School’s Out, Skating’s in for Local Teacher

by Robin Miniter

Alter Ego: Carmel teacher Nicki Stabell trades in her school gear for skates as a member of the Hudson Valley Horror roller derby team (picture courtesy of: http://www.horrorsrollerderby.com)

Knotted up in a pre-practice stretch on the polished wooden floor of Hyde Park’s Roller Magic, Nicki Stabell of Pleasant Valley is every ounce of fierce. Of course, as a member of the fledging Hudson Valley Horrors roller derby team, it comes with the territory: from the spunky hair-do to the scuffed quad skates, her short-sleeve shirt reveals colorfully inked biceps. No full sleeve tattoos allowed though, she laments – after all, she is a 7th grade teacher. “I always have to be professional and on my game when I’m at school,” she says.

A math teacher in Carmel and Marist College Greystone graduate student by day and derby dame be nightfall, Stabell, 24 – known as “Polly Gon Crazy” in the derby world – shares a similar story with the thousands of other women converging on the track for the full-throttle roller derby revival that’s sweeping the nation. To put it simply, Stabell, like many of her teammates, defies the concept of your average career woman.

“Being able to have a derby persona is probably one of the things that helps keep me sane, despite how crazy it is having a second personality,” says Stabell, “It’s fun getting to put my life on hold and go be Polly for a few hours each week.”

A 2006 SUNY New Paltz graduate, Stabell will be receiving her Masters in Education Psychology from Marist in the spring of 2010. For now, she juggles a healthy balance of work and play: tackling tests in the classroom and tackling opponents on the track.

“I find that derby actually gives me more patience with my students since I have another outlet,” she says, “and teaching really comes in handy at derby, especially since I’m so used to explaining things, it really comes naturally.”

She notes that while she doesn’t often bring derby up in the classroom, her students are aware that she partakes in, “some sort of sport on roller skates and that there is no ball.” Her colleagues on the other hand have a clearer grasp of the idea.

“When I was picking my name, I actually brought in a list of different names and had them vote on which one they liked the best. They all know that I’m a big nerd, so Polly Gon Crazy was the winner, hands down.”

Though her multiple passions are pulling from all different directions – mentally and physically – she is able to keep in check.

“It’s really difficult sometimes to balance everything, but I have to prioritize and I seem to be doing it pretty successfully. If I have to miss practice to finish a paper, or put off grading tests until Sunday to go to a game, I will.”

Stabell joined the team in July 2009 after seeing her friend’s band play at a derby half-time show in 2007. She was instantly hooked.

“I was completely intimidated…but it looked like so much fun to go out and kick ass!”

Five women compete from each side at during the bout – the three blockers and one pivot (the last line of defense try to defend their place in the pack while their one jammer tried to lap the their competition and rack up as many points as possible.

“Knowing that I can do it still amazes and excites me, I’m always stoked when I get to put my skates on!,” she beams, “Now I think to myself, ‘I can roller skate. What else is there I can’t do?’”

Puerto Rican Native Overcomes Adversity

By Jennifer Hill

Laughing with a bunch of her girlfriends after a match at the tennis courts, Mirelva Colon seems to be an average 21 year old Marist student. As she socializes, most people would not realize the amount of time that she has spent on those tennis courts and the dedication she has put into the sport during her four years at Marist. Being born and raised in Puerto Rico, tennis was Colon’s way of reaching America. However, many of Colon’s team members are unaware that she almost did not attend Marist when choosing a college almost four years ago.

“My top choice for a school was the University of Massachusetts,” Colon said. “I had my heart set on it.”

However, Colon’s dream ended on a typical Friday afternoon. At 5 p.m. that Friday the coach from UMass was coming to scout her. At 3 p.m. on the way to watch a tennis match at her high school, Colon was in the back seat of a car which was hit by a truck and spun to the opposite side of the road.

The Marist women's tennis team. Image courtesy of www.goredfoxes.com.

“I barely have any recollection of what happened,” Colon said. “All I remember is that I flew forward and when the car stopped moving I looked up at my friend and she screamed and started crying because there was blood all over my face. I looked down and my white skirt had turned completely red.”

The next thing Colon remembers is waking up in the hospital and having to get stitches in her head. Barely able to move, she could not play for the scout from UMass and he instead chose a different girl to receive the scholarship that was intended for Colon.

Colon was forced to establish another plan for school and decided to attend Marist, having never visited and previously only visiting New York once.

Mirelva Colon plays with intense concentration during one of her matches. Image courtesy of www.goredfoxes.com.

“It was really difficult to adjust to New York from living in Puerto Rico, where it is more or less 70 degrees all the time. I had never even heard the word ’sweatshirt’ before,” Colon said. “I hated Marist my freshman year and was planning on transferring.”

Colon’s difficulties her freshman year did not only include the weather. Although she had taken a few English classes in high school she could not speak the language which made it very difficult to communicate.

“Reading and writing in English was not very difficult,” Colon said. “But, the first class I was put into was Public Presentation and barely anyone in my class could understand me. I learned to hate standing up in front of people. I had thought I wanted to be a Journalism major but because of my difficulty with English I had to change it.”

Two of Colon’s friends Jeannie Lukin and Natalie Fouché went to visit her in Puerto Rico last summer and witnessed the differences between Colon’s home and America.

“It’s extremely unusual because her house is pretty much in the mountains,” Lukin said. “Her parents did not know English and we communicated to them mostly through hand gestures.”

Fouché agreed with the differences. “Because she lives in the mountains, she is about a 30 minute drive from everything. It isn’t like here where everything is at your fingertips.”

Although Colon has experienced a great deal of hardships, she admits that she is ultimately very pleased with her decision.

“I love Marist and being here gives me the chance to be independent,” Colon said. “Eventually, I may return to Puerto Rico to raise a family but I don’t plan on it in the near future.”

Colon’s dedication to tennis has taken her all over the world including South America and many different places in the United States. She is now the co-captain of the Marist team.

“She is a very consistent player,” said Roge Nesbitt, head coach of the women’s tennis team at Marist. “She is reliable and more importantly, always someone the team can count on.”

Many of Colon’s teammates are amazed at what she has done already. In the future, Colon plans to attend graduate school. She aims to enter into mental health counseling and work with athletes.

“She has accomplished so much already in her life,” Lukin said. “I’m so happy she ended up at Marist because she is a great captain and even better friend.”

Marist Women’s Lacrosse Handles Iona; Improves to 2-1 in MAAC

Marist Women's Lacrosse

By: Kevin Traynor

After jumping to a 4-0 lead, the Marist women’s lacrosse team never relinquished their lead on route to an 11-7 victory over Iona. The win improved their record to 2-1 in the MAAC and 7-2 overall on the season.

Out of the gate, senior attacker, Kate Noftsker (Needham, Mass) opened the game scoring twice unassisted and tallied 4 by the final whistle on 6 shots.

However, Iona battled back to pull within 2 with 9 minutes remaining in the first half behind the efforts of Casey Scully and Kerry Thompson. This would be the closest Iona would get for the rest of the afternoon.

Marist answered with goals by Lauren Ciccarello (St. Anthony’s, NY) and Jori Procaccini (West Morris Central, NJ) opening their lead to 7-4 going into halftime.

Nofsker struck again early in the second half to improve Marist’s lead to 8-4, but Iona quickly responded to pull the lead back within 3 after Iona midfielder, Elizabeth Coholan, beat Marist goaltender, freshman, Kelsey Thoms (Newark, NJ).

Marist flexed their lead as they went on a 3 goal run midway through the second half as Ariel Kramer (West Gennesee, NY), Jessica Guarino (Wantagh, NY) and Erin Wilson (Ida, Mich) scored to make it 11-5 with 5 minutes remaining. Kramer and Guarino’s goals were both assisted by senior, Stephanie Garland (West Morris Central, NJ), who finished with 3 assists.

Iona rallied scoring two goals late, but it was not enough to surpass the Red Foxes. Keeper Kelsey Thoms anchored a tight defense while saving 8 shots.

Marist dominated every aspect of the game. They lead in every major category: groundballs, shots, clears and extra man opportunities.

The Marist women’s lacrosse team continues their conference schedule at Fairfield University this Friday at 3:30 pm.

Marist College Joins the Green Revolution

By: Daniel Kopf

Marist College took the next step towards its goal of having an environmentally conscious campus last month when they announced their plans to implement a self sustainable house in Foy next year. This house is part of the theme housing across campus and will group people together that want to live in an environmentally conscious house.

Seniors, juniors and sophomores are eligible to live in the house, upon request and submission of an essay. According to the co-chair of the Campus Sustainability Advisory Committee Steve Sansola, the essay must include your reasons for wanting to live in the house.

Marist College

According to Sansola, the students will do anything they can to minimize their carbon footprint including using reusable bags while food shopping, using minimal electricity and by practicing water saving techniques.

Foy is the first in many planned self sustained buildings. The New Hancock Center which will open in fall of 2010 is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Compliant, an accolade given out by the United State s Green Building Council, to recognize environmentally friendly buildings.

Self sustainable buildings are just one of the steps Marist has taken towards furthering their environmental awareness. The creation of these buildings was headed by the Campus Sustainability Advisory Committee, which was created in 2007 by Dean Murray in an effort to create a greener campus.

Marist is also trying to reduce their strain on the environment through other means. The Information Technology department has made the change from regular ink cartridges to soy ink cartridges, reducing the amount of waste put into the environment. Campus Dining is contributing to Marist’s green revolution by offering zero waste catering which deposits the waste in compost piles.

These recent efforts to “go green” have been noticed by the Marist community.

“I think it’s great that we are going green,” Sophomore Patrick Dillion said. “It’s good to use recyclables especially in this time of global warming.”

Despite Marist’s recent efforts, some students feel that Marist should have started a green revolution earlier.

“Marist should have started sooner. They just built all this new housing and none of it was environmentally friendly, it was a waste,” Sophomore Dana Nichols said.

Others feel now was the perfect time to start.

“Right now it’s a perfect storm of higher costs and a shortage of energy,” said Sansola. “We are also more aware of eco-destruction. In many ways I think people have begun to change their lifestyle more and more since the fall of the economy.”

Despite their difference in opinion, they both acknowledge the importance going green has.

“It’s important to live this way so we can leave Planet Earth for those who follow us,” Sansola said.

Skip Class, Not Breakfast

By Cynthia Dagenais

Breakfast: the most important meal of the day. (Photo from http://www.thesharonbaptistchurch.com/modules/gallery/albums/mensfellowship/img/080207110003_breakfast-foods.jpg)

It is 9:15 a.m. on a weekday at Marist.  Some students are sleeping-in before their afternoon classes.  Others are just waking up for their morning classes, or returning from 8 o’clock classes barely awake and ready to collapse onto their beds and go back to sleep.  In various upperclassmen townhouse kitchens and the dining hall, the sounds of crunching cereal and smell of eggs and bacon emanate the campus.  It’s breakfast time at Marist College.

Everyone has heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but when students are in college, it is very hard to keep a healthy diet due to the late-night snacking after hours of studying, or even early classes that students nearly miss from waking up 5 minutes before it starts.  Many students feel as though there is not enough time to sit down for a healthy meal and instead either grab a doughnut on the run or skip breakfast altogether.

“Breakfast is something I look forward to when I wake up,” said Andrew Clinkman, sophomore and Class of 2011 president.

“Depending on the day, I sometimes eat an egg and cheese omelet, cereal, toast with peanut butter or regular butter, or a bagel with cream cheese.  It depends what I feel like eating.  I just like eating in general,” said Clinkman.

“I don’t eat breakfast. I used to eat breakfast. I don’t have time for breakfast,” said Andrew Fritzer, sophomore singer of the Marist’s all-male A Capella group, Timecheck.

Fritzer and Clinkman are residents of Foy Townhouses and tend to cook meals in their own kitchen.

“It’s not worth going to that part of campus when I can buy eggs for cheaper and make them myself,” said Clinkman.

While Clinkman acts like his own chef over in Foy, Marist’s main dining hall, located in the student center, is cooking some of the same foods, but for hundreds of students each morning.

“Breakfast is a popular meal here,” said Suzanne Rizzo, “we usually have over a thousand students who come through here in the morning,”

According to the cash register receipts, this past Thursday between 7:30 to 11:00 a.m., a total of 601 students swiped into the cafeteria for breakfast.  Depending on the day, the number of swipes for breakfast can be higher or lower than the statistics for last Thursday.

The dining hall has a variety of foods available: assorted cereals, fruits, bagels, toast, English muffins, eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon, home fries, doughnuts, yogurt, granola, muffins, and made-to-order omelets.

“The best breakfast they have [in the cafeteria] is waffles.  The wafflemaker is great, you put the batter onto the hot pan, turn it over, and wait until right before it beeps, and then take it out so it’s nice and soft.  Put apple sauce and maple syrup on top, sit down, and dig in,” said Ben Colsey, a sophomore living in Midrise.

Rizzo said that some of the most popular breakfast foods served in the morning are cereal and omelets, “especially those omelets made by Tracey [a morning-shift cook].”

The cafeteria is open from 7:30 to 11:00 am for breakfast on weekdays, and 9:00 am to 2:00 pm on weekends.  For those students who do not have a set meal plan, a swipe of your Marist ID during the breakfast hours costs $4.50 for an unlimited amount of food per meal.

Although Sodexho, the catering service that provides the food for Marist’s dining hall, offers many choices of food to eat for breakfast, are they all good for you to start off your day?

According to Nutrition and Eggs,  eggs are an “eggcelent” source of protein and contains all the essential amino acids needed by the human body.  Eggs also contain cholesterol, not as much as you might think.  Cholesterol is important in many aspects of the human body’s function, including the maintenance of cell membranes, and production of sex hormones, cortisol, Vitamin D, and bile salts.

Cereals can either be great breakfast choices, or one of the worst.  Most cereals contain massive amounts of sugar.  The dining hall offers both sweet “kid” cereals such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cocoa Puffs, and the adult-marketed cereals for you to choose from, such as Special K.  According to AOL Health, cereals containing whole grains, nuts, and fiber can reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease.  General Mills guarantees whole grains in every box of cereal.  Whole grains contain antioxidants, fiber, magnesium, and carbohydrates; these help protect cells from getting damaged, provides normal bowel movement, helps to build our bones and muscles, and provides energy for the body, respectively, according to the General Mills website. When looking at nutrition information for cereals, look for boxes containing whole grains and less sugar.

General Mills cereals with whole grains (Photo from http://ryanmay.com/images/Gen_Mills_Image.jpg)

Bagels are not generally considered to be healthy choices for breakfast due to the amount of calories and carbohydrates they contain.  The carbohydrates in bagels can quickly turn to fat, according to Associated Content, and can make you hungry for more food after consumption.  The worst part is that the toppings usually put on a bagel tend to be high in fat and calories, especially when used in excessive amounts.  For example, a plain bagel with cream cheese from Dunkin Donuts contains about 500 calories, according to the site.

Since last year, the Marist dining hall provided nutritional information on the various foods available for students to eat.

“We’re trying to go green and help the environment, and everything indicates calories and how much sodium, sugar, fat, etc. is in the food,” said Rizzo.

Rizzo also believes the dining hall offers healthy choices for the students.  “The new flavored water machine encourages those who don’t like water to drink it,” said Rizzo.

What is the best breakfast? According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the chief medical correspondent to CNN’s health website, the “A+ breakfast” is oatmeal with skim milk, a half-ounce nuts, berries, and orange juice.

“This is the ultimate breakfast because you’ve got a whole grain in the oatmeal, a protein in the skim milk, heart-healthy fats in your nuts, and the berries are a great source of antioxidants. You can wash the meal down with a nice glass of orange juice, which is loaded with vitamin C and potassium,” Gupta wrote on the site.

There are pros and cons to every type of food, but it is up to the student to choose what is best to start off the day.

For healthy breakfast tips, go to http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/qt/betterbreakfast.htm.

Many Schools Adopt Test-Optional Policy

By Jennifer Hill

Three hours and 45 minutes filled with multiple choice questions, essays and mathematic problems will drastically help to determine the future of a high school student. The SAT and ACT reasoning testing days are dreaded by students across the nation.

“I’m a horrible test taker so I was extremely nervous about the test,” said Maria Feehan, a freshman at Marist College. “On the actual day I had knots in my stomach because I knew my scores would affect where I went to college.”

Many students dread taking standardized tests. Image courtesy of http://siobhan316.wordpress.com/,

However, many schools are now deciding to make submitting test scores optional and claiming that SAT scores should not rank a college’s quality. Fairtest.org which is the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, advocates making standardized tests optional and provides a list of 750 four-year colleges and universities that do not require test scores.

“It is unlikely that a significant number of students who had “underperformed” in high school would suddenly excel in college,” said The National Center for Fair and Open Testing’s report entitled “Test Scores Do Not Equal Merit: Enhancing Equity and Excellence in College Admissions by Deemphasizing SAT and ACT Results.” “In any event, a test-optional policy would not hurt these applicants because they could submit SAT or ACT scores along with an explanation of their high school records.”

Not performing well on the SATs can drastically change where a student goes to college and the career path they take. Many people have developed plans in case their SAT scores are not up to a college’s criteria.

“Marist was my dream school,” said Feehan. “If I didn’t get in because of my SAT scores I would’ve went to a school near home but I would have felt like I let myself down and I wasn’t good enough.”

Although standardized testing makes many students nervous, the majority of colleges consider the scores as a crucial portion of the application. According to the Report of the Commission on the Use of Standardized Tests in Undergraduate Admission by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, “by using the SAT and ACT as one of the most important admission tools, they are gaining what may be a marginal ability to identify academic talent beyond that indicated by transcripts, recommendations and achievement test scores.”

Marist does not have plans for a test-optional policy in the future and standardized tests will remain a large portion of a student’s application.

“We look at all parts of the application,” said Chris Doyle, senior assistant director of admissions at Marist. “There are 40 different aspects of an application but standardized test scores are definitely in the top 50%.”

While Marist already automatically takes an applicant’s highest test scores from all of the different dates he or she took the test, College Board has just introduced a new sat score-reporting policy which allows students to choose which scores will be sent.

According to CollegeBoard.com, the new policy is “designed to reduce student stress and improve the test-day experience.”

“I think the new policy is a good idea but it will have no impact for Marist,” Doyle said. “We have always adopted that policy because we want to give students the best opportunity for admission and scholarships.”

Jewish Students Group transitions to Hillel in upcoming weeks

By: Jessica Turgeon

On a Catholic-affiliated campus such as Marist College, it is important to have a variety of religious groups for everyone to be a part of. According to sophomore Alyssa Cariani, President of the Jewish Students Group, the goal of the group is to, “build awareness of Judaism around Marist.” The Jewish Students Group reaches out to students who wish to connect with others of the Jewish faith or who just want to learn. “I figured that since it’s such a prominent religion in America, at least some people should learn more about it!”

The group of about 20 students (with new members at every meeting) meets every Thursday night to discuss upcoming events, as well as to take part in song and prayer. New this semester, the club is focusing their attention on their transition into setting up a Marist Hillel chapter. Hillel is the foundation for a Jewish life on campus.

“I know a lot of people who refused to apply to Marist because of the lack of the Jewish community on campus,” says Cariani. “I think that having Hillel on campus will bring an entirely different crowd. It will also help Marist’s Jews feel more comfortable at school and be a ton of fun.”

Cariani realizes that it is important for the Jewish students on campus to get together and get to know each other. She says that this club is one of the more active clubs on campus, and is very involved in the Marist community and surrounding areas.

The events planned for this coming semester: a Jewish Film Festival, a Passover Seder, and the Holocaust remembrance lecture, as well as learning Jewish history from Marist professors and applying to become a Hillel will, “help both Jewish and non-Jewish students learn more about Judaism, but also build friends in the process!”

This small but determined group has made a niche for themselves here at Marist.

A Quick Fix?

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By Joe Walsh

Image courtesy www.thebest.links.com

This week the stimulus bill will reach the Senate floor, but it will not be a smooth process.

Members of the senate, including democrats, are calling to trim excess money allocation. On Marist College’s campus however, some students have a different outlook.

“I get what the Senate is thinking,” junior Chris LaFleche said. “But to be honest, I just don’t see the big deal. Regardless of where the money goes it is going to increase the job market and allow money to change hands,” he added.

While on the surface LaFleche has an interesting point, some congressmen disagree. Members of the Senate believe that the necessity of the bill is being taken advantage of.

“Unfortunately, this bill has become a Christmas tree,” Republican Senator Sue Collins told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Members are hanging their favorite program on it.”

The hold-outs on both sides say that they merely want to eliminate spending that does not create jobs for the public.

Image courtesy www.chacocanyon.com

In a bipartisan effort, democrats have been responding favorably to republican proposals for tax breaks on new home purchases. This is strategy is intended to encourage potential home-buyers to begin putting money back into the housing market.

All these proposals are to get consumers to do the opposite of what they instinctively want to: stop spending.

“I get that most people think throwing money in the mix will help,” Marist junior Alison Novak said. “This is not the time to just blindly give hand-outs though. If we don’t carefully plan how to use this absurd amount of money, we could end up hindering our recovery.”

Regardless of the non-partisan drive to pass this bill quickly, democrats still worry about a possible filibuster. With 58 confirmed senate seats as democrat, they are striving to convince a few republicans to help move along the process. Senator John McCain is unsure if the two parties will be able to arrive at an agreement of the bill.

The sense of urgency is not only painfully apparent to senators. The San Francisco Chronicle spoke to economist Mark Zandi on the subject.

“If we don’t pass it quickly, then the economic benefit will be significantly reduced because it’s really about confidence,” Zandi said. “If we dillydally and if we debate in the Congress and we don’t get this done, confidence won’t be restored.”

Obama’s Healthcare Plan Impacts Future Grads New to Insurance

By Lydia Charney

President Barack Obama’s proposed health care plan will have a fundamental impact on American society. Those dealing with health care issues for the first time are among the most affected by this change in administration policy.

Students graduating from college are often no longer covered by their parent’s health insurance, according to kiplinger.com, a business and finance forecasting website.

Senior Christine Page is unsure what she will do upon graduation in terms of health care. “Students have more pressure than ever to find a job after graduation, simply to receive benefits such as health insurance. I can’t really afford to pay for coverage with my current expenses, but this day in age, one cannot afford to not have coverage,” she said.

“Obama’s proposed plan will make health insurance more affordable for those struggling, such as recent college graduates,” Page continued.

According to Obama and Biden’s official website, their health care plan will provide affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, build on the existing healthcare system, and use existing providers, doctors, and plans to implement the plan.

Obama speaks of introducing affordable health care

Obama and Biden will also require coverage of preventive services, including cancer screenings.

“The addition of cancer screening will be extremely beneficial to the health of country. Health care is not a privilege, it is a right all Americans should be have,” said junior political science major Meghan Carroll.

However, not all students agree. “I am not concerned about the costs of healthcare in a currently privatized environment. I will always be responsible enough to have a job and to partition part of my check towards heath and living expenses, said senior Brendan Mulvey.

“I am concerned about Obama’s national healthcare plan,” Mulvey continued, “In a country as big as the U.S., steps towards a socialist European country is putting us on the road from being a great country where the motivation of an individual determines the outcome of success or failure and the opportunities are plentiful, to an average country where the level of laziness goes up and the need to dig deep inside and make the best of yourself becomes irrelevant and unnecessary.”

For more information on Obama’s healthcare plan, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/us/28health.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=obama%20healthcare&st=cse.