Restaurant Review: The Local

Posted by Tegan O'Neill

The next time you have a hankering for a nice, unpretentious midday meal, give The Local a try. Nestled in the quaint Beekman Street Arts District, The Local doubles as a pub and teahouse serving up traditional English and Irish fare. The Local does not put on airs. Instead, Bob Marley plays in the background and customers get cozy at their booths and plank tables. When we went, the place was decked out in Halloween knickknacks and, although eating alongside cobwebs was slightly disturbing, I could still appreciate the festive touch.

The establishment's dimensions are suggestive of a boxcar. Throughout the meal, I had the sensation that we might start rumbling along at any moment. Luckily though, with all of the beer mugs hanging above the bar and the teacups on tables, The Local is planted on firm ground. At our table, we shared a pot of honey chai tea poured from a little teapot short and stout.

To begin with, we had the day's soup special: pumpkin - and it truly was a special soup. The savory flavor of pumpkin glowed with the sweet and simple taste of brown sugar. I was tempted to ask for the recipe, but decided I would rather remain in a state of wonder.

It seemed like the right place and time to order a tea sandwich, as we were sitting in a teahouse drinking tea. I was in the mood for a sandwich of goat cheese and almonds. My eyeballs bulged upon seeing the hardly petite tea sandwich placed in front of me. The fluffy snow pile of goat cheese wedged between two slices of bread with the crusts cut off made my dreams come true. To add to my contentment, a dainty roof of almond slivers was crunched above the chèvre cloud.

I was pleasantly surprised by the veggie burger which, in actuality, was not a burger but a slab of grilled eggplant between roasted red peppers and mozzarella. I delighted in biting into the cushiony bakery roll, feeling my teeth cut through the chewy eggplant, slice through the soft mozzarella and sever into the slippery red peppers. Admittedly, that sounds like a tale of treacherous textures, but have no fear. The veggie burger is pudgy and kind like the pillsbury dough boy. The best element of the sandwich's construction is actually not a part of the sandwich but sits on the side in a little thimble of a cup. According to the menu it is balsamic vinaigrette, but I believe this is too modest of a description. More mayonnaise than vinaigrette, it was tasty and I loved dipping and re-dipping the veggie burger for more.

The Local also does breakfast (technically it's brunch) on the weekends. If you are planning on logging trees for the remainder of the day, breakfast there will suit your needs quite well. The hefty breakfast portions are fit for lumberjacks and those pining for heart attacks. Eggs, potatoes and meat dominate the menu. Ordinarily, that would suffice, but what was so bothersome was the poor quality of those breakfast basics. The homefries were clearly not made in house and the grilled tomato was grainy and a very sad shade of pink. When the farmers' market down the street is selling fresh tomatoes it seems like a sin to put what The Local did on a plate. If The Local truly took its name seriously, maybe it would buy its produce locally, too.

Where I had been happy with the soup and sandwiches at lunch, I was thoroughly unimpressed and borderline disgusted with what I ate for breakfast. I can hardly bring myself to recount the ingredient list for the Eye Opener: poutine fries (i.e. french fries drowned in gravy and cheese), two eggs, bacon and sour cream. Never have I seen such a hideous mountain of glop. It looked like a soggy mess and tasted like one, too.

The Irish Breakfast was just your basic eggs, bacon, sausage, homefries and toast with a grilled tomato added to the mix. The mild and mushy sausage was disappointing and neither the eggs nor the bacon stood out. I already griped about the homefries, and I can't help myself from lamenting about the problems with the toast. Packages of Smucker's jam were thrown haphazardly onto the plate on top of the food. Seeing plastic packets lying on meat and eggs really rubbed me the wrong way. At least they could have put the jam packets to the side.

The omelet we ordered was a take on the classic lox, cream cheese and capers except, rather than on a bagel, it was all slipped into an omelet. Despite an excess of capers, which pushed the omelet past acceptable saltiness, I enjoyed it. The refreshing taste of salmon was a much welcome relief amid the mess of the heaviest of breakfasts.

Part teahouse, part pub, The Local's offerings span quite the range. To be satisfied, it all depends on what you are looking for. If a huge, hearty, hulking breakfast is what you're after, then you will not be disappointed. If that type of thing is not your cup of tea, I say skip the breakfast and instead wait until lunch. It is then that creativity peeks through, details are attended to and unique eats appear.

Read More of Tegan O'Neill's outings at her blog

Field hockey off to Liberty League Championship

Posted by Skidmore Athletics

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The No. 5 ranked Skidmore College field hockey team used a six-goal outburst in the second half to defeat St. Lawrence 8-1 and advance to the Liberty League Championship.

The Thoroughbreds improve to 17-1, extending their home winning streak to 28 games, and will host the winner of Friday night's William Smith-RPI match-up. The Saints end their season with a 9-8 record.

St. Lawrence got the scoring started early as Courtney Cartier deflected Erika Swits' shot from the top of the circle past Skidmore goalie Haley McDougall '15 for her fifth of the season.

Ceilidh MacNeill '13 tied it up at 20:46 when she redirected Hilary Cranston's '13 pass from outside the circle past Nicole Matos. Lauren Tobias '12 gave Skidmore the lead in the 30th minute, taking a pass from Annie Rosencrans '12 and sending it home for her 14th of the season.

After leading 2-1 at the half, the Thoroughbred offense came alive in the second half. Kelly Blackhurst '14 blasted a shot from the top of the circle to make it 3-1 and then assisted of MacNeill's second goal of the game at the 43:14 mark. Blackhurst tallied her second of the game and 24th of the season in the 48th minute to make it 5-1. Skidmore went on a run late as MacNeill, Caylyn Sullivan '12 and Sam Skott '15 all scored in a 2:10 span to close it out and give the Thoroughbreds an 8-1 win.

McDougall finished with three saves to earn the win and Annie Weis '14 added a defensive save for Skidmore. For the Saints, Matos stopped 14 shots, while Ali Ferenczy and Julia Croyle each had a defensive save.

The Thoroughbreds outshot St. Lawrence 30-5 and held a 14-7 advantage in penalty corners. 

Skidmore Athletics

Alcohol and Other Drugs policy forum addresses controversy

Posted by Max Siegelbaum

Approximately 50 students and 10 administration board members met at 7 p.m. on Nov. 1 in Gannett Auditorium to discuss the highly contested revision of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Policy instated at the beginning of this semester.

Controversial changes to this policy include a "point system" and the "in the presence of" clause, which dictates that underage students in the presence of alcohol or other substances will be punished, regardless of whether or not they themselves are consuming them.

Don Hastings, director of Residential Life, discussed the creation and necessity of the policy. He reassured students "the policy has always been grounded in health, safety and the welfare of the student, but also under the constraints of New York State law."

Hastings said that in 2004, a litany of incidents required a new policy to be instated, including the hospitalization of 12 students on "Diva Night," a DVD player being thrown out of a window and the portrayal of the college on the Princeton Review as a drug addled mess.

Due to these events, the administration decided to reconsider the existing policy, resulting in the grid system. Offenses were divided into a grid, with the most serious infractions on the third tier, and the most benign on the first.

Hastings said he noticed a change two years ago, when the college began to suffer similar bouts of malicious drunken debauchery. Hastings referred to several hospitalizations, abuse of Campus Safety officers and staff and three DWI's that resulted in serious injury, two of which required helicopter evacuations.

Hastings said he believed at that point that the staff of Residential Life and several other administrative groups, including Health Promotions and the Student Assessment and Intervention Group, had no choice but to address the situation.

In order to formulate this new policy, the administration looked at the colleges in the New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium, comprised of Colgate University, Hamilton College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, St. Lawrence University and Union College.

A prevalent topic of the Nov. 1 discussion was the highly debated "in the presence of" clause. As it now stands, the policy states that any underage student in the presence of alcohol more than once will be subject to parental notification and a $25 fine. The fines increase after repeat offenses and can eventually result in an Integrity Board hearing.

"We have always done [the ‘in the presence of' clause]. This is the first time it has been put in writing," said Hastings, adding that the Residential Life staff tries to put a student's history into perspective. "The first couple of [incidents], you get a pass." After repeat offenses, students will start to accrue points and face real consequences.

In a prior interview, Rochelle Calhoun, dean of student affairs, said she had heard a great amount of feedback from students on this clause. "I was really quite moved by the students who identified as non-drinkers, and really talked to me about the fact that they provided a kind of measure to the behavior, just because of their presence."

Several students presented questions and suggestions to Residential Life staff. William Moseley '12 brought up the discrepancy between the policy and the repeated emphasis on student safety. "I don't know how it makes this a safer campus," he said. "If students are afraid about getting in trouble around peers that are drinking, then how can we still have safety measures, like designated drivers?"

Hastings stressed the Amnesty Clause, which states that any student who contacts Campus Safety in an attempt to help another incapacitated student will face no consequences.

Laura Meli '12 recalled an incident in which she attempted to help a sick student the night of Moorebid Ball, but faced a late response time by Campus Safety officers, who, when they finally reached the student, turned her down because the girl she was attempting to help wasn't sick enough.

Another female student proposed the idea of "restorative measures, a way to participate in an event, like community service, that would reduce points."

The discussion ended with Thiviya Navaratnam '12 addressing the "Parental Notification" clause. "Sometimes parents don't always understand American culture," she said, stressing that notification might bring unwanted and unwarranted conflict at home. "We're adults and we need to be treated like adults."

Calhoun stressed the concern for student safety and responsibility and promised reconsideration of certain aspects of the policy. "The 'In the Presence of' will be delved into. Restorative measures will also be highly considered," she said.

"It's a challenge for us institutionally," she said in the interview on Oct. 26, "but I think what we're trying to create a balance around is absolutely adhering and working within the laws of the state of New York."

Several students were left unsatisfied by the responses from the staff and the student turnout. They expressed concern that these issues were highly opposed by the student body, yet only around 50 students attended the review.

"It seems like nothing was really accomplished," said one student, who wished to remain anonymous.

However, Chris Lord '12 and Sam Leibenhaut '12, organizers of the meeting and co-presidents of the Conflict Resolution Group, otherwise dubbed "Fight Club," felt that the meeting was successful in some degree.

"The goal was to give students a voice and be heard," said Lord, stressing the importance of establishing a dialogue with the administration.

"All we really want is for voices to be heard," said Leibenhaut, "and to motivate students," Lord added. The discussion about the policy will be ongoing, but a survey about issues concerning the campus and alcohol will be sent to the student body soon.

A formal session to revise the policy will take place in January. "The current plan has always been to implement, see how it goes and then in January make any significant revisions that we saw fit," Calhoun said. "But I'm open to the idea, and I think most of the group will be open to the idea that, after our conversation, there might be a uniform response to a change that needs to be made, and I think we would be open to making that judgment."

Women's soccer makes it to Liberty League Championship

Posted by Skidmore Athletics

SARATOGA SPRINGS — It's off to the Liberty League championship for the Skidmore College women's soccer team after a 2-0 shutout of RIT in a Liberty League semifinal, Wednesday at Wachenheim Field.

The second-seeded Thoroughbreds will travel to top-seed William Smith for Saturday's 1 p.m. championship game. The Herons beat St. Lawrence 4-0 in their semifinal.

Skidmore is 13-5, while the Tigers, playing in their first Liberty League season, end the year at 8-10.

Abby Benton '12 scored the first goal at 22:26. Kelsey Yam '13 made a long cross to Christine Bellotti '14 who passed on the shot and tapped the ball to Benton who eased it past RIT goalie Ashley Valenti.

Bellotti set-up the second goal with a long ball in the air that Yam headed home from 10 yards out for her team-high sixth goal of the season.

Thoroughbred goalie Meghan Sleezer '12 had seven saves to earn her ninth shutout of the season. It was Skidmore's 12th shutout in 18 games. Sleezer's biggest save came in the 40th minute when she stopped a Rachael Bromson breakaway. She was also tough on several RIT restarts.

Skidmore had a slight 13-11 shot advantage. The Tigers had an 8-6 edge in penalty corners.

Playing in its seventh straight Liberty League tournament, this will be Skidmore's second appearance in the Liberty League championship game. The previous time was a penalty-kick loss to William Smith after a 0-0 tie in 2008. This will also be the fifth time in six seasons the two teams have faced each other in the league tournament.

Skidmore Athletics

Extra Credit: Getting involved: Reconsidering the benefits of community service

Posted by Siena Tugendrajch

It's easy to forget that there's a world outside of our little liberal arts bubble. We may all set our homepages to the New York Times, but that usually means we just skim the headlines before moving on to more pressing matters, like Facebook or Tumblr. We barely make time to watch "The Daily Show." And, while Skidmore encourages community involvement, we are not required to complete any volunteer work or community service during our time here. This policy is not out of the ordinary – most schools do not have a community service requirement – but can engender a sense of apathy toward volunteer work.

Though we're busy with schoolwork, teams and clubs, most Skidmore students could handle an hour or an afternoon each week, or even each month, volunteering. Maybe to some, community service was just padding for the Common App, another chore we have left behind us now that our college counselors leave us alone. People don't realize that now that we've made it to college, service work can be strictly recreational.

Many of us participated in some form of community service before we got here. My high school had countless clubs with vague but intriguing names like Girls Learn International and the Breakfast Club. Our faculty constantly reminded us how privileged we are and how that should affect our interactions with people who have fewer advantages in life. I believe this philosophy should not apply to the Skidmore community and should not be the driving force behind your decision to participate in service work. We can do better than that, Kipling.

In our extracurricular lives, we should constantly be searching for enjoyable activities. The philosophy that work should have greater meaning than a paycheck is part of what the liberal arts are all about. There's no reason this notion shouldn't hold true to our lives right now. For example, four years working as a summer camp counselor has taught me that I love working with kids. Therefore, during the school year, I seek out tutoring opportunities because I know I'll get as much out of the experience as the children with whom I work. If you can find any kind of service work that makes you happy, whether it's finger-painting in Skidmore's own Early Childhood Center or spending an hour playing checkers at a nursing home, there's no reason not to make it part of your routine.

It's also not difficult to get involved. There are tons of volunteer opportunities, all with varying levels of commitment, available in our fair city of Saratoga Springs. Nearby hospitals, nursing homes and homeless shelters appreciate your time. We're adults now, and have real skills and talents to offer. Saratoga Springs alone has six elementary schools, one middle school and one high school, all of which need and seek out tutors and volunteers. There's no need to feel shy about sending emails of inquiry.

Despite these opportunities, some students who want to get involved still don't. Benefaction, our community service club, is one of the largest organizations on campus, but many students outside of the club only hear about volunteer projects in our area through the emailed Student Announcements Digest. It's time to stop thinking of community service as a burden. An hour of tutoring should be as satisfying as an hour of any other extracurricular activity, from physical exercise to guest lectures.

Volunteer work can be educational, rewarding and, if done correctly, extremely fun. It's an opportunity to find work you enjoy, and begin living the ideals we celebrate here at Skidmore. Take a page out of Cher Horowitz's book and start volunteering today. 

Caroline Busta '01 addresses the past and present of contemporary art criticism: Assistant editor of Artforum discusses the discourse behind contemporary art

Posted by Sandy Zhang

Last Thursday, Caroline Busta, class of 2001 and assistant editor at Artforum magazine, gave a lecture in the Tang Teaching Museum on the past and present roles Artforum magazine has played in the contemporary art world.

Appropriately, Art History Department Chair Katie Hauser, who was Busta's advisor, introduced Busta. Professor Hauser said that in Busta's senior year, Busta curated a well-received art show in her apartment.

Busta started the lecture with a brief history of the magazine's early years, chronicling its founding in San Francisco in 1962 and its subsequent moves to Los Angeles and New York. In light of Artforum's looming 50th anniversary, Busta painted a picture of the magazine's founding purpose by reading the mission statement of its conception. She explained that in 1962, a surge in consumption of fine modern art necessitated a community that objectively dialogued about art. Discourse about fine art in a circulating object form was needed to establish value for artists and consumers alike. Artforum sought to be this nexus point where artists, critics, art dealers and galleries co-existed.

Busta went on to reveal that Artforum continues to act as a host to the relationships between its editorial board, galleries, artists and art dealers, which often become twisted and convoluted.

In 1974, the magazine wanted to publish a naked photo of artist Lynda Benglis holding a double-sided dildo. Busta explains that the work interrupts the normative hetero fantasies that pornography encourages because she is shown as an object of male desire and the prop signals that she is sexually self-sufficient. Because of its explicit nature, the magazine refused to publish the photo. The solution was for the artist to ask the Paula Cooper Gallery, which was representing Benglis at the time, to purchase advertisement space so the photo could run as an ad instead.

"However, the spread (a full two pages, as a centerfold photo would appear) was not taken out to advertise a forthcoming show, but rather, to present this photo. For Benglis the work wasn't just the photo, but the photo-as-circulated was part of the magazine," Busta said.

The lecture addressed more current issues when Busta declared that the Occupy Wall Street movement is creating and circulating quirky dialogue, art and criticism. She presented examples of the spontaneous art the movement has spurred. For example, Joie de Vivre, a 70-foot red steel sculpture by Mark di Suvero that resides in Zuccotti Park, has been altered to resemble a bulletin board – sporting an anarchy sign, stickers and notices.

"Showing Joie de Vivre was intended to demonstrate how, like the pages of a magazine, a physical site could also be a vital place for discursive exchange. And what better than a site that is also the very art object that is being contested," Busta said.

Busta also showed a photo of two hand-written posters on top of each other. One reads "TAX DAT ASS," and the other, "ASS DAT TAX." The poster represents a more straightforward form of discourse. "This demonstrates another form of direct criticism, one that doesn't need further mediation via a publishing vehicle, such as a magazine, to exist." Busta said.

In her discussion of the art that surrounds the movement, Busta acknowledged that blogs and micro-blogs like Twitter are attaining increasingly influential roles in the continuing dialogues of the contemporary art world.

Before ending the lecture with a 20-minute question and answer session, Busta briefly outlined the magazine's standard editorial operations and procedures. "To make sure that a plurality of voices is represented, no artist can be reviewed by the same writer twice in a row," Busta said.

During the question and answer session, Busta spoke more specifically on her role and duties at the magazine. She also walked the audience through her own career, describing the trajectory to her position at Artforum.

After graduating from the College in 2001, Busta moved to New York, where she worked as an assistant to former Skidmore Professor Rob Linrothe at the Rubin Museum of Art, received an MA degree in Art History from Columbia University, and began freelance writing. Busta also served as a co-director of Miguel Abreu Gallery and co-curated an exhibition at Orchard, galleries located in Manhattan's Lower East Side. She joined Artforum as a full time staff member in July of 2008.

Dylan Lustrin '13, an art history major, was pleased with the lecture. "It was refreshing to hear someone speak who not long ago was also a Skidmore student. Having attended the Living the Liberal Arts panel just a few weeks before her lecture, hearing about her career experience fit nicely with the Art History department's valid questioning of the real-world utility of an Art History degree," Lustrin said.

The Alfred Z. Solomon Residency, which has also brought artist Nicolas Guagnini and writer Jessica Lott to campus, sponsored Busta's visit to the College.

Josh Stearns speaks on the role of media in the community: Associate Program Director of Free Press expresses the importance of maintaining media relationships

Posted by Andy Shi

Josh Stearns visited campus to share his views on the world's changing relations to media, addressing this topic in his lecture titled "Media, Civil Engagement and Sustainability" at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 in Davis Auditorium.

Stearns is the associate program director of Free Press, which, according to its website, "is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to reform the media," and manages its journalism, public media and media consolidation campaigns.

"Media's been this sort of undercurrent to what I've done," Stearns said. "I'm excited to do what I do."

Stearns said he first became interested in the media in his work as the literary magazine editor at St. Lawrence University, which is also the university he graduated from in 2000. He received his master's degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and joined Save the News, a project of Free Press, in 2009.

Stearns said Free Press contends with issues dealing with the First Amendment, specifically those involving violations of freedom of the press. Stearns pointed to one example that detailed Comcast's policy of blocking sites to customers and ending file sharing to monitor Internet traffic. After citizens discovered this, they publicly protested against Comcast, which forced the company to revise its policies.

This situation underlines Free Press's support of network neutrality, which Stearns defined as a policy that states "Internet service providers may not discriminate between different kinds of content and applications online." Large, powerful corporations often ignore this policy and frequently lobby for Congress to support their stances, Stearns said.

In 2006, Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, at the urging of service company lobbyists, advocated for a bill that would curtail network neutrality. One observer videotaped Stevens's argument, which included an analogy of the Internet to "a series of tubes." The comparison revealed Stevens's ignorance of the Internet and the lack of knowledge that the politicians had concerning the bill. The video went viral and the Republicans dropped the bill.

Stearns said citizens can stand up to big corporations and political pressure by publicizing their injustices. He referenced Reel Grrls, an organization devoted to empowering women, which tweeted about the January 2011 merger that was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) between one of its sponsors, Comcast, and NBC. The tweet expressed concern that FCC Commissioner Meredith Baker left her job for one as a Comcast head lobbyist following the merger.

Comcast pulled its sponsorship for Reel Grrls, which then turned to the public for support, and, receiving an overwhelming response, raised more than $24,000 in funds.

Comcast attempted to reconcile with Reel Grrls later on, but Reel Grrls rejected its advances.

Stearns said that media is a life and death situation, and that people must keep the government and large media corporations from violating their rights.

"In a participating culture, no one is fully literate unless we are creating, not just consuming," Stearns said.

Stearns spoke about local radio and television broadcasting and its ever-growing importance, adding that local broadcasters provide the local news that large corporation news broadcasters do not address.

He shared a story of local broadcasters in Florida who warned citizens to seek shelter during a hurricane in multiple languages, which the larger broadcasters failed to do, saving hundreds of lives.

Stearns passed around a petition that he hopes will be sent to Congress, demanding that local broadcasters, net neutrality and the prevention of corporation consolidation be upheld to protect the rights of the American citizens.

"We must put our money where our mouth is," Stearns said. "To protect democracy we must defend the media."

Riley Neugebauer, campus sustainability coordinator, who sponsored the lecture, shared her vision of connecting the College to Saratoga Springs to promote the general welfare of the community.

"If sustainability, the environment and justice is No. 1, then media is No. 2. We have to tell our story," Neugebauer said.

For further information on Josh Stearns and Free Press, visit Freepress.net and Savethenews.org. 

Editorial: Inter-Hall Board and adminstration dropped the Ball

Posted by the Editorial Board

By 12:30 a.m. on Sunday Moorebid Ball – increasingly the most inauspicious event on the Skidmore calendar – had been shut down early for the second consecutive year.

Last year, after nine individuals were sent to the hospital during the ball, the College spent the first week of November dealing with unwanted media attention and questions about the character and responsibility of its students. This year, the administration and Student Government Association both promised, would be different. This year's Moorebid Ball certainly was different, but the end result was startlingly familiar.

Campus Safety elected to shut down the ball early again this year, not on account of dangerous overconsumption but rather due to safety concerns resulting from significant overcrowding. Conditions in the Williamson Sports and Recreation Center, particularly in the corridor outside of the Recreation Gym on the building's lower floor, devolved into mob-like conditions that required EMTs, according to Campus Safety.

Hundreds of students found themselves jammed together from wall-to-wall in a narrow hallway, with the only path of egress coming through a single average-sized door already tasked with supporting two-way traffic. The dangerous congestion reached its peak when two fights broke out in the crowd, causing further disruption.

Thankfully, Campus Safety director Lt. Larry Britt's call to shut down the event came before anyone was seriously injured – no significant injuries have been confirmed – but that stroke of luck does not absolve the organizers of Moorebid from creating such an opportunity for disaster.

Put bluntly, the organizers of the Ball – primarily the Inter-Hall Board (IHB) and members of the administration – systemically put Skidmore students at risk of serious harm. There is no way to ignore the potential for serious injury that night. Had a student been hospitalized, a lawsuit against the college would have been a foregone conclusion.

To understand how IHB and the administration could have committed such an egregious error in planning it is impossible not to reference the embarrassment and damage control that followed last October's terminated ball.

In response to the first failed ball, cancelled due to overconsumption, the administration changed a number of policies, most notably disallowing reentry and moving the venue from the Case Student Center to the Sports Center. Some of these policies have been implemented successfully at events since last fall, though none with the same volume of attendance as Moorebid Ball – Campus Safety estimates some 1,400 students in total.

In attempting to make this year's Moorebid wholly different from last year's, however, the planners gravely overlooked significant issues concerning the new venue.

In subsequent interviews with The Skidmore News, IHB members and school administrators have stressed that planning included multiple walkthroughs of the facilities with Campus Safety officers. These statements dissolve rather than instill confidence: how could such a risk be overlooked? How did this not disqualify the venue from serving Skidmore's highest-attended social event, or at least alter the organization of the ball in light of its new location?

Interim Director of Leadership Activities Robin Adams, the liaison between student planners and the administration, admitted, "I don't really know how to respond. It probably could have been anticipated." Lt. Britt echoed that response, saying "Looking back it seems pretty obvious, but in planning everyone simply figured students would stay in the gyms where the music was."

Adams further ascribed blame again to intoxicated students. "There's got to be some personal responsibility. We can't plan for an event where students aren't in their right mind," he said. But IHB's job is to take account of precisely that issue. That an event such as Moorebid will see its share of inebriated students is a given, no matter how many resources are devoted to preventing overconsumption by attendees. It is the purpose of the event organizers to anticipate and accommodate for this brute fact.

Furthermore, although intoxication certainly did not help matters, it was the facility itself at issue, not the behavior of students. Lt. Britt was unambiguous on this point. "The reason [Moorebid] was closed," he said, "was because of safety concerns, not behavioral issues – we had some of those too, but that was not the reason the dance had to end."

After two failed dances in a row, it is reasonable to question whether Moorebid itself is the problem. Does our campus have a venue large enough to hold an event with such high attendance?

If the administration is wedded to the no-reentry policy and wants to keep the event as controlled as possible, the Sports Center's Big Gym is easily the most accommodating venue available. The Big Gym hosts the Big Show concert each semester and Junior Ring in the fall. While none of these events have comparable attendance to Moorebid, they have gone off smoothly in recent years. The hallway leading to the Big Gym, unlike the corridors leading to the Rec and Dance gyms, is wide enough to support two-way traffic without overcrowding, and the size of the gym itself would allow for Campus Safety to concentrate on a single area rather than dividing their resources between two gymnasiums.

Of course it is understandable that this single space, so often in use by the athletic teams, is difficult to book, but this year has shown that splitting the dance up poses serious problems of its own.

The other possibility is to collectively take a deep breath and reconsider Case Center as a reasonable venue. The multiple floors and entrances make it a harder building to police, but it does afford facilities that a large gymnasium does not. "We tend to think of Moorebid Ball as a dance, but it's also a broader social event," SGA President Jonathan Zeidan said. "So in the gyms, unlike in Case Center, apart from the dancing you had a lot of overcrowding in these hallways where people were supposed to be able to talk."

Allowing students to go outside without being barred from reentry likely facilitated the socialization Zeidan mentioned. Surely it would not be impossible to account for that need while adequately monitoring attendees, perhaps through a sectioned-off area of Case walkway. Similarly, despite Case Center's numerous entrances, it is not impossible to prevent students from entering while still allowing for proper egress, whether by locking doors from the outside or by placing officers at each entrance.

Whatever the future of Moorebid Ball, we cannot accept the structural chaos brought on by this year's preparations for the dance. Our indignation concerning this failure should match our gratitude that no tragedy occurred on yet another dark and cold October night.

Review: 'Roots, Dub, Reggae' - John Brown's Body at Putnam Den

Posted by Dale Obbie

Last Thursday night, Boston-based reggae band John Brown's Body performed a dub-heavy set at Putnam Den. The New Hampshire-based band Roots of Creation opened for them, drawing a dreadlocked crowd for a fun start to the Halloween weekend.

John Brown's Body's music often receives the label "contemporary roots reggae," and with a sound reminiscent of '70s-era reggae legends such as Burning Spear and Lee Perry, the band definitely earn the "roots" distinction. But there's more to the band than that. The band members play just as much dub — an instrumental, effect-laden, drum and bass-driven twist on reggae — as they do traditional reggae. What's more, they play dub at live shows, despite the fact that the style lends itself more to studio recordings than to the live setting.

The show on Thursday was no exception. They opened with a slow-burning dub song full of echoing horn bursts and wah-wahing rhythm guitar scratches. With his eyes closed, vocalist Elliott Martin shook a tambourine, nodding his head while his waist-length dreads swung back and forth in rhythm to the slack drumbeat and the Den-shaking bass line.

During the sunshiny tune "Be At Peace," trombone player Scott Flynn and keyboardist Matt Goodwin joined Martin in a beautiful vocal harmony that reverberated throughout the bar and into the street. The three voices urged the audience to "be at peace and perceive deeper love," ending with a warning to not "put your life in the hands of those who terrorize by taking life away from the song that we sing everyday."

The energetic "Zion Triad" snapped the audience members out of their trance and got them dancing with a drum and bass breakdown. Bassist Nate Edgar played deep-reaching riddims over the echoing snare drum, ending his groove with fast-fingered flourishes. Meanwhile, the smiling horn section danced in unison while Goodwin sipped a beer. The lively song ended with jazzy horn solos alternating between Flynn, trumpet player Sam Dechenne and saxophonist Drew Sayers.

The heavy-hitting righteousness of "Speak of the Devil" turned Martin from a happy-go-lucky reggae singer into a heated political spokesman, red-faced and shouting for the audience to "speak only truth and let your words be clear to defeat all those who seek to rule with fire and fear." Pounding his clavinet, Goodwin synchronized with Edgar, playing a thunderous bass line under the high-reaching horn shrieks.

After a couple of heady dub songs, the band slid into the mellow "Blazing Love," which ended with a smooth trumpet solo from Dechenne. In response to explosive applause from the crowd of dedicated fans, the band played two encores, ending the night with "The Gold" from its 2008 album "Amplify."

It was without a doubt one of this year's best Putnam Den shows. Despite the fact that the bar wasn't entirely full of people, John Brown's Body nevertheless delivered its authentic reggae in full force, evidently enjoying the experience as much as the enthusiastic audience.

New director plans to relaunch Career Services: Focus to shift to students early in their college careers

Posted by Adrian Appleman

Deborah Loffredo has served as the new director of Career Services since Sept. 26, bringing a wealth of career development experience and ambition along with her and already working to render changes in what may be renamed the Career Development Center.

As reported by Scope, Loffredo is a "career-development professional" who has had extensive experience in the professional realm, including working as a manager of campus recruiting for the Pepsi Bottling Group, a human performance consultant at global consulting firm Accenture and a senior staffing specialist at Thermo Electron.

"We are looking to relaunch and rebrand Career Services to become the Career Development Center," Loffredo said, "with a focus on developing and engaging students earlier in their Skidmore careers through a variety of programming, including offering trained senior peer career coaches. We also plan to improve our support for students and alumni pursuing graduate education, international students pursuing careers in the U.S. and alumni looking to make career transitions."

Penny Loretto, who served as interim director of Career Services from December 2010 to this September, met with Loffredo as part of the screening process.

"Ms. Loffredo was by far the best candidate for the position," Loretto said in an email. "Her expertise, vision and past experience made her the perfect candidate for the job." 

Most recently, Loffredo worked at the NYU Stern School of Business, where she served in a variety of roles, including employer relations, career development and counseling for MBA students and alumni and leadership development.

"The skills I developed in these roles gave me a great foundation to come to Skidmore and add value in Career Services," Loffredo said.

Loffredo oversees the development and delivery of programs and services that help students and alumni set and achieve their short and long-term career goals. She collaborates with faculty, alumni, parents, students and administration to expand the Career Services offerings, which includes cultivating relationships with prospective employers.

"Ms. Loffredo has already made presentations to the Alumni Association, Parents Council and SGA, discussing some of the new initiatives Career Services hopes to make in the next couple of years," Loretto said, "along with asking for feedback and suggestions on ways Career Services can improve on the services it offers to students and alumni."

Since arriving in September, Loffredo has met with students, faculty, alumni and various associations within the College community. "It seems as if everyone at Skidmore wants a piece of her," said Shelly Bouchard, staff assistant and recruiting coordinator for Career Services.

Loffredo has also overseen several projects, including the coordination of the third annual Career Jam on Oct. 14 in conjunction with the Alumni Association and Parents Council. She, along with the rest of Career Services, is overseeing the placement of approximately 100 students with sponsors who work in career fields and locations of interest to students during winter break, as well as orchestrating internship workshops and "Living the Liberal Arts" presentations throughout the remainder of the semester.

"The liberal arts curriculum prepares students with critical thinking and problem solving skills, communication and interpersonal skills, the ability to take risks and embrace change, leadership skills, etc.," Loffredo said. "I attended a small liberal arts school similar to Skidmore and I loved the diverse learning platform provided by the liberal arts curriculum. Skidmore graduates go into so many unique careers with this foundation, which makes my job as a Career Services professional extremely interesting and fun. Skidmore is a very special place and a welcoming community; I am thrilled to be here."

The next Internship Workshop will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov, 8 in Bolton Hall, Room 280. "Living the Liberal Arts in Biology" will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, at the Murray Aikins Dining Hall.

Upcoming events this week sponsored by the EAC: Events include the Washington, D.C., protests this weekend; now with a transportation fee

Posted by Ani Lordkipandize

As a result of Halloween festivities, the Environmental Action Club cut this week's meeting short, but listed the upcoming sponsored events this week, including the trip to join the protests in Washington, D.C., against the Keystone XL project.

Students will travel via bus to the protest on Sunday, Nov. 6. Though initially free, students who wish to attend must now sign up with club leaders and pay $20 for the round trip, a recent change the EAC made after switching bus companies. More information on the event can be found here.

Other EAC-sponsored events this week include the public lecture, "Media, Civic Engagement and Sustainability" by Josh Stearns at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2 in Davis Auditorium. Stearns is the associate program director at Free Press and SaveTheNews, and will speak about the current state of the media in relation to civic engagement and sustainability.

The Mountain Top Removal Action Roadshow, a presentation by Dave Cooper, will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3 in Emerson Hall. Cooper is a member of Mountain Justice, which is a direct action environmental group that works to fight against mountaintop removal in Appalachia.

The EAC meets at 9 p.m. on Mondays in Ladd 207.

Post-Mooretem: What Really Happened This Time?: Moorebid Ball's new venue created unexpected dangers for students

Posted by Brendan James

"I was almost trampled downstairs," complains Lucy Greer '12, one of the many Skidmore students who experienced the unforeseen consequences of holding this year's Halloween dance in the Williamson Sports Center.

Lt. Larry Britt was in charge of the 14 Campus Safety officers patrolling the event that night. "We had calls for EMTs, and calls that people were falling down in the hallway," he said.

The main source of the disorder was the corridor connecting the Rec and Dance gyms of Sports Center. The narrow space became an untenable passageway as about 1,400 students in attendance attempted to move between the two gyms.

Another student, Rachel Bier '12 remarked, "I felt like I was going to suffocate in the middle of all those people." Two fights eventually broke out in the corridor, causing even more discomfort and disruption.

At approximately 12:30 a.m., an hour and a half before the event was scheduled to end, Britt decided to shut down the event out of concern for student safety.

"It had to be done. The reason it was closed was because of safety concerns, not behavioral issues — we had some of those too, but that was not the reason the dance had to end," Britt said.

No serious injuries or emergencies resulting from the Sports Center disorder have yet been reported.

According to VP of Residential Affairs Aaron Shifreen, a volleyball tournament that took place earlier in the day prohibited full use of the Center's "big gym," which might have allowed for a more stable venue. Instead the two other gyms were used to account for the large number of students, each allowing for roughly 770 people.

Inter-Hall Board (IHB) was in charge of organizing the event in coordination with Campus Safety and the college administration.

While Student Government Association (SGA) set up stations in the Sport Center entrance to assign Moorebid bracelets and track the number of attendees, many students did not receive bracelets and were unaware of the entire system.

Even with 14 officers besides Britt on duty, control and monitoring of entry became noticeably convoluted within the first hour. Attendence began to reach its peak at 11:00 p.m. and half and hour later it had spun into what Britt called "almost a mob."

It took roughly 10 minutes to get from one gym to the other gym, something that would normally take individuals only a few seconds. But with the heavy traffic from two streams of students going opposite directions, the area became clogged, hot, sweaty, and eventually near-motionless.

Significant overcrowding of the corridors between the two gyms caused stress among the attendees. In some cases students audibly begged each other not to push or shove. People voiced aloud their concern of harm wrought by all the commotion.

Both Shifreen and SGA President Jonathan Zeidan attended several planning meetings with administration and Campus Safety in the weeks leading up to the event. They stress the precautions taken in planning for a completely new venue and emphasized the difficulties in anticipating the reality on the ground.

"Whenever you do something for the first time, it's an experiment," Zeidan said.

Zeidan went on to contextualize the surge in the corridors in connection to the nature of the Moorebid event.

"We tend to think of Moorebid Ball as a dance, but it's also a broader social event. So in the gyms, unlike in Case Center, apart from the dancing you had a lot of overcrowding in these hallways where people were supposed to be able to talk," Zeidan said.

In hindsight, many of the planners admit the lack of concern over what would become the bottleneck corridor. "I guess we didn't fully take that dynamic into account," Shifreen added. Robin Adams, Director of Leadership Activities and the liaison between student planners and the sports center, remarked that, while the behavior of intoxicated students is unpredictable, the bottleneck in the corridor "probably could have been anticipated."

Lt. Britt echoed this sentiment: "Looking back it seems pretty obvious, but in planning this everyone simply figured students would stay in the gyms where the music was."

Moorebid Ball was held originally at Moore Hall, an off-campus site at 32 Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs that served as a residential hall for students until 2006, when the college sold it to NorStar Development. The venue for Moorebid then changed to Case Center up until this year.

According to Campus Safety reports, five ambulances left campus that night, though they were all concerning over-drinking in resident halls and other spots on Campus rather than the Sports Center. One transport was a non-student.

SGA Senate Live Blog

Posted by Ani Lordkipanidze

Join us for weekly live coverage of the SGA Senate.

Thoroughbred Swimming sweeps Potsdam

Posted by Skidmore Athletics

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Skidmore College men's and women's swimming and diving teams picked up wins over Potsdam, Saturday afternoon at the Williamson Sports Center. The women won 134-92, while the men won a close one, 118-109.

On the women's side, Sarah Shaw '12 won the 1000 Free (11:27.99) with Emily Przysinda '15 finishing second (12:00.41). Carrie Koch '13 won both the 200 (2:03.00) and 500 Freestyle (5:37.91) and Catherine King '15 continued to dominate sprint freestyle, touching first in both the 50 Free (25.30) and 100 Free (55.25).

Katherine Kelloway '14 was also a double-winner, winning both the 200 Individual Medley (2:19.21) and 100 Backstroke (1:04.72). Kristin Stearns '13 and Krista Pelton '14 swept diving. Stearns scored 217.80 on 1 Meter and 239.78 on 3 Meter, while Pelton scored 183.23 on 1 Meter and 194.25 on 3 Meter.

In the men's meet, the Thoroughbreds came away with key victories in the 200 Medley and 200 Free relays. Jesse Adler '13, Nick Sauerbrunn '15, Sam Leibenhaut '12 and Tim Brodsky '15 combined to win the medley relay in 1:46.92. Down by 3 points going into the free relay, the men combined to go 1-2, assuring the team victory. Taylor Best '14, Robert Fulton '15, Greg Amoresano '13 and Andrew Becker '13 touched first 1:37.03, while the team of Lyle Stephenson '15, Leibenhaut, Peter Quattromani '14 and Andrew Lloyd '12 finished second in 1:38.93.

The men's team swept the 50 Freestyle, with Brodsky (23.86) first, followed by Fulton (24.65) and Becker (24.69), and finished 2-3-4 in the 100 Freestyle. Brodsky was second (52.53), Best third (52.87) followed by Amoresano (54.38). Adler won the 100 Backstroke (57.99), and touched second in the 200 Individual Medley (2:09.47).

Diver Doug Pilawa '12 had an outstanding meet, winning both boards, earning NCAA qualifying scores and breaking his own school records in each event. Pilawa scored 333.38 on 1 Meter and 358.13 on 3 Meter.

Important points were earned by Quattromani, finishing second in both the 1000 Free (10:57.78) and 500 Freestyle (5:17.79); Sauerbrunn, second in the 200 Free (1:56.07); and Fulton, second in the 100 Breaststroke (1:07.75). 

Skidmore Athletics

Thoroughbred netters extend win streak to 10

Posted by Skidmore Athletics

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Skidmore College volleyball team completed the perfect weekend, beating Baruch and New Paltz to claim the Skidmore Invitational Tournament championship.

The Thorougbhbreds have won 10 straight and 14 of 15 to take a 25-8 record into next weekend's Liberty League championship tourmnament at Clarkson.

Skidmore came from behind to beat New Paltz 3-2 (21-25, 25-17, 18-25, 25-17, 15-4) to win the tournament. Tournament MVP Kelley Vershbow '12 had 20 kills, 15 digs, two aces and two blocks to lead the Thoroughbreds. Corrine Palmer '14 also made the All-Tournament team with 17 kills and five blocks (one solo) against New Paltz. Emma Wilberg '14 made a solid contribution as well.

Also on the All-Tournament team were Melinda Santiago (Baruch), Melinda DiGiovanna (New Paltz), Carrie Hack (New Paltz), Theresa Lilly (Plattsburgh) and Eve Richards (Union).

Skidmore Athletics

Skidmore Women's Soccer drops regular-season final

Posted by Skidmore Athletics

ROCHESTER — Christine Belding scored the game-winning goal 1:52 into the second overtime session to lift host Nazareth to a 1-0 non-conference victory over Skidmore College. Following the victory, Nazareth improves to 9-3-4 overall. The Thoroughbreds fall to 12-5.

Skidmore will host RIT in a Liberty League semifinal at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

Thoroughbred goalie Meghan Sleezer '12 kept the Golden Fliers off the board, meeting each challenge through all of regulation and the first overtime period. Sleezer finished with 10 saves before allowing Belding's goal. Skidmore came into the contest against Nazareth with only eight goals against them through the previous 16 games.

Nazareth's goalie Abbie Carey prevented Skidmore from scoring the go ahead goal in the final minutes of regulation as she thwarted two of the Thoroughbreds' better scoring opportunities. Carey beat Skidmore's forward to a through ball in the middle of Nazareth's penalty area and smothered it before a shot could be taken. Moments later, Carey punched another ball out of the Golden Flyers' penalty area. Carey finished the contest with three saves to record the shutout.

In the 89th minute, Skidmore forced a turnover deep in Nazareth's defensive zone. The Thoroughbreds' Abby Benton '12 collected the ball and took a shot from the middle of the Golden Flyers' penalty box. Benton's shot, however, sailed wide left.

Nazareth finished with a 15-11 advantage in shots, including an 11-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Golden Flyers also had a 6-2 advantage in corner kick opportunities.

Skidmore Athletics

Skidmore ends on an up note

Posted by Skidmore Athletics

SCHENECTADY — A pair of second-half goals carried the Skidmore College men's soccer team to a 2-1 Liberty League road win over Union College, Saturday.

With the win, the Thoroughbreds finish fifth in the Liberty League with a 3-4-1 league and 7-10-1 overall record. The Dutchmen finish seventh at 2-5-1 and 11-5-1.

After a scoreless first half, Gordon Bray '15 headed one past Union keeper Adam Margulies off a Marcus Goldbas '13 corner for a 1-0 lead at 50:23. Diego Reinero '12 made it 2-0 from Brock Bakewell '15 at 64:40.

Union scored less than a minute later, but the Thoroughbreds shut the Dutchmen down the rest of the way for the hard-earned win.

Nick Peterson '12 had two saves in net for the win in his final collegiate contest.

Skidmore Athletics

No. 5 Skidmore rolls in regular season finale

Posted by Skidmore Athletics

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Kelly Blackhurst '14 recorded four assists to become the youngest player in program history to record 100 career points as the 5th-ranked Skidmore College field hockey defeated Geneseo 6-1.

The four assists ties a single game record, becoming just the fourth player to accomplish the feat and first since Jodi Wheeler and Molly McClellan did it in 1998. With her third assist of the day, Blackhurst became the 12th player in program history to record 100 career points, joining Annie Rosencrans '12, who reached the feat two games earlier, as the most recent player to reach the mark.

The Thoroughbreds close out the regular season with a 16-1 record and will host St. Lawrence on Nov. 2 in the Liberty League semifinals. Skidmore has now won eight straight and extended its home winning streak to 27 games. With the loss, the Knights fall to 10-9.

Ceilidh MacNeil '13 got the scoring started at the 13:43 mark, redirecting a shot from Blackhurst past Geneseo keeper Caitlyn Dowell to make it 1-0. At the 20:07 mark, Lauren Tobias '12 received a centering pass from Blackhurst and sent it home for her 13th goal of the season. Rosencrans made it 3-0 at the 31:46 mark when she took a pass from Blackhurst and blasted it from the top of the circle. The Knights responded at the 32:08 mark as sophomore Kayla DeAngelis picked up a loose ball in front and beat Thoroughbred goalie Haley McDougall '15 for her 17th of the season, making it 3-1 at half.

Just over 10 minutes in to the second half, Rosencrans scored again, this time on a shot from the wing off a penalty corner to make it 4-1. Jackie Slocombe '12 and Hilary Cranston '13 assisted on the goal. At the 52:08 mark, Rosencrans scored her third goal of the game and 14th of the season, redirecting MacNeill's pass from outside the circle. MacNeill capped the scoring at the 68:12 mark, redirecting a pass from Blackhurst for her second of the game, giving Skidmore the 6-1 victory.

McDougall made five saves to improve to 15-1, while Dowell finished with eight saves for Geneseo.

The Thoroughbreds outshot the Knights 19-7 and held an 11-3 advantage in penalty corners.

Skidmore Athletics

Shut Down: Moorebid Ball terminated early again

Posted by Gabe Weintraub and Brendan James

For the second consecutive year, Moorebid Ball has been shut down early, this time due to dangerous overcrowding in the Rec Gym. The festivities came to a sudden close at approximately 12:30 a.m.

A campus safety officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, summed up the incident with two words: "Bad venue."

The change of venue from Case Center to the Williamson Sports Center did little to facilitate the monitoring and control of the event.

"One thing that's clear is that we have not adequately addressed what is the most appropriate venue," said Rochelle Calhoun, dean of student affairs, who was away from the college last weekend. "The ability to have an event of that size and an appropriate venue for it to be safe in continues to be a primary issue."

In the corridor between the Rec and Dance gyms, approximately 1,400 students formed a mass of bodies that left many simply unable to move and travel to and from the different gyms. With a no-reentry policy in place, students had little freedom of movement.

"I was almost trampled downstairs," says Lucy Greer '12. Another student, Rachel Bier '12 said, "I felt like I was going to suffocate in the middle of all those people."

According to VP of Residential Affairs Aaron Shifreen, a volleyball tournament that took place earlier in the day prohibited full use of the larger gym, which might have allowed for a more stable venue.

Moorebid Ball was held originally at Moore Hall, an off-campus site at 32 Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs that served as a residential hall for students until 2006, when the college sold it to NorStar Development. The venue for Moorebid then changed to Case Center up until this year.

It took roughly 10 minutes to get from one gym to the other gym, something that would normally take individuals only a few seconds. But with the heavy traffic from two streams of students going opposite directions, the area became clogged, hot, sweaty, and eventually near-motionless.

Significant overcrowding of the corridors between the two gyms caused stress among the attendees. In some cases students audibly begged each other not to push or shove. People voiced aloud their concern of harm wrought by all the commotion.

More details to come.

Basketball team hopes to trump historic season

Posted by Jesse Shayne

Last season marked a historic high for the Skidmore men's basketball program; the team won the Liberty League championship and made it to the NCAA tournament, both for the first time in Skidmore's history. Having graduated only one senior last year, the team has lofty goals for the upcoming season.

"My goal, to be honest, is to try and win a national championship," head coach Joe Burke said.

Considering the circumstances, Skidmore's chances of winning it all are not too shabby. The team went 18-10 overall (including playoffs) in their first season with a new head coach. Along with winning the League championship and making it to NCAA's, the team did something that no Skidmore athletic team has ever done - be on ESPN's highly viewed sports show, Sportscenter.

The team played against Southern Vermont University for their third game of the season, which turned into a seven overtime victory that tied the NCAA record for overtimes in a basketball game. Aside from making it on to the Sportscenter highlights, the win also gave the team momentum that carried them through the rest of the season.

"The seven overtime game was a coming together point for us because anytime you have a new coach there is always a big transition period," Burke said. "I felt like we played six or seven games in one and I felt like that was something that brought us close together. We learned to trust each other a lot after that game."

While the team is losing their second-leading scorer, Jeff Altimar, they will have nine seniors on the roster this season, all of whom will play significant minutes according to Burke. Seniors on the team this season include: Garret Bush, Kyle Clark, Melvis Langyintuo, Brian Lowry, Dyan Malloy, John Mantas, Raoul Oloa, Liberty League first team selection Gerard O'Shea and last year's team captain Terron Victoria.

"The nine of us have been together since freshmen year and we are all best friends and get along...team chemistry is very high," said O'Shea, who was the starting point guard last season.

Everyone else from the team last year will be coming back except for one member who has taken a leave of absence. Two freshmen will be joining Skidmore men's basketball as well, Connor Merrill (Vermont Academy) and Nanribet Yiljep (Westtown Prep.). "Both freshmen were highly recruited..both had division one and two offers but they really loved this place and loved the team," Burke said.

The team will be facing a revamped Liberty League that lost Hamilton College but added Bard College and Rochester Institute of Technology. Hamilton was the team Skidmore beat in the Liberty League Championship last season.

No team has repeated as Liberty League Champion for the past eight seasons, so if Skidmore does it they will be breaking a trend. "We have a target on our back so we are going to get every team's best effort. Everyone wants to beat the champion," O'Shea said.

The team has been working hard since they started practicing at the end of September. "Having been at division one I know how hard those guys work, and these guys work just as hard, they just don't get the notoriety," Burke said.

Skidmore will open up the regular season with a three game homestand. They will start the season on Nov. 15 against Cobleskill College, play a rematch of last season's seven overtime thriller against Southern Vermont College on Nov. 22 and then face Oneonta State on Nov. 30. They will participate in a national division three tournament in Las Vegas over Christmas break. Liberty League play will kick off on Jan. 6 against Vassar College.