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Marist. One College. One Community. One Family.
I
•
lfC
e
The student newspaper of Marist College
VOLUME 66, ISSUE 8
.
FOUNDED IN 1965
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Three perish in fire, cause undetermined
By
PHILIP
A.
TERRIGNO
Editor-in-Chief
Town of Poughkeepsie officials
have confirmed the identities of the
three victims of a house fire that oc-
curred early the morning of Satur-
day, Jan. 21, at 112 Fairview Avenue.
The names of the deceased were not
released over the weekend because
not all family members had been no-
tified.
The three victims of the fire have
been confirmed by Town officials as:
Eva R. Block, Kerry R. Fitzsimons
and Kevin P. Johnson.
PHILIP A. TERRIGNO/THE CIRCLE
Firefighters from the surrounding area examine the remains of
112
Fairview Avenue.
Block, 21, was a Marist College
senior and Woodbridge, Conn. na-
tive. Fitzsimons, 21, was a Marist
senior and Commack, N.Y. native.
Johnson, 21, ofNew Canaan, Conn.,
was enrolled at Marist from 2008-
2010.
Marist College students leased the
rental property where the fire oc-
curred. The residence was located a
little more than a mile away from the
Marist campus.
"Our police department responded
to a 9-1-1 call of a reported working
structure fire at 112 Fairview Avenue
at approximately 1 :33 [Saturday]
morning," Town of Poughkeepsie
Police Chief Thomas Mauro said.
PHOTO COURTESY
Of
AWE GOODRICH
Neighbors
look
on
as the house
is
ablaze early Saturday morning.
The Town of Poughkeepsie Police
Department was the leading law en-
forcement agency in a joint inves-
tigative effort that included the fire
districts of Fairview, Roosevelt,
Hyde Park and Arlington.
SEETHE FIRST, PAGE 4
Editor's note: Join
The
Circle in
an augmented reality
Take your iPad, iPhone or other
ioS
device (the
Android
app
is
still under
development)
and
go
t.o the app store.
Search
for
''Mari.st"
and download the
"Aurasma@Mari.se
app. You now
have_ the Marist branded version of
Aurasma.
pages" (Aurasma).
All you need to do
is
look for photo-
graphs
in
any
upcoming Circle print
edition that have a caption
that
reads:
'This
photo
is
powered
by
Aurasmas@Marist."
Open the app
and
place your device over the photo.
Enjoy the content that is loaded di-
rectly onto your screen.
The
Circle
would like
to
thank
the
office
of Academic Technology (which
is
pa.rt
of
the
Information
Technology
department) as well as their web
services group for
making
this tech-
nology available
to
us.
PHOTO COURTESY
Of
KATHERINE BllSKY
From
left
to
right
Kerry
Flt2sirnons, Eva Block, Katherine Bilsky and
·
Kevin Johnson.
PHILIP A. li:RRIGNO/THE CIRCLE
Fairview
Fire
Chief Chris
Maeder
at
Saturday's
press
conference.
This
free application puts
you
at the
forefront of how we use our mobile
devices. The company Autonomy has
created Aurasma, a tool
that
brings
the physical and
virtual
worlds
to•
gether for
the
fust
time. Available on
smartphones, the app was created
out
of
technology
that is
"capable
of
recognizing
images,
symbols
and
ob-
jects
in
the real world and under-
standing
them. It can deliver
relevant content
in real time, includ-
ing
videos
animations,
audio or web-
It
is our goal
ro
submit the Mariat
Auras app as an
oflicial
entry
into
the
2012 Campus
Technology
innovat.ors
awards. Academic technology spe-
cialists will
be
at
newspaper kiosks
around campus on Feb. 9
to show
ofI
this
new technology-keep an
eye out
forthem!
This
photo
Is
powered
by
AurasmaOMarist.





















































Thursday, January 26, 2012
THIS WEEK
Thursday, 1/26
Love in
the Afternoon Auditions
8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Student Center 349
Dance Ensemble General Meeting
9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Nelly Galetti Theatre
Shred Foxes Meeting
9:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
SC 155-Music Classroom
Friday, 1/27
Children's Theatre Auditions
3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Nelly Goletti Theatre
TBS Game Night
5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Student Center 349
Saturday, 1/28
Children's Theatre
Auditions
5 p.m.
to 8 p.m.
Nelly Galetti Theatre
Swimming/diving vs.
Seton Hall
_
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Mccann Pool
Sunday, 1/29
SPC Broadway Trip:
"Wicked"
9 a.m. to
8
p.m.
Bus
departs from Midrise lot at 9 a.m.
Monday,
1/30
Marlst Democrats Meeting
9:15 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Hancock 2019
Tuesday,
1/31
RA Selection
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Cabaret
Hallway
ELP Workshop: Joe Connell: Find
Courage to Make Changes
12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
PAR 346
Marlst Game Society Meeting
9:30 p.m: to 11 p.m.
Student Center 348, 348A,
349
Wednesday, 2/1
ELP Workshop: ROTC
-
Mllltary Deci-
sion Making Process
12:30
p.m.
to
2
p.m.
PAR 346
SEED General Members Meeting
9:30 p.m.
to 10
p.m.
Student Center
349
campus
www.maristcircle.com
Page2
Letter from the editor
The Circle reacts to Fairview fire
ft
r
the news pread on cam-
pus of a fire engulfing
99-vear-
old home
here
Marist students
rcstd d. the
A
farist
community
im-
mediately came togethe as
one.
n th
rly morning of atur-
d
y, Jan.
21, around I a.m.,
thr
e
lives were lost in a tragic fire that
brought
he Marist
commun·ty to-
gether
to mou n he loss of fellow
students.
Students have become t~ompellcd
to promote togethcrnc
in a time
of
gr
at tragedy.
Social networkin ha become a
ignifican oun' of
remembrance
for e.nior tudents E a Blo<:k,
Kerry Fit2simons
and
form
1·
ari
t
stud n
Kevin Johnson
who attended
the
Coll g • from
2008~2010.
On Puc book
.
many students and
alumni
~
dop
Pd
the s ·mbol of a
1
ribbon and
the
Marist Red Fox
as their profile p1ctu1 "-'·
Twitter · being used to show
Dear students,
Below are the wake and funeral
arrangements for Kevin Johnson
and Kerry Fitzsimons.
The Block family has also ex-
tended an invitation to the Marist
Community to sit shiva with the
family in the evenings starting at
6:30
p.m.
The family will he sitting shiva
Thursday
and Saturday. The fam-
ily address is:
8 Beechwood
Road
Woodbridge, Conn.
06525
(203) 387-9352
Kevin Johnson:
Wake
Thursday
3:30
p.m.
to 8
p.m.
Hoyt
Funeral Home
199
Main St
New Canaan, Conn.
06840-5601
(203) 966-0700
Th
Editor-In-Chief~
Philip Terrlgno
Philip. Terrlgnol.@marlst.edu
Managing Editor:
Ryan
Rivard
Ryan.Rlvard1@marlstedu
Managing Editor:
EmJly
Berger
Emily.Betger1@marlst.edu
News Editor:
Monica Speranza
clrclenews@gmail.com
News Editor:
Jenna Grande
circlenews@gmall.com
Opinion
Editor:
Casey Fisk
clrcleopfnlon@gmall.com
A&E Editor.
Melanie
Lamorte
clrcleae@gmall.com
support for
th •
friends and
family
greatly affected by the
fire.
.M
mhers of the community have
!been
p
sting their condonlence.
u ing the #Pray
orMnri
t hash•
tag.
M
i
t's Twitter tated on
Jan.
2 ,
"Manst.
One
rampu ,
on
com-
munity, on amily.''
Student Body· Pre iden
An
r
w
Paulsen later we
t
don Jan. 22,
''Life s too short.
Let
everyone you
love know you love them.
Keeping
every famil ·
ff
cct d by the fire in
hou
•h
and prayers."
a -mall
cam1>u •
The Circle is
her to
r•
ovid
extensive.
tho
ough coverage of the
fi , lnduding
Teactions 1 m thP ·tudcnts
.
The
fron co\7er
tory "
tten b
Editor-in-( hit>f'
Philip
1'
rriJ..,1110.
pro\
•
id
"f,;
our
readers with
th full
st
y
o
Satur<
ay mornin
•
i-
dent
,
while
our- News
Editor
Jenna
Grande has a reaction story
on
how
the fire
ecificall_ affected
Funeral Mass:
Friday
11:00
a.m.
St. Aloysius Church
21
Cherry St.
New Canaan, Conn.
(203) 966-0020
Followed by a reception. Burial
will be private for the family.
Messages of condolences may be
sent to:
Mr.
and Mrs. Steven
Johnson
482 Main Street
New Canaan, Conn.
00840
Kerry Fitzsimons:
Wake
Thursday, 2-4 p.m. and 7-
9
p.m.
Commack
Abbey
96
Commack
Road
Cammack,
N.Y.
11725
(631) 499-4422
.
Sports Editor:
Eric Vander
Voort
clrclesports@gmall.com
Staff Writers:
zactt Dooley,
Garrln
Mar,.
chettl,
Steve
Sabato
Copy
Chief:
Marygrace
Navarra
Copy
Editors:
Taylor Mullaney, Kevin
Pe-
tel"$0n,
Nguyen
Pham,
Cody
Scatzo
Llfestyles Editor:
'Rachael Shockey
clrclellfestyles@gmall.com
Features Editor:
Michael Garofalo
clrclefeatures@gmall.com
th
campu
and individual
u-
d nts.
We also hnve a story on how stu-
d
nts
on
and off
cam1>us
a
now
talung extra pr tautions in their
home
o pr •vent future danger.
tudents
w
re contacted who live
I
off-campu. by th ir landlord
to
discuss how
they could feels.
f
r.
Many students on
campu
are
aid o
have thrown
out candl or
tak down anything th.at could be
a fire
a7.1
,
1rd.
Our campus ha.
b n pu hed
into realization of
how
hort life is ,md how we
hould appr iat.e ev rything
e
have today The Circle would
like
to hare our cnnd ) ces with the
families and friend
who
have
been d
1 E
c
affected
by
this
trag
d:.
Emily
Berger
&
Ryan Rivard
Managing Editors
Funeral Mass:
Friday
9:45
a.m.
St. Matthew RC Church
35
North Service Road
Dix Hills
,
N.Y
11746
(631) 499-8520
Messages of condolences may be
sent to:
·
Mr. and Mrs.
Robert
Fitzsimons
98
Marie Crescent
Commack N.Y.
11725
Photography Editor:
Jon O'Sullivan
clrcleshots@gmall.com
Graphk:s
Editor: Dayna Vaslllk
Web: www.marlstclrcle.com
www.twltter;com/marlstclrcle
Web Editor:
Brendan O'Shea
brendan.oshea1@marlst.edu
Advertlslng
Manager:
Katie Berghorn
clrcleadvertlslng@gmall.com
Faculty Advisor:
Gerry
McNulty
gerald.mcnulty@marist.edu























www.marlstclrcle.com
THE CIRCLE • Thursday, January 26, 2012 •
Page
3
Students honor Block, Fitzsimons, Johnson
By
JENNA GRANDE
News Editor
This past weekend, two current
Marist students and one former
student died in a house fire on
Fairview Avenue. The two current
students were Eva Block and
Kerry Fitzsimons, 21, and the for-
mer student was Kevin Johnson,
21.
The fire took place on Saturday
night around 1:30 a.m. on 112
Fairview Avenue at an off-campus
residence. Though the details
about the fire have not been re-
leased, there is an open investiga-
tion as to what may have caused
the blaze.
The loss of the three young in-
dividuals has rocked the Marist
community. Students have been
grieving from early Saturday
morning, and the campus contin-
ues to mourn as more details are
released and events are held in
the deceased's honor.
Students on Facebook have been
sharing status updates made by
the school and the Student Gov-
ernment Association. The hashtag
''#prayformarist" became a popu-
lar trend on both Facebook and
Twitter. The phrase "Marist. One
College. One Community. One
Family." has become popular on
Facebook as well as profile pic-
tures of the red ribbon adjacent to
a Marist Red Fox.
Students and faculty that knew
Block and Fitzsimons understood
what made them so special and
unique to the college campus.
Block was a fashion design major,
heavily respected by both her
peers in the fashion department
and in other courses as well. Block
always added her own signature
and flair to her work, using her
own photography as motivation
and insight for her creations.
"The fashion program will miss
Eva very much. She was an ex-
tremely creative student who
brought very positive energy to
her classes. Every time I met Eva
in the studio she had a smile to
offer," said Randy Cramer, the di-
rector of the fashion program.
"She will be remembered for the
uniqueness of her work as a fash-
ion design student-her talent in
photography and textile design,
EMILY BERGEJVTHE CIRCLE
Friends and classmates
place
posters and flowers In
front
of
where the house once
was.
This temporary memorial
site
is
Just
one
of
the
ways
the Marist community
Is
honoring
the
loss
of
the students.
and the inspiration she found in
all forms of art. Our hearts break
that such a talented designer's life
has been cut short."
Kristin and Shannon Vogel ~ad
a class, Hudson Valley Literature,
with Block. When they heard the
news about her passing, they were
visibly shocked and upset. Neither
one could think of anything nega-
tive to say about the budding
fashion designer.
"She was really creative," Shan-
non Vogel said. "She was into
fashion, and I would compliment
her outfit every day. She was re-
ally insightful, and I always loved
hearing what she had to say about
whatever it was we were dis-
cussing. She would make me ex-
amine different perspectives in
new and exciting ways.
'She
was
always looking at things through
a different perspective."
Kristin Vogel added to her sis-
ter's statement, explaining how
much she enjoyed working with
Block on group projects.
"She was always the first one to
class, always next to the teacher
in the front, and always engaging
in the conversation.
If
you were in
her group, you would always learn
something new," she said. "She
had great vocabulary and listen-
ing to her talk could change your
perspective and mind. She was
amazing, and I knew she was
going to go places. She was a de-
sign major and her potential was
obvious. I feel fortunate to have
been in her class and to have
known her."
As for Fitzsimons, her presence
in the School of Science will be
greatly missed. A biomedical sci-
ence major and chemistry minor,
Fitzsimons worked as a laboratory
assistant for multiple science
classes, and had made arrange-
ments to conduct scientific re-
search while on campus this
coming semester. The School of
Science is mourning the loss of a
great student.
"Kerry touched the lives of many
science professors," said Neil
Fitzgerald, the interim dean of
science and associate chemistry
professor. "Personally, I knew
Kerry as a student in my Analyti-
cal Chemistry class. She was an
SEE OUTSTANDING, PAGE 4
EMILY BERGER/THE CIRCLE
The
Fairview
house
had
tD be
demolished because
It
was
tDo
unstable.
The
surviving
res-
idents
lost
all their belongtngs and only had the clothes on their
backs.
The Red
Cross
is
providing
financial aid for
food
and clothing.
Off-campus residents focus on fire safety
By
BRENNA MCKINLEY
Staff Writer
As Marist continues to remem-
ber the victims of the recent fire,
Marist students and th.eir land-
lords have been taking steps to
ensure that the incident cannot be
repeated. Following the fire on
Fairview Avenue early last Satur-
day morning, many Marist stu-
dents living off-campus, with the
help of their landlords, have been
making sure fire safety regula-
tions in their houses are up to par
and that no detail is overlooked.
Melissa Generoso, a Marist sen-
ior who lives on Lake Street, a few
houses down and across from the
Fairview Avenue house that was
taken by flames this weekend, ex-
plained how living so close to the
fire has made her think twice
about fire precautions.
"Living so close to the house, my
roommates and I all saw the fire
before any other police or fire
trucks had arrived," Generoso
said. "It is sad that something so
tragic like witnessing the fire the
other night was what it really
took to open our eyes and be
aware just how dangerous fires
are."
Though Generoso said that she
still feels completely safe living in
her house, it has not deterred her
and her housemates from taking
extra fire safety precautions.
"As a house, we were all very
upset and spent a great amount of
time this past weekend not only
reflecting on what had happened
but also what we would have done
or attempted to do in this exact
situation," she said. "After the
scare of the fire we also took every
candle out of the house; none of us
even felt comfortable having them
in our house anyway." Generoso
and her housemates have also
purchased a fire ladder and have
made sure there is a fire extin-
guisher on every floor of their
three-story house.
Landlords, too, have taken ini-
tiative in aiding with precaution-
ary measures.
"Our landlord has been over to
the house to talk to us and make
sure we were all okay and that the
house was still keeping up with its
fire safety," Generoso said.
On-cam.pus students are also
taking the threat of fire seriously.
Samantha Sauro, a junior living
in Lew er West Cedar, said she oc-
casionally feels uneasy about liv-
ing on the top floor if there were
to be an emergency.
"I spoke to my mom on the
phone this weekend and· she said
she's sending me a rope ladder,"
~auro said. "At first I thought it
was a little extreme, but I realized
that it really is important to have
a way out in an emergency."
The forward-thinking precau-
tions taken by Marist students
and their landlords in this diffi-
cult time display a sense of unity
across campus.
"It makes me so proud to say
that I am a part of the Marist fam-
ily," Generoso said. ''The support
Marist has provided to its commu-
nity on and off campus has truly
touched me."














www.maristclrcle.com
lltE CIRCLE •
Thursday, January 26, 2012 •
PAGE 4
From Page
1
Marist reacts to tragedy, remembers victims
"The first arriving unit did try
to make an interior attack into the
building," Fairview Fire Chief
Chris Maeder said.
"They
were
forced back by heat and flames
due to the overwhelming involve-
ment of the structure and they
had to back out. We were able to
get the fire under control within
about 90 minutes of arriving on
the scene."
When The Circle went to press
on Tuesday evening, the cause of
the fire had yet to be determined.
Maeder was quoted in Tuesday's
Poughkeepsie Journal as saying
that there was "no indication
whatsoever" that the fire was set
intentionally.
Six female Marist students
leased the property, four of which
were present in the home at the
time of the fire. In addition to the
four residents of the house, three
additional guests were present,
totaling seven individuals that
were in the house when the fire
occurred.
The Poughkeepsie Journal has
reported that the four residents of
the
home
present at the time of
the fire were Emily Bodiford, Brit-
tney Sinha, Kerry Fitzsimons and
Eva Block.
Of the seven individuals in the
home at the time of the fire, three
of which were guests, four man-
aged to exit the residence safely.
"We have interviewed four sur-
viving victims of this fire," Mor-
row said. "Two are residents of the
house, renting the home. Two are
their male friends or"boyfriends."
It is now known that Sinha and
a male friend escaped the home by
jumping out a first floor bedroom
window. Bodiford and a male
friend escape by jumping out a
second floor bedroom window to
dodge the blaze.
The students said to Town offi-
cials that they went to sleep at
around 12 or 12:30 a.m. after a so-
cial gathering and there was no
issue in the home at that time.
FromPage3
Mauro explained at the press
conference that between 1 and
1:30 a.m., Bodiford and her male
guest jumped out of the second
floor bedroom window after dis-
covering that the bedroom door-
knob was hot.
At roughly the same time, Sinha
and her male guest escaped
through a first floor window.
"The four survivors were trans-
ported to St. Francis Hospital
where they were fortunately
treated and released," Mauro said.
"They suffered no significant in-
juries or burns. They were treated
for smoke inhalation and minor
injuries."
John Gildard, the director of
safety and security at Marist, said
that no similar incidents involving
Marist students and fatal fires
have occurred in recent years.
The home was demolished early
Saturday evening.
''We don't typically knock down
buildings after they are involved
in a fire," Maeder said. ''We made
the decision in conjunction with
the Town and using an engineer
that the structure was not safe."
Many Marist students rent off-
campus residences on Fairview
Avenue and nearby Lake Street.
Melissa Generoso, a Marist Col-
lege senior and 3 7 Lake Street
resident, was an eyewitness to the
blaze.
"We were in our house about to
go to sleep and my friend came
into my room and said, 'I hear bro-
ken glass,"' Generoso said. "We
ran to the end of the driveway and
we saw a big cloud of orange
smoke. The entire house was on
fire."
Remembering the victims
News of the tragic fire on
Fairview Avenue was not deliv-
ered to anyone lightly, especially
to two former roommates of Kerry
Fitzsimons.
Ashley Corriss and Kat Leydon,
current Marist seniors, were
roommates with Fitzsimons in
Marian Residence Hall during the
2009-2010 school year.
"We were passing by [Fairview)
and we saw the fire trucks. And I
was like kind of joking around,
'Hey, my friend lives on that
street,"' Leydon said. "I got back
to my friend's house and one of
them saw on the Internet that
there was a huge fire. I was like,
'Oh my god, imagine if that was
Kerry's house.' I
·
glanced at the
photo and saw that it was Kerry's
house."
As Saturday progressed, the
pair of friends searched franti-
cally for Fitzsimons.
"Kat called Vassar [hospital) to
see if Kerry was admitted. I went
to St. Francis to see if she was ad-
mitted. The woman at the desk
just looked at me. I asked, 'Are
you spelling her name right? It's
F-i-t-z. Are you forgetting a let-
ter?' I could just tell the woman
felt sorry for me," Corriss said. "I
told Kat, 'She's not here.' I drove
by the house and saw the fire-
fighters with their ladders at the
top floor. I just kept thinking,
'Please, please don't be in there.'
The worst part was not knowing."
Leydon and Fitzsimons attended
Commack high school together,
but their friendship did not take
off until the pair discovered that
they
would both be attending
Marist.
"She's one of those girls that you
know she was just going to go
places. It's how she was," Leydon
said. "She was so passionate about
science. That's what everyone
knows her as, we were like the sci-
ence nerds. She wanted to go into
marine science."
Corriss transferred to Marist at
the start of her sophomore year
and was randomly grouped with
Leydon and Fitzsimons as room-
mates. She explained that Fitzsi-
mons was extremely welcoming
and helpful during her acclima-
tion process to the school.
"She was the most free-spirited
person; she never got mad ever,"
Corriss said. ''There was this one
incident when she made Ramen
noodles or something and she
went to grab her computer and
she spilled the Ramen noodles all
over the computer. She was doing
her homework and instead of get-
ting mad, she just said, 'Oh,
man!"'
Block was a senior fashion de-
sign student that was a ''bright
and creative designer, well-liked
by her classmates and respected
by her teachers," a Marist press
release said.
Johnson was enrolled at Marist
College from 2008-2010 and was a
student at Dutchess Community
College.
The Circle is still looking to
build our tribute profiles of Kevin
Johnson and Eva Block. If you or
someone you know can provide us
with information about these two
individuals, please contact us at
writethecircle@gmail.com.
Marist community reacts
An event initially planned to be
held in the Our Lady Seat of Wis-
dom Chapel, an interfaith memo-
rial service in remembrance of the
three students who perished, was
held on Wednesday at 11:15 a.m.
in the McCann Center.
The venue was changed to ac-
commodate the large response
from the Marist community.
On Tuesday, the Marist School
of Communication canceled a
school
meeting
planned
for
Wednesday and encouraged its
members to attend the memorial
gathering.
One men's and one women's bas-
ketball game were postponed over
the weekend.
Check http://maristcircle.com for
further updates as this story pro-
gresses.
Marist community reaches out to remember students
outstanding young woman; enthu-
siastic, outgoing, positive, and
generous. She always had a smile
on her face. She will be remem-
bered as a caring, joyful and com-
mitted member of our community
with a love of music and a zest for
life. She will be greatly missed."
The School of Science released
this message to all science majors:
"As you are no doubt aware, on
Saturday the Marist community
lost three members in a tragic
house fire. One of those who died
was Kerry Fitzsimons, a biomed-
ical science senior. To remember
her life we have placed a board in
DN235 (the chemistry space) for
students to post messages. The
board will be available in the fash-
ion office in the evening until mid-
night. A similar board has been
placed in fashion for messages in
memory Eva Block. Also, follow-
ing the memorial service on
Wednesday we invite you to join
with members of faculty and staff
(including
representatives
of
counseling staff and campus min-
istry) for an informal get-together
in the fashion foyer starting im-
medfately after the service until
about 2 p.m. to celebrate the lives
of those lost in the fire."
Marist President Dr. Dennis
Murray also addressed the com-
munity in an email and memoran-
dum sent out to the entire
campus. Murray informed every-
one that the Counseling Center
would be open this week from 8:30
a.m. to 10 p.m., while also making
space available for students to
gather and reminisce about the
victims. Currently, an interfaith
service is planned to honor the de-
ceased on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at
11:15 a.m. in the McCann Arena.
As students continue to mourn,
even those who did not personally
know the victims could not help
but stop and reflect on the
tragedy.
"I was in the cafeteria with my
two suitemates, and playing
around on Facebook while on my
Blackberry," Ariana Santana said.
"One of my friends posted a story
from the Poughkeepsie Journal
with a caption that read 'Pray for
Marist.' I was completely clueless,
so I clicked on the link and read
about it with my suitemates. At
first, there were minimal details
about what exactly happened. It
was really sad to read and see it
all over Facebook. But, it was
even worse as we found out more
details like who passed away who
knew the people. I never expected
something like this would happen,
especially at Marist and so close
to the school.
It
was out of
nowhere. It is so sad and I feel ter-
rible for their friends and fami-
lies, as these students were about
to graduate and start their lives,
and they were so young.''
The Marist College community
spirit continues to bring all those
affected together and proves that
even through difficult times it will
always be there to pick you up.






















Thursday, January 26, 2012
www.maristcircle.com
Page 5
Tell-all tips for impressive interns: Crucial preparations
By EMILY BERGER
Managing Editor
Interning should be a part of every
college student's life in order to pro-
vide experience that cannot be ac-
quired through any other medil!m.
Your future employer is looking for
an experienced employee, fresh out
of college, who is enthusiastic about
their work and willing
to
work
hard-someone who has already
been thrown into workplace situa-
tions and come out successful.
Below are some tips I've accumu-
lated to help you make your initial
plans for an internship.
When coming into college, have
a plan to give yourself time to
intern.
In
my college career, I have gained
experience from four different in-
ternships. Each one was strategi-
cally fit into my schedule during my
four years, in order to give myself
time to gain as much knowledge as
possible. Each experience gave me
valuable insight into the editorial
and TV production world of commu-
nications.
To intern at least two days a week,
a student's schedule should include
as few classes as possible. I recom-
mend only taking three classes
while interning in order to not be
overwhelmed. Remember, most in-
ternships during the school year do
not allow you
to
work with them
if
you cannot work at least two days a
week. If you are no longer a fresh-
man and can map out the rest of
your years here at Marist, pay a
visit to your advisor. See
if
you can
double up on any classes, or
if
you
can play around with your schedule
for next year or the year after, so
you can find room to commute
·
somewhere!
Once you have an internship, al-
ways make sure
that you have
the funds and capabilities to
travel to your destination and
arrive on
time.
In most fields, the best jobs are in
the big city; For us in Poughkeepsie,
to get a great internship, New York
City is where you have to travel.
This means a two-hour commute!
Waking up and leaving your dorm
before the sun rises will become rou-
tine. Also, once you arrive at Grand
Central, you must navigate the
streets of Manhattan.
Internships are a big commitment
and most certainly will take you far
away from campus. I normally
wouldn't get home from interning
until around 8:30 or 9 p.m. I defi-
VJTAMIN
C9000/FLICKR
Long interning hours will help you discover your dream job and land
it
after graduation.
nitely wasn't prepared
to
be spend-
ing so little time on campus.
Prepare for
a
long d~y.
No matter where your internship
may be, being an intern means that
you are there to do whatever your em-
ployers need, for as long as they need.
Expect long days, and I recommend
some therapeutic shoes to wear when-
ever someone's not looking, because
heels are never meant to be worn all
day long. You never know how long
your day might be, so remember to
choose comfortable outfits as well.
Know that no matter what, your
priority is to be at your office until the
entire crew is done for the day. I have
worked 11 hours straight, where I
was one of the first ones in and one of
the last to leave. But
if
you work all
day without even realizing you have
been working for 11 hours, then you
know you are in the right place. I have
been at internships where I am bored,
or they don't know how much work an
intern should have. Finally, I found
myself at a place where I want to do
more and come back every week.
When you get that feeling, and you
feel as
if
you aren't even working, then
you know you're going in the right di-
rection. Just be prepared to go in sev-
eral directions to find the right one.
Walks of shame not just for racy dames
By
RACHAEL SHOCKEY
Lifestyles Editor
Whether you have been at Marist
four years or four months, chances
are, while on your way to class, you
have seen a female student tiptoeing
through the Rt. 9 underpass sur-
rounded by 8 a.m. fog, trying hard
not to be seen. She walks apprehen-
sively, stilettoes in hand, clad in a
dress of Snooki-approved length, pos-
sibly sporting a hickey or
·
a beard
rash.
She, and others who have traversed
the "walk of shame," provide endless
fodder for college jokes and Saturday
morning storytelling. Though we
usually argue that these jokes are all
in good fun, we know that the walk
of shame does threaten to represent a
negative way of looking at (mostly
heterosexual) one-night-stands, and,
culturally, it tends to be exclusively
associated with women. No longer re-
stricted to college lexicon, women in
the real world, of a wide range of
ages, can be accused of committing
this act.
A basic Google search of the phrase
yields a host of diverse, intriguing
and often bizarre results. Among
them are posts from sexy college
blogs like http://collegecandy.com on
how to class up your trip home from
your one-night-stand; breaking pho-
tos of actress January Jones doing a
"walk of shame"; discussion boards
on which women are invited to share
their own horrific WOS stories with
each other; and a website on which
you can purchase a spunky, com-
pactly packl:lged ''Walk of Shame
Kit" ... whose profits help support
breast cancer research.
The walk of shame is huge on col-
lege campuses and popular culture.
Despite the growth of the joke, men
making the same morning trek are
virtually never said
to
be doing the
walk of shame. The phrase blatantly
denigrates female sexuality, and
while inany women laugh about their
own ip-0rning-after offenses, does
that make it acceptable to celebrate
this term?
In
the walk of shame's defense, we
might credit its targeting of women
to some relatively inoffensive facts,
like that college women's evening-
wear tends to look much more out of
place in the morning than men's
eveningwear does.
This
was the basis
of a commercial for Harvey Nichols
cocktail dresses that aired last
month.
"Harvey Nichols has decided to pro-
mote its Christmas wares in the form
of a faux PSA The tagline? 'Avoid the
Walk of Shame this season.' The
British retailer shows woefully
fa-
miliar shots of gals toddling home in
the wee hours of the morning, wear-
ing their metallic mini dresses from
the night before," said Ellie Krupnick
at http://huffingtonpost.com.
But the 'difference in drapery does
not offer a satisfactory argument that
the walk of shame is not harmfully
sexist. Consider what else may be
implied: The phrase and its cultural
associations suggest that women
more frequently go home with men
than men go home with women (see-
STRIATIC/FLICKR
It's about
time
we
ditched
the
term
"walk
of
shame"ln
th~
gutter for
•stnde
of pride."
ing as they must have a place from
which
to
do "the walk").
This
con-
tributes to an expectation of women
to spend the night at someone else's
place more often than men are ex-
pected to bear the inconvenience.
The other, most obvious double
standard implied is that there is
shame associated with a young
woman's one-night-stand, but not
with a man's. This tired stigma often
succeeds in limiting people-women
especially....:.....in their sexual expres-
sion.
We are all-on some level-con-
scious of the presence of this double
standard represented by the walk of
shame. Yet, more often than not, it
goes unchallenged. There are a lot of
funny things about a female student
walking home Saturday morning
barefoot and covered in sequins; or a
male student stumbling home with
sex hair and his shirt on inside out.
The fact that they had sex last night
is not one of these things. Provided
that the encounter was wholly con-
sensual and properly protective, it is
a healthy choice that merits a high
five rather than a snicker.
One might even consider making a
late resolution to high five at least
one morning campus walker this
year, and to laugh about morning-
after awkwardness under a different
moniker than the "walk of shame."
Kira Sabin at http://collegecandy.com
recommends a much more agreeable
alternative phrase to try out: the
"stride of pride."



























features
Thursday, January
26, 2012
www.maristcircle.com
Page 6
Dating website caters
_
to college students
By
BRITTANY OXLEY
Circle Contributor
College students are extremely
busy with hours of homework, mul-
tiple extracurricular clubs and or-
ganizations, part-time or even
full-time jobs, and planning for their
future careers through internships
and other activities. With all of that
work, one can only imagine just how
hard it may be for college students
to find a potential boyfriend or girl-
friend at the same time.
Sites such as eHarmony, Match
and Zoosk are. only a few of the
many dating websites available on
the Internet today. However, these
websites are not exactly helpful for
college
students looking for rela-
tionships because they do not target
university student users.
It was not until Aug. 17, 2011 that
a brand-new unique dating website
called DateMySchool was created by
Columbia University students Bal-
azs Alexa and Jean Meyer.
According to the DateMySchool
representative Melanie Wallner,
Alexa and Meyer initially got the
idea for the website in Nov. 2010.
The students were "talking to a
girl who was involved in the nurs-
ing program at Columbia. She had
complained that it was a challenge
to meet
guys
at the
nursing
school
because the nursing school is 80
percent fem.ale," Wallner said.
This was the starting point for the
network.
''The founders, who attended the
business school that enrolled a ma-
jority of males, then decided that
they should create a website to
make it easier for girls and guys
from different departments at col-
lege to meet each other," Wallner
said.
These two students believed that
there should be a dating website
that exclusively targets university
students.
Since the creation of the site in
August it has expanded to over 800
different colleges and universities
nationwide, with 75,000 users.
''The website eventually expanded
to New York University, causing the
New York Times to write an article
about the website in February,"
Wallner said. This "just launched
the website's popularity."
When a student first enters the
website, they are met with a tuto-
rial video on the left-hand side of
the screen that explains why the
website was created, why it should
be used, and how to use it.
In order to maintain the website's
promise to only target university
students, the video explains that a
user
can
only sign up to the website
with their college or university e-
mail address. According to the
video, ''This requirement does two
things: it ensures that people are
who they say they are ... and it keeps
THIS PHOTO IS POWERED BY AURASMAOMARIST
PHOTO
COURTESY
OF
HTTP-/
/DATEMYSCHOOLCOM
·cone] couple met
on
DateMySchool.com,
and
10
days
later
decided
to
get
a mar-
riage licenser Wallner said.
·
out the creepers."
The video continues to explain
that while creating an online dating
profile, a student can narrow their
potential relationship search by
choosing
certain
schools
in
whichever areas they please, choos-
ing which departments of the school
they would like to find potential
dates, choosing the age range of the
person, and choosing anything else
they wish to find in a potential
lover.
The website is also extremely pri-
vate. A student does not have to
worry about being embarrassed
for
having a dating profile because it is
unsearchable. A student's profile
can
only be seen by whomever the
student allows. According to the
site's tutorial video, "not even
Google can see it!"
DateMySchool is a new phenome-
non that is sure to have a lot of
users and expand to even more col-
leges in the nation. Despite the web-
site's name however, it does not
only have to be used for dating pur-
poses.
Wallner said that she has ''heard
back from people who simply use
the site to find good friends or study
partners. This site is a great tool for
college students because college is a
time when
you
want to connect with
people, and DateMySchool allows
you to do just that."
Marist YouTube video surpasses 7,000 views
THIS
PHOTO IS POWERED BY AURASMAOMARIST
JENNA
GRANDE/THE
CIRCLE
The video
features
multiple
different
Marist
students
at familiar campus locations.
By
JENNA
GRANDE
fun at all the little things that stu-
News Editor
dents comment on while spending
At one point or another, many stu-
dents have made sarcastic com-
ments about the school they adore.
It's so convenient that the cafeteria
closes at 7 p.m., and that the writ-
ing center is not open during finals
week. The gym is never crowded at
the beginning of each semester. It's
little things like this that students
say, but mostly never mean.
This is why Student Government
Chief Financial Officer Alyssa K.
Bradt's YouTube video (or AKB as
she is affectionately dubbed by her
friends), is such a hit with the
Marist community. Her video pokes
their glory days at school.
The idea starte.d off as a joke be-
tween SGA members. During win-
ter session, the SGA team went to
the Eveready Diner together. While
at the diner, the topic of the "Sh*t
Nobody Says" videos series came
up. The running joke was that
Sophomore Class President Debo-
rah Akinwunmi would never be
Deborah.Akinwunmi2@marist.edu.
Soon, the entire table was erupting
in different things that nobody
would say. What went unnoticed at
the table, however, was SGA Sena-
tor Courtney Lawlor taking notes of
what people were saying
on
her
iPhone so they could be referenced
later on during the semester.
Gianathony Damasco, freshman
class president, said "I didn't un-
derstand what this was at first, and
then I started listening to what peo-
ple were talking about, and I un-
derstood."
Even returning and veteran mem-
bers of SGA had its doubts about
how big a hit this video actually
could be.
Meaghan Neary, president of the
class of 2012, said that "Honestly, l
thought it was not going to be as big
a hit as it actually was."
Bradt explained that after reading
the list, she decided to go ahead and
make the video. She began filming
on her Kodak Easy Share camera
the first day of classes, and by 4
p.m., she had completed it. Using
her friends from SGA and her
Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sis-
ters to act in the video, she had all
her scenes filmed only hours later.
After uploading her first video to
Youtube, she asked four friends to
share the video, and later that
night, there were already 300 views.
The next morning there were over
3,000 views. By the time-this issue
was assembled on Tuesday night,
there were 7,425 views.
The video was an instant hit with
members of SGA. Bradt was wor-
ried about how her video may come
across to different people who could
be offended by some of the lines de-
livered in the video. For example, a
communication major is seen say-
ing, "Communications is the hard-
est major!" According to Bradt, this
offended some communication ma-
jors who find certain aspects of their
major challenging. However, this
did not stop a majority of students
and professionals from enjoying the
light-hearted humor of the video.
"I just kind of did it, and I really
hope no one was offended by it! I
showed it to different administra-
tors and they laughed, so I figured I
was ok. After all, this video is not
about making fun of Marist, but
showing how good the school can be.
Like, no one would ever say the un-
derpass is so inconvenient, because
it is simply not true!"Bradt said.
Neary admitted, though it was in
good humor, that she did not like
having to talk about graduation.
''I
mean, I say I am happy about
graduating, when I am really not! I
would never say that!"
Would Bradt ever consider mak-
ing a sequel to the video? Don't get
your hopes up-she has already
ruled out that possibility.
"I think the video is the perfect
length and has just enough jokes
about Marist to be appropriate and
fun. If it were any longer, I think
people would have lost interest."





















www.marlstclrcle.com
THE CIRCLE • Thursday, January 26, 2012 •
PAGE 7
Helpful reminders: Tips from campus offices and organizations
By
MICHAEL GAROFALO
Features Editor
The following is a collection of
tips provided by various offices and
organizations around campus.
When the semester's workload in-
creases, it can be challenging to re-
member the diverse services
offered on campus. This is a simple
reminder of some of the lesser-
known pieces of advice.
1.
The Academic Learning
Center offers drop-in sessions for
proofreading, as well as math help,
which is separate from the Han-
cock Center's Math Lab. Drop-in
times are Monday through Thurs-
day, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for
proofreading, and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
for math.
They
also offer online
proofreading for papers of five
pages or less, and promise a 36-
hour or less return time. Specific
arrangements must be made for
longer papers. -Jane Fiore, direc-
tor of the Academic Learning Cen-
ter.
2.
Students seeking current
event articles can borrow copies of
the Wall Street Journal from the
Cannavino Library for free. Arti-
cles must be photocopied, because
all issues of the Journal are kept
for the library's archives. - Junior
Aileen Laffl:ontagne, circulation
desk.
3.
The Office of College Activi-
ties operates not only to disperse
existing event information, but
also to collect new event informa-
tion. Members of campus clubs can
contact the office to better promote
their events. The physical calendar
is already printed, but the web cal-
endar can be updated. - The Office
of College Activities.
4.
Sleep better by avoiding
strenuous exercise, large meals or
bright computer lights before bed.
- Office of Counseling Services.
5.
Hydration is on students!
minds in the summer, but can eas-
ily be forgotten in the winter -
when it is still important. - Office
of Health and Wellness.
6.
Freshmen should begin to
think about future jobs, sopho-
mores should contemplate intern-
ships and career plans, juniors and
seniors should think about intern-
ships and graduate school or ca-
reer plans, and seniors should
have a job search underway. "Start
to plan ahead" - Stephen Cole, ex-
ecutive director of Career Services.
'1.
Students with long names
can save some time by logging in
with their alpha accounts, which
are shorter than the traditional
"first.last#" accounts. Contact
ResNet for more information. -
Karyn
Pierre-Louis, ResNet help
desk.
8.
Students are welcome to
attend student government meet-
ings at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays to
voice any ideas or concerns. - Paul
DiBlasi, junior class president.
·
,-----------------,
264
North Road
Poughkeepsie, NY
12601
-
a
Home of the famous
#ChickenBaconRanch
slice





















a&e
Thursday, January 26, 2012
www.maristcircle.com
Page8
Grimmer releases new tracks for 'Regular Kids'
By
MELANIE LAMORTE
A&E Editor
Almost a year after his hit song ''I
Love Marist" started a Marist phe-
nomenon on YouTube, student rap-
per John~y Grimmer is at it again.
His newest mix tape, "Regular
Kids" is more personal and inspired,
marking Grimmer's shift as a musi-
cian.
''This stuff really hits home,"
Grimmer said. ''It's from the heart."
Set to release on Valentine's Day,
"Regular Kids" is Grimmer's at-
tempt to reach students on a more
emotional level than before.
After "I Love Marist" received
more than 13,000 hits on YouTube,
Grimmer reached some local fame
on campus.
''I've had kids come up to me and
tell me they had partied to my song
over the weekend," Grimmer said.
With "Regular Kids;" however,
Grimmer intends to act as a positive
role model for students and inspire
them to go after their dreams.
"I want people to realize that I'm
just like everyone else and if I can
do it, you can too," Grimmer said,
who recoxds his music in a
makeshift studi~his Fulton bed-
room closet.
Between balancing his duties as
an
RA
and his coursework as an
Athletic Training major, Grimmer
has made time to devote to writing
new tracks and performing at
hometown open mic nights and
Marist parties. Recently, Grimmer
sang at a gig for
75
people, his
largest audience yet.
"People were singing along,"
THIS PHOTO IS
POWERED BY AURASMAGMARIST
RAYNA MENGEi/THE CIRCLE
Grimmer's logo, created
l:J'j
Rayna Mengel,
will
appear on hist-shirts. The proceeds
will be
donated
to
H<3rt1.
Grimmer said. "It was electrifying."
With "Regular Kids," Grimmer
said he strives to be a leader for
making a positive impact on peo-
ple's lives, making them happier
and more fulfilling.
''I just think that is one of his main
focuses," friend and fell ow RA Rosa
Panuccio said. ''To remain happy
and love and cherish and enjoy
everything that's here while we can
bec
_
ause life is greater than we think
it is."
''}ie_IDllar Kids" is expected to have
a total of 10 tracks, including "Free
Mind," a song Grimmer performed
at an open mic night. After his per-
formance,
Grimmer
was
ap-
proached by video production
students who were impressed by his
ability. They produced a music
video for the song that can now be
viewed on YouTube or on Grimmer's
personal website
,
http://johnny-
grimmer.com.
Other "Regular Kids" highlights
are ''Undercover Brother" and
"Never Break," both of which have
strong ties to Grimmer's experi-
ences at Marist and the campus
community. Grimmer described
''Undercover Brother" as being both
an expression of his two lives (acad-
emic and musical) and the philoso-
phies of the Marist Brothers, many
of which he can personally relate to.
"Never Break" is a musical repre-
sentation of how Grimmer enjoyed
childhood innocence and now ap-
preciates the ways in which college
has opened his eyes _to new experi-
ences.
In addition to trying to inspire
with his music, Grimmer said he
also plans to give back to the com-
munity with new t-shirts he intends
to sell. Featuring a logo designed by
student Rayna Mengel, Grimmer's
shirts will be sold through his web-
site and at performances. All pro-
ceeds from the shirt sales will be
donated to H<3rtl, an organization
founded by senior Danielle DeZao
that spreads awareness about do-
mestic dating violence. He is also
currently in the process of deciding
how he would musically like to help
those affected by the Fairview fire.
'1
want to try to use music to
change peoples' lives," Grimmer
said.
"He's helped me appreciate the
people around me more,'' Panuccio
said. "I can't wait to see where
music takes him from here."
Music in 2011: The year's top five standout releases
By
MATTHEW CASrAGNA
Staff Writer
With 2011 a good three weeks be-
hind us, now is as good as time as
any to layout the "best" musical se-
lections from the previous year.
The following is a collection of five
standout tracks from 2011 and a
brief defense of why each selection
deserves its respective ranking.
"House of Balloons/Glass
Table Girls"- The Weeknd:
Back
in late March when Toronto based
R&B artist Abel Tusfaye (aka The
Weeknd) independently released
his nine-song mixtape "House of
Balloons," nobody expected it to
take off as it did. Underground
artists had been trying for years to
elevate R&B to a new level of mod•
ern musical appreciation to mixed
success, but none have pulled to-
gether all the necessary ingredients
with such ease and well-earned
artistic indulgence. The self-titled
track says it all: a thick, drunken
narrative depicting the bitter pleas-
ures and losses of a drug impelled
lifestyle paired with strikingly gor-
geous vocal delivery and addictive
pop-inspired melodies.
"Glass Table Girls," - the second
half- drills the listener with a post-
dub drone to the point where you
can physically visualize the soiled
needles and crystalline powder lit-
tering the floors of stained hotel car-
pets.
"Midnight
City''-
M83:
His first
album since 2008, French multi-in-
strumentalist Anthony Gonzales re-
leases his most expansive work yet,
titled, "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming,"
an indeoetronic double-your-plea-
sure release that combines relent-
lessly catchy pop with dream-like
production. The lead single "Mid-
night City," effortlessly layers an
unforgettable synth-melody be-
tween winding coats of soaring
falsettos and a capping alto-sax solo
that drives the tracks steady emo-
tional transcendence through the
roof.
"Let Her Rest/Queen of
Hearts"- ~ e d Up:
When Cana-
dia'n punk group F***ed Up re-
leased their third full-length release
''David Comes To Life" in June, Spin
Magazine boldly (and rather pre-
emptively) claimed that it may be
the, "most epic punk album ever,"
propelling it to instant-stardom al-
most overnight. And while ''David"
may not hold up against the eclectic
thrall of "London Calling'' or sell
·
nearly a fraction of Green Day's
coming-of-age drama "American
Idiot," it's intricate character direc-
tion, wailing riffs ·and cougbmg-up-
blood vocal approach certainly helps
cement this pronounced crowning.
Interestingly enough, with nearly
72
minutes worth of material, it's
the two opening tracks that emulate
these strengths the most. Founded
on an isolate siren, "Let Her Rest"
sharply injects a series of synco-
pated guitar riffs, slowly forming a
nearly intractable buzz of call-and-
answer electric responses. The
screams and howls ofreverb lead di-
rectly into the "Queen of Hearts,"
where lead singer Damian Abra-
ham bloodily churns through a bru-
tal,
yet
strangely
dignified
romanticisation of the rise and fall
of modem humanity. Even with the
over-looming foreshadow of in-
evitable despail:, we are still treated
to a compelling work that speaks of
romantic charm and butane pound-
ing
pump-ups.
"Little Black Submarine"-The
Black
Keys:
The fourth cut from
the now well-established American
rock duo's seventh studio album "El
Camino," "Submarines" successfully
welcomes new life to the tiresomely
overused soft-loud dynamic rock
progression without branching out
from The Keys' comfortable box of
tricks. Lead guitarist/vocalist Dan
Aurback works a crisp, gentle blues
progression on an audibly tattered
acoustic guitar while hoarsely
singing of broken hearts and other
ambiguous romantic troubles. How-
ever, at the 2:06 mark, Aurback
swaps tender for powerful, force-
fully transitioning into an all-out
blast of power chords and crash
cymbals, ending with a rare, but
much-appreciated growling guitar
solo. The end result is a simple but
rewarding blues cut that shows us
that although they may not break
from their exceedingly narrow style
of work, The Black Keys are one of
the few groups that have the capa-
bility to nurse rock n' roll back to
health.
"Take Care"-
Drake:
Although
the majority of the backing track is
composed of Jamie XX's remix of the
Gil-Heron Scott cover of "I'll Take
Care Of U," featured artist Ri-
hanna's stunning vocal delivery and
Drake's smooth, rapid verses of
burned out love stories match beau-
tifully with an outstanding source of
finding support during times of dire
need.








www.martstclrcle.com
The Circle •
Thursday, January 26, 2012 •
PAGE 9
The Circle
would like to extend
its
sincerest thoughts to
all
those
affected
by
the ecent








































www.marlstclrcle.com
THE CIRCLE • Thursday, January 26, 2012 •
Page
10
Soccer star Witkowski drafted into MLS
By
GARRIN MARCHETTI
Staff Writer
During his career at Marist, senior
soccer player Krystian Witkowski
was a National Soccer Coaches
As-
sociation of America (NSCAA) All-
Region and All-Metro Atlantic
Athletic Conference (MAAC) player
three times, while totaling 21 goals
and 54 points during his tenure
with the Red Foxes.
Now, he can add another accom-
plishment to his impressive career:
a Major League Soccer player.
Witkowski was selected by the
MLS's Philadelphia Union in the
league's Supplemental Draft on
Jan. 17, the 13th pick in the second
round. He is the first player in
Marist program history to get
drafted into the MLS.
"During my time here at Marist,
getting drafted had always been in
the back of my mind,"
Witkowski
said.
''I
knew that if I worked hard
and played well, someone would no-
tice."
That "someone" was an MLS
scout who attended the matchup be-
tween Marist and nationally ranked
University of Virginia during the
2010 season. Witkowski knows how
lucky he was to have had the oppor-
tunity to play in front of the scout.
"By chance, I had a good per-
formance against UV
A,
and a scout
was there," Witkowski said. "I'm
lucky that he was there, and I was
able to make a good impression."
To prepare for the possibility of
playing at the professional level,
Witkowski knew he would have to
be in great physical shape. This was
something on which he particularly
worked hard during the off-season
to be ready for the 2011 season.
"Out of all the things I worked on
during the off-season, the overall
thing was my fitness level. I've al-
ways worked hard to be in the best
shape possible, but to play profes-
sionally, you need to be able to run
up and down the field easily,"
Witkowski explained. "[The scouts]
look for players who can play both
ways, and that was something I
wanted to achieve this season."
Clearly, Witkowski's offseason ef-
forts proved successful. Now he has
a chance to prove he belongs in the
MLS, playing for a Philadelphia
Union team that finished third in
the Eastern Conference with an 11-
8-15 record. Witkowski arrived at
the team's training camp on Jan.
24, and he knows it is onJy going to
get busier from there.
"After a week in Philadelphia, we
go to Orlando on Feb. 2 for two
weeks, and then the season starts
right up
in
March. On top of all
that, I am still trying to graduate
this semester. I know it is going to
be very busy over the next few
months, but I'm ready for it,"
Witkowski said.
For Witkowski, there were many
highlights during his illustrious ca-
reer as a Red Fox. One memory that
means the most to
him,
however,
came
during
this past season.
"This past season we beat Loyola
.
on Senior Day, and that was really
special, not only for me but for the
other seniors on the team," said
Witkowski, who dished out two as-
sists and had two shots for Marist
in their 3-0 victory over their MAAC
rivals. ''We wanted to beat them be-
fore we graduated, so that was awe-
some."
Thia photo
la
powered
by
AurasmaOMartst
PHOTO COURTSEY OF GOREDFOXES
Krystlan Witkowski (above) was drafted
by
the
Philadelphia
Union
of
the
MLS
on
Jan. 17.
Witkowski was a
three-time AII-
MA>C team selection during his career at
Marlst.
Swimming and Diving splits with BC
By
JOE
FITZHENRY
Circle Contributer
The Red Foxes took to the pool
against Boston College this past
weekend at McCann Natatorium.
The Eagles, traditionally one of the
upper-tier programs in the ACC.
presented a challenge for Marist.
On the women's side, the Red
Foxes defeated Boston College by a
score of f73-122. The win marks the
10th dual meet win of the season for
Marist, setting a program record
since haed coach Larry Van Wagner
and Melanie Bolstad took over as
coaches of the program.
The true dominance may not be
shown in the score, but in the fact
that the Red Foxes swept all 16
events over the course of the meet.
The clean sweep included two wins
each by Michelle Fountain, Kate
Conard, Erica Vitale,
Maddie
Ar-
ciello, Greta Leberfinger and Kim-
berly Tobias.
Another notable swimmer for the
Red Foxes was Allison Kreho, who
finished 2nd in the 100-yd back-
stroke with a time of 1:00.18.
"I usually struggle in this meet
every year due to the timing of it,
but I tried to put it behind me,"
Kreho said. She also added about
the team's performance that she
thinks the team is "mentally pre-
pared" for MAACs.
For the divers, Coach Melanie Bol-
stad said that "the team performed
very well," especially Sean Molloy in
the 3-meter and Jacob Baker in the
1-meter events. Along with the solid
performances from the men, the
girls swept the top three places in
the 1-meter event. Molloy qualified
for NCAAs in the 3-meter event and
recorded the second-highest score in
program history with a
score
of 330
against Southern Connecticut State
earlier this month.
The men's team came up just
short 173-126, but VanWagner
seemed relatively upbeat about the
result.
"There were six events I thought
we could've out-touched them, that
would have made up 60 points and
won us the
m~
,
"
Van Wagner said.
He also had great respect for the
Boston College program, saying
that "they are a better program and
a few upsets were needed in order to
get the win."
Despite the losing effort, there
were a few winners among the Red
Fox swimmers, with freshman
Jason Ruddy recording 3 wins and
Nick Spinella also taking home a
victory. Ruddy won in the 200-yd
outterfly, the 100-yd fly and the
200-yd IM, while Spinella took
home the title in the 200-yd back-
stroke with
a
time of 1:56.26.
Also notable were the 11 second-
place finishes recorded by th~ Red
Foxes, which, as referenced before,
could have made the difference in
the meet. The runner-up finishes in-
cluded sophomore Alex Lombardi
and freshmen Evan Uy and Dylan
Cummings each finishing within .10
seconds of the victor in each of their
J;"espective races.
''The Eagles were a great way to
match up someone with the same
ability level athletically and the
close races will prepare us for any
potential touch-outs at MAACs,"
senior Joe Papiro said.
The MAAC Championships will be
held in Buffalo from Feb. 16-18.
Up next for the Red Foxes is their
final meet of the regular season on
Senior Day against the Seton Hall
Pirates of the Big East conference
.
The meet
will
take place Saturday,
Jan. 28 at 1 p.m. in the McCann
Natatorium.
The Fox Trot
■'JJfllliF
Quick
hits of the week in Marist athletics
Men's
Tennis Opens
Strong
The Marist men's tennis team
began their spring season over the
weekend at the Harvard Invite,
in
Cambridge,
MA.
The Red Foxes re-
ceived strong outings from several
players.
Matteo Giudici had a perfect 3-0
weekend to lead Marist. The fresh-
man from Parma, Italy, won all
three of
his
matches
in
straight
sets, 6-3, 6-3. Giudici also won a
tight doubles match, with partner
and fellow freshman Joseph Dube,
9-8 (5).
Other notable performers were
Billy Bishop, who went 2-1 in his
single matches, and the
doubles
team of Lorenzo Rossi and Matt
Himmelsbach.
Head Coach
Tim
Smith was
happy with the performances of his
players.
'1
was pleased with the way we
finished the tournament with most
of our singles and doubles teams
improving each day," said Smith,
in a statement courtesy of the
Marist Athletics website.
The Red Foxes will be back in ac-
tion on Feb. 4, when they take on
New Jersey Institute of Technology
for a road dual match.
Former Red
Fox
Hits Gridion
According to the twitter of Sean
McMann of the Poughkeepsie
Journal, former Marist men's bas-
ketball player Menelik Watson has
accepted a scholarship to play foot-
ball next season at Florida State.
Watson played basketball for the
Red Foxes just last season before
transferring to pursue a football
career as an offensive lineman.
Watson wound up at Saddleback
Community College, where he has
impressed many observers
in
his
new sport, one of whom being Don
Butcher who is the Director of
Football
Operations at Saddleback.
"He's 6 foot 7,310 pounds and
runs 4. 72," Butcher said
in
an in-
terview posted on Florida State
blog "Chant Rant" regarding Wat-
son. "He'll be in the NFL in two or
three years."
Upcoming Athletic Events
Women's
Basketball:
1/27
@Iona,
1/29
@
iena
Men's Basketball:
1/27
®Siena,
1128 ('!Fairfield
en's
Track and
Field:
1127
@New
York,
1/28
Boston
Women'
Track
and Fi Id: 1/27
@New
York, 1/28
Boston
Men's Swimming and Diving:
1128
vs. eton Hall
Women's Swimming and Div-
ing:
1128 vs. Seton Hall


























www.maristctrcle.com
TliE CIRCLE • Thursday, January 26, 2012 •
Page
11.
Women's basketball rolling over the MAAC
By
ZACH DOOLEY
throughout the lineup, particularly cently and has allowed her t.o excel
Off the bench, Natalie Gomez has
Staff Writer
in the starting five. Marist has got-
as an offensive player.
shined in limited minutes. Gomez
It just doesn't seem
to
matter who
the Marist women's basketball team
is playing these days - the wins
keep on coming. Two conference
wins just this past week
-
over Rider
and Loyola move the Red Foxes to
8-0 in MAAC play, and the women
are showing no signs of stopping.
Last Wednesday featured a
blowout win over Rider, by a score
of 76-54, in a game that really was
not even as close as the 22-point
margin. Kelsey Beynnon had a ca-
reer-high 18 points to go along with
a career-high 17 points from Leanne
Ockenden t.o lead Marist in the rout.
"We played in spurts, but when we
played well, I thought we played ex-
tremely well," Marist head coach
Brian Giorgis said. "We obviously
shot the basketball very well today."
The Red Foxes followed up the vic-
tory over the Broncs with a hard-
fought game over Loyola. Although
it was closer than many wins in re-
cent memory, Marist was able to
take a tough test from a gritty Loy-
ola squad and handle it with flying
colors.
"It was kind of funny, I went into
the locker room and said,
'Kids,
this
is
a tremendous win,"' Giorgis said,
"and they all looked at me like they
thought they we're going to get
screamed at, but it really was be-
cause
it's
the first time anyone's re-
ally gone after them since Hofstra
and Auburn."
Even though they went through a
tough start, going just S-6
iii
non-
conference play, the Red Foxes are
exactly where they need to be as
they approach the halfway point of
conference play.
In
a traditionally
one-bid conference
·
like the MAAC,
conference play is really what mat-
ters most, and Marist is hitting its
stride at the most important time of
the season.
One of the main reasons for the
rise in play is the consistency
From Page
12
ten great play from its starters re-
"I'm just trying
to
get in there and was solid against Loyola, hitting
cently, and the ability to have five not really think and just kind of let two big shots, as well as displaying
legitimate scoring options has b~en things go," Beynnon said.
''I
would-
ball handling skills that suggest she
probably the biggest key to the n't really call myself a selfish will be a starting point guard in the
team's success.
player, so I don't think [I look fortny near future.
"On arcy given night we have own shot].
I
take the shot when it's
"I
thought Natalie Gomez had a
about eight to 10 people who can open, but I'm not alway& looking for great game, especially in the second
score in double digits," Giorgis said. my own shot."
half," Giorgis said of Gomez after
''We want people to know that they
The rest of the starting five, senior the Loyola game. "She had the one
can't sag off somebody, because that guard Corielle Yarde, sophomore big bucket, she had the big three to
person's
going to hurt them. If we guard Casey Dulin and senior for-
put us up eight, just did a really, re-
have everyone involved in the of-
ward Brandy Gang has been solid ally nice job for us and handled the
fense it just makes us that much as well. Dulin was handed the task pressure a little better. We're out
t.ougher to deal with."
of filling in for the injured Kristine there playing with really no point
One player in particular who has Best at the point and has done an guard for most of the night and she
played especially well recently is admirable job of doing so.
settled things down and went at
sophomore guard Leanne Ock-
Yarde and Gang have been the people."
enden, who has stood out at both backbone of the team all season and
Marist is next in action this Fri-
ends of the floor. Always known for are currently the only two Red day when the take to the road to
her sharp shooting at the offensive Foxes in double digits in scoring play the Iona Gaels at 7 p.m. in New
end, she has developed a confidence with 15.2 and 11.6 points per game, Rochelle, N.Y. They continue their
which has allowed her to hit shots respectively.
Yarde is also the road trip on Sunday when they
she might not have last year.
teams
leading
rebounder, averaging travel to Loudonville,
N.Y.
to take
"Sometimes I miss a few threes, 6.8 per game and the leader in as-
on the Siena Saints at 2 p.m.
·
but I just have to keep on shooting, sists with 85 on the season.
and
I
knocked a couple down which
helped qs," Ockenden said after the
Rider game.
In addition to her offensive game,
her defensive game has come to
light recently, and she has estab-
lished herself as one of the t.op shut-
down guards in the MAAC.
Ockenden typically draws the top
guard on the opposing team as an
assignment, something at which she
has
excelled
all season.
"She's been our defensive stalwart
all year, and she's done the best job
in the conference," Giorgis said.
"A-gain, we saw sonreone
having-
a
poor shooting percentage with
[Leanne] on her. She's long, and the
one thing I think she does best is
that she contests shots/'
Another player who has stood out
in a positive way is junior forward
Kelsey Beynnon, who set a career
high with 18 points against Rider,
followed up with a solid 12 against
Loyola. Beynnon's ability to get to
the rim has been outstan~ng re-
RYAN RIVARD/THE
CIRCLE
Marist
forward
Kelsey Beynnon
(above)
and the Red Foxes are rolling once again, and
are
currently
8-0
In MMC
play.
Men's basketball on five-game losing streak
"I think our guys are concerned. I teams in the league saw it and
A win (or two) this weekend would
staff that understands the kids and
think we're concerned as a staff. everyone just said we'll play zone. not be just one more to add to the
can make them feel comfortable.
This is the first time this year we've So every team since the second column in the standings.
It
could be
"You just have one less support sys-
kinda run int.a something like this. Rider game has played a zone. So proof that this
program
really has
tem to reinforce what we're trying to
So we know our guys are a little clearly we gotta get better against turned the corner. Two losses might
do
not only on 'the court but off the
fragile."
zones and fuel more comfortable."
bring us back to square one.
court. So yeah it was a blow, but I'm
Concerned and fragile. Not down
There are other improvements
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
happy for him because it's a tremen-
and out ... yet: That's why this Martin said were necessary t.o turn
dous opportunity for him."
streak has
to
end this weekend.
the
losing
ways around.
Martin
on
last Sunday's home game
Martin said basketball execution
''We have to become a more phys-
against Fairfield being delayed:
isn't his entire focus in coaching this ical team," Martin said. "I know
"Obviously it's a tragic situation,
week.
what Siena's gonna run, they know
and I think Dr. Murray did the right
"My biggest concern is trying
to
what we're going to run, so it's just
thing. Sometimes things happen in
handle these guys from the neck a matter of are your players physi-
life that put everything in perspec-
up," Martin said. "Physically they cal enough to execute it. Practice
tive. Three young lives ... it hit too
can play. Physically we can get back has become much more physical,
close to home. I think Dr. Murray
on track. We lost five in a row, we much more competitive, and the en-
made the right call."
can win five in a row. But are we ergy's really gone through the roof."
mentally tough enough t.o have the
That last bit about the energy at
grit to pull ourselves out of it? practice ought to make Marist fans
That's the key."
feel good about what is going on in
But what is it on the court that's the McCann Arena
·
during the
contributed t.o five straight losses?
week.
Martin said that the second game
Martin knows what has to be
the Foxes played against Rider, the done. The team knows what has t.o
Broncs came out with a zone de-
be done. The only question is
fense, something Marist had not whether or not it will be done.
seen yet this year.
Siena on Friday night, Fairfield on
''It worked," Martin said. "Other Sunday afternoon.
Martin on losing Direct.or of Opera-
tions
J.J.
Outlaw, who left to join
the staff of the Los Angeles Lakers:
"J.J.
brought a lot to the table.
We're certainly not saying we've-lost
the games we lost because of
J.J.,
but he did contribute a lot, he had
great energy, great enthusiasm, he
had a great rapport with our kids.
Sometimes that's more than the ac-
tual Xs and Os, having a guy on
Martin on the upcoming matcbup
with Siena (Friday, 7 p.m.):
"We gotta attack their zone. They
only have six guys, but they're big.
O.D. (Anosike)'s big, he leads the na-
tion in double-doubles. That's a re-
markable stat. Brandon Walters is a
transfer from Seton Hall. So they
start 6'9': 6'9", Wignot is 6
1
6".
They're big, but they're not deep. So
we'll see if we can get them up and
down a little bit and get into their
legs a little bit. But we gotta attack
that zone better and we gotta re-
bound the ball, because they're a big
team. Obviously they're feeling great
after a tremendous win (Monday)
over Iona."
















s
Thursday, January 26, 2012
www.maristcircle.com
Witkowski drafted
by Phlladelphla Union
Page
10
Page 12
Column: Marist men need a win this weekend
By
ERIC VAN DER VOORT
Sports Editor
It might be hard for Marist fans
who have experienced the last cou-
ple years to ignore that "Oh no, not
again ... " thought that's lurking in
the back of their heads.
It's not ready to come out quite
yet. But it's there, ready to pounce.
The Marist men's basketball team
is on a five-game losing streak, with
the closest margin of defeat in those
five games being 10 points
to
MAAC
cellar-dweller
Canisius.
Other
losses came by 13, 24, 19 and 17.
But this team is not down and out.
They are not ready to be buried.
However, things have to change
soon - or even now.
After an optimistic feeling follow-
ing Marist's win over St. Peter's to
reach .500, it has gone downhill,
and fast. Right now, the Red Foxes
are at
7 -12 overall and 2-6 in the
MAAC, sitting alone in ninth place.
While the new McCann Arena has
been generally friendly, they are an
abysmal
0-8
in road games.
That has to change this weekend.
On Friday, Marist will travel up
the Hudson
to
take on rival Siena at
the Times Union Center. The Saints
are coming off an emotional 65-62
victory over conference-favorite
THIS PHOTO IS
POWERED BY AURASMAOMARIST
JON O'SULLIVAP(/THE
CIRCLE
Freshman Chavaighn Lewis (above) goes to the hoop In Friday's game
against
Man-
hattan. Lewis led the Foxes
with
11 points, as the Reel Foxes only scored three field
goals In the final 25 minutes of the game. Marist fell
to
the Jaspers 61-44.
Iona
and have now won five straight that held the Foxes to three field
at home. This will be followed by a
goals iii the second half on Friday
trip to take on Fairfield, which is
5-
would be waiting next. That might
3
in conference. Neither is an easy kill any optimism that is still hang-
task.
ing around.
If
the Red Foxes fall in both, we
It's not exactly last year, or defi-
will then be looking at a team that nitely not the year before, head
is 2-8 in the conference, on a seven-
coach Chuck Martin said.
game losing streak, and has not won
"Half the team wasn't here," Mar-
a road game in 10 tries. To make tin said of the recent losing years.
matters worse, a Manhattan team "They don't know anything else
other than the five games."
Sophomore forward Jay Bowie
said that not much is different in
the team's attitude due to the losing
streak.
"Nothing's changed from the be-
ginning of the season," Bowie said.
''We're all really good friends off the
court, and that hasn't changed
in
the locker room. We're struggling
right now, but no one's pointing
fin.
gers or anything. We're all good
friends."
Bowie, a starter, only played nine
minutes in the Foxes' 61-44 loss to
Manhattan on Friday. The Tampa,
Fla. native is averaging 5.4 points
per game and has found himself on
the bench often in the second half.
But still, Bowie is often the loudest
cheerer from the bench and does not
seem frustrated with his diminished
role.
"Chavaughn and Manny have
been making plays, so I can't argue
with that," Bowie said. "As long as
we're winning, I don't mind.
As
long
as we're competing, I don't mind."
But how much more losing can
happen before these guys start to
mind?
Martin described the Red Foxes'
current mental state as "concerned"
and "fragile."
SEE MEN'S, PAGE 11