The Towerlight, October 19, 2009

Eric Gazzillo/77?e Towerlight Students brave the bad weather and adjust to the homecoming tailgating policies on Lot 14 during this year's festivities. For the full tailgating story, see Page 7. To view more homecoming photos and exclusive video content, visit TheTowerlight.com HOMECOMING SLIDE SHOW AND EXCLUSIVE ONLINE VIDEO | www.thetowerlight.com Published by Baltimore Student Media for the Towson University Community October 19, 2009 Daughters of legacies share stories with campus TYLER WALDMAN Associate Arts Editor History took center stage in the University Union’s Potomac Lounge on Thursday evening as Rory Kennedy and Ilyasah Shabazz spoke to a capacity crowd of nearly 500 students, faculty, staff and community members. Kennedy, the daughter of U.S. senator and attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, and Shabazz, the daughter of civil rights leader Malcolm X, came for "Daughters of the Promise: In Our Own Voice," an event spearheaded by the Women’s Center and Center for Student Diversity and co-sponsored by numerous campus departments. Both women lost their fathers at a young age - Shabazz, when she was two and Kennedy, six months before she was bom. They both spoke about their expe¬ rience growing up with the stories and deeds their fathers left behind and the challenges of following up that legacy. "Both of them, if you listen to the description of their growing up ... you hear this strong sense of social justice, of human decency toward other people that’s been part of their fabric since they were children," Phyllis Freeman, director of the Women’s Center, said. In Kennedy’s case, she avoided poli¬ tics. Instead she chose to improve the world as a documentary filmmaker. "We may make a difference in a smaller way," she told the audience Thursday night. "We may make a difference in a different capacity." Kennedy spoke about the influence her father’s work had on her growing up and the influence it continues to have on her. "He dedicated his life to the workers in this country. He broke bread with Cesar Chavez. At that time, it was a move that very few other politicians were willing to take," she said. "He stood with the farm workers. He stood with Cesar Chavez. To this day, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a grape because of the influence that he had. We always were part of the grape boycotts, and I still can’t eat one today without feeling some sense of guilt." Kennedy, an Emmy-winning filmmak¬ er, also screened clips from two of her documentaries, "American Hollow” and "Pandemic: Facing AIDS." The latter fea¬ tured a young Thai woman named Lek, a former sex worker dying of AIDS, who goes home to try to reconnect with her estranged family before she dies. After the clip, audience members were crying. See PROMISE, page 7 Blue Hens hound Tigers on homecoming KEVIN HESS Associate Sports Editor Transfer quarterback Pat Devlin needed just three quarters to lead the Delaware Blue Hens to a 49-21 romp over the Tigers on Homecoming Saturday at a rain-soaked Johnny Unitas Stadium. Devlin was 9-15 for 127 yards and two touchdowns, both to receiver Mark Duncan, and also added 49 yards rushing in the victory before sitting out the fourth quarter with Delaware leading 49-0. “I thought we played really well," Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler said. “To be up 49 points in this league is very unusual. Rob [Ambrose], obvi¬ ously, has some growing pains he’s going through and those things will happen with a new head coach. He’ll do a fine job and I think Towson is a hidden gem.” Last week in practice, Towson head coach Rob Ambrose was forced to innovate. With his depth on defense waning, Ambrose turned to true freshman quarterback Tommy Chroniger. A two-way star at DeMatha Catholic High School, Chroniger spent the week practicing at linebacker. But Saturday, Chroniger returned to quarterback under unfortunate cir¬ cumstances. Down 49-0 and without starting quarterback Peter Athens, who suffered a knee injury in the first quarter, Chroniger responded positively and led three fourth quar¬ ter touchdown drives. It was too little, too late. Still, Ambrose was impressed with his team’s resolve. “Twenty-one points in the fourth quarter, as beat up as we are? I promised that we would have some¬ thing worthwhile here,” Ambrose said. “That’s something we can be proud of. Depth will always play an issue. We do our best as players and staff that when one guy goes down, the next guy is expected to step up. That’s how families stick together.” Athens’ status for next week at Northeastern was not immediately known. But after he was injured he did walk off the field under his own power. Ambrose turned to Blair Peterson and Brian Potts at quarterback before bringing Chroniger in, but Ambrose made it clear that there is no quar¬ terback controversy. “As of right now, he's hurt,” Ambrose said of Athens. “I don’t know the degree of which it’s hurt. What you guys don’t know is we had pretty much declared Peter was going See HOMECOMING, page 21 Casey Prather/ The Towerlight Chuck Taylor looks on as Delaware defeats Towson, 49-21.