ECCO January 2013

JANUARY 2013

observer THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE

THE STUDENT VOICE

SINCE 1968

START FRESH IN SPRING 2013 Welcome Back, Students!

Karl Vetter Staff Writer

Photo credit: ECC Facebook Wall

New Opportunities and Student Services in the New Year

Human Trafficking News -page 2

Urban Issues Institute Student Life -page 3

It’s the start of the Spring 2013 semester: Welcome Back! Regardless if this is your first semester or your last semester at Essex County College it is never too late to start off the semester right and get involved with student life.

If you have questions regarding the next step or career options ECC has academic counselors located in the Career Resource Center. Counselors are available to discuss requirements, finances, academic programs, employment and transfer procedures. They can help keep your academic path on track to success in the next step of your life. The Career Resource Center is open from 8:30 AM to 8 PM, and is especially useful for first year students with less direction.

It may be the start of a semester, but it is never too soon to take advantage of tutoring. ECC provides free on site tutoring based on the need of the students. You could wait until tutoring seems necessary but why wait?

Why not jump start your learning process and take advantage of free learning, this way you will never end up in the “I’m in too deep, how do I learn all this before it’s too late?” situation.

Another great aspect of collegiate life is student life; which includes a range of student clubs, athletics, and the Student Government Associa-continued on page 6

New Years Resolutions Opinions / Editorials -page 5

Assassin’s Creed III Arts -page 7

Photo Credit: twitter.com/CoryBooker

Newark Mayor Gets Stamped Week Long Food Stamp Challenge for Mayor Booker Sheds Light on Struggles of Those in Poverty

By Alissa Lopez Staff Writer

Photo Credit: Wintella Powell

Newark Mayor Cory Anthony Booker decided to publicly live off of food stamps for one week, something that over 15 percent of the population does daily. And after those 7 days, Booker’s grumbling stomach couldn’t be more grateful for a stocked fridge.

Beginning on December 4th, the publicity stunt hoped to show what life is like when relying upon

modest government assistance to make ends meet and raise awareness about food insecurity. Once the Mayor’s first grocery purchase of $29.78 was made, critics were ready to pounce.

Booker accompanied by Elizabeth Reynoso, Newark’s Food Policy Drector, scavenged the aisles at an Irvington Pathmark near his home in search of bargains. "We looked at rice and he said, ‘I can’t afford it — I really can’t,’ ” Reynoso said.

Many challenged his poor choice of purchases such as imported organic olive oil. On a tight budget, frugal shoppers and stamp users alike know that anything organic is out of the question. In the Mayor's defense, the olive oil was on sale for $3.99 instead of the usual $10.99. But the

principle stands, and the problem is just that. Those that use food stamps are limited to the cheapest and therefore the fattiest foods available.

The SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) program was created in 1939 to offer supplemental aid in providing food for low-income families and individuals. Each stamp is worth one dollar, and can only be used specifically for food, groceries, or seed. The program continues to extend its services to

America’s needy since its beginning and so succeeds in that endeavor. But the real challenge isn’t starvation, but nutrition. Throughout history the poorest population has commonly been recognized as the thinnest.

The paradox is that food stamp recipients are more often overweight.

With 50% of the American population obese, many are affected by a lack of inexpensive, healthy food choices in supermarkets and continued on page 2

Essex County Teacher Sex Scandal Photo Credit: The Associated Press

Erica Depalo Accusations Still Have Questions Left Unanswered

By Tsahai General Features Editor

Last year, an Essex County teacher received the 2011-2012 award for Teacher of the Year. The woman was a resident of Montclair and a tenured English/Honors English Teacher at West Orange High School since 2003. She was also the coach of the Junior Varsity Tennis Team and at one point coached the girls’ long distance runners. Her name is Erica Depalo. Depalo is regarded by her students as a ‘wonderful,’ ‘fun-loving,’ and all around ‘genuine’ individual. Her coworkers loved and got along fabulously with her; it was probably due to her charming personality. Though she was all of these things, no student would agree that she was a push over, she

was actually quite stern in her teaching methods, but recent events would come to shock Essex County and the State of New Jersey.

In late August, Essex County was a buzz with the news that not only had Erica Depalo, Teacher of the Year, been accused of ‘allegedly having sexual relations with her 15 year old English student, but she had also turned herself in. Former and present students of more recent years, were shocked; according to those interviewed by CBS, Depalo didn’t seem like ‘she would do something like that’ and ‘innocent till proven guilty.’ Erica Depalo has been suspended

Essex County College 303 University Ave. Newark, NJ 07102

continued on page 2

JANUARY 2013

PAGE 2

NEWS

Human Trafficking Awareness Month

Teacher Sex Scandal

Photo credit: releaseglobal.org

continued from page 1

By Amber Rae Staff Writer

Food Stamp Challenge Photo Credit: twitter.com/CoryBooker

continued from page 1

fresh water, reliable education, and protection.

Many Americans are also trying to urge state government officials to prioritize their views on human trafficking along with the federal government. Academy award winning actress, Mira Sorvino, is one of the major celebrity faces that combats human trafficking. She wants more states to augment trafficking laws with the federal government. “It should not just be the federal government fighting slavery,” Sorvino said.

Many people deny that trafficking happens in their neighborhoods, but it can happen anywhere. Last summer, Mazariegoz (40) transported a 15 year old girl from New York, to Silver Springs, MD to carry out an internalized love affair. When the victim was interviewed, her perspective was that of an abused adolescent. Mazariegoz withheld the girl’s cell phone and raped her continuously in a hotel room in Maryland.

There are many incidents like this, among others. There are girls who are convinced to recruit other teen girls into domestic prostitution for drugs and money. In these instances these girls have been converted into abused addicts by pimps and drug lords.

This past fall, Oliver Megaton released the sequel “Taken 2” for the original movie of the retired CIA agent whose daughter was kidnapped in France. Though the movie was entertaining and opened many perspectives, the logical approach is that everyone does not have a highly trained parent that can track us down if something happens to one of us.

Having a parent with a “particular set of skills” would be a great way to get out of trouble, but there are more realistic ways to avoid trafficking.

Knowledge is the most important thing.

People need to understand that this is something that happens in real life, not just in foreign countries and in movies. “Taken” gave us the perspective to pay attention to our surroundings, who we talk to, when and where it happened, not to trust complete strangers, and always keep in touch with someone we trust.

These actions can help anyone stay in control of any situation.

The best thing that people can do is protect themselves and pay attention.

--restaurants.

Fruit and vegetable prices parallel that of lobster in comparison to that of caloriedense, fatty foods. The food stamper’s malnutrition increases with skipped meals, and the high susceptibility of running out of food at the months end, causing binging in the next. When faced with an uncertain supply of food, struggling individuals tend to choose the highestcalorie option. Economies of scale and nutrition are beyond their reach. In turn, negative behaviors and emotions rise as physical exhaustion increases with small meals of low nutritional value. Obesity is a national health crisis; hence, ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE OBSERVER

SUPPORT Sandy Hook Elementary

A Message from The Editor Christie Marie Avila On behalf of The Essex County College Observer, I would like to say that we are painfully aware of the tragedy that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Our heart goes out to them during this most difficult time.

the government is pressured to resolve the issue starting with healthier habits.

Obesity is just one of the effects that rising unemployment rates and increased poverty in the United States have had upon the population. Food stamp use has spiked 51 percent since the recession hit in December 2007, as opportunities for employment plummeted.

More than 46 million people rely upon the SNAP program to put food on the table. The grim reality will continue beyond 2012 unless reform is made through corporate job returns and the root causes of poverty are addressed.

Photo Credit: Sandy Hook / Town of Newton Memorial Ribbon

President Obama proclaimed that January 2012 would mark the first annual National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month. During his announcement, Obama identified the urgency and importance of educating all people of the criminology behind unlawful acts regarding this subject.

January 1st is also the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation that was pushed forward by Abraham Lincoln. The proclamation was signed in order to abolish black enslavement in America in 1863.

Human trafficking does not exclude any nationality of men, women, or children. Unfortunately, this crime endures across the globe, and continues to be a problem in every country.

People disappear, children get picked up off the street, and after a certain amount of time they are hard to trace.

The Missing Persons Advocacy Network states that one can “file a missing persons report with the City of Police Department [within] at least 24 hours for adults and as soon as possible for juveniles.” This is because the first 24 hours are very critical in finding a child and most young adults between the ages of 1825 are typically impressionable and often “run away.”

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) calculated that child trafficking increased 27% from 2008-2011, and adult trafficking has increased to 13%.

The increase among children is greatly influenced by poverty, domestic exploitation, juvenile prostitution, female circumcision and genital mutilation, and early marriage.

Labor exploitation has also increased 43%, which greatly influences men and children. Abusers force men to work in sweat shops, agricultural plantations, domestic service, and enslavement.

Luckily, countries like Bangladesh and Nepal have steadily increased their legal marriage age. The United States Fund for UNICEF also contributes the establishment of the Child Act for Southern Sudan. This act encourages child-friendly justice systems, demobilizing children from armed forces, and supports minerisk education.

Between January and June of 2012, UNICEF partners were able to aid over 145,000 internally displaced children and adolescents in Syria. By July 2012, more than 90,000 juveniles in northern Mali were given medical attention,

Photo Credit: Amber Rae

Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking Continues to Rise

--immediately and indefinitely. The alleged relationship took place from July 15 to August 28. According to the West Orange Patch, she was arrested on August 31 and charged in Newark at the Veterans Courthouse; immediately, she posted $100,000 bail. It was later understood that her bail came with conditions.

She was banned from contacting the victim, his family, any known witnesses, former coworkers, or West Orange High School itself.

Students from the class of 2010 and earlier were also shocked while others were not. M.M. graduated from West Orange High in 2008 and graduated from ECC just last year.

She recalls Depalo being one of her close girlfriends. They had hung out outside of school while she was still a senior, but she doesn’t think her favorite teacher capable. “I mean, granted it IS possible…she is hot, but whoever this kid was…15? I don’t think she would, sorry not sorry,” M.M. told ECCO.

J.M. graduated from West Orange High School in 2010, his views on the Teacher of the Year are from ‘the outside looking in’ since he didn’t have her in class. “In retrospect, I did see a lack of appropriate ‘demeanor’ in her… interactions with students and student athletes,” stated J.M.; he had run for the WOHS Track team and remembers seeing Depalo at practice.

He said, “I personally think that naivety is the reason she wasn’t discovered earlier.”

Erica Depalo’s situation became the topic of debate amongst most friends that disagreed on her innocence. Some students pointed fingers to another graduate of 2010, J.R., who was a student of hers, saying ‘if anyone had a chance, it was him.’ Others disagreed heavily; friends accused one another of only feeding into gossip and further incriminating Depalo on ‘tired speculation.’

According to the Huffington Post, rumors about Depalo courting students after graduation were in circulation. She was accused of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child; to all of these allegations, she pled, ‘not guilty.’

JANUARY 2013

PAGE 3

Student Life Reallocation: A Division of Space for the Urban Issues Institute

Director Says Top Brass Shut Her Out of Decision-Making

ECCO Staff interviews Dr. Margaret Stevens, Director of the UII prior to the Board of Trustees Meeting

As she addressed the board, Dr. Margaret Stevens spoke up about that very issue, "--65, 70% of our office space was just renegotiated. This was not put in writing to me via a formal memo. I received an email Friday of last week about this," stated Stevens. She went on to say that she was informed that the change would take place over the holidays. Dr. Stevens discussed the use of the space and the areas that would be redeemed by the schools legal affairs during the reallocation, citing the students as the primary reason the office should remain untouched.

"It’s not some silly battle, you know, over where you relocate people, [this is] human capital...It’s not a battle over taking Margaret’s space. Margaret would back up: you could give me a basement and a corner, and we would make it work," argued Dr. Stevens. “It’s not just the question of what’s being done […] It’s how it’s being done.”

A representative from ECCO, took the floor next with questions regarding the communication and the reallocation, but was differed by the Chair, who said an institutional response was being prepared.

Some of the speakers included, alumni Shawna Barr, who spoke on the loss of office space being harmful, due to the fact that she worked out of that office trying to build Project TARAJA, an HIV Awareness nonprofit organization; and Tarrick Tucker, SGA senator and Hip Hop Organization Treasurer, who expressed his desire that students be included in the conversation.

Also present was alumni Emmanuel Martinez, one of last year’s three Jack Kent Cooke scholarship recipients from ECC, who delivered an impassioned plea requesting that the Urban Issues Institute be kept 100% student driven, talking of the prestige it brings the school. Martinez credited Dr. Stevens’ mentorship in getting

him internships, and involved in local politics.

Martinez then criticized some members of the Board, asking them to put down their iPhones and iPads and absorb what the students had to say.

A student by the name of Bradley Edwin, PT Assistant, issued some of the meeting’s more charged statements. Edwin spoke highly of Dr. Stevens and stated that he had refused to attend a Board of Trustees meeting due to a lack of change. Laughing to himself, he then told the Board that Dr. Stevens had proven him right. "But, you know, prove me wrong now," Edwin offered. "That’s what I ask. Because you guys can’t even tell us what’s going to happen, and you can’t even tell us the name of who we should voice our opinions to."

Souder then ended the commentary. He acknowledged Dr. Stevens and commended the UII's ability to fulfill its purpose. He reiterated that the board was not the entity that this particular inquiry was best suited for. On the other hand, he stated that the placement of the school lawyer within the institute was beneficial to the students. “I think I can speak for the board when I say that the Urban Issues Institute has our unanimous support in terms of what they’re doing. But I do ask those that are involved with the Urban Issues Institute to be open-minded to the fact that we have 15,000 students in the building, and we’re charged with ensuring that everyone here has space that is appropriately allocated.”

In response to Edwin's proposal, Chairman Souder replied, "This particular issue is not something we’ve dealt with on the board level. But it something that I believe that a discussion will continue on about, largely in part because of the activism of the folks here in this room today." Souder's response caused a slight continued on page 4

ECC Hosts Career Fair Photo Credit: EPA Images

Photo Credit: Kristen Williamson

Students, faculty, alumni and their allies are contesting the decision of ECC administration to take away part of the office space from the Urban Issues Institute (UII), and reallocate it to the lawyer for the college, and her secretary.

The Urban Issues Institute is located on the fourth floor, just past the orange-colored elevators.

Prior to winter recess, during the final full week at ECC, word began to spread of the Urban Issues Institute's reduction. E-mail correspondence sent out on December 17th warned of the Institute being cut down. Concerned about the possible loss of space, students and alumnus of the UII sprang to action.

Students launched a petition drive to elected officials and the ECC Board of Trustees to save the Urban Issues Institute space. As of press time, hundreds of students have signed the petition in the UII office. Another petition, on change.org, was also signed by UII sympathizers.

Dr. Margaret Stevens, the Director of the Urban Issues Institute, encouraged supporters to come to the year’s last Board of Directors meeting and make their voices heard, agreeing to an interview with the Essex County College Observer (ECCO) before the Board meeting that would follow. After meeting with Dr. Stevens, ECCO headed to the Multipurpose Room for the schools final meeting with the Board.

The Board of Trustees meeting proceeded with its normal formalities regarding the school's finances and the newest faculty members, who were introduced to those who had attended. The attendees included faculty, students, and Essex County College alumni. It was during the time designated for public commentary that the "issue" regarding the Urban Issues Institute was brought forth.

Prior to opening the floor, Board Chairman, Calvin W. Souder, Esq. acknowledged the work of the Urban Issues Institute, who had come out in force. "We've yet to be dissatisfied with the work they've done. We would like to commend the Urban Issues Institute."

Souder further remarked that he wanted to dispel the rumor that the college would be closing the UII, a concern that would still be echoed by many supporters in the minutes after.

"We are not doing away with the Urban Issues Institute," he emphasized. "This is a communications issue over space."

Photo Credit: Raymond Spencer

By Tsahai General, Jonathan Williamson, and Lev Zilbermintz

By Kristen Williamson News Editor

As busy students, it is at times difficult to find a job that will pay for day to day living in an expensive world. But sometimes you do not have to look further than the gymnasium to find employment. In late November, Essex County College hosted the Fall Career Fair 2012, an event which included over 40 employers and encouraged students to grab their resumes and dress to impress. With jobs ranging from retail work to career positions, the career fair presented opportunities for students and community members alike to enter professions. However,

Job fair for concessions positions at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, picture taken at the Georgia International Convention Center on April 2nd, 2012

the event was not without its challenges.

Organized by the Job Development Committee, this semester's career fair was unique in that not only did it involve a partnership with ECC's Job and Development Committee, but it was also a collaboration with ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE OBSERVER

Training, Inc., a network of local job training organizations affiliated with ECC. The career fair partnership also included Congressman and former Newark City Councilman Donald Payne, Jr.; the employment assistance cencontinued on page 6

JANUARY 2013

PAGE 4

Photo Credit: Raymond Spencer

Student Life

Urban Issues Institute continued from page 3

laughter and generated some responses from the audience such as "Does a lawyer represent one of those 15,000 students? The lawyer that’s coming to take the space?" and "... Well I don't see him representing us."

The floor was then handed over to Board of Trustees member, Michellene Davis Esq. who praised the student activism on display. She was pleased with the turn out, as well as the involvement and passion of the students.

Davis informed the audience, "...governance speaks to the fact that space allocation is not traditionally something that comes before a board in this manner and is traditionally a matter that the administration addresses, and so while we are more than readily interested in what you have to say we do in fact defer that issue to the administration that is handling that."

“What the board will do,” Davis continued, “is ensure while working through our chairman that the issues that we’ve heard here today are absolutely positively addressed, that you do receive answers. You are entitled to answers.”

“That space is critical to really taking the vision the school has of student success, and really realizing it.”

—Dr. Margaret Stevens

In her interview with ECCO staff hours before the meeting, Director Stevens expressed that she felt she had been left out of the decision-making process, and that no one had told her the UII would definitely lose the space: an area consisting of their back two offices, part of the reception area, and a conference room that would be shared. And “that space,” Dr. Stevens argued, “is critical to really taking the vision the school has of student success and really realizing it.”

According to Stevens, the confusing

sequence of events began Monday December 10th, during a meeting with the Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Steplight-Johnson. Stevens told ECCO that during this meeting a miscommunication while she was departing led her to believe the office space “was still being figured out and [had] not been fully determined yet,” when it had already been decided.

“If I had been clear, I would have come back, I would not have walked out,” Stevens says.

Dr. Stevens then found out on Thursday, December 13 “that it was actually the back two offices, not just the back office, that would be taken” by Essex County College’s lawyer and her secretary.

According to Dr. Stevens, Dean Steplight-Johnson “came downstairs with another administrator in the evening [December 13].

There was no appointment with me. And they did a walkthrough of the back office. And apparently had done one Wednesday [December 12] without my knowledge.”

Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences Steplight-Johnson and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Gale Gibson were contacted via e-mail over the break to verify the order of events. An answer was promised -- however as of press time, a full institutional response was not yet available.

Director Stevens, who has been leading the Urban Issues Institute since 2009, says she is allowed only 6 hours, the equivalent of two class periods, per week in the Institute. Stevens remarked that she has “of course,” invested much more than that.

When ECCO asked about the Institute’s budget, Stevens said, “It has been cut, it has been reduced by about $10,000 this year. So maybe a third, roughly, or a quarter. It was big.”

ECCO was unable to verify that the budget was cut prior to printing.

But regarding the attention the dust up over space has caused, Stevens admitted, “It's a win-win situation for me, however, whether they relocate us or reduce our space or not,” citing the young people, students, and members of the community who have expressed an interest in what the Urban Issues Institute does as a result of the change, and opportunities to look out to the community for outreach.

Afterwards, ECCO had the opportunity to correspond via e-mail with Director of Marketing and Communications, Marsha McCarthy, who agreed to field questions.

When asked if there was a formal process for reallocation of office space, McCarthy responded affirmatively, saying that there was. “Based on the advance planning needed for each transition (i.e. meetings, complexity of project and notifications), the process could move forward either in a few days as with un-

occupied space which is the case with the UII, or in a few weeks as before and after the recent lab renovations."

She also informed ECCO that when a reallocation takes place, it falls under the Instructional Affairs Council, with input from the Planning & Assessment Committee. Though to some, the allocation seemed rushed, McCarthy stated that swift action over a school recess is quite normal, as it causes the least disruption.

Director McCarthy then expanded upon the decision to reallocate: "the decision to create a shared space in the area assigned to UII with our Legal Affairs department is intended to ensure that the space is allocated to best suit the needs of students, the administration, the Institute, and the institution as a whole. To communicate the transition, there were a series of meetings and walk-throughs with all parties involved to create what was expected to be a seamless transition since the offices are vacant.

An email to confirm the discussions was also sent."

Clarifying the intent of the college, McCarthy then issued a statement: “The College and the Office of Academic Affairs is in full support of the mission and purpose of the Urban Issues Institute which is “to explore urban problems and provide objective solutions.””

McCarthy continued: “We expect a positive student benefit of having our legal team more closely interact with UII. Initial student benefits include the ability to network with our legal team in a more accessible location and access to our extensive legal library which is allocated to the Legal Affairs department.”

“As we move forward, and continue working toward our goal of improving our graduation and retention rates, we are in the process of evaluating ALL programs to determine their viability and contributions toward meeting these goals. The evaluation includes, but is not limited to: budget allocations, space allocations and future programmatic planning.

We appreciate the patience and thoughtful accord of the entire campus community as we work hard to serve our students better.”

The faculty and students of the Urban Issues Institute brought their concerns before the Board of Trustees on December 18. However, they were told that this was not the forum to discuss space reallocation. Calvin Souder, Esq., the BOT chairman, said that no one is eliminating the UII, merely reallocating space. But despite the best efforts of UII staff, students, alumni and faculty, and the expressed support of the Board, the reallocation seems well underway. Many students, alumni, and faculty are left wondering what will happen next.

Will the Urban Issues Institute function as well with reduced space as it did before the reallocation? Only time will tell.

FREE SHUTTLE BUS AWAITS STUDENTS

By Wayne Yourstone Senior News Writer Marketing & Communications Department

Students no doubt have seen the white vans emblazoned with the lettering of the Council for Higher Education in Newark (CHEN) and the names of our local colleges and universities, including ECC, on the streets in the University Heights area.

By just showing the driver your valid ECC ID, students can ride those vans free of charge. One of the drop off/pick up points is on University Avenue by the Center for Technology. The vans run throughout the area from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Friday. The exact routes and schedules may be found at: http:// nwkpolice.rutgers.edu/RUPD_ShuttleService. html

“We’re fortunate that through the efforts of CHEN we have free shuttle bus service for students to make it much easier for them to get to and from class. I encourage our students to take advantage of this wonderful program,” said Executive Dean for Student Success Phil

Photo Credit: NJIT.edu

Linfante.

CHEN, of which the College is a member, launched the shared transportation venture in 2002. It was designed to transport students, faculty, and staff of the member institutions to stops in University Heights, NJ Transit’s Broad Street rail station, and into some neighboring communities such as Kearny and Harrison.

One of CHEN’s announced goals was to encourage cross-registration among the schools.

CHEN is a partnership of Newark’s colleges and universities including ECC, Rutgers-Newark, New Jersey Institute of Technology and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

A year old survey of ridership indicated cent of the total passengers who use the vans.

ECC students and staff make up only 7.4 per- The service is available to all ECC students.

ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE OBSERVER

JANUARY 2013

PAGE 5

OPINION

of the New Years Resolution Where New Years Resolutions come from, and how to keep them.

Photo Credit: luckybeepress.etsy.com

The Evolution

By Karl Vetter Staff Writer

Concluding the Holiday Season is New Years Eve. New Years Eve is well known for celebrating the coming of a new year, often accompanied by a Resolution to improve the coming year. The New Year is globally celebrated, although some cultures celebrate based on different calendars.

The origin of the New Years Resolution dates back to the old Roman tradition, starting around 153 BC. January is named in honor of the Roman God Janus. Janus was the God of beginnings and transitions, including archways, doors, and endings. Janus was believed to be two faced, always reflecting on the past and looking to the future. Therefore Janus becomes an appropriate symbol for the first month which acts as a “door” to the New Year. As a result, December 31 to January 1 is where Janus resided, looking both backwards and forward. Romans used this time to seek forgiveness for their year as well as make resolutions to improve the oncoming year. People would exchange gifts of good fortune and would eventually trade coins branded with the two sided face of Janus.

Resolutions may have originated in 153 BC, but the origin of New Years Celebrations dates back 4000 years to Ancient Babylon.

However, they celebrated around March 23rd because this marked the beginning of spring and the planting of crops. New Years day has changed several times throughout the ages before officially becoming January 1. In 46 B.C. Julius Ceaser reformed the Roman calendar into the Julian calendar, establishing January 1 as the first day of the year. During the middle ages Christians established New Years as December Photo Credit: Wintella Powell

Cheerleading

continued from page 8 -it can be achieved. Flexibility is also very

important since stretching and exercising your body is very necessary and must be done daily. If you want to be the best cheerleader you can be, you must be in great physical shape. You have to train your body to be very limber and it is important to very

25, in recognition of the Birth of Jesus. This date was later moved to March 25 until late 16th century in most of Europe, which coincided with the Feast of Annunciation (the day Mary conceived Jesus). In the 16th Century, the Pope adopted the Gregorian calendar (revised from the Julian calendar) which reestablished the old roman tradition of celebrating New Years on January 1. Some cultures do not celebrate New Year’s solely based on the Gregorian calendar, but in conjunction with a lunisolar calendar, most notably Chinese culture. Chinese New Year is the first full moon (over the Far East) after the sun enters Aquarius, which generally occurs between January 19 and February 21.

Regardless of when New Years is celebrated, what people generally celebrate is universal. It is a time to celebrate the upside of a year and to await upcoming success. That is where the resolution practice really kicks in. In a time of reflection of a year’s failures and an attempt to avoid similar shortcomings or to improve on one’s weak areas, people make a resolution. This is an advantageous decision made in the anticipation of a fresh start associated with a new year.

However, the evolution of the New Year’s Resolution has changed throughout the decades dependent on cultural expectations, age and economic situations. Typical resolutions are designed to improve well-being, finances, career, education, self, trips or to volunteer.

With time, the nature of resolutions has become superficial. For example in the 19th century a common teenage girl’s resolution was focused on good works, but by the 20th century a teenage girl’s resolution focused on good looks.

From an economic standpoint adults were less likely to have a New Year’s Resolution during the Great Depression than in present day.

Popular resolutions among young adults include: save money, spend less, pay debts and to budget, twice as likely as an adult (who is most

light on your feet. Cheering consists of dancing as well. If you really pay attention to professional dancers, they are very light on their feet, regardless of weight and height as long as your in shape.

Cheerleading can be intense, challenging, and difficult, but also entertaining and gratifying. As you hype everyone up from the school, you see the smiles on the faces of the crowd and an energy level unlike

likely financially to adopt these habits).

Despite the high success rate in addressing a need for and making a resolution, the success rate is very low. It is accepted practice to lose sight of a resolution by mid-January to early February. Anyone with a gym membership notices an increase of activity in January along with membership sales; and by February attendance is back to usual. This is typically a result of cold turkey shortcomings, as people try to change their behavior overnight and expect to maintain the good energy and habits; and any breakdown in habit early on almost destroys willpower to pursue the goal. This is very common for exercise and diet resolutions. However, a New Year’s Resolution spans a full year; therefore it should be assumed that you have a full year to resolve. Even though it’s December and your 2012 resolution might be in February’s trash, it’s not too late for a last minute sprint towards your resolution. I myself have reused my resolution to get in shape in 2010 and 2012, as those years followed hectic years with minimal physical activity.

Success depends on the motivation driving the resolution and realistic expectations.

Men and women have different rates of success pending the circumstances of the resolution.

Men have a higher success rate with specific goals than with general goals, i.e. run 5 miles a week vs. run more often. Women have a higher success rate when they make resolutions public and receive peer support.

So if you reflect on your goals for 2012 and you come up short, reflect and revise.

any other. It is a really great feeling knowing that your are boosting the player’s performance. To be a cheerleader, it takes academic excellence, attitude (not too much), strength, flexibility, will-power, endurance, confidence, and a sprinkle of sassiness. If you believe that you have what it takes, please do not hesitate to try our next fall semester.

Good luck, ladies and gents!

Give me an E-C-C !

ECCO’s Roving Photographer

By Wintella Powell

Photo Editor / Arts Editor

What’s your New Years Resolution?

Raymond Spencer “To make the big movie, and to be able to have a full time production in front and behind the camera.”

Photo Credit: Wintella Powell

Samantha Sullon

Tashawn Cald

Phillip Buddy

“To achieve more in life through school.”

“To graduate from ECC and get accepted into the Teach and Learn in Korea Program.”

Robert William-Herman

“Less partying, more focus on my schoolwork.”

“To be closer with my family.”

ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE OBSERVER

PAGE 6

OPINION

JANUARY 2013

LOOKING AT GLOBAL WARMING Is There a Link Between Recent Weather Events and Human Hands?

By Tsahai General Features Editor

Photo credit: dlyteful @ fanpop.com

Over the past few decades, there has been research and speculation on Global Warming and its causes. Humans have had to point fingers at themselves due to their interference with nature and their impact on the earth as a whole. Mother Nature has been retaliating with unnatural “natural” disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti and the tsunami/ earthquake that struck Japan; in addition, that year the East coast felt tremors strong enough to rattle New York. For the past 30 – 40 years the surface of the Earth has been warped. Although the change may seem small, since the Japanese Earthquake, the days have been shortened by 1.8 microseconds, the earth’s axis has shifted six and a half inches, and Japan’s coast has been moved eight feet (nasa.gov). This is a minimal change that will not affect our daily lives, but it is still a ‘change.’

The question is then posed, ‘Can we blame this on global warming?’ Truthfully, Japan does sit on two interestingly juxtaposed plates that are prone to quakes, but their severity can be linked to climate change and the melting of ice caps. Scientists have been raising awareness and it has gotten to the point that ‘going green’ has become a fad. ‘It’s unfortunate that it became one of those hippie ideals that gets dismissed without looking at the facts,’ comments Anton Fabbo, a student at ECC.

Global Warming is defined as, ‘Cli-

Photo Credit: Wintella Powell

mate change, any substantial change in Earth’s climate that lasts for an extended period of time. Global warming refers to climate change that causes an increase in the average temperature of the lower atmosphere. Global warming can have many different causes; but it is most commonly associated with human interference, specifically the release of excessive amounts of greenhouse gases.’ The climate has also been altered noticeably. Two years in a row, the East coast has been tackled by an abnormal hurricane followed by a snowstorm. The snowstorm or ‘Nor’Easter’ of 2012, which took place after Hurricane Sandy this October, was then followed by some unusually warm weather.

Climate scientists did not want to point fingers at Global Warming; however, they admit that green-house gasses emitted by humans account for the rise in sea level over the decades,

leading to the major hurricanes. In addition, this rise in sea level is what led to the storm surge along the northern Atlantic coast. ‘I mean other than the hurricanes I’m quite content with the warm weather in December,’ laughs student Matt Simpson.

The students have become accustomed to regarding Global Warming as a fad. The world ending has turned into a joke, playing off of Mother Nature performing her duties. People indulge in recycling for free trinkets, t-shirts, and recognition, but they continue walking if they miss the trash can when tossing in their items.

ECC Career Fair

Photo credit: ECC Facebook Wall

continued from page 3

Welcome Back, Students! continued from page 1

tion. The Student Life Department is housed in the Clara Dasher Student Center. Student Life allows students to pursue personal interests; which gives students a sense of campus involvement and skill improvement. Student clubs include math, engineering, government, politics, journalism, and other special interests. These clubs and organizations give students leadership opportunities. Once a student joins a club/organization he or she will gain experience in skills (problem solving, time management, budgeting etc.) which will enrich their collegiate experience. ECC also has intramural sports (flag football, basketball, volleyball, bowling, soccer, chess, table tennis, and bowling) which are more recreational and less competitive. However, if competitive sports are your interest then you can pursue tryouts for soccer, basketball or track.

Other great on campus services include daycare, parking, computer labs and the gym. If you are a parent, you can take advantage of our campus daycare, catered to children between the ages 2-5 for a weekly stipend of $165.00. If you have a car and want to drive to school, ECC has a parking garage with a $25.00 semester parking decal (however, if the lot is full, street parking is the other option which requires multiple quarter feedings.) One of the best on campus services are the computer labs, printer access is a blessing to any college student. If you run out of printer money, you can load money onto your student account. For those who like pumping iron or running the treadmill, the gymnasium features a recently renovated gymnasium available to all students.

A new Student Service is the Automated Financial Aid Temporary Registration Protection (FATRP). In a nutshell, the FATRP is a process that protects student registration while Financial Aid is still under evaluation. This process does not protect the students ineligible for financial aid. To be eligible a student must have completed ECC admissions, filed FAFSA for 2012-2013, registered for classes, have an eligible Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) and meet general eligibility requirements for receiving aid. In order to set up FATRP go to myecc.essex.edu and log on to ECC portal to activate. Follow the instructions based on Financial Aid status; if you have been awarded aid then FATRP isn’t needed. If you register, this protection lasts 30 days, if denied then you must report to Bursar to implement a payment plan immediately.

With a new semester come new opportunities, so take advantage of all the great perks that come with being an ECC student. Having said that, get out there and get involved and get prepared, it’s going to be a great semester!

ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE OBSERVER

ter Newark Works; and Metropolitan Baptist Church, located in Newark with its own employment ministry.

Information about the Career Fair was sent out to student emails, appeared in posters and fliers, and announced on the College's Facebook group.

The Career Fair was a three-event series, starting with an Employer Panel that gave students the opportunity to speak to prospective employers about what they look for in entry-level employees, then continuing with a Resume Clinic to get cover letters and resumes into shape. But the storm had different plans for the career fair itself. Originally scheduled for October 30th, Hurricane Sandy affected more than just power lines.

ECC was closed for a week and the academic calendar was sort of rearranged. Due to Hurricane Sandy, the career fair was pushed back a month to accommodate the rearrangement of midterms.

As a result, the later date had a negative effect on the number of prospective employers who were looking for seasonal work for the upcoming holidays. Despite this, quite a number arrived regardless. Some of the employers who attended included NJIT, the Superior Court of NJ, several health services staffing agencies such as the Accredited Health Services and the Academy of Allied Health, Home Depot, the US Post Office, Kaplan Test Prep, the Newark Alliance, United Airlines, Avon, Sovereign Bank and the Air Force ROTC.

With changing dates and delaying storms, how did the event do? With over 285 students attending and over 430 walk-ins, the total number of applicants showing up was 726, with 66% of those evaluated saying that they felt it went well. However, not all students felt they got results from the career fair. Nursing student Shanelle Brown mentioned that although she applied for positions, she didn't feel satisfied with it on the whole.

"I thought there could have been more

jobs”, said Brown.

But for those looking for employment in the new year, there is still hope. Towards the end of 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the national unemployment rate had fallen to 7.7 percent, the lowest it's been since early 2009. Through the Office of Student Development, you can have both the online career search tool Career Coach and the eRecruiting job database for recruiting ECC students and alumni at your fingertips. And with another career fair occurring this semester, there is no excuse not to go out and get paid.

JANUARY 2013

PAGE 7

arts

WINTER FASHION LOOKS

Don’t Let the Weather Keep You from Looking Classy

By Kristen Williamson News Editor

Photo Credit: Boohoo.com

Holly Reindeer Fair Isle Knit Leggings

Assassin’s Creed III Photo credit: Ubisoft

Game Review By Lela Couram Contributor

The game Assassin's Creed III was released October 30th for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. It's the fifth game out of the AC series. Assassin's Creed III takes place during the American Revolution.

This game has a new main character named Ratohnhak'e:ton or “Connor.” If you haven't played or missed some of the games in the series, Assassin’s Creed 3 gives a quick explanation of what happened in the previous games. It also tells who the Templars and Assassins are, and how Desmond fits into the story in the beginning. This game starts out with a shocking revelation about who Connor's father is. Similar to Assassin's Creed 2, you play as Connor throughout his childhood until he's an adult. There are also missions that involve you playing as Desmond, but this time you get to go out to places like New York City.

Homestead is the old mansion in the middle of the forest. It's a place where you train and live and just like all Assassin’s Creed games you have to repair it up. Around Homestead there are missions that will pay off in the future if you decide to do them. Like helping an injured

By Christian Blair, Managing Editor

When the nights grow long and the weather turns crisp, we reach for scarves, boots, and coats. Parkas won't chase your style blues away. Instead, grab a wool peacoat in a vibrant color or houndstooth pattern if you're daring, or a cool olive or grey herringbone for a classic look. If you want something a bit heavier for the brisk winds, brightly colored North face jackets keep you stylish and warm, while avoiding the marshmallow look so coveted by small children and beach balls. For those who run hot in cold weather, a puffy vest will keep you from feeling cooked while allowing you to showcase a contrasting long sleeved shirt.

What you wear underneath the jacket can be just as important. For once, business casual can also be trendy. There has been a surge in stylish casual blazers and colored or striped button down shirts with unique collar details, often paired with lean trousers or skinny jeans. With more types and patterns of jeans on the market than ever before, ladies can find jeans in cute florals or bold leopard prints, while guys can garb themselves in colored denim which ranges from muted to striking. But for those who want the look of pants with movement of tights, leggings come in leather-look styles, bright colors, and cute sweater looks which keep you warm while adding a fun twist to the Fair Isle sweater trend.

While winter is the stomping ground for sweaters of all types, today's sweaters are not your grandma's itchy kind. Instead, grab a comfortable knitted cardigan or a lightweight v-neck sweater to pair with a complimentary button down shirts to add layers to your limbs. If you're a lady who loves her leggings but want a bit more coverage, the recent trend of oversized and overlong sweaters will keep your rump covered but still put the rest of your assets on display. Dudes wanting to keep warm can grab a sweater in holiday and winter patterns, but if you want to keep it from looking dated, pair with fitted jeans and a fresh pair of kicks.

Shoes are what keep you going from A to B– literally. Boots are a go-to solution for winter, but your old Uggs have turned groan worthy. So don't skimp on style; update your feet in the boots and shoes of the season. For women, you'll find tall leather riding boots and edgy combat boots in black and brown will provide both comfort and versatility, or for something a bit sassier, high-heeled ankle boots provide punch as well as some coverage. Guys can also get in on this boot trend, edgy zippers, plaid linings, and artfully scuffed toes and heels keep these boots from looking ordinary, particularly with trousers tucked inside. If you're more the type for sneakers, Puma and Nike high tops in a variety of colors keep some of the weather out while making a bold statement.

You hear about winter whites, but this is a winter of dark colors, dark coats, and dark shoes.

To turn the drab into the dramatic, vibrant scarves and gold accents keep your inky colors from looking funereal. Since you have to keep warm anyway, use a stand-out wool Kangol hat to tie your look together, and as always, don't let the weather keep you from looking classy. huntress named Myriam that you stumble upon while exploring with some poachers. After helping them, they build themselves a home in the area and using their skills to help you with crafting and trading. Crafting and trading are the main way you earn money. For crafting you'll need recipes and artisans, like, for example, a carpenter you helped along the way, for making barrels and wagons. Trading is selling the skins of the animal and other things to a general store.

With crafting and trading there are dangers that might happen to your wagon while you're busy, so it’s a good thing you can send other assassins to protect it once you make a brotherhood.

The missions do involve events that happen in history such as the Boston Tea Party.

When you want to take a break from the main

mission there are many things you can do. Exploring the frontier is a beautiful experience of climbing up cliffs and trees to take in the scene.

In Assassin’s Creed 3 there are more than just birds and horses around. The most dangerous animals to encounter are bears, wolves, bobcats, cougars, and elk, who react to your movements in certain areas on the frontier. Hunting challenges and sailing missions on the ship Aquila are also interesting side quests. You can also play some early pioneer games called Nine Man's Moris, Six Man's Moris, Twelve Man's Moris, Fanorana, or Checkers.

Assassin's Creed III is a great game that is similar to the other games in the series to keep people that love the series happy, but different enough to keep anyone else interested..

“Slammed by Levin” taking a shine to the promising inmate.” This was particularly forced. Lauren, the jailhouse teacher, impressed that Ray got himself out of a jailhouse beating by rapping impressively, invites Ray to join her class. Instead, this leads us directly into part two of that trope, otherwise known as, “jailhouse teacher tearfully tells promising inmates that their funding has been cut and there will be no more classes.”

Despite this extremely abridged relationship, we’re meant to accept this is as the basis of a

Photo credit: Anonymous

We recently screened the 1998 independent film “Slam” in one of my classes. I wasn’t impressed. What follows is my review. My professor says that while he disagrees with almost every point I make he really digs my writing style (I’m paraphrasing). If you’ve seen the film, and liked it, hopefully you can be so generous of spirit. And now, on with the review.

Marc Levin’s “Slam” hopes to capture the desperation of Ray, an inner city young black man, an artist, arrested for dealing weed.

He’s facing prison and contemplating his own existence on the mean streets of urban Washington, DC. To a certain extent, “Slam” does this admirably in a modern day, “Scared Straight”, grade school filmstrip, sort of way. Where “Slam” falls short is in effectively illuminating the very real and serious socioeconomic failure of America’s war on drugs and the disparity of African-American males within the prison system by segueing into fantasy and poor writing.

“Slam” feels very much like a film school student’s first attempt at a feature but a cursory look at Wikipedia tells us Levin’s no amateur, which is why it’s even more insulting that the writing is so adolescent and condescending. For instance, Ray gets himself out of a prison beating by rapping impressively.

That’s really all you need to know to know where this film is coming from. “Slam” is chock-filled with well worn plot devices. The worst of these tropes is the “jailhouse teacher

blooming romance and one that extends beyond the prison walls. Character development is not this film’s strong suit. By the time Ray is facing time for carrying a quarter pound of weed and the audience is asked to feel sympathy for his predicament, we’re still strangers with Ray so our sympathy is razor thin. We’re forced to make broad and uncomfortable asESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE OBSERVER

sumptions for his motives. It’s even difficult to cheer him on at the big poetry slam nearing the end because our understanding of what makes Ray tick is almost non-existent. We know he’s unlucky with carrying weed and super lucky in jailhouse beatings.

The emotional heavy handedness of this film was set in stone the moment Levin decided that the subject matter wasn’t serious enough so he needed to employ a cloying use of cinéma vérité and upping the video gain by 10 percent to make it more gritty. From those crucial decisions on, we’re dragged scene through scene where the director seems to be pleading, “Did you see that?”, “Did you understand what I meant when I put that in there?”, and “Here, let me explain it to you and show you again.”

The poetry in this film could be considered a character in its own right. It weaves itself throughout the fabric of the film as a saving grace. It informs what little we know of Ray’s character on the street, saves his ass in prison, elevates him to near star status on the outside, and even gets him the girl. Given that, it is also the most unforgivable blunder in the film. How do I say this diplomatically? The poetry is not good. At one point our hero emotes, “you massage the universe’s spine, the way you twirl through time, and leave shadows on the sun.”

He says this with a straight face. And then he repeats it. If this doesn’t make you roll your eyes, then perhaps you’ll appreciate “Slam.”

PAGE 8

JANUARY 2013

EVENTS January 2013 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 8th Tues.

Globe 6pm Globe 10th Thurs. Asa 5pm ECC Gym 19th Sat. Manor College 1pm Manor 22nd Tues. Mercer CC 5pm ECC Gym 24th Thurs. Lackawanna College 5pm Lackawanna 26th Sat. Harcum College 1pm ECC Gym 29th Tues. Burlington CC 5pm Burlington 31st Thurs. CC of Morris 5pm ECC Gym January 2013 MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 5th Sat. Camden CC ECC Gym 3pm 8th Tues. Philadelphia CC ECC Gym 7pm 10th Thurs. Asa CC ECC Gym 7pm 15th Tues.

Globe Institute Globe 7pm 19th Sat. Manor College Manor 3pm 22nd Tues. Mercer CC ECC Gym 7pm 24th Thurs. Lackawanna College Lackawanna 7pm 26th Sat. Harcum CC ECC Gym 3pm 29th Tues. Burlington CC Burlington 7pm 31st Thurs. CC of Morris ECC Gym 7pm

U P C O M I N G EVENTS

JANUARY January 7th: Spring I Classes start January 14th - 18th: African Institute Film Festival • 12pm to 2pm AI Conference Room: “Eye on the Prize” and other film screenings.

January 15th & 17th: EOF Money Management Forum • 3:30pm to 5:00pm Room 3234 January 21st: MLK Birthday – College Closed January 22nd: MLK Memorial Program • 10am to 6:30pm Mary Burch Theater: Sponsored by the Africana Institute January 23rd: Spring II Registration January 25th: Spring II Classes start FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT THE OFFICE OF STUDENT LIFE AND ACTIVITIES IN THE CLARA E. DASHER STUDENT CENTER Room 101, or call (973) 877-3208

The Challenge of Cheerleading

By Kiana Anthony Contributer

Here at Essex County, cheerleading is viewed as a club. Actually, cheerleading was legally declared a sport because of the many injuries involved during competitions. Whether it is tumbling, jumping, or stunting, each bone in a cheerleader’s body is at risk when performing. As a Wolverine Cheerleader here at ECC, I understand the complications and difficulties of cheering.

If you are interested in trying out, there are a few requirements, but the main requirement is that you must have cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher. You will not be able to perform with a GPA lower than that. When trying out for cheerleading, you will learn a cheer and dance. Then you will be asked to perform what you have learned in front of a panel of three to four judges. After the judges deliberate your cheer and dance, you will be asked to show how well you are able to tumble, split, and jump. Then you be asked to leave for final deliberations. Once tryouts are over, you have to wait till the next day to see if you have made the team or not. If you make the cut, that is when things will begin to get tough. First up, you start with conditioning and training when you exercise and condition your body for the cheerleading lifestyle. Practice is from Tuesday to Thursday from 6:00pm to 8: 00 pm. Mondays are solely for study hall so you can get your school work done and have time for studying. We exercise our bodies and have

By Justin Rich

ECC Men’s Basketball

Usually during this point of the season a team is hitting their stride or hitting a wall. Here we are, a quarter of the way through the season and the Essex County men’s basketball team has hit their stride. When the season began, expectations were high, goals were set, and a young team and coach were getting familiar with one another. Although the team is unranked nationally, they are mainly focused on their conference. As of December 8, 2012, the Wolverines have won been on a 7-game win streak with an overall record of 8-1. The only loss came from out-of-conference Baltimore City Community College. This is pretty impressive, considering that Wolverines were projected to finish in the middle of the pack in the Garden State Athletic Conference.

Against conference opponents the team has taken care of business with tight and one sided affairs. ECC has a record of 5-0.

Coach Lowery has taken notice to the hot start in conference. He gives the team high praise.

“They know the scouting report before we play, they know what the team is going to run, and have a strong practice work ethic,” said Lowery.

Lowery also believes his coaching staff has played a huge role as well. Coach Lowery couldn’t be more pleased with his team’s early success. He believes the key to success has been a combination of things. According to Lowery, these include veterans on the coaching staff; Sports Writer

to exercise our brains as well.

Many people overlook the importance of our school mascot, the Wolverine. He really entertains the crowd at all the games mainly because he has the ability to grab their attention. Many people see someone wearing a furry costume with a huge wolverine head and body and quickly become overly excited about the dancing mascot. It is something out of the ordinary that you don’t see every day so it becomes a huge eye opener for all to see.

The mascot’s friendly and humorous gestures are very inviting to anyone he comes in contact with. These include the spectators gleefully watching and observing.

As a cheerleader, overcoming stage fright is the most challenging on the team.

Talking, screaming, dancing, flipping and stunting in front of huge crowds can be extremely frightening. Especially when it is your first time cheering. The good things about the weekly games are that you really get used to showing off your skills in front of crowds. My teammates and coaches are great at uplifting school spirit and encouraging me to do my best. There should be zero negativity on the floor. Smiles should never leave your face, especially when cheering.

Memorization is an important factor when it comes to cheering. Learning dances

self-confidence; and mutual respect between the players and coaches. Lowery said, “This is one of our more complete teams, whether it is on the defensive end, offensive efficiency, and depth.”

The team has looked crisp on both ends of the floor, from stifling opponents with pressure defense to running the floor with an evade flow.

What has been most surprising is how fast the team has clicked with a majority of sophomores and freshmen. As you would expect, the Wolverines have their fair share of struggles, despite what their record says. When the team has their opponents on the ropes, they tend to lean back and allow them to get in a few punches. Wolverine’s decision making can be questionable at times, but it has not derailed them yet. What these guys have is camaraderie, confidence, and coaches that believe they can go as high and as far as they reach. This group of guys have shown that they are not scared and not fazed by home, road, or any stage they may step foot on. Balance and unselfishness have led the way. This will have to continue if they have real hopes of first making it to regionals, and then going for an elusive championship.

For the second half of the season the team has the same mindset and approach. The Wolverines are starting to gel at the right time.

That could be a deadly weapon for anyone standing in their way. Youth can be a scary thing, but sometimes that is a good thing. We’ll see how far it can go.

cheers and chants is much more challenging than it looks. Forgetting the words to a cheer can be very embarrassing when in front of a huge crowd. Memorizing numerous dances, cheers and chants in a short period is something that many people have to work on daily.

Cheering is very challenging, but if you really put in constructive time and effort, continued on page 5

OBSERVER The Student Voice of Essex County College Essex County College 303 University Ave. Newark, NJ 07102 eccecco@gmail.com Editor-in-Chief Christie Marie Avila Managing Editor Christian Blair News Editor Kristen Williamson Features Editor Tsahai General Student Life Editor Lev D. Zilbermintz Arts Editor Wintella ‘Quin’ Powell Photo Editor Wintella ‘Quin’ Powell Staff Writers Alissa Lopez Amber Rae Karl Vetter Layout Design Editor Jonathan M. Williamson Contributors Lela Couram Wayne Yourstone Humanities Faculty Co-Advisors Eileen DeFreece Jennifer Wager