Persico was pleased with Lukjanska’s vocal nature and leadership throughout the tournament.

“We need that energy,” she said. “We need more people to rise with her and push and fi ght. We don’t want all leaders—you can’t have all screamers on the court. But we know that she’s our court captain because she’s earned that title.”

Lukjanska’s emergence as a leader, along with the Red Storm’s other new faces, has added depth and maturity to a roster that featured seven underclassmen in 2009.

“We’re really pleased with where we are,” Persico said. “We brought in eight new players this year, unlike last year where we really only had seven players.”

Because of the Red Storm’s now stable roster, Persico is freed to play with lineups and let new leaders emerge.

“We have a full team, so it gives us an opportunity to make some substitutions and make some adjustments,” she said.

TORCH PHOTOS/KRISTEN FARMER

Anzelika Lukjanska (No. 4) led the team with 40 kills and 31 digs in the four-game St. John’s Classic.

Volleyball team perfect in STJ Classic

TORCH SPORTS

Blowin’ in the Wind

“”

He’s our No. 1 right now and I don’t

think that situation is changing.

-Men’s Soccer coach Dave Masur on

his confi dence in freshman goalkeeper

Rafael Diaz

Leavin’ their Mark

Fencing head coach Yuri Gelman was elected into the U.S. Fencing Hall of Fame on July 10.

Gelman has coached the St. John’s team for 15 seasons and has never fi nished below the No. 6 national ranking.

In addition to coaching a plethora of St. John’s fencers to All America status and individual national championships, Gelman has also coached on the U.S. Olympic teams in Beijing, Athens, and Sydney.

Headin’ this Way

CASTSTORM

Red Storm home games

MIKE GURNISStaff Writer

Blankmeyer reps country

VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball:Sep. 8 Hofstra 7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer:

St. John’s baseball coach Ed Blankmeyer helped the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team to a 16-3 record and a silver medal in the VFISU World University Baseball Championships over the summer.

“It was a great experience. The players were all very talented, but played tremendously as a team!” said Blankmeyer. “I am very proud of the team and honored to be a part of the 2010 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team!”

Fencing coach Gelmaninducted into Hall

Sep. 10 FDU 8 p.m.Sep. 12 Boston Univ. 8 p.m.

The women’s Cross Country team will be taking part in four meets in the New York City area this fall.

This upcoming season will also see St. John’s compete in Illinois and Pennsylvania, as well as Connecticut for the NCAA Northeast Regionals.

“We are very excited about the 2010 cross country schedule, as it offers our team the opportunity to compete at great venues against the best runners in the United States,” said head coach Jim Hart.

The Cross Country season got under way last week for St. John’s as they came in 3rd place in the Vincentian Cup Invitational.

Cross Country readyto take off

Sep. 14 Fordham 7 p.m.

8 September 2010 | VOLUME 88, ISSUE 03 | TORCHONLINE.COM

SPORTS

The volleyball team won all four of its games over the weekend in the St. John’s Classic.

Pg. 23

The women’s soccer team won both its games in the Hofstra Tournament.

Pg. 21

TORCH PHOTO/ KRISTEN FARMER

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