THE PIONEER Informing LIU Post for over 50 years Volume 66, Issue 8 www.liupostpioneer.com March 25, 2015 Students to Raise Runway Walks the Catwalk in Money for Rare “Mass Damage” Disease Research By Pete Barell Arts and Entertainment Editor A fundraiser for Huntington’s disease research will be held on the Great Lawn in front of Hillwood Commons on Wednesday, April 1, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event, organized by senior Film major Michael Mirabella, will involve student donations and culminate in visuals that include a release of balloons into the sky. These balloons will have info cards about the disease, meant to literally, as Mirabella puts it “raise awareness.” Huntington’s disease is a TIA-MONÁ GREENE rare genetic condition that affects By Caroline Ryan and breaks down nerve cells in the Staff Writer brain over time. Mirabella will be operating a table for the event, as The Runway club is broadcasts. be donated to Relay for Life. Last well as have a film team present hosting its annual spring fashion Thirty models, along year, the club made approximately to produce an online video. Funds show on March 27 at 7 p.m. in the with Jennifer Mejia, a junior $1,000 in profits, and hopes to do will be donated to the Huntington Tilles Center. Tickets are being Art Therapy major who is the the same this year. As for the types Disease Society of America, an sold in Hillwood Commons at a president of the club, decided to of clothing that will be showcased organization that Mirabella has table in front of the Treat Shoppe name the fashion show “Mass during the fashion show, the been in contact with to help guide during common hour, and cost Damage” and have it followed by club preferred to keep that his process. “They are participating $5 for students and $7 for non- the hashtag #TheMachine. information classified. However, by supplying brochures about the students. “The Runways’ ‘Mass The Student Body boutique will disease to [hand out] to students, The theme of this year’s Damage’ fashion show is a really debut items they sell in store and will likely be sharing the video,” fashion show is the experience of unique and exciting event that during the fashion show. Mirabella said. being on television. The event will the club has worked really hard The Runway club has two “I had been interested in start out with a red carpet and for. It’s an event I’d recommend main goals. First, the members of doing something charity-driven for cocktail hour. During the show, everyone attend,” said freshman the club strive to build self-esteem, a while,” Mirabella added. “Given the audience will be able to watch Political Science major Adam and promote love. Second, the my background in film, I figured I’d typical television programming Hornbuckle, the student govern- club teaches members to accept make some kind of charity video, along with the main event, which ment liaison to The Runway club. themselves for who they are. “I which led me to consider getting will include celebrity news, and This year, 100 percent of feel this is extremely crucial today the whole school involved since it regular news the proceeds from the show will because as a society we still lack continued on page 5 continued on page 5 News Features Arts Sports LIU Post’s BRAVE Professor Brian Art major Susan The baseball team Initiative sponsored Sweeney receives an Kelly held her senior defeated the Mercy a Campaign to raise award for Excellence thesis show “Heart- College in a trio of awareness about in Teaching. Beats” in Hillwood games in their ECC sexual assault. Commons gallery. opener. STORY ON PAGE 2 STORY ON PAGE 10 STORY ON PAGE 14 STORY ON PAGE 18 BOARD OF EDITORS Red Flag Campaign Alyssa Seidman Maxime Devillaz Co-Editors-in-Chief Carlo Valladares Kahleel Bragg Managing Editors Kristen Linsalata News Editor Moa Golster Assistant News Editor Brian Riley Features Editor Dani Naess Hellesund Opinions Editor Julian Wilson Assistant Opinions Editor Peter Barell Arts & Entertainment Editor Bendik Soerensen Assistant A&E Editor Michael Otero Sports Editor Alexander Billington Thomas Scavetta Assistant Sports Editors Ashley Ioveno Design Editor Rebecca Martelotti Head Copyeditor Tia-Moná Greene Photo Editor Moa Golster Online Editor Potoula Anagnostakos Promotions Manager Nicholas Butera Johannes Forgaard Business Managers David Sumter Circulation Manager Photos by Tyler Tarae Hutchins Carolyn Schurr Levin Faculty Adviser STAFF WRITERS Correction: Professor Lauren Sassenoff took the photo Correction: Carolin Rademacher earned six All- Angela Alfano, Jenny Edengard, accompanying “College 101 Class Promotes Sustainabil- American honors at Nationals, not five as it was previ- Melanie Spina, Chloé Margulis, ity,” published on 3/18/15, not Tia-Moná Greene as it was ously stated in the article published on 3/18/15. Joseph Iemma, Caroline Ryan, previously stated. Jeniel Terrero, Harry Pearse, Sana Zahra COPYEDITING STAFF Mirna Youssef, Melissa Colleary PHOTOGRAPHY STAFF Send your feedback to: [email protected] Kimberly Toledo, Khadijah Swann, DISCLAIMER: The Pioneer is published weekly during the fall and Diverse views are presented in The Pioneer and do not necessarily Tyler Tarae Hutchins spring academic semesters. All students are invited to join. Staff reflect the opinions of the editors or official policies of the university. meetings are on Mondays at 12:30pm. Contact The Pioneer at: Copyright © 2015 The Pioneer, All Rights Reserved. All materials The Pioneer, Hillwood Commons, 2nd floor, Long Island Univer- in The Pioneer are protected by United States copyright law and sity, LIU Post Campus, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville, New may not be reproduced, distributed, tra nsmitted, displayed, pub- York,11584; [email protected]. lished, or broadcast without prior written permission of The Pioneer. March 25, 2015 NEWS 3 The New Sorority on the Block By Melanie Spina Staff Writer Delta Zeta has been added to LIU Post’s Greek life, joining the two Panhellenic sororities already on campus. According to the 22 founding members, they had shown interest in being a part of Delta Zeta during annual spring recruitment, and were assisted by Educational Leadership Consultant Cindy Park. According to the Constitution of the Delta Zeta Sorority, the organization seeks to unite its members and create long lasting bonds of friendship and sisterhood, which is something that founding members already feel after just three weeks. “Delta Zeta is committed to providing educational programs and leadership opportunities that enrich the lives of young women,” a spokesperson from the National Headquarters of Delta Zeta said. “The Delta Zeta experience is a transformative one for [it’s] members, and we look forward to bringing that experience to the women of LIU Post.” “I’ve only been a part of the sorority for a short period of time, but I can already feel a connection with the other girls, and I now understand that aspect of being a [part of] sisterhood,” Marisa Kofmehl, a junior Public Relations major said. “I knew a couple of the girls before I was officially in the sorority, and they were kind of the final push I KHADIJAH SWANN needed to decide to actually join. But I didn’t know a lot of the girls Founding sisters of the Delta Zeta sorority chapter on campus before, and although we’ve only been sisters for a few weeks, I already feel like I’ve found my home.” Kofmehl stated that although there were other sororities on campus that she could have joined, she never really felt interested until The Greek organization had its first sacred event on Monday, she started to go to some Delta Zeta informational events. “I feel like March 16, which was their pinning, the beginning stage of the new there was a different vibe [with] this group of girls. There were always member process where the girls pledge their time and effort to the good vibes coming from the other sororities on campus, but when sorority. Although the founding members stated that they can’t share choosing a sorority, you pick the one where you feel at home with, and the ritual with non-members, they seemed to be very content with how that’s what I felt with Delta Zeta. It just felt more like where I belonged,” it turned out. said Kofmehl. Since they are a new sorority on campus, the founding members Delta Zeta’s bid day took place on Wednesday, March 4. Kristin received a Panhellenic big sister, which means girls from other Esbin, a senior Education major, another founding member of the sororities on campus were assigned to be “bigs” for the sisters of Delta sorority, said, “It was very different from what we normally see, and Zeta. “I think that was a fabulous idea because we are all new to Panhell it was exciting because we didn’t know if we were going to have the Greek Life, and we don’t really know what it’s about, so it’s nice to have support, but it was really nice to see that we actually did have it, and those big sisters to guide us in the right direction,” said Kofmehl. “We’ve that a lot of people came out to bid day for us.” seen things, we’ve read things, we have a general idea of what Greek Life is about, but having [a] big is nice; it’s guidance.” Delta Zeta has two main philanthropies, for which the girls in Letter to the Editor the sorority would do community service for; these are the Painted Turtle and the Philanthropy of Speech and Hearing.