Deaths Prompt Affordable Long Island Proposed iPod Ban Rail Road Tickets A c t By Joe Rios One SBU student commented, “People are By Jamie Freiermuth fellow student brought up the unaff o r d a b i l- ___________ just idiots. At a crosswalk, they don't do _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ity of LIRR tickets for students, A n t o n e l l i the simple things, like looking both ways had the bill on the floor. “As a representa- The news rapidly crossed the globe, before crossing. They automatically think Students coming back to Stony Brook tive of the undergraduate student body it is from New York to London to Australia. that just because they are at a crosswalk, met with a surprising expense relief this my obligation and duty to do my best to Just a few days ago, a New York state sen- they are completely safe. There is no spring semester. The USG’s A ff o r d a b l e accommodate their concerns,” he said. ator proposed legislation to make the use excuse for not being aware of your sur- Long Island Rail Road Tickets Act (ALIR- “This was the first time I had actually heard of any technological device in a crosswalk roundings.” This holds especially true on a RT) is now in effect, allowing students to a student complaint as an elected official so subject to a fine similar to jaywalking. campus like Stony Brook, where some stu- purchase their LIRR tickets at a discounted it was extremely important to make sure State Senator Carl Kruger is the man dents don’t even look to see if the road is rate, half off the ticket price to both city something was done.” The USG has behind the legislation, inspired after two clear before stepping out into traffic. dwellers and weekend partiers alike. received a barrage of sarcastic concern pedestrians were killed in crosswalks, both Stony Brook alum and former Press edi- With the markdown, tickets are six and over the years, including many implica- of whom were wearing headphones. tor Sam Goldman spoke briefly on the nine dollars roundtrip to Jamaica and Penn tions of apathy towards student concerns. The legislation does not only targ e t matter from his residence in Brooklyn: Station, respectively. “This program reach- iPods; also included are video gaming “Well, it’s entirely unenforceable. How in es out to anyone who is looking for some “This program reaches devices, blackberries, and cell phones. God’s name is a cop supposed to police o ff-campus entertainment or any other rea- Anyone caught in a this?” son they would like or need to go to NYC,” out to anyone who [...] NYC crosswalk Paul Steeley White said Sophomore USG Senator Joseph using these devices from NYC transporta- Antonelli, the proposing senator, and the would like or need to could face a sum- tion advocacy group recipient of much praise for his work on the get to NYC” mons and a $100 T r a n s p o r t a t i o n a c t . Joseph Antonelli fine. Kruger defends Alternatives spoke on The USG and students alike are pleased Sophomore USG Senator the legislation, citing the matter of this with the A c t ’s student-wide, all-encom- that technology has pedestrian legislation passing nature. The Activities Fee is a Students can purchase the tickets at the become a dangerous Teh Interwebz during an interview l a rge part of an underg r a d u a t e ’s expenses, Student Activity Center’s ticket booth, and distraction: “Yo u iPod Zombie, yes, they exist! with ABC7TV: "iPods and it’s uncommon for the funds to be allot- are limited to four roundtrip tickets per can't be fully aware of your surroundings if don't kill pedestrians. Cars and trucks kill ted to programs all students can partake in, month, one per week, perfect for a resident you're fiddling with a Blackberry, dialing a pedestrians. So instead of blaming the vic- even ones without club affiliation. “It is s t u d e n t ’s weekend commute home. T h e phone number, playing 'Super Mario tim, our elected officials should be passing always nice when you can put the money to trips are off-peak, and the school has Brothers' on a Game Boy or listening to tougher laws for reckless driving." use for something that will affect students ordered 500 tickets to Penn, and 300 to music on an iPod." While the legislation is only being pro- on such a large scale,” said A n t o n e l l i Jamaica, allowing 200 students to take As the news broke, the techno-savvy posed, and the odds of it actually surviving “ U n f o r t u n a t e l y, ideas like this don't happen advantage of the price cut each week. Internet population was in an uproar over as law are extremely low, if anything can very often but, as they come in, I plan to Tickets are not ordered for the Winter or the fact that such preposterous legislation be learned from this controversy, it is that work on them as best as possible.” Summer sessions. According to Section would be even considered. In the streets of common sense truly is needed in order to “This bill is a perfect example of what Two of the Act, A L I R RT is set to be a con- the city, some rejected the notion that leg- survive in the city. Long story short, listen USG is here for,” said Antonelli, alluding tinued tradition by the USG to provide this islation is necessary. Here on campus, stu- to what your mother told you, and look to the bill as his response to an actual stu- service to Stony Brook undergraduate stu- dents thought the legislation to be absurd. both ways before crossing. dent complaint. Just a week or so after a dents. CW Post RA’s Fired Over Mock Hostage V i d e o By Joe Rios removing their positions. Their attor- for teaching us to get along, to respect In addition to the injunction to keep ___________ n e y, Frederick Brewington, said, “They each other, to know how to live togeth- the Resident Advisors from being fired, are to be left alone.” e r. ” Brewington filed a 2.5 million dollar A mere 45 minutes from Stony The news managed to reach the Meanwhile, back on the Long Island Brook, at Long Island University’s CW national level in a matter of no time, Campus, the five face judicial hearings Post campus, five Resident A s s i s t a n t s , being mentioned in papers and on T V within the university, to determine if “I think it’s not a prank,[...] or Resident Advisors as they are called across the country. Certain parts of the any academic punishments will be at CW Post, are fighting to keep their waged against them. While that is going Campuses are for enlighten - jobs after being dismissed for making a on, the university itself has split into ment and for teaching us to mock hostage video. two camps, those who think that the In the grainy video that was briefly video was offensive, and those who are get along” posted on Yo u Tube, the five Resident supporting the RAs, and believe that the Advisors dressed up in ski masks, hold- whole situation has gotten completely Ghazi Khankan ing a knife to the neck of a yellow rub- out of hand. Some students have gone Board of the American Muslim Alliance ber ducky. In the video, the RA’s spoke as far as starting petitions to support the in what is being defined as “stereotypi- five Resident Advisors. cal middle eastern accents,” saying, Frank Schlegel, a senior at CW p o s t lawsuit on Friday for “wrongful termi- “we demand iPod,” between incoherent, who has lived in Brookville hall his nation and discrimination” at the hands high-pitched screaming. A Bathtub entire academic career, spoke to of the University. One of the RA’s , The university took immediate Rubber Duckie Newsday on We d n e s d a y, stating, “I Robert Bennett, stated that their inspira- action, firing the five Resident Muslim community are outraged about thought it was hysterical. There's no tion came from the box-office hit “Te a m Advisors, and their supervisor, the the video. “I think it's not a prank,” said way it can be seen as these guys are America: World Police”. While that Resident Hall Director for Brookville Ghazi Khankan, a member of the board being racist. It was strictly made for movie was highly successful despite its Hall. The RAs’ lawyer has since filed an of the American Muslim A l l i a n c e , entertainment. They're not troublemak- c o n t r o v e r s y, the Resident Advisors of injunction, keeping the university from “Campuses are for enlightenment and ers of any sort.” C W Post are unlikely to be as fortunate. www.thestonybrookpress.com 2 Compiled By Rebecca Kleinhaut, Madeline Scheckter and Alex Nagler Stonehenge Houses Excavated Palestinians Sign Peace A c c o r d changes in water pressure, corrosive surrounding soil, Researchers believe that they may have found houses On February 8th, the two main feuding factions in pressure from heavy traffic, and, of course, ground of the people who helped to construct Stonehenge.