VOLUME 57, ISSUE 19
FOUNDED IN 1965
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2004
Despite media scrutiny, Kerry stands firm
By
MARISSA
KOCH
&
ALISSA BREW
Competing against. a media
more eager to report candidates'
personality flaws rather than
policies and purposes, John
Kerry has campaigned his way to
the front of the Democratic
presidential nomination race.
Kerry, a Senator from
Massachusetts, won 15 of the
last 17 Democratic
contests.
His
most
recent
victory,
the
Wisconsin primary on Feb. I 7, in
which he defeated Senator John
Edwards by a four percent mar-
gin,
was
enough
to continue his
bid
for
the
presidential
nomination and force would-be
candidate Howard Dean to drop
out of the race.
Yet media focus has consistent-
ly veered away from talk of poli-
cies, spotlighting on candidates'
personal aspects.
For Robyn Rosen, chair of the
history department at Marist,
candidate news coverage can
only be described as inadequate.
"The coverage is an about
personalities and polls. They tel1
you who is ahead and who is
behind, but they
don't
tel1 you
what the candidates stand for.
It's about the percentages of
results
as opposed to the
platforms," Rosen said.
"The
reporting
is
not issue oriented at
a11."
Claire Keith,
assistant
profes-
sor
in
Marist's foreign language
department agrees.
"On
the whole, the debates and
the election information have
been poorly
reported.
There is
no coherent representation in the
media of the candidates and their
policies," Keith said.
However
,
despite
poor media
ployment and the international
issues of bringing peace to Iraq.
According to his official Web
site,
Kerry
's
overall goals are to
"make the country we love safer,
stronger, and more secure."
'The coverage Is all about per-
sonalities and polls. They tell
you who is ahead and who Is
behind, but they don't tell you
what the candidates stand for.'
Among
the
most
contested
issues fac-
ing
the
nation
are
the war in
Iraq
and
reports, candi-
dates have not
lost their focus
on
policies.
Issues such as
foreign
policy
,
the economy,
unemploy-
ment,
health
care, domestic
security, edu-
_ Robyn Rosen
American
Chair, history department
f o r e
i
g
n
cation,
and
the environment have
been continually
brought
up in
every debate.
Topping Kerry's platform are
the
domestic
issues of unem-
policy.
Kerry believes that in order to
bring peace to the conflict, it
is
important to work with other
nations.
Doing so would
denounce the thought that
Student Government Association to announce
,
new officers Friday
COURTNEY KRETZ
/ THE CIRCLE
Presidential
candidates
Linda Crane (left)
and
John Mullady (right) listen as panel members
ask
them questions
about
their
campaign
and
plans for the postltlon
If
elected. Crane and
Mullady were
asked six
questions, two
from each panelist, and
were
allowed
two min-
utes
to answer each.
America is working as a
unilater-
al power.
In addition, Kerry has
outlined
eight steps that he
believes
will
help win the war
on
terror. Some
of
these steps
include
reconstuct-
ing alliances ( especially with the
United Nations), cutting off
terrorist
funding,
build
ing
bridges
with the Islamic world,
and
becoming
a stronger force in
the Middle-East peace
process.
Kerry's
detailed
plans are not
limited
to situations that take
place on foreign
land.
When it
comes
to
the
economy,
unemployment, edu<;ation, and
health care, Kerry stands firmly
behind
his ideas, which would
attempt
to
strengthen
domestic
policy.
The first item on his homeland
agenda is restoring jobs to the
unemployed
and improving the
economy.
Kerry promises to
ins
t
itute
a plan in which $50
billion would go to states to
create jobs. His initial
·
goal is
establishing three million jobs
within the first 500 days of his
administration.
Kerry believes ro11ing back the
tax
cuts imposed by the Bush
administration and focusing on
the responsibility of corporations
to their shareholders, consumers,
and workers are important steps
towards
recovering
the economy.
Kerry also plans to institute
progtams that would allow for all
Americans to afford college,
health care, and improved
education systems and environ-
SEE KERRY, PAGE 6
Media brands
Dean for speech
By
ALEX PANAGIOTOPOULOS
&
JENNIFER CUMMINGS
Howard Dean's speech after
the Iowa caucus
seemed
more
fit
for a "WWE Smackdown"
broadcast than
constant play on
24-hour news
channels.
Most Americans by now have
seen
the
infamous
Hulk
Hoganesque speech following
Howard
Dean
's
disappointing
Dean Alive" (a Bee Gees remix),
"Hey
Yeaaah"
(an
Outkast
remix),
and
"Pretty
Fly for a
Dean Guy
"
(based
on an
Offspring song).
Although
Dean was touted as
the
leading
candidate prior
to
the
primaries,
his
campaign
sput-
tered to a halt on Feb.
21
after
losing in 17 straight states.
Christine
Daly
of
Poughkeepsie said that Dean's
fate was sealed
third-place finish
after the Iowa
caucus.
It was
hard to miss,
considering
CNN alone aired
'Prior to that speech, he
was designated as the
frontrunner, but after
that one sllp-up, It was
after
Have
his
"I
a
Scream"
speech.
"Prior to that
speech, he was
the
clip
633
over.'
times in the four
days following
Dean
'
s scream.
Thanks to the coverage, many
people associate Dean
's
infa-
mous
"Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
with his
campaign,
but have had
little
exposure
to his actual poli-
cies.
The Internet is even inundated
with parodies of the speech that
combine
Dean's
shrieks
with
music, with titles such as
"Keep
- Christine
Daly
designated as
the frontrunner,
but
after that
one slip-up, it was over," Daly
said.
"I
think it was somewhat
overblown after that point."
According
to
Lee Miringoff,
Marist Institute of Public
Opinion director,
those
who
filter through the media
frenzy
can get to the real
issues
at hand
regarding
the
Democratic
SEE DEAN, PAGE 6
Inception of honor society will enrich Spanish
_
department
By
STACEY CASWELL
Copy Editor
With distinct
Castillian
flair,
Marist welcomed the first
ever
bilingual
Spanish nationa
l
honor
society Sunday
night.
Phi Pi,
a chapter of
the
society,
Sigma Delta Pi, was inducted
during
a candlelight ceremony
in
the Henry Hudson Room.
This is the
first time
that Marist
has
been
affiliated with a bilin-
gual honor
society
during
its 7 4
year history
.
Kristin Mancini, the
founder
and first president of
the Phi Pi
c
h
apter at
Marist, decided to
form
the the
chapter after
realiz-
THE CIRCLE
845-575-3000
ext.
2429
writethecircle
@
hotmail.com
3399
North
Road
Poughkeepsie,
NY
12601
ing that
almost every
other
Marist
academic
department has
its own honor society.
"I happen to live in a house
with other students that are mem-
bers
of honor
societies,
and I just
thought that this would be a step
in the right direction for the
Spanish department."
Due to the urging of assistant
professor
Dr. Kevin
Gaugler,
Mancini
gathered
the necessary
information on becoming official
members
of
the
society.
She
chose Gaugler as
the
faculty
advisor.
"I thought Professor
Gaugler
would be the best one because he
seemed so
impressed with the
fact that I was learning to do
this," Mancini
said.
The
next
step
was forming a
list of potential members that
met the requirements
.
To be
inducted, students have to be in
their junior or senior year and
maintain at least a
3.2 G.P.A.
In
addition, they have to rank in the
upper
30% of
their
class.
Gaugler was impressed with
Mancini's tenacity and
g
l
adly
accepted the job
of
advisor
as
well as the
responsilbity
of
choosing
the new inductees.
"I
realized it was
something
that the
school
needed,
"
he
said.
"There
wasn't an [academic]
outlet
for promoting the
study of
OPINION: GAY MARRIAGE CONTROVERSY
In the wake
ot.
President Bush's anti-gay marriage stance,
everyone
has
an
opinion on the situation. How long will
your
opinion
be valued before
gay
marriage is banned?
PAGE4
Spanish."
The induction ceremony,
con-
ducted
in
Spanish with com-
ments in
English
from Gaugler,
included
a
reading of an
epic
Spanish
poem, delivered by Irma
Casey, chair
of the department of
modem languages at Marist.
The poem,
"El
Mio
Cid,"
addresses the issue of honor and
respect in medieval Spain
.
Since it was the first of its kind
at
Marist, Dr.
Eric Eckman,
assistant
professor of Spanish at
SUNY
New Paltz and member of
Sigma
Delta Pi,
conducted
the
ceremony. Each
newly formed
chapter is
required to have
a
member from one of the
sur
-
rounding
chapters
perform the
initial induction.
Next year, Gaugler will take
over as master of
ceremonies
during the
second
inaugural
process.
Following the
ceremony,
par-
ents
and friends of the inductees
enjoyed
a banquet of traditional
Dominican food and a
cake
donated by Mancini's mother.
Even
though the majority of the
audience didn
't
speak Spanish,
they understood
the
importance
of the ceremon
y
and
what it
meant for their loved ones.
Inductee Katie Rapp
,
junior,
said out of her
fami
l
y,
it was her
grandmother
who
appreciated
FEATURES: PARKING:
ALWAYS A PROBLEM
Columnist Alec Troxell discusses the problematic issue of
parking
on
campus.
Can
and
will
it
be
addressed and
r
eso
lved?
PAGE5
the ceremony most, particularly
the reading by
Casey.
"I
don't
think she
was
expect-
ing something so vibrant
,"
she
said
.
"She really
thought
it
was
wonderful to have someone so
passionate
about something like
that."
Mancini is
extreme
l
y
pleased
with
the group of
selected
stu-
dents.
"This
is some
t
hing that I think
should have been
established a
long time
ago,"
she said
."
I hope
that this
year's group
will be
able
to
create
a
good basis
from
which this
society will grow
from
in
the future."










































































THE CIRCLE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2004
Securitv Briefs:
maristclrcle.com
The
"Security
Briefs" and the
"
Alcohol Fantasy
Beat" are intended; to be a parody and not a repre-
sentation of The Circle~ editorial stance on drink-
ing - illegal or otherwise - nor is it intended to be
a statement regarding the official Marist college
policy on alcohol
consumption
.
PAGE2
I'll double dip your three wisemen
Compiled by DAN ROY
Campus Editor
2/16
-
The fire alarm went off in Lower West Cedar N
block Monday at 10:00 p.m. The proverbial food in the
microwave was the cause . . . "I've never heard of that
proverb before." ~un along little Sally.
2/17
-
A student had her cell phone stolen from the
music room at 11 :45 a.m. Tuesday. The student canceled
her service with the phone company, so calls could no
longer be charged to her nar;ne. Unfortunately, larceny is
going to be a bit of a trend this week.
On
a lighter note,
did you see that sky today? Talk about blue!
2/18
-
A student returned to her car parked in the North
End lot to find 115 CDs missing and her 35 mm camera
stolen at 7:35 p.m. There were no signs of forced entry
into the car. Wow, that really stinks. 115 CDs is quite a
collection. My only advice is next time, don't leave 115
CDs and a camera in an unlocked car. And if you do,
label every single one of the CDs Michael Bolton. That
sometimes works better than a lock.
2/19
-
Here's an odd one. Security observed a student
pick up a traffic cone and threw it down an embankment
at 11 :30 p.m. Thursday
.
The guard recorded the student's
information and let
him
go. Security soon realized that
Hugh Jass does not attend Marist College. They ran into
the student later in Donnelly and this time he gave secu-
rity his real information. Very funny I must admit. You
probably would have gotten away with it too, if you
weren't so stupid to be in Donnelly, security's headquar-
ters, right after you did it. You live and you learn.
2/20
-
Another larceny went down in the North End lot
at 5:00 p.m. Friday. The vehicle was entered and the car
radio was stolen. Reportedly this car was not locked at
the time of the incident. Ok that's it, you are forcing me
to do this. I don't want to do it, but it's for you own
good . . . Security Tip: Lock your doors when you park!
Or
I have a better idea, leave your car keys in the
igni-
tion. That way if someone does want to steal something
out of your car, they can take the car with them! No, no
wait. Locking your doors makes more sense. Thank
you.
2/20 -
Two students carrying heavy backpacks were
observed by security at 10:40 p.m. Friday in front of
Champagnat. The officer checked the heavy backpacks
and found an 18 pack of Bud Light in each of them. It's
just funny to me that we still think security will believe
we are studying at 11 p.m. on a Friday when we carry our
full book bags. Anyway, before you get excited
Champagnat, these idiots are from Leo, so the points will
be going to them.
2/21
-
An intoxicated student tried entering Leo at
12:20 a.m. Saturday to no avail. He was evaluated and
forced to sit in the
lobby
for an hour before going in. Leo
was my pick from last semester, and they have done
nothing but prove that I think I know what I'm talking
about. Thanks guys, a little bit of self confidence goes a
long way.
'
2/21
-
Sneaking into a Sheahan window is not a good
idea.
It
is a worse idea when
security
is right there to see
you. It is an even worse idea when you are drunk.
It
makes it even worse when the room you are sneaking
into has cans of beer lying around. And finally, it is a
really bad idea when those beers were bought by kids in
the room who have fake IDs. All of the above happened
at 1 :55 a.m. Saturday. The drunk student sneaking in was
taken to St. Francis, the beer cans in the room were
thrown away, and the fake IDs were confiscated. What a
night, huh guys?
THE
CIRCLE
Cassi
G.
Matos
CourtneyJ.Kretz
Stacey
L
Ceswell
Editor in Chief
Managing
Editor
Copy
Editor
PaulSeach
Tara Morrill
Kate
Giglio
Sports
Editor
Assistant Managing Editor
A
&
E Editor
Alissa Brew
Sara Stevens
Louis
P.
Ortiz Ill
News Editor
features
Editor
Assistant Editor
2/21
-
Champagnat had their own alcohol confiscation
at 9:00 p.m. Five students and a recruit were found with
36 cans of Bud and Busch Light. What a way to show off
our school, getting written up for drinking in a freshman
dorm. I can't see this recruit going anywhere else after
that.
This is good too, because if he was here for football
or basketball, we're going to need
him.
2/22 -
A
couple
of
students acting
like
Community
Watch witnessed a person kick a side mirror off a Chevy
Lumina at 1
:00
a.m. Sunday. The unknown person then
hopped into a car and drove off.
Not
so fast! Our Spy
Kids got the plate number
to
your getaway car, and
reported you to town police. Agent
Cody
Banks would be
proud.
Alcohol - related
incidents this week
Leo-2
Sheahan-1
Champagnat - 1
Total alcohol-related
incidents
Leo-7
Champagnat - 4
Gartland -3
Midrise-2
Old Townhouses
-
2
Upper We;,t Cedar-1
Sheahan -1
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THE
CIRCLE
''
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2004
maristcircle.com
I
think
that marriage is a totally
private matter and it only
involves really the two parties.
''
- Athena Chen
Colgate University
frosh
PAGE3
Mass gay marriages before Bush imposes ban
By
KATE GIGLIO
A&E Editor
The highly tense matter of gay
marriage
and
its potential legali-
ty has been at the top of political
minds lately.
In the past, the issue has sim-
mered,
but
has
not
boiled the
way it has
recently
.
On
Tuesday,
Feb. 24,
President Bush
official-
ly
announced
his
support of
an
amendment
to
the
U.S.
Constitution
to ban
same-sex
marriage.
"After
more than
two centuries
of
American jurisprudence and
millennia of
human
experience,
a few
judges and
local authori-
ties are presuming
to change the
most fundamental
institution of
civilization,"
Bush
said in his
statements
Tuesday.
"If
we're to prevent the
mean-
ing of marriage from being
changed forever,
our
nation must
enact a constitutional amend-
ment to protect marriage in
America. Decisive and demo-
cratic action is needed because
attempts to redefine marriage in
a
single state
or
city could have
serious consequences throughout
the
country
.
"
Bush went on to express his
desire to maintain the establish-
ment of marriage as a union
between
a woman and a
man.
"Today, I call upon the
Congress to promptly pass and to
send to the states for ratification
an
amendment
to
our
Constitution defining and pro-
tecting marriage as a union of a
man and woman as husband
and
wife," said Bush. ''The amend-
ment should fully protect
mar-
riage, while leaving the state leg-
islatures free to make their
own
choices
in
defining
legal
arrangements other
than
mar-
riage."
An
amendment to the constitu-
tion requires a two-thirds major-
ity in
both
the House and the
Senate, and then must be ratified
by three-fourths, or 38, of the 50
states.
According to CNN, John
Feehery,
spokesman
for
Republican
House
Speaker
Dennis Hastert, said it will be
difficult for Republican leaders
to get the vote required to pass
any such amendment.
In addition, the House
Judiciary Committee does not
currently plan to hold hearings
on an amendment "anytime
soon," a committee aide said
Tuesday. Because it would like-
ly not get the two-thirds vote it
needs anyway, the amendment is
"premature to worry about" now.
Therefore, the committee will
wait for the Senate to act on the
amendment before even begin-
ning to address the prospect of
one.
Outcry to Bush's stance has
been widespread.
Democratic
National
Committee
Chairman Terry
McAuliffe said in a written state-
ment, "President
Bush came
to
the White House
pledging
to
unite
us and
is now seeking to
divide
the
country for
his
own
political gain."
McAuliffe
said
the
Democratic
Party would oppose
the amend-
ment
Bush
plans to
propose.
.
"It
is wrong to write
discrimi-
nation into the U.S. Constitution,
and it is shameful to use attacks
against gay and
lesbian
families
as
an
election strategy," said
McAuliffe.
Students
have adopted this
anti-discriminatory sentiment as
well.
"Present-day barriers to gays
are, in a way, similar to the barri-
ers erected
during
slavery to
slave marriages
-
they are based
solely
on
unsubstantiated racist
fears," Krista Saubert, a fresh-
man at Tulane University said.
A marriage contract should only
concern
the couple involved, the
state giving them the license, and
whatever God they believe in, if
any. To say that gay people have
no right to participate in the holy
rite of matrimony because they
are
gay, degrades them
to
the
level of mere animals
-
some-
thing which I thought the United
States was above now."
Views from other college stu-
Ann Marie McMartin,
18,
and Brtttalny McMartin,
21, celebrate their marriage at San Francisco
City Hall on
Monday, February
16, 2004. 2004.
dents both on and off campus
seem to be mostly liberal, even
indifferent. The general senti-
ment seemed to be
one
of apathy,
not opposition, to what gay peo-
ple do in their personal lives.
"I think that marriage is a total-
ly private matter and it only
involves really the two parties,"
Athena Chen, a freshman at
Colgate University said. "Two
people love each other and are
willing to give of themselves that
much
,
and make that type of
commitment
-
more power to
them."
For some students the question
is one of reli
g
ion
.
"Personally
.
I think marriag
e
should stay a religiou
s
institu-
tion," Katrina Vetrano
,
a fresh-
man at
Fordham University said
.
"A civil union is some
t
hing
entirely different. Gays should
be allowed civil union
,
but I
think the religious connotation
should be left out of it."
Still, other students retain
views that are aligned with tradi-
tion. "I feel Bush is e~actly right
in what he's doing
,
" Tom
Duggan, Marist frosh said. "You
can't let this country start to
legalize gay marriages. If they
want to live together thaf
!i
com-
pletely fine, but marriage is
between a man and a woman."
Public disagrees that media provides valuable election
information
By
CAROLINE ROSS &
ASHLEY MYERS
Media outlets around the coun-
try claim to provide the informa-
tion Americans need to make
educated decisions at voting
time, but the general public tends
to disagree.
For the past few
months,
Democratic
candidates have
campaigned around the country
hoping to gain enough public
support to win the presidential
nomination. News media includ-
ing
television,
radio and ptint
have covered rallies, primaries,
and caucuses in order to inform
people in all parts of the country.
Many people disagree with the
idea that the media is providing
society with valuable informa-
tion about the candidates and
their platforms. Americans think
that media provides the informa-
tion the public should know, but
does not report the full story.
John Herring, a Marist
Criminal Justice Professor, said
the media doesn't provide
enough information to base his
decisions on.
"It's typical media reporting
just the highlights," Herring said.
"People lose sight of the fact that
the media is a money-making
business; they need to get view-
ers and get ratings."
Steven Blanco, Marist College
faculty member, does not
think
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that the media is providing
enough useful information in
regards to t~e democratic candi-
dates.
"To some extent, you know
who the main candidates are; you
have a general feeling of who is
doing what and who the top
run
-
ners are. But besides that. you
aren't really provided with much
information," Blanco said.
Other opinions have been
formed as well about the way
different media outlets convey
information to the public.
Broadband video streaming, as
well as online newspapers and
news station websites have revo-
lutionized the way consumers
can receive news and updated
information.
Although these new media
sources are convenient, the issue
of whether or not the public is
getting all the information is still
a concern.
Barbara Lavin, Marist College
associate professor of criminal
justice, §aid that although she
still uses the television and news-
paper as solid sources of infor
-
mation. she prefers the Internet
to get details.
"The caucus process is much
more clear from [the television
news]," Lavin said. "But they're
never thorough enough. I go
online for the rest."
Accordjng to the United States
Census Bureau.
94
million peo-
ple used the Internet at home in
2000, up from 57 million in
1998.
One in five people use the
Internet to check the news
.
Other citi
z
ens belie
v
e that
more coverag
e
isn
'
t necessary
,
but instead the way the media
reports the information to the
public is what needs to change.
Cheryl Johnson
,
a Marist
employee in the continuing edu
-
cation office, said that it depends
on the way that the media source
conveys political news to socie
-
ty.
"It
only depends on who [the
candidates] are talking to,"
Johnson said
.
"With 60 Minutes
,
you get the actual opinion of the
candidate
,
but other shows pick
one topic to focus on, rather than
informing the public about the
candidates' ideas."
Prema Nakra, Marist College
professor of marketing
,
said the
media representatives focus too
much on the negative side oflife.
"The news has been very per-
vasive
,
" Nakra said. "Its annoy-
ing and ridiculous."
Overall
,
the public is unin-
formed about many of the impor-
tant topics regarding the demo-
cratic candidates. News media,
such as television and newspa-
pers, have been able to regulate
the information released about
the candidates or their policies
,
but with the rise of the Internet, it
is curious how traditional fonns
of communication will react.
Student body presidential candidates
take center
stage
By
COURTNEY KRETZ
&
LOUIS P. ORTIZ
Ill
Marist College student body
presidential candidates chal-
lenged
each
other
to
a
face-off as each vied for student
votes, Marist College Television
(MCTV) covered the event
which took place on Thursday
Feb. 13.
SGA Senate speaker John
Hackett moderated the forum
between candidates, juniors
Linda Crane and John Mullady
,
in order to bring to light the
opinions both parties had regard-
mg controversial issues around
campus.
The campus media provided
specific questions on library
hours, working with other
organizations
,
and
unique
changes that would be imple-
mented if elected.
Panel members included
Courtney Kretz, managing editor
of The Circle, Travis Tellitocci
,
president of MCTV
,
and Paul
Vlkan,
treasurer of WMAR.
Candidates Crane and Mullady
were allowed two minutes to
answer questions
,
to introduce
themselves, and to add final
comments. Panelists held their
position to two questions without
any bias
.
Aim was placed toward
attaining information about the
candidates' previous leadership
experience and their plans to
balance responsibilities within
SGA and classes.
The purpose of Debate Night is
to emphasize the importanc
e
of
the upcoming election and
encourage
students
to
get
involved around the campus.
"It is significant that people get
involved with stud
e
nt govern-
ment because they have an
opportunity to change the cam
-
pus," John Hackett said. "There
is a place for everyone w
_
ho
wants to be active."
Crane said the night would
candidates Linda Crane (left) and John Mullady (right),
wait
for
their
cue at SGA's Debate Night.
have been more beneficial if week for the campus. Tellitocci is
additional time was
g
iv
e
n to confident that these critisims will
answer each qu
es
tion.
wring out themselves in the end.
"
MCTV did a gr
e
at job with
"
There have been a lot of ques-
their production and I hon
e
stly tions as far as the qualifications
had no complaints
,
" she said. "I of candidate John Mullady.
just really wish I had a chanc
e
How
e
v
e
r
, e
v
e
ryone deserves a
for rebuttal.
"
fair shot
,
" he
s
aid.
"
I trust that
Ent
e
rin
g
this y
ear's
D
e
ba
te
Marist stud
e
nts will make an
Night
,
many p
e
ople
have int
e
lli
gen
t decis
i
on."
scrutinized se
ve
ral of the
c
andi
-
The winners will be unveiled
dates which has led to a wild
F
riday Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m
.












































































THE
CIRCLE
-
Let
the voices
of
the Marist
community
be heard.
THURSDAY,
FEBRUARY 26,
2004
maristcircle.com
PAGE4
Queer eye for the gay guy
By JOSH !ANNUZZI
Staff Writer
For
a
brief moment try and
block
out
whatever you were
taught in
the
Bible, Torah,
Koran, or any other type of reli-
gious teaching, and ask yourself
this question: Why would
a man
and woman decide
to get
mar-
ried?
Maybe they intend
on
seeking
love,
passion,
security, and sup-
port for the rest of their lives.
What better way is there to sanc-
tify this
bond other
than mar-
riage?
Now if this is the
case,
why
can't
two individuals of the
same
sex
share those same benefits
and values under the law? Such
relationships
are
based on the
same core principles and should
not be dependent
on
gender.
Yet for some reason, this coun-
try that was founded upon the
belief of equality, free speech,
and a separation
between
church
and
state,
somehow
uses
Christianity as a grounds to abol-
ish same sex marriages.
''The same moral tradition that
defines marriage also teaches
that each individual has dignity
and value in God's sight,"
President George W. Bush said.
So what about all the people
'The same moral tradition
that defines marriage also
teaches that each lndlvld-
ual has dignity and value In
God's sight.'
- President George
W.
Bush
that believe in a different god or
don't even believe in God at all?
There is no reason why they
should be forced to follow the
same rules as Catholics, merely
because Christianity makes up
the majority of Americans' reli-
gious beliefs.
Personally, I feel that if two
people are in love and want to
share the sacred bond of mar-
riage, there is no reason why
they should be told otherwise.
This has nothing to do with
morality but has everything to do
with equality and fairness.
If
the
couple takes their marriage seri-
ously (which isn't even the case
for a majority of heterosexual
marriages in the United States),
then there is no reason why they
should be stripped of the same
rights that are granted to
hetero-
sexuals.
Some say they feel children
shouldn't be raised in an envi-
ronment where there is two
moms or two dads. Yet, if each
parent gives their child the same
amount of unconditional love
SEE GAY MARRIAGE, PAGE 6
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T'
OOURTISY OF ICRT
Butka bites back and gives a little history lesson to boot
By STEPHEN BUTKA
Staff Writer
After reading last week's arti-
cle entitled, "Student speaks out
against Bush," I have realized
that America needs a history les-
son now
more
than ever.
If you tune
to Alvf
radio on
c10y
night of the week, you'll be sure
to catch Sean Hannity's news
program.
Eyery broadcast, he
takes five minutes out of his time
to interview a random person on
the street. He asks one question,
and more times than not it's
something like, "Who is the Vice
President of the United States?"
Pretty
stupid
question
most
would
think, but no, more than
75% of the time the
college stu-
dents questioned can't answer
correctly!
So let's start our history lesson
right here, because by the looks
of the article I read at dinner
today
,
something is
nnt
working
.
We'll begin with the most
recent "vast right wing conspira-
cy" with Electi.Ql\ 2000. Sure, Al
Gore won the popular vote but
this is America. The popular vote
doesn't matter because we have
something called the Electoral
College. The state of Florida
proved to be controversial
because some genius decided to
give Al Gore the state when only
five percent of the votes had
been counted. That's five
percent
of Florida's 16,000,000 people in
the year 2000.
The only man who committed
any wrong during the election
wlls Al Gore. He tried to deny the
military vote even though the
votes had been received days
before they were due. So who
tried
to "hide votes"?
How about how Al tried to
change legal standards after it
was clear that the current regula-
tions wouldn't overturn Bush's
win? It's so simple really, yet
four years later people still don't
OOURTISY OF KRT
A letter to an intelligent friend
By
G. MODELE CLARKE
Faculty
Advisor
Those of us who were former
journalists cringe every time we
hear criticism of the news media.
This criticism seems to take
place all day, every day.
Although I still take it personal-
ly, I no
longer
feel
obliged
to
def end the practices of this pro-
fession in which
I
felt so proud to
be a participant.
I must stress, however, that
much of the news media dispar-
agement is not deserved. To
blame the news media for global
wanning, the national epidemic
of adolescent obesity or for the
proliferation of body piercing
and tattoo parlors would be
grossly unfair.
I would blame the news media,
however, of the dumbing down
of America.
It seems that a con-
sensus has emerged from news-
rooms across the continent that
news consumers could only
digest a limited quantity of seri-
ous, in-depth critical news cover-
age in a given sitting. The feel-
ing must have abounded that the
average reader could only stom-
ach serious news in baby-sized,
diluted
portions
.
I heard a lot
about these "average readers" in
grad school. We analyzed
,
scruti-
nized and examined them
.
My
learned
and experienced journal-
ism
instructors
continually
reminded us that these "average
readers" would be our primary
news consumers and that we
should be sensitive to their news
needs.
Despite some ugly rumors that
the average American newspaper
reader had only an eight grade
education
-
or was it that she / he
read only at the eigth grade level
- we wete encouraged to regard
our readers as intellectual equals
.
One wise instructor once told me
to approach my stories as if writ-
ing a letter to an intelligent
friend
.
Occasionally, in the
process of communicating with
have a clue.
Next topic. Anyone with even
a slight grasp of economics
understands that the American
economy has followed a circular
trend for centuries.
It goes up
Our intolerant government
has no right to take away
Iraq's benevolent leader!
J
i
h
t
OJ
II
Jb )
t
.
b
d,
'
;;
h
t
h.JI?<
and down
,in
a CQJjl.tinu9us cycle
.
The problems we are having with
our economy started long before
President Bush was sworn into
office. To boot, we had to con-
tend with the most devastating
terrorist attack this country has
ever seen and now we are faced
with the economic responsibili-
ties that come with going to war.
I could go on and on about how a
soldier
'
s pay goes up
during
deployment and the <;:ost of
equipment, but that is a
different
language
to someone who hasn't
taken the time to find that out
himself.
~f 1,hacl a dwl:w
,
for
ev~FY
ti~
someone
m~Q~
1
,
the
.
t;t?l~W.~
our country once had with
Osama bin Laden
,
I could buy
them all a history book, the most
expensive highlighter I could
find, and cite the sections that
explain why such relations were
maintained. If the critics of our
foreign policy don?t know who
the Soviets were and how they
were involved with Afghanistan
then there is no point in me even
wasting any more of your valu-
able time
.
As far as Saddam Hussein is
concerned, what a shame!
Our
intolerant government has no
right to take away
Iraq
"
s
benevo-
lent leader! Set.iously
1
to ~tles-
tion the morality of war in Iraq is
laughable. The
man
killed thou-
sands of Kurds, not to mention
hundreds of thousands, if not
SEE BUTKA, PAGE 6
You are all being lied to again
By
JOHN KELLY
Circle Contributor
The current administration
doesn't respect you enough to
tell you the truth. It seems that
every week the administration is
changing its reasons for going to
war, and America doesn't seem
to care. We are not there because
of weapons of mass
destruction
(WMD), we are not there
because
Saddam Hussein posed
an imminent threat to us or his
neighbors
,
we are not there
because
of links
between
Saddam's Government and Al
Qaida, and we are not there for
humanitarian reasons.
In the Bush administration's
path to war, it was stated that
Iraq had the capability to deploy
WMD in less than an hour. The
U.S. chief weapon's inspector,
David Kay, has stated that this
was virtually impossible, citing
the lack of evidence for WMD
found in Iraq by U.S. inspectors
during the post war. There is also
an investigation into this and
other enormous intelligence
blunders.
Let us not forget that we
helped Saddam Hussein
rise to power In the first
place.
Let us not forget that we helped
Saddam Hussein rise to power in
the first place. We removed Iraq
from the official list of terrorist
nations, which pre~nts aid to
listed nations. We then supplied
Iraq with WMD and other
weaponry to fight Iran. When
Saddam
Hussein
used these
weapons on his
own
population,
we sent the current Secretary of
Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, to
ask him to stop making
bad
press.
How easily we forget
these facts.
U.S. sanctions on Iraq have
been proven to have strength-
ened Saddam's grip on the coun-
try by forcing the population to
depend
on
his government for
food.
Humanitarian agencies
have estimated that 500,000 chil-
dren alone died as a result of the
sanctions
.
When President
Clinton's Secretary of State,
Madeline Albright
,
was asked
about this loss of life, she replied
that it was unfortunate, but nec-
essary.
The U.S. military is now
barbed-wire
fencing towns, and
arresting family members of
SEE ADMINISTRATION, PAGE 6
• •
•
if there are any left out there
this intelligent friend, I managed
to inform without sensationaliz-
ing the information. I strove to
be balanced and accurate so that
individuals could make informed
decisions
.
But that was then. The last
thing I would like to do is• to
appear as some old geezer who is
always reminiscing about the
"good old days." However, I
would like to know what has
happened to the average readers
of my time in the business
.
What
has happened to the imaginary
"intelligent friends" they intro-
duced us to in journalism school?
Color me stubborn, but I refuse
to believe that the average read-
ers ofmy early journalism career
have changed so radically in 26
years. Is it possible that the
experts are correct in pontificat-
ing about the attention deficit
disorder that has afflicted this
MTV, PDA, DVD, MP3 genera-
tion?
If
that's the case, then political
campaign coverage should be
limited to daily polls and crowd
sizes. Television viewers should
have
to
endure
incessant
rebroadcast of Howard Dean's
"
primal
screams.
"
Political
debates election campaigning
should be focused on candidates
'
personal lives and not about their
pos
i
t
i
ons on issues that are criti-
cal to voters.
I happen to be a hopeless opti-
mistic. I staunchly refuse to
believe that the current quality of
news gathering and reporting is
as good as it gets. That's why we
who teach journalism do what
we do. We believe that we are
preparing a new generation of
journalists who will produce
news that is infonnative
,
intelli-
gent and insightful. This new
generation of journalists will
prove that media ethics is not an
oxymoron
.
This new generation
of journalists will continue the
proud tradition of writing "let-
ters" to intelligent friends
.







































































































THE CIRCLE
THURSDAY, FEBR
.
UARY 26, 2004
marlstclrcle.com
·
PAGE 5
Rebuilding
·
the Hudson:
Pride for humanity
By
LOUIS ORTIZ
Assistant Editor
Habitat for Humanity has
stormed on to the Marist campus
with a new attitude that has ben-
efited the town of Poughkeepsie.
As a non-profit organization, it
has been remodeled this year
from an e-board format to advi-
sor.
Newly elected
President
Erik Vincelette
and other
offi-
cers have come together in an
effort to not only replicate last
year's
success,
but to solidify
their placement as Community
Service Club of the Year.
Advisor Ryan Maraziti, mentor
of Champagnat Hall, has worked
closely
on
Habitat
for
Humanity's annual spring break
by going to Jacksonville, Florida
since it is the first time the
organization
has ever went there.
In addition to assisting the col-
legiate program, Habitat for
Humanity will be visiting local
high scho9ls in an effort to
recruit more students for
the
Admissions office.
The week
will be a great opportunity for
' ... It Is such a fulfilling
experience to help others
In need.'
-
Erik
Vincelette
President
Habitat for
Humanity
trip, but is hoping to do a lot students to get to know their fel-
more with the group.
low classmates and gain a higher
"I'm very happy to be involved level of responsibility.
with an organization of such
The trip
is
similar to the week-
high caliber," Maraziti said. ly builds that are
conducted
"These
individuals' time in and throughout Dutchess County and
time out exhibit a high level of Newburgh. The project
will
last
effort and heart toward helping one week and there will be hours
O
thers."
set for students to build.
"As
the new advisor, I hope to Organized
activities, cooked
encourage
more people to join meals, and
free
time to relax
will
the club and
make
their experi-
also be apart of the
trip.
ence as Habitat. members worth-
Habitat
for
Humanity
has man-
w":l,.
"
~"
n-...:..;
sa1·c1.
JQ
..,
,y._GL,,,1.1
,
aged
this
year•
•to atvide the
iEven
though,the club suffered members
-intd various c<'.>mmit-
a
slow
start
during the beginning tees.
The
membership
will
open
of the year, over I 00 people
have
the door
to getting
more
accom-
joined the group.
It
is
now offi-
plished.
A
public relations
com-
cial
that 16
students
will be
trav-
mittee run
by
Heather
Lee
and
eling
to Jacksonville, Florida for
Eric
Ashmont
is
in the
forefront
.
spring
break.
to develop ideas
for
publicizing
Although
these are credible the
club, general meetings, and
accomplishments,
the organiza-
activities.
tion is still·
in need of more
"It is
very important
to spread
active
members in order to pro-
the word about the
opportunities
duce
a
successful
spring
available
in
regards
to
helping
semester.
others or
supporting
those who
During March 14-20, the are building
a
future for different
Marist chapter of Habitat
for
families. We know that
our
pro-
Humanity
will be making
history
duction is representative of the
College
Life
entire organization and there-
fore, our committee works end-
lessly to distribute any
posters,
commercials, voicemails, and
memos
around
campus,"
Ashmont said.
The newly developed fundrais-
ing committee is run Vmcelette,
who is trying to earn enough
money to strengthen the organi-
zation and make for an exciting
spring break trip.
"As in any club, finance and
fundraising becomes the con-
straint as to how much you can
do," Vincelette said.
"The
more
funds that are generated,
the
more houses can
be
built for the
people of Poughkeepsie. In my
opinion, it is such a fulfilling
experience to help others in
need."
Secretary, Elizabeth )?arrilla,
organizes the weekly builds.
It
is her duty to give out voicemails
and e-mails to all members con-
cerning information on events
that will be occurring and specif-
ic
information for
those
who
have signed up to be a part of a
build.
"I
have been
very
fortunate to
help those who are troubled and
with
the
various
events
approaching through
our
organi-
zation,"
she
said.
~•1
am
confi-
dent
that
onte
again
people
around the Poughkeepsie area
will be
satisfied."
As
we
are approaching
the lat-
ter part of the
year, it is
a
very
challenging
time
for
the mem-
bers
of
Habitat for Humanity to
g~t more students
interested
in
the
club.
The
club is
hopeful,
however, that people will see
this opportunity
as
an incredible
chance
to get
involved in a
ful-
filling, respectable
organization.
Six jobs, six bosses, no salary
I
once
read
an
article
that
pleaded
sympathy from the
parents
of children
in high
school.
It
equated
the
eight
periods
of a school day to hav-
ing eight
different
jobs. Each
class
and
teacher is
different,
and
each' subject
requires dif-
ferent skills and
knowledge.
Your ••co-workers"
number
about
thirty
and
your
"boss"
and
his
I
her
expectations
change every forty or so min-
utes,
which
is all
the
time you
get
to
spend
with them
in a sin-
gle
day.
I recently realized that
this
also applies to college.
On
Monday
of
last week, I
turned in my first article to the
editor at my
internship.
She
raved
about
my
great writing
skills, but questioned a few
glitches in
the
content. Later
that
morning, I
received a
paper back from one of my
communications
professors,
praising my correct application
of content, but criticizing my
writing skills. And
later
that
afternoon,
I
received an "A'j on
a quiz that
I thought
I
had
failed.
This type of variation
begins
freshman
year
with
"core"
c
la
sses.
You
have to be practi-
cal for science,
analytical
for
English, fact-ori-
.__,_.;;;..c....;;...----a1
ented for
history,
creative for communication,
and so
on.
You continue to tell
yourself that it will
get easier
once you
have
classes all in
your
major
and can think on the
same wavelength all the time.
But
as
you
get
more
concen-
trated in
your
major,
the
indi-
viduality of
professors
takes
over. For each class, you have
to use
different styles of writ-
ing, different ways of thinking,
and other little specifications
for each professor.
And
each
professor
can't understand why
you
don't
consider her class the
"most
important
one."
Some
teachers
like to be
emailed, some
liked
to be
called in their office, and some
express that there's really not a
very good chance of ever get-
ting a
hold
of them. Some want
you to notify them of missed
classes, and some express quite
clearly that they
_
don't
care
whether
you
show
up to
class
or
not.
Some
let you bring
snacks to class,
while
others
cringe at the sight of a
Nutri-
Grain bar.
And
as if that
wasn't hard
enough to
remember, there
are
always tho~e professors
with
strange
rules
and requests;
exactly
where the
staple
should go
on
your
paper,
the
very specific
layout
of assign-
ments,
and
things
that seem to
have absolutely
nothing to
do
with the class
material.
I even
know a professor who
would-
n't allow the students
to
wear
sweatpants to an 8 a.m. class,
because if she had to get
dressed
up, then so
did
the stu-
dents.
So maybe
the
easiest way
to
think about classes is in terms
of jobs. You have five or six
different
bosses, a
hun
dred or
so co-workers, and you have a
few
different
p
l
aces
of
employment to report to every
day.
At
least
that would
explain all the weird
_ru
les,
demands,
and constant change
of performance standards and
requirements. It's just too bad
you're not getting paid.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
DITHER~D TW1TS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
"Despite
what society
feels,
we want
to
be
married, so we're
staging an act of
civil
disobedience
...
on the
rug."
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
01>
Eve"i"'•
t-1,.
Bl,(t.<rl
"'1~
11.tMe
i!.
.:rovtLe
you
C,.Re
.foft •
<'•C
T.tiL
BeFolt~
l ;,.
'
•
I>~~
1•14
1ri
es.
•i,unember
when they
Jet
you
ln
the
Family
photo?
Remember
how you
li<:\ed
your
genitals? That was
the best:
•
Giggles &
Bits is made
possible by
KRT
•
Miss
Manners' attack
dog.
•
•
········~·····························
The
Daily
Grind
.
Academics take a back seat
Students
get the
.
brJtnt
.
of
.lim
.
it~dP.arking
Just
when
I
thought our school
couldn't surprise
me anymore,
they
went
ahead and
shocked
me.
Recently I
received
an email.___==----
from John
Gildard, director of
safety
and
security explaining a
parking
policy. Now, all
the
stu-
dents
on
,
campus
with
cars real-
ize
the
parking problems of this
school,
but
this
one
takes
the
cake.
The email
read:
As
noted
in
Colin Sullivan's e-
mail,
Marist
will be hosting
Manhattan
tomorrow
night
February
18,
2004 at 7:30 p.m.
in the Mccann
Center. A large
crowd is expected and all park-
ing
lots will
be crowded.
The
Mccann
and
Donnelly
Lots will close
to
students at
4:30p.m.
Other lots will be open and
will
be
filled
on
a first come,
first served basis.
Athletic
Department
Parkers will
be
at
lots
to alert people when
the
lot is full.
Athletics will run their shut-
tle service as usual.
This
includes the Beck Place
lot.
You are urged to give your-
self extra time to get on cam-
pus and parked if you are com-
ing in for 5:00 p.m. or 6:30
p.m. classes, or to
the
game.
Thank you.
To most this isn't a big deal,
but to me, a student who real-
izes that he is paying twenty-
some thousand dollars
a year
to attend this place, it comes as
a shock.
First off, even as a student-
athlete reading this, I notice
that athletics is prioritized over
academics, and as Marist is an
educational institution, its first
priority should
be
academics.
This email says that people
attenqing a basketball game
are more important than stu-
dents trying to get to ~lass.
If
you are one of these students,
• •t
~
\,J
I :-<'f4,N
you need to inconvenience
yourself and work around
those attending the game in
order to get to class on time.
My second gripe about this
email is that it prioritizes the
public over students.
The
email states that the McCann
and Donnelly Lots will be
closed to students. So they're
saying the public can park in
these lots so .they don't have to
walk too far to their cars, but to
hell with the students!
If
they
want to go to the game,
they
have to ride in a shuttle. They
should be promoting student
participation
in
these events,
not discouraging it.
Now of course Marist
isn't
that qig of
a
campus, and
it
is
simply
just
parking, but give
me a break! In the public sec-
tor, if someone was paying
twenty-some thousand dollars
a year
to
attend a club, the club
would have valet parking for
their cars, not poliaies forcing
them to park further away.
GUELAGUETZA
(845) 483 - 0640
A unique taco shop
with
a variety oF homemade Mexican Food
Una
t.aqueria (mica con
una variedad de
comida casera de
Mexico
Tamales
Tacos
Gorditas
Enchiladas
Exotic Fruit Shakes
$1.00
$1.00
$1.49
$4.50
$2.50
And we have more than what
is
listed here!
iY
tenemos mas que
lo
que
ve
aquf!
JUST SECONDS from Marist
College:
From
campus take
Route
9 South and
turn left
onto Delafield Street Continue
on
Delafield through
the yellow blinking light. At the three-way intersection~ the Mount
Carmel
Deli will be
on your
left
and Guelaguetza
is
located
in the back
of
the Deli.























































maristclrcle.com
From Page One
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry
(D-MA)
greets supporters after a rally where the AFL-CIO
gave him an endorse~ent on Thursday, February 19, 2004, In Washington, DC.
Dean loses support, drops out
After
losing recent primaries, Dean leaves the race
primary process.
said Wallace. "He
[Dean]
was
•~For people who want to find on the downturn at the time,
but
out, it's all there ... but clearly the the media did put him out as the
horserace gets the first look," frontrunner to
begin
with ... per-
Mir in go
ff
- - - - - - - - - - - -
haps it was a way
said.
'People know Howard Dean
for the media to
Lee
cover up that they
Wallace, of
New Paltz,
felt that the
media might
have had an
agenda with
their use of
De,an's
for his speech more than
were wrong."
his political standpoints
Wallace
corn-
[whlch took] a toll on his
pared the Dean
popularity with voters.'
fiasco to the ques-
tion of the chicken
-
Brett Stevens
or the egg.
"It's hard to
Student, RPI
$_\leech.,
"They
certainly
amplified it
because it was so sensational. I
think that
it's
a real Jerry
S_p!ffi~e~ mentality out there,"
From Page Four
decipher if they're
9layin.g
to
their
audiences," said Wallace. "Is it a
cause or is it an effect?"
Brett Stevens, a student at RPI,
felt that the plethora of negative
attention caused by the media led
to the
demise
of Dean's cam-
paign.
"Most people now know
Howard Dean for his speech
more so than his political stand-
points, and
,"
Stevens said. "I
think for most people, his
[Dean's]
exuberance reflected a
temperament unsuitable for pres-
idency."
Daly doesn't think the empha-
sis
on
non-issues will stop.
"There's that story that's been
bubbling under the surface about
Kercy
from the Drudge Re9ort.,''
Daly said. "Other things like this
are just going to keep coming
up."
THE CIRCLE •
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2004 •
PAGE 6
Kerry firmly backs policies
mental
policies.
Whether these policies will
continue
to
be enough to draw a
majority of voters to Kerry's side
remains
to be
seen.
The country
will
be
watching the next impor-
tant primary race on March 2,
when 10 states, including New
York and California, will cast
their
votes
for
the
next
Democratic presidential nomi-
nee.
Although the media may
not
maintain a focus on the
candi-
dates' issues, the important thing
is for
people
to
remain
informed
about the potential nominees'
stances
on
the policies.
For Gerald McN\llty, director
of
the
Communications
Internship Program at Marist, the
media has provided adequate
sources for his decisions, yet he
recognizes the potential prob-
'It is virtually impossible to
be fully Informed slmply by
watching television.'
]ems.
- Gerald
McNulty
Director, Communications
Internship Program
"It is virtually impossible to be
fully informed simply by watch-
ing television," McNulty said,
encouraging individuals to seek
out a variety of sources, includ-
ing newspapers. "You have to
read enough."
Moira Fitzgibbons, assistant
professor of English at Marist,
feels that viewing media reports
objectively is tricky for most
people.
"It's
hard because your news is
based on what you pick or your
political orientation.
"It's
kind of
hard to step out of your slant."
Yet many Americans have
already cast their vote as to
whom they feel would be the
most effective Democratic nomi-
nee, and it is their informed deci-
sions that have placed Kerry at
the head of the Democratic pack.'
The outcome of the Democratic
convention and the Presidential
election in November
.
remains
unseen; how.ever, Kerry's rise to
the top and his policies. have the
potential to change the face of
the nation.
Presidential candidate Howard Dean
speaks
to
the Islamic
Society
of
Milwaukee at the Howard Johnson
Hotel
In
MIiwaukee,
Wlseonsln, Monday,
February 16, 2004.
Bush administration continually tells lies to American public
suspected resistors. We are not
there for humanitarian reasons.
We are the threat.
Supposed links to Al Qaida
have proven absurdly
false
and
not worth further exarninati
_
on
here. Let us also not forget that
the U.S. spent billions of dollars
on training and
supplying
Al
Qaida to fight the Russians in
Afghanistan in the 1980's. We
created the terrorists who killed
our brothers, sisters, fathers, and
mothers.
This lack of respect for the pub-
lic dates back to the formation of
this "democracy." I am referring
to the Electoral College, which
was formed because our found-
ing fathers did not
.
respect
the
public enough to trust them with
the election of the president. To
this day we see its effects, most
recently in the 2000 presidential
election.
You are living in a theocratic
aristocracy. Christian
values
rule
this government's legislation and
the President's
speeches.
The
President invokes God's bless-
ings
in
his
speeches,
and states
that God is on our side. Does
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God really choose sides? And if
so, why ours?
Another prime example, of
theocratic tendencies is the deter-
mination to ban gay marriages.
Why do gay couples who love
each other not deserve the same
rights
h
eterosexual
couples
receive? Does their marriage pre-
vent you from being happy?
This is discrimination based on
religious morals, and therefore
has no place in legislation.
Bush also promotes faith-based
initiatives, which
giv.e
federal
money to religious-based corn-
munity service groups.
What
about the tax cuts
effectively
destroying Americorps, which
pays young
college
graduates to
provide
,
community service in
the form of teaching in poor
urban areas? Why is this pro-
gram less deserving than a
church's program.
What hap-
pened to separation of church
and
state?
Further more, the rich rule this
country.
Does no one find it odd
that only millionaires have a
chance to
effectively
run for pub-
l
_
ic office in the
federal
govern-
ment?
Even
Senetor John
actions
under
the official U.S.
Edwards,
who is
currently
run-
definition of terrorism?
ning
for
the
Democratic
We
don't
stop the
genocides
Presidential Nomination,
and
because they
aren't of strategic
portrays himself as a man of the interest,
and
our
violent actions
pe,ople, is a millionaire. You are are supposedly
in self defense.
forced to vote for one of
two
men My
advice
to
everyone
is to stop
whose campaigns are funded by
watching television for
news
(if
corporations. Do
you
want
the you even do
that)
and start
read-
puppet on the left or the puppet
ing.
Half an hour
of reading
a
on the
right?
newspaper is
ten
times
more effi-
If
we were truly on hurnanitar-
cient
and
effective as half
an
ian missions, why not stop the
'
hour
of
news
television
.
Start
genocides in Africa or
Tibet? paying
real
attention!
Why do we commit international
atrocities, which
are terrorist
What harm would gay marriages really do?
and affection, who really
cares,
as long as
everything
is in the
best interest of the child?
I understand not
everyone
is
comfortable
with the whole
concept of
homosexuality
,
but
what does preventing gays and
lesbians to marry actually
accomplish?
Either
way
individuals will
continue
to
seek
their
own
desired
sexual
preference. Why not
give
it a
rest
and accept
the
fact that not
everyone
is heterosexual.
If
you
take a look at the polls
you
will
that grew up in a time
where seg-
regation was legal and'hornosex-
uals were looked down upon.
notice
that
the majority
of
people
against
same-
sex marriages
tend to
come
Banning same-sex marriages
will looked at in the same way
as outlawing interracial mar-
riages before the late &O's.
Obviously,
they
have
alre~dy estab-
lished
their
own
predeter-
mined
values.
from the older
generation
of
vot-
ers. These are
the
same
people
As
time
goes
on you will
see
that people
will be more
accepting of gay
I
lesbian
rnarri
.
ages.
In
years from
now the
thought of banning
same-sex
marriages
will
be
,
looked
at in the
same way as
how
we viewed
the
outlawing of.
interracial
marriages
before the
•
late
60's. And
that
view will
be
1,1tter
disgust,
for people will
question
how
such
social
inequality could exist
.
in a coun-
try
that
considers
itself
a free
and
secular state.
Butka gives a little bit of Bush background
millions
of his own
(If
I had the
space,
I
could
publish a photo of
a
young
girl
being
fed
through a
wood
chipper
feet first).
Operation Iraqi Freedom
should have been
comp
l
eted
a
decade ago but we decided to
give
the United Nations a go
through inspections. We all saw
how ''well" that turned out so we
took
action. "Approva
l
"
was not
necessary for the
attack
on Iraq.
One,
you don't
go
to the United
Nations to ask permission to
go
to war;
you go
to ask for help.
Secondly,
Desert
Storm
was
never declared over! Does any-
one know what a
cease
fire
agreement is? My
guess
is no.
The
point
can
be beaten into
the
ground for
hours, and person-
ally
I don't
feel
like writing that
much. My original
article
never
proclaimed that George Bush
was the best leader this
country
has
ever seen.
In
addition, it
never said that
you
have to
agree
with
everything
the man
says.
The intention of my
piece
was to
highlight the
obvious
l
y
low level
of understanding among
young
voters, America's "future."
I
wasn't
trying
to tell people not
to
vote,
rather, to
examine
and learn
a
little more
about
our
govern
-
ment before doing
so.
Obviously,
that po~t was not taken and my
point
in that
article (as well as
this
one),
was proven with
Mr.
Bruderek's
rebuttal.
With that
said, young voters
of
America, please take advantage
of
the next nine months
to
learn
something about world
history
.
And when you get
into
examin-
ing the obvious "Republican
bias"
in
today's
media,
give
Dan
Rather a call and ask how
his
interview
with
his
buddy
Saddam went
before
Uncle Sam
came and got the job
done.









































































martstclrcle.com
Men's
track
team
places
fomth
at
MAAC
Championship
The
Marist
College
men's
track
teem
placed
fourth
at
the
Metro
Atlantic
Athletic
Conference
championships
last
Friday
at
the
Annory
Track and
Field Center
in
New
York,
New
York.
Senior
captain
Eli
Bisnett-
Cobb
who
qualified
for
the
IC4A
championships
on
Feb.
15
with
a
school
record
7.72
second
finish
in
the 55-meter
high hurdle
led the Red
Fo es
by
wmning
th high
jump and placing second in th
55-meter
high
hurdle.
Bisnett--Cobb
won
the high
jump MAAC
championship
with
a
jwnp of
I.
91
meters.
In the
55-meter
dash.
sopho-
ED
Blsnett-ci>bb
more
Rob
DeAngelo
set
a
school record finishing sixth
with
a time of 6.63 cconds.
In
the
5,000-meter
IUil,
junior
Steve Hicks
finished
fifth,
com-
ing
in
at
15:27.46
a
personal
best.
Right
behind Hicks fin-
i hed
sophomore
Mike
Schab
with
a time of
15:47.19.
Sophomore Justin Harris fin•
isbed
fourth
at
8:46.66
in the
3,0()()..metcr event.
The
team's n
t
event
is
on
Feb. 27
at
the
Last
Chance
Invitational at
the
Annory
Track and Field Center.
Women's track
team
ends MAAC
tournament
in
third place
While
the men placed
fourth
in
their
championship meet,
the
women's
team
finished
in
third
place,
200
points
behihd cham-
pions Manhattan College (~70).
Alison
Keller captured her
s
cond consecutive MAAC
indoor
championship
in
the
SS
hurdles.
Keller finished
the
event with a
time
of 8.50.
In the di tancc Medley Relay
event, the team of Cheryl
Norris, Cheryl Fil. Alli Kline
and
Jenn
Rosenblatt finished
first at 13:00.07.
Intramural Basketball Standings
Monday
Night
Team
l.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
7.)
8.)
9.)
10
.)
Fl T
Poop
2
ice on Natty Ice
Coalition
The High-Fives
Johnsons
Old
.
School
Bfby_Beluga
The ool
Kids
ATF
11.)
The
Dead
Heads
12.)
Hott
22'
-
Past
Results
Moaday
Coalition
55 -
Old
chooJ 40
FIST
53 •
Baby Beluga 28
ATF 49
-
The
Dead
Heads
37
Jobnsons
55 -
Hot 22's
12
Poop!
41
-The
Cool
Kids
39
Record
3-0
2-1
2-1
2-1
2-1
2-l
2-1
1-2
1-2
1-2
0-3
0-3
2 ice on Natty Ice 48
-
The lligh Fives 46
Wednesday Night
Team
LI
THE
2.)
on's
of Liberty
3 )
Ground
Zero
4.)
Olde English
5.)
We
Hate Roach
6.)
Wmterfresh
7.)
Money Shot
8.
Muddy Bears
9.)
Lights Out
1
0. l
Cleveland Steamers
11.)
The Busch
Boys
12.
the
Never
Was
Wednesday
The
38
- Olde English
32
RecoTd
3-0
3-0
3-0
2-1
2-1
2-1
2-1
1-2
0-3
0-3
0-3
0-3
Son's
of Liberty 64 - Muddy Bears 44
Money Shot 56
-
Cleveland Steamers 19
Old English
40
•
Oeveland Steamers
32
We
Ji~
Roach 48 - J3,usch Boys
20
Winterfresh
43 -
Lights Out 28.
9
Finding cash
for
college is
child's
play.
Register
now
and
search
thousands of
scholarships
worth
over
$3 billion
www.maristcircle.com
THE CIRCLE •
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2004 •
PAGE 7
From Page Eight
Please give a hand
to
the 'Sixth Man'
some small college where sports
are played at the lowly Division
III
level.
Marist students have finally
realized that we in fact have an
entertainment option on our
campus that is exciting and
wholesome.
Take a quick look around at
other Metro Atlantic Athletic
Conference schools, and one will
be hard pressed to find other stu-
dent sections filled nightly, let
alone into the game itself. Not
even Siena, which ranks highly
every year in NCAA for atten-
dance,
boasts good student sup-
port.
Other schools of similar size in
conferences
such
as
the
Northeast and Patriot League
don't come close to the student
support Marist men's basketball
games have had this year.
Over the years, the Red Foxes
have regularly sold out the
Mccann Center, however, noto-
riously quiet Hudson Valley fans
occupied those seats. Now many
of those fans are getting dis-
placed by students who take
pride in being the "Sixth Man",
and aren't simply at the game
because they work for a compa-
ny that sponsors the team.
For the underclassmen, this is
hopefully the beginning of a new
tradition of support for not only
the men's team but possibly the
women's. Not to mention our
football, baseball and
hockey
teams.
As for the seniors, it's a gTeat
way to go out. To
be
able to look
at the filled student section and
have a sense of school pride
thanks to our sports teams is
something many of us have
longed for.
No one, other than the student
fans deseTVe credit for this phe-
nomenal support. Of course
other groups have fought for the
credit like two young kids over
the last slice of cake.
The athletic department sticks
its chest out in pride, but has
done virtually nothing beyond
handing
out foam sticks and
lending some support to the cam-
pus media.
All the credit should go to the
students themselves, who trudge
to the Mccann Center and have
finally turned the venue into a
real college basketball environ-
ment.
Does Marist College have spir-
it? The answer is now yes! Take
a bow students, you
'definite
ly
deseTVe it.
Senior ceremony to be held before tip-off
The first meeting this season
between the two teams was a
similar story. On Jan.
19
Marist
lost to Siena in the Pepsi Arena
in Albany,
N.Y.,
65-55.
The
Foxes led
31-24
at the half, but
Siena came back to tie the score
at 45 with
6:22
to play and pro-
ceeded to take advantage of
another cold Fox finish, outscor-
ing Mari st
20-10
to close out the
contest.
Ten days later, however, the
Saints' season was over, for all
·
intents and purposes, when cen-
ter Liene Jansone, defending
MAAC player of the year, broke
her hand in practice on Jan.
29.
Since then, howeveT, Siena has
only gotten
stronger,
winning
five of its six games following
the injury, and holding its last
four opponents under
SS
points.
Before Thursday's
5
p.m.. tip-
off, a ceremony will be
held
in
honor of the Red Fox seniors.
Fotlowing the women's game,
the Marist's men's
basketball
team will take on Niagara.
Both
contests will be broadcast live on
channel
29,
Marist College
Television, at 4:30 PM.
TRAVEL
Spring Break
2004.
•
Travel with STS,
America's
#1
Student Tour Operator
to
Jamaica,
Cancun, Acapulco,
Bahamas and Florida.
Now
hiring campus
reps. Call for
group discounts.
Information/Reservations
1-800-
648-4849 or
www.
Alpha Sigma Tau
Presents the
"Annual
XP Dinner"
On behalf of the
Xeroderma Pigmentosum Society
Marist College Cabaret
March
4, 2004
6:00
& 7:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: $8 general admission
$5 students and children
Tickets may be purchased at the door.
Live music and entertainment
will be provided!








































THE
CIRCLE
UPCOMING EVENT
Senior
Day
Women
Siena
at Marist
Men
Niagara at Marist
Thursday Feb.
26, 2004
Women
5:00
PM, Men
7:30
PM
Mccann Center
THURSDAY,
FEBRUARY 26, 2004
marlstclrcle.com
Foxes' seniors set to face
Siena Saints on senior day
By MIKE
BENISCHEK
Staff Writer
After four years as Red Foxes
there are just two glaring feats
the Marist Women's Basketball
senior class has yet to accom-
plish: beating the Siena Saints,
and winning the Metro Atlantic
Athletic Conference champi-
onship.
and Vicki Wancel, all who are
playing their last home game at
the
James
J.
McCann
Recreational Center.
the second through fourth place
finishers receive just one bye
into the quarterfinals.
Marist enters the contest riding
a four game winning streak, the
second such streak of the season.
The Foxes have not won five
consecutive games since the
1992-93 season, when they won
eight straight games, the longest
streak in program history.
a combined 150
points in those
meetings.
The closest
Marist has come
to taking down
the Saints was
two years ago,
Feb.24,2002,on
senior night in
the
McCann
Center.
The
PAGES
On
Thursday night the first
place Foxes have a chance to
erase one missing part of the
resume and take another step
towards erasing the second when
Marist and Siena clash at 5 P.M.
It will be senior night for his-
toric Marist players Stephanie
Del
Preore, Maureen Magarity,
Kerry Sullivan, Nina Vecchio,
A Red Fox win would not only
be Marist's first in its last 16 tries
against Siena, but would also
clinch at least a tie for the regular
season MAAC championship.
Marist is currently 12-4 in con-
ference
play,
with
only
Thursday's match-up and a con-
test at Iona versus the Gaels
remaining. The Foxes hold a half
game lead over the Niagara
Purple Eagle in second and a full
game lead over Siena.
The Regular season champion
of the MAAC receives two byes
directly into the semi-finals of
the MAAC Tournament, while
The Red Foxes will likely need
to match that historic streak in
order to win the MAAC regular
season crown outright and the
tournament title. The Foxes'
eighth win would be the MAAC
final.
Foxes lost 55-52,
despite a heroic
25 point, eight
rebound,
five
block perform-
ance by senior
Diesa Seidel.
The
women's
basketball
team may have 12 wins In the season, however none
af
them
are
against Siena.
Marlst looks for
its
first
win In eight games
against
the
Saints.
The Red Fox senior class is 0-
8 in their careers against the
Marist led for much of the sec-
final six-minutes of play, going last minute for the Saints to pull
Saints and has been outscored by ond half but became frigid in the without a field goal. Gunta out the slim victory.
Basko scored four points in the
SEE SENIOR DAY, PAGE 7
'Sixth man' students deserve a pat on the back
By SCOTT MONTESANO
Staff
Writer
While some candidates for stu-
dent
government
positions
ripped Marist students over the
past week for their lackadaisical
attitude towards the school, I'm
here to do the complete opposite.
In
fact,
I
believe Marist stu-
dents deserve to take a bow, and
its fully acceptable to pat oneself
on
the back as well. The reason
for this is simple. Student sup-
port at men's basketball games
has exceeded expectations this
season, and is by far the most
I
have experienced in my four
years on campus.
p~~pite a team that has been
d~wnng.\1.t dr~~qful ,at
t,ime~
on
the court, students have come out
in droves. It's not only the quan-
tity but also the quality. Students
are standing, yelling, chanting,
booing, hanging posters, etc. In
other words, the students are
making up for the traditionally
passive Poughkeepsie patrons,
and have turned the Mccann
Center into a real NCAA
Division I basketball eny4'ol\-
ment.
In the past when opponents
have cited the McCann Center
as
a tough place to play
,
. it had more
to do with the 18th century light-
ing system and very warm tem-
peratures than crowd noise.
That has all changed this year.
It began on opening night, Nov.
18 with a preseason National
Invitational Tournament garp.~
against Hofstra. The student sec-
tion was filled to capacity well
before tipoff, and throughout the
game those in attendance made
their presence felt. Not long
after, the local media took notice
and the players were quick to
give praise.
While no games have matched
the same student fan response as
that night, ~upp
_
ort has remained
consistently high even though
the team is going through one of
its most painful campaign's since
the forgetful probationary sea-
sons in the late 1980s.
Over the years, having Division
I
sports on this campus has
become something students have
taken for granted. The fact is,
most of our peers do not get to
~
.
)f-P
,
~tjence this. They are stuck at
SEE SIXTH MAN, PAGE 7
MAAC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
MARCH4-8
HSBC~
PEP.SI
RRENR
-A
_ I
_ _ _
A
-,.-y-W-,,-. -..,--.,-.-.•
~
The
Pepsi Arena is proud to be hosting the MAAC Basketball
Championship.
Don't miss a minute of the madness, lock up your all session passes
today.
All Session passes are
just $75
for adults and
$40 for students.
Individual Session tickets range
$15-$25
for adults and are
$6
for
students.
All Session Passes are on sale now. Individual Session
tickets
are
onsale
at
the
Arena Box Office, Ticketmaster
Charge
by Phone and online
at ticketmaster.com.
Come support your teams!







































































































marl1tclrcle.com
THE CIRCLE
•
THURSDAY,
FEBRUARY 26, 2004 •
PAGE 9
Dashboard proves dream date this Valentine's Day
Single women, and men, are sent home happy from Valentines concert
By
DORY
LARRABEE
Circle Contributor
Nearly 3,000 fans packed into
Jorgensen Auditorium on the
UConn campus to see Dashboard
Confessiona in concert at 8pm
last Saturday.
Because Chris
Carrabba,
lead
singer
of
Dashboard, is originally from
West Hartford, he later told us
_
that we were among almost 200
members of his family and
friends.
The show started a bit late and
had Straylight Run as an opening
act.
It
was obvious that the
crowd, who continued to chat
throughout their set, were fairly
unfamiliar with the band.
It
con-
sisted of John Nolan, formerly of
Taking Back Sunday, his sister
Michelle, and two other mem-
Throughout the concert
glrls screamed
"I
love you
Chris" whlle guys also pro-
claimed their love scream-
Ing ''Be Mine!" and "I want
your babies!"
bers. Although the band has not
yet recorded an album, you can
download
six songs for free at
www.straylightrun.com.
The
crowd began to go wild when
they played their most recog-
nized "Existentialism on Prom
Night."
The crowd, however,
may have been cheering due to
the fact that this was their last
song and Dashboard would be
coming on stage next.
After a brief set change, fans
started to realize the absence of
instruments on stage. There was
a stool, a microphone, and a key-
board.
It
soon became apparent
to us that this show was going to
be completely acoustic and fea-
ture Chris Carrabba alone and
center stage.
Taking the stage, he started
with
"If
You Can't Leave it Be."
The rest of his set including old
favorites like "The Sharp Hint of
New Tears," "Best Deceptions,"
"Screaming Infidelities," "So
Impossible," and a teaser of
Weezer's "Jaime" which he
vowed to play again only in 25
years. He also treated the crowd
to songs off his newest album,
A
Mark,
"A
Mission, A Brand, A
Scar,
such as "So Beautiful,"
"As Lovers Go," "Rapid Hope
Loss," and "Carry This Picture."
One of the unique things about
this Valentine's Day show was
that it was the first time Carrabba
had ever played
keyboard
in
front of a crowd. He debuted
three new songs, two of them
being on the keyboard.
The
remaining song he played on gui-
tar
was entitled "Sure Thing." He
sang, "I need to bleed, I need to
bum, I need a sure thing but
you're a mystery to me." These
The crowd enthuslastlcally
danced and sang to the bal-
lad whlle Carrabba bounced
around the stage to close
out the performance.
three new songs were the only
songs he sang alone, since at
times the audience was close to
drowning out Carrabba's voice.
The show "ended" only to be
followed by an encore of
Carrabba. His final song was the
popular and obvious crowd
favorite "Hands Down" to which
he told the audience,
"If
you've
been saving your voice up until
now, don't hold back."
The
crowd enthusiastically
danced
and sang to the ballad while
Carrabba bounced around the
stage to close out the perform-
ance.
Throughout the concert girls
screamed "I love you Chris"
while guys also proclaimed their
love screaming "Be Mine!" and
"I
want your babies!" The emo
loving crowd was sent home
happy on and, even more in love
with Dashboard Confessional.
.
Shahinian's
vision propels Poughkeepsie art scene forward
...
continued from page
10
Shahinian
and his
artistic
endeavors.
"People on the block really
respect what he's doing," Hess
said. "The neighborhood loves
what's going on. They feel wel-
come to come in."
The museum and galleries have
also had a positive economic
impact on the community.
"More places are opening up
because of the galleries being
successful," she said.
Though the museum is meant
to be an outlet for the local art
scene, Shahinian says he wants
to incorporate work from as
many different regions as possi-
ble.
"It is important for our commu-
nity to be linked to the world at
large," he said. "By bringing in
work from the outside . . . you
expand everybody's brains and
aesthetic."
The museum's succession of
exhibitions
testifies
to
Shahinian's goals for the institu-
tion. The first exhibition, in May
2003, was a solo show of around
fifty paintings by Seth Nadel, a
local artist. The paintings were
all
familiar
scenes
of
Poughkeepsie, which was "a
wonderful opening . . . and a
great celebration" of the city,
Hess said.
Another exhibition consisted of
130 pieces by local artist
Frederick Franck, who hadn't
exhibited since the late 1960s.
He had decided never to exhibit
again, but when approached to
show at Poughkeepsie Art
Museum, he became excited
about the activist vision of
Shahinian.
The fact that it was an art muse-
um in Poughkeepsie convinced
Franck to do the show there,
Shahinian said. Franck "got
excited about the activist vision"
of the museum, he said.
Currently featured is a solo
exhibition by Vera Lambert
Kaplan, entitled "Unforeseen."
Kaplan originally showed at
Shahinian's gallery four years
ago.
She was afforded the
opportunity to do a solo show in
the museum, which is partially
for sale.
'He
does a superb job
deciding how pieces go
with one another, and how
to Hght
them.'
/
- Vera
Lamberl Kaplan
artist
Kaplan's vibrant paintings now
fill most of the space in the
museum. A small room is occu-
pied by oil paintings on wood,
painted by Tom Sarrantonio, an
art history professor at SUNY
New Paltz and past Marist art
professor.
''the space lends itself to larg-
er work," Kaplan said in a phone
interview. "Even in my studio, I
can't see my work in ways
I
was
able to see it walking around the
museum gallery."
Kaplan says she is "delighted
with the response" of the neigh-
borhood.
"I have been spending each
weekend down there," she said.
"You get everyone from sea-
soned art-goers to people who
have never seen work on canvas-
es before."
Kaplan is impressed with
Shahinian 's work as the muse-
um's director
.
"I feel that Albert does a very
great job, better than maybe
other more seasoned gallery
owners," she said. "He does a
superb job deciding how pieces
go with one another, and how to
light them."
The next show, being planned
now, will feature six internation-
al artists. The show is touring
throughout each of the artists'
home
countries,
including
Germany,
Serbia,
France,
Canada, New Zealand, and the
United
States.
Entitled
"Imaginary Voyage;'' the show
consists of collages and assem-
blage pieces by the artists.
The show in the works is the
type of international exhibition
that Shahinian wants to incorpo-
rate into the mostly
local-based
shows of the Poughkeepsie
Art
Museum. He said his focus is to
"tap the resources of the outside"
as well as feature regional art-
work.
Though Shahinian sometimes
finds the art scene of the East to
be "very confining and narrow-
minded," Shahinian is still aware
to the fact that art patrons come
to the Hudson River Valley to
buy paintings from area artists,
and therefore is trying to achieve
a balanee of worldliness
··
and
local color.
Shahinian's self-described role
as
a "staff of one" in the museum
has its downside. Though he is
fully capable of handling all the
daily tasks of running the muse-
um
"
there needs to be more peo-
ple working there. It would be
nice if there were enough funds
to have someone to be in the
gallery during all operating hours
to man the exhibit, Kaplan said.
"Art
is a luxury commodity ...
people need to have resources
physically there," Kaplan said.
She is not concerned for the safe-
ty of her work, however.
"I guess coming from the city,
I feel like this is the country, and
people are so lovely" that noth-
ing will happen to it, Kaplan
said. ''No one would deliberate-
ly harm anything related to
Albert," she said. Her sentiment
attests to the respect he has gar-
nered in the diverse community.
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=*****************~***************************~***********************











































THE CIRCLE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26,
2004
maristclrcle.com
UPCOMING EVENT
"You're a Good Man, Charlie
Brown"
February
27, 28 & 29, 8
PM
February
28 & 29, 2
PM
Nelly Goletti Theater
PAGE
10
A cultural touchstone glows on Main Street
Albert
Shahinian
s
Poughkeepsie
Art
Museum
provides an artistic center for all walks of life
By
KATE GIGLIO
A&E Editor
Soft-spoken and professionally
trained as an orchestral conduc-
tor, Albert Shahinian is not the
person who first comes to mind
when thinking of Poughkeepsie's
Main Street.
However, his name is becom-
ing synonymous with the once-
dilapidated
-
now steadily
improving
River. He worked as a cook on
the boat at first, eventually mov-
ing into the organization's office
as their scheduler
.
Shahinian said drug-infestation
was endemic, with only ram-
shackle and run-down housing
available
when
he first moved to
the area.
Now,
a lot of the build-
ings have been renovated, three
new buildings have been built.
The museum itself is located in
a refurbished
street in the heart
of the city.
The owner and
operator of two
successful art gal-
leries on Main
Street,
Albert
Shahinian
Fine
•
People on the block
really respect what he's
doing. The neighbor-
hood loves what's going
building that
was
empty,
and the own-
ers
wanted
something to
be there. The
on.'
Art
Galleries,
Shahinian's latest
- Joanna Hess
opportunity
for a museum
arose,
and
Shahinian
"unfair reputation
as a dismem-
bered
corpse."
Being in Poughkeepsie
is
ben-
eficial to the museum because
since
the city
has
its
own train
station,
for both MetroNorth
and
Amtrak,
it
makes it
very
easy
for
people to come from all around
the region, including New York
City.
This proximity to mass
transit
is
especially conducive
to
the success of
the
ArtHop
cultur-
al program
that Shahinian
started
in the area.
ArtHop
involves
several galleries and museums
,
including Marist College's own
Steel Plant art gallery. The gal-
leries stay open late
every third
Saturday
of
the
month.
Shuttles
run and people can tour various
art galleries and museums
in
the
Poughkeepsie area.
endeavor combines- his
love
of embraced it.
"It's
a
way
of
working with
institutions
in
a
way in-which we
don't usually work
,"
Shahinian
said.
art with his passion for activism.
He is the founder and director of
the Poughkeepsie Art Museum
,
also on Main Street. In a build-
ing that once housed the Mid-
Hudson
Children's
Museum,
Shahinian has created a space
that he hopes is
conducive
to
bridging "the gap between the
'gallery' and the 'museum'."
A non-traditional resume
Shahinian
is
not a traditionally
trained curator; his background
is primarily in music and educa-
tion.
He taught music in
California and was director of a
church choir, though he said he
did not really enjoy teaching.
His wife, Joanna Hess, said that
the idea for an art museum
in
Poughkeepsie had long been stir-
ring in Shahinian's mind. "For
years he was thinking about
it,"
she said.
In
their travels, they
saw that most cities they visited
had their own museums and
couldn't
figure
out
why
Poughkeepsie did not, aside from
historical ones.
When the building's owners
offered him the space, Shahinian
saw his dreams materialize.
He
is
negotiating with
MetroNorth and other
compa-
nies, trying to organize
"cultural
packages" that
will
let
pur-
chasers of
the
package take the
train
into
Poughkeepsie, attend
ArtHop,
stay
at an area hotel, eat
at one of the local restaurants,
and even visit
some
of the histor-
ical institutions in the
area, such
as the
Vanderbilt Mansion.
As far as
negative results
of the
"The
light bulb
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_
city
setting,
went
off,"
Shahinian said.
"This was obvi-
ously a great
space
for
a
museum."
1
1
have been
spending
each weekend
down
there. You get
everyon
.
e
from seasoned
art-goers
to people who
have
some
people
Shahinian's training is specifi-
cally as a
conductor.
However,
he said he is "too much of a gen-
eralist" to just want to conduct,
as it is a profession in which it is
"hard
to make a living."
The owners
were
pleased
with his ability
to bring life to
never seen work on
can-
vases before.'
from more sub-
urban
areas
view
the
City
of
Poughkeepsie
as
·
equaling
" d e a t h , "
Shahinian
said.
There are New
York
City
dwellers,
though,
who
WWW.VERAKAPLAN.COM
·shamanic Healing," one of the paintings
In
Vera
Kaplan's exhibition
at
the Poughkeepsie
Art
Museum.
Shahinian has always had an
interest in the visual arts, but
with no formal art training, he
said he never thought that run-
ning a museum or gallery would
be an actual vocation for him.
·
When he first moved
to-
the
area, Shahinian worked with the
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
organization, an educational
non-profit program that aims to
protect and restore the Hudson
the
building.
-
Vera Lambert Kaplan
Shahinian
is
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_
now, it is a private
institution,
but
ultimately
Shahinian wants the
City of Poughkeepsie to
take
now helping to
find tenants for the upstairs por-
tion of the building.
s
e
e over its operation
,
and move
to a
Poughkeepsie as quaint com-
bigger space.
There are both
·
positive and
negative results of the museum's
urban location, Shahinian said.
"My social values don't accept
the notion of avoiding the urban
environment," he said
.
He is
try-
ing to change Poughkeepsie's
pared to Manhattan. The chal-
lenge is bringing in
people
from
the suburbs by convincing them
that Poughkeepsie
is
not as bad
as they think.
Shahinian sees the current
building as a
temporary
resi-
dence for the museum. Right
Getting the word out
According to Shahinian,
adver-
tising
the museum has not been
easy.
"Paid advertising
is generally a
waste,"
Shahinian said. Rather,
he said
it is
better to build
a
mail-
ing list and send out
flyers
to
those
people, because they are
the ones
most
likely
to come
back. Also, being
classified
as a
museum means tha
t
it is
included
in arts
listings in newspapers,
which is
free
advertising.
Shahinian
also chooses
to
advertise on
public
radio, part
ia
l-
ly because he says
i
t is
"a natural
choice
for
a
gallery" and
part
ial
-
ly
because
he
has always
sup-
ported
public radio.
A jazz-reggae-funk compilation
fit for a concert in the
By
SARAJ-! GUNNER
Staff Writer
Before Jack Johnson became
well known as a musician, he
was a surfer.
He returned to these roots pro-
ducing and directing the 2002
surfer film
The September
Sessions, for which he also pro-
duced
"The
September Sessions"
soundtrack to go along with it.
The soundtrack infuses reggae,
.
funk,
and jazz together to create
an album that
is
both tight and
rich in talent.
The disc begins with Jack
Johnson
covering
Jimmy
Buffet's
"The
Pirate Looks at
40."
An
acoustic
version,
it res-
onates with Johnson's rich voice
and
guitar
skills. A tribute to
"mother
ocean,"
it is
a
fitting
way to begin a CD devoted to
surfers and their love of the sea.
"The
Pirate Looks at 40" seam-
lessly
flows into the next track,
"What Would You Rather Do,"
performed by The September
Sessions Band. Devoid of lyrics,
it is a skillful blending of
funk
and jazz to create an upbeat, bass
heavy melody.
The next
track, "Grey's
Groove," by Greyboy featuring
Karl Denson, is distinctively jazz
and contains the great flute talent
of Denson.
"Grey's
Groove" has
a rhythm that is fluid and ever
changing, with horns and drums
floating in and out to
supplement
Denson's mastery.
In direct contrast to the smooth
jazz
of "Grey's
Groove,"
"Willow Tree" is a reggae-filled
track by G. Love and Special
Sauce. Easily one of the best
tracks on the album, it vibrates
with G. Love's distinct
voice
and
solid lyrics filled with sentiments
of
love
and easy friendship.
The sound
of
the album contin-
ues to evolve on
"Super
Bowl
Sundae," performed by Ozomati.
Sounding like a type of Indian
/
Middle Eastern
funk,
it fuses
rap
with traditional to create a song Hard Way
continues
the
foreign
that is both unique and catchy.
tinge with this 60s
sounding
The only mistake on the entire throwback.
Unfortunately,
it
album is
the
next song,
"Ganges
sounds to much
like
a Batman-
a Go-Go." The artist
Bombay
the
esque theme
ong
to hold
any
Cover art for •September Sessions" soundtrack
JACK JOHNSON
true
musical merit. Luckily, it is
just under two
minutes
and
the
campy sounding
track
segues
into the much more
substantial
"T
hug
Style" fa
i
rly quickly.
"The
September
Sessions
Band"
reappears
performing
this
track
to
once
again
lend
its
funky
jazz
sound to the
overall flow of the
album.
Similar
to "
What
Would
You
Rather Do,"
it is slightly less
upbeat and more
mellow.
"Meaningless Conversation,"
by Princes of
Babylon
is
a fun,
funky
song
that follows "Thug
Style" perfectly
.
The mixture
of
lyrics that
question modem
soci-
ety
and superior
guitar
playing
make this song
stand
ou
t
as
one
of
the best
on
the
album. Beat
Down Sound
contributes it's
matchless
fusion
of
keyboard
and
modern jazz to
"Pig
le
t's
Lament,"
one of the more
exper-
imental
songs
on the album
as
well as
one of
the longest.
At
five
minutes and six seconds
,
this
track is key
to
the
success of
the
Perhaps the
mos
t
reliable
and
successful form of advertising
is
word
o
f
mouth.
The gallery
world
is
"a very person-oriented
business,"
Shahinian
said,
[about
]
"establishing relation-
ships
with
people
.
. . any decent
business
is
going to grow
that
way."
The surrounding area itself has
been
v
ery
welcoming
to
Shahinian and his
artistic
SEE SHAHINIAN
,
PAGE 9
album
as
a
whole.
The
disc ends
with an acoustic
version
of
"F
-Stop
Blues," a
song from Jack
Johnso
n's
"
Brushfi;re
Fairytales" record.
Once again h
i
s
excellent guitar
skills
and
voice combine with his
lyrical talent to create a song that
is pensive and slightly sad. This
versio
n
is
more
emotionally raw
than the original, and
is
an excel-
lent conclusion to an album
that
weaves diverse sounds
and
tal-
ents
together into
one
.
"The September Sessions"
soundtrack is
one
that weaves
the many different moods of the
ocean
and
its
surfers
t
ogether
into a smooth, well-crafted work
of musical art. Jack Johnson has
managed
to create an
album
that
is as diverse as the
many
places
around the world where surfing
is revered.
Although not easy to find
in
stores, it is a worthwhile invest-
ment
to
all fans of Jack Johnson
and quality music in general.