Q&A
MUSIC DATA DOG
y o u r. i n d y @ g m a i l . c o m
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
editor-in-chief: Ri l ey Ken ny s mith
Congratulations, Purchase! We’ve made it through the first weekend! And now we’re thrown back into the harsh reality of piles of already-assigned readings and the sweet-yet-sickening smell of the necessary morning coffee. My coffee is brewing as I write this, and I just keep wishing that Starbucks would deliver; the monster-like growl of a coffeemaker at too early in the morning is a heavy blow to my sleep-deprived brain. You’d think I’d make use of the pre-set timer on the machine, but the part of me that stays up too late is also the part of me that forgets about all those modern miracles. Despite already being behind on my work, and having slept far too little this weekend to recuperate from its craziness, I’m practically skipping on my way to class. I can only attribute my good mood to the weird, wonderful things I see every day. • My neighbors had lobsters for dinner the other night, and ate them sitting outside on the ground, because even the fanciest of meals can make a mess. • Someone walked past the Indy office one afternoon playing a harmonica through the halls. • The flightless starling has hung out with me twice now, and I find his conversational posture adorable. • I make a mean plate of fried plantains and when I accidentally slice my thumb open with the knife, I have The Princess and the Frog band-aids to fix it. • The sunsets the past few days, as you can see from the cover, are captivating to say the very least, and the new mall makes a perfect sunsetwatching spot. Everything seems promising lately; all these tiny moments are signs of an amazing year to come. I’m not saying that the rosy sunsets are going to make my senior project happen any faster, I’m just saying that a little meteorological phenomena now and then is good for my well-being, and what’s good for my well-being is good for my life on the whole.
layout editor: Ta r a C on n elly writers: H i l l a r y An d er s on A da m B reid b art M a da me Q u er y copy editors: E r i c a B as co A l ex Pros cia print manager: Ro byn Wilk in s cover photo by: Ri l ey Ken ny s mith artwork by: To ny Was h in gton web design by: D a n i elle Lemp p
The Purchase Independent is a nonprofit news magazine, paid for by the Mandatory Student Activity fee. We welcome and encourage submissions from readers. The Indy is a forum for campus issues and events, to give students the voice they deserve. Letters, articles, comics, ads, event photography and event listings are welcomed. The deadline for submissions is every Friday before midnight, and accepted pieces will be published the following Thursday. Publication of submissions is not guaranteed, but subject to the discretion of the editors. No anonymous submissions will be considered, but we will accept use of pseudonyms on a case-by-case basis. Send all submissions and inquiries to your.indy@gmail.com. Send questions to Madame Query at formspring.me/ madamequery. Back page quotes can be submitted to formspring.me/indybackpage or put in the Back Page Box that hangs on the office door. Our office is located on the first floor of Campus Center North, room 1011. Staff meetings are held in the office every Monday night at 9:30; anyone is welcome to join.
2
SATURDAY NIGHT FUZZ FIRSTWEEKEND HOOTENANNY AT THE STOOD
The Workshop Model and Algae & Tentacles are Brooklyn-based bands that like to make loud and quiet noises with diverse instrumentations. Workshop Model veers on the side of noise with music theory attached and sick drumming. Algae & Tentacles began their set with noise-pop then switched over midway to a catchy garage sound. They also had sick drumming, but that was due to the overlap of members. Images and Data Dog are student / alumni bands, but that’s not the only reason they rule. Images creates ambient/electronic driven music. They recently played a show with Julian Lynch (of Real Estate)’s music project, Ducktails. If you haven’t seen them lately, you might not know that Data Dog has expanded their line-up from two to four, most noticeably adding a drummer. The drum machine isn’t gone, but the addition serves to bring the band’s sound up a notch on the electric-pop intensity scale. Their sound has a particular chill danceability that corresponded with the lightshow during their set in a lovely way.
PHOTOS AND ARTICLE BY: HILLARY ANDERSON IMAGES
http://www.myspace.com/theworkshopmodel http://www.myspace.com/algaeandtentacles http://images.bandcamp.com-downloadtheirself-titledfree http://datadog.bandcamp.com-downloadtheEP“nightlight”free
3
E N T E RT A I N M E N T
MOVIE SCREENINGS BY ADAM BREIDBART The Office of Student Life has unknowingly helped reduce illegal downloading on campus. When a film is in between the stages of theatrical release and home video it enters a state of limbo and can only be watched via illegal downloads. The Office of Student Life and the General Programming Coordinator have teamed up to bring Purchase students pre-home release movie screenings. The screenings take place on the first Sunday of every month in the Humanities Theater and always feature a movie that’s hot out of theaters but not yet available in stores. The Humanities theatre pre-release screenings have many Purchase students leaving their rooms to attend instead of staying glued to their computer chairs and downloading them. This is the third year Purchase is running the program. Coordinator of Student Life Melissa Thornburg has played a huge role in its success since the beginning. Student Life holds both a matinee and an evening showing at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively. “The 4 o’clock tends to be half full and the 8 o’clock is always a packed house,” said Melissa about previous screenings. The best part of the whole thing is that the screenings are completely free for Purchase students. “We will be showing six movies this year, three per semester,” said Melissa. “Half will be paid for by the Office of Student Life and the other half will be paid for
4
by the General Programming Coordinator, who recently agreed to help keep this event running.” The idea came from a website that offers colleges special deals on the rights to show these pre-release movies to a large audience in a campus theater. In order to show anything on campus, whether it is something already on home video or a pre-release film, you need to obtain the rights from the distributor to show it to a large audience. This could sometimes cost too much money for students to hold a screening on their own, which is another great reason why this program is great for the campus. The selection process for the films involves multiple factors. First, Melissa narrows down a short list of films available that won’t be on home video before the date of Purchase’s screening. She takes into consideration what movies are popular, so for the fall semester she looks to see what films had big draws in the summer. She also takes advice from her nine student life assistants who help in the selection process by suggesting which of the choices will draw the biggest crowd. Melissa is currently setting up a mini monthly survey that students can fill out with their preferences for what should be shown; this way more students can have a say and more people will attend and enjoy the event. The Office of Student Life tries to take many steps to promote these screenings to the
campus to make sure students are aware of them. There is a Facebook group where events are listed as well as posters around campus and reminders through Purchase e-mail. The most important form of promotion is word of mouth. Students need to talk up the event and get their friends to pick themselves up off of the couch and go watch the movie for the event to really be a success. Last year showed a great diversity in film choice, screening blockbuster hits such as “The Hangover,” “Star Trek” and “The Blind Side.” This year’s screenings started by taking Purchase students back to their childhoods, showing “Toy Story 3” this past Sunday. Woody and Buzz have been part of most students’ lives since they were in elementary school, so it made for a nostalgic evening for the students filling the theater. “I always find myself going to the screenings at Humanities,” said Stevon Garcia, a junior at Purchase. “I would really like to see something funny this semester like ‘The Other Guys.’” The majority of the students are happy with the film selections and are even very enthusiastic about their own ideas of what they want to see in the future. “I still have not seen Inception so if they screen that I will definitely be there,” said Stacey Juengling. Although most students are into the event, there are always those who won’t take part. Purchase cinema studies senior Dan Seagraves will likely not be attending any screenings this semester. He gave it a shot last year by seeing “Star Trek,” a film he was looking forward to and had not seen prior to the event. “The screening was painful to sit through, it seemed like it was a very poor VHS quality of a copy,” said Dan. “I’d rather watch television in
my room, even if they show Inception I won’t go.” The idea is worth noting for the future; Purchase students are particular about the quality quality of the films and the Office of Student Life should spend their money with that concern in mind. No matter what the movie is, this is an event worth getting excited about. If students take advantage of it this year, it will continue to be available in years to come. A handful of students said that these screenings give them less reason to download movies in their rooms because a showing on a big screen is much better than squinting at a low-quality torrent on a laptop. The next film screening will be on Sunday October 3rd and although no film has been picked yet, possible contenders include “Grown Ups,” “The Last Airbender” and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” Following that, your mind will become the scene of the crime when Inception is screened on Sunday November 7th. Don’t be left out of all the discussion and debate, go enjoy a free, fun-filled evening of good cinema.
5
STUDENT RIGHTS
Last fall, California sparked a movement that has grown drastically over the past year. Much energy went toward building March 4, 2010, National Day of Action to Defend Education as a resounding success in the struggle to defend public education. Thousands organized and participated in the events of that day which took place in 32 states. Major actions took place throughout California, but also in Milwaukee, New York City, Illinois, and Baltimore with hundreds of actions planned nationwide. University of Puerto Rico students capped off a two-month strike with a victory receiving many concessions from administration. What is clear is that this fight is not over. The lines are drawn. As working families struggle to recover from the crisis, access to education is diminishing as cuts continue to come. California activists have proposed
6
October 7th as the next Day of Action. Internationally, activists are focusing on October and November as crucial moments in the struggle to fight back against neo-liberalism and defend education rights. In Texas, the Board of Education has drastically changed the content of Texas textbooks, to include praise of Joseph McCarthy, and many other clauses. In Arizona, The state has passed the racist SB1070 that mandates police detain anyone looks like an undocumented worker. Following this, Arizona is also shutting down ethnic studies programs. In New York City, Chicago, and Detroit, districts are facing massive school closings. Public universities throughout the country are raising tuition costs and looking for more private investors. Budget cuts, tuition hikes, school closings, and right-wing reforms are hitting working families the hardest, especially in communities of color. As these cuts continue to come, we see the costs of neo-liberalism hit home harder than they have before. Public education has been losing funding for years, much of which disappeared because of neoliberal changes to the economy. The current budget crisis in many states will result in further drastic cuts to public
education, including further cuts to underfunded schools, increases in unpaid days off for staff, a incentive program promoting “reforms� that are outright attacks on teachers, a restructuring of the public university around the needs of private business – largely supported by massive private grants, and tuition hikes that threaten accessibility to higher education for working families and people of color. As the education disparities between poor and affluent grow ever wider, public schools serving communities of color are swiftly being re-segregated, provided fewer resources, and lessexperienced teachers. These students are being tracked into non-academic, dead-end programs while ethnic and multi-cultural classes and opportunities are being cut. This crisis and this solution are a direct result of neoliberal-era ideology, reducing or dissolving taxes on the rich and corporations while working people struggle to provide for their families out of their ever-shrinking pockets. As private interests gain more power, as the private dollar begins to strengthen its influence in education, our democratic rights are being stripped away. The time to act is now. Students and staff are preparing for the next wave of action. We need your support and participation to make this day a historic moment in American history. For background or more information about the call go to: www.defendeducation.org & www.purchasemarch4.wordpress.com to get involved here at Purchase please e-mail defendeducation53@gmail.com.
7
A DV I C E
MADAME QUERY
HAS YOUR REMEDY
I’m an average male student at SUNY-P. I was wondering what is the sexiest major I could be working towards to impress the ladies.
Madame has met a lot of men in many majors, some being good, some bad, and some dang ugly. Unfortunately, some of the better guys were sometimes a part of the same academic program as the bad ones, so there is no way of telling what is the “sexiest” major. Now here is the truth: a sexiest degree does not exist, but if you find out what kind of girl you are after, you can then try to cater to her. You can tell her you’re into similar hobbies she is into and convince her you are working towards the same kind of future she is after. Do this and you could end up in two different, dark scenarios where you do not want to be. Scenario 1. Said girl has a weird fetish for the kind of person you’ve made her to believe you are. You somehow fall in love with her and then she finds a guy who is sincerely into her lifestyle and therefore is a better match, which leaves you to wonder why you can’t actually be like this guy. Scenario 2. This girl believes that since you have the same hobbies, life goals and attitude on life, you guys are destined to be together forever. You now have one crazy, possessive bitch on your hands. My advice- Work on yourself and you won’t have a “major” crisis on your hands.
8
Madame Query, I need advice on how to get it on while my roommates are sleeping. I live in a converted triple.
Ah, yes, Madame Query was once a freshman living in a dingy, dirty, smelly, unsustainable converted triple. This is why she left her room to meet up with the fellas. However, if converted triples located in the armpit of Crossroads do not phase you, I would still advise that you have some respect for your roommates; they may look like they’re sleeping, but in reality they are cringing under the covers as they listen to your slurping and smacking. However, Madame does understand that sometimes we just get caught in the moment. You could possibly be so excited you are about to get laid that you aren’t able to have the slightest bit of consideration for your roommate, but you have to. If you are going to get it on in your converted triple, here is my advice: silence is golden. Try to do things that won’t make much noise. Stuff a pillow in your face if it’s worth it. If you sleep on the top bunk please just consider leaving the room because noise is unavoidable in that situation.
SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS
TO MADAME QUERY http://www.formspring.me/madamequery
So what’s the etiquette regarding watching porn while my roommate is in the room? Is it cool as long as he doesn’t see? The guy never leaves the room and it’s getting kind of frustrating...
This reminds me of a little story about a guy I once met who was made fun of because he posted his availability schedule on his door so his hall-mates and roommates would know to knock on the door in case he was “finishing” a job. Everyone made fun of him, but when I first met him he seemed like a happy, healthy, calm guy. You know why he was? He understood that masturbation is perfectly healthy and that everyone does it. Of course the reason why he was made fun of was because he had to post a stupid schedule on his door instead just locking his door and pretending he wasn’t there. It also didn’t help that the schedule had a mysterious stain on it. In the beginning of the semester you don’t quite know your roommate’s schedule yet, but you will soon figure it out. Until then, if you are going to watch porn while your roommate is in the room, you need to make sure that the laptop screen is out of his sight. I suggest you get a ethernet chord long enough for you to bring the laptop onto your bed with you. Sit in a corner against a wall: no one will see that way! Always wear head phones- your roommate doesn’t want to actually have proof of what you are doing in your corner with strange sounds coming from the computer. As long as he never sees it, you can watch porn while your
roommate is in the room. However, you should never wank off when he is there. That would be inappropriate. If you don’t want to hide the fact that you are watching porn and since you now know pleasuring yourself is out of the question, the “This is so funny!” method might be just up your alley. Play whatever porn you want (something out of the ordinary usually works best for this) and just say to your roommate, “Oh my God! My friend from home sent me this link! This is so messed up and funny!” It makes him believe you have a distinct kind of humor and acts as a bonding experience for you two!
UPCOMING EVENTS Friday, Sept. 10
Paul Baribeau, Cowboys, Busmans Holiday, Sidewalk Dave, and Space Ghost Cowboys perform at the Co-op. Show begins 8:00 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13
Defiance Ohio, Mutiny Amongst Friends, Animal Names, and Wood Spider perform at Whitsons in the Student Center. Show begins 8:00 p.m. Every Wednesday this semester:
Open Mic at the Student Center. Check the Facebook page for more details.
9
ART CO-OP UPDATE SUBMITYOURPHOTOSTO: your.indy@gmail.com
PHOTOBYSTEPHENFAUGHT
BY HILLARY ANDERSON Art Co-op hosted its first rummage sale of the semester on Saturday, Sept. 5 in the quad. There was an open sign-up for bands and tables were set up for vendors. Tentatively, we’d like to put on two more rummage sales this semester – one during Fall Fest and another, possibly the week after Thanksgiving break. Those interested in performing should email purchaseartcoop@gmail.com. If you’d like to sell your art or rummage items at a future sale, you need only to show up at the time stated on the posters. We are accepting designs for a mural to go up on a main wall in the Student Center outside the Art Co-op. Artists and collaborators are encouraged to submit their designs to the email by our deadline – midnight, Sept. 19. Our next general interest meeting is Sept. 21 at 9:30 p.m. in the Art Co-op space in the Student Center. Attend if you’re interested in helping Art Co-op out with our various projects and share your ideas with us! Interested volunteers should email hillary.anderson@purchase.edu with your availability and first three picks for a shift. Volunteer training will be scheduled according to general availability. In order to accommodate everyone, there will be multiple training sessions. Shifts will be Monday-Friday, 4-6 p.m., 6-8 p.m., and 8-10 p.m. Two people will staff each shift, so if you would like to share a shift with someone, include their name in the email.
For more details visit http://purchaseartcoop.tumblr.com/.
10
PHOTOBYSTEPHENFAUGHT
PHOTO BY RILEY KENNYSMITH
PHOTOBYSTEPHENFAUGHT
11
s ve
ni
. ow Ch
To sk the at b eb ru oa ne rd tte in so th ph e St mo oo re d w Yo la ho u’r st s u e em se re d al es to ly te ho r, t. “I I c can bu an ’t d t n do o ot co ma m un th at ti , h.” ng ,
K e, ike rm kl de w. loo un ho u es s C yo liv ive ks ho Kn thin w rl ke o gi k li wh ar oo de De u l du Yo he -T
?!
E AT e
If m you ud r , fe he at ad he ex rs pl , a od nd e pr d, th ob e ab re ly wo a d ul ea d p d ro bi ab rd ly . b
G
IN SE ’S
HA
RC
PU
E
ST Th OP is LI is TT m ER y h IN om G. e. V FI
12 GH
C CO AN LL EVE EG R EA YO CB NE .C PL OM EA ?! SE Th ST an AR ks T . US HI
P TH urch Do UR as yo SD e En ur AY er pa SE gy r t PT H & . 9 ou un , 1 r i pl pm s ug . 2p m 5 8-
L DE N OH ,J AG EB TH N SI T’ HA W y pp t. ha ec us exp e ak e m es w ho on w le the op er pe ev e n Th are
SUBMIT BACK PAGE QUOTES VIA THE BOX OUTSIDE CCN 1011 OR ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://FORMSPRINGME/INDYBACKPAGE