Campus Life

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.

"Breathe." She says it, she sings it, recites it so that it may permeate an individual’s mind, and holds out the first "e" with her teeth showing. It's like a mantra, an "om" of sorts, a reminder to attendees in her yoga, spinning, and total body fitness classes to breathe in and exhale.

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.

Despite the event name sounding like the title for Barbie’s next animated, straight-to-DVD movie, I went into Strawberry Fest optimistic. I had my extra-loose jeans on and had scheduled a date with the Wang first floor bathroom in advance, just in case (strawberries are high in fiber, you know).

Why should the soundtrack to your life be just the sound of the wind and the crowd when it can be the band or artist of your choice? Many people walk around campus plugged into Zunes, iPods and cell phones. But what exactly are they listening to?

Stony Brook University held its annual Roth Pond Regatta on Friday, April 30. With warm temperatures and blue skies all throughout the day, hundreds of students came out to watch the dozens of cardboard and duct tape boats race across the pond. The Independent was on hand to capture tons of photos of boat successes and failures.

Every spring, the great minds of Stony Brook come together to battle. They slave away to erect some of the finest vessels on this side of the Atlantic using only strong will and packaging materials. This is the preparation for the illustrious maritime tradition known as the Roth Regatta.

It’s normal at first, but quickly swells, pulsing and rising as the drummers try out different rhythms and adapt to what their peers are doing. Then, in an unspoken agreement, everybody stops. The Stony Brook drum circle has begun.

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.

The Zebra Path, a painted section of walkway between the Melville Library and Old Chemistry building that leads down to the Chemistry building, has been repainted to its original straight black-and-white colors stripes this week.

The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Supreme Court has decided not to approve the substantial budget cuts to the Stony Brook Statesman. While the future of the publication is still unclear, the court decided in a written statement on April 19 to hold a budget hearing instead of slashing the 2010-2011 budget from over $27,000 to $2,500 at this time.

"To mourn the passing of our beloved SUNY system, will you please join us in a funeral procession to the Administration Building?" said Kevin Young, a Stony Brook graduate student. With that, he and a group of 30 students staged their mock ceremony and marched onto the office of President Samuel L. Stanley.

The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) voted last week to impeach Senator Daniel Graber and remove him from his position. The impeachment stems from Graber’s actions on Nov. 5, 2009 in which allegedly he posted a pornographic picture on a computer in the USG office.

In response to the proposed drastic cuts, the Southampton students raised $10,000 in donations by last Friday from a combination of emails, calls, and social networking via Facebook. An anonymous donor matched the amount bringing them to a total of $20,000. The students are hoping to raise a total of $50,000 by May to pay for legal fees in a lawsuit against Stony Brook University.

The Statesman, Stony Brook's longest running print publication, may be crippled in the face of an unprecedented budget cut. Following an Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Judiciary hearing on April 14, the Undergraduate Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether or not the funding change will stand in the next few days, effectively dictating the future of the campus’ only bi-weekly paper.