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The story of young men who will walk 128 miles in 8 days for Autism awareness.

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St. John’s baseball team defeats Louisville 6-5 to take series win.

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The U.S. flag flies at half-mast in front of the D’Angelo center following the Boston bombings.

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A motion recommending that the Board of Trustees publicly release the results of its investigation involving Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of the University, before May 6 was voted down at the most recent University Senate meeting.

The University Senate, made up of faculty members, student government representatives and administrators, discussed the motion for the majority of the meeting on Monday, April 15. The Senate serves as the governing body of academic affairs, according to its bylaws, and is “vested with legislative authority over University-wide educational policy.”

The motion failed to receive the majority of votes necessary to pass, according to Lori Brandston Assistant to the Associate Provost.

Associate Professor Granville Ganter from the English Department and member of the Senate presented the motion at the meeting. It sparked a debate that took up the majority of the hour-long meeting, which was held in Bent Hall room 227 and open to the University Community, according to

the by-laws.Speaking before the Senate members

present, Ganter read the language aloud that he wished to have presented to Harrington and the Board of Trustees.

“The St. John’s University Senate expresses its concern that because many routine academic matters have been put on hold while the University waits for the release of the Wohl report,” Ganter said. “The Senate recommends that the President release the finding of the Wohl report prior to the end of classes on May 6th so another semester is not lost to this matter.”

Ganter believes the investigation, which is being performed by an outside counsel at the direction of the Board of Trustees, has had two months to prepare. “There is no reason for the delay,” he said. While adding that he has great respect for the University President and administration, he said this case has been ongoing for far too long.

“I don’t know what more needs to be discovered,” Ganter said.

Ganter also echoed the concerns of faculty and students that he fears the administration could be waiting for summer to release the results of investigation, a time when most faculty and students are not on campus.

One person who spoke out at the meeting opposed to the motion was Dean of the Law School, Michael A. Simons.

“I’m going to vote against it,” he said. “…Not a simple situation.” Simons also told people present that he felt a thorough investigation was more important than a quick one. He also noted attorney-client privilege should be considered.

Others who spoke at the meeting said they planned to vote against the motion because the Board of Trustees doesn’t meet again until May 15; they felt the Board should have the opportunity to gather once more before potentially releasing the report.

Ultimately, the proposal didn’t garner enough votes for approval.

“It was disappointing,” Ganter said. “It was an important motion to bring before the Senate.”

Harrington, meanwhile, did not attend the meeting. The bylaws state that the President shall preside over the regular meetings, but that he may designate another administrator to fulfill his responsibilities. This meeting was overseen by Provost Dr. Robert A. Mangione.

The Senate meets twice a semester.

The University’s eight annual Relay for Life walkathon gathered over 1,500 students to support those affected by cancer, and as of this past weekend, the campaign raised $105,103, the largest amount in the University’s history according to school officials.

Overnight Friday to Saturday, several student organizations, faculty, volunteers, and university officials assembled in Carnesecca Arena for 12 hours and participated in various celebrations and activities that remembered those afflicted by cancer. Relay for Life is the University’s largest student-run fundraiser.

Logistics Chair John Marchi estimated the attendance was around 1,500 students. Students and organization were the main catalysts for this year’s historic success, he said.

“Without the support of our organizations we wouldn’t have raised a penny,” he said. “The students are the fuel for the event.”

This year’s historic proceeds according Mary Pelkowski, the Associate Dean of Student Engagement, trumps last year’s $81,500 total. The money will be donated to the American Cancer Society, the leading cancer research organization focusing on ways to find preventable measures of cancer for over 100 years according to their website.

Steve Lavin, the men’s basketball coach and selected speaker for the walkathon, is cancer-free after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Lavin spoke about how the support from the vast amount of individuals in the arena served as an inspiration to those influenced by cancer.

“Just your encouragement, your spirit and your example makes such a profound difference in not only the cancer survivors but those who come from families of cancer survivors or those who lost someone to the dreaded disease of cancer,” he said.

Following the speakers was the traditional opening luminary celebration. The crowd held glowing lights in the air in memory of those who died as a result of cancer and in honor of those currently battling the disease.

Sophomore Nicole Zaremba, who lost an aunt as a result of cancer and another who survived the disease, said how this event displayed perseverance

throughout society.“This [event] serves as a reminder to

never give up hope and to keep fighting regardless of what life throws at you,” she said.

After the ceremony the relay commenced beginning with a lap around Carnesecca from the cancer survivors present in the building - known as the survivor lap. That was before other organizations such as fraternities, sororities and clubs joined the relay.

The diverse group of students’ motives for attending this year’s relay shared the common incentive to show support to individuals they personally knew who were and are affected by cancer.

“I knew a friend in high school who had leukemia and he fought it and he beat it,” Gina Curcio, a member of the Catholic Student Association, said. “I am here because I am relaying for the fighters.”

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Relay for Life raises $105,103

NewsThink Outside...

JARROd SMIThAssistant News editor

ShANNON LUILBRANdfeatures editor

Annual cancer walk-a-thon hits historic figure

Senate votes down Harrington motion

BriefsTorch

COMPILed ByChRISTOPheR BRITOAssistant News editor

The University held an organi-zational congress meeting on last Monday, where administrators came to field questions from students with-out mentioning the ongoing issues regarding Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of the University.

Neither Dr. Hutchinson nor Dr. Danny Trujillo, associate vice presi-dent of student affairs, who was also in attendance stood in front of the po-dium to field questions.

Vice president elect and organi-zations committee chair, Mark Be-navides, informed the Torch similar purpose to the previously cancelled town hall that was scheduled on March 11, which Harrington usually attends.

Typically, the annual event per-mits students to voice concerns and questions to the president and other high-level administrators.

Although the meeting wasn’t for-mally announced to the student body as a town hall meeting, administra-tors don’t normally attend organiza-tional congress assemblies.

There has been no word regarding a possible town hall in the future with Harrington.

Student Government incorpo-rated’s Dr. John W. Dobbin’s annual professor of the year recognized pro-fessors from each college throughout the university.

Out of the 112 teacher nomina-tions this year’s winners are Pro-fessor Joyce Boland-Devito in the College of Professional Studies, Dr. Marybeth Schaefer for the School of Education, Dr. Maha Saad for the college of pharmacy, Dr. Annalisa Sacca in the college of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Abraham Ste-fanidis for the Peter J. Tobin College of Business.

Additionally, The SGI College of the Year was awarded to the School of Education for receiving the high-est rating on student course evalua-tions.

Harrington not addressed at org. congress

Professor of the year awards

Photo courtesy of DIvIsIoN of stuDeNt AffAIrs

Coach Steve Lavin and volunteers gather for relay for Life night.

14 people died and 200 were injured as a result of the West Texas fertilizer plant explosion Wednesday April 17.

In addition to those injured the small town which comprises 2,800 citizens was damaged as well with the explosion resulting in power outages, and dismantled houses and apartment complexes.

The blast damaged around 150 buildings including three of four schools in the western region.

On Monday about 1,500 students returned to school in Texas with makeshift classrooms in nearby districts.

Firefighters were able to suppress the flames and evacuate individuals in the area.

However as of April 16 around 60 individuals still remain unaccounted for.

Moreover ,the cause of the explosion is still unknown.

The Associated Press reported that the fertilizer plant had not been inspected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration since 1985.

According to the Dallas Morning News, in an emergency planning report the plant previously informed the Environmental Protection Agency that it presented no risk of fire or explosion and the worst case liability would be a non fatal release of ammonia gas.

Authorities have currently located the spot where the explosion in the plant occurred.

However, authorities have still been unable to determine what triggered the explosion.

Investigations by the state have currently determined the deadly explosion has no indication of criminal activity.

Furthermore, according to CNN a U.S intelligence official stated there is no indication that the blast is related to terrorism.

Regardless, both the state and federal government are still leading an investigation to discern the cause for the explosion.

An envelope was sent to President Obama and U.S senator Roger Wicker and a local judge in Washington D.C which included a substance that was tested positive for a toxin known as ricin on April 16.

The envelope was immediately quarantined and sent to a laboratory for further analysis.

The U.S Senate mail facility is currently closed for further examination considering its toxicity and all mail sent to Capitol Hill is now being directed through a U.S House facility until further notice.

The letter was postmarked Memphis Tennessee and contained no suspicious markings or a return address.

The Capitol police are in partnership with the FBI for further investigation to uncover the correspondent.

As a result of investigations on April 22 the FBI searched the house of Mississippi man. accused of mailing poisonous letters.

However the search was unable to locate any sign of the toxin.

If convicted the sender faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Since 2001 all congressional mail is screened ever since Capitol Hill-bound letter were laced with anthrax which resulted in the death of five individuals and infected 17 more.

Medical experts point out that ricin is not as powerful as killer as anthrax.

However, precautionary measures are still being taken.

Last week the passing of a gun control bill hit a brick wall with the senate in a vote that will put a halt to gun control legislation for the time being.

The bipartisan proposal to expand background checks to consumers of firearms in gun shows and the internet fell short of the 60 votes needed with only 54 in favor of legislation and 46 in disapproval.

Only four republicans in the senate voted in favor of the bill. Moreover, President Obama lost key support from four red-state democrats who voted against the bill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said how “the brand of the republican party has become more out of step, [and] more extreme” by disregarding the voices of the American public.

The president stated in a speech in

the Whitehouse Rose Garden that “this was a shameful day for Washington, but this effort is not over” he said. “Even without Congress, my administration will keep doing everything it can to protect more of our communities”.

As of last Friday The Obama administration is currently acting to strengthen background system by regulating existing database dealers to ensure they are not selling weapons to criminals or the mentally ill.

However, the demand from the public regarding stricter gun laws has seen slight retrogression according to USA today which states the public is more divided on enacting new gun laws then in recent months by slipping below 50% in a recent poll conducted last Thursday by Princeton survey research.

Two bombs exploded near the finish line of the worldwide annual Boston Marathon on April 15 resulting in three deaths and over 200 injured.

The bomb was later discovered to be placed in garbage cans and although there have been conflicting reports on how many bombs were planted, the New York Times stated a total of four bombs were set for detonation until discovered and intercepted by officials.

That same night the FBI led an investigation to determine who is responsible for the blasts and weather the attack was foreign or domestic.

President Obama vowed to bring any responsible group to justice,

“We will find who did this, and we will find out why they did this,” he said.

“Any responsible group will feel the full weight of justice.”

Justice departments later identified Dzhokhar Tsarnaev a 19-year-old college sophomore and his brother, Tamerlan to be culprits of the bombing.

Officials approached the suspects last Friday which resulted in a firefight and the death of the elder brother Tamerlan. The younger brother, Dzhokhar is currently being charged with using weapons of mass destruction as well as malicious destruction of property.

If prosecuted Tsarnaev could face the death penalty.

Officials discovered a homemade arsenal of explosives from the men and according to the Washington Post. Some law enforcement officials said they think the two brothers were planning more attacks.

In addition, Security officials are currently facing questions from lawmakers over the incident by claiming the FBI failed to act thoroughly as Russian security services flagged the older Tsarnaev as a possible Islamist radical in 2011.

Dzhokhar claims the bombings were solely motivated by his brother.

However, evidence against him is now likely to be presented to a grand jury by prosecutors who will seek a formal indictment.

JARROd JeNkINSAssistant News editor

Letters were infected with ricin. Photo courtesy of WIKIMeDIA coMMoNs

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NationalThink Outside...

Marathon bombing timeline

Medics and officers rush to help victims of Boston Marathon bombings.Photo courtesy of WIKIMeDIA coMMoNs

Fertilizer plant explodes in texas.Photo courtesy of WIKIMeDIA coMMoNs

Fertilizer plant kills 14 people

Poison sent to Washington Senate gun bill dismissed

Senate puts gun legislation on hold after failing to get necessary votes. Photo courtesy of WIKIMeDIA coMMoNs

St. John’s softball coach Amy Hvilhaug finished the Boston Marathon more than 40 minutes before the two bombs exploded. She told the Torch she had no idea what had happened until her friend and fellow marathoner Meredith Cleasby sent her an unusual series of text messages.

The first text said, “I’m fine.” The next said, “Bomb.” “I thought she was saying I was the

bomb,” Hvilhaug said in an interview with the Torch.

“I dismiss it because I didn’t know what she was talking about.”

“A minute or two later, someone comes in [my hotel room] and says there have been bombs that have gone off on the finish line,” she said. “I start freaking out.”

That was the moment Hvilhaug learned about the blasts that killed three, injured more than 200 and shook her hometown of Boston’s tranquility for days. But before it all sunk in, her immediate impulse was to track down her father and her friend Cynthia Lujan from Arizona, who was still running the race.

Fortunately for the Hvilhaugs, they finished minutes apart from each other --- and before the pandemonium struck.

Finding Cynthia, however, provided some scary moments.

Amy Hvilhaug said she frantically ran downstairs from her hotel lobby and found her father waiting for her. They then left to find Cynthia, and Hvilhaug said she repeatedly told her father, “She has a four-month-old baby, she has a four-month-old baby!” That’s all she could think about at that moment.

“She was trying for years to have a baby but she couldn’t,” she said. “She was on cloud nine with her new family.”

The St. John’s softball coach said he was unable to reach Cynthia on her cellphone, which was quickly losing battery life. She said she then went inside the mall that is attached to her hotel by the Prudential Center and found a phone inside one of the stores. But those calls went unanswered, too. And for the next hour the same scenario repeated itself, until finally Cynthia picked up.

“She tells me right where she is and go to find her,” Hvilhaug said. “I let everyone know I found her.”

And Hvilhaug learned just how lucky her friend was.

“She crossed the finish line 1:24 seconds before the bomb went off,” she said.

After they were both safe and sound within the confines of their hotel room, they reached out to Hvilhaug’s friend

Meredeith, the woman who initially texted the softball coach with the word ‘bomb.’

“She went in the restaurant to go get a bite to eat and was going to meet us after,” Hvilhaug said.

“Right after she steps in the restaurant the bomb goes off.”

So she, as fate would have it, was just out of harm’s way, Hvilhaug said.

It wasn’t until the day after that the whole scope the event hit Hvilhaug, who’s in her ninth season as St. John’s softball coach.

“The last few days were a little hard for me,” she said, “because one my close friends was right there and she just happened to go in the restaurant.”

The next couple days were mixed with positive vibes and anxiousness of the whereabouts of the bombers.

But when news broke that one of them of was killed and the other was finally caught, a huge avalanche of relief followed.

“I’m happy that whoever was captured finally got captured,” she said. “I want justice in the right way for this guy.”

And she added that last week’s sequence of events won’t dissuade her from running the 26.2-mile long course through Boston next year.

“Both me and my dad were talking last night, ‘we can wait to run next year’.”

Since Rep. Peter King was named Queens campus commencement speaker on April 15, there has been a substantial amount of student backlash.

A petition asking to replace King as speaker was created on April 16 by seniors Jonaki Singh and Josephine Marescot – it has garnered 1,099 signatures since the Torch went to print last night.

“We found out he was going to be the commencement speaker, we looked into him, we saw who he was, and right after that we decided to start it to see if students felt the same way we did,” Singh said.

Several students have expressed their concern over King’s sociopolitical ideologies in light of the Congressman being named commencement speaker.

“We don’t feel that he embodies or embraces our University’s mission,” Marescot said. “The commencement speaker is supposed to put forth this

image of how we are as a graduating class and what we have felt here at St. John’s – diversity. And we feel that he doesn’t put forth this image.”

King has been quoted on numerous occasions solidifying his belief that American Muslims should be monitored with an acute focus when suspicions of terrorism are being investigated.

“The overarching theme of this year’s graduating class is diversity,” President of the Muslim Students Association, Sami Ur Rabb, said. “From many of his [King] comments in the past, which he firmly stands by, we gather that he is an opponent of practical diversity.”

King declined an interview request by the Torch, instead stating in a press release that the protest of his selection is a result of students being “misguided and wrong.”

The University has said in a statement that this year’s commencement ceremony will “pay special tribute to those impacted by the events of SuperStorm Sandy.” Considering this, King was chosen to speak because of his efforts during the aftermath of Sandy.

“Congressmen King was selected as our speaker in Queens based on his bi-partisan efforts to secure much needed federal funding for New Yorkers following SuperStorm Sandy,” associate vice president for external relations, Dominic Scianna, said.

The College Republicans share the University’s stance concerning King’s appointment as commencement speaker.

“While we understand why many have voiced their concerns over certain comments made by the Congressman,

we believe that Congressman King will be a terrific commencement speaker at graduation,” the College Republicans said in a statement.

Regardless of the mix of support and opposition of King, Singh and Marescot are still hoping to sit down with University administrators in the coming days to explain why they believe King is not fit to speak at their commencement ceremony.

“Students should have some sort of say in the commencement,” Singh said. “If they did, maybe all of this wouldn’t happen.”

In a statement e-mailed to the Torch, Scianna explained that the University usually takes recommendations for the commencement speaker from a committee made up of senior administrators, faculty, Student Government, Inc. student representatives and staff, but cited this year as an “exception” in light of SuperStorm Sandy.

Singh and Marescot stated during their interview with the Torch that University administrators would not meet with them to discuss the petition until it gathered 1,000 signatures. In the days since, the petition has surpassed the thousand signature mark, but Singh and Marescot have not yet received word when they will be granted a meeting with University officials.

Whether or not Singh and Marescot meet with administrators in the coming weeks, they expressed their astonishment at the publicity and support the petition has acquired.

“When we first created it, we didn’t even expect it to get in the hundreds,” Marescot said.

Petition to remove Peter King circulates

Coach tells her Boston Marathon storyChRISTOPheR BRITONews editor

Photo courtesy of WIKIMeDIA coMMoNs

Peter king was chosen to speak at May’s graduation at Queens campus

Newly-named commencement speaker receives student disapproval MITCheLL PeTIT-FReReManaging editor

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Photo courtesy of AMy hvILhAug

Coach Amy hvilhaug running during Boston Marathon before the bombings.

The University’s Greek Life came together for a one night performance competition called Lip Sync, which is set entirely to music to raise money for Relay for Life.

Lip Sync is the finale to close out Greek Week at St. Johns, a week where Greeks compete against each other for points to determine who walks away with the big trophy and bragging rights at the end of Greek Week. The proceeds generated for Lip Sync go entirely towards Relay for Life.

“This year we raised $2,500 for Relay for Life. I think $2,500 is a good amount, in the past we’ve split the amount between Give Kids the World and Relay for Life, but this year it all went towards Relay,” said Maggie Bachman, Assistant Director of

Leadership Development and Service.This year followed some Lip Sync

precedents with crossdressing in every frats skit and in some sororities.

The “Harlem Shake” was also very popular as several Frats either had their

own version or at least payed homage to the viral song.

There was also a very popular “Lion King” theme which helped Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity win this years Lip Sync.

Kappa Phi Beta and Gamma Phi Beta tied for first among the sororities.

“It feels good because I’ve lost friends and family to cancer. The family members and friends I’ve lost, that’s terrible and it’s gonna happen. It’s inevitably going to happen and we can’t really stop that unless we contribute to research. I feel like everyone should do it,” Junior Bejoy Maniar said.

“I feel like any kind of event where you have performances and bring out people, that’ll always help Relay for Life and the fight against cancer.”

“That’s always a good thing.”

The University hosted its first annual celebration of Disability Awareness Day by inviting a mother-and-son team to speak on behalf of Spread the Word to End the Word, an anti-bullying organization dedicated to advocate those with disabilities.

The event was run by Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Kappa Phi Beta sorority, the School of Education, and Student Engagement organizations in order to help spread awareness of the organization formed during the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games that speaks out against bullying, handicap discrimination, and the use of the word ‘retarded’ with a negative association to

those with disabilities.ESPN announcer Debbie Antonelli

and her son Frankie were the guests in last Monday’s Spread the Word to End the Word lecture.

Debbie Antonelli for the past 23 years has worked as a women’s basketball analyst, covering both college and professional games for ESPN, CBS, Fox Sports, and Westwood One.

“Although I don’t like to use a lot of clichés when talking about sports, there are two clichés that I’ve learned really ring true in my personal life,” she said.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover, and you don’t truly know a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.”

She explained how important it is to keep an open mind, especially when

meeting someone with disabilities. In addition to explaining what Spread

the Word stands for, the announced her plan to found the organization Frankie and Friends as a campaign against bullying regular kids and kids with disabilities alike.

“I tell people I have three sons, and my middle one is smart, handsome, athletic, and thinks he looks like Justin Bieber”, she said.

“Having a disability is only a part of someone- it’s not who they are. No one should ever jump to conclusions about someone based on only a part of them.”

Frankie, who is a fifteen-year-old with Down Syndrome, started off his speech with a huge smile and a wave to his audience.

“I’m Frankie”, he said. “and I bet we like the same things.”

He went on to talk about those things he liked. He’s competed in the Special Olympics three times, and is one of the only players on his baseball team who doesn’t have to take the field with a buddy. He talked about all of his friends, making sure to specially recognize the new friends he had made on campus that day, and told everyone how much he loves to sing.

“One day”, he said. “I’d like to go to college.”

Domenick Luongo of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity attended the forum and enjoyed the event altogether.

‘It was one of the most uplifting speeches I have ever heard,” he said.

“There could not have been more support for Frankie and as a member of Pi Kappa Phi, we are more than appreciative.”

Lip Sync nets more than $2,500Greek Week’s final event shares spotlight with Relay for Life

‘Spread the Word’ duo speaksMother-and-son tandem talks anti-bullying

dyLAN NUNezstaff Writer

CAT SILVeRMANstaff Writer Luis Quinones, President of the

College Democrats, told the Torch that he believes several of the administrators the group has met with are warming to the possibility of a student-run Gay Straight alliance being formed on campus.

Over the past few weeks, the College Democrats have met with vice president of student affairs Kathryn Hutchinson, dean of students Danny Trujillo and several members of campus ministry including vice president for University ministry Pamela Shea-Byrnes.

Administrators said the dialogue is ongoing.

“We will continue to listen to student concerns and discuss ideas to improve upon resources and opportunities for students,” Trujillo said in an email to the Torch.

Back in February, the University said in a statement to the Torch that it “would not recognize a gay alliance.”

Quinones believes the College Democrats have made a compelling case about why they feel a GSA is necessary at St. John’s in their regular meetings with administrators.

“We’ve been showing them why there’s a need for this,” Quinones said. “And since the school needs it, it’s something that’ll be good.”

Weekly meetings have now been planned to take place with Trujillo, the first being scheduled for Thursday April 25, according to Quinones.

Quinones said the agenda of the weekly meetings will differ from those that have already taken place.

“Lately every meeting we’ve had so far have been about the merits of having a GSA,” Quinones said. “From now on we’re going to be writing down what the GSA is going to be doing. What it’s going to look like.”

The College Democrats began meeting with administration after they launched a petition, gathered more than 1,000 signatures and then presented it to Hutchinson.

In an interview with the Torch in March, College Dems vice-president, emeritus, Maria Bernadzikowski said the original meeting came about when the group was contacted by Dominic Scianna, associate vice-president of external relations, to inform them that the administration would gladly sit down with them to listen to their interest in an on-campus GSA.

The University currently offers a “Safe Zone” program – on call “allies” to provide support- along with monthly support meetings known as “How You Doin’?”

In February, several students expressed dissatisfaction to the Torch with the options offered by the University. Christina Sneed, a student who has taken part in the meetings, reiterated these comments.

“We want an organization that addresses the needs of the queer community, along with its allies,” Sneed said. “And it needs to be an SGI org.”

When asked if he believes if a student run GSA could pass through the steps to become an organization next semester, Quinones remained optimistic.

“I’m hopeful,” Quinones said. “I wouldn’t say a definite yes yet. But that’s our goal.”

College Dems:

GSA gains

torch Photo/cAt sILverMAN

debbie Antonelli and her son talk about spread the Word to end the Word.

ANThONy O’ReILLyNews editor, emeritus

Photo courtesy of oscAr DIAz

Frats and Sororities participate in Lip sync event.

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KIErAN LYNchEditor-in-Chief

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JESSICA LISE General Manager

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

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

All are welcome to contribute to the Torch. Please include your full name, year, and college (or department). Letters have a limit of 500 words and may be edited for content, grammar, or space. Unverifiable or anonymous letters will not be published. All letters are subject to the approval of the Editorial Board of the TORCH.

King’s selection should spark reformFLAMES OF THE Torch

There was always going to be a de-bate surrounding the University’s choice for commencement speaker. It had to be expected that some people would applaud the choice while others would openly object.

So why did St. John’s decide to se-lect a commencement speaker with the reputation of Rep. Peter King? Why did administrators find it fit to invite a man who carries an aura of controversy like few can, to an institution that has experi-enced some of the most negative press in its recent history?

King has come under fire in the past for comments regarding the Muslim community and its role in terrorism in the United States. Whatever the true in-tent regarding these comments, what is clear is that he has no place speaking at the commencement ceremony for a uni-versity that welcomes a sizeable Muslim population through its doors every day.

St. John’s doesn’t only educate these students; it trumpets its role as one of the most diverse schools in the nation. One would think that the first type of person that would be crossed off a list for speak-ers would be one with a track record of offending a portion of its student popula-tion.

While we don’t understand the rea-soning for the decision, it comes as no surprise that St. John’s has once again failed to consider the effect its choices has on its students. It is our impression that students are the ones an educational institution is meant to serve.

In a statement emailed to the Torch, Dominic Scianna, associate vice presi-dent for external relations outlined the process for selecting a commencement speaker. Part of this process includes student involvement through Student Government, Inc., according to the state-ment.

It seems hard to imagine that a group of students representing a gradu-

ating class of such incredible diversity wouldn’t object to a choice like King. For us, it is clear that there is not enough student representation in the process of selecting a speaker if there was no objec-tion made.

More than 1,000 people signed the online petition to replace King as speak-er when the Torch went to print Wednes-day morning. If a petition can gain that kind of traction within the student body, how could students really have been part of the process?

While it may be too late to fix the mistakes that were made with this selec-tion, (though according to Jonaki Singh, who was one of the students who started the petition, the University said a meet-ing with the petitioners would take place if the petition received 1,000 signatures) there needs to be a change in the selec-tion process for future selections.

A simple way could be to put out a survey, through St. John’s Central or email, where students could choose from a tentative list. This wouldn’t necessarily mean that the final choice had to be on the list, but it could give the University an idea of what each year’s graduating seniors were looking for. Along those lines, even a survey simply asking what traits students look for in a commence-ment speaker could work.

Whatever comes from this year’s commencement battle, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a simple solution - one that can easily be agreed upon by both sides. A common theme throughout this school year has been the dissatisfaction of students and faculty alike regarding what they perceive as a lack of commu-nication between administrators and the community they serve. Resolving to fix this commencement speaker selection process could be a small, but valuable step forward for an administration that has had more than its typical share of troubles and turmoil this academic year.

Illustrator’s Corner

torch ILLustrAtIoN/ stePheN sALIBA

torch ILLustrAtIoN/ DIAMoN WAtts-WALKer

7

It’s not a stretch to say that I haven’t been too impressed with the University’s administration this year.

My roommates can attest that I have had my fair share of “I really hate this school” moments over the years. But only recently have I realized to what I’m referring to when I say “this school.”

In fact, I don’t hate the student body. I don’t hate the professors. I don’t hate the Red Storm. I don’t even hate the massive amounts of stairs I have to climb on a daily basis. (They’re my version of a workout most days.)

I really just hate that a place with so much potential is being hampered by an administration that seemingly can’t do anything right, or rather, in the best interest of the rest of the University community.

The most common criticism that I heard about Rev. Donald Harrington, C.M., President of the University, before the recent controversy, was that he was

not a public figure. Much of the student body didn’t know what he looked like, or even who he was. They hadn’t seen him at events on campus and couldn’t put a face to the name.

Now, after the public controversies facing him, I believe more students know who he is and, even, what he looks like (no doubt due to the number of Torch covers with his face). But he is still a mystery to so many people on campus.

Harrington seems to only come out of his ivory tower in the middle of the spring semester for his annual “town-hall” meetings with students and

faculty “forums” (However, this year he chose not to attend either, saying it was best to remain silent during the Board of Trustees investigation.)

M e r e d i t h K e n y o n , former Student Government Inc. secretary, told the Chronicle of Higher Education that even SGI, an “independent”

organization tasked with representing the students to the administration, among other things, is not allowed to independently present the state of the students to Harrington, rather student “concerns were kind of twisted” by other

members of the administration.The example the Chronicle uses is

enlightening, “If they complained about limited parking, for example, they might instead be encouraged to applaud the president for the university’s enrollment growth, which made parking scarce.”

Clearly, actual student input is not important to them.

This couldn’t have been clearer this year after the University flat-out refused to consider a student-run LGBTQ organization – despite students’ dissatisfaction with the current offerings. In a statement, the University unequivocally said, “we would not recognize a gay alliance.” The school has also been publicly embroiled in controversy after controversy, stemming from the never-ending Cecilia Chang saga, with calls for more transparency from students, faculty and alumni going nowhere.

The icing on the cake seemed to be the administration’s financially motivated decision to sell the Manhattan campus, a building that St. John’s has owned for 13 years and helped establish St. John’s in the financial district of the financial capital of the world.

But then, Peter King was chosen as the commencement speaker for the Queens Campus. And unfortunately I do

not mean Sports Illustrated’s Peter King; I mean Congressman Peter King of the Islamophobic remarks and McCarthy-

esque “Islamic radicalization” hearings.

Never mind that 3.4 percent of our student body is Muslim, according the to the 2011 University Fact Book, the last year publicly available.

Never mind that Muslim students made up nearly 5 percent of the Fall 2009 freshman class, the students graduating this May.

Rather the administration thinks that King’s work after SuperStorm Sandy is more important and more relevant. They have apparently determined that his good service to the NY community, which no one has denied, outweighs his public opinions and past actions against a community of which many of our students are a part.

The administration cannot argue that these things are in the past for King. He has taken the tragic “Boston Bombings” as his new motivation to begin calling for racially and religiously based profiling. As he so eloquently put it to the National Review last week, “they have to realize that the threat is coming from the Muslim community and increase surveillance there.”

Continued on pg. 9

The concept of a hero athlete, a player that becomes a city icon, loyal to one team, was outdated long before LeBron James left his home state to take his talents to South Beach. The concept of the athlete as a role model left town way before Luis Suarez sank his teeth into Branislav Ivanovic in a game last weekend in the English Premier League.

In addition, athletes generally stay away from controversy at all costs, always saying the “right” thing, which amounts to saying nothing at all.

But David Ortiz has bucked those trends for years, doing everything he can to stay with the Red Sox, and spoke for everyone in the city of Boston and the state of Massachusetts on Saturday when he addressed the Fenway Park crowd before the Red Sox game against Kansas City.

With the team wearing uniforms with “Boston” stitched across the front instead of “Red Sox,” Ortiz delivered an impassioned speech, where he said five words that articulated what everybody was feeling.

“This is our f------ city,” he said, sending Fenway into a frenzy and causing

yet another Twitter stir.It was unscripted, raw, emotional. It

was real. It was just what the city needed to hear. It was the cathartic moment that rallied the city together, and started the healing process.

In times of tribulation, for all our divisions, we still look up to leaders. A nervy nation still tunes into President Obama for words of reassurance, Chris Christie and his fleece sweatshirts become a bipartisan symbol and the police move from a symbol of oppression to the symbol of safety.

Sports unify a community. I don’t have to remind you the effect Mike Piazza’s home run in the Mets’ first post-9/11 game had to the city. Well, the Red Sox mean more to Boston than the Mets could ever to Queens. A Red Sox hat is a wardrobe staple for hipsters, gangsters, lax bros, preps and any other stereotype you can think of.

Boston isn’t like other big cities (if you even consider it to be “big”). It’s parochial, close-knit – a city with a small-town field. Athletes can’t blend in among the 8 million other faces like they can in New York. The sports media is even crazier than New York’s. In short, it has all the fanaticism of a small town team like Green Bay, with the market size of a big city.

Some players wilt under the spotlight.

Most find a way to maneuver it. Few embrace it.

Ortiz embraces it, and embraces his role as a role model. The Red Sox garner the lion’s share of that press, even through all the successes of the other Boston teams. The Red Sox are a secular religion in Boston, and David Ortiz is its leader.

Too often, our athletes disappoint us. They leave for more money or if the team isn’t good enough. We, as fans, love them, but they care little about us in return.

“It was something I said,” Ortiz told reporters, explaining his speech. “I don’t know how emotional I get sometimes. What we’ve been through this week, that was my feeling. I was hurting like everyone else. That’s how I am.”

Ortiz is Boston Strong. His passion for the city shone through in his speech, and helped lift a grieving city. In the process, he showed how a conscientious athlete can use his status to help the fans that put him on such a pedestal.

Michael E. Cunniff is a senior journalism major who would make a great New

York baseball fan someday.He can be reached at michael.cun-

niff09@gmail.com

Ortiz and Sox: a source of healing

“”

I hate that a school with

so much potential is

being hampered by [its]

administration.

MIChAeL e. CUNNIFFeditor-in-chief, emeritus

King decision is latest administrative miscueNICOLe VALeNTeManaging editor, emeritus

“”

Clearly, actual student input is not important

to them.

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8

King decision is latest administrative miscueTo top this all off, King’s reaction

to students’ protests of him, which was covered by nearly every major newspaper in New York City, was through a statement on his website in which he says, “Students at St. John’s University are protesting my selection as this year’s commencement speaker. That, of course, is their right even though they are misguided and wrong.” (Emphasis mine.)

Rather than choosing to take the high road in a situation that can truly not benefit anybody, King chose to attack the very students he is supposed to be congratulating and motivating on May 19th.

At this point, it has become unclear whether the University community is on an episode of Punk’d and the plan is for Harrington and Ashton Kutcher to jump out at graduation and say that this whole year was a joke.

In 2011, my sophomore year, the administration decided to change the way they were going to do graduation. In mid-March they announced that they would not be calling each graduate’s name – rather they would project a slideshow of graduates’ photos.

This caused uproar, with angry graduates and parents demanding a change. Online, people voiced their opinions with nearly 1000 students

joining a facebook page and more than 300 signing an online petition, according to a Torch report at the time. The University reversed their decision within a week, citing the “active student response”.

I remember being impressed that the administration listened to the student

body and adjusted their plans accordingly. I was proud that students stood up and made their voices heard, especially for an event that is much more important to the graduates than the administrators. I don’t think the situation could have been

handled better from either party. Now it’s their turn again. The

students and community have spoken. More than 1,000 people have signed an online petition against King speaking at commencement in the last week, many adding their own comments.

Rather than hiding or refusing to comment, the administration needs to admit their mistake and replace King immediately. They need to show the student body that they are listening and that they care about their concerns.

In a year where it has seemed that they have done all they could to turn the public opinion against them; they have this chance to right a wrong. They have a chance to make an impression on some freshman or sophomore student, as they did to me two years ago.

St. John’s has the potential to be great. Unfortunately the only people holding it back are the people charged with making it better. Once they prove that they do, in fact, take student and community concerns seriously, St. John’s could maybe, just maybe, begin to fill its immense potential.

Nicole Valente is a senior marketing major who has her new

(possible) life in Austin, Texas meticulously planned out.

She can be reached at nicole.valente09@gmail.com

or @ironicole.

The petition asking to replace rep. King has garnered 1,099 signatures. Photo courtesy of chANge.org

9

Walking in just as fashionable as he is late, sporting a fur lined hood puffer coat and a bright smile, Common, receives a standing ovation.

A warm welcome from the hundreds of students waiting for an inspiraring ex-perience from someone who knows the game and is part of the respected elite of the hip-hop and acting community.

Common, who is anything but common, provided the students of St. John’s with spiritual and inspira-tional messages and even spit out a few freestyles throughout his speech. The MC clearly did his research because one of his freestyles was all about St. John’s mentioning a few Queens hot spots, including “The Strip,” which is the path between the residents halls and Montgoris where students frequently hang out.

“I think he did his research and asked what the kids like to do around here,” junior Kyndra Ricketts said. “I think him asking what’s the popular places the kids eat and hang out was really cool and creative.”

Even though he rapped a few times

throughout his speech, his freestyle about St. John’s was impactful, giving the im-pression that he genuinely thought about his visit.

“It [the freestyle] showed he actually took the minutes to learn about our cam-pus and deliver something for us,” junior Reginald Amadee said.

“Greatness” was the phrase that was the thread throughout his speech. “It’s the word I’ve been focusing on in my life for a while now,” Common said.

He went on to address the students, explaining his definition of “greatness,” including anecdotes of his life and how he “found [his] path.”

He brought the students through his journey of finding his path and passion in music and acting.

Originally majoring in business, but later going into music, he said, “You may major in something but it may not be your path.”

He continued by saying, “You are our future, you are the people who will change the world.”

Many of the St. John’s students left with a bigger smile than they had walked in with, feeling inspired to con-tinue their studies here and increase their ambitions to find their “paths.” They also left with a dif-ferent, more personal percep-

tion of the well-versed, Common. “I appreciated that he wanted to reach us and show his true talents in that way.

He represented the essence of Hip-Hop,” Amadee said.

LifestyleThink Outside...

14

St. John’s resident assistant Zach Hedgepeth, watches as residents come in and out of their Manhattan dorm rooms with wine glasses in their hands.

Although the glasses are empty, he knows that they won’t be for long. Still, the resident assistant does nothing about it.

“The residence facilities are alco-hol-free environments regardless of age,” states the St. John’s University’s Residence Life Handbook. Beer kegs, taps, or anything else that connects to al-cohol consumption are banned.

Even being 21 years old, the le-gal drinking age in America, of-aged St. John’s University residents are not allowed to consume alcoholic beverages on campus. However, there is an excep-tion.

Professor Dawn DuBois has been teaching St. John’s University’s only wine tasting course to 21-year-old stu-dents since 2009 on the Manhattan cam-pus. Respectively, she is the only profes-sor on campus that is allowed to give her students alcoholic beverages regularly.

Throughout the course, she teaches her students about wine in many differ-ent aspects: historical, geographical, cli-matical, legal, industrial, and of course- the tasting.

“You can’t possibly understand wine without tasting it. It’s like having an art class without drawing or painting,” DuBois said.

The course includes a textbook, a test almost every class, and multiple

guest speakers that are in the wine indus-try. A $100 material fee to join the class is mandated in order for DuBois to buy the wine, although she sometimes brings wine from her own collection.

The objective of the course is to pre-pare students that are interested in pur-suing the wine industry as a career. In the three-hour and three-credited class, her students taste at least (a sip of) eight

different wines once a week- four white and four red.

“This is a tough class, unless you’re really going to work hard,” she says. An average of four to five students drop the course every term, and some even fail- DuBois said.

The course sometimes uses up to $475 of wine a week, allowing students to savor delicious alcoholic beverages from France’s Chardonnay to other mouth-wa-tering wines from other regions.

Since the course does not supply ap-propriate glass wear, students bring their own wine glasses. Registered student of the class, Daniel O’Boyle, had his dorm room searched and his wine glasses taken away. Once verified that he attended the class, they were given back to him.

“I’ve had one or two occasions where students abuse the alcohol and allowed themselves to get buzzed and loud and

I pretty much handled that. That’s rare,” DuBois said about the students drinking in her class.

To appreciate the wine to its full-est extent, DuBois does not believe her students need to swallow the beverage. Having it on their tongue is enough.

“I encourage them to bring a cup to spit into,” DuBois said.

DuBois pointed out that in Europe, wine has a different connotation than in America.

“Wine is a preferred beverage to wa-ter- wine was part of life. You don’t drink wine to get drunk. It was an enhancer for food, and a safe drink,” DuBois said about the culture of wine in Europe.

“In other countries, it is treat-ed as an agricultural product, but in this country it is treated as a narcotic,” she added. The course also cov-ers how the church played a big role in the development of wine in the past.

Ketienne Telemaque, the Residence Minister for Vincentian Service and Jus-tice believes St. John’s University’s ac-ceptance of the wine tasting course has nothing to do with the Catholic faith.

“As far as what the wine is, it is not ever looked at as an alcoholic beverage (in church), it’s always looked at as the blood of Christ,” Telemaque said.

In relation to the “dry” campus policy, DuBois and Telemaque both agree that St. John’s University enforces it for public safety reasons.

“The dry campus policy, from my un-derstanding, is not a result of our Catho-lic faith but more as a result of (21 year olds) just being responsible citizens,” Telemaque said.

“You’re in a generation where the drinking age is 21. You can vote at 18. You can fight for your country and die for your country, but you can’t drink,” DuBois said. She believes 21-year-olds should be responsible enough to handle the correct consumption of alcohol in her course and outside of it.

“Wine isn’t the culprit,” DuBois said, “It’s the abuse of it-and the abuse of it comes from not respecting what it is and being undisciplined about your consumption.”

Students appreciate wine for class

Photo courtesy of WIKIMeDIA coMMoNs

Common visited the campus to talk to students about his music and acting career.

ISABeL RAJABzAdehcontributing Writer

Common comes to inspire studentsSAMANThA ALBANeSeentertainment editor

Photo courtesy of IsABeL rAJABzADeh

Students on a field trip at Milllenium hilton last week wine tasting and learning.

For more Lifestyle updates,

follow @TorchLifestyle on Twitter.

Boston will recover, but won’t forgetLast week’s news was dominated

by the attacks at the Boston Marathon, and it is this week that we are all just beginning to recover. The United States is no stranger to acts of terrorism at this point, but that does not mean that each one is not just as raw and painful as the last. As the thoughts of the nation go unreservedly towards those affected by the attack, and the inhabitants of the still-shocked city of Boston, perhaps I can provide some sort of insight into the way in which terrorism within the United States is perceived overseas.

The rest of the world is also not a stranger to acts of terrorism, and in the current global climate such acts are ar-guably more common than ever. The sadness that each one entails affects all people differently; dependent upon dif-ferent cultures, times and places, but perhaps one small silver lining is that a heightened sense of global unity is al-most inevitable. The nature of the media within contemporary society is that as soon as something such as this happens, it almost immediately dominates the rest

of the world’s media. By this point, it is assured that every instance of terrorism in the Western world resonates far be-yond the borders of the country in which it occurs.

September 11, 2001 is, of course, the point against which all ensuing attacks in the United States have been considered, and global response has always followed along the same lines: sympathy, solidar-ity, and peoples’ wish to help in any way they can. It is perhaps one small con-solation that times of crisis are an ideal trigger in helping a society to reveal the inherent goodness of its people.

In the United Kingdom, terrorism was almost commonplace long before the year 2001. The Irish Republic Army (IRA), a group fighting for Northern Ire-land’s right to leave the United Kingdom and become part of a unified Ireland, detonated more than 30 bombs in Lon-don between the late 1960s and the late 1990s, in a period referred to as ‘The Troubles”. In 2005, my home city of London was once again the victim of ter-rorism with the 7/7 bombings, in which 56 people died and more than 700 were injured.

Indeed, the world is an increasingly dangerous place, and it is not simply

the United States that is scarred by a history of terrorist attacks. However, what is commendable is the way in which U.S. society responds to such terrible events. Just one small example is a banner that flew above Yankee Stadium on the night of the attack, clearly displaying the Red Sox logo and reading “United we Stand,” signifying New York’s solidarity with the city of Boston. Such grace in putting aside fierce rivalries in the aftermath of such horror is truly uplifting.

Ultimately, I feel as though the sen-timent displayed here is the same all around the world, particularly in the UK, where deep cultural and historical ties are felt, and sympathy for the United States is widespread and sincere. I have no doubt that America will move swiftly beyond the events of last week with the support of the entire world behind it.

Harry Saunders is an international student from London, England

15

They huddled together at Relay for Life this past Friday night, already trav-eling in a pack. They walked the track together, visibly enjoying each other’s company. Their yellow shirts stuck out in the sea of purple, a clear and poignant message, “Eliminating Prejudice since 1895.”’

Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, “Pilam” for short, recolonized at St. John’s less than a month ago, but its positive presence is already being felt both in the Greek com-munity and on campus in general. Over the last three weeks, more than 30 men ranging from freshman to graduating se-niors made the commitment to join the brotherhood as re-founding fathers.

“We select men that are all about char-acter, morals and values,” Patrick Span-ner, who has been assigned to advise the chapter from the national headquarters, said. “When we are looking for men that is what we look for. It is a very diverse group. From all different backgrounds, all different majors.”

The brotherhood demands the basic requirements from its members such as a high GPA and appropriate conduct, but unique to the organization, it requires all members to be apart of another organiza-tion on campus. Spanner explains Pilam prides itself in having well-rounded men that are active members in their univer-sity community.

The new members this semester in-clude men from all walks of life, Resi-dent Assistants, ROTC members, Student Government Inc. leaders and many more. “People ask us what is a stereotypi-cal Pilam. I kind of like to say there is no stereotype,” Spanner said. “We are about breaking down barriers. Our mission from our creed is about eliminating prejudice.”

With over 150 chapters on various college campuses across the country, Pilam is looking forward to bringing its mission and values back to St. John’s after a two-year leave of absence. Spanner reiterates Pilam is very passion-ate about its mission, “… all men are cre-ated free and equal,” the creed states.

Christian Schwoyer, a graduating senior, was attracted to Pilam because of its mission in particular.

“I think St. John’s is a great campus for this because we are so diverse,” he

said. “And, with our philanthropy, the eliminating of prejudice, it is a perfect setting.”

Pilam was founded at Yale Univer-sity in 1895 as the first non-sectarian fraternity. Meaning they were the first fraternity not to discriminate based on race or religion.

In the 50s Pilam was the first fraternity to initiate a person of color. Today they continue to live out this

calling to eliminate discrimination and prejudices.

“I think one very hot topic [today] is LGBT,” Spanner said. “It is all about those characters morals and values. I don’t always agree with some of my brothers. I have my beliefs, but it’s not about judging them or taking sides. It is about accepting them for who they are and as a person.”

Spanner, who graduated from Eastern Washington University last year and now works for Pilam Nationals,

believes deeply in the mission of eliminating prejudice. He explained he had several gay brothers in his own Pilam Chapter in Washington, but that never mattered to him or any of the brothers. This is his third expansion and he has high hopes for the St. John’s colony.

“Whether people are pro-Greek, neu-tral about Greek or Greek life isn’t for them, I hope as these men start putting

on different events on campus or they see them, they come check us out,” he said.

Over the last few weeks, Spanner and the other advisors met with as many students as possible. The main goal was to get feedback about the St. John’s community and the Greek system. While doing so, Spanner and his fellow recruit-ers looked for men that had values con-sistent with the brotherhood, Schwoyer being one of them.

“I always wanted to do Greek life,” Schwoyer said. “I just felt like there was no fraternities I really connected with that well. So then I got this opportu-nity and I loved the elimination of preju-dice and stuff like that. They are a perfect fit for me.”

So far, Spanner and the new members have found the process of re-colonizing at St. John’s successful.

“This is the most welcoming Greek system I have ever been apart of,” Spanner said. “Everyone is so open to us coming in.”

The re-founding fathers have been busy learning Pilam’s history and immersing themselves in the commu-nity. The men will be initiated as Pilam brothers by the end of the semester.

“They are very mission oriented. It’s not just, ‘okay we are going to say we do these things’, we are actually going to work at it so we actually stick to our goals and our mission,” Schwoyer said. “This is what a fraternity is supposed to be.”

As of next fall, Pilam will install a traditional six-week process, made up of learning the values, operational training, personal development and building bonds.

“We want to give back to elevate the Greek system,” Spanner said. “I already think it is a great system. Great organizations. But, you can always raise the bar.”

Pi Lambda Phi eliminates prejudiceShANNON LUIBRANdfeatures editor

frAterNIty Is BAcK oN cAMPus After BeINg DorMANt for tWo yeArs

Photo courtesy of PI LAMBDA PhI

hARRy SAUNdeRSstaff Writer

Pilam New Members at relay for Life last weekend helping raise money for cancer.

Photo courtesy of WIKIMeDIA coMMoNs

Police Officers roam the streets in Boston after bombs create chaos and claim lives.

After being put on hold three times and having to explain she is a New Jer-sey commuter trying to find alternate routes to class since Hurricane Sandy suspended shuttle bus service, she finally got in touch with a public safety official with an answer.

However, they only told her they “don’t help New Jersey.”

Sophomore Stephanie Borges is among 300 undergraduate students on the Queens campus who are from N.J. and do not live in University Housing, according to Media Relations.

While well-aware of the burdens of her commute from Paterson, she consid-ers the end product to validate the means. Yet she has grown disappointed with the lack of assistance from St. John’s.

Public Safety Lieutenant Pascullo was shocked to hear of Borges’ encoun-ter with Public Safety, and although he did not deny it having occurred he emphasized the department’s pride in customer service.

“It’s not like us to disregard a stu-dent’s request,” Pascullo said. “That’s what we are here for. We pride ourselves in customer service.”

After heating up her homemade meal in the microwave of the Marillac cafete-ria, since her commute does not leave her much money to purchase a lunch, Borges disclosed her motivation to contin-ue an already difficult N.Y. trek. She feels grateful to be given the opportunity to study in N.Y. and attributes that to an ex-perienced faculty.

“When you find a professor that has written the textbook, you know. That professor is my professor; he is the one

lecturing me,” she said. “To me, oh my god, that is amazing.”

Senior Francis Agyapong does not commute from Hoboken for the educational benefits like Borges, but because he will be the first one in his immediate family to graduate college.

“I feel like I want to do that for my family,” Agyapong said.

But, neither the will to succeed nor the qualified professors could distract them from the difficult experiences they

feel as N.J. commuters. Setting aside the approximate $20

daily expenses of traveling an average of four hours to and from school and on an often-inconsistent public transporta-tion service, N.J. commuters find it diffi-cult to be active members of the campus community.

Sophomore Jessica Wolff, even with the jovial spirit reflected in her big blues, surrendered to the fact that she always had to leave.

“I couldn’t do anything activity-wise,” Wolff said. “It was harder to meet people.”

She was spending $80 a week on her commute from Bloomingdale before deciding to move to Queens.

“It was way too expensive,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it much longer.”

Agyapong added that St. John’s is catered to residential students.

“If there is some sort of event that you need to get dressed for at 5 o’clock right after class, what are you going to do? Bring your clothes and change gears or something?” Agyapong said.

They also agreed that although there is a monthly commuter breakfast, it is difficult to make.

“You gotta commute for that too,” Agyapong said.

kIMBeRLy AVALOScontributing Writer

New Jersey commuters feel forgotten by STJ

James Blake releases his sophomore album16

James Blake usually has hits or misses with albums, but his recently released Overgrown is one of the greatest hits he’s put out. In the past, Blake has had abnormal EPs but Overgrown seems to be a much cleaner and tailored version from his usual. United Kingdom-native, Blake is a talented electronic music pro-ducer, singer/songwriter and pianist. This album, in its entirety, is a work of beauty. With the high vocals, heavy synths and smooth instrumentals allowed this album to just flow together. Listening to this album feels like a lucid dream.

Blake kept things simple with the set-up, having only 10 tracks to not over-whelm the listener nor have us expect-ing more. When listening to the deluxe edition with the bonus track “Every Day I Ran,” which made the album even more appealing. It has a HipHop/R&B vibe to it, but it works because he slips this genre in a few times throughout the album.

“Retrograde,” one of the best tracks of this EP, is a R&B track that starts off with Blake humming very lightly and then transitioning into this clap instrumental and rising into electronic undertones. The way he incorporates

different elements and genres is impressive by any producer standards.

One of my favorite moments while listening to this track was on “Take a Fall for Me,” a melancholic ballad about a simple encounter that turns into a love interest but the woman in question is engaged to a soulless man. Here is the kicker: the song/story is being told by Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA. This came from the far left field, but in an even more shocking revelation it com-pletely worked. RZA weaves perfectly into this album and doesn’t disturb the calm it creates; there was nothing off about his presence.

Much of this album is Blake experimenting with sounds, but some didn’t mesh well as a complete product. Voyeur is a mixture of too many sounds that just sit on top of one another instead of intertwining.

However, a very good experiment on this album is track seven, Digital Lion, which has many different elements, but sinks into one another to create an eclectic sound.

Blake has a way of just trailing each song into one another. None of the tracks “end,” the sounds tend to just fade without giving a complete conclusion. Is this a bad thing or good thing? I don’t know, but it does add an interesting element to the overall work.

All in all, this album is a beautifully crafted project. I would advise anyone who enjoys a much mellower, electric, alternative sound to add this album into their rotation.

The way the songs stream together makes this album a well-written poem with trance-like vocals and fluid harmonies. With music like this, who needs to dream?

Photo courtesy of WIKIMeDIA coMMoNs

James Blake, 24, performing at the Dockville festival, in hamburg, germany in 2012.Photo courtesy of WIKIMeDIA coMMoNs

James BlakeOvergrown

ShANTAVIA ThOMASstaff Writer

NJ Transit one of many transportation options st. John’s student use to commute.

Nathan Holmes spent part of his childhood in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. living next door to someone with autism who was the same age as him.

John Kenny remembers spend-ing time in his uncle’s New Jersey chiropractor’s office, where his uncle often saw autistic patients.

Both of them remember the difficul-ties that the families of children with disabilities go through on a daily basis.

And now both of them are trying to do something about it.

The pair has teamed up with the non-profit Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI) in Smithtown, Long Island to try to raise money for the in-stitute, which specializes in providing services to people with autism – and they have an interesting way of raising attention about the cause.

The two friends plan to walk from the Brooklyn Bridge to Montauk Point Lighthouse at the very tip of Long Island – an eight-day trip that will cover 128 miles. They’ll start on May 28, the day after Memorial Day, and continue until June 4. Four others from St. John’s – seniors Rita Rausch, Michael Sardone, Morgan Zajkowski, and John Ken-ny’s brother Liam Kenny, a junior, are joining them on the trek.

The group is currently soliciting money for DDI from the St. John’s community and other sources by selling sponsorships, sweatshirts and accepting monetary donations. DDI has a page on its web site dedicated to the walk (ddiny.org/liwalk) and a Facebook page to raise awareness.

It’s a unique way to raise money for a cause, one that people at DDI say they haven’t done before.

“It wasn’t quite shock [hearing of Kenny and Holmes’ plan], but it was close to it,” said DDI’s director of development Dan Rowland. “A happy kind of shock, that two guys would think of doing such a thing for us was just wonderful.”

The idea isn’t shocking to anybody who knows Holmes, however. He developed an appreciation for long walks when his father used to take him hiking, and that affinity rubbed off on John Kenny when they studied to-gether in Europe for the Spring 2011 semester.

“It’s such a Nate idea,” Liam Kenny said.

While they were in Salamanca, Spain, John Kenny and Holmes, along with two others, set out to walk from the University of Salamanca to the next city over, Zamora, a distance of about 50 miles in two days of walking.

The walk brought them past small farms, remote villages and lots of cows. But they never made it to Zamora – exhaustion, bad weather, and a warn-ing from locals about wolves coming out after dark led them to hitchhike to the nearest hotel after 25 miles, after which they took a bus home the next morning.

(Full disclosure: I was one of the group of four that embarked on that Quixotic journey, and the threat of being eaten by wolves was all too real. We loaded our pockets with rocks as the sun went down, just in case.)

But instead of dampening their striding spirit, the experience made them want to do it again, this time with an in-centive to make it to the finish line.

“You really see things that you never would ordinarily,” Holmes said.

They settled on DDI, Holmes and Kenny said, partly because of Ken-ny’s work with the group at St. John’s through the Executive-in-Residence Program in the Tobin College of Business, and because the institute’s size meant it wouldn’t be overwhelmed in planning the event. DDI reported nearly $94 million in income in 2010, the last year for which tax returns are publicly available, and Rowland said the institute serves around 5,000 people with disabilities.

The money Kenny and Holmes raise will go to a project called “Bring Our Children Home.” That program seeks to bring autistic children of Long Island residents who are being cared for in places far away back into a group home run by DDI in Huntington.

The route the two have carved out will take them from the Brooklyn Bridge to St. John’s on the first day, a journey of about 11 miles, and then to a hotel in Garden City, for a total of more than 22 miles in the first day. From there, Kenny and Holmes will make stops in Mineola, Huntington, Smithtown, Med-ford, Westhampton Beach, Bridgehamp-ton and downtown Montauk before reach-ing Montauk Point Lighthouse on June 4, according to a copy of their walk itinerary obtained by the Torch.

The trip won’t be without its physical challenges – the group will walk more than 20 miles in three separate days, and Holmes said they’ll bring safety vests when walking late at night. But those challenges, for them, pale in comparison to the benefits the trip can bring to DDI.

“I thought the idea was absolutely amazing,” Liam Kenny said. “I think it’s going to be tougher than we think, but I think it was something that’s a great idea and something that will spread across the island, not just St. John’s

kids.”The stop in Huntington will show

John Kenny, Holmes and co. what their money is going toward – the rebuilding and renovation of a school run by DDI so it can accompany the 24 extra children it will be taking in as a result of the “Bring Our Children Home” program.

Teaming up with DDI has made the logistics of the long walk easier, Holmes said, because Rowland is setting up places for them to stay along the way – at either its schools or the homes of families served by the institute.

“We were telling them that we had camping gear and tents,” Holmes said. “They just said they could set up places for us to stay. That seemed like a better idea.”

John Kenny said he was unsure if he would get a response from DDI when he sent them a letter pitching the idea of the walk last month. But Rowland, who drove the first part of the trip with Kenny and Holmes yesterday, said the desire of the walking group to spend its post-graduation time rais-ing money for charity reflected well on St. John’s and the Vincentian values the University espouses, and was an easy thing to say yes to.

“The thing that struck me is these guys want to do this act of kindness, this act of acknowledging all the families that had children with autism, and they want to use their transition time to do something for others,” Rowland said. “I can’t think of a better way to express the values they’ve picked up through their educational career and capping off their years of St. John’s. I think it speaks well of them, but I also think it speaks very well of the Universi-ty, that the University prepares students like Nate and John to be able to make a decision like this.”

Seniors go the distance for AutismMIChAeL e. CUNNIFFeditor-in-chief, emeritus

grouP of frIeNDs to WALK 128 MILes thIs sPrINg to rAIse MoNey AND AWAreNess

Photo courtesy of JohN KeNNy

Nate and John on a swingset in spain where they first began walking long distances

Photo courtesy of DDI’s fAceBooK PAge

Left to right, Nate and John the two students who came up with idea of walking.

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STJ Student finds his passion in musicguItArIst cALLs for cAMPus MusIcIANs to coMe together

Whether it be sports, academics, culture or just about anything else in between, there seems to be a club or or-ganization on St. John’s campus to meet fellow students who share similar interests.

Yet, freshman Tony Resch feels as if those who are interested and/or play music lack an overarching community on campus, in which they can come together and not only perfect their own craft, but to promote each other and music in general.

“You have a lot of people trying to push themselves,” he said. “But there’s no place where people can sit down and work on music together or work to promote other people’s music.”

Resch, an English major, also credits this lack of a community to there being no music program at St. John’s to teach musicians important skills such as music theory and production.

“Even though I’m not big into theo-ry,” he said, “It’s still important to under-stand. And I think St. John’s not having a music program is one of the reasons why there’s no collective community.”

Resch, from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, has spent his entire life around music. His father spent several years performing in reggae bands, which would later influ-ence his own music style.

Resch traces back his love of music back to one singular album, A Century Ends by British singer- songwriter David Gray.

“I was in the car with my dad and I had this “Spiderman 2” CD with the soundtrack and my dad says ‘enough of this’ and puts in David Gray and I was like ‘Oh my God.’”

Shortly after listening to this album, Resch first picked up a guitar, something he had very little difficulty with.

“It was just natural,” he said. “It was like I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life but playing guitar.”

Resch, almost immediately, began to write lyrics to accompany his music. The lyrics, he says, stem from his own personal experiences. At the same time, he tries to make the story behind the words something everyone can be able to relate to.

“Even though these lyrics come from my life and my personal stories,” he said, “I want it to be so that everyone can enjoy them.”

His style, he explained, is influenced by a combination of the reggae roots he grew up around and alternative rock bands such as Arcade Fire and Bon Iver.

At this point in his career, Resch says he’s just coming to terms with his identity as a musician and is ready to take the next step.

“I understand how I write music and why I write music,” he said. “I’m ready to punch through to the next phase.”

The young singer-song writer said it’s difficult for him to put out any new music while in Queens. During visits back home he’ll take the time to record new songs and music videos, which he puts on his Facebook and Youtube page.

The musician can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/tonyreschmu-sic.

ANThONy O’ReILLyNews editor, emeritus

Tony Resch, student musician, poses for a picture on his facebook music page. Photo courtesy of fAceBooK.coM/toNy reschMusIc

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It’s that time of the year again, where the clock fast-forwards one hour and there’s a spring awakening…of bright and pastel colors.

Granted, 2012 had proven to be a fun year of beauty collections, from Kate Moss for Rimmel London, to MAC’s Marilyn Monroe collections. This year’s collections include more celebrity collaborations and big-name merging, it won’t even matter what colors will be trending in the Fall because the collec-tions themselves will be big.

Most tweens and teens looked up to the witty Hermione while growing up and watching Harry Potter. If your un-dying love for all-things Harry Potter is still in existence, check out the fun “In Love” by Emma Watson for Lancŏme. The collection is full of bright, sheer pink shades and gorgeous shimmery blue eyeliners, all perfect for a spring look.

The “Blush in Love” blushes come in two Spring-y shades, Peche Joue-Joue, or Peach and Pommettes D, which is a neon-like pink color. There are three nail shades of orange, fuchsia and pink, which are also great colors for summer.

MAC Cosmetics has certainly had

its fair of excitement but there is noth-ing better than having a bit of different products in one collection. The “Bak-ing Beauties” collection is all about lu-minizing and glowing, which is what the Pearlmatte Face Powders provides.

These shimmery base powders come in champagne and light pink, with flow-ers and leaves etched in the middle and

let’s not forget about the bright, pastel nail lacquers, which come in mint, pink and blue colors that will compliment any outfit.

Remember Paramore? The lead singer, Hayley Williams who is known

for her fiery locks is putting her infamous hair on the line with a collaboration with MAC Cosmetics

showcasing her hair color. The four-piece collection includes a matte orange lipstick and nail polish, coral eyeshad-ow and a beige Mineral Skinfinish. All colors that are easy to rock for spring.

This collection will be “A Whole New World” if one is just starting out experimenting with make-up.

Sephora’s latest collaboration with Disney is focused on Princess Jasmine from “Aladdin.” This collection is full of must-have items, including the perfumed body shimmer, eyeshadow palettes, an eyeliner set and a nail polish set of versatile shades of shimmer and mattes. One could only wish that there will be more Disney Princess themed collections in the future.

Sonia Kashuk has been a staple in the beauty aisle at Target but this year, Kashuk did a little something different with her 14-year-old beauty line. Her Spring/Summer collection is filled with animal patterns, with colors that aren not only wearable for the spring and summer, but all year long.

Some highly anticipated items include the Chic Luminosity High-lighter Stick, Monochrome Eye Quads, Moroccan Dunes Eye Palette and the Chic Luminosity Bronzer Blush. Until next time, this has been a seasonal beauty update.

The beauty spring awakening of 2013ShARON TONgstaff Writer

Emma Watson poses for photographer, Mario Testino in the ‘Lancome in Love’ shoot.

Photo courtesy of gotceLeB.coM

Pro Sports

Mike dunlap’s squad won the second fewest games this year (21-61)

The Celtics tried to storm back in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs with eight points in the first two minutes of the quarter, but it wasn’t enough as the Knicks kept matching them blow for blow and took a 2-0 lead in the series 87-71.

The teams opened up the game with J.R. Smith getting a warm welcome from the crowd at the Garden for receiving the NBA’s sixth man of the year award.

When the game started Kevin Garnett immediately got into to foul trouble, committing two fouls early in the first quarter, which resulted in him being put on the bench. Smith had a big first quarter with nine points and a half-court heave that was a perfect swish to end the quarter. The Knicks led after one quarter, 26-20.

The Celtics dominated the Knicks in the second quarter in all aspects of the game. The Celtics went on an 11-0 run to begin the quarter and they took off from there, outscoring the Knicks 28-16. At the end of two quarters it was the Celtics leading 48-42.

The Knicks returned the favor in the third quarter by absolutely destroying the Celtics defense. The Knicks outscored the Celtics 32-11 in the quarter and took the lead in the game, 74-59.

Carmelo scored a game-high 34 points.

Mets pitcher Matt Harvey has been a revelation for a team that has badly needed one so far in this 2013 season. Harvey, 24, in his first full big league season has gone 4-0 with a 0.93 earned run average in his first four starts. Harvey has been dominant, giving up just 10 hits in 29 innings.

His most impressive outing to date was last Friday night at CitiField vs. the Washington Nationals and phenom Stephen Strasburg. Harvey outdueled Strasburg going 7 innings and giving up just one run. In his final inning Harvey

got out of a bases loaded nobody out jam, throwing as hard as 98 miles per hour.

The Mets have been thrilled with what they have gotten out of Harvey as well as lefty Jon Niese. However the rest of the rotation has been less than stellar. When Harvey or Niese start, the Mets are 7-1. the team is just 2-7 with other starters.

The Mets finished a 10 game road trip by being swept in snowy Colorado by the Rockies, Mets pitchers just weren’t able to get the Rockies big bats out when they needed to

The Mets came home and took two out of three from a good Washington Nationals team.

STeVeN INMANstaff Writer

Matt harvey will pitch tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers.Photo courtesy of WIKIPeDIA coMMoNs

20

Think Outside...

Seven Nation HarveyMatt Harvey continues to impress

Shipping up to BostonKnicks down Celtics to take 2-0 lead

Mike Dunlap fired as Bobcats head coachCarmelo Anthony had 34 points.

Photo courtesy of WIKIMeDIA coMMoNs

STePheN zITOLOstaff Writer

kyLe FITzgeRALdonline editor

Mike Dunlap was let go by the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday afternoon following a lackluster first year as head coach. As the Bobcats opened the season on a surprising 7-5 record, reality quickly set in and they finished second-to-last in the Eastern Conference with a 21-61 record, only finishing higher than the Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic.

Charlotte hired Dunlap in the sum-mer of 2012, following a historically poor 7-59 year in which they fired Paul Silas. Dunlap was the first coach to ever make a transition from assistant coach in college basketball to a head coaching position in the NBA without any stops in-between.

Following their short burst out of the gate to begin the season, the Bobcats dropped 18 straight and returned back to the cellar of the Eastern Conference. Frustrated with his micromanagement style, veterans on the team gave Dunlap a poor evaluation, which contributed to him being fired.

The Bobcats were outscored by 757 points this season, more than any other

team. On top of that, they flaunted a league-worst 42.5 field goal percentage, finished 29th in points allowed per game

with 102.7, and nabbed 40.3 rebounds per game, good enough for 27th in the league.

Despite firing three coaches in as many seasons, Bobcats’ president of basketball operations Rob Higgins believes that with a fifth round lottery pick in the 2013 draft and $21 million under the salary cap, many candidates would apply for a seemingly toxic job.

Dunlap was brought onto the St. John’s basketball staff in 2010 as an assistant coach. Having known head coach Steve Lavin for 25 years, Dunlap joined the Red Storm family after serving as associate head coaches at Arizona and Oregon.

Dunlap was given responsibility over the Red Storm for the majority of the 2011-12 season while Coach Lavin was recovering from prostate cancer treatment. Dunlap was greeted by a disheveled team that saw many of its prodigious and valuable recruits, such as D’Angelo Harrison and the works, sidelined because of academic ineligibility.

The Johnnies finished 11 and 14 under Dunlap’s wing while Lavin was recovering from surgery, a record starting lineup of five freshmen. Gaining praise from other Big East coaches, his name came up a couple times as a possible candidate for Big East Coach of the Year, but that honor eventually went to Stan Heath of South Florida.

torch Photo/KIerAN LyNch

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kIeRAN LyNCheditor-in-chief

The St. John’s men’s basketball team secured its sole target for the 2013 recruiting class today as Rysheed Jor-dan announced his commitment to the Red Storm over Twitter this morning.

“I am looking forward to taking the next steps as a basketball player and in continuing my education at St. John’s University,” Jordan said in a statement. “Throughout the recruiting process it became clear St. John’s is the best fit for me.”

Jordan said that he developed a strong relationship with head coach Steve Lavin, the coaching staff and players. He also said he believes he can contribute immediately.

“The full-court, uptempo attack-ing system of play is suited for my game,” he said.

Kamal Yard, Jordan’s travel team director with the Philly Pride AAU team, told the Torch that he is “a tough hombre,” who “doesn’t mind getting dirty.”

“St. John’s is getting a player that they haven’t had in a while,” Yard said. “This guy is athletic with play making skills.”

Yard said that to his knowledge Jordan will be taking class at St. John’s this summer.

Jordan, a point guard, is the No. 22 recruit on ESPN’s Top 100 list for 2013. He is the highest ranked player during Lavin’s tenure.

Sophomore Sir’Dominic Pointer previously held that distinction at No. 25 of the 2011 class.

The Philadelphia native made his decision after whittling down his list of schools to St. John’s, Temple and UCLA.

“I am a Philly native and love my city, and can’t wait to represent in the Big Apple,” he said.

The 6-foot-4 guard fills the last scholarship spot for the Johnnies’ 2013-14 roster. It was previously full before sophomore Amir Garrett annnounced that he would transfer to another program.

Keep up-to-date with st. John’s Athletics

by following @torchsports on twitter.

McKenith and Smith selected in WNBA Draft

Nadirah McKenith and Shenneika Smith made history as a pair throughout their four years together at St. John’s. Now, the two will be split up by the WNBA draft, each player looks to create their own individual legacy as a pro.

McKenith got a head start on Monday Night, as she became the first

player in history to be drafted into the WNBA from the St. John’s women’s bas-ketball program. Selected #17, the point guard will travel to Washington as she looks to take the helm of the Mystics.

“I was with many family members,” McKenith said, “When my name was called I was in total shock to be even considered into the WNBA.”

The Washington Mystics ranked tenth, among a league of twelve, in

assists in the 2012 season. McKenith, the all-time leader in assists at St. John’s, de-mands attention from her teammates and directs them from the floor; an intangible attribute welcomed by her new teammates.

Along with McKenith, the Washington Mystics also picked up Emma Meeseeman and Ohio State shooting guard Tayler Hill, who was the number four overall pick.

The three rookies will look to turn around a struggling franchise that finished a combined record of 11-57 in the past two seasons.

Smith was given reason to celebrate on Monday night, too. The shooting guard will not have to travel far to be with her new team, as the New York Liberty selected her in the 3rd and final round as the 25th overall pick.

“I was like `Wow, I get to stay home.’ Smith said, “My mom was crying because they thought I would go somewhere far away. So being drafted by the Liberty was a great feeling, it was pretty awesome. I am still in shock, I still can’t really believe it yet; but I am excited. It is a different kind of excite-ment.”

Smith led St. John’s in scoring in her final three seasons, and averaged a career high of 16.7 points per game in her final season. In addition to being one of the best scorers in the program’s history, she ranks highly in St. John’s history, Smith is third in blocks, fourth in scoring, and fifth in rebounding.

Meanwhile the Liberty finished last season 15-19, will rely on their newly acquired players to bring them back to the playoffs. Smith, officially the second St. John’s player ever to be drafted into the WNBA.

The pair remain teammates until they graduate this year, and then they will part ways as they each prepare to make a name for themselves in the pros.

kyLe FITzgeRALdonline editor

Nadirah McKenith (left) and Shenneikah Smith (right) were both selected in the 2013 WNBA Draft. torch Photo/DIANA coLAPIetro

Lavin gets his man: Jordan to St. John’s

Rhysheed Jordan is excited to be the newest member of the red storm Photo courtesy of AthLetIc coMMuNIcAtIoNs

UCONN 7

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St. John’s was swept by Connecticut this weekend, losing three consecutive games in as many days. The Red Storm (12-31-1, 3-11) found themselves on the wrong end of one-run losses before get-ting trounced in the weekend finale on Sunday.

The Johnnies, who have struggled on the road this season, found themselves leading the Huskies (22-20, 6-8) 4-3 in the sixth inning of the first game until a wild pitch from Freshman Tori Free allowed a UConn player to head home. Two more line-drive RBI were allowed in that inning to give the Huskies a two-run advantage.

The Red Storm attempted to mount a come-back in the seventh and final inning of play. With two on base and two outs, Sophomore Erin Burner hit a double that sent in Senior Chrissy Mon-tez but Freshman Yvonne Rericha was tagged out at home plate, which ended the game in a 6-5 loss for the Johhnies.

Head coach Amy Kvilhaug

immediately rushed to home plate to ar-gue the call, but the umpire was unwav-ering in his decision.

The second game of the double-header on Saturday was equally dra-matic and heartbreaking as the first. UConn loaded the bases in the bottom of the third inning, but sharp pitching by Sophomore Francesca Carrullo got the Red Storm out of the jam to head into the fifth inning tied scoreless.

Burner got the Johnnies on the board with an RBI double and a 1-0 lead, which would stand until the 6th inning when Chrissy Montez recorded a 2-run

home run.Connecticut immediately started

chipping away the lead in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run and nabbed a 2-run homer in the same inning to tie the game.

St. John’s looked to extend the game into extra innings tied at 3-3, but UConn blasted another home run – this time a walk off – to seal a 4-3 victory and a two game edge over the Red Storm.

Sunday’s series finale was a more one-sided affair, as the Huskies’ bats came alive in the forth inning at the expense of Free. Connecticut scored off two wild

pitches and a double to left field, which gave them a 4-1 lead.

UConn added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a commanding 7-1 lead, which the Johnnies were hardly able to answer, recording one run in the seventh inning.

St. John’s next play on April 24 when they host a double-header against DePaul.

St. John’s finished their weekend series against Louisville with a 6-5 win, and taking the best of three series. The Red Storm (18-23, 7-8) benefitted from a four-run eigth inning before closing it out in a dramatic ninth.

Red-shirt freshman Ryan Horstman got the start for the Johnnies, but poor fielding gave him and his team trouble early in the game. The Cardinals (30-9, 8-4) were first to get on the board in the top of the second inning when senior third baseman Sean O’Hare fumbled to pick up the ball from a bunt.

The Red Storm answered in the bottom of the third when senior Pat Talbut got a two-run single up the middle. Although only batting 1 for 5 on Sunday, Talbut delivered the crucial hit to put his team in the driver’s seat.

The time of the game shifted in Louisville’s favor when they drove in three runs in the 6th inning. The Cardinals capitalized on errors from misguided throws by sophomore sec-ond baseman Bret Dennis and on senior catcher Danny Bethea.

Horstman was pulled following that three run inning. The left-handed pitcher

gave up four runs, but only two earned, and struck out three.

Louisville would give themselves a four run cushion after a home run in the 7th inning, given up by freshman Joey Graziano, who was ultimately credited with the win in 2.1 innings pitched.

Seemingly down-and-out, the John-nies found their offensive power in the bottom of the eighth. O’Hare drove in a run and senior DH Jimmy Brennan cut the lead down to two, which soon became a one-run lead after red-shirt junior Martin Kelly brought in a pair of runs after a line drive with two outs.

“We didn’t play pretty today but they rallied and grinded it out with bats in the eighth inning against kids pitching in the national team which is quite an accomplishment,” head coach Ed Blankmeyer said.

The ninth inning proved to be no less tense as the Cardinals were able to get three runners on base after freshman reliever Thomas Hackimer hit two batters. Bethea was able to tag the second player out after the runner was trying to reach home, and Alex Katz closed the game out after he retired the final batter with a groundout to second base.

“We’ve been through it. We lost a ball game on it opening night,” Blankmeyer noted on his team rallying despite several errors. “It’s the pressure of the game.”

St. John’s will play next on April 24 when they travel to Boston College.

Remaining Schedule April 24 DH vs DePaul 1p.m.

April 27 DH vs Rutgers 12:00p.m.

April 28 vs Rutgers 12:00pm

April 30 vs Fordham 3:00pm

May 4 DH at Villanova 2:30pm

May 5 at Villanova 12:00pm

Big East ChampionshipMay 9 Quarterfinals T.B.D.

May 10 Semifinals T.B.D.

May 11 Finals T.B.D.

Johnnies lose a couple heartbreakers and get swept against UConn

St. John’s takes series from LouisvilleThe baseball team took the rubber game against the Cardinals at Jack Kaiser

Martin Kelly went 2-5 with 2 rbi in their series win over Louisville.

ST. JOHN’S 2

kyLe FITzgeRALdonline editor

Photo courtesy of AthLetIc coMMuNIcAtIoNs

The Softball Team will have two double headers in four days.

kyLe FITzgeRALdonline editor

Photo courtesy of DIANA coLAPIetro

LOUISVILLE 5

ST. JOHN’S 6

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The St. John’s Lacrosse team made use of a strong second half Saturday afternoon as it tallied 10 goals in the last two periods to defeat Providence 16-13 in Providence, R.I.

Junior Colin Keegan scored six times for the Red Storm; five of the goals came on Keegan’s first five shots, as he needed only seven total shots in the contest. Keegan’s six goals are

the most of the junior’s three year career and tied for the school’s season high.

“I found myself open a lot in the first half,” Keegan said, “Kevin [Cernuto], Kieran [McArdle] and the middies were doing a good job finding me; it was a real team effort. I was just the open guy finishing the shots.”

McArdle had a big day of his own Saturday, tallying seven points on two goals and five assists. Those seven points bring McArdle to 178 points and make him St. John’s second all time leading scorer

The Friars put 20 shots on net in the first quarter alone and eventually outshot St. John’s 39-32 in the contest. After the defense was able to slow Providence’s pace late, goalie senior Jeff Lowman

recorded seven of his 11 saves in the fourth quarter to maintain his teams lead.

“It felt good to make some stops down the stretch,” Lowman said. “In the first half there were a few I thought I should have had, so it was big to come back and make some stops in the fourth quarter.”

Lowman had missed the previous game and a half with a head injury, but was able to return just in time to try and lead the Johnnies into the playoffs.

Also finding the back of the net for the Red Storm was Junior Connor Mullen, Junior Kevin Cernuto, Junior Keith Switzer and red-shirt freshman James Bonanno, who all scored twice as seven different Johnnies tallied in the offensive outburst.

The Red Storm’s eighth win of the season ties them with last year’s team for most wins in a season in program history and moved them to 4-0 on the road.

St. John’s final game of the season is next Saturday at home against Marquette, who is in the first year of their lacrosse program. St. John’s will need a victory in that game coupled with a Rutgers win over Georgetown to secure the fourth seed in the Big East tournament.

“Rysheed is a uniquely gifted,

highly-motivated and focused

individual who plays the game of

basketball with a purposeful

approach.”

-Steve Lavin

In what was the worst week in American history since September 11th, 2001, the United States showed why it’s the greatest country in the world. This week we were all Bostonians, we were all residents of Waco and we were all once New Yorkers. Most importantly, we are Americans and we are all bonded together by the red, white, and blue of this great nation.

Friday’s capture not only brought peace, but also closure on the week that the world will never forget. The closure brought back a sense of normalcy not only to the city of Boston, but the rest of the country as well. No more worry, no more fear. With normalcy restored, citizens can now go rub errands or relax and watch their favorite teams take the field again.

Last week showed a unity amongst the country, none more apparent in the world of sports, whether it was the Pittsburgh Penguins logo wearing a Boston Bruins jersey, numerous Boston Strong decals and of course Sweet Caroline played at every ball park in America.

Sports will take away the burden, they’ll give you that sense of normalcy, hopefully they’ll give me a job. But the unconditional love that was spread for each city was a great scene.

With the Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics all going back to work on Saturday, Bostonians can finally

appreciate their heroes. No I’m not talking about Paul Pierce, Tyler Seguin, or Daniel Nava, who hit the game-winning home run on Saturday afternoon. I’m talking about the brave men and women who worked 12-hour shifts to ensure relief to the great city of Boston as well as the rest of the country.

Many sports fans will call their favorite athletes their heroes, to each is own, but remember this: every time David Ortiz, Tom Brady and Kevin Garnett take the floor they’ll probably make it home safely after the game.

Every time a first responder leaves

his or her house they can’t say for certain that they’ll be home tonight. Remember that. It’s nice to idolize someone who can hit a ball 400 feet, who can throw a tight spiral, or dunk a basketbal, but they aren’t the ones risking their lives so you can sit back and watch a batter hit the ball 400 feet, the quarterback who rallies his team for the fourth quarter comeback, or the high flying baller.

St. John’s track & field rested their top sprinters in the teams final tune-up before the Penn Relays next weekend in Philadelphia. Even without its top sprinters, the Red Storm collected 44 points and finished seventh out of ten teams at the Stony Brook Wolfie Invitational.

The Red Storm had strong performances in the field. Freshman Ann Dagrin placed fourth in the hammer throw with a Big East qualifying mark of 46.67, sophomore LaTreace Johnson placed second in the discus with a 39.20 meter toss, junior Danette Hinton took fourth with a 34.16 meter toss, senior Stephanie Barnes placed fourth in the long jump and senior Adara Simonelli placed ninth in the javelin.

On the track, Senior Michelle Duffy finished fourth in the 1500-meter race with a time of 4:47:58, freshman Kerri Butler earned a sixth place finish in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:19:37., junior sprinter Maya Lewis secured fourth-place in the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.77 seconds, and Freshman Autumn Edgar logged a 1:08:52 time in the 400-meter hurdles to finish third.

ST. JOHN’S 16

PROVIDENCE 13

Torch SporTS

Blowin’ in the Wind

Leavin’ their Mark

Headin’ this Way

Caststorm

Red Storm home gamesBaseball:

DePaul (DH)

3 p.m.

Final TuneupTrack and Field

April 28April 27

April 30

Rutgers

3 p.m.

Rutgers (DH)1 p.m.12 p.m.

April 24

12p.m.

ANThONy PAReLLIAssistant sports editor

Boston police and fire departments respond to marathoners on April 15th.

April 30 Fordham

1p.m.April 27 Marquette

Fairfield

Real heroes wear badges, not ball caps

Lacrosse:

Jon Perez is a Junior, communications major with his own show on WSJU Ra-dio Friday Mornings from 10:30 to noon and host of Sportswire on WRED-TV.

Kieran McArdle had seven points against Providence on saturday.

Photo courtesy of WIKIPeDIA coMMoNs

Softball:

Back on Track: LAX beats Providence 16-13

torch Photos/DIANA coLAPIetro

JON PeRezsports editor

Keep up-to-date with st. John’s Athletics

by following @torchsports on twitter.

JOHNNIES STACK CARDS AND WIN RUBBER GAME 6-5

PG. 22

APRIL 24 2013 | VOLUME 91, ISSUE 2 | TORCHONLINE.COM

SPORTS

Nadirah McKenith becomes the first st. John’s women’s player to play in the WNBA.

Pg. 21

The Lacrosse team gets back in the win column with a 16-13 win up in Providence.

Pg. 23

Photo courtesy AthLetIcs coMMuNIcAtIoNs

READ’EM AND WEEP