Personalities

Driving by, one might not notice it right away. But through the trees and up a dirt path there is a house, where each Friday at sunset, visitors arrive unannounced at an unlocked door. It is the Chabad House in Stony Brook — a place where college students can find a spiritual and social sense of belonging.

The guitar, piano, drums or bass. Many Stony Brook students play these instruments and almost everyone is familiar with their sounds. But what about instruments that are more unusual, like the tabla or the harmonium? You may have never heard of them, but Priyal Bhagat plays both.

The yellow caution tape was bound around his bare torso, adorned with an American flag bandanna on his forehead and some seriously worn-out fishnet stockings. It was American patriotism à la Lady Gaga, and it kicked off the LGBTA's annual drag show at the Tabler Arts Center.

To survive a down economy, most everyone is trying to find ways to cut back, and donating money does not often further that goal. But in a time of tight wallets, Rob Emmerich is working to bring funding into the school’s athletic department.

Bandannas, Nerf guns and wild packs of students. No, you're not dreaming. The "Humans vs. Zombies" game has invaded Stony Brook, infecting the funny bones of more than 600 players. The Stony Brook Independent recently ran alongside one monster-fighting "human" to discuss the campus frenzy.

He trumped into the panel discussion about "Smack Yourself in the Forehead Moments." The tall, chocolate brown-haired man took a seat next to the two speakers at the front desk, set down a nameplate and took off his jacket. Glenn Hauman then proceeded to command the attention of the entire room.

The competition was fierce at the I-CON 29 "Yo Mama!" battle. Comedic giants fell and amateur comics fizzled, all in the space of one hour. Classics such as "Your mom is so fat, even Kirby couldn’t swallow her," garnered much applause and whoops from the audience.

Take one beaker full of the sweat of students who have failed calculus in the Old Chemistry building lecture hall. Add a graduated cylinder of costume fabric from the I-CON convention. Toss in a dash of diabolical schemes. Stir the pot and you've got the "Mine is an Eeeeevil Laugh" competition. Here is a look at two of the contestants who showed that they've got the chops to celebrate conquering the world.

From Link to the Mario Brothers and Pikachu to the Power Rangers, the thing that stands out most about I-CON is the costumes. After a year at Suffolk Community College, the convention has returned to Stony Brook, along with all the costumed enthusiasts. Here's a glimpse at the characters that are taking over the campus.

Every child needs a role model – someone to teach them how to grow up. We may be entering the Internet age, but books are still one of the best ways to find one. The feisty female characters on this list have helped raise generations of women who have broken through glass ceilings and demolished stereotypes.

In the wild, a sloth bear is an excellent climber. It has a wide vocal range and a strong resonance. At Stony Brook, a Slothbear is a member of an acoustic band. It splits its time between schoolwork, live shows in Brooklyn and Open Mic Night in the Tabler Arts Center.

His rock-steady hands, grasping two wooden drumsticks, hovered over a pair of trembling golden cymbals. After four hours of almost non-stop drumming, Jimmy H. showed no signs of fatigue except for the beads of sweat on his forehead.

Snow can be fun for a little while, but for most people the charm quickly wears off. Enter Terence Harrigan. Stony Brook's head of operations and maintenance sat down with the Independent to talk about his winter life.

Danny Rock launched into a poem about a stepfather who taught him how to be a man. His body was tense and the force of the words pouring up from his gut and out of his mouth made him lean backward.

Marcy McGinnis, formerly senior vice president of CBS News, has taken a position as the interim director of the broadcast journalism program at Stony Brook University for the new School of Journalism that was started this fall.