The Signal: Spring '14, No. 1

Criminal mischief in this week’s cop shop see News 3

Bobby Brackett leads the Nation in D3 rebounding See Sports page 24

Vol. XXXX, No. 1

January 22, 2014

Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885

Years later, students return to NOLA Wireless wait continues on

By Tom Kozlowski News Editor

Easy” with the help of the Bonner Center and the Phi Alpha Delta fraternity.

While New Orleans was no longer in the news years after the disaster, Strom knew the city was still desperate, which is the reason he decided to organize the trips.

“After each trip, I would receive many messages from people who were interested in me planning another trip for them to participate in,” Strom said.

As much of campus awaits proper wireless connections and improved access to the existing “DOT1X” network, the College is entering year three of its multi-year wireless plan, with new buildings scheduled for updates between 2014 and 2015. Among these locations are certain residence halls, the townhouses and classrooms, but the process is trickier than a cursory glance might suggest.

The multi-year plan organizes its wireless agenda along a hierarchy of importance. Jointly headed by the Academic Affairs and Student Affairs offices, the plan prioritizes on housing and academic buildings first before moving onto areas such as administrative and operation centers, according to David Muha, associate vice president for Communications, Marketing and Brand Management.

“Among the factors considered in the (plan’s) phasing were the timing of renovation projects in buildings to receive Wi-Fi, housing amenities available to different cohorts of students and which installations would be most impactful,” Muha said.

Some updates will be completed as soon as the spring and summer, according to the College’s website.

Armstrong Hall, Bliss Hall, the Music Building

see ABC page 2

see WIRELESS page 2

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Nevitt

Members of the College’s Alternative Break Club piece together post-Katrina New Orleans.

By Mylin Batipps Nation & World Editor The College’s Alternative Break Club kicked off the new year by putting more pieces of New Orleans back together after Hurricane Katrina shattered the city almost nine years ago.

On Saturday, Jan. 4, over 100 students from the club traveled to Louisiana to help “Project Homecoming,” a nonprofit organization in New Orleans, rebuild

homes in the city that were destroyed because of the natural disaster in 2005.

“The group did everything from finalizing and painting homes that are almost completed to starting construction and demolition on new projects for Project Homecoming,” junior graphic design major and ABC treasurer Jeremy Nevitt said.

Alumnus Michael Strom founded ABC in November of 2008. Before he graduated from the College in 2009, Strom organized seven trips to “The Big

No failure to communicate A winter walk in Israel Dept. is named best in country

tcnj.edu

Rex Mix Program recognizes the College.

By Jonathan Machlin Staff Writer

On Friday, Nov. 22, the College was honored with the Rex Mix Program of Excellence Award for the best communication studies undergraduate program in the United States.

In a press release posted on the communication studies department website on Friday, Dec. 6, the department stated that the award was given to Professor John C. Pollock by Professor Armeda Reitzel, the vice chair of the Undergraduate College and University Section (UCUS) of the National Communication Association (NCA) at

INDEX: Nation & World / Page 5 The Signal @TCNJsignal

the organization’s annual conference. Professor Pollock, the former chair of the communication studies department, had written the winning award application.

“The College of New Jersey merits the award because it demonstrated pronounced ‘markers of department excellence’ highlighting curriculum, faculty-student engagement, student academic and professional success and faculty commitment,” Reitzel said.

The press release stated that Professor Reitzel expressed admiration for the achievements of seven-faculty program. The program counts among its students 272 majors, nine secondary majors, 37 first minors and three second minors, for a total of 321 total communication studies students.

“We are delighted that our commitment to student-faculty engagement and the empowering results of that commitment has been recognized at the national level,” department chair Lorna Johnson said in the press release. “We are grateful for the encouragement offered by this award.”

Paul D’Angelo, associate professor of mass communication at the College, expressed what he felt the award meant as a professor within the school. see AWARD page 3

Editorial / Page 7

Sochi Olympics U.S. concerned about safety issues See Features page 10

Opinions / Page 9

Julie Kayzerman / News Editor

Rabbi Kivi Greenbaum of the College’s Chabad on campus led a trip to Israel through Taglit-Birthright over winter break. See BIRTH page 3.

Features / Page 10

Debate Team Students attend World Championship in India See News page 2

Arts & Entertainment / Page 12

Sports / Page 24

Academy Awards Oscar nominations have been made See A&E page 12

page 2 The Signal January 22, 2014

In India, College debaters take on the world

By Gabrielle Beacken News Assistant

Over winter break, the College’s Society for Parliamentary Debate competed in an international debating tournament, World Universities Debating Championship, held in Chennai, India.

Five members of the debate team were sent to compete in India: four competitors, Zachary Ellis, Prashanth Palvannan, Arjun Gupta and Society president Andrew Miller, and one judge, Zachary Myshkoff.

“All five of them are extremely active members in (the Society) and are fantastic debaters,” sophomore psychology and English double major and publicist for the Society Steven Schwering said.

According to Schwering, “Worlds is the culmination of years of work for our most experienced debaters.” To properly prepare for the club’s most prestigious tournament, the debate team conducts

AP Photo

Schools around the world send delegates to Chennai. fundraisers and activities as well as hosting debates on campus for high school tournaments.

“People come from all over, and it’s so interesting to see how much we have in common while things differ around the world,” junior biology major Gupta said.

The World Universities Debating Championship is an international parliamentary-style debate

tournament that takes place in a different country every year. For 33 years, “Worlds,” as it is known in the debating society, has traveled across North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. However, this year is the first time that it has taken home to South Asia.

“Worlds” is the world’s largest debating tournament and the largest annual international student

events in the world, according to the “Worlds” website.

The Society for Parliamentary Debate has been sending competitors to the renowned competition for three years.

“Our team sends people to the Worlds University Debating Championship because it is a great opportunity to see other debaters from across the globe and to see some of the finest debating possible,” Schwering said. “I know from participants’ experiences that everyone enjoys the opportunity very much.”

The Society chooses who competes in the “Worlds” competition through a specific formula that factors in debate victories from previous competitions and popular vote.

The “Worlds” competition includes over 1,000 students from universities around the world and consists of nine preliminary rounds. With the conclusion of these rounds, the top 48 teams enter single elimination rounds. This

year, the tournament lasted from Thursday, Dec. 26, to Thursday, Jan. 9.

“Unfortunately, neither of our teams broke,” junior political science major Myshkoff said. “But both teams did well and put forth solid performances.”

Though the Society competitors did not proceed into the single elimination rounds, the experience in India was a positive one.

“Overall, the experience is amazing, mostly because of the awesome people you meet while competing,” Gupta said.

Topics in the parliamentary debate included economics, social topics, public policy and more.

“The issues we debate about like politics, society, morals etc. are things that everyone deals with, but everyone’s experiences with those (topics) differ,” Gupta said. “It shapes the way people look at the world, and it’s incredibly fascinating to debate with such a global perspective.”

Wireless / Updates to phase in, but network falters continued from page 1

and the Social Science Building are on deck for wireless installations, while Norsworthy Hall will gain access over the summer during its renovations.

2015 will bring other buildings to the forefront of the plan. Travers and Wolfe Halls are slated for wireless work, but their “size and construction” complicate a quick installation process, according to Muha The Townhouses will also receive wireless connection in 2015. All the same, they tend to be equally as problematic. “(They) are a unique problem because of how they are constructed,” Muha said.

“The College is in the process of installing emergency phones in these units and plans to use the same conduit for wireless once this work is complete.”

Resident students have criticized the Townhouses in particular for their lack of proper wireless access where it should be seen as a necessity.

“Living in Townhouses East is difficult enough as it is … perhaps the biggest price one pays for living there is the dearth of wireless Internet,” said junior English and health and exercise science double major Craig Ismaili. “We only get one Ethernet port in the room, which means if we want to switch the Internet access from our computer to our gaming console, we have to manually change them. Devices such as Kindles have also been rendered useless.”

For those buildings already granted wireless access, the DOT1X system in place has also yielded mixed results.

The network, which replaced the older Wireless-at-TCNJ network as of spring

2013, has left students befuddled — for many, the network’s performance has been shoddy and its reliability even poorer.

“The number of times I’ve tried to submit essays or do some last-minute research or even read my emails, only to face mind-numbing Internet slowness or total loss of connection, is infuriating,” sophomore political science major and resident of Decker Hall Sam Waxenbaum said. “The Internet connection here causes so many problems that logging onto PAWS sometimes makes me feel like I’m in purgatory.”

As far as the IT department is concerned, the occurrence of these setbacks is minimal, if not undocumented.

“A review of system’s operational data show many connections and many megabytes of data transferred into (buildings

such as) Decker Hall, so Information Technology would need more information to focus in on a singular problem,” Muha said.

That said, no system is infallible.

According to Muha, it’s likely that sitting at certain angles or locations can cause connection snags, but that Information Technology lacks the analysis needed to act on the matter.

“Students are encouraged to contact IT with specific locations, times and dates so that the support specialists can respond,” Muha said.

While the College is considering the feasibility of speeding up the installation process, according to Muha, many students will simply have to wait a little longer for the DOT1X network to reach their doorsteps.

ABC / Building new experiences in New Orleans continued from page 1 “At that point it seemed certain that a club should be formed.”

For five years, members of ABC have traveled across the country to work on numerous projects. In addition to visiting New Orleans multiple times, they also traveled to West Virginia in the spring of 2012 to work on building and repairing homes for the homeless.

“This was important to the club because we wanted to ensure that our efforts were felt in more than one place,” alumna and former ABC president Katie Gallagher said.

Fundraising is what makes ABC’s trips possible, according to Nevitt. The members participate in canning at local businesses and hosting fundraisers at restaurants, and the proceeds help cover three meals a day for the members during their trips, as well as lodging and gas for transportation. ABC’s largest fundraiser takes place every fall at Terhune Orchards in Princeton, in which they volunteer for the farm and help with its fall activities.

This year’s trip to New Orleans was junior sociology major Kaitlin West’s first trip with ABC. She assisted others in rebuilding a house on Annunciation

Street for a grandmother of seven. Four of them will be living with her in the new house, according to West.

The most “eye-opening” part of West’s experience, she said, was looking inside of the devastated houses that were in shambles and seeing belongings that still remained — almost nine years after the hurricane struck.

“There were toys, clothing, shoes … everything imaginable,” West said. “It made me realize that this city will never go back to the way it was without the help of volunteers.”

Senior statistics major Matt Rusay assisted in painting the interior of a home, as well as breaking concrete and leveling the ground in its backyard.

“It was an amazing experience,” Rusay said. “You didn’t realize how much help the city needs even eight and a half years later.”

But there’s also a token of reflection given to the volunteers after their exposure to a forgotten reality.

“There’s a gratitude taken from the trip after meeting people who have lost everything and can be so grateful for the small imprint we put in their lives from our one week of helping,” Nevitt said.

Later this year, ABC is looking to help rebuild the Jersey Shore every

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Nevitt

After nine years, the city’s recovery continues with help from volunteers. month with the Bonner Center and Here for Home, as they have done in the past.

They will travel to New Orleans again this spring and summer, and in 2015 they will plan a trip to Central Florida to house kids with various disabilities.

Founder Michael Strom is pleased with ABC’s progress and continuous

efforts to reach out to the less-fortunate all over the country.

“It is a testament to the will of the members and the enormous benefits that come through these service programs that the club has endured and continues to grow year after year,” Strom said. “I could not be more proud of them.”

January 22, 2014 The Signal page 3

Award / College Cruising to the Super Bowl dept. vindicated

By Courtney Wirths Opinions Editor

continued from page 1 “(This) validates our department as one that really is exemplary at mentoring undergrads in doing research and making films,” he said. “That’s unusual — we usually think of that kind of research happening in grad programs. This shows that (the department) stands out among all other undergrad programs.

It also validates how I approach collaboration and work with our undergrads.”

D’Angelo was also asked what the award meant for him as someone who has devoted a large portion of his life to communication studies.

“We try to make a difference in the lives of our students,” he said. “We’re not always aware of the kind of difference we make, and we can’t foresee the changes. (But) it’s a way of

helping students launch their lives and it’s very different at TCNJ from the perspective of the students.”

As for the contributions of the communications students themselves, D’Angelo was quick to give praise. “(The students) are collaborators with us, and in that sense, they are a big reason we got the award,” D’Angelo said. “Many are willing and able to take up the demands we make of them to produce solid research and creative works.

This tells me that (these) are the kinds of students we want here: motivated and willing to explore options and move along in their life.”

D’Angelo concluded by emphasizing department-wide pride over the award, but that they’re “not going to rest on (their) laurels.”

Street Journal.

• Moody’s Investors Service upgraded Ireland’s bond rating to investment grade with a positive outlook for the future. The country’s bonds had been considered junk status since 2011, according to Bloomberg News.

• Super Bowl goers can now spend their week on a boat instead of a hotel. Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest vessel will sail into port for the week of the Super Bowl and provide guests with rooms, dining and entertainment, according to CNBC. • Millions of holiday shoppers had their personal information stolen while they made purchases at the retail giant, Target. Investigations have now shown that Target had surprisingly little security software thus making it a major target for hackers, according to CNBC. • Maryland has the highest percentage of millionaire households of all 50 states with 7.7 percent of households per capita being millionaires. Maryland is followed closely by New Jersey and Connecticut with 7.49 percent and 7.34 percent of households being millionaire households, respectively, according to the Wall

• Google Inc. in it’s secretive Google[X] lab is developing contact lens for diabetics that would allow doctors and patients to measure glucose levels in tears and use the information to better regulate blood sugar levels.

The lenses are still several years from potentially being on the market, according to the Wall Street Journal.

• It is estimated that over two thirds of those that have a sought to enroll in private health insurance programs through the new healthcare marketplace had already been covered by another healthcare provider before enrolling. The statistics have created concern about the size of the dent the marketplace is making in the number of uninsured Americans, according to the Wall Street Journal.

• Congress’s new spending measure, signed into law on Friday by President Obama, bans the processing of horse meat. The controversial industry has been dormant since 2007, according to the Wall Street Journal.

• Tourists’ new reason to go to Colorado is not the ski slopes, but recreational marijuana use. Non-Coloradans make up more than half of the $1 million in marijuana sales, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Mischief from the window to Wolfe Hall

By Tom Kozlowski News Editor

On Wednesday, Dec. 4, a student reported his Jansport backpack missing from the basement of the Music Building, according to Campus Police. The student left his backpack in a swipe-in only locker room across from the primary rehearsal room, but after a group of students held the door open for others, the backpack disappeared. Police said the property, which included an Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy Stellar cellphone and wallet, was valued at $236.

…

Two males were reported to be “visibly intoxicated” and eminating the odor of booze as they entered Wolfe Hall, according to Campus Police.

The two were spotted by security on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 1 a.m. Upon inspection, the suspects had trouble both standing and walking, and they denied requests for medical assistance. …

On Saturday, Dec. 7, police were dispatched to the 6th floor of Wolfe Hall on reports of an intoxicated student, according to Campus Police. The student was originally seen vomiting outside the 6th floor lobby elevator, then continued to be violenty ill inside the men’s bathroom. Police discovered a “pool of vomit” on the floor outside, and the suspect readily admitted to consuming some quantity of wine in the time prior to the event. Police say he proceeded to vomit into a plastic

bag while sitting in a chair awaiting a ride to police headquarters. …

Criminal mischief occurred outside the Sodexo Office Room 43 in Decker Hall when five window screens were physically removed. Police arrived at the scene on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 8:25 p.m. only to find the screens frozen to the snow on the ground, unable to be secured. The office appeared to have no stolen property or physical intrusion, says campus police, but the damage to the windows will cost aproximately $400.

…

A female student reported a stolen Macbook Air 13” Pro valued at $1,782 on Friday, Dec. 13 at 7:15 a.m. According to campus police, the student entered Eickhoff Hall for breakfast at 7:15 a.m. and went to get food with a potentially unzipped backpack.

She proceeded to Physic Room 230 at 7:50 and only discovered the computer to be missing upon returning to her dorm in Travers Hall later that afternoon. Campus Police noted that the girl contacted workers in both locations about the computer but to no avail.

Birth / Both a tour of Israel and personal faith Peter Fiorilla Sports Editor During a culturally and spiritually enriching Birthright trip to Israel, Jewish students from the College scaled mountains, swam in the dead sea and made lifelong friendships in a meaningful foreign experience over Winter break.

Birthrights, which are paid for in part by

Julie Kayzerman / News Editor

Students scale Mt. Arbel.

the Israeli government and private donors, are available to all Jewish people aged 18-26 for a variety of benefits.

“It’s different for everyone,” College Chabad rabbi Kivi Greenbaum said. “Some people are learning about their (Jewish) history in Israel, some people learn about their culture, some people learn the Israeli culture — the lifestyle, politics, the danger of living there. They learn anything and everything.”

The trip offered numerous lessons, from what it is like to be in a highly militarized country to enhancing spiritual and cultural roots students might not otherwise have had first-hand.

“The thing about the trip that I enjoyed the most was having the opportunity for experiences that I would never had had otherwise,” sophomore special education major Carly Sara said. “For example, doing shabbat at the western wall was an amazing opportunity I would have never done by myself.”

There were 12 College students in the 37-person Birthright group, which became tightly knit during the course of the trip.

“I had an amazing time,” Sara said. “We went with a bunch of people from (the College), so I wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to meet other people. But I was very happy that by the end of the trip everyone in the group was super close.”

The trip featured personal growth, and is a way for students to make friends on an

Julie Kayzerman / News Editor

Students visit the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites in Judaism. unforgettable 10 days.

“You make new friends really quickly,” Greenbaum said. “It’s a positive life experience. People are sometimes able to come out of their shell, able to make friends quickly and are able to gain some self-esteem and confidence.”

Many students grew spiritually as well, after being re-connected with the Jewish homeland of Israel.

“I definitely made friends and many amazing memories,” Shapiro said. “But going in as someone that was not religious at all and knew almost nothing about the religion or what I was getting into, I’ve definitely

learned a lot more about my faith, and I’m definitely interested in learning more. From all of the activities we did each day, I felt more and more connected with my religion and Israel as the days went on.”

Regardless of the personal or spiritual growth, the Birthright trip featured extroadinary excursions into the country.

“We got to scale the mountains (at Mt. Arvel) without any harnesses, just little ropes along the wall,” Shapiro said. “I’m not the biggest fan of (heights) but the views were incredible, and just being able to look back up after finishing the climb and being able to say ‘I did that’ was a great feeling.”

page 4 The Signal January 22, 2014

January 22, 2014 The Signal page 5

Nation & W rld

Bae asks for secured release in N. Korea prison

By Mylin Batipps Nation & World Editor

U.S. citizen Kenneth Bae has been held captive in North Korea for over a year, and he has recently asked in a press conference that the U.S. refrain from complicating his situation.

According to CNN, Bae said in a public statement recently that he had committed a crime against North Korea, adding that the country does not abuse human rights.

“I would like to plead with the U.S. government, press and my family to stop worsening my situation by making vile rumors against North Korea and releasing materials related to me, which are not based on the facts,” Bae said in front of AP reporters at the press conference, according to CNN.

North Korean authorities arrested Bae on November 2012 for what they thought was an act of him toppling their government. As an entrepreneur, Bae specializes in creating tours so that citizens from the U.S., Canada and other countries were presented opportunities to visit North Korea. His mother said, according to CNN, that the South Korean native was compassionate in helping North Korea and its economy.

The authorities claimed, though, that Bae carried a bible with him during the tours and was teaching the tourists about Christianity. His mother said, according to CNN, that he didn’t understand “the North Korean system” and that fact that the country is an atheist state. It was through Bae’s religious activities, according to North Korea’s government, that he

was trying to bring down the government in a “Jericho operation.” In May of 2013 he was sentenced, therefore, to 15 years in a North Korean labor camp.

Since then, U.S. citizens and authorities have defended Bae’s actions. Vice President Joe Biden said last month in an interview in South Korea that Bae is currently being held “without reason” and should be released immediately. Others say, though, that Bae did not respect laws that were exclusive to North Korea and, therefore, should have been arrested.

Bae’s call to Washington for the secure of his release perhaps suggests that the U.S. should discontinue sending any more information about Bae to the country and making any more accusations about North Korea and its “abuse of human rights,” as he just wants “to be pardoned by the

AP Photo

Kenneth Bae, detained by N. Korea last year, pleads to return home.

North as soon as possible and return to my beloved family.”

W. Virginia to tighten chemical regulations after spill

AP Photo

West Virginia residents questioned the quality of their tap water at a rally at their State Capitol.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin on Monday proposed tighter regulations for chemical storage facilities after a spill contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people.

Tomblin, the Democratic governor, urged passage of a chemical storage regulatory program. The bill aims to address shortcomings that allowed 7,500 gallons of coal-cleaning chemicals to seep into the Elk River on Jan. 9. Freedom Industries, which owned the plant that leaked the chemicals, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday.

Freedom Industries’ safety flaws, including a last-resort containment wall filled with cracks, went largely undetected, because as a facility that neither manufactured chemicals, produced emissions, or stored chemicals underground, it was not subject to environmental regulations, state Department of Environmental Protection officials have said. The chemical that spilled also wasn’t deemed hazardous enough for additional regulation.

Around the World:

Greece

Greek terrorist looks for a fight

AP Photo

Christodoulos Xiros, Greek extremist, threatens the government with armed action after disappearing from prison.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek fugitive who vanished on furlough from prison while serving six life sentences for being in a deadly terrorist organization has vowed a return to armed action.

Christodoulos Xiros railed against the handling of Greece’s financial crisis and threatened the media, the judiciary and the Greek government in an Internet post on Monday.

“I once again decided to make the guerrilla rifle thunder against those who stole our lives and sold our dreams to make a profit,” Xiros said.

The posting included a video of

him reading a seven-page statement, the text itself and a photo of him in front of pictures of 19th-century Greek resistance fighters and Latin American rebel Che Guevara.

His lawyer, Frangiskos Ragoussis, confirmed that the posting was genuine.

Xiros, 55, was convicted in 2003 along with two of his brothers of belonging to the November 17 organization. The group, which emerged in the mid-1970s, claimed responsibility for a series of deadly bombings and shootings against foreign diplomats and Greek politicians and businessmen over nearly three decades.

Xiros vanished Jan. 7 while on a seven-day leave from prison to visit his family.

In his statement Monday, Xiros also slammed the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn party and invited Greece’s security forces to join with him.

He reserved particular bile for the two parties in Greece’s governing coalition, the conservative New Democracy and the socialist Pasok, accusing them of treason and stating that the “price of their treason is death.”

Conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras responded late Monday: “We will not be stopped by the various types of extremists or by the threats made by terrorists.”

He vowed to tighten controls on convicts considered dangerous.

“We will close every gap and loophole in a system that appears to be designed for the well-being of extremists rather than the safety of the citizenry.”

Xiros described Greece and other European countries as having become colonies under “German occupation.” Germany is the single largest contributor toward international rescue loans that Greece has been relying on since 2010. In return, the country has had to impose harsh austerity measures that have led to spiraling unemployment and a plunge in living standards.

The material flowed 1.5 miles downstream and made it into West Virginia American Water Company’s water supply.

Below-ground tanks storing chemicals face environmental regulations, but ones above the surface fall into a regulatory loophole, officials have said. The department made several routine visits to the Charleston site between 2002 and 2012, but found no violations.

The governor’s bill, which hasn’t been filed yet, would mandate annual inspections of above-ground chemical tanks, and would require water systems serving the public to draft emergency plans in case of spills.

Storage facilities would self-report locations, construction and maintenance of tanks, and file annual reports. They would need to detail their spill-prevention mechanisms, and would be subject to penalties from the Department of Environmental Protection if they don’t comply.

“This proposed legislation will ensure that all aboveground storage facilities are built and maintained consistent with required safety standards,” Tomblin said.

Obscure & Offbeat

A 113-year-old home in Pa.

AP Photo

Kittens break into a prison

Four kittens venture into the Great Meadow Correctional Facility in New York and are being cared for by the prison employees.

Victorian home spooks owners

Northeastern Pennsylvania residents decide to sell their home after realizing that it is “slightly haunted.”

The owners say that they’ve constantly had the feeling that someone was behind them.

More information from AP

page 6 The Signal January 22, 2014

January 22, 2014 The Signal page 7

Editorial

Growing up isn’t so bad

Throughout nearly four years of college, I’ve learned a lot about growing up. It’s always a concept that many students, including myself, don’t want to accept. No one wants to grow up, and I’ve heard many times students say that after college, “your life is over.” This, of course, is a reference to going to the “real” world and becoming a “real” person. However, during my senior year of college, I’ve learned that these things aren’t entirely true.

Rather, once you graduate college, while life will certainly be different, you don’t have to completely grow up.

What I mean by this is that growing up is under your control.

Yes, every student wants to get a job when they graduate and be successful. Many want to eventually start a family one day. And plenty don’t want to give up the carefree college lifestyle that really doesn’t bring many responsibilities. But once you graduate, it doesn’t mean you can no longer have fun. Your 20s are an exciting time of your life when you get the chance to meet and socialize with a large group of people, sometimes in a professional manner and sometimes in leisure. You’ll also wind up spending time with the people who are closest to you, something that becomes more and more valuable to you the older you get.

Graduating school doesn’t come without the more responsibilites, of course. Students do have to go through the trials of tribulations of getting a job, moving out and making enough money to support themselves. None of these are particularly easy. However, they’re parts of life, and parts that will help you grow. What I’m trying to say is that the rough parts of growing up don’t have to all be rough, especially if you can mix some fun in it.

There’s a lot that will change once I graduate that I’ll miss from this school. I won’t be living in a house with my friends (one that I can get away with not cleaning for a while). I won’t have so many friends so close to me, only a few minutes away to hang out. I won’t be able to walk onto a campus and, without fail, see people I know. And I won’t be on this staff anymore, which will be one of, if not my fondest experience from college.

But I know that I’ll start a new chapter of my life that will bring other things to me, other things that I’ll be happy to have in my life. I know that I won’t waste any opportunities this last semester to have fun, be successful or anything else that can help me make the most of it. And I know that once I graduate, I’ll still be having fun.

Life won’t be the same once you graduate, but that doesn’t mean it will be bad. As long as you make the most of all of your experiences, life will be good. These are things that I’m starting to learn as I get closer to graduation, and these are things that I’m getting ready to embrace.

— Chris Molicki, Managing Editor

Amy Reynolds / Editor-in-Chief

As the door of the College closes, other doors are about to be opened.

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Editorial Staff Amy Reynolds Editor-in-Chief reynola1@tcnj.edu Chris Molicki Managing Editor molickc1@tcnj.edu Julie Kayzerman Tom Kozlowski News Editors kayzerj1@tcnj.edu kozlowt1@tcnj.edu Peter Fiorilla Sports Editor fiorilp1@tcnj.edu Shayna Innocenti Arts & Entertainment Editor innoces1@tcnj.edu Colleen Murphy Features Editor murphc16@tcnj.edu Courtney Wirths Opinions Editor wirthsc1@tcnj.edu

Mailing Address: The Signal c/o Brower Student Center The College of New Jersey P.O. Box 7718 Ewing, NJ 08628-0718

Courtney Wirths Photo Editor wirthsc1@tcnj.edu Mylin Batipps Nation & World Editor batippm1@tcnj.edu Jonathan Edmondson Review Editor Mike Herold Fantasy Sports Editor heroldm1@tcnj.edu Regina Yorkigitis Web Editor Gabrielle Beacken News Assistants Andrew Grossman Sports Assistant Andrew Grossman Production Manager Emilie Lounsberry Advisor Matt Napoli Business/Ad Manager

Quotes of the Week “They’re starting to play with some confidence and believe in each other a little more, and as a coach, that’s one of the things you want your team to have.”

— Kelly Williams, men’s basketball head coach.

“(ABC) did everything from finalizing and painting homes that are almost completed to starting the construction and demolition on new projects for ‘Project Homrcoming.’”

— ABC treasurer Jeremy Nevitt.

The Weekly Poll: Editorial Content Unsigned editorial opinions are those of the Editorial Board, which consists of the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing, News, Features, Arts & Entertainment, Opinions, Photo and Sports editors and the Business Manager, unless otherwise noted.

Opinions expressed in signed editorials and letters to the editor are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Signal.

Who do you think will win the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 2?

• The Denver Broncos.

• The Seattle Seahawks.

• It doesn’t matter to me, I’m only watching it for the commercials.

• I’m far more interested in the Puppy Bowl.

• A Super “Bowl” between Denver and Seattle? Count me in!

cast your vote on Twitter by tweeting @tcnjsignal!

page 8 The Signal January 22, 2014

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January 22, 2014 The Signal page 9

Opinions

Some trouble with the English language

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George Orwell’s essay on the English language is still relevant today.

By Frank Stabile Senior biology major

Throughout his life, British author Eric Blair wrote a substantial body of critical literature under the pseudonym George Orwell.

Although the dystopian stories, “Animal Farm” and “1984” brought his name to posthumous prominence, Orwell’s other novels and essays are of comparable significance.

In 1946, Orwell published “Politics and the English Language,” an essay criticizing the English of his period for its carelessness and vapidity. Unfortunately, this problem has not abated in the almost 70 years since

Orwell’s death, despite his efforts to highlight the issue. In this article, I argue that the English language has continued on this trend toward sloppiness and offer several examples and possible solutions.

First, it is important to be clear about what is meant by sloppy English. Rather than concise and plain language, English is littered with obtuse words and redundant phrases that are designed to embellish simple ideas. As Orwell warned, this pattern impairs the language, leading to vague prose and shoddy speech.

A mindless language then promotes careless thought, creating a cycle of decline. This subtle but pervasive trend is what I summarize with the word sloppy. I do not mean basic problems, such as confusing their, there and they’re, or using an inappropriate synonym suggested by Microsoft Word. These mistakes, though irritating, are not as serious and typically reflect minor misunderstandings. Nor do I mean the introduction of new terms, like the long list of words that has appeared thanks to the Internet. Such changes are interesting and contribute to the modernization of English. Sloppiness, on the other hand, makes the language less clear and the ideas more muddled.

Three examples of sloppy language remain prevalent in modern English. The first is the verbal false limb, a problem described by Orwell in his 1946 essay. A

verbal false limb is an unnecessarily long verb construction that replaces a simple and direct verb. Even though Orwell’s essay is more than 60 years old, many of the phrases he listed are still common, such as “give rise to,” “make contact with” and “have the effect of.” These false limbs use extra words to describe straightforward verbs like generate, connect and impact.

More recently, comedian George Carlin criticized “soft language,” or the substitution of clear-cut descriptions with multisyllabic, fluffy phrases that suck the life from the language. In his 1990 special “Doin’ It Again,” Carlin analyzes a long list of euphemisms that plague the English language.

Some examples that persist to the present are the use of “pass away” instead of “die” and “senior citizens” instead of “old people.” However, the case that most irritated Carlin was “shellshock,” a word originally used to describe the trauma soldiers experienced in World War I. Over time, the name switched to “battle fatigue,” then “operational exhaustion,” and finally “post-traumatic stress disorder.” Although the diagnosis of this condition has obviously changed since the early 1900s, Carlin’s point is that the original, simple word “shellshock” has been replaced with a multisyllabic, stale and complicated alternative.

Finally, I regularly notice a linguistic problem that is not specific to the present, but is far too common in modern English —

tautology, the unnecessary repetition of an idea using different words. Many instances of tautology are obvious, such as the ability to be able to, but most are easy to miss. For example, I have heard several ambassadors refer to Roscoe West as the building that “used to be the old library.” In this case, the language is repetitive and also reverses the meaning of the sentence. To be fair, these may be slips of the tongue, but tautologies occur even in formal settings. I have seen commercials for two separate technical institutions seeking “eligible candidates who qualify.” Since eligibility and qualification are hardly mutually exclusive, phrases like this are repetitive and confusing. The blend of verbal false limbs, euphemisms and tautologies leaves English speakers with a fatty and sterile language detached from the ideas it is meant to convey.

Thankfully, the first step in reversing these trends in the English language is drawing attention to them. After one thinks about tautology, for example, it becomes difficult to avoid noticing repetitive phrases. Luckily, thinkers like Orwell and Carlin make understanding and detecting these linguistic pitfalls that much easier. The next step is to actively correct these problems both in one’s own speech and writing and, finally, in the speech and writing of others. In doing so, we can move toward a more precise and effective English language of the sort Orwell imagined.

Grandma’s effect on government spending US funds allocation favors senior citizens

By Thomas Kozlowski News Editor

Our children are the future. So is an impending debt crisis that requires chokehold austerity measures, according to Congress, advocacy groups, big-government antagonists and everyone’s grandma. That last member of the fiscal phalanx is no joke.

As post-2008 recession America points to class warfare between the wealthy and the poor as our chief economic priority, that assumption belies an even deadlier reality: our generation has been given short shrift in favor of the elderly. Ironic for a nation that pretends to invest in future generations, today’s Facebook youths receive less government spending than the oldest Americans — not by dollar decimal points, but in the thousands per capita. And as social welfare programs are called out by belt-tightening conservatives around the country, it’s the safety nets supporting young and underprivileged kids, let alone the money they’ll need in the future, that get the axe first.

The concept of having your financial stability pickpocketed from you at this very moment might seem abstract. But it should mean something to you. If it doesn’t, we’re screwed.

2014 is not the intergenerational environment of 30 years ago. The Baby Boomers are finally retiring with gusto — the Pew Research Center estimates that about 10,000 geezers hit 65 each day, meaning our retirement population will approximately double by 2050. That’s a 100 percent growth. At the same rate, the working population — us, if a reminder is necessary — will only increase by

17 percent. The imbalance resembles an epileptic seesaw holding the young and old of American society on either end, your Social Security, Medicare and general array of entitlements then being flung far out of reach. Be mindful in the meantime that you’ve been paying into these programs as young, working adults. If these trends continue unabated, that money you’ve pumped into the system is likely never coming back to you.

Even if you’re privileged enough to come out with only minor scratches, plenty of your peers won’t be so lucky.

Consider deep education cuts being made across the country. Consider poorer school districts and urban areas having to scrap their Head Start programs due to insufficient funding, the subsequent widening in income gaps and social advantages, even the more fortunate kids being inescapably tied down by rising student debt. Consider the grossly disproportionate $12,164 spent on children in 2008 with the $27,117 spent on retirees of the same year, according to the Urban Institute. Something’s not right here. Perhaps we could cut some more from the leaching kids in Detroit.

The fact that our generation isn’t mobilized doesn’t help.

We have no central lobbying core — no AARP to protect our interests. We are not considered a crotchety voting demographic that requires keen political pandering, if our generation chooses to vote at all. Instead, the paradoxically childlike adults that run Congress hold our future checkbook, and our relationship is akin to asking for an allowance — Congress dictates the terms and we suffer the consequences.

But we don’t have to. Attend a speech on the tour of superstar investor and youth-advocate Stanley Druckenmiller

and consider the inevitable: that unless this generation voices their opposition now, we accept a future that fiscally bleeds us dry, handed down to us so callously by Generation X. If Druckenmiller’s free-love generation could scale back America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, it’s embarrassing that we can only muster a protest for Facebook interface changes.

This is not a plea to wage war on grandma. We’re a society that takes care of our own. What we’re not is a hypocrite going belly up on our promises to provide for both our retirees and our kids — that’s not a choice we have to make.

But at present, we’ve been too docile to notice. Congress has been protecting the interests of kids by teaching them to carry the burden of their ancestor’s blunders. Well, the kids grew up, but we can’t carry the load alone.

The federal budget allocates a much larger amount of funding to senior citizens than youth.

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The Signal willingly corrects factual mistakes. If you think we have made an error, please contact The Signal at (609) 771-2424, write to the address listed above or e-mail us at signal@tcnj.edu.

page 10 The Signal January 22, 2014

Features

Deportation for Biebs? We’re not yolking

By Johnanthony Alaimo Columnist Hello again, friends, frenemies and Gweneth Paltrow (I know you read this, bitch). It’s been a long winter break and to be honest, I fell asleep watching “The Hobbit” back in December and I’m just walking out of the theater now so I have a lot to catch up on. 2014, huh?

Unfortunately, it seems that the biggest news story is that Justin Bieber threw eggs at his neighbor’s house. That’s the wrong way to menstruate, dear.

Apparently Biebs has been having a feud with the guy next door and decided to egg his house, costing the homeowner $20,000 worth of damage. Holy shit, are you sure he threw eggs and not bricks? I’m sure a bottle of Windex can clean up the mess.

Regardless, Bieber is definitely in the wrong, so much so that police raided his

home to collect evidence regarding the incident. What they found was a lot better than anything that can come out of a hen’s ass. I’m talking about cocaine!

One of Bieber’s friends was arrested for possession of the illegal drug. Oh, Justin, you’ve been keeping an eye out for Selener so much that you ignored the LAPD. Amanda Bynes has come a long way since trying to light a dog on fire.

The actress/51-50 hold icon is back at school, having enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. A lot of jokes were made about Bynes in the past regarding her erratic behavior, myself being very guilty.

However, Bynes clearly suffered a very real mental disorder, which is not fun and games. I’m glad she has recovered and is getting her life back on track. By this time next year, hopefully she and Drake will have collaborated on his next album.

“American Idol” is returning! If

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Bieber is in eggs-tremely big trouble. On the sunny side, there’s still a chance he’s getting back with Selener.

you’re a cricket, this is your cue to start chirping. Does anybody care about this show anymore? What is it even about?

The show has had consistently declining ratings over the last few years and it’s no wonder. “Idol” has lost its spark and I’m not talking about Jordin. Can you

even name last season’s winner? For all I know it was Randy Jackson. The fact is, “Idol” hasn’t been the same since they let go of Paula Abdul. She was the beacon of the program, proving that it doesn’t matter how many pills you take, it’s how you use them.

Four tips to a successful spring semester

By Ruchi Shah Columnist

We’ve heard it from everyone — college goes by fast. But when my professors and parents said “fast,” I, for one, didn’t realize “fast” would mean in the blink of an eye.

Another semester at the College is already upon us. As a junior (almost senior — yikes!), I find this overwhelming. However, when returning back to campus at the start of the semester, time seems infinite.

The first week or two is always leisurely. With classes just beginning, it seems like there’s absolutely nothing to do but relax and catch up with friends.

But beware — this is exactly when it is easiest to fall behind.

If there’s anything I’ve learned over the course of the past five semesters, it’s that not just

planning, but planning from the very beginning, is key. It’s extremely important to be on top of your game from day one.

Many people are often disillusioned and think they can successfully plan and complete assignments and tasks right before they’re due. Planning and completing are not meant to be simultaneous tasks. It’s often week three before students begin to start outlining their schedules. See the problem here?

The first round of exams and papers usually begins around week four. Before they know it, they’re staying up later and later each night, wishing more and more that they had utilized the free time during their first two weeks more productively.

With all this in mind, here are some tips to help you spring forward and prevent you from falling into unhealthy habits of late

nights and caffeinated beverages. Although this advice may seem fairly basic, it tends to be overlooked more often than not.

Plan from the very beginning.

Invest in a planner. Or, if you’re more tech-savvy, use Google Calendar or download a calendar app on your phone, such as CalenGoo. Whatever your preference, it’s important to make note of the important dates and deadlines throughout the semester. This rough outline will come in handy when planning specific events down the line, and it’ll prevent you from unintentionally double-booking.

back into your routine of sleeping early and waking early as soon as possible. A good night’s sleep ensures physical and emotional health, two musts of a successful semester. Being wellrested enables you to be alert and attentive in your classes.

Establish a regular sleep schedule. Chances are your break was filled with late nights and late mornings, a routine that won’t complement your semester schedule. It’s important to get

Be academically proactive.

Define your academic goals for the semester and write them down. I prefer to use a sticky note and post it above my desk in my room. When the going gets tough later in the semester, seeing the goal you’ve established early on will help you stay focused and motivated.

If you find yourself unable to grasp the material in a particular class early on, don’t brush it off. Visit your professor during office hours as soon as you can.

By resolving it in the beginning, you’ll be better prepared to un-

Last month, a suicide bomb killed 34 people in Volgograd, a city 420 miles away from Sochi, and it is believed that the same group that organized the bombing has threatened to attack the Olympics.

The Games have had attacks in the past, and the U.S. has offered Russia help in security measures to ensure that Sochi is not the sight of another one.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin says the security measures are already extremely strong, and that 40,000 members of Russia’s police and security forces will be guarding the events.

“We will try to make certain that the security measures are not intrusive or too conspicuous, so they are not too noticeable for the athletes, the Olym-

pics’ guests or journalists. But at the same time, we will do our utmost to ensure that they are effective,” Putin said in a press conference.

Still, the U.S. government wants the Russian government to be more cooperative on sharing intelligence information.

On CNN’s “State of the Union,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said, “(The Russian’s) level of concern is great, but we don’t seem to be getting all of the information we need to protect our athletes in the games. I think this needs to change, and it should change soon.”

The U.S. team is not taking any chances, and according to USA Today, “the U.S. ski and snowboard team has hired a private crisis response firm in

derstand the coming material and save yourself from the disaster of cramming right before the exam.

Make a list of five new things you want to try during the semester. College will be over before you know it. You don’t want to find yourself looking back with regret at lost opportunities.

You also don’t want to attempt to incorporate those opportunities into your already hectic schedule last minute. Once again, planning from the beginning is key! Make a list and add it to your semester schedule. By putting time aside early on, you will greatly increase the chances of accomplishing these tasks.

While it is absolutely true you can’t plan for everything, remember that success doesn’t just happen — it’s planned for.

Safety a big concern for the Sochi Olympics

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Putin promises that athletes and spectators will be safe, but the US is still taking extra precautions.

By Colleen Murphy Features Editor

The Olympics is a time where countries showcase their best athletes, and this year,

Team USA is looking stronger than ever. But unfortunately, the spirit of the Games is being turned into a discussion of how safe the Sochi Winter Olympics will actually be.

the event a medical or security emergency requires an evacuation from Sochi.” The FBI also said they will be sending agents to Russia to keep athletes and spectators safe.

As the first day of competition approaches, all we can hope for is that Russia’s security is as tight as they say it is and that everyone stays safe.

And showing the true athletes that they are, many of the U.S. Olympians are saying that they cannot worry about the concerns surrounding the events — they have to concentrate on winning gold. And hopefully that’s exactly what they’ll do.

This is the first part of “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” a weekly column on the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

January 22, 2014 The Signal page 11

Natural beauty products Are they worth the hype?

Campus Style

By Jordan Koziol and Heather Hawkes Columnists

Paying more for a ‘natural’ product might not be worth it.

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By Brielle Urciuoli Columnist

“fragrance,” and coconut and shea butters as moisturizing agents.

From foods to skincare and makeup, people are excited to purchase items with the label “natural” or “organic,” and they are willing to pay more money for what they think are better and greener items.

But how can you be sure these beauty products really are what they claim to be and do what they claim they do?

Be weary of expiration dates. If you finally find an all-natural product, be careful to note when it will go bad. These plant-based products can spoil, just like the fruits and veggies in your fridge. Read labels closely for expiration dates (usually marked in months) and use a permanent marker to write when the product should be thrown out and repurchased to avoid spreading germs and bacteria to your body.

The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the use of the word “natural.” That means you need to do more investigating into what you think is a “greener” skincare approach. Check the label for ingredients like fragrance (which also cannot be regulated), parabens for preserving and sodium lauryl sulfate, which acts as a foaming agent.

All of these point to a not-so-natural product. Also, if you think that mask or lotion is green because of all the wonderful leafy ingredients, you might want to double check. Most coloring is unnatural and man-made.

Know what to look for when searching for natural products. Ingredients are usually listed in order of volume — the first two ingredients usually make up the bulk of the product. Look for essential oils for fragrance instead of just the term

Consider looking to the supermarket instead of the drugstore or department store. Many natural products can be found in food and herbal products. By making your own remedy, you can avoid scrutinizing labels and will know exactly what goes into it. Mix up a mask made of honey, milk and avocado for glowing skin. The avocado and milk moisturize the skin, while honey acts as a natural disinfectant to get rid of germs that could cause acne!

Not all products that claim to be natural are good — though not all are bad — and they all are certainly not natural. Be careful before you dish out big bucks for these items that are more prevalent now than ever.

If you spent winter break on a lavish island tanning on the beach, in a thirdworld country volunteering with the less fortunate or getting a head start on spring semester reading, then kudos to you. But if you’re like many of us, you spent break in the dark depths of an addicting universe. In this universe, any and all productivity was hindered by the temptation of the following: “Next episode starting in 12…11…10…”

That’s right. If you, too, were a casualty of Netflix, you understand this paralyzing obsession. However, the upside of an endless TV marathon is endless style inspiration. We asked our friends and family to help nominate the Best Dressed TV Characters, and the results are in:

character’s style consists of pantsuits and chic jackets in very basic hues: white, gray, beige and black. Pope is the perfect style icon for the young professional.

Scott Disick, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”: Though he may be arrogant, Scott Disick is undoubtedly a sharpdressed man. Known for his brave color palette of pinks, lavenders and lime greens, Disick always look stylish in his tailored suits or casual v-necks. Think Vineyard Vines with a twist of sartorial luxury. Gentlemen, take note!

This semester, don’t let the cold weather hinder your style. Get inspired by TV’s best-dressed characters, even if it’s just for an excuse to watch some Netflix.

Blair Waldorf, “Gossip Girl”: Blair Waldorf wrote the book on “well put together.” She struts her flawless style on her Upper East Side runway, dazzling audiences with her preppy and articulate outfits. For students who are still confused by “business casual,” look no further than inspiration by Blair.

Jessa Johansson, “Girls”: In each episode, Jessa confidently expresses her persona through her unique ensembles. Her outfits purvey a sense of, “I am so jaded by everything, but still look fabulous while doing it.” As a world traveler, she has collected her fair share of exotic and vintage pieces in which she fashions effortlessly.

To get her look, try local thrift shops.

Think billowy tops, flowing skirts, wideleg trousers and crazy prints.

Olivia Pope, “Scandal”: This brilliant crisis manager has fans nationwide applauding her wardrobe — a combination of smart and feminine pieces. Costume designer Lyn Paolo decided that Pope would figuratively and literally “wear the pants.” The

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Lord Disick always looks dapper.

Sriracha hot sauce factory on 30-day freeze

Red jalapeño pepper fumes causing health problems

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Nearby residents are complaining of health problems.

By Neha Vachhani Columnist

When it comes to hot sauce, there are a handful of brand names that take the lead for the best. Sriracha, although pronounced in a myriad of different ways, is one of the most wellknown and distinctly flavorful condiments that Americans

have grown to love. Whether spread across General Tso’s Chicken or doused onto a slice of pizza, Sriracha adds a savory kick to everyone’s favorite foods. With such a large following, it is no secret there has been an ongoing controversy over the health and environmental concerns that the Sriracha factory poses to the public.

Toward the end of 2013, the townsfolk of Irwindale, Cali. came together to create a lawsuit against the Huy Fong Foods CEO in an effort to either have a better filtration process implemented within the Sriracha Factory or have the factory shut down altogether.

An accumulation of filed complaints about the toxins that the factory releases into the air was the premise of the ongoing debate. It was claimed that the fumes released when the red jalapeño peppers are processed affected those residing within a close proximity to the factory.

The severity of the health risks never exceeded watery eyes, coughing fits and sore throats, but the main concern was that there should be no health risks in the first place.

After an escalating dispute amongst the Huy Fong Foods Company, Sriracha lovers and those affected by the factory’s noxious odors, the CEO halted Sriracha production until fur-

ther notice. It was also rumored that the factory would be moving to Texas to continue production, but that will be unnecessary because it has been officially announced that shipment of the beloved hot sauce will resume at the end of the month.

During the 30day freeze of the factory, the California Department of Health Services tested the fumes for any toxins or components that might be detrimental to public’s health. It was declared that the Sriracha Factory emissions are free of any toxic or harmful microorganisms, and will pick up production as soon as possible. The Sriracha shortage has ceased and spicy food lovers have rejoiced.

Although the majority of the public is grateful for the continu-

ation of Sriracha production, the townsfolk of the Irwindale are left with the short end of the straw. Initially they had simply asked for a more effective filtration system so that the gases omitted would not affect the environment. This suggestion was dismissed early on due to the money that Huy Fong Foods would have to put into it. Making compromises to better the environment and lessen the health risks for the public will come second to making economical decisions, especially when it comes to companies in the food industry in America. This popular debacle amongst Americans and the uncompromising outcome did not go unnoticed to the environmental protection organizations and it is unlikely that this is the end of it.

page 12 The Signal January 22, 2014

Arts & Entertainment

‘American Hustle’ rustles up two thumbs Karl Delossantos Staff Writer

David O. Russell has proved himself to be a competent director with films like “The Fighter” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” but with his latest Oscar contender, “American Hustle,” he has proved that there is a method to his madness.

The film follows Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), two people who are too smart to make an honest living. After the pair meets, they quickly become lovers and then the dream con-artist team.

They eventually fall into a routine that, although simple, becomes a lucrative scheme for them. This scheme involves Sydney’s alter ego, Lady Edith Greensly, a British aristocrat. However, their world quickly comes crashing down when motivated and hot-headed FBI agent Richard DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) catches them and cuts them a deal to

‘American Hustle’ successfully tackles big themes. help him bring down corruption in the government.

One of these corrupt government officials is Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), who is the mayor of Camden. He plans to use money from a foreign entity to build up Atlantic City and help the state of New Jersey.

The trio’s plans become endangered when Irving’s passiveaggressive big-mouthed wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) begins

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complicating matters.

American Hustle is an incredibly well-made ’70s crime dramedy with a style that matches the film’s content. Russell knows what the film is supposed to be and allows it to take on a life of its own. It’s an experience. The ridiculous hair, the flashy clothes and the big bombastic performances add to his cause.

Russell’s direction is very careful and deliberate, with each shot

having meaning and purpose.

Even the editing is very intentional, for the filmmaking helps the story. Irving is very calculated. He is very skilled in the art of hustling and the film is respectful of his talent.

Although the movie has its comedic moments, most of it feels a bit forced, as does the plot. Apparently, many scenes were somewhat improvised, which muddled the story. The best example being the first 20 minutes, which seems like an unnecessary time warp.

It’s not the most solid storytelling in recent years, but a mix of reliable narration and a quick-fire editing style keeps you thrilled and demands attention.

Despite this, the good does not only outweigh the bad — it breaks the scale. Underneath the glitz, hairspray, popped collars and ’70s power ballads is an adroit character study. It’s about the American dream and what we will do to obtain it.

“American Hustle” is camp at its best with its ridiculous music montages, big acting and sharp conversations but Russell handles it with absolute grace. It is a top-notch cast of A-listers at the top of their game, especially Cooper and Adams. Christian Bale has proven time and time again that he is one of the greatest actors of our generation and this film is no exception.

As the film unfolds, you realize it’s about two things: dissatisfaction and motivation. It’s about the American dream — which in this film is success — and what we will do to obtain it. It’s about people at the end of their ropes grasping for anything to keep from falling.

Some people won’t understand it and some people will see a complicated offbeat comedy, but others will see the emotional depth involved. “American Hustle” is one of those few films that is a good time and a complete joy to watch, but also has something big to say.

Promotional stunt unleashes ‘Devil Baby’ Shayna Innocenti Arts & Entertainment Editor

New York-based marketing firm, Thinkmodo, struck again, releasing an animatronic infant in a remote-controlled pram to terrorize the people of Manhattan on Tuesday, Jan. 14, as part of a low-budget marketing stunt to promote the movie “Devil’s Due,” released on Friday, Jan. 17.

This little red-eyed, vomit-spewing demon-child racked up over 9.4 millions views on YouTube by Tuesday afternoon, according to an article posted on latimes.com.

This abandoned stroller would either attract bystanders through the sound of a crying infant or would even be as bold to approach them, and then proceed to scare and confuse anybody nearby. As seen in the video, even a dog jumped back, its tail between its legs,

after the infant sprang up growling.

According to an article published by the Huffington Post, Thinkmodo founder, Michael Krivicka, told Yahoo! News that the project “was an interesting social experiment to see how many people would bother to check on an abandoned stroller.”

This lifelike creature had the ability to blink, sit up, scream, growl, give the finger and even projectile vomit.

This was not the first time Thinkmodo shocked the people of New York. In October of 2013, to promote the movie “Carrie,” Thinkmodo ridged a coffee shop with remote controlled tables and flying books to make it appear as though a woman — who was an actress — had telekinetic abilities, according to an article by the Huffington Post.

While this type of marketing has drawn a lot of positive attention, it has also had

people voicing a lot of concern of the the safety of the people.

If indeed all of the people in the “Devil Baby Attacks” video were not paid actors, then there is a very real chance that a person could have become violent, started panic or even suffered from a heart attack.

Though no one was hurt during the making of “Devil Baby Attacks,” it does make one wonder how far producers are willing to go to get a thrill from their audience.

People who pay to go and see a horror movie are paying to be frightened. People who buy a coffee are not exactly paying to have a table fly across the room.

But is this “prank-style” type of advertising really successful?

According to IMDB.com, “Devil’s Due” rolled in at No. 7 for its opening weekend. The movie made $9.3 million,

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‘Devil Baby’ terrorizes New York.

falling in between movies “American Hustle” (No. 6) with $11.5 million and “August: Osage County” (No. 8) with $8.9 million, two movies that have been out for a few weeks now.

Oscar ‘Best Picture’ surprise nominations Jonathan Edmondson Review Editor

In recent years, the Oscars have become far more than just an award show. The race to claim one of the infamous golden statues has become an obsession for not only those involved in the entertainment industry, but also for those keeping score at home.

When the Oscar nominations were announced on Thursday, Jan. 16, thousands were eagerly awaiting to see who made the cut and who was snubbed.

Like most years, there were sure things and a few surprises along the way.

Perhaps the biggest surprise came when the nominations for Best Actor were announced. Regardless of the outcome, someone

The 2014 Oscar nominations shock and deliver.

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was going to brutally lose out.

This year included some outstanding performances by leading men, and with only five spots, it was really anyone’s game.

Of course, there were sure things, such as Bruce Dern for “Nebraska” and Matthew McConaughey for “Dallas Buyers Club.” Leonardo DiCaprio managed to sneak in for his dizzying portrayal in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and Chiwetel Ejiofor was no surprise for “12 Years a Slave.” The coveted fifth spot seemed to belong to Tom Hanks or iconic cinema star Robert Redford. However, both famous actors were shut out in favor of honoring Christian Bale for his leading turn in “American Hustle.”

Bale’s nomination was the first in series of nods for David O. Russell’s newest film, which include Amy Adams for Best Actress, Jennifer Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress, Russell for Best Director and Bradley Cooper for Best Supporting

Actor. A strong showing in the nomination field, plus a pivotal win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, catapults “Hustle” to the front of the list to win another coveted award for which it is nominated for: Best Picture.

Each year there is a possibility of having 10 Best Picture nominations, and this year we got nine. Some were completely expected: “American Hustle,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Her,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Gravity.” A few others, however, came as a bit of surprise: “Captain Phillips,” “Nebraska” and “Dallas Buyers Club.”

Perhaps the most shocking — but entirely deserved — nomination was “Philomena,” claiming the ninth spot. The charming movie, led by Best Actress nominee Judi Dench, has one of the most original and powerful stories of the year. Clearly the Academy has taken note of just how important this film is.

Some categories this year have very little competition.

Despite fierce performances from all of the ladies in the category of Best Actress (Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Judi Dench and Sandra Bullock), this one is Cate Blanchett’s to lose.

Blanchett played the powerful leading role in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine,” and has been the frontrunner since the movie premiered early last summer.

The Best Supporting Actor field also includes a sure-thing frontrunner: Jared Leto, for his emotional portrayal of an AIDSpositive transgender woman.

Despite strong showing from Jonah Hill (“The Wolf of Wall Street”) and Michael Fassbender (“12 Years a Slave”), Leto has this one on lockdown.

For more Oscar news, including an in-depth analysis of every major category, be sure to check out my weekly blog at tcnjsignal.net.

January 22, 2014 The Signal page 13

Golden Globe Awards underwhelm viewers Chris Minitelli Staff Writer

Award season officially kicked off on Sunday, Jan. 12, with the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards.

The event, which was hosted for the second time by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, didn’t have many surprises or memorable happenings.

For television, some of the major awards went to “Breaking Bad” for Best Drama and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” for Best Comedy.

Andy Samberg took home the Best Actor in a Comedy Series award for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” while Amy Poehler finally won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on “Parks and Recreation.”

In the drama categories, Bryan Cranston won for “Breaking Bad” and Robin Wright won for Netflix’s “House of Cards.” The two awards for “Breaking Bad” were no surprise; however, the two for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” were.

A noteworthy event from the television

categories has to be when Jacqueline Bisset, who won Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV movie, basically refused to leave the stage despite music playing her out.

For the movies, “American Hustle” was a big winner, taking away Best Comedy, Best Actress in a Comedy for Amy Adams and Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Lawrence. “12 Years a Slave” took Best Drama, while Matthew McConaughey won Best Actor in a Drama, and Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor in a Comedy for “Dallas Buyers Club” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” respectively.

I honestly never thought I would see the day when Matthew McConaughey would be taken as a serious actor. However, I have to admit that he has certainly taken on much greater and challenging roles than earlier in his career.

As I was watching the Golden Globes, I could not help but compare them to last year’s show.

Most of the winners were not surprising

Hosts Poehler and Fey fail to impress at Golden Globes. and nothing too out of the ordinary happened, which made me find myself pretty bored.

Although the hosts had their moments, Poehler and Fey were letdowns this year.

While this is the case, I honestly think it’s because they did not have nearly as much time on stage than they did last year

AP Photo

for some reason.

All in all, the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards will not be remembered all too well.

While historically these awards are usually good indicators of how the Academy Awards will be, I certainly hope those are more memorable and entertaining.

Art exhibit enters the mind of Ruane Miller

‘Rhythm and Flow.’

tcnj.edu

Shayna Innocenti Arts & Entertainment Editor The College’s Art Gallery will be featuring a retrospective exhibition of 46 works of art created by faculty member Ruane Miller between Wednesday, Jan. 22, and Thursday, Feb. 20.

The exhibition, “Through the Window of My Mind...Ruane Miller Paintings and Print,” will showcase her paintings and digital prints from the past 15 years, commemorating her retirement as the professor of digital art at the College, where she has taught since 1986.

Looking at Miller’s paintings, it is evident that she draws much of her inspiration from the lines, colors and flow of nature.

Much of Miller’s work is composed in series. The imagery found in her paintings and prints represent different places she has traveled to, including Maui, northwestern Ontario, the Northern Plains and the Four

Corner Region of the Southwest, according to an article posted on the College’s website.

In her most recent series, the Grand Canyon series, Miller created a cohesive set of artwork that utilized similar colors but arranged them into different shapes and sequences.

These gouache styled paintings held rich deep-blue skies and red, brown and white striped rock sides of the canyon. She completed this series from an artist residency along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.

Her unique and vivid perspective on the environment transcends atypical concepts and morphs them

into abstract emotions.

Miller’s digital work incorporates shadow-like figures, gouache paintings and her own photography of western landscapes and ancient art.

This complex laying of methods creates a surreal depth that grabs hold of onlookers and drags them through the many doors and windows portrayed in her work.

The effortless blend of digital and traditional is especially remarkable in pieces found in her Desert Light & Shadow series.

Along with Miller being awarded numerous prestigious artist residency fellowships, her work has also been featured in both national and international art exhibits.

Some of her collection can be seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Cultural Institute of Rome and the National Park Service Fine Art Collection, just to name a few.

Aside from her personal success in redefining the line between digital and traditional art, Miller has also helped expand the College’s curriculum in the subject.

During her time at the College, Miller was the chairperson of the Art Department and coordinator for the fine arts and digital arts programs. Miller created and enacted a computer graphics curriculum for the Art Department, and developed a BFA major for the digital arts.

Star-studded film ‘Osage County’ delivers Jonathan Edmondson Review Editor

At one point during “August: Osage County,” the two-hour comedy-drama set in Osage County, Okla., the external temperature reaches an excruciating 108 degrees.

This blast of heat, however, has nothing on the familial drama sizzling within the four walls of the Weston home.

Meryl Streep plays Violet Weston, a blazing matriarch slowly deteriorating from mouth cancer. Despite her withered form, her words sting with a determined defamation as she takes aim at everyone around her.

When Violet’s husband Beverley (Sam Shepard) goes missing and is then discovered to have committed suicide, the entire Weston family arrives to attend his funeral.

First, there is Barbara, played with the spirit of a raging tiger by Julia Roberts, who is considered the family favorite and has taken personal responsibility to run her mother’s crippling life. Ewan McGregor plays Bill, Barbara’s soon-tobe ex-husband and pacifier of the crew.

Violet has two other daughters, Karen (a convincingly innocent Juliette Lewis) and Ivy (played with marvelous subtlety by Julianne Nicholson).

Ivy has been constant in Violet’s life, while Karen and Barbara have been off pursing their dreams.

The cast is rounded out by Violet’s sister Mattie Fae (Margot Martindale at her

AP Photo

Despite critical reviews, ‘Osage County’ exemplifies familial importance.

best), her husband Charles (a powerful Chris Cooper), their son Little Charles (Benedict Cumberbatch), Karen’s sleazy new boyfriend Steve (Dermot Mulroney), the Westons’ servant Johanna (Misty Upham) and Barbara and Bill’s daughter Jean (Abigail Breslin).

The cast list appears like a dream lineup for an acting master class, and what each member of this beautiful ensemble brings to the film is no disappointment.

Tracy Lett’s screenplay, based on his Pulitzer-Prize winning play of the same name, is stocked with histrionic revelations and expertly-crafted moments for each character’s development. There is the final confrontation between Mattie Fae and Charles, the tense back-and-forth

between Steve and Jean and the infamous sequence in which Barbara tackles Violet to the ground.

When the entire family gathers for dinner post-funeral, the gates of hell snap open.

What follows is a tour-de-force of conflict including adultery, incest, drug abuse, lies and honesty. While other films this season depend on tender subtlety, this story rolls on with a thunderous intensity.

And therein lies the problem that most critics have found with the film. They point out the bombastic complaining by the cast and chastise Streep and Roberts for “over-performing.” With so much talent packed into one room it is hard to not notice each member attempting to “outact” the others.

If one digs deeper into this realization, however, you can notice that what these actors are doing is not for the sake of awards or empty attention. They are portraying their characters with a kind of honesty most films shy away from. The truth is, whether we want to admit it or not, “August: Osage County” is the epitome of the family drama.

Families feel jealousy. They lie to each other. They cheat on each other. And they do not do it with artistic nuance. They do it with bleak honesty. Sometimes that candor is loud, obnoxious and showy.

What Streep and her ensemble are doing can certainly be interpreted as over acting, but in my eyes they are simply settling into the dramatic honesty of the Weston family.

It would be wrong for them to share bitter whispers across a slow-cooked turkey dinner. Shattering plates, relentlessly cursing and letting their emotions boil like a kettle of hot tea seems like the only accurate way to fully capture the powerful story of this cracked family.

Streep and the cast are not losing themselves in the dripping drama of the screenplay. They know exactly what they are doing. And perhaps the criticism stems from the fact that the year’s most flashy film is also the hardest for us to watch. The drama reminds us of our own family issues, whatever they may be, and Letts does not let us forget that no matter how hard we try to ignore it, family is forever.

page 14 The Signal January 22, 2014

January 22, 2014 The Signal page 15

Lions Fantasy World

The Scoreboard

Nothin’ But Net

Ahhhh, the first issue of the spring semester. That wonderful time when I really just want to talk about what’s happening in basketball right now, but feel obligated to go over the last month and a half in all things sports, including those sports that no one else pays attention to. Last year I wrote a column about the World Darts Championship, which created a policy regarding this column having to relate to fantasy sports in some way. Totally worth it, darts are hilarious!

But in the interest of maintaining professional standards, I guess I will use the rest of this column to catch up on all things sports and fantasy sports-related that took place while we were all celebrating holidays, eating whatever we wanted and generally just not attending classes or, in some cases, wearing anything other than sweatpants.

First on the sports countdown is football, where I suppose I should mention that the Pot Bo … er, Super Bowl is set, between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, with the riveting storylines of “How many more Seahawks will test positive for banned substances?” and “Will Darth Touchdown complete his year of terror by claiming the Super Bowl trophy in his brother’s stadium?” I say 15 and yes, mostly because losing players will really hurt the Hawks.

As for fantasy football, looking directly to the right of here will tell you that yes, my football team (which I co-ran with Sports Editor Peter Fiorilla) did end up winning the league playoffs. I credit luck, drafting Peyton Manning and the surprisingly high point production from 49ers kicker Phil Dawson with the victory. I’d also like to thank all of the participants in the league for a great inaugural year of fantasy football, for without them the league would have seemed rather small and definitely sad.

In other sports, baseball saw A-Rod suspended for a year and continue to sue everyone within a five-mile radius for it, hockey continues to chug along quite happily with far too few people paying it any attention (and had a spectacular brawl within the first two seconds of play in a game last week, which is the funniest random story I’ve ever been linked to), some guy broke his leg in MMA or UFC or whatever the beat-each-other-up-in-a-cage sport is called, soccer continues to be the most popular sport in the world everywhere but the US and golf and tennis continue to make headlines at obscure hours of the day and night. All of which is to say, bring on the basketball news!

Starting with the obvious, the fantasy basketball league is in full swing now, having completed 12 of the 19 weeks of the regular season. As you can see in the standings, I am now running a team solo, and that team is undefeated as of yet. I believe this means that people will start listening to my advice, which will then start to fall flat and have many people mad at me, which sounds about right for a sports columnist. So I’m looking forward to that.

I’ve now run out of space before I could talk about basketball.

See you next week.

By Mike Herold Fantasy Sports Editor

Team Molicki (5-7) Owner: Chris Molicki

Rasheed Wallace (5-7) Owner: Peter Fiorilla

Team Vazquez (6-6) Owner: Victor Vazquez

Team Matos (3-9)

Guys (12-0) 1018 Fantasy Owner: Mike Herold

1586

Jha (0-12) 1107 Team Owner: Ashray Jha

668

Reynolds (3-9) 1493 Team Owner: Amy Reynolds Team Amaral (8-4)

1027 991

876

Owner: Rob Matos

Owner: Marco Amaral

Love Train (9-3)

1602

Off The Backboard (9-3)

1672

Owner: Gabe Allen

Owner: Bryan Dunphy-Culp

Football League Playoffs (3) Team Shubiak

(1) Signal Squad

Signal Squad205

FINAL

(4) End Zone Dancers

Team 193 Gould

(2) Team Gould

Fantasy Player of the Week

AP Photo

I May Be Wrong, But...

Here’s what I would do in fantasy basketball this week: Add: Rajon Rondo. On the slight chance that he wasn’t drafted, or that he hasn’t been picked up in your league yet, grab him now while the getting’s good. It may take him a bit to fully return to form, but Rondo’s been a fantasy beast for years and there are far too few highproduction point guards to pass on him.

Be Cautious Of: Trading season is here, and if you think the Luol Deng for the privilege to drop Andrew Bynum is going to be the biggest move then you haven’t been paying attention to NBA GMs lately. There’s all sorts of chatter about all sorts of players, so watch your team for any big changes in locale because that usually means a different statistical distribution.

Drop: Nikola Vucevic, an early-season fantasy stud, he’s been hit hard with the injury bug of late, and is having concussion issues that might not go away any time soon. There are plenty of F/C options out there, so it might be time to give up on Nik. You might also want to trade Josh Smith, who has not lived up to his star reputation in Detroit, especially with all the other talent in that frontcourt.

Look Out For: Hello there, Kevin Durant. Ever since the Durantula’s top running mate Russell Westbrook went down with another injury, the Thunder’s leading man has been dismantling all forms of defense and kind of crushing it in the other statistical categories as well. The MVP chants for Durant are looking prophetic this year.

AP Photo

Fun Stuff

page 16 The Signal January 22, 2014

I took my king to the dentist...

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January 22, 2014 The Signal page 17

Sports diplomacy wasted on North Korea Rodman’s Eastern excursion is a pointless one Cheap Seats

AP Photo

North Korea is not a good fit with ‘basketball diplomacy.’

By George Tatoris Staff Writer Dennis Rodman’s attempt at “basketball diplomacy” is a downright failure, and not because it was spearheaded by an eccentric man with a penchant for dying his hair pretty colors and cross-dressing — although that may have taken a small part.

It failed because of the backwards country he brought his

“basketball diplomacy” to.

I admit, I love the idea of sports diplomacy. It’s great to see two sides that would normally be at each other’s throats put aside differences for an hour or two to play a game that both sides enjoy. But, North Korea is about the absolute worst choice to conduct this sort of diplomacy with.

At a passing glance, it may seem North Korea is a perfect

candidate for Rodman’s little diplomatic excursion. The Kims have hated virtually everything about the West and its culture except for one thing: basketball.

Kim Jong Il was such a huge fan of the 1990s Bulls that his most-prized possession is a Michael Jordan-signed basketball and Kim Jong Un reportedly played the sport all the time while attending school in Switzerland. So why not ease some political tension with a little game of basketball? It should work, right?

Wrong.

You see, sports diplomacy only works if both sides are willing to set their differences aside in the first place and have good sportsmanship. The Ping-pong Diplomacy of the early 1970s only worked because China had just about exhausted itself with their Cultural Revolution and years of isolation. They wanted change. North Korea, on the other hand, does not.

North Korea and its citizens have been isolated from the world since the country’s creation, and they are not looking to change that anytime soon.

In fact, just one month before Rodman’s trip, the Kim regime executed the one man in a position to do some good with the

right mindset to do it: Kim Jong Un’s uncle and former government official Jang Song Thaek.

In fact, North Korea has become more reclusive than ever since its latest Supreme Leader took over. North Korea’s only ally, China, has not received one visit from Kim since he took office.

In addition to all of this, you also have Kim Jong Un, a ruthless dictator and, according to a 2009 Washington Post article, an equally ruthless basketball player. According

to someone who played with him while he attended school in Switzerland, Kim “hated to lose” and thinks that “winning is everything”.

The competitive nature of Kim would turn what was originally a heartfelt meeting of two powers with opposing viewpoints putting aside their differences for a riveting game of hoops into an international show of one-upmanship, which goes against the very idea of sports diplomacy. (We’d still beat them.)

AP Photo

Kim Jong Un, dictator and good friend of Rodman.

Swimming & Diving

Swimming schools all comers over break Lions dominate at Invitational, set record

By Chrissy Onorato Staff Writer

Over the course of winter break, the College’s swimming and diving teams were not able to relax quite like the rest of the students. It was back to work as usual, and the Lions were ready to go.

Before the holidays, the College participated in the TCNJ Invitational, an event that showcases the best swimmers from multiple teams. The Lions came roaring in, defeating the four opponents they faced.

Some spectacular events were held, with many highlights for the Lions in each. Brett Pedersen set a new record in the 100-yard freestyle race, posting a new time of 45.18.

In the A-final event, sophomore Joseph Dunn, senior Philip Hawley and junior Brian Perez placed fourth, sixth and seventh, respectively, accumulating a total of 56 points.

In the backstroke events, four Lions qualified for the A-final, including junior Aleksander Burzynski, senior Stephen Tarnowski, junior Matthew Vanbiervliet and junior Dennis Hall-App. The College also dominated in the butterfly and breaststroke events, receiving top honors for the day.

In the next day of the invitational, the Lions maintained their dominance, as Burzynski, Tarnowski and multiple other Lions led the way and captured the top spots in each race.

The women’s TCNJ Invitational was

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

The men’s team surged to a perfect record at the TCNJ Invitational. just as exciting and hard-fought. Senior Nina Sabatini, sophomore Lauren Rothstein, senior Michelle Sanders and junior Brennah Ross made up the 200-freestyle relay team and placed fourth in the event.

In the 400-medley relay, senior Hailey Growney, freshman Brenna Strollo, Rothstein and Ross finished fifth with a time of 4:07.44.

The second day of the Lions’ invitational was even stronger. Ross finished third in the 100-butterfly, while senior Amy Schurer and junior Summer Thomas placed fifth and seventh in the 400-

individual medley event.

In the 800-freestyle relay, freshman Colleen Magley, Sabatini, Strollo and Thomas swam their way to a fourth place finish, racking up 30 points.

After this event, the Lions got to enjoy the holidays for a brief break but went right back to work as soon as they were over.

Back and ready to go, the men’s team fell short of a victory in a 102-160 loss against Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday, Jan 6. However, the day was highlighted by sophomore James Shangle’s performance, winning three events, including

the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke and the 400-individual medley.

Burzynski also had a very strong day, winning the 100-yard backstroke and placing second in the 200-backstroke. Andrew Nesbitt placed second in the 200-freestyle while freshman Ryan Gajdzisz placed second in the 500-freestyle event.

The College’s men’s team then took on William Paterson University the following week and was back on top in a 180109 victory.

Tarnowski had a dominant day, as he conquered the 100-yard freestyle and 200butterfly. In the 200-medley relay, Tarnowski, Nesbitt and freshman Scott Vitabile took top honors.

Senior James Milone was victorious in the 500-freestyle event while sophomore Daniel Tsinis dominated the diving board, placing first in the 1- and 3-meter events.

Also going up against William Paterson, the women’s swim team was superior as well, earning a 170-109 victory.

Sabatini was strong all day, helping out in two winning relays and coming out on top in the 100-yard freestyle. In the 200-free relay, Strollo, Thomas and Rothstein teamed up to gain another victory for the Lions.

On the diving board, senior Sabrina Lucchesi took the 1 and 3-meter events in a strong outing.

This week, both teams take on Rowan University in a crucial meet on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 2 p.m.

page 18 The Signal January 22, 2014

January 22, 2014 The Signal page 19

Lions staying focused after win streak Women’s basketball

Team’s improved defense paying big dividends

By Gabe Allen Staff Writer

After having their ninegame winning streak snapped by conference-leading Montclair State University (14-2), the women’s basketball team rebounded on Saturday with a 72-54 victory over New Jersey City University, improving their overall record to 11-3 on the season.

While most students were relaxing and enjoying the break from classes, the Lions got busy taking their opponents to school.

Having gone 6-1 over the break while sweeping their competition at the Cruzin Classic in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., the Lions are currently in 2nd place in the NJAC standings, though after Montclair fell to Kean on Saturday, the two teams share a tie for best conference record at 8-1.

While head coach Dawn Henderson is very pleased with the way her team has been playing and working to get better every day, she downplayed the significance of their recent win streak.

“I tell the girls: Don’t worry about winning streaks,” Henderson said. “Just work hard

every day and focus on the game that’s ahead.”

In the beginning of the season, the Lions were having no problems scoring the ball, but they were struggling to consistently produce the stingy, stifling defense that has been the benchmark of the College program for so many years.

Through the Lions’ first seven games, they allowed opponents to put up nearly 69 points per game. During the winter break they’ve held their competition to only 56 points a night.

“We have done a much better job defensively, slowly improving as the season has gone by, but we still need to continue to improve and get a little bit better every day,” Henderson said.

With just 11 regular-season games remaining, the Lions are now just past the halfway-point.

They have already faced nine of their 11 remaining opponents, and given their 8-1 mark against these teams, one may be inclined to pencil the Lions into the playoffs already.

Despite all of the positives, Henderson is certainly not one to count her meals before they have been cooked.

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Senior Tiffany DeTulio helps the Lions rebound after a loss to Montclair.

“We’ve overcome so much as a team, playing through a lot of injuries, and having a lot of players step up for us,” Henderson said. “It’s great that we’re finally getting back to full strength, but now we’re going to have to work really hard to find our rhythm playing at full strength since we’ve

been missing players for most of the season.”

Furthermore, many of their wins against these opponents were close, hard-fought battles.

“Nothing is easy the second time around,” Henderson said.

“These teams are going to be fighting hard to get back at us.”

The Lions have a three-game

road trip this week before returning home for a two-game homestand Monday, Jan. 27, against Stevens Institute of Technology and Wednesday, Jan. 29, against Richard Stockton College in Packer Hall, as the Lions look to build their chemistry and make another playoff push.

Men’s Basketball

Basketball / Lions turning around season continued from page 24

“Right now, I really go back and harp on the fact that last year, these guys made a commitment,” Williams said when asked what sets this team apart from past years. “They were very disappointed in their efforts, and worked very hard during the offseason in the summer and in the preseason, and when they got back to camp this year they wanted to be better, and they fully committed, so they’re definitely reap-

ing some of the rewards from that. I think a major factor in

why we’re having such success right now is that we are truly a

family, great chemistry, we’re tested, and when things aren’t

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

The Lions go 5-2 in the NJAC over break, bouncing back after an 0-2 start.

going our way we don’t point the finger. We support each other, and are all on the same page, it’s all very encouraging.

We only have one senior, so knowing that so many of these guys will be here next year is very reassuring.”

After the winter they’ve just had, it must be.

The Lions are back in action this week against William Paterson University this Wednesday at 8 p.m., before returning to the court Saturday at 2 p.m. against Kean University.

Move on, nothing to overanalyze here

AP Photo

Lebron told Wade happy birthday.

By Mike Herold Fantasy Sports Editor

Dwyane Wade had a birthday last week.

I’m not sure if anyone else heard that, but according to ESPN.com it was worthy of being a lead story. Not because he turned 32, that

was old news. No, the story was something of far greater importance. I’ll give you a second to prepare for it, because it’s a doozy.

Here it is: LeBron James, Wade’s teammate and friend, wished him a Happy Birthday, and he used the internet to do it. If your mind was just blown, that’s nothing to be ashamed of, mine was too.

OK, OK, I’ll stop with the tongue-andcheek for a second here. The real story, according to sports media, had to do with what LeBron said in his birthday message. Evidently, The King mentioned that no matter what happens in the future he hopes that he and Wade will forever be friends.

The ramifications of that message, apparently, were far-reaching and of monumental importance. In case you were unaware, this summer James can opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat and sign elsewhere, even returning to Cleveland in what might be the

strangest saga in all of sports. The way the stories and talk online went surrounded LeBron’s vague references to the future and his pending potential free agentship, which I’m sure some people care about.

The point I’m making is that this story was blown WAY out of proportion.

Look, if LeBron actually opts out after this season and hits the free agent market, that would be huge news. But he’s been very adamant about saying that he’s not talking about any of that until after this year, a very smart move on his part and a respectable decision — he’s trying to focus on his team and the season and not be a giant distraction *coughDwightHowardcough.* But this? LeBron was just wishing his teammate of three and

a half years and friend of 10 years a happy birthday. He was saying that no matter what the future may hold, including the future outside of basketball, he hopes that he and Wade will always stay friends, because that is how much their friendship means to him.

To say that LeBron, who has almost always been a very savvy user of social media and public relations (with one notable, hourlong exception), let slip some dark intention to leave the potentially three-time defending champion Heat during a birthday message to Wade is pretty absurd. It paints a picture of a much darker and more sinister man that James has proven to be, and all in the name of getting more clicks on a website.

I guess what I’m saying is calm down, sports writers. Not everything that happens is ground-breaking news. Sometimes a man just wants to say Happy Birthday in peace.

page 20 The Signal January 22, 2014

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January 22, 2014 The Signal page 21

LIONS

AROUND THE

DORM 5 3

Mike Herold “The Ref”

Chris Molicki Managing Editor

Tom Kozlowski News Editor

Peter Fiorilla Sports Editor

In this week’s Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Mike Herold, asks our panel three questions: whether the turnaround of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers or Phoenix Suns is more impressive and surprising, what people should be looking forward to in the 2014 Winter Olympics, and why there is disparity in different leagues of different sports.

AP Photo

1. The NBA’s Western Conference has two surprisingly strong teams. Are you more surprised by the success of Portland or Phoenix, and which team do you think will better sustain their success next year?

Chris: Both the Blazers and the Suns have been extremely impressive. Portland has gone from fringe playoff team to contender, while Phoenix has gone from tanking to playoff team. But in terms of which is more surprising and which

will continue their success, the answer for both is the Blazers. The main reason being that it’s much harder to become a contender than it is to be a playoff team. Portland’s surge is thanks to two main factors: the evolution of Damian Lillard and the addition of Robin Lopez. Lillard is officially a stud, and that’s thanks to his improved three-point shooting. He’s been more efficient, making 44 percent of his threes, as opposed to 37 percent from last year. And if you’ve been living under a rock this season, you don’t know that Lillard has been clutch, making big shot after big shot. Lopez has been huge as well not just because of what he does, but what he allows LaMarcus Aldridge to do.

Lopez is a hustle and defense player who can play center, allowing Aldridge to play his more natural position of power forward and have an All-Star campaign in the process. If they can get more help from the bench, most notably from C. J. McCollum, they could become the Western favorites.

Tom: Phoenix is hot right now. Even in January, the city is approaching temperatures from

the mid to high ’70s. Playing in Phoenix is like dribbling across the blazing flames of our solar system’s sun. Perhaps that’s why they’re called the Suns? Who knows, the team has been very hush hush on the etymology. But for being so pale, point guard Goran Dragic is fast and avoids sunburn. He likely bathes in enough sunscreen to lubricate his layups up and down the court at breakneck speeds.

Peter: The Blazers’ success has been a pleasant surprise in Oregon, but with longtime All-Star quality power forward Lamarcus Aldridge coming back for another year with talented young players waiting in the wings, Portland looked like a playoff contender at the beginning of the year. The Blazers have not necessarily been a bad organization in recent years, and most of the playoff-less years have been a result of tough luck and injuries. With a healthy roster — especially Aldridge, Damian Lillard and Robin Lopez — Portland should continue this success for many years. The Phoenix Suns are more surprising, though, as they were never considered playoff contenders

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by anyone entering the season — ESPN’s preseason power rankings put the Suns at 29th out of 30 teams, after the team had its worst-ever year — thanks to the Suns’ complete lack of known talent, which was not helped by Phoenix trading Marcin Gortat to indicate the team was tanking this year. Not only has Phoenix not tanked, it has played through a rash of injuries and someone solidified itself as a top-8 team in the hyper-competitive West.

Pete wins for distinguishing between the surprise factor and sustainability, Chris gets 2 points for his analysis of Damian Lillard, and Tom gets 1 because Phoenix is indeed hot.

2. The Winter Olympics are right around on one of sports’ biggest stages. The bitter rithe corner. Which event should sports valries between hockey-obsessed countries fans be looking forward to the most in like Canada and Russia are a gripping storyline the Games? every four years, and the history between the Chris: There are plenty of sports that we only great countries of the sport — which includes get to see in the Winter Olympics, but the mathe U.S., although the roster is a distant third jority of them are individual sports. That’s why in on-paper talent — means it will be easy to people should be watching hockey during these care about what transpires on the ice, even for Olympics. First off, the Winter Olympics is non-hockey fans. After the Gold medal game in basically as close to a World Cup that hockey 2010, for example, a potential U.S.-Canada reis going to get. All nations are fighting against match would be thrilling, and the trend of North each other for the gold, making it an exciting American teams failing on foreign soil in the tournament, the likes of which we see only once Winter Olympics would make a victory for one every four years. Secondly, it enables us to see of those two teams all the sweeter. There a coudifferent combinations of players playing with ple of curve balls this time around that make the AP Photo each other. For Canada, we get to see the likes tournament even more interesting, though, inof Rick Nash, Sidney Crosby, John Tavares and lookout for Vladimir Putin skating around saying, “It’s not what it looks like.” Four cluding the large 200 x 98.5 foot rinks that will Steven Stamkos on the same squad. Finally, it’s the issue of his flagrant homophobia. He’s out of 10 in form, 10 out of 10 in bigotry. favor European teams and Russia’s home field all about national pride. It gives us Americans a scheduled to compete in the single men’s Peter: While there is something to be said for advantage. Olympic hockey is always highly chance to root for our team to be superior than mens’ singles. Regarding his tight and watching Winter Olympics-specific sports like entertaining, and back in a hockey country for a all other countries. USA! USA! USA! glittery double-stretch lycra costume and curling and the Luge, nothing is as exciting this tournament that promises to live up to the high Tom: Figure skating is great. Be on the open-axel technique, Putin was quoted as time of year as watching international hockey standards set four years ago in Vancouver.

Chris wins for mentioning chants of USA!, Pete gets 2 for giving a similar analysis of hockey’s appeal during the Olympics, and Tom gets 1 because in Russia, Putin skates on you.

3. In both the NBA and NHL, the Western more even in the NHL and MLB. This shows Conference seems dominant. Similarly, in that a changing of the guard could be happenthe NFL and MLB, the AFC and AL typi- ing. Sports leagues’ success will shift with cally have better teams overall. Is there a the trading and signing of marquee players, reason for this, or is it just happenstance which happens every year. that the West/American conferences are bet- Tom: The last time a team in the AL West ter than the East/National ones? took the World Series was Oakland in 1989.

Chris: First off, this question isn’t entirely The last time a team in the AFC West won the true. The NFC is better than the AFC. Past Super Bowl was Denver in 1999. Just because the obvious contenders of the Broncos, Pa- America won the West in the 1800s doesn’t triots and Colts, there are several good-but- mean the West will win today. Just ask Arizona not-great teams. Cincinnati was awful in the senator and ex-presidential candidate John Mcplayoffs. Kansas City still has a bit of a ceiling Cain, who was traded by the Republican Party on their team. And Miami, Baltimore, San Di- to play tight end for the 4-12 Oakland Raidego, New York and Pittsburgh are all still up- ers. He’s since been put on injured reserve for and-down teams. Meanwhile, the NFC has a broken dream.

New Orleans, Carolina, San Francisco, Green Peter: Some Western teams do have a (small) Bay and Seattle as contenders, while the Ea- advantage in where they play. Teams located gles, Cowboys, Bears, Lions and Cardinals in Colorado, for example, practice and play at are all respectable teams. There’s no rhyme or a higher altitude, which helps prepare them for reason for this, however, because strength of games and creates a better home-field advanconference changes from generation to gen- tage. In general, though, I think any discrepenceration. For example (on a smaller scale), the ies between conferences is arbitrary and tempoNFC East used to be a dominant conference. rary. From 1969-1981, 11 of 13 NFL champions Now, they’re the laughing stock of the NFL, came out of the AFC, but from 1982-1997 the with the Eagles being the only good team. The Super Bowl winners were from the NFC 15 of West has been very good for quite a while in 16 times. Eventually, the tides will turn in the the NBA, and but the conferences are a little NBA and NHL as well — it’s virtually random.

Tom wins for focusing on more than football, Peter gets 2 for pointing out geographical advantages, and Chris gets 1 for debating the respectability of the NFC.

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Peter wins the Around the Dorm, 7-6-5

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page 22 The Signal January 22, 2014

January 22, 2014 The Signal page 23

ports Week In Review AP Photo

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Did You Know?

Since 1981, the Lions have had 90 National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Americans. Of these athletes, 78 of them were coached by current head coach Sharon Pfluger. This past season, juniors Lindsey Hatch and Erin Healy received this honor for their stellar performances. Combined, they have scored 91 points for the Lions.

Number of wins per season Wrestling

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2009

Team total: 204 Alex Spark 53

2010

Jillian Nealon 35

2011

Jen Garavente 34

2012

Lauren Pigott 23 Erin Waller 20

2013

0

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

ST U D E N T AT H L E TE O F

Track & Field January 22-23 Princeton Heptathlon January 24 NYU Team Challenge

Wrestling

Went 5-0 at the Budd Whitehill Duals

Men’s Basketball January 22 @ William Paterson University, 8 p.m.

January 25 @ Kean University, 1 p.m.

Senior Zach Zotollo had a dominant weekend in the 174-pound weight class. The nation’s No. 10 ranked wrestler held his own, posting an impressive 5-0 record. Two of those victories came against the country’s third-ranked grappler from Thiel College.

Zotollo helped lead the Lions to an eight place finish out of 20

Women’s Basketball January 22 @ William Paterson University, 6 p.m.

January 25 @ Kean University, 3 p.m.

This week’s picks from the staff vs. Spurs

vs. Canadiens

vs. Bruins

(NCAAM) Arizona

vs. Colorado

Peter Fiorilla 0

Swimming & Diving January 25 vs. Rowan University, 2 p.m.

Julie Kayzerman 0

Wrestling January 23 @ United States Merchant Marine Academy, 6 p.m.

January 24 @ Centenary College, 7 p.m.

Chris Molicki 0 Andrew Grossman 0 Amy Reynolds 0

20

Sports

Zach Zotollo

(NBA) Thunder (NHL) Penguins (NHL) Kings

15

The Horizon For

THE WEEK

Point leaders

Kendal Borup 11 5 9 10 Lauren Karpovich

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Mike Herold 0

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Signal Trivia

?

What father-son pair hit back-toback home runs in a 1990 major league baseball game?

AP Photo

Signal

Sports

Lions hold their own against top-30 teams

Wins over Thiel, Wisconsin good for eighth

By Andrew Grossman Production Manager

It may have been winter break at the College, but the wrestling squad was given no time kick up their heels and relax. The Lions faced a tough task when they traveled to Lycoming College for the Budd Whitehill Duals, a tournament that consisted of 20 of the nation’s top wrestling schools. The men went 2-3 in the competition, which was good enough for an eighth place finish.

“I think overall it was a pretty satisfying week and we showed improvement as a whole and just kept wrestling hard and smart,” senior 174-pounder Zach Zotollo said. “During the weekend, we lost a couple of close matches to some good teams that we would have liked to beat, but I think a lot of positive came out of the weekend.”

The Lions (3-4) won the opener against No. 26 Thiel College, winning six of the first seven bouts in a 19-18 decision. In the following match, the Lions lost a close one to No. 7 Olivet College by a score of 22-12. Zotollo, junior 133-pounder Joey DiCarlo and sophomore Antonio Mancella at 165 pounds went undefeated to end the first day of the tournament.

The following day against No. 25 University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, the Lions once against started out strong,

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Mancella ends the tournament 5-0, despite tough competition.

winning 17-16.

“If we had lost that match then our weekend would have been over, so we were at an elimination point in the tournament,” Zotollo said. “It was good to beat Wisconsin because it kept our weekend alive.”

After falling short in the next round to No. 14 Johnson and Wales University, the Lions were set for a rematch against Thiel College. Injuries played a big role for the Lions, who, toward the end of the tournament,

had to move guys up and forfeit some of the weight classes. The injuries proved to be too tough to overcome as the Lions lost 27-9 to settle for eighth place. “(The second time against Thiel), we didn’t have the same lineup and were a little banged up, so it was a tough one,” Zotollo said. “Coming into the weekend our goal was top five, but just the way the weekend went with injuries we were pretty happy with how we ended.”

One of the more notable absences was senior Brian Broderick, the nation’s top wrestler in the 184-pound weight class.

While he may have missed the competition, Zotollo and the rest of the team expect him to return to the lineup shortly.

While injuries may have been a factor, there were definitely moments the Lions can be proud of, as both Zotollo and Mancella ended the tournament undefeated at 5-0.

“He had a really good weekend,” Zotollo said of Mancella. “He wrestled real well and wrestled some good opponents.”

As for the senior captain, Zotollo also had a great weekend, beating some of the nation’s top wrestlers.

“I felt that I controlled all of them,” Zotollo said. “There were a couple of close scores but the kid I wrestled from Thiel was a tough opponent. He was one of the better kids I think in the country and I had two close matches with him.”

Despite being 3-4 on the season, the men are still optimistic for the remaining of the season.

“Even against the teams we lost this weekend, I think that we were the better conditioned team,” Zotollo said. “I think that the kids are wrestling tough, understanding that they have to grind out seven minutes, and win or lose, they have to play out until the end.”

Basketball reversal buoyed by Brackett Lions suddenly dominant in tough NJAC

By Mike Herold Fantasy Sports Editor

Following a rough start to the season, the College’s men’s basketball team has clawed its way to more wins than it had last season with 10 games yet to play, as well as a winning record in the hyper-competitive New Jersey Athletic Conference.

The Lions (7-8, 5-4) were on fire during the break, winning six of the nine games they played. The team fared especially well within their conference, going 5-2 after being blown out in their first two NJAC games.

“It’s just a tough conference,” head coach Kelly Williams said of the state of the NJAC. “And the fact that we have a winning record in such a tough conference is just a testament to how hard the guys have worked in practice every day and in the pre-season.”

Lions’ Lineup January 22, 2014

I n s i d e

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Johnson has been a big-time scorer for the Lions.

The team’s winning ways has not hurt its confidence either, and will help the Lions continue a season of improvement.

“They’re starting to play with some confidence and believe in each other a little more, and as a coach that’s one of the things

that you want your team have, to walk into every game and believe that you have a chance — that’s one benefit of having a winning record in-conference right now,” Williams said.

Leading the team during the run has been sophomore forward Bobby Brackett, who is currently averaging 18.3 points and 13.4 rebounds per game.

Brackett’s rebounding numbers are currently tops among players in Division III, and his 12 double-doubles place him second in the nation. Brackett was recently featured by the Trenton Times.

“Everyone is excited for Bobby’s success, and what he’s doing nationally is definitely a special accomplishment,” Williams said. “The guys are so excited for his personal success.”

Brackett has been a consummate player off the court, too, being a good teammate and helping the Lions’ camaraderie.

“He’s a great teammate and a great person, and he’s a very humble superstar, to be honest,” Williams said. “So when the story came out, all the guys were excited, and they felt as though they were a part of it — which they are — and they really felt good about it, the opportunity to be recognized.”

During the break, the Lions saw victories over RutgersCamden (69-56), Westfield State University (71-66), Ramapo College (84-69), Rowan University (73-70), Montclair State University (74-72) and New Jersey City University (79-72).

In that same stretch, the College fell to Kean University (72-48), FDU-Florham (85-71) and Rutgers-Newark (59-51).

The team is seeing the kind of success that they desired after last year’s disappointing 5-20 campaign. see BASKETBALL page 19

46 53 Around the Dorm page 25

Swim teams step up at Invite page 17

Lions are almost flawless page 19

Basketball diplomacy a waste page 17