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WHAT’S INSIDENews......................2-4

Opinion..................5-6Features.................7-8

Entertainment....13-16

TORCH GRAPHIC/KERI DODGE

Fist pumps for ShoreJersey Shore leaves lasting

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

FeaturesCareer Center

The Career Center offers many opportunities, from developing resumes to job fairs, in order to help students fi nd internships.

Features Pg. 21

ResolutionsNew Year’s guide for success

Inferno gives you tips to help you stick to all of your resolutions this year.

Inferno Pg. 16

Men’s BasketballDown goes DePaul

The men’s basketball team routed DePaul Sunday 67-47 for its second conference win of the season.

Sports Pg. 19Incoming freshmen and transfer students view a presentation in Marillac Auditorium given during their orientation yesterday before the fi rst day of classes begins.

ASSESSING OBAMA OPINION PG. 7

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

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

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

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Managing Board LXXXVIICHRISTINA HEISER, Editor-in-Chief

JUSTIN THRIFTEditorial Page Editor

EVERTON BAILEY, Managing Editor

PATRICE BENDIGFeatures Editor

NELL O’CONNORNews Editor

BILL SAN ANTONIOSports EditorLAURA AMATOPhoto EditorKERI DODGEArt Director

MALLORY TOKUNAGAChief Copy Editor

MARK MCDONALDGeneral Manager

ELIZABETH MILLER

Layout EditorELLEN CAREYAdvisor

ADELLE PLATONEntertainment Editor

JOSÉ SILVAOnline Editor

St. John’s has joined the global relief effort for Haiti.

Students and faculty have spent the last week collecting donations to send to help the people of Haiti after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated the island on Jan. 12. It is estimated that there are already more than 70,000 dead, a number that continues to rise every day. There are still several more thousand missing in the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings.

University offi cials said there has been an overwhelming response from the St. John’s community and that the fi rst shipment of donations gathered from the Queens campus went out Jan. 14 and should have reached the island sometime over the weekend.

“The Caribbean nation of Haiti is in absolute need of our assistance,” said Nashia Whittenburg, associate director of Multicultural Affairs in an e-mail sent to the St. John’s community last week. “As a Catholic Vincentian University we must accept the responsibility of helping our neighbors in need.”

The effects of the earthquake have been widespread as many wait to receive word that loved ones still in Haiti are safe.

Junior Cassandra Edouard, who was able to locate her family

members, said she did not hesitate to spend her time yesterday in the D’Angelo Center helping gather donations.

“I came just to help out,” she said. “My family from Port-au-Prince is okay but I just came to help however I can.”

Other students have friends who were affected and are just looking to contribute in some small way.

“My best friend has family in Haiti and couldn’t fi nd his mother for two days,” said Danielle Douglas, a sophomore. “I just needed to help and do my part.”

The University’s Center of Global Development is sending a Disaster Relief Team of more than 30 people to Haiti on January 26th. According to their Web site, they will be bringing along medical professionals who are trained in dealing with disaster and trauma care.

The Center has worked in Haiti over the last few years on developmental projects, such as working towards bringing solar power to rural villages and providing aid to students in some of the island’s schools.

Several students from the country are enrolled here at the University.

Dr. Basilio Monterio, a mass communications professor, said he has a graduate student who lives in Haiti enrolled in his online Global Development in Social Justice course.

Monteiro said that he received word that the student was safe this past weekend.

“We were very worried at fi rst but we have been lucky to locate him,” he said.

With spring semester classes starting today, Monteiro said they are trying to fi gure out a way for the student to still actively participate in the class.

“The situation there just breaks your heart, not because of just the earthquake but because of all the things devastating the country,” he said. “Just last year, there were two hurricanes that destroyed 70 percent of the farm land.”

Monteiro said in light of the devastation, this could be a fresh start for Haiti.

“As sad and heartbreaking as this tragedy is, I think it also creates an opportunity for the people of Haiti to restart their society,” he said. “The country has faced a lot of turmoil and I think, with the help of other nations, efforts should be more focused on long-term, sustainable development rather than short-term.”

Campus Ministry will be holding a prayer vigil on Thursday, Jan. 21 at the St. Thomas More Church.

For the St. John’s supply drive, all donations can be brought to the D’Angelo Center, Suite 124. To donate to the Red Cross, visit their Web site at www.redcross.org.

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St. John’s supports Haiti relief eff orts

Students label and package donations collected in the D’Angelo Center yesterday for the ongoing relief efforts in Haiti.

How to HelpTo contribute to the relief efforts at St. John’s,

please bring medical, food and/or clothing supplies to Suite 124 in the D’Angelo Center

on Mon.-Thurs. between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Fri 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Any of the following items will be acceptable for donations: Flashlights, canned and

nonperishable foods, cleaning supplies, bottled water, clothes, fi rst aid kits, batteries, bedding, hygiene products, over-the-counter medication, matches, toilet paper, toiletries,

hairbrushes, tents.

For other ways to donate, visit the following websites:

American Red Cross www.redcross.org

World Vision Haiti Earthquake Reliefwww.worldvision.org

UNICEF Haiti Earthquake Reliefwww.unicefusa.org/haitiquake

Catholic Relief Serviceswww.crs.org

Visit www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake for more ways to donate to the victims in Haiti.

Text the word “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 via the Red Cross. The $10 donation will

appear on your next mobile bill.

According to the latest polls, Americans are divided over President Obama’s progress.

This time last year, President Obama came into offi ce with a 68 percent approval rating, according to the USA Today/Gallup poll. But the commander-in-chief’s approval rating has slipped to 50 percent in 12 months.

The data from the poll indicts more than 50 percent of those surveyed feel that President Obama’s handlings of

health care and the economy have been less than stellar.

Some students at St. John’s said they have mixed opinions about the President’s fi rst year in offi ce.

“I know this is such a common response, but Obama walked into a lot of issues when he took offi ce and because of this there was a lot of doing and undoing and repairing that needed to be and has been done,” said Annemarie Harr, a senior. “There are defi nitely still areas where large improvements need to be made, but comparatively he’s doing a great job.”

There are those who still feel that

Obama was simply unprepared to take offi ce.

“I feel he doesn’t have the experience or qualifi cations to be president,” said Sean DeBiase, a sophomore. “When I went into the booth two years ago, I originally had his name checked off but took back my vote feeling that I couldn’t morally vote for him.”

In the same poll by USA Today, Americans are split on the issue of terrorism and the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

Fifty percent of Americans approve of Obama’s handling of foreign affairs and terrorism. The previous administration

had received lower ratings in the same area, In terms of the situation in Afghanistan, the country is divided.

“Not only has he not pulled troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, but he has ordered more to go,” said DeBiase. “I have a lot of friends in the service and I‘m concerned for their safety.”

Students react to Obama’s fi rst year in offi ceNELL O’CONNORNews Editor

Can’t get enough TORCH news?

Visit our Web site foronline exclusives.

torchonline.com

St. John’s annual Founder’s Week kicks off on Monday, Jan. 25 with a mass and student recognition awards. This year’s theme is “Vincentian Legacy and Destiny: Changing the World with Charity and Justice.” Founder’s Week has been held at the University every year starting from 1995.

On Tuesday, Jan. 26, Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, will speak at Carnesecca Arena at 7 p.m. Mortenson, a humanitarian and international

peacemaker, has campaigned for education of young children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, helping to establish more than 100 schools in those two countries.

“Greg Mortensen is an example of someone who has had an experience which moved him to action,” said Pamela Shea-Byrnes, vice president for University Ministry and University Events.

Another event being held during Founder’s Week is the Amazing Vincentian Race, a scavenger hunt on campus, on Wednesday, Jan. 27.

“There are signs and symbols all over this campus that speak to our identity,” said Shea-Byrnes.

Teams must register for this event by Jan. 22. Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, will make

a visit to campus on Thursday, Jan. 28. “Dolan has tremendous energy,” said Shea-Byrnes.

“He has a fresh approach to what it means to be Catholic and to be engaging.”

Dolan will also be receiving an honorary doctor of Sacred Theology at the Founder’s Week Convocation on Thursday, Jan. 28. At the convocation “a mix of regular people who have done extraordinary things” will be receiving awards, said Shea-Byrnes.

Founder’s Week concludes on Saturday, Jan. 30, with Service Day at St. John the Baptist School in Brooklyn.

For more information about Founder’s Week, visit www.stjohns.edu/foundersweek.

CHRISTINA HEISEREditor-in-Chief

Slew of events planned to honor St. Vincent de Paul

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CHRISTINA HEISEREditor-in-Chief

EVERTON BAILEYManaging Editor



Illustrator’s Corner:

A Major problemIn an article recently published

by the New York Times, institutions of higher learning such as the Uni-versity of Louisiana Lafayette and Michigan State University are elimi-nating liberal arts majors includ-ing philosophy, American studies, and classics “after years of declining enrollments in those majors.”

In consideration of the times, this doesn’t seem all that unreasonable of a move for colleges to make. Today’s average college student is focused more than ever on the result of their educa-tion and maximizing its fi nancial pay-out. In fact, the article specifi cally notes that students are interested in majors that yield lucrative careers more so than ever before. Unsurprisingly, business related majors have increased in popu-larity over the past decade.

What’s troubling is that this way of looking at higher education demor-alizes the very point of higher educa-tion’s existence. What it does is place more emphasis on the end result of a student’s education instead of placing emphasis on the actual education itself. In this focus of securing the most lucra-tive career path possible out of college, a student becomes almost indifferent to their current education, so long as it will provide them with a good job upon graduation. A degree, therefore, is more of a checkpoint, or key to unlocking po-tential jobs. The education is placed in-ferior to the job, and anything unrelated to the student’s fantasy high-paying po-sition is dubbed irrelevant.

In today’s classroom, this is not hard to fi nd in action. Many students drift through their college experience like academic zombies, uninterested in absorbing every bit of their education. Many students assume, perhaps uncon-sciously, that by graduating with a busi-ness degree or pharmacy degree that their careers will be set after college.

Naturally this poses an issue for subjects like philosophy and English, disciplines that are usually heavily rep-

resented in a liberal arts curriculum. When demand and popularity falter for these not-so-lucrative subjects, the departments take hits, and consequen-tially fold up shop, such as the case at Michigan State and Louisiana.

It’s subjects like philosophy that provide the backbone of a strong education, and dismissing them due to unpopularity is not a wise move for universities to make.

While many modern students and some educators think that the most important role of education is sim-ply to prepare them for a career, this is simply not true. Higher education is about the whole development of the individual’s mind through edu-cational pursuits, not simply about earning a piece of paper that will permit you to apply for jobs.

Liberal arts education in particular is especially dedicated to this educational ideology of development. In fact, the New York Times article points out that the majority of companies polled when asked what they look most for in poten-tial employees is their ability to think critically, creatively, and innovatively — all qualities earned through commit-ment and ownership of one’s education, not minimal work ethic.

Sadly, it is not a common goal amongst the entire student popula-tion to expand and grow as critical thinkers and well-rounded intellects; many fail to realize the great value of attending to the development of their cognitive capability.

What’s more important during a stu-dent’s college years is how they develop their mind to think on a higher level, and by separating themselves from those less educated, they place themselves in a higher group of candidates on the job market. By not slacking off and by tak-ing their education seriously, they seri-ously improve their post-collegiate job opportunities far more than specializa-tion of ideologies that would slice open a true liberal arts curriculum.

Editorial Board LXXXVII

FLAMES OF THE TORCH

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

E-mail letters to:[email protected]

EDITORIAL POLICY

TO CONTRIBUTE

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

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

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

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/CATHARINE CORRIGAN

STUDENTSPARKS: ObamaWhat do you think of Obama’s fi rst year in offi ce?

So-so. He added a lot of people to the war in Iraq and already traveled to

Asia, where he made a very good con-nection.

I haven’t seen the dramatic change that a lot of people were expecting. I think he

is doing a good job as far as Haiti is concerned.

I think he’s afraid about taking chanc-es that people thought he would take

because he’s worried about re-election.

Chao GaoSophomore

Juan CenturionFreshman

Princess Carroll Sophomore

COMPILED BY THOMAS CARNEVALE

Overall good, but not as good as expected. When he was elected it seemed like he was [going to]

take over the world.

Joseph SanguinettiSophomore

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Like many students, I’ve logged on to UIS frequently during my time at St. John’s to register for classes, and view my tuition balance, among other things. And starting in the fall, I could now also check how many MVP points they had accrued during the semester.

The MVP Rewards Program was cre-ated to generate excitement among stu-dents. Every time students swipe into an event, whether it’s a lecture or athletic game, they gain points which can later be cashed in for prizes, such as T-shirts, gift cards, and for the highest point-earners, an iPod Touch, X-Box 360 or Nintendo Wii.

On the surface, this seems like a great idea. Now, the students who regularly at-tend events will be rewarded for doing so,

and those that attend events infrequently may be convinced to do so more often.

And not only are students rewarded for attending events, they also gain points on a sliding scale for obtaining a GPA of a 3.5 or higher, as part of an “academic incentive.”

When I talked to some of my friends though, they didn’t know why they had gotten the number of points that they did. One friend, for example, said she was awarded more than 100 points even though she didn’t attend any on-campus events. And while I should have received nine points for my GPA this semester, the last time I logged onto UIS, my balance was zero.

The MVP Rewards Program has been around for a semester now, and this is more than enough time for the Univer-sity to have worked out all of the kinks. The program can’t be as effective as the University wants it to be if points aren’t accurately distributed onto a student’s UIS account. If students don’t receive as many points as they should, this might even deter them from attending more events in the future.

But the program has seemed to help

attract more students to campus events. The Offi ce of Student Engagement re-ported a 148 percent increase in atten-dance at student events when comparing September 2009 to September 2008. At-tendance at weekend events on campus was 339 percent higher in September 2009 than it was in September 2008.

While the University states that there has been record-breaking attendance at all campus events, from lectures to ath-letic games, we all know students who swipe in at an event and then leave before it’s even halfway over. In addition to this, students who have never been involved on campus still may not be swayed to become more active, simply because the events themselves are still not engaging enough on their own.

Students also shouldn’t be rewarded for their GPAs. At this point in our lives, the motivation for getting good grades should come from the desire to get into a good graduate school, start a success-ful career, or simply for our own personal happiness—not to win a gift card or other prize, which can only offer temporary, short-lived satisfaction.

The University should be focusing all

of their energy on improving the quality of its events. That is the only way to get students actively engaged and to foster school spirit. In order for the University to achieve a sustainable high level of at-tendance, the events themselves need to really excite the students, regardless of whether or not they will receive prizes to be there.

But if St. John’s is serious about con-tinuing the MVP Rewards Program into the future, they need to make sure that all of their systems are running smoothly and that they are putting their energy into the right efforts.

At the end of last semester, I received a phone call from Campus Activities asking if I would participate in a sur-vey about on-campus events and why I hadn’t attended any during the fall. I quickly made up an excuse, and hung up the phone, annoyed that St. John’s would call me at home. Is this really the most successful way for St. John’s to gauge a student’s interest?

Christina Heiser is a senior English major. She can be reached at: [email protected]

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Change hard to come by in Obama’s fi rst term

A glitch in the system

It seems as if the only thing we can know with ab-solute certainty when it comes to politicians is that they’re going to in one form or another lie, manipulate or distort the truth at some point in their public life in order to achieve certain political agendas. It’s just the nature of our political environment. President Obama would never have been elected last year without end-less hours of sweet talking big campaign donors, shak-ing hands with the right people and telling everyone what he knew they wanted to hear.

Right or wrong, there’s a method to being elected in a democracy, and that’s just the way it is. The method involves making connections, understanding what peo-ple want, and being able to talk up a positive whirlwind around your political platform. If you’re not willing to sit down at a table and call endless potential supporters, then you’re not going very far. If you don’t understand the phony element in democratic campaigning, you’re unaware of how mass appeal works.

President Obama accomplished this, and entered the White House last January on the cusp of the most compelling election of our generation. We watched an unlikely Senator from Illinois snowball a grassroots campaign into a movement of political change that set racial and historical precedent. Last year, Barack Obama became the people’s president and America’s savior, even though he was yet to actually accomplish anything in the Oval Offi ce.

Needless to say, President Obama’s approval rat-ing was high a year ago; but his fi rst year as President has seen his approval rating steadily decline, hover-ing around the 50 percent mark. So far the President’s fi nest hours have come at times when his political agenda was not even directly involved, such as last week in the aftermath of devastation in Haiti when he quickly addressed the world in an emotional speech, pledging $100 million and somewhere near 5,000 military personnel in relief effort.

But for many people it seems that, like last Janu-ary, we’re still a country that is desperate for Obama’s message of hope, and that his promise of “change” has not yet come to fruition. On Dec. 1, Obama an-

nounced that he was shipping 30,000 additional troops to the Middle East. This came from the same man who, a year earlier, pledged to end President Bush’s unproductive war in Iraq.

Last January before his inauguration, the Huffi ngton Post published an article in which Obama said that his primary goal was to implement his “American Recov-ery and Reinvestment Plan,” an effort which would “not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term.” In retro-spect, the President’s fi rst year in offi ce has seemingly done little to fulfi ll this statement; in fact, some might argue he’s acted counterintuitive to it. Obama’s biggest political achievement this year has not been that of eco-

nomic recovery, but rather pushing a healthcare reform bill that some experts claim will cost the country around $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years —and this at a time when our economy is in more trouble than it has been since the Great Depression.

So while Americans continue to scramble for work, students desperately try to continue funding their educa-tions, and American poverty remains grossly infl amed, the President has committed the majority of his power to shoving a reform bill down the throats of his fellow Democrats and concocting ways to manipulate Repub-lican leaders. Obama’s haste to reinvent the healthcare system has prevented any meaningful reform from actu-ally happening and created a bill that most Americans do not understand. The result is a watered down bill that won’t succeed in changing the deepest rooted problems of this country’s healthcare system.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Obama’s fi rst year in offi ce, it’s that he’s not the complete and fi nal answer to all of America’s problems. I’ve supported him and his presidency since he announced his campaign a few years ago, but it’s a reality that Obama can talk the talk much better than he can walk the walk.

And this isn’t necessarily a terrible thing. No presi-dent can solve all the problems facing the nation. Per-haps the most important thing a president can do is lead while inspiring hope and optimism in their people, something that Obama continues to do remarkably well. Presidents don’t have unlimited power to change things completely and instantly; they can’t end a war as if it were an Xbox game. There’s no reverse button on the President’s desk for putting the economy back on track and the political diversity of our democracy ensures that anything a president wants to accomplish will be met with adversity and sacrifi ce.

President Obama has said himself that nothing can change overnight and that the patience of the American people is vital. Yes, the nation is still trillions of dol-lars in debt, fi ghting an endless war in the Middle East, struggling with a healthcare system that leaves millions unprotected, and facing a host of other intense issues. But try to withhold harping on Obama for not delivering a saving grace in his fi rst year in offi ce. It’s very easy to expect amazing (and unrealistic) things from a guy who speaks with such inspiring tones, but always keep in mind, Obama is just another exceptional politician.


MVP Rewards Program still has room for improvement

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/KERI DODGE

Whenever a new semester starts, a communal sigh can be heard around college campuses across the coun-try.

Not only are students saddened that their carefree days of break are gone, but it is time to empty their barely fi lled wallets, and hand them over to their mortal enemy: the campus bookstore.

Students dread spending hundreds of dollars each semester on required textbooks that they will only use for a few months, and barely get anything back during trade in time.

“I didn’t sell any of my books back because they weren’t worth anything,” said freshman Caite Hurley.

“My most expensive book last semester was about $30 and the bookstore would only give me $2, so it’s not worth it.”

Although most students detest this system, they usu-ally cave in and go to the campus bookstore, where they max out their credit cards. This does not have to be the case anymore, thanks to other alternatives brought by the world wide Web.

One of the most popular way students across the country can purchase textbooks is through E-Bay’s sis-ter site, Half.com.

After creating an account with the Web Site, student’s can search for a specifi c textbook by entering the title, author, or ISBN number located on the back of the book. Student’s can also unload their books from the previous semester by acting as a seller on the Web site.

Freshmen Kaila Maguire has used Half.com, and has found that it better prices than other textbook suppliers.

“I bought three of my books at half.com and they

were all comparatively cheaper than the school book-store and Amazon.com,” said Maguire.

“My dad is a college professor and he recommends his students to use this Web Site.”

Again, once an account is made, students can list textbooks, in which other students across the country can offer to buy.

After a customer agrees to buy an item, the seller is responsible for shipping out the item within three days.

Buyers and sellers must give personal information to the site, including a credit card number, which is used when products are bought or sold.

Another popular alternative for textbook shopping is browsing Amazon.com for their vast selection of text-books.

Amazon offers a wide assortment of different types of textbooks, along with study materials, reference guides, periodicals and other school supplies. S t u d e n t s can potentially save even more money when they choose to purchase used copies of textbooks, which can be more the 50 percent of the original selling price.

Freshmen Laura Smyth has experienced this fi rst-hand.

“The bookstore is expensive. The bookstore was of-fering $100 for a used textbook which I found for $30 on Amazon,” said Smyth.

“It wasn’t in perfect condition but it’s a textbook and that’s not necessary.”

To use Amazon’s services, students must create a user account with the company, which is how transac-tions can be tracked.

Orders can be tracked through the Web site, along with some opportunities to get a digital peek of the book you are purchasing (only available with some products), with the ‘look inside’ feature.

Another perk for users of Amazon is its super saver shipping, which givers customers free shipping in orders of $25 or greater.

Recently, a new company has been established that does not require students to buy textbooks they know will become useless after the end of the semester.

Instead, the owners of Chegg.com allow students to rent textbooks for a certain amount of days.

Depending on how long the student’s studies lasts, they can rent their textbooks from anywhere between 60 to 125 days. The price of the rental depends on how long the student is borrowing the book from the company.

This idea appeals to students, since most of the time they do not use the textbooks after the class ends.

“Renting textbooks sounds interesting but not this se-mester since I’ll need them right away,” said Maguire.

“However, the books must be in good condition and you can give it back so it’s convenient.”

According to the Web site, Chegg guarantees stu-dents that their books will be in excellent condition, stat-ing that there will be no broken spines, water damage, missing pages, or stains from late night coffee drinkers.

Similar to most Web sites now a days, users must create a free account, which also gives users access to prepaid UPS return shipping labels, for returning books at the end of term.

Users can also sell books to Chegg, or donate them if the book is not in high demand on the Web site.

“Renting books sounds like a good idea, but I like to write in my books,” said Smyth,

“Also, if I change my mind and want to keep the book, I can’t.”

With a little searching, students can save a lot of the money they would normally spend for books, and put it towards other materials for classes.

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Features 3SectionThink Outside...

PATRICE BENDIGFeatures Editor

Textbook troubles

- Offers three-day delivery.

-Students can get free shipping on all new textbooks through Jan. 31.

-Same day shipping available to residents of the city of Manhattan if

ordered before 11 a.m.

-Allows students sell back books as well buy them.

-Offers international editions of textbooks.

-Novels and reference materials are also offered for purchase.

- This Web site offers e-textbooks and e-books, which allow students to download

the books.

-The company offers more than a 100,000 books for students to download.

-Since it is all virtual, there is no shipping.

Abebooks.com Barnesandnoble.comEcampus.com

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/KATRIN ASTARITA

Linking college students to careers

A recent poll on CareerLink shows only 42 percent of St. John’s University students have completed an internship. Although it does not guarantee a career, an internship is a building block for fi nd-ing job opportunities after graduation.

The Career Center not only provides internships and jobs, but educates and promotes the idea of internships to stu-dents.

“It is often misunderstood that the Ca-reer Center is a place to go in your fourth year to get a job,” said Joni O’Hagan, the senior associate director of the Career Center.

The Career Center encourages fresh-men and sophomores to fi nd the right major and career through the individual’s skills and interests. They also help with the preliminary steps for experience pri-or to applying for an internship such as getting involved in leadership and school organizations, service learning, and vol-unteering in the community.

On CareerLink, the Career Center posts all internships, part-time jobs, full-time jobs and even volunteer opportuni-ties St. John’s University receives from employers.

The center also has a partnership with Internships.com, which is a large data-

base with numerous opportunities. Also, with the development of the new “career/internship” tab on St. John’s Central, the Career Center hopes to encourage more students to reach out and apply for in-ternships.

Although the new developments are very helpful for fi nding internship oppor-tunities, not all students utilize them for a successful internship.

Claudia Titolo, a junior and com-munications major, found her internship with theKbuzz at a career fair at St. John’s University. The company is a social me-dia marketing fi rm that does social media campaigns and works for small business-es as well as larger enterprises like Imax and Verizon.

Titolo has been working at theKbuzz since the spring semester of her sopho-more year. Although the Career Center was helpful for research and developing her resume, Titolo attributes the job fair and networking to her success.

O’Hagan said networking is the best way to fi nd an internship.

“Statistics nationally within the job market proves that networking is where internships are found,” said O’Hagan.

“If you ask them how they found their job— networking. Year after year, [it] is the number one way.”

The Career Center helps to provide networking opportunities through job fairs. However, O’Hagan states that stu-

dents should also use the Internet and other internship search tools to their ad-vantage.

Katie Chin, a freshman majoring in Information Technology with a concen-tration in graphic design, found her in-ternship on the St. John’s CareerLink site.

She sent the company, Chatfe, her re-sume and was hired on the spot after a phone interview with the company.

Not only did Chin fi nd her internship through the Career Center but also at-tended four workshops and found them very helpful.

“You pick up some tips here and there that will help you. For interviewing, I learned it’s okay to ask for a little time. Employers don’t really mind. I always thought you had to answer on the spot,” Chin said.

The center has numerous workshops that will help with internships.

They have mock interviews and workshops on how to write thank you letters and cover letters. Starting this se-mester, the center will also offer a shad-owing program that will allow students to follow a professional in their inter-ested fi eld.

Chin believes that internships are valuable not just as an experience, but to see potential and to assess whether you see yourself doing that work as a career.

Although Chin agrees that intern-

ships are not vital for career success until junior or senior year, for her, it was not too early.

“I know exactly what I want to do. Maybe as a freshman it’s not necessary, but it gives me the process most people practice when they’re juniors, so it gives me a head start,” said Chin.

O’Hagan also recommends that stu-dents start early when looking for intern-ships.

“Connect with your career counselor early. If you’re looking for an intern-ship in the spring, start in the fall, don’t [wait] until December. So, starting early could be broad but also in a narrow per-spective.”

O’Hagan also offers advice to stu-dents to think outside the box and fi nd numerous opportunities that could help develop skills.

She encourages students to not be afraid to strive for a more competitive in-ternship and to take some chances.

“Don’t be afraid to apply for some-thing. Take the chance, apply, and see what happens,” said O’Hagan.

Titolo also agrees that if students want an internship, they must take the initiative and strive for it themselves and not wait for an opportunity to hit them.

“Internships are most important for the college experience. Without an in-ternship, you’re not going to get any-where,” said Titolo.

CAROLYN WARGULAStaff Writer

Chartwells now offers full service Starbucks.

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Starbucks shines at SJUThe D’Angelo Center opened

in December featuring St. John’s own Starbucks Café. Along with 14 classrooms, student recreation and entertainment space, the café is a convenient place for students to get their coffee fi x.

The complex drinks and spe-cialty orders customarily ordered at Starbucks are prepared by newly trained baristas comprised of both students and Chartwells employees.

Gina Capetanakis, marketing manager for Chartwells Dining Ser-vices, knew that there was a need for the Starbucks chain at the D’Angelo Center.

“When Chartwells fi rst arrived at St. John’s in 2008, we surveyed the students on dining preferences in categories such as pizza and cof-fee,” said Capetanakis.

Results showed that college stu-dents think Starbucks has some of the best coffee available.

“Starbucks was high on the list,” said Capetanakis. “It is well known and popular, and results of the sur-vey showed that students agreed.”

Senior Robby Nothdurft said he thinks that the Starbucks is a valu-able addition.

“The Starbucks is truly one of the best improvements to the Queens campus,” he said.

The on-campus location, as well its ability to accept fl ex-dining points makes the Starbucks conve-nient for students.

“I wouldn’t bother leaving cam-pus to visit any other Starbucks,” said Nothdurft.

“While studying in the designat-ed work areas adjacent to the Star-bucks on the second fl oor, I was able to take a fi ve minute coffee break without having to walk more than a 100 feet.”

The D’Angelo Center Starbucks is authentic, right down to the coun-tertops.

Capetanakis said the Starbucks design and construction team worked with St. John’s to ensure that the space met the corporation’s requirements and maintained the brand’s integrity.

Chartwells also had to make sure the employees were properly trained to make the complex drinks.

Baristas, the employees who make the drinks, were trained inten-sively for two weeks by Starbucks trainers before going to work.

“The potential staff trained for two weeks, then took an exam where they were required to prepare drinks for the certifi ed baristas be-fore they could become certifi ed,” said Capetanakis.

“They learned everything from where the coffee comes from to cus-tomer service techniques.”

The staff is comprised of a man-ager who oversees the Starbucks

as well as the adjacent food court, Chartwells’ employees, and about a dozen St. John’s students.

“Everything was covered in training— the effi ciency of order-ing, the congeniality of the staff — it’s all a part of Starbucks,” said Capetanakis.

Senior Kevin Whalen said that the on-campus Starbucks will be his location of choice once classes begin.

“I’m an avid coffee drinker and I would certainly choose to buy from the Starbucks in the D’Angelo Cen-ter over the location on Union Turn-pike,” Whalen said.

The D’Angelo Center Starbucks is competitive to other branches be-cause it offers students the oppor-tunity to use their meal plan points, and also remains comparable in price to outside locations.

“The Starbucks in the D’Angelo Center is a much more attractive op-tion in my opinion,” Whalen said.

Student feedback thus far has been positive.

“The lines were relatively short. The service was quick, effi cient, and surprisingly friendly,” said North-durft.

“The quality of coffee beats any other coffee spot on campus, too.”

The D’Angelo Center Starbucks will operate on the following hours this semester: 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Mon-day through Thursday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4p.m. Sunday.

SARA CAHILL MARRONContributing Writer

Chartwells prepares staff to become certifi ed baristas to work on the newest coff ee spot on campus

The Career Center helps students fi nd internships every step of the way.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF AVATARMOVIE.COM

PandoraPandoraInferno reviews the Golden Globe’s Best Inferno reviews the Golden Globe’s Best Drama of the Year.Drama of the Year. Pg. 14Pg. 14

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All Hail The Na’vi People

A Shore-fi re Success

JAMES CAMERON’S ARTISTIC VISION AND NEWEST FILM SINKS TITANIC AT THE BOX OFFICE

If setting a new standard, platform, and precedent for movie making was James Cameron’s goal with Avatar, he did just that. Cameron’s latest fi lm re-cently beat out his 1997 movie, Titanic, as the high-est grossing fi lm of all time and has been capturing

the attention and hearts of moviegoers everywhere with computer-generated imagery and a simple love story.

Set in 2154, humans have depleted Earth of most of its natural resources and are looking to take materials from a planet called Pandora and their large, blue cat-like natives, the Na’vi. The story centers on Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington), a paraplegic and former marine who has taken over a mission from his slain twin brother.

After being frozen for years, Sully awakes and is thrust into a scientifi c community headed by Dr. Grace Augustine (played by Sigourney Weaver) but is con-trolled by a corporate enterprise. Sully, Augustine and others in the science group use avatars, bodies created in a lab that combines human and Na’vi DNA, in an at-tempt to study the planet’s inhabitants.

After being saved from Pandora’s wildlife by an attractive Na’vi woman named Neytiri (played by Zoe Saldana), Sully is told by the fi lm’s villain, Colonel Miles Quaritch (played by Stephen Lang), that he has three months to learn all that he can about the Na’vi and earn their trust so the humans can successfully take over Pandora and obtain its natural resources

Under Neytiri’s tutelage, Sully learns the Na’vi language, the importance of their culture, and their deep and spiritual relationship with every single inch of nature surrounding them. Over the course of learning, Sully begins to empathize with the natives.

The epic battle of the Na’vi versus humans represents how precise Cameron’s vision was, with the help of the CGI effects and the creativity of everyone who worked on it whose efforts went above and beyond. Cameron expertly created a magical world fi lled with fantastical

creatures (imagine dreamy jellyfi sh and a rhino/shark combo) in otherworldly jungles that glow in the dark and pulsate with life.

A month since its release in theaters, many viewers have admitted that they are feeling a bit “blue” that Pan-dora does not really exist. What is there not to love about a world where the colors of everything surrounding us are so vibrant and everything on the planet is respected

and fi lled with splendor? After a 12-year span between Titanic and Avatar, four

and a half years of production on the fi lm, and close to $300 million spent (double the amount spent on Titanic), Cameron made sure that this was the product he want-ed. A movie fi lled with beautiful blue beings, a green message, and a silver lining amidst times of destruction make it a must-see for every human on this planet.

Neytiri and Jake Sully (played by Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington) fi ght to save the Na’vi people and the planet of Pandora against the human race and its greedy desires.

MTV’S MOST POPULAR “GUIDOS” AND “GUIDETTES” MAKE FOR ENTERTAINING TELEVISION

The most talked about reality TV show since The Real World is MTV’s newest addiction: Jersey Shore.

Based on the lives of eight people picked to live in a shore house off the coast of New Jersey, the show follows the housemates while they live, work and party at the Jersey Shore.

The summer at the Jersey Shore kicked off with the eight roommates, Angelina “Jolie” Pivarnick, Jenni “JWoww” Far-ley, Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola and Vinny Guadagnino moving into their summer shore house. Romance immediately heats up between Sammi and Mike, but hours later, Mike decides to invite three ran-dom girls to the hot tub, causing Sammi to question Mike’s motives. Meanwhile, Snooki comes on too strong around the housemates and fi nds herself the outcast.

Throughout the course of the season, Jersey Shore offers all the components of an entertaining reality show: a love trian-gle, an arrest, fi ghts, and a house member

deciding she is too good for the place and leaves.

The show appeals to adolescents and young adults by tapping into experiences they can relate to, such as love, confl ict and friendships, while providing the type of drama viewers can feed off of and fi nd unintentionally hilarious.

Although the fi ghts and arguments the housemates get involved in are entertain-ing, the best part is the personality each character brings to the show. Many reality TV shows have lost the “reality” aspect by turning into largely scripted soap op-eras, like The Hills or The City, where the actions and dialogue that goes on among cast members are predictable.

Once Jersey Shore aired, the show re-ceived criticism regarding the term “gui-do” and “guidette” and its portrayal of Americans of Italian heritage. The scru-tiny came from locals in New Jersey be-cause the cast members were not residents from the area. Other viewers did not seem to show much concern. The controversy increased the show’s popularity, caus-ing it to be the subject of many spoofs on other shows including Saturday Night Live and random YouTube.com videos. Viewers have identifi ed with the charac-ters so much that the nicknames “Snoo-ki” and “The Situation” are becoming household names.

Overall, Jersey Shore is a refreshing take on reality TV that explores the lives of eight strangers (all claiming to be gui-

dos and guidettes) and how they spend one crazy summer. Viewers cannot help

but be glued to their television sets every Thursday night.

AVATAR- OUT OF 4 STARS

IDA BRITTANY NEWKIRKStaff Writer

JERSEY SHORE- OUT OF 4 STARS

PHOTO COURTESY OF AVATARMOVIE.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF MTV. COM

The Jersey Shore cast have embraced fame despite their show’s controversy.

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LENELI LIGGAYUContributing Writer

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INFERNO REVIEWS THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE MUSIC IS WORTH THE MONEY

Hit or MissBRITTIANY CROOM Contributing Writer

TheBLAZE

INFERNO LISTS A FEW OF THE FINDS AND UPCOMING EVENTS THAT NEW YORK HAS TO OFFER

Tired of the same, boring rice and raw fi sh combination? Mr. Wasabi puts a new spin on sushi with unique specialty rolls. Some are named after New York sports teams, such as the Jets roll (a delicious combination of melted mozzarella cheese, crunch and secret sauce) and the Yankees roll (spicy tuna, crunch, salmon and avocado) that will satisfy any sushi lover’s cravings without breaking their wallets.

Mr. Wasabi42-32 Bell Blvd.

Subway/Bus: 7 to Main St. – Flushing; Q12 to Northern Blvd. & Bell Blvd.

(718) 224-1133

SUSHI WITH STYLE

In addition to the Titanic exhibition, the Discovery Chan-nel has opened the Leonardo da Vinci workshop. Visitors can explore da Vinci’s 500-year-old inventions and translate the meanings of his paintings, sketches and notebook drawings through innovative 3D technology. Unlock the da Vinci code yourself!

Discovery TSX226 W. 44th St.

between 7th and 8th AvenuesAdmission: $21.23 for adults, $20.14 for seniors’ $19.05

for children 4-12 years old www.discoverytsx.com/nyc

Subway: B, D, V, F to 42nd St.—Bryant Park

TIMES SQUARE’S NEWEST DISCOVERY

You may recognize this quaint and tiny restaurant from NBC’s Today Show or CBS’s Saturday Early Show. Located in Greenwich Village, the Little Owl boasts bold fl avored Medi-terranean seafood and American cuisine in a cool and casual setting for affordable prices. Customers waiting to be seated can overlook the restaurant by climbing up a ladder to a tiny perch beneath the ceiling.

The Little Owl90 Bedford St.

between Bedford and Grove St.www.thelittleowlnyc.com

Subway: 1 train to Christopher St. – Sheridan Square(212) 741-4695

DINING WITH THE LITTLE OWL

In the Museum of Modern Art, innovative fi lmmaker and creative genius Tim Burton brings fans closer to his work. The exhibition contains more than 700 examples of rarely or never-before-seen drawings, storyboards, puppets, costumes and cin-ematic memorabilia from such fi lms as Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice. The gallery will be open until April 26 but occupancy is limited and pur-chasing timed tickets are required for weekends and holidays.

The Museum of Modern Art11 W. 53rd St. between 5th and 6th Avenues

Subway: E, V to 5th Avenue and 53rd St.Admission: $20 (adults); free for children under 16

accompanied by an adult; free Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

(212) 708-9400

THE NIGHTMARE AFTER CHRISTMAS

Compiled by Adelle Platon

Following a two-year hiatus after his last album, Face Off, Omarion has been on a rollercoaster ride to show the industry his potential as a solo recording artist.After making the decision to leave

Lil’ Wayne’s record label Young Money, Omar-ion started his own company, Starworld Enter-tainment, on which he released his third solo album, Ollusion.

Omarion released his fi rst solo album, O, in 2005 following his short stint in the R&B boy band B2K. He tried to show his audience he is an adult, not a boy band member. Ollusion shows Omarion stepping out of his comfort zone of love songs and venturing into club bangers with tracks like “I Think My Girl Is Bi,” “I Get It In,” “Code Red” and “Hoodie.”

The singer still caters to his female fan base with “Last Night (Kinko’s),” a late night fantasy about an intimate encounter in a store; “Tempta-tion,” a tale of the other woman; and “Wet,” the standard love making song that appears in nearly every R&B album.

Omarion’s effort will not amaze new listeners, but the mediocrity will be enjoyable enough for his original fans.

ALICIA KEYSTHE ELEMENT OF FREEDOM(R&B)

OUT OF 4 STARS

The popular New York City-based indie rock group Vampire Weekend recently released their second self-produced al-bum, Contra.

While their fans will surely delight in listening to the record, it is clear that the band has ventured onto a new sound while keeping true to their old feel.

The second album’s use of more synthesiz-ers, strings and an assortment of percussion

instruments gives Vampire Weekend a unique and refreshing sound.

The album boasts many catchy and carefree tunes. The track “Holiday” is an upbeat dance song that takes listeners on a vacation from their old sound. “I Think Ur a Contra” also breaks away from their normal approach in a good way by meshing humanistic lyrics with funky guitar sounds.

Contra also carries an underlying old school California band feel. Music similar to that by the The Beach Boys is heard in the songs “Horchata” and “White Sky,” which extol the pleasures of be-ing young and daydreaming.

Vampire Weekend successfully manages to paint a picture that represents today’s urban youth and expresses their vision through Contra. Old fans, as well as new listeners, will enjoy their second album.

VAMPIRE WEEKENDCONTRA(Indie Rock)

OUT OF 4 STARS

OTHER ALBUMS ALSO AVAILABLE ON iTUNES...

McARTHUR JOSEPHStaff Writer

OMARIONOLLUSION(R&B/Hip-Hop)

OUT OF 4 STARS

Robin ThickeSex Therapy(R&B)

Young MoneyWe Are Young Money (Rap/Hip-hop)

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Last month, Grammy award winner Alicia Keys released her fourth stu-dio album, The Element of Freedom. The singer and songwriter’s latest work incorporated more piano melo-

dies and soul than in her third album, As I Am. The Element of Freedom does not offer many up-beat tracks allowing Keys’ latest single, “Put It In A Love Song,” which features fellow female vocalist Beyoncé, to get stuck in listeners’ heads instantly. Though most of the songs deal with heart-ache and overcoming lost love, the singer has some potential radio hits. “Unthinkable (I’m Ready)” is a duet with rapper and singer Drake that makes for a great slow jam along with Keys’ other singles “Try Sleeping With A Bro-ken Heart” and “Doesn’t Mean Anything.” “That’s How Strong My Love Is” is a romantic track that may be next in line for heavy rotation. With this album, Keys tests the limits of her talents while defying the expectations of fans and music listeners. The album shows a different side of the singer in terms of vocal arrangements and beats. In an industry where music is about evolv-ing as an artist, Keys has done so by embracing the element of freedom in her music.

As soon as the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, the time for making new resolutions arrives and many are fi lled with the hope and deter-mination to make the new year better than the rest. However, as the days pass, sticking

to that New Year’s to-do list becomes more challenging and less attractive to maintain. Here are some simple ways to help you achieve that New Year’s resolution not only this year, but also for years to come.

Step One: Be realistic. When setting a goal, it is ex-tremely important to decide on an objective that is man-ageable. Try not to set the standard too high. (Losing 10 pounds in two months is more realistic than shedding 20 pounds in two weeks). By deciding on goals that are un-realistic, the probability of success can be weakened and a feeling of disappointment will slowly begin to emerge as the desired results come later rather than sooner. The best possible approach is to take baby steps in your goals and slowly raise the bar once victories become attain-able.

Step Two: Write them down. It is always important to write down the tasks and goals that one is aspiring to achieve. By enumerating your goals on a sheet of pa-per, a person can stay organized and keep track of goals that have already been accomplished and those that still need to be completed. A list is also portable and changes can be made with ease. Try putting the most important and challenging goals at the top, so that when goals that seemed impossible are fi nally done, the focus and moti-vation can be put toward easier tasks. By checking off the hardest goals fi rst, an individual’s self-confi dence can increase.

Step Three: Make a plan. The key to fulfi lling any goal is devising a time-sensitive plan. By referring to your written list of prospective achievements, a strategy for success can be made, depending on the task’s prior-

ity and level of diffi culty. For example, if a goal for the new year is to save more money, than create a budget of how much money will be spent each week. Include little notes for each task, such as limiting the amount of time eating at restaurants and time spent shopping for new clothes. Mapping out a detail-specifi c plan for each goal can increase one’s chances of victory in no time.

Step Four: Discipline yourself. A wise person once said, “The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions.” In order to achieve a resolution, a combination of faith and self-discipline is necessary. Do not eliminate all unnecessary temptations (such as eating chocolate cake or taking trips to the mall) from your life, but rather do them in moderation. Re-member the reasons why you made your resolutions and believe that you can achieve them. You will be grateful you did not submit to unhealthy desires once you reap the benefi ts of success.

Step Five: Tell your friends. The best way to stay focused and accomplish your goals is by telling the im-

portant people of your life about your master plan. Sup-portive friends and family members can play the role of your conscience if it fails to keep you motivated. By en-listing their help, you might also discover that they have the same goals as you do. Favorable results are almost guaranteed when you know you are not trying to achieve your goals alone.

Step Six: Do not give up! (But if you do, it’s okay to try again). In order to achieve any goal in life, focus and commit to making it happen. This year may bring unexpected circumstances, but it does not mean that the certainty in achieving your goals should change too. Also, keep in mind that no one is perfect. It can be dif-fi cult and sometimes overwhelming to fulfi ll your aspi-rations, regardless of whether they are as small as doing house chores more often or as big as landing a dream job or internship, but nothing worth having comes easy. Even if success doesn’t come around the fi rst time, keep trying and never give up. You still have a whole year ahead of you.

16 Ways To Keep Your ResolutionsA GUIDE TO SUCCESSFULLY REACHING AND MAINTAINING YOUR GOALS BY YEAR’S ENDTIFFANY ALEXANDERContributing Writer

Writing down your New Year’s resolutions can help you keep track of the goals you accomplish.

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Storm snap DePaul’s home win streak

The St. John’s women’s basketball team won its second game in a row on Saturday, de-feating the DePaul Blue Demons 68-51 on the road in Rosemont, Ill.

With the win, the Red Storm improve to 3-2 in the Big East and 15-3 overall after dropping two of their fi rst three conference games.

DePaul (12-6, 1-3 Big East), had won eight games in a row at home before being stifl ed by the St. John’s defense in the second half. The Blue Demons shot 39 percent, but shot just 35 percent in the second half and committed 26 turnovers, which turned into 23 points the other way.

“I thought we did a great job pressuring them defensively,” head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “We forced a lot of turnovers and I thought that was a key to the game.”

With the game tied at 19, St. John’s forced four turnovers and went on a 10-2 run in a 2:37 stretch midway through the fi rst half that open up a 29-21 lead.

They would not trail the rest of the way.

DePaul did not go quietly, however. Two free throws by guard Sam Quigley with 4:19 left brought the Blue Demons within seven at 57-50. But the Johnnies showed a keen ability to close, ending the game on an 11-1 run.

Senior guard Kelly McManmon led the team with 15 points, while senior forward Joy McCorvey and junior guard Sky Lindsay each added nine. All eight players who saw action played at least thirteen minutes and scored at least fi ve points.

“Our depth (was another key),” said Barnes Arico. “We can go to the bench and bring in people that give a tremendous amount of pressure and they had people that had to play 39, 40 minutes a game.”

McManmon was in the starting lineup for the second straight game on Saturday af-ter starting the fi rst fi ve games of the year, she has come off the bench in nine of the last 13 games.

“It doesn’t matter (whether she starts),” Barnes Arico said. “We’ve switched the rotation a number of times. She’s been playing really well right now so I think for her it doesn’t really matter whether she starts or comes off the bench.”

McManmon, St. John’s all-time leader in career three-pointers, is starting to break out of a prolonged scoring slump. She averaged 10.4 points per game last year and 7.6 the

year before. This year she is only averaging 6.5 points on 39 percent shooting. However, in the last three games she has averaged 13.3 points per game

on 62 percent shooting.Saturday’s win brings them

to 5-2 on the road, with one of the losses coming at the hands of then-No. 4 North Carolina.

They return home for their fi rst and only game at Madison Square Garden this year on Saturday against South Florida.

MIKE CUNNIFFStaff Writer


Kelly McManmon started for the second straight game Saturday and scored 15 points.

DEPAUL 51

ST. JOHN’S 68

Bill San Antonio is a sophomore journalism major. He can be reached at

[email protected]

Tonight the men’s basketball team plays at Connecticut. Satur-day the team returns home to take on Villanova, and after that the Red Storm draw Pittsburgh. Three of the conference’s best. A “murderer’s row” of sorts.

To this point, the Storm have played one ranked team, Georgetown, and despite playing with a heavy confi dence, struggled to remain afl oat against the likes of Chris Wright and Greg Monroe. The Storm then committed 23 turnovers in a home loss to Providence and, though they contained Louisville’s stars days later, they could not stop the Cardinals’

supporting cast and started the season 0-3 in conference play.

The Johnnies won their next two games, over Cincinnati and DePaul, and currently stand at 2-3 and in the middle of the conference. But these next three games, each against ranked opponents, will be the biggest test for the Red Storm all year, and could easily defi ne what kind of impact, if any, St. John’s makes in the Big East.

In each game so far, the Red Storm has shown its prowess as both a tight defensive team and a tough force to stop on fast break possessions, developing into the kind of team head coach Norm Roberts envisioned at the season’s start. However, St. John’s has not played the same game each night out, struggling to handle the basketball at times and stagnating within the half-court offense.

The consistency at all aspects of the game has not become apparent yet, and that is why these next few games will be a true litmus test. Forget for a min-ute that Connecticut, conference-leading

Villanova, and Pittsburgh are each ranked in the Top 25. Each team, perennially, is fundamentally sound and extremely well-coached. The Johnnies will have to effectively utilize their game plans and match these teams pass for pass, shot for shot, night in and night out.

The most obvious improvement in this year’s Red Storm team is its ability to recognize their opponent’s strengths and counter with an even stronger defense. That will be especially challeng-ing against a Connecticut team with three of the nation’s best players, a Villanova team that runs up-tempo better than anyone else in the nation, and a Pittsburgh team that has overcome the losses it endured to the NBA following last season. The Red Storm will have to be even more resourceful over the course of these three games and play their best all-around game to have any chance at success.

The funny thing about resource-fulness is that it’s a wild-card trait, a double-edged sword. Playing a dif-

ferent game each night means you are conforming to your opponent, rather than having your opponent adjust to you. Momentum, if any, will inevitably be established later in the game because you are still unfamiliar with your opponent. Wait too long to get comfortable and the game may already be out of reach.

The biggest difference between the Red Storm and their three upcoming opponents? These teams do not play anyone else’s game. They establish themselves early and run their game down their opponents’ throats. The best teams in the nation play this way.

If the Red Storm are to have any success in these games, they’ll need to start playing the same way.

Next three games could defi ne season for Men’s Basketball team

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Anthony Mason Jr. - the most recog-nizable athlete at St. John’s University. Anthony Mason Jr. - son of NBA All-Star Forward Anthony Mason. Anthony Mason Jr. – Oscar-Winning Director?

Maybe. Just maybe. While the 6-foot-7 Mason Jr.’s fi rst

love is basketball, he has a burning passion to set up a different kind of “shot”.

“I’d like to work behind the camera as a director, telling people what to do,” said Mason Jr. “I think I’ve got a good eye and ear for it.”

If this revelation surprises you, you should know that Mason Jr., a fi fth Year Communications Major, didn’t come to St. John’s knowing that he wanted to pursue a career in fi lm. What was his primary focus during his freshman year back in 2005?

Marine Biology, of course. “I love aqua life, and in high school

I was big into science.” Mason Jr. said. To this day, he contends that his favoritechannel on TV isn’t ESPN, but the National Geographic Channel.

After his freshman year, Mason Jr. wanted to change his major to TV/Film. However TV/Film Majors are expected to spend numerous hours outside the classroom working on projects, the kind of time that a basketball player cannot commit to. In-stead, Mason Jr. pursued a Communica-tions degree, which would give him as much exposure to fi lm classes without confl icting with practices.

“I’ve got a lot of experience with editing, using [the fi lm editing program] Final Cut, and even took an acting class.”

Mason doesn’t have his hopes completely set on directing movies, and might instead like to pursue a career directing music videos.

“I visualize a whole painting,” he said. Mason even has some pointed criticism at some current music video directors. “I hate when the music video has nothing to do with the lyr-ics, and they try to give you some symbols or something. I think the viewer would like it a lot better if they stuck to the lyrics and what was going on.”

Anthony brings his sense of humility into the classroom as well. “I don’t think he expected any special treatment in my class,” says Professor Jeffrey Weiser, Mason’s Radio Broadcast Journalism professor. “I’m glad to have gotten to know him, to tell you truthfully. He’s a pretty good kid.”

And if Mason realizes his dream of going pro, does that mean the end of his directing aspirations?

“Even if I make it to the NBA, I still want to pursue my directing career,” said Mason Jr. “Why waste a whole educa-tion? I’ve been in college for four years working on this, so, why waste it?”

BRIAN LESTZContributing Writer

Lights!Camera!Mase!

For much of the season, the St. John’s men’s basketball team has been led statistically by D.J. Kennedy and Paris Horne. But Sunday against DePaul, two other leaders emerged.

Justin Burrell and Anthony Mason Jr., two players with extensive injury histories while at St. John’s, emerged as centerpieces of the Red Storm’s 67-47 rout of the Blue Demons at Carnesecca Arena.

Burrell led the Red Storm with 11 points, going 3-of-4 from the fi eld and 5-of-6 from the free throw line in 10 minutes. Since his return from a high ankle sprain suffered at Duke on Dec. 12, he has slowly acclimated himself to the offensive rotation.

“I’ve never been a scor-er like that,” Burrell said. “As long as I’ve been here, I’ve never been a scorer like that. Any way I can help my team. Any way I can help. As long as we win, I’m happy. Nothing else really matters to me.”

Mason Jr., in his third game since returning from a hamstring injury suffered in early September, had eight points and 10 rebounds, playing noticeably more aggressive than he did against Cincinnati last Wednes-day, when he didn’t even

attempt a fi eld goal until the second half.

Mason Jr. said he’s discovered a change in his role with the Red Storm. While being called upon as a top scorer early in his career, he’s now focusing on creating offensive opportuni-ties for his teammates, since he considers himself “still a little rusty at times.” That willingness to share the ball, however, led to three turnovers Sunday, including a pass he threw out of bounds to Rob Thomas as the shot clock wound down early in the fi rst half.

The Red Storm held DePaul to 32 percent shooting, as the Blue De-mons went 16-for-50 from the fi eld. On the other end, 11 St. John’s players scored and six had at least fi ve points.

Following a media timeout near the end of the fi rst half, the Red Storm went on a 14-5 run and went to halftime with an 11-point lead. Midway through the second half, the Storm increased that lead to 29. They led by as many as 31.

“In the fi rst half our en-ergy, for this kind of game [wasn’t good],” Burrell said. “They like to dribble-drive a lot, and our energy wasn’t good. But in the second half, our pressure was good, we made them do things they weren’t comfortable in doing.”

The Red Storm improved to 2-3 in conference play after losing the fi rst three Big East games of the season. They are 12-5 overall. Despite the improvement, one thing that hasn’t changed is the Red Storm’s confi dence.

“I don’t think I ever changed [my mentality],” Mason Jr. said. “You’ve got to still stay positive and think of our goals for this team for where we want to be in March. I don’t think we ever had much of a ‘down time,’ we just have to stay up and prepare for the next game.

“You’ve got to stay positive. We came in here thinking ‘We’re going to get this win and focus on

DePaul’ and that’s what we did.”

Will Walker led DePaul with 14 points in the full 40 minutes. The Blue Demons have lost 24 straight conference games, their last win on Mar. 6 2008 at Cincinnati, and three straight since fi ring head coach Jerry Wainwright on Jan. 11. DePaul also beat the Bearcats in the fi rst round of the Big East Tournament last March.

BILL SAN ANTONIO Sports Editor

Men’s Basketball team wins second straight conference game after dropping fi rst three

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Anthony Mason Jr. had eight points and 10 rebounds in his third game back against DePaul Sunday.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

DEPAUL 47

ST. JOHN’S 67

Getting back on the right track

Tracking the Storm: Connecticut

There will be plenty of change surrounding tonight’s game between St. John’s and Connecticut.

The game will be the fi rst played under the Norm Roberts era at the XL Center in Hartford. In addition, the Huskies will be without head coach Jim Calhoun, who on Tuesday announced that he will be taking a medical leave of absence. He will be replaced with assistant coach George Blaney.

“Our primary con-

cern is Coach Calhoun’s health and his complete recovery,” Connecti-cut athletic director Jef-frey Hathaway said in a statement. “We will do everything possible to support Coach during this time.”

Connecticut is 11-6 overall and 2-3 in conference play, having dropped three straight for the fi rst time since the 2006-07 season.

The Huskies lost to Michigan Saturday 68-63.


20 JANUARY 2010 | VOLUME 87, ISSUE 13 | TORCHONLINE.COM

SPORTS

The women’s basketball team defeated DePaul on the road Saturday, snapping the Blue Demons’ eight-game home winning streak.

Pg. 18

Men’s basketball forward Anthony Mason Jr. aspires to go from driving to the lane to the director’s chair.

Pg. 19

TORCH PHOTO/ LAURA AMATOTORCHSPORTS.WORDPRESS.COM

Jan 20

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