Monday’s faculty senate meeting reviewed several committee reports, including the academic standards that recommended lower residency credit requirements to 30.

The senate passed a recommendation calling for such a revision of the residency credit guidelines with most of the Senate in favor, none opposed and nine abstentions.

As a major debate during the meeting, the residency requirements discussion centered on the proposal presented by biomolecular sciences chair James Mulrooney of the academic standards committee.

He said that after reviewing the residency standards at other peer universities that rival CCSU in size and academics, the committee found that the others only maintained a 30 credit or lower minimum for credits earned at their institutions in order to be degree- eligible. CCSU now has a 45-credit minimum, which mainly affects transfer students. University of Connecticut is a similarly located university that requires 30 credits in residency for a student to be graduation eligible.

Among the concerns raised were, if the proposal to lower the requirement was not accepted, transfer students may be dissuaded from transferring to CCSU. The lower residency requirements might make CCSU seem an equally attractive option in comparison to peer schools, said Liz Hicks, associate director at the center for advising and career exploration.

According to Mulrooney, there are students who directly benefit from such a proposal passing soon.

He knows of two nursing students who are waiting for a requirement like this to be lowered so that they can graduate this semester and do not have to return for one extra course in the fall. Other faculty pointed out that a lowered residency credit requirement may help students who are facing a strained situation, given the economy.

The CCSU Provost was not immediately convinced.

“I would like to have the opportunity to run these numbers,” said Provost Carl Lovitt. “… I don’t have a clear sense of the impact this is going to have. I don’t know how many more students will want to go here.” Lovitt added that this is the first time he’s seen this proposal and that something like this may improve the graduation rate, but he could only speculate.

The senate could not amend the proposal to stipulate that it went into effect immediately, but some faculty raised concerns that there should be some type of effective date mentioned in the proposal.

“Most majors on campus are large enough and have enough upper-level credits that for students to complete that major, they need to be here,” Mulrooney said. “There are very few majors that are so small – like philosophy comes to mind, which is exactly 30. So somebody has to do all their gen eds and brought in some extra credits would only have to take 30 credits.”

“It sounds attractive,” Lovitt said,”but like a lot of things it may have an unintended downside.”

Among other committee reports, the faculty senate discussed one by the University Planning and Budget Committee after a presentation by Lawrence Grasso of the accounting department.

Grasso said that the UPBC met Feb. 3 to hear different presentations by department representatives as to how to approach budget cuts on three different levels; the presentations reflected the types of cuts that departments would prefer themselves if faced with 6, 12 or 13, or 20 percent budget cuts, according to Grasso. This way, he said, suggestions could deflect across-the-board cuts.

He said that the UPBC committee’s recommendations are based on those initial presentations. The committee’s key recommendations for cuts have to do largely with administrative affairs: the UPBC submitted their recommendations to President Jack Miller that include forgoing over $2 million in lock replacements, turf for the football field and athletic scholarships.

The following notes and announcements were made:

• AAUP’s quarterly chapter meeting is on Thursday. The CSU AAUP President Dave Walsh will be there to discuss the CSU budget.
• The Board of Trustees academic affairs committee will meet Monday, March 29 at 11 a.m. in the Bellin Gallery, student center.

Last weekend the CCSU hockey team competed in the ACHA Northeast Regional Tournament and came out on top of Bryant University and the University of New Hampshire earning their bid to next week’s ACHA National Tournament.

This year’s nationals are being hosted by the Super East Collegiate Hockey League, CCSU’s primary league and are being held at the International Skating Center in Simsbury, Conn. – a mere half hour away from CCSU.

The tournament is being conducted over four days from March 17-20. There are eight games being played Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with the semifinals and finals taking place on Saturday.

The sixteen teams are broken up into four different pools containing one team from each region. The Blue Devils are a part of Pool C with Michigan State, Ohio State and San Jose State.

With the 5-4 defeat of UNH, CCSU (20-10-2-1) enters the nationals ranked third and will face the second ranked Michigan State Spartans (17-7-0-2) at 7 p.m. on the opening day of the tournament. Thursday the Blue Devils find themselves playing the Ohio State Buckeyes (23-4-02) at 7 p.m. and end with the San Jose State Spartans (27-10-0-0) on Friday at 6 p.m.

The CCSU team has worked hard to get their bid in this year’s tournament and with the games being held in our own back yard it is imperative that the CCSU community come out and show the athletes their support.

The Blue Devils team is offering students and faculty a special ticket price of $10 for a four day tournament pass or $5 for an individual day pass, which is good for every single game. To purchase tickets you can contact team captain Joe Dabkowski at dabkowskijoc@ccsu.edu.

CCSU Schedule

Wednesday, 3/17                                7 p.m. v Michigan State

Thursday, 3/18                                    7 p.m. v Ohio State

Friday, 3/19                                         6 p.m. v San Jose State

Saturday, 3/20                         Semi Finals & Championship

While I still can’t get over red carpet co-host Sherri Shepherd calling Twilight’s Taylor Lautner “the most famous werewolf in motion picture history,” or co-host Kathy Ireland stiffly standing by Precious star Gabourey Sidibe while conducting some of the world’s most awkward and robotic interviews, I must admit that the 2010 Academy Awards were mostly a success.

Looking past the façade of glitz and glamour Hollywood typically spews at viewers during the annual marathon broadcast, Sunday night’s Academy Awards were home to some very special and ultimately memorable moments in cinematic history.

Sunday night saw The Hurt Locker lead the awards with six Oscars, which included a best picture win over director Kathryn Bigelow’s ex-husband James Cameron and his mammoth film Avatar. Bigelow also made history by becoming the first woman to win best director, a moment which will be replayed for years thanks to Barbara Streisand’s nice touch, adding “Well, the time has come,” letting us all know who won before we even heard Bigelow’s name.

The night did have a few surprises, such as El secreto de sus ojos winning best foreign language film over heavy favorites The White Ribbon and Un Prophete. Mark Boal might have stolen best original screenplay for The Hurt Locker from pen master Quentin Tarantino, but that’s hardly an unjust decision, as Boal used his experiences in Iraq to write the tense screenplay for the honored film.

And while the Academy truly shined as far as the awards are concerned, the broadcast production team hardly left the night with a passing grade. The only memorable moments of the night were caused by the artists themselves.

The ceremony was moving at a comfortable viewing pace until someone decided that the best original score category needed to be introduced by way of interpretive modern dance, or something else I’m not hip enough to understand. All the dancing did was slow the show down drastically. And in favor of letting the best original song nominees perform their honored songs? A mistake as far as an entertainment is concerned.

A shallow mistake was also made by only allowing Governor’s Award winners Lauren Bacall and Roger Corman to stand up and be applauded. I know they were honored at a separate ceremony at the end of 2009, but when you have two legends like that in the house, they should be utilized better.

And it makes me wonder whatthe priorities really are: what kind of expensive dress the actresses are wearing on the red carpet, or the emotional and meaningful moments inside the theatre? For most of these winners, it might be the only time they are on that stage. It has always rubbed me the wrong way to have to see certain nameless and low-key award winners played off by the orchestra too quickly.

I know time constraints are an issue, but when you spend a half hour pre-show awkwardly interviewing celebrities with superficial questions and butt-kissing comments it doesn’t put the Academy in the best light.

Not to mention the fact that they spent far too long letting an actor or actress friend of each nominated best actor or actress wax poetic about that specific nominee. While some of the comments were thoughtful, funny and insightful, the overall procedure was painfully self-pleasing. These are just actors and actresses, folks. George Clooney was not nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize last night.

And what would the Academy Awards be without the tributes. I won’t even begin to get into the mess that is forgetting Farrah Fawcett in the memoriam tribute. A special stand alone tribute was given to the late John Hughes, who died in 2009, far too early for a man of his kind, was paid tribute to by many of the actors and actresses that appeared in his films. The kicker? Hughes was never nominated for an Oscar.

With the touching tribute to Hughes being an ode to the ignored genre of comedy, they coupled that with a shallow tribute to horror films. Presented by none other than Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner of the non-horror film Twilight, the clips reel wasn’t all that satisfying, with footage of films like The Silence of the Lambs, which is undoubtedly more thriller than horror, dominating appearance time. They even had the nerve to include Twilight. They should have simply titled the highlight reel “A tribute to horror films: Or, sorry we’ll never respect your genre as art.”

If I didn’t love films and care about the awards they won, I would stay far away from the painful theatrics that the Academy Awards really are. When these artists win an Oscar, it’s the crowning achievement on a usually long and hard career. And the emotional reactions and dedications from winners such as best actor Jeff Bridges and best actress Sandra Bullock are what truly matter in life, even in a vain world like Hollywood.

By Christopher Boulay

Predictions came and predictions went for Blue Devils men’s basketball. Hopes were high at the beginning of the season, but the consensus seemed to state that this team was a year away. Then, the terrible news of Ken Horton’s injury that would prevent him from play, and his eventual redshirt came.

So from the thought of “just a year away” came and went, the new thought of “definitely a year away” came to the forefront.

One could spend all day on the negatives of this CCSU men’s basketball team.  Starting out 4-11 out of conference, was a poor start to say the least.  No Horton, Ptacek out for much of the conference run, and it looked certainly dire for a while that the team may miss out on the 12^th straight postseason tournament appearance.  The team was young, short and seemed to just not have it in them to do anything.

But without a deep look through this season, one so filled with rough patches, finding the positives might be hard. So to make it easier, let’s get them out in the open.

Joe Seymore improved greatly in his final season with the Blue Devils,  including reaching the 1,000 point milestone, Ptacek returned for the final run of the season and started to show the real contribution that he could make for the team,  Shemik Thompson carried the Blue Devils in an almost Javier Mojica-like fashion (while being ill seemingly the entire time) and Joe Efese made his introduction to the team, a player that every fan will come to know and love over the next couple years.

The team rebounded in the second half of the conference campaign, winning seven out of 10 games, and positioning themselves in seventh place in the conference, locking up a match against Robert Morris.

The Blue Devils weren’t able to pull the upset, but they did get close, coming within a point multiple times in the game. It’s a bitter ending to a tough season, but certainly not surprising, with all of the injuries that occurred.

Coach Howie Dickenman has to be applauded for the work he did this season with the team. He dealt with great adversity, and did what great coaches do; find a way to get out of it and make something positive happen. Making the NEC tournament was that positive fans were looking for, even if the fans don’t know it yet.

Despite the problems that plagued the team this season, even though the next season is far away, the future is bright. Thompson, Simmons, Efese, Horton, Ptacek and Markeys Deans make an experienced core of players that could not only make some noise in the conference next season, they very well could be fighting for a tournament berth. With that said, there will be a long hill to climb.

There’s no guarantee that the team will get the bid next season, obviously. But, looking at what the players have done over the past couple years, it will be hard to bet against the Blue Devils next season. You have to suffer heartbreak before you can experience success, and this team is no different.

The expectations will be high on Dickenman’s squad.

By Michael Walsh

The peculiar and unusual Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier, a pioneer of the restricting Dogme 95 rules, set out to challenge fellow Danish filmmaker Jørgen Leth by making him remake his great yet simplistic short film The Perfect Human five different times. The only catch to such a strange request? In the documentary, von Trier himself decided to play puppeteer and give Leth a set of different obstructions for each recreation of his 1967 classic film.

Examples of von Trier’s bizarre restrictions placed upon Leth’s quest to recreate are forcing him to shoot the film in Cuba with no constructed set. In that first obstruction Leth also had to limit each shot to the quick cut of 12 frames and answer each and every question posed in his original short film. In the ultra-minimalistic The Perfect Human, Leth asked questions like “Who is he? What can he do? What does he want? Why does he move like that? How does he move like that?” Leth was forced to answer these in a rewritten dialogue.

The madness behind von Trier’s requests is really both beautiful and brilliant. The documentary as a whole is a great exercise in filmmaking. Observing Leth struggle to surpass his obstacles, and even at times deal with demons such as having to revisit what he considers to be one of the worst places in the world (the red light district of Bombay), is an inspiring experience. It makes anyone with an artistic bone in your body want to spring out of their seat and be challenged by von Trier themselves.

Leth and von Trier also play off one another in a terrific clash of the mind. They are both wonderful artists who try to push each other to their creative limits. By challenging Leth to play the perfect human himself or visit the worst place in the world, von Trier forces Leth to learn new things about himself and his art. At some point in the film there’s a seriuos question as to whether von Trier and Leth are playing a joke on the viewer. But that lasts for only a few short moments when you see Leth’s sincere reactions to von Trier’s bizarre obstructions, or his disproval with von Trier’s reaction to the final submitted projects.

The value in The Five Obstructions comes from seeing the brilliant and creative minds of both von Trier and Leth at work. While watching a von Trier or Leth film will let you experience their artistic ways, you don’t quite get the same point of view as you do here, watching von Trier torture Leth with obstructions he must inventively overcome.

By Matt Kiernan

World-renowned Fryderyk Chopin piano player Ewa Poblocka performed in a packed Torp Theatre last Sunday to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of Chopin’s birth, and play the music she’s performed all over the world for the past 40 years.

“To me it doesn’t matter who or what the number of people that are there, it’s more about touching people,” said Poblocka, describing her passion for reaching people through music.

As a little girl, Poblocka had a musically inclined family and would listen to the radio every Sunday at noon, where she would listen for who was playing and would write them down into a book. Out of all the musicians she listened to, Chopin stuck out the most.

“I admire his ability in his compositions and music,” said Poblocka.

Once, Poblocka had the opportunity to play a piano, dated 1848, which may have been played by Chopin himself during his time. The piano was designed for smaller room performances, which is quite different from the grand pianos that are made today.

“You have to think about it differently and that can be a source of more inspiration,” said Poblocka.

Often Poblocka will like to play softer pieces by Chopin, leaving the audience unsure if they should applaud when her playing stops, giving a quietness to the room that lets the pieces pleasantly settle into the minds of the listeners.

Every time she plays a Chopin piece she tries to approach it differently in order to give it a fresh sound and find new inspiration.

“His music was not only brilliant, but he was also great at creating an atmosphere,” said Poblocka.

Poblocka recalled performing her first Chopin concert at what she guesses was the age of nine, and having the concert hall silent.

“Silence can be very important when you’re performing,” said Poblocka.

During Poblocka’s Sunday performance, she played Chopin’s “Nocturne in E Minor, Op. Posth.,” the waltz “B Minor, Op. Posth.,” and “Scherzo in B-flat minor, Op. 31.”

Chopin would write Polish mazurkas and waltzes as a way of connecting with his homeland of Poland because of his nationalist pride and yearning to be home again. The last piece he ever wrote was a mazurka, signaling his love for his country.

His contributions to the field of music in general were vast, creating new harmonies and taking mazurkas, nocturnes and waltzes, as well as other musical compositions further than they ever were before.

In addition to performing Chopin for audiences, Poblocka has played in orchestras, enjoys performing chamber music and has recorded Chopin music that includes all of his nocturnes, ballads and sonatas. She has gone on multiple world tours with the Warsaw National Philharmonic in 1984, ’89, ’90, ’92 and ’98.

The S.A. Blejwas Endowed Chair in Polish and Polish American Studies, the Embassy of Poland in Washington, D.C. as well as the Polish American Foundation of Connecticut presented the performance.

Poblocka will be touring the world throughout the year, making stops in what include Japan, China and India.

By Melissa Traynor

The first bunch of labels I saw for this album included “1950s/ ’60s pop” and bossa nova, which are accurate to a point if you only consider that the album could have been pop-inspired. Dinosaur Feathers produces a beautiful record, regardless of the classification. It’s not particularly weighty, but rather a nice recovery just in time for summer music.

I’d love to say that it’s “easy-listening,” but am afraid that the description would only heap on more unfair labels. Fantasy Memorial really is easy to listen to, however.  The Brooklyn-based Dinosaur Feathers have put together an impressive blend of airy tunes that kind of slip into the background. It takes practically nothing to make it through the whole album without even knowing that it happened (almost to a fault).

This is not to say that their songs carry with them no depth. The track “Crossing the Cannon,” which has a kind of repetitive jam format, brings a lot to the table in terms of vocals, an array of Animal Collective-like background noises and delicate guitar pickings. There seems to be only really two major chords driving the whole song – and maybe even two or three sentences in repetition – but it’s simple and it works. Surprisingly, it makes for a full-sounding song. The only real breaks in the song come from small guitar refrains, and musing, but they slip back into the same two chords. Similarly, “Family Waves” does this with its choruses.

Title track “Fantasy Memorial” evokes Dirty Projects guitar picking precision and just enough quick changes in direction to keep it interesting. Again, vocals really make the song. Harmonies rise and fall with each lyric, but they reach so far in each dramatic switch that brings listeners along the sweeping vocal range. I wouldn’t say the vocals are necessarily the most impressive, but the arrangement is strong enough to cover up any weaknesses.

Great timing - Fantasy Memorial is definitely warm weather music. Or indoor music in anticipation. It’s a a good collection of spring weather transition tracks – not quite there yet, but light enough to carry us into the summer.

By Samantha Fournier

Most of the time, college students rely on cheap packages of ramen noodles, unappetizing cafeteria meals, late night pizza slices, and the occasional home cooked meal to keep them going. Amidst the number of chain pizza places, sandwich shops, and fast food joints that CCSU’s students could easily be tempted to stop at is a Taste of Jamaica, Caribbean Cuisine L.L.C. located on Arch Street in New Britain serving authentic Jamaican food.

Upon entry, Taste of Jamaica smells of spices and the smell gets stronger when walking toward the counter near the back of the restaurant. Lollipops and red and white striped mints line the top of the counter.

The friendly staff at the restaurant recommended the tender and spicy jerk chicken, which is topped with your choice of sauce and served alongside your choice of white rice or rice and red beans. The sweet plantains served with the chicken complimented and mellowed the spicy taste of the chicken. This “small meal” which filled a small to go container and cost $6.50 was also served with a small helping of mild tasting cabbage and carrots.

Small meals range from $6.50 to $12 and a variety of entrees are offered, including curry chicken, peppered steak, fried fish, and fried chicken.

While Taste of Jamaica offers hot meals served daily for lunch and dinner, they also sell grocery items. Beneath the dim yellow lighting, the Jamaican flag and the flags of many other Caribbean Islands hang from the walls above white shelves stocked with Goya brand items, ginger tea, round buns, and other items that can be found at the common convenience store.

Past the shelves of organized items for sale are two tables covered with palm printed table cloths, topped with a small vase holding fake white flowers. Patrons can dine in or take their warm meals to go.

Colorful triangular flags hang in front of Taste of Jamaica along with a sign that says “now open.” Since opening a little over four months ago, the woman working behind the counter says that this restaurant and convenience store has seen many locals stop in as well as customers from surrounding towns.

“I’ll see you again?” asked the friendly woman working behind the counter said after filling the dense to-go container that smelled and looked good enough to widen the eyes.

If you are tired of pizza and ramen and want to try something different visit Taste of Jamaica for a quick home cooked meal that will have you coming back for more in the near future. Taste of Jamaica is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

'Fish Tank' is playing at Real Art Ways through March 18.

MUSIC

3.10
Dropkick Murphys
@ Oakdale Theatre
Wallingford, Conn.
7:30 p.m.

3.11
The Lives of Famous Men
@ The Space
Hamden, Conn.
$10 / 7:00 p.m.

3.12
Cold
w/ Nonpoint, Day of Fire
@ The Webster Theatre
Hartford, Conn.
$18 / 5:00 p.m.

3.13
Jim Jones
@ Toad’s Place
New Haven, Conn.
$20 / 9:00

FILM

3.10 – 3.13
Up in the Air
@ Cinestudio
Hartford, Conn.
$7.00 / 7:30 p.m.

Directed by Jason Reitman. Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, based on the novel by Walter Kirn. Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman. Sprung from the heart of a nasty recession, Up in the Air gives us a corporate hit man who flies around the country firing the folks their corporate bosses can’t bear to face. George Clooney finds humanity in his role when he is forced to train his possible replacement: company gal (Anna Kendrick) who thinks firing via the internet is “more efficient.” Like Jason Reitman’s Juno and Thank You For Smoking, Up in the Air is a very modern combination of romance, comedy, and fearless social satire.

3.12 – 3.18
Fish Tank
@ Real Art Ways
Hartford, Conn.
$6.25 / 7:00 p.m.

“I’m telling you here and now to seek out Fish Tank …because it’s absolute dynamite… It’s an explosive female coming-of-age story set against a dreary backdrop of poverty, abuse and neglect.” – Andrew O’Hehir, Salon.com

“In Fish Tank, nothing goes right, yet Mia’s fate never seems preordained. Her constant motion might or might not be her salvation, but it keeps you in suspense until the last frame—and beyond.” David Edelstein, New York Magazine

3.14 – 3.16
The Red Shoes
@ Cinestudio
Hartford, Conn.
$7.00 / 7:30 p.m.

Written, directed and produced by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger for J. Arthur Rank. Choreography by Robert Helpmann and Leonide Massine. Cast: Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring, Robert Helpmann, Leonide Massine, Ludmilla Tcherina. Cinestudio is pleased to present a ravishingly restored Technicolor® print of Michael Powell’s brilliant tribute to the world of dance! The Red Shoes captured the imagination of a generation of young girls (and boys) by introducing them to the magical world of ballet. Based on Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale, it stars the flame-haired Moira Shearer as a stunning young ballerina and Anton Walbrook as the Diaghilev-like impresario who makes his dancers choose between life and art. “Truly the most beautiful Technicolor picture ever made.” – Martin Scorsese.

3.15
Shall We Dance
@ Real Art Ways
Hartford, Conn.
$8.00 / 1:30 p.m.

A budding romance between two stars is complicated by a rumor: they’re already married. Starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Refreshments at 1:00 p.m. and discussion afterwards.

CCSU

3.11 – 3.13, 3.17 – 3.18
Sweeney Todd
@ CCSU (Maloney Hall, Black Box Theatre)
New Britain, Conn.
$12, $8 for students / 7:30 p.m.

Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 Tony Award–winning musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond.

Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway at the Uris Theatre on March 1, 1979 and ran for 557 performances. It was directed by Harold Prince with musical staging by Larry Fuller. It starred Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett. The musical tells the story of Benjamin Barker, alias Sweeney Todd, who returns to London after 15 years’ transportation on false charges. When he learns from his former landlady Mrs. Lovett that his wife poisoned herself after being raped by the judge who wrongly transported him (Judge Turpin by name), he vows revenge.

3.10, 3.11, 3.14
The Blind Side
@ CCSU (Semesters)
New Britain, Conn.
Free / 7:00 p.m. (3.11 – 10:00 p.m.)

The Blind Side depicts the story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher’s presence in the Touhys’ lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle. – IMDB.com

An early morning incident on Sunday, February 28 resulted in two arrests. Vicky Thong, 19, who is listed under at a CCSU dorm address was arrested on breach of peace and assault in the third degree charges and Rashaun Watson, 20, of Middletown was arrested for breach of peace and unlawful restraint  in the second degree. Both Thong and Watson are scheduled to appear on Monday, March 15.