The Signal: Spring '18 No. 13

Breaking news and more at TCNJSignal.net.

Vol. XLVIII, No. 13

April 25, 2018

Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885

Students face food insecurity

By Heather Haase Web Editor

Facing years of student loans and employment insecurity ahead of them, many college students are already struggling to put food on the table.

More than a third of college students at four-year institutions in the U.S. have felt “food insecure” at some point in the past 30 days, according to a survey published earlier this month by researchers at Temple University and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. The study defines food insecurity as “the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or the ability to acquire such foods in a socially acceptable manner.”

The issue of student hunger is not widely discussed, but it plagues students across the nation, including right here at the College.

Some students find they are eating smaller portions and even skipping meals because they cannot afford to pay for food.

“Sometimes I have to rationalize that I need to eat,” said Olivia Grasing, a junior journalism and professional writing major.

Though this nationwide study is the first of its kind, researchers hypothesize the problem has been escalating in recent years because while tuition see HUNGRY page 3

College holds emotional support animal forum

By Samantha Malnick Staff Writer

The College’s Committee on Student and Campus Community held an open forum to discuss the draft policy of its preliminary recommendation on service and emotional support animals on April 18.

In September 2017, the Steering Committee charged the CSCC to determine whether the procedures in the Service and Emotional Support Animals policy sufficiently addressed the conflicting needs of the campus community aside from members requesting a service animal.

In this draft policy, the College recognizes the importance of service animals and the broader category of assistance animals that “provide physical and/or emotional support to individuals with disabilities.”

The policy states that the College is committed to allowing full participation and equal access to programs and activities for service animals on campus, and individuals with ESAs will have an equal opportunity to live with their animal in campus housing.

“We are just the first step of a multilayered process,” said Suriza van der Sandt, co-chair of the CSCC and associate professor of mathematics. “In this stage, we work very closely with several interested offices on campus such as Janice (Vermeychuk) of Student Health Services and Amanda Radosti of the environmental program, who are with us today.”

As outlined in the policy, the definition of “service animal” is an animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for

Miguel Gonzalez / Sports Editor

The College recognizes the importance of both service animals and ESAs. the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals who are hearing impaired, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair or fetching dropped items.

An ESA is an animal that provides necessary emotional support to an individual with a mental or psychiatric disability that alleviates one or more identified symptoms of an individual’s disability. Not all ESAs are professionally trained and they are not considered service animals, according to the policy.

For both service animals and ESAs, Meghan Sooy, the director of Disability Support Services, must grant approval of the animal prior to its arrival on campus.

Service animals can be approved to enter classrooms and campus facilities, while ESAs are only allowed inside campus housing and are not eligible for approval elsewhere on campus.

One of the largest components that the College has to work with to accommodate

Manhunt players partake in zombie battle

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

Students load their Nerf guns in preparation for a zombie attack.

By Elizabeth Zakaim News Editor

It’s mid-April, and spring is in the air –– but that’s not all.

Students dodged Nerf darts flying through the sky and crowds of zombies skirted around campus as

products of TCNJ Manhunt’s various shenanigans.

On Saturday, April 21, Manhunt held its annual day-long Humans versus Zombies event throughout the College’s campus.

The event was open to students, people from other colleges and

INDEX: Nation & World / page 10 Editorial / page 11 Take a Walk in Our Shoes Follow us on...

Fraternity encourages students to share stories The Signal of overcoming adversity See Features page 18 @tcnjsignal

residents of the greater Philadelphia area.

Two men, John Barrineau Jr. and A.J. Shepard, both from Philadelphia, were excited to participate in this year’s games.

“We just generally enjoy having a lot of fun with Nerf,” Opinions / page 14

Barrineau said.

Both Barrineau and Shepard are part of a Nerf group called ‘PhilaNerfia.’

“It’s a lot more fun than sitting at home playing Xbox,” Barrineau said.

Shepard was also happy to include some physical activity into his daily routine.

“We like to get out and exercise outside, so that it’s not all sitting in the house,” Shepard said.

Exercise and fun were the two aspects most students were looking forward to, and was what made Maggie Paragian, a junior communication studies major and president of TCNJ Manhunt, excited about organizing the event.

“This event is meant to bring together people who normally wouldn’t interact with Nerf and varying themes,”

see FUR page 5

Administration combats Bible Believers’ return with

celebration of diversity

By Michelle Lampariello Managing Editor

A single microphone was placed atop the steps leading to Green Hall’s main entrance, with a buzzing crowd of campus community members below waiting to speak and listen. The building’s long hallways extending past the central clock tower were reminiscent of outstretched arms in a supportive embrace as the upbeat background music was lowered, and several speakers prepared to discuss their personal interpretation of the phrase, “When they go low, we go high.”

The growing crowd sought to foster a sense of inclusion in the face of discrimination for marginalized students, but they were not the only group hoping to draw attention that afternoon. On the other side of Green Hall, members of the Philadelphia chapter of the radical religious group Bible Believers returned to campus less than

see SURVIVAL page 18

Features / page 18

see CROWD page 4

Arts & Entertainment / page 20

Sports / page 28

Campus Movie Fest Students participate in film competition

Baseball Lions beat Rowan in home game

See A&E page 20

See Sports page 28

page 2 The Signal April 25, 2018

April  25,  2018  The  Signal  page  3

SG addresses rumors about Sodexo employees

Randell Carrido / Staff Photographer

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By Grace Gottschling Staff Writer

Loser Hall to Trenton Hall last year.

TCU and SG are concerned about low wages, reduced breaks and the lack of an established union for During its general body meeting held at the State House Sodexo employees. in Trenton, New Jersey, Student Government members heard To address the rumors, Mendes spoke to SG from Patrice Mendes, the College’s Sodexo general manager, members about the policies and procedures Sodexo following concerns raised earlier this year over Sodexo’s al- has in place. Currently, Sodexo has 210 employees leged mistreatment of employees on April 18. at the College who are members of the same union In February, SG began investigating rumors that So- as other local businesses. dexo, the College’s dining facilities provider, is mistreat8QLRQ EHQHÀWV DUH JUDQWHG WR WKH SHUFHQW RI ing its employees by reducing hours to avoid the legal ob- employees who are full time (working an average of 30 hours OLJDWLRQ RI SURYLGLQJ KHDOWK FDUH EHQHÀWV 7KHUH ZHUH DOVR per week). Employees are granted sick leave and vacation rumors of a stark racial disparity between employees and leave requests, as well as personal days, and are approved at management staff. different levels depending on the employee’s years of service These concerns had been brought up by the TCNJ Com- — some employees earn paid holidays based on how many mittee on Unity, which was responsible for much of the con- years they have been with the company. Management staff troversy about the TCNJ Clinic and the renaming of Paul PHPEHUV DUH VXEMHFW WR GLIIHUHQW EHQHÀWV GHSHQGLQJ RQ VDODU\

or hourly status.

Full-time Sodexo employees are given 50 dollars toward ´VDIHW\ VKRHV¾ DQG KDYH DFFHVV WR EHQHÀWV VXFK DV KHDOWK DQG OHJDO EHQHÀWV DQG ÀQDQFLDO GLVFRXQWV DFFRUGLQJ WR 0HQGHV Under their union contract, if an employee ZRUNV PRUH WKDQ ÀYH KRXUV WKH\ DUH HQWLWOHG WR D meal and a 30 minute break.

In a separate meeting with SG members, Mendes, Director of Dining Services Karen Roth and Sean Stallings, the College’s interim associate vice president of student affairs, spoke about Sodexo regulations and demographics of their currently employed staff.

Of the current 210 full-time staff members, 85 percent are African-American and 10 percent are caucasian. About 56 percent of full-time staff members who occupy management SRVLWLRQV DUH IHPDOH DQG SHUFHQW DUH PDOH DFFRUGLQJ WR meeting minutes provided by SG.

Hungry  /  Some  students  unable  to  afford  meal  plans Lack  of  food  contributing  factor  to  student  stress continued from page 1 costs are rapidly rising, more low-income students are enrolling in four-year institutions, seeking a chance for upward mobility through scholarships and grant programs.

A study published last year in the international review journal, “Advances in Nutrition,� showed that students who suffer from food insecurity report high levels of stress, poor quality of sleep and lower GPAs. Hunger adversely impacts students’ physical ability to focus, and the psychological stress of seeking out food further contributes to an increase in anxiety.

The College offers a variety of dining options on campus, mostly centered around a meal plan. The Carte Blanche meal plans allow unlimited access to The Atrium in Eickhoff Hall. Students can swipe in whenever the cafeteria is open, and get as much food as they can eat while they are still in the facility.

Any student, regardless of whether they are a residential student or a commuter, can purchase this plan.

However, these plans cost at minimum $3,620.61, which some students simply cannot afford.

After living on campus for a year, Lorena LiMato, a senior music education major, started commuting from home to save money. “I feel like there’s a whole stereotype that people our age don’t have money concerns and it just makes me sad because people assume my parents pay for everything, and I have to tell them ‘no,’� LiMato said. “They help me out when they can, but not for everything and I feel it — it’s really stressful.�

Other meal plans are much cheaper, but do not offer unlimited access to Eickhoff. For the A la Carte, Apartment and House plans, every point equals one

dollar, and once they spend all of their points, they must pay out of pocket.

Students can also pay for Block Plans, which cover either 25 or 50 meals at Eickhoff. The plan carries over the entire academic year.

LiMato paid for her own Block Plan this academic year, but ran out of meals near the beginning of the semester. “Most of my paycheck goes to food and gas and that’s basically it,� she said. “So it makes it hard to save money for anything else. The time that I do have to realistically work more goes into getting here.�

Purchasing a meal plan at the College is required for all residential students at WKH &ROOHJH EXW SHUFHQW RI VWXGHQWV who attend the College live off campus, according to US News. Many upperclassmen move off campus, not only to gain a sense of independence, but to save some money as well. “Having a job helps, but now that I don’t have a meal plan, not having enough groceries is in the back of my mind,� Grasing said. “When the money comes out of my account, that’s a big stress factor to see the balance go lower, but at the same time I know I’m spending on things that I need to survive.�

Still, some students struggle to pay their rent, let alone buy groceries. According to the Temple University and Wisconsin HOPE Lab study, 36 percent of college students in the U.S. struggle with housing insecurity, which includes a wide variety of challenges, including the inability to pay rent every month. 9 percent of students at four-year colleges have slept in shelters or lacked a consistent place to sleep in the past year.

As a result of this growing issue, student-run food pantries have been opening up on college campuses all over the country. Over 570 campus food pantries across the nation are part of the College

tcnj.edu

All residential students at the College are required to have a meal plan. and University Food Bank Alliance, which helps colleges establish food pantries and develop other programs to address campus hunger, according to AP News.

Rider University joined the swelling list in early February of this year.

Some other colleges allow students to donate extra points or swipes to students in need, according to The New York Times.

In 2013, a New York University graduate student created an app called Share Meals that connects students with a surplus of points with students who are food insecure. The app also has a place for organizations to post information about events that include free food. ´7KH 'HDQ RI 6WXGHQWV¡ RIÀFH KDV been thinking about this issue for the last couple of years, as more and more stuGHQWV DUH EHLQJ UHIHUUHG WR RXU RIÀFH WKDW are experiencing food and housing insecurity issues,� said Kelly Hennessy, the associate dean of students at the College.

In the past year, an emergency fund called Lions Lifting Lions was created to help students who are unable to pay for essential expenses like food and housing.

Current students who have exhausted

WKHLU ÀQDQFLDO UHVRXUFHV FDQ DSSO\ IRU D one-time fund that never has to be repaid.

Hennessy’s efforts to address this issue do not stop there. Student Affairs has also been collaborating with Mercer Street Friends to potentially develop plans for a food pantry on campus.

Hennessy said she feels the College needs to understand more about the needs of the campus community. “I have reached out to Wisconsin HOPE Labs to request to be part of the next survey,� she said. “We are hoping to administer the survey within the first four weeks of fall 2018 semester. We have already secured funding to be part of their research. Our hope is that data will help us understand the need on our campus so we can understand how to best address them.�

In the meantime, Mercer Street Friends provides bags of food to students in need. Sodexo and the College’s Dining Services have also provided the dean of students’ office with some small meal blocks to give to students currently experiencing food insecurity, according to Hennessy.

page 4 The Signal April 25, 2018

Students take down pro-life flag garden display

By Brielle Bryan News Editor

Students engage in flag garden fight On April 13, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Campus Police was dispatched to the lawn in front of the Brower Student Center facing Green Hall on reports of criminal mischief. Upon arrival, three officers met with two female students. One of the female students said that a group she was part of set up a “graveyard” for their pro-life campaign on April 9. This graveyard consisted of pink and blue flags representing abortions that have been carried out in the state of New Jersey during the month of April, police said. The sign stated, “Graveyard of Innocents. Over 3,705 abortions in New Jersey this month alone.”

According to police reports, a group of individuals took the “graveyard” down on the night of April 12, and replaced it with a new flag garden and a new sign that stated, “This is a new flag garden representing the people here who believe you have the right to choose, to love, to protest. Hate has no home at TCNJ.” Campus Police spoke to a staff member at the Brower Student Center who confirmed that the group that set up the original graveyard had that space reserved for their graveyard until April 16, police said. When Campus Police got confirmation that the individuals who created the new flag garden did not have permission to be using that space, they requested that dispatch call the grounds department to come remove the sign and flags. The grounds department had the flags taken down at approximately 12:15 p.m. on April 13, police said.

While back at Campus Police Headquarters, police received an email from one of the female students who took responsibility for the new flag garden. She insisted she had nothing to do with taking down the previous flag garden and stated the plan was to put their sign and flags next to the pro-life demonstration, but the space was empty prior to their arrival, police said. Due to the empty space, they set up their sign and flags in the same spot of the previous flag garden, according to police reports.

Fire drill in Townhouses South reveals pair of bongs On April 5, at approximately 9:10 p.m., two Campus Police officers were at Townhouses South assisting with a scheduled fire drill when a community adviser alerted

them to potential drugs and paraphernalia in one of the rooms, police said. The officers headed over to the suspected unit in Townhouses South and upon their arrival to the building they smelled a strong odor of what they believed to be marijuana.

The officers met with two CAs who both advised that they were doing their routine room checks when they opened the door to one of the rooms and observed what they believed to be a controlled dangerous substance and drug paraphernalia on the desk, police said. The officers looked into the room and observed two bongs and what appeared to be a plastic bag with a green substance.

Campus Police collected from the unit what they saw in plain sight on the desk — a glass bong, containing brown and green residue believed to be marijuana, with the words “Phsi psi” written in blue on a white label, a gravity bong made out of the bottom half of a three liter Poland Spring water bottle and the top half of a one liter water bottle with a socket attachment in the cap containing residue believed to be marijuana and a clear plastic resealable bag containing less than 50 grams of a leafy green substance believed to be marijuana, police said. All items were placed in a large evidence bag and secured in the back seat of a Campus Police vehicle until the fire drills were complete.

Once the fire drills were complete, Campus Police stood by the dorm to wait and see if the resident would return. The resident did not return to the room and Campus Police decided to return to Campus Police Headquarters with the evidence. The evidence was photographed, labeled and bagged, police said.

At approximately 10:50 p.m., Campus Police proceeded back to Townhouses South to the unit where they collected the evidence to attempt to make contact with the resident once again. Campus Police did not find the resident in his unit and decided to make contact with the resident at another date, police said. The offenses committed by the resident were possession of under 50 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Female student consumes too much vodka On April 14, at 1:22 a.m., Campus Police was dispatched to Travers Hall on a report of an intoxicated female student.

Upon arrival, the officer observed the student sitting upright on her bed, vomiting into a garbage can on her lap, police

said. The student stated she had consumed “four or five vodka drinks” in her room. The student’s roommate was on scene and stated she was concerned about her friend’s well-being and notified the community adviser, who then contacted Campus Police.

According to police reports, Ewing Township EMS arrived on scene at approximately 1:35 a.m. and assessed the intoxicated student. The student refused medical transport to the hospital and was not issued a summons for underage consumption due to New Jersey’s 911 Lifeline Legislation.

Male student sent to hospital On April 14, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Campus Police was dispatched to Lot 12 on a report of an intoxicated student. Upon arrival, two officers were met by a female student who reported finding a male student alone and intoxicated in Eickhoff Dining Hall, police said. The female student reported that she attempted to assist the intoxicated student back to his residence, however he was not feeling well enough to walk.

According to police reports, TCNJ EMS arrived on scene to evaluate the intoxicated student and deemed it necessary for an ambulance to transfer him to a hospital for additional medical evaluation. The intoxicated student complained of difficulty breathing and could not walk without assistance. Ewing Township EMS arrived on scene and transported the student to the hospital.

One of the student’s professors followed the ambulance to accompany him to the hospital until his family was notified.

The intoxicated student stated that he was at a party off campus and could not disclose the location of the party, police said. He stated that he had “beers,” but could not recall how much he had to drink.

He told police that he felt “stressed” and did not want to get into trouble.

He was assured that the police, EMS and faculty present were there to help and support him. The female student was thanked for contacting police and getting the intoxicated student assistance, police said. At this time, the intoxicated student will not be charged with underage drinking due to New Jersey’s 911 Lifeline Legislation.

Anyone with information can contact Campus Police at (609) 771-2345.

Crowd / Students counter intolerance with inclusivity

‘When They Go Low, We Go High’ event unifies campus continued from page 1 a week after their first appearance this semester to remind students to “stay on the straight and narrow — emphasis on the straight.”

The College’s Administration was notified on April 17 that the Bible Believers, who previously spewed insults about homosexuals, women and Muslims during a heated on campus demonstration on April 12, planned to return on April 18, according to a campus-wide email from Angela Chong, interim vice president for Student Affairs, and Jackie Taylor, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.

Instead of providing the Bible Believers an audience, the College’s Division of Student Affairs, in conjunction with Student Government, hosted a celebration of diversity called “When They Go Low, We Go High” on Quimby’s Prairie at noon on April 18.

Representatives from several student organizations, as well as College President R. Barbara Gitenstein, discussed the importance of maintaining a supportive on-campus environment that does not stand for hateful speech.

“Any impulse to objectify, deride, fear, debase someone

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

Students speak out against racism and sexism.

who is different from you — we live in a time where that kind of impulse has become normalized,” Gitenstein said. “It is our obligation as members of a community that not merely tolerates, but embraces and celebrates diversity and inclusion, to stand firm against that kind of impulse.”

Joseph Ballesteros, a junior nursing major, represented TCNJ Barkada, a Filipino cultural organization at the College. He explained that he was not present for the Bible Believers’ initial demonstration, but gained an understanding of what happened through social media.

He initially disagreed with how students interacted with the Bible Believers on April 12, but later changed his stance.

“When I first thought of the quote ‘When they go low, we go high,’ I thought ignoring them would be the best choice — I thought just walking by them would be the best idea,” Ballesteros said. “But after seeing everybody consolidate and support each other, I realized that I could say that only because I wasn’t there, only because I wasn’t being attacked, only because if I was there as a heterosexual male who is Christian, I wouldn’t feel

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

Gitenstein emphasizes the importance of tolerance.

attacked by their words.”

Andrew Fenwick, a senior political science major and president of PRISM, shared his candid thoughts on the importance of inclusivity.

“This past week, PRISM has had a rough week,” he said. “We have experienced ignorance, and it has made us question if this is a safe place on campus — but after seeing this today, I can say that this is a supportive campus.”

After a moment of silence, the microphone was opened to any audience member who wanted to share their thoughts. As students continued to discuss countering

intolerance with inclusivity, SG and Student Affairs unrolled a large banner for attendees and passersby to sign with a message of encouragement.

“Please walk away today with the intent to actively, not passively, identify how you can contribute to building a more inclusive community,” said Rosie Driscoll, a senior history and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies double major.

“Challenge yourself and your friends to understand, identify and confront your biases, and educate themselves when they don’t understand a community or a social issue.”

April  25,  2018  The  Signal  page  5

SFB partially funds Epcot-themed cultural expo Fully funds Chabad for annual Lag Ba’omer celebration

Miguel Gonzalez / Sports Editor

A capella group i-Tunes is funded for its anniversary concert.

By Eric Preisler Staff Writer

As a celebration of the i-Tunes’ anniversary, alumni of i-Tunes will also be joining the current members in performFive events were funded at this week’s ing a joint song, according to Mallory Student Finance Board meeting on April 18. Ilves, the treasurer of i-Tunes and a junior The i-Tunes A Cappella group was fully special education and women’s, gender, funded for its annual spring concert, which and sexuality studies double major. will be held on May 6 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. “This is i-Tunes’ 10th year, so we’re doin the Mayo Concert Hall. ing a 10th anniversary concert,� Ilves said.

SFB funded i-Tunes $433 for the costs The Omicron Epsilon Chapter of the of student technicians, the student house Zeta Phi Beta Sorority was fully funded manager, a student usher and supplies. for its event, Finer Fitness: Trap AerobicZ 7KLV FRQFHUW ZLOO EHQHĂ€W WKH &ROOHJH Edition, which will be held on May 2 from because it will provide attendees with a 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Travers/Wolfe Fitdiverse repertoire of cultural music, the ness Center. proposal explained.

SFB fully funded The Omicron Epsilon

Fur  /  Pet  policy  in  development continued from page 1 these animals is the Fair Housing Act. The Humane Society of the U.S. simpliÀHV WKH )+$ DV D IHGHUDO ODZ WKDW SUHvents discrimination against tenants in their homes. The FHA currently has no federal restrictions on the species of the animal in the emotional support role.

Some of the criteria that DSS uses to approve ESAs includes the size of the animal (if it is too large for available assigned housing space), age (if it is less than six months old), up-to-date vaccinations and past experience with aggressive behavior. “The FHA is a law, and so we put these safeguards so that everyone’s interest is being balanced,� said Janice Vermeychuk, director of Student Health Services.

One concern brought up at the forum was potential damages caused by the allowance of support pets in residence halls. “After an animal has been living in a dorm, extensive cleaning has to be done, carpets need to be pulled — you never know who will be living there next or whether or not they have an allergy,�

Vermeychuk said.

Through this new policy, the CSCC has developed more explicit regulations on service animals and ESAs by addressing issues such as allergies and othHU FRQĂ LFWV WKDW PLJKW DIIHFW UHVLGHQWV “You have to think about things like litter boxes, a dog barking all of the time and everyday disruptions that can affect a student’s experience,â€? Vermeychuk said. “Who will ensure that the animal is well kept or bathroom trained? Owners have responsibilities and we need to balance the needs of everyone.â€?

Along with the open forum, the CSCC has released a Qualtrics survey to gather data about the inclusion of service animals and ESAs at the College. The program wants to hear different perspectives on the issue. The goal of CSCC is to have this policy passed by the end of this semester. “This committee has worked on a variety of policies just this semester and has made tremendous progress due to the hard work of the members,� van der Sandt said. “It is a very dedicated group of faculty, staff and students which has led to us being able to move this policy forward in such a fast pace.�

Miguel Gonzalez / Sports Editor

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Chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority for the cost of a personal trainer to lead the event. ´:H IRXQG D ÀWQHVV WUDLQHU WKDW XVHV stepping stools and other gym equipment in order to incorporate an upbeat dance routine that’s very cardio based,� said Meme Cisse, a senior sociology and African American studies double major and member of Zeta Phi Beta.

This event will also offer a cultural component that students may not normally be exposed to at the College, Cisse explained. “We wanted to incorporate a cultural aspect to it and a lot of the music that they use are from Caribbean islands or from African countries,� Cisse said. “We really wanted to offer that not only health and wellness perspective but also the cultural learning component to it.�

Chabad was fully funded for its event, Lag Ba’omer Israel Celebration, which will be held on May 2 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Alumni Grove.

SFB funded Chabad $1,085 for the costs of traditional Israeli cuisine, paper plates and utensils.

Lag Ba’omer is a festive Jewish holiday that is celebrated with joyous events, VXFK DV RXWLQJV ERQÀUHV outdoor games and parades, the proposal explained.

SFB also partially funded Student Government’s event, “Connect the Dots� Epcot, which will be held on Tuesday, May 1 inside and outside of the Brower Student Center, as well as on

Green Lawn.

SFB provided $1,636.12 to cover the costs of decorations, a caricature artist, VIVA dance studio, a DJ and photo ERRWK 7KH FRVW IRU D ZDIĂ H IRRG WUXFN was zero funded due to the high cost of food already allocated for this event.

7KLV LV WKH Ă€UVW \HDU WKH (SFRW HYHQW LV being labeled with a theme of “Connecting the Dots,â€? the proposal explained. “Our theme of Connecting the Dots will emphasize cultural consciousness and highlight the dynamics and intricacies of culture that often go unnoticed,â€? the proposal stated.

TCNJ Swing Dance Club was fully funded $1,698.41 for its event, “Lindy Hop, Time Hop,� which will be held on Saturday, April 28 from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Allen Hall Main Lounge.

SFB provided TCNJ Swing Dance Club with $1,698.41 for the costs of a band, a sound technician, a plastic table cover and twisted fringe garlands.

The purpose of this event is to provide an opportunity for students to get involved in swing dancing while still providing a fun and inviting atmosphere for non-dancers, according to the proposal. “It’s just an event to invite everyone to enjoy swing music and to celebrate the end of two semesters of lessons,� said Shannon Stewart, the president of TCNJ Swing Dance Club and a senior elementary education and iSTEM double major.

Vital Signs: Slap on some sunscreen

Flickr

Sunscreen can help prevent skin damage and melanoma.

By Anna Kellaher Columnist As the temperature warms up and the sun comes out, it’s the perfect time to hang out in Alumni Grove or take a walk around the loop. But, before you break out your summer clothes and soak up the sun, take a minute to catch up on the basics of sun safety.

It takes as little as 15 minutes for ultraviolet rays from the sun to cause skin damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Your body responds to the rays ZLWK DQ LQà DPPDWRU\ UHVSRQVH –– short-term damage that we all know as sunburn, according to the American Skin Association.

In addition to short-term consequences, UV rays can cause lasting damage. They can alter the proteins that make up your collagen and elastin, causing increased wrinkling and sagging later in life. More

importantly, UV rays contribute to the development of skin cancer, according to the American Skin Association.

Your best protection against sun damage is sunscreen. You should wear sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 15 whenever you are outside, even if it’s cold or cloudy.

The higher the number SPF in your sunscreen, the more your skin is protected, according to the CDC. The CDC recommends that you should reapply sunscreen every two hours, or after going for a swim.

Sunscreen does expire, so check your expiration dates!

Cover up as much as possible and bring a T-shirt to the beach. Hats with a brim protect your head, face and ears, and will be helpful to keep the sun out of your face. If you don’t like to wear hats, wear sunglasses to reduce your exposure to UV rays, which can damage your eyes as well, according to the CDC.

page 6 The Signal April 25, 2018

April  25,  2018  The  Signal  page  7

Professor discusses Evangelicals’ role in politics

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

Bowen discusses Evangelicals’ relationship with the Republican party.

By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer

Bowen said at the beginning of the lecture that he studies elections and public opinion, and he was raised Evangelical Daniel Bowen, associate professor of and attended an Evangelical college. political science at the College, gave a lec“I think Evangelicals are one of the ture on April 17 titled, “Losing Your Soul most important segments of the RepubTo Gain The Presidency? Evangelicals, lican party, so I wanted to understand it Identity, and Support for Donald Trump.� better,� he said.

During the hour-long talk, Bowen disThe lecture began with a brief history cussed the history of the Evangelical move- of the Evangelical movement. Bowen ment in the U.S. and the group’s voting explained how it has roots in the Second patterns throughout American history, spe- Great Awakening, which took place at the FLĂ€FDOO\ LQ WKH SUHVLGHQWLDO HOHFWLRQ turn of the 19th century. ´$PHULFDQ SROLWLFV LV SHUFHQW VRFLDO Nearly every Protestant denomination identity,â€? Bowen said. “We have different in the U.S. has an Evangelical sector, acLGHQWLWLHV Âł ZH KDYH FRQĂ LFWLQJ LGHQWLWLHV cording to Bowen. Evangelicals believe We tend to vote the way our parents voted. in the accuracy of the Bible, and many We tend not to switch parties in our lifetime.â€? of them believe strongly in sharing their

views with others. ,Q WKH PLG WK DQG HDUO\ WK FHQWXries, there were many changes in American life, and Protestants had largely split between Liberals and Evangelicals. The Evangelicals then further split into mainstream Evangelicals and Fundamentalists.

Liberals wanted to accommodate change, while Fundamentalists believed in purity and separation from society. Mainstream Evangelicals believed in personal salvation and became a conservative political force. %\ WKH PLG WK FHQWXU\ (YDQJHOLFDOV ZHUH ORVLQJ LQĂ XHQFH EXW WKHUH ZDV D UHVXUJHQFH RI WKH PRYHPHQW LQ WKH V DQG V ZLWK UHDFWLRQV WR 6XSUHPH Court cases such as Roe v. Wade.

Evangelical television shows began talking about politics during this time with the election of former President Jimmy Carter, who was an Evangelical.

Evangelicals began to vote on what they considered moral issues, such as abortion, gay marriage and prayer in schools. Evangelicals rose to be core members of the Grand Old Party.

According to Bowen, it was expected that Evangelical support for the GOP ZRXOG GHFUHDVH LQ GXH WR WKH FDQdidacy of President Donald Trump, who seemed to go against the values the Evangelicals stood for — he has been married multiple times, had extramarital affairs and has misquoted the Bible.

'HVSLWH WKLV SHUFHQW RI (YDQJHOLFDOV voted for Trump, contributing to his victory. “What I would like to ask is, ‘Why?’�

Bowen said.

Bowen cited several possible factors in the large Evangelical turnout for Trump — a compositional factor, or how Evangelicals differ from other populations, causal factors or ways that Evangelicalism has theologically or socially been led to support Trump and coalitional factors,

which are the ways that the GOP and religious leaders stress cultural identities to keep Evangelicals voting in their favor.

When discussing the coalitional effect, Bowen showed a clip of Tony Perkins, president of the family research council, explaining how Trump has made it OK to say “Merry Christmas� again, and claiming that liberals have attacked religious freedom.

Compared to other religious groups, Evangelicals are often poorer, less educated and attend church more often. They are more likely to be from the South, they are more likely to be against abortion and gay marriage, and they are the most likely religious group to harbor racial resentment, according to Bowen.

It is also important to note that it is white Evangelicals who primarily support Trump — Bowen explained that black Evangelicalism is a separate movement.

When controlling for demographics, FKXUFK DWWHQGDQFH SDUW\ LGHQWLĂ€FDWLRQ DQG DWWLWXGHV WKHUH ZDV QR VWDWLVWLFDOO\ VLJQLĂ€cant difference in voting patterns between Evangelicals and other white Christians, EXW SDUW\ LGHQWLĂ€FDWLRQ DQG DWWLWXGHV DUH DIfected by religion, Bowen explained.

There is a shared identity between Evangelical and GOP leaders –– James Dobson, founder of the conservative group Focus on the Family, claimed that Trump had had a conversion experience.

Evangelical leaders often give the GOP support in exchange for political favors and they are open about this strategy, according to Bowen.

Evangelicalism was shown to have a sigQLĂ€FDQW HIIHFW RQ 5HSXEOLFDQV ZKR GLG QRW like Trump, but were driven to vote for him as a matter of principle, Bowen explained. “It’s important to remember that this coalition we call Evangelicals is still diverse theologically, diverse regionally,â€?

Bowen said.

Students  unite  to  ‘Take  Back  the  Night’

Keynote  speaker  addresses  sexual  assault  stigma

By Kayla Rivas Staff Writer Students shattered the Library Auditorium’s maximum seat capacity to attend Women in Learning and Leadership’s annual Take Back the Night event on April 18.

The event offered an open microphone for students and others willing to open up about experiences with sexual assault.

Katie Koestner, the keynote guest speaker, is a date rape activist who speaks out at schools across the country to educate and raise awareness of sexual assault.

A handful of female students took the podium one by one to deliver their speeches as well.

Koestner delivered her message in way that made her audience laugh, but also ponder her serious, thought-provoking questions regarding sexual assault.

Koestner was a freshman at the College of William and Mary when a date at a fancy French restaurant turned into a nightmare — she was raped inside her dorm room later that night.

During her date at the upscale restaurant many years ago, she was asked to drink, and even though she was underage and didn’t want to, she caved. “People say that’s how he

has the scary, horror movie music,� she said. “Is that the only difference between consent — the background music? And what do you do if you’re speaking at a school for the deaf and they’ve never heard music and you have to explain the difference?�

In opening up about her own personal story, Koestner discouraged the crowd from assigning a gender to aggressors. “Don’t put a gender on the person — don’t even try,� she said. “Let’s try and go gender neutral.

Koestner ended her contribution to Take Back the Night by saying, “If you are a female and you’re sitting in this room and you’ve never been the aggressive asserter in the relationship, why not? What is holding you back at this point?

When will the double standard Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor finally disappear?�

Koestner speaks about her personal experience with date rape.

Despite Koestner’s parents’ knew,â€? Koestner said. “They the right questions could have ‘Before we go out, I have a disapproval of her date rape acsay, ‘He saw you give in to negative consequences. few questions about your gen- tivism, she continues to inspire VRPHWKLQJ KH SUREDEO\ Ă€JXUHG “Is two months a long time? eral disposition on dating.’I others to take action against sexif he pressured you, you’d give Not a long time? Two hours, was never gonna be like that. I ual assault. in to more.’â€? two minutes?â€? Koestner asked. didn’t even know it was an op“I want there to be intelligent Koestner challenged the Another aspect of dating that tion,â€? she said. design of what we accomplish crowd’s perception of pace in the speaker grappled with was 2QH Ă€QDO SLHFH RI .RHVWQHU¡V tonight,â€? Koestner said. “I’m a relationship, which she ac- how to ask a partner’s attitude talk dealt with how movies por- hopeful there’s questions I can knowledged was a factor in her toward dating. tray consent. ask you to challenge you to sexual assault scenario. Dating “Do you barge in your ques“One movie has the romantic, think more, to do things differcan be awkward, but not asking tionnaire at the outset? Say, sexy background music, and one ently moving forward.â€?

page 8 The Signal April 25, 2018

April 25, 2018 The Signal page 9

Psychologist offers solutions for stress management

Randell Carrido / Staff Photographer

Bellace explains the adverse effects alcohol can have on decision making.

By Karina Pedraza Staff Writer

Psychologist and comedian Matt Bellace held a lecture about stress management and high risk behavior in the Education Building Room 212 on April 18.

Bellace received his undergraduate degree from Bucknell University and his PhD in neuropsychology from Drexel University in 2005.

One of the first points of his conversation was the negative effect that alcohol has on the frontal lobe of the brain. This area, primarily responsible for

decision making, experiences severe declines in blood flow with increased alcohol consumption.

“At the legally drunk mark, 0.10 Blood Alcohol Content, you have about half the (normal) blood flow in the frontal lobe,” Bellace said.

Because the frontal lobe is not done completely developing until age 25, adding the debilitating effects of alcohol is analogous to removing a crutch from someone who really needs it, Bellace explained.

The adverse effects that alcohol has on people’s judgement is illustrated by the number of car

accidents caused by drunk driving in the U.S. “Over 10,000 people die every year because of DUIs,” Bellace said. “These (are) decisions that people make to do something dangerous … and they come from a place of having a lot of pressure on you.”

One of the reasons why impaired judgement is so dangerous is that people are not fully aware of how inebriated they are in the moment.

“Part of the human condition is that you’re just not that aware of your own impairment, and then you get this feedback

from the world that says you’re not as good as you thought,” Bellace said.

According to psychologists, there are two types of thinking — hot and cold cognition. When there is little to no emotion involved, thinking and decisionmaking is classified as cold cognition. Those below age 25 are relatively good at making decisions in these types of settings.

However, the problem is when younger people find themselves in situations where they are under a lot of pressure and stress — these conditions stimulate hot cognition, and during this time people’s judgements can easily become impaired.

Dangerously high stress levels can also lead people to engage in riskier behavior to alleviate the burden they impose on themselves. Bellace warns that this “linear progression” of thought is responsible for imposing high levels of internal stress.

Bellace describes the typical student’s linear progression of thought as being, “I need to get a A plus on this test so I can get an A in this class, so I can get a job or go to grad school, so that I can make this money, so that I can finally be happy.”

Bellace acknowledged that it is normal to stress out when entering college and learning how to cope in a challenging learning

environment. However, he firmly believes that people forget how strong they are and how much they can actually handle. Becoming obsessed with perfection and engaging in linear thought forces people to engage in irrational decision making that unnecessarily increases stress levels, according to Bellace.

“One of the most important elements for success in life, both now and in the future, is learning how to regulate your own behavior,” he said. “We need to learn to engage in healthy behaviors to shift our stress levels from dangerous areas to optimal levels of stress that will stimulate and motivate us.”

Bellace explained that not all stress is bad, and a controlled amount of pressure can help to develop character in a safe manner.

“There actually is an optimal amount of stress that we need to perform at our best,” he said. “The ability to experience (stress) now in a safe environment is one of the best things you can do for yourself.”

Bellace encourages people to shift their framework to see the stressors and failures they experience in college as opportunities — the ability to handle and cope with stress successfully now will only prepare students for their future lives.

Influential women in gaming share industry insights

By Miguel Gonzalez Sports Editor

Students took a trip through the eyes of three influential women in the gaming industry at the Pioneering Play: Women in Game Development and Design lecture in Roscoe West Hall Room 201 on Thursday, April 19.

Margaret Minsky, Cynthia Solomon and Joyce Weisbecker provided insight on the beginning of Logo Programming and its impact on programming education.

Minsky, who earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pioneered techniques for creating Haptic texture. She spoke about her role on the programming committee of the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, ACM SIGGRAPH. SIGGRAPH plays a significant role in educating students on computer and graphic design skills, according to Minsky.

Alongside Minsky was Weisbecker, an independent contractor for the Radio Corporation of America. Weisbecker is considered to be the first independent game developer.

As a game developer, she wrote and programmed seven video games. Weisbecker still designs analog computers as a hobby.

Solomon contributed to research in human computer interaction and design for children. Her most significant project was a collaboration with Seymour Papert to establish Logo in 1967, a language used to help children learn programming.

Solomon credits Logo for developing a computing culture for children. She spoke about two games that were created through Logo –– “Guess My Number” and “20 Questions.” Solomon spoke of how children were amazed by the games.

“Pick an object in the room and you guys decided what the object is,” Solomon said.

“In 20 questions, it was picking what the object was. It always blew the kids away.”

Solomon recalled her first encounter with computers in the early 1960s. At the

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

Weisbecker talks about her experiences as a game developer.

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

Minsky and Solomon discuss the impact of violence in video games. time, she was developing a game by Atari called “Spacewar!” with Margaret Minsky’s father, Marvin.

Solomon explained how the game was entirely engineered on a new, revolutionary computer called the Programmed Data Processor-1.

Another notable accomplishment of Solomon’s was her co-written essay with Papert titled “Twenty Things To Do With A Computer.”

Solomon recognizes how games created in Logo have provided interactive entertainment for children.

“It’s a nice and sweet program with numbers,” Solomon said. “Kids love and still love to make quiz games. It could be math quizzes or geography quizzes. One of the purest things about that is seeing if kids got the right or wrong answer.”

When the panel opened up to audience questioning, Weisbecker and Solomon were caught in a debate about the effects of violent video games. Weisbecker asserted that movies are more graphic than video games.

“Why do you think they’re violent?”

Weisbecker said. “It’s a picture on a screen.

Look at movies, slasher movies with makeup — that really (looks) like violence.”

Weisbecker then argued that there are differences in how various types of people consume media.

“Depressed people listen to depressing songs and read depressing poetry and some of them commit suicide,” Weisbecker said.

“But I don’t know any cheered up people who listen to depressing songs and read ‘down’ poetry with their friends. I’m not sure if people want a catharsis for taking things out that they can’t in real society.”

Solomon provided a counter argument — children have more accessibility to violent video games than violent movies.

“I do know a lot of kids that do get affected,” Solomon said. “I don’t take kids to slasher movies. They have opportunity to get video games much more easily than they do to get into slasher movies.”

By the end of the panel discussion, the three wise women of the video game industry provided the audience with a comprehensive understanding of how the history of computer science has shaped the way children interact with technology.

page 10 The Signal April 25, 2018

Nation & W rld

Western forces target Syria in airstrike

By Muhammad Siddiqui Correspondent

U.S., British and French forces launched a joint airstrike campaign in Syria the morning of April 14, hitting three suspected chemical weapons facilities, according to The Guardian.

A week prior, on April 7, reports began to emerge of a chemical attack in Douma, a suburb of Damascus. After reviewing many corroborating reports, photos and videos of suffocated civilians with chemical burns, a report published by the French government concluded the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was behind the attacks, according to USA Today.

“The opposition rebel force does not operate helicopters nor

does it use barrel bombs,” said Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the United Nations, according to USA Today. “No other groups but the Assad regime could have carried out this attack.”

In reaction to the chemical attack on Syrian civilians, Donald Trump tweeted a warning of the strikes to come on April 11.

“Get ready Russia,” Trump warned in the tweet. “You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”

The primary targets of the strikes were three chemical weapons facilities, according to USA Today. Two facilities were in Homs, used for weapon storage, and another facility was in Damascus, where research and development of Syrian chemical

weapons was suspected to be taking place.

More than 100 cruise missiles were fired by the U.S., France and Britain, none of which were intercepted despite claims to the contrary from Russian and Syrian media, according to The Guardian.

The U.S. delivered a warning to Russia prior to the strikes in an attempt to give the Russian and Syrian armies time to remove their troops from the area, according to The Independent.

Russia, a longtime ally of Assad, expressed concern over the strikes, calling them “an act of aggression against a sovereign state,” according to a statement by President Vladimir Putin.

American reactions to the attacks are mixed. While some Republican party members praised

AP Photo

Other nations condemn Assad’s use of chemical weapons.

President Trump for the strikes, Democrats have not been as thrilled, according to the The New York Times. Despite the division along party lines, the Pentagon remains satisfied with the outcome of the attacks.

“We took every measure and

precaution to strike what we targeted and we successfully hit every target,” said Dana White, the chief Pentagon spokeswoman, according to The Guardian. “We do not seek conflict in Syria but we cannot allow such grievous violations of international law.”

Deadliest plane crash in Algerian history kills 257 capital of Algiers. The Algerian Defense Ministry said that most of the passengers aboard were military personnel and their families, as well as 10 flight crewmen, according to BBC. It was scheduled to fly from Boufarik and land in the border town of Béchar, which serves as an important base for the Polisario Front, a group seeking independent territory along the Moroccan border.

The Polisario Front is backed by the ruling Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) party. Among the crash victims were 26 Polisario members, according to BBC. This is the second disastrous plane crash to strike the north African nation in the last four years. In July 2014, a Hercules C-130 military jet crashed on Algeria’s eastern coast, killing 77 people, according to The AP Photo New York Times.

The crash contributes to Algeria’s poor aviation record.

The Defense Ministry has opened an

By James Wright people and leaving few survivors, accord- inquiry into the cause of the crash, which Staff Writer ing to CNN. is still unclear, according to The New York The aircraft came down immediately af- Times. Onlookers near the Boufarik miliAlgeria suffered its deadliest plane crash ter taking off from Boufarik military airport tary base saw intense flames spiraling out in history on April 11, killing at least 257 shortly before 8 a.m., west of the nation’s of one engine as the plane lifted off the

runway. Seconds later, the plane crashed violently into the ground.

“We saw bodies ... It was a catastrophe,” a witness said, according to CNN. “We were afraid the plane would explode. We covered some bodies and put out some fires.”

Algeria’s maintenance aviation record is problematic and has damaged the government’s reputation, according to BBC. The government has come under intense scrutiny for its lack of transparency.

There are claims that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is a figurehead for the Algerian military, according to The New York Times. Bouteflika is wheelchairbound and rarely makes public appearances, and many Algerians worry that the public will never learn the true reasons behind the crash.

“The people will resign themselves to it because there is no information,” said Lahouari Addi, a prominent Algerian political scientist, according to The New York Times.

“There is no transparency in Algeria, no debate. The prime minister has no power.”

US officials arrest Colombian politician for drug trafficking

By Danielle Silvia Copy Editor

Seusis Hernández Solarte, a Colombian rebel turned politician and member of the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force Party, was arrested by U.S. officials in his home country on April 10 for drug trafficking charges, according to The New York Times.

Solarte was caught overseeing the transport of approximately 11 tons of cocaine out of Colombia, according to CNN. The drugs are valued at over $320 million, according to The New York Times.

“As alleged, these defendants conspired to ship thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to the streets of the US,” said American attorney Geoffrey S. Berman in a statement, according to CNN. “Thanks to the investigative work of the DEA, they are now under arrest and face significant criminal charges.”

As a former commander of the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as FARC, Santos and his associates have a history of exporting outlawed substances and running international drug rings, according to The Guardian.

The arrest comes as a surprise to many. Last June, Solarte and his fellow former rebels signed a peace deal with the Colombian government, granting them

immunity from their past crimes and involvement with the drug trade. The agreement also forced the group to agree to stop all future drug trafficking efforts, according to The Guardian.

“The accords are clear,” said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, according to The New York Times.

“Whoever commits a crime after the signing of the deal will be sent to the courts for the new crimes committed.”

The unexpected arrest demonstrates the U.S.’s attempts to take down forces in the international drug trade, according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, FARC framed the arrest as a coordinated attack on the party and its members.

“The judicial order issued yesterday by the US goes against national sovereignty,” read a statement released

by FARC on April 17, according to CNN. “It also shows a lack of willingness from the regime to facilitate a true peace process.”

Colombian citizens are growing increasingly dissatisfied with FARC, according to CNN. Solarte was a candidate for the FARC party faction in Colombia’s congressional elections last month.

Solarte’s arrest deeply frustrated other members of the FARC political party, which has struggled to be seen as legitimate after the peace deal. Santos announced the arrest in a live television address broadcast to the whole country, according to The New York Times.

AP Photo

Solarte’s arrest surprises many Colombians.

“The construction of peace requires the absolute commitment and respect for the law and the accords,” Santos said, according to The Guardian. “There can’t be any room for tolerance or weakness.”

April 25, 2018 The Signal page 11

Editorial

Appreciating summer can be difficult

Much to the chagrin of my peers, I don’t look forward to summer vacation.

Stating this is practically anti-American of me. American culture celebrates summer as a blissful and long-awaited break from school, and understandably so. It certainly has its elements of liberation and spontaneity. Yet when Shakespeare posited, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” I doubt we had the same idea in mind.

Summer, to me, is the embodiment of wasted time. I think it’s counterintuitive to have two extravagant months free of academic responsibility.

I know I’m not the only person who enjoyed primary school, at least to some extent, and missed doing fun classroom activities and being on the playground with my friends. In high school, having the summer off meant I felt like I was going backwards. I felt overwhelmed in September after 10 weeks of forgetting Spanish verb conjugations and the meticulousness of scholarly writing.

While the summers of my elementary school days were full of euphoric play, swim lessons, ice pops and biking around my neighborhood, summer during high school was about finding jobs, saving money, studying for the SAT and on rare occasions, taking a trip to the mall or down the shore. The heat that I previously rejoiced in basking in suddenly seemed unbearable, especially when combined with the stress of the impending school year. I was instantly disenchanted.

Yet despite its downfalls, summer always evokes a lot of nostalgia for me. My time at home allows me to reconnect with family, explore creative endeavors and admire the reawakening of nature.

Nothing beats being able to read or play piano whenever I want, eating barbecue in the shade of my backyard, driving with the windows down and waking up to sun streaming through my blinds.

The beauty of summer is also the muse for many of my favorite works of art. George Gershwin’s operatic “Summertime,” Maurice Ravel’s ethereal “Jeux d’Eau,” Sue Monk Kidd’s breathtaking novel “The Secret Life of Bees” and more famous works like “The Great Gatsby” and “The Sun Also Rises” somehow manage to romanticize summer’s intolerable heat and dangerously undulant evenings.

I deeply admire these artists’ ability to take such a grueling season and see its virtues.

At long last, maybe summer isn’t as bad as I thought. When I think again, summer is a time for reflection, relaxation and rejuvenation. Maybe, as penned by Yeats in “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” one of my favorite poems, “I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings.”

Though I despise the length of the break and the stifling humidity that blankets the Northeast, I am excited for the opportunity it holds, the beauty it emanates and the stillness that cascades from the top of July until the first cold morning in September.

— Breeda Bennett-Jones Nation & World Editor

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, Sports, Review and Social Media editors and the Business and Production managers, 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.

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Summer vacation is a lengthy break from academics.

Quotes of the Week tcnjsignal.net Email: signal@tcnj.edu Telephone: Production Room (609) 771-2424 Business Office (609) 771-2499 Ad Email: signalad@tcnj.edu

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“’We just generally enjoy having a lot of fun with Nerf.”

—John Barrineau Jr. Manhunt Player

“It is our obligation as members of a community that not merely tolerates, but embraces and celebrates diversity and inclusion, to stand firm against that kind of impulse.”

—R. Barbara Gitenstein College President

“I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I’m so proud of everyone, it was a daunting task, but I’m very grateful to have the support of the entire cast.”

—Evan Noone Junior technology education major

page 12 The Signal April 25, 2018

Fun Stuff

If you can make it through these mazes you can pass your finals!

Fun StufF

April 25, 2018 The Signal page 13

HIRING PART & FULL TIME

It’s baseball season!

National Teams Baseball Word Search

page 14 The Signal April 25, 2018

Opinions

Silencing opposing views obstructs free speech

By Jessica Kopew

The Graveyard of Innocents — a display by TCNJ Students for Life, a pro-life student organization — has been facing a lot of controversy, both through word of mouth at the College and on social media. The club planted pink and blue flags across Green Lawn, each flag representing 10 fetuses that have been aborted in New Jersey in the past month.

On April 12, seven students decided to dismantle this display because they disagreed with the club’s pro-life stance.

TCNJ Students for Life aims to popularize the pro-life movement on campus and offer resources to women who want to take their pregnancy to term.

A video of the vandalism has been circulating online, featuring the vandals and club members arguing over the right to tear down the display without the permission of the school or club. Those who decided to tear down the display claimed they were trying to protect women who have been through abortions from continued trauma, according to their statements in the video of the incident.

Victoria Kiernan, a junior nursing major and the president of Students for Life said that she is “disheartened to see our display, The Graveyard of Innocents, vandalized as this is an infringement of our First Amendment rights.”

She added that the club “went through the proper campus protocols by receiving approval for both our display and

signage beforehand.”

In the video, you can clearly hear the divide between the pro-choice and prolife sides — those who are against the display say that instead of the flags representing babies, like the club said on the sign, it just represents “some cells that got flushed out,” and that this display could be potentially traumatizing for women who have gone through this experience. The individual recording the video then retorts these comments by asking that if they were just a few cells, why should this display be traumatizing.

The debate continues between the two parties throughout the video.

I believe, regardless of whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, that we should all support every person’s First Amendment rights. Even if you disagree with the statement behind this display, we all have an equal opportunity to display our opinions, and it is wrong to try and silence those with whom we disagree.

The second that we no longer feel safe disagreeing with people is the second that our country becomes a tyranny. If we cannot feel safe saying what we believe to be true, then we no longer live in a society with freedom of speech. Destruction and suppression of ideas is never the answer, especially in response to a peaceful display.

Later the same week, another display featured flags on Green Lawn representing “people here who believe you have the right to choose, to love and to

Students dismantle the Students for Life club’s anti-abortion display. protest.” I believe this would have been more effective had it been set up next to the Students for Life display. A counterdisplay following an act of vandalism is in poor taste. If the pro-choice and pro-life students had put their displays side-by-side, it would have started a conversation rather than a fight, which is always more peaceful and productive.

At the end of the video, a Students for Life member asks whether it would be OK for their club to rip down gay pride flags in front of PRISM. The students removing the flags say that it would be fine.

Clearly, tearing down flags representing gay pride is not acceptable, and this act is equivalent to the vandalism of Students

Instagram

for Life’s display.

When told that this would be fine, the Students for Life said that they were going to go to PRISM and do just that. I believe that this sends the wrong message, and fuels a never-ending war between opposing sides of the abortion debate.

It is hypocritical for the club to be upset over the infringement of their freedom of speech rights and then be willing to strip more people of the same rights.

The destruction of The Graveyard of Innocents was wrong because it was an act of violence, instead of a start to an open conversation. This is not an issue of pro-life versus pro-choice — it was an issue of First Amendment rights.

American schools should prioritize bilingualism

Young children benefit from studying foreign languages.

By Emmy Liederman In elementary school, I remember struggling to learn my times tables and memorize the names of state capitals. I spent first grade in Hoboken, New Jersey where Spanish was the first language of most of my peers. I listened to my friends speak effortlessly to their parents, and wondered if I would

Twitter

ever be able to understand.

When I moved to a predominantly white suburb, a Spanish teacher visited my class once every two weeks and taught us the names of a few fruits and colors in Spanish. The American education system prioritizes the memorization of state capitals, but being able to communicate with our neighbors becomes an afterthought.

The U.S. has no official language, so is the study of French and Spanish really the study of foreign languages? To reside in the “melting pot of America,” shouldn’t bilingualism, or trilingualism, be required?

In order to graduate from my high school, students were required to complete only two years of foreign language classes. According to Pew Research Center, students in European countries study their first language before the age of nine, and in more than 20 European countries, studying a second language is mandatory.

For a country that is supposedly a world leader in diversity and tolerance, this doesn’t seem to make much sense. By refusing to enforce biliteracy, we are not only neglecting the ideals of our nation, but also putting ourselves at a personal disadvantage.

Learning a second or third language improves our ability to speak our first language. A foreign tongue enhances our vocabulary, listening skills and memory, which

is a clear investment for success in all fields of study, according to Auburn University.

Despite the lack of a nationwide foreign language mandate at any educational level, four out of five jobs in the U.S. are created as a result or foreign trade, and the ability to speak multiple languages is a huge skillset in the global economy, according to Pew Research Center.

The lack of required language classes should not prevent students from taking advantage of a major personal investment. We must teach young kids new languages at a rigorous level — high school is far too late for beginner French.

Those who oppose a foreign language mandate argue that they distract from the core curriculum — classes like math, English and history. I would ask those people to think about the following scenario: a child is sitting in his social studies class next to a new student from Venezuela, who is putting in his very best effort to understand

the teacher’s fast-paced lecture.

The students are introduced to the Declaration of Independence and Thomas Jefferson’s famous words, “all men are created equal.”

But if one kid is breezing through the lesson and the other is struggling, don’t we owe it to Jefferson to help that kid out and learn some Spanish? By instilling a foreign language mandate, we are dispelling ethnocentrism, embracing diversity and making the kid next to us feel that much more comfortable.

The U.S. I know is one that welcomes all people with open arms and builds bridges toward diversity, not walls toward uniformity. Maybe if we start emphasizing the importance of learning foreign languages, we will realize that even if someone is different, they deserve the same opportunities.

Maybe if our students are taught that value exists outside of their native language, they will realize that this nation, and the opportunities that it holds, is made to be shared with others.

Policies

The Signal is published weekly during the academic year and is financed by the Student Activities Fee (SAF) and advertising revenue. Any student may submit articles to The Signal. Publication of submitted articles is at the discretion of the editors.

The letters section is an open forum for opinions. Submissions that announce events or advertise in any way will not be printed. All letters should be sent via email to signal@tcnj.edu. Handwritten letters should be sent to The Signal, c/o The Brower Student Center, The College of New Jersey, PO Box 7718 Ewing, N.J. 08628 or placed in our mailbox in the Student Life Office.

Letters must be received by the Friday before publication and should not exceed 500 words. The Signal reserves the right to edit letters for space and clarity. All letters must be signed, with a phone number and address of the author. Requests to withhold the author’s name will be honored only if there is a legitimate reason.

All materials submitted become the sole property of The Signal. The editors reserve the right to edit or withhold all articles, letters & photographs.

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 email us at signal@tcnj.edu.

April 25, 2018 The Signal page 15

Students share opinions around campus “Are students accepting of political differences?”

Emmy Liederman / Opinions Editor

Feyisola Adebiyi, a freshman accounting major.

“When people surround themselves with those who only agree with their views, they become intolerant.”

Emmy Liederman / Opinions Editor

Allie Shifton, a freshman history and secondary education dual major.

“I think the majority of people respect differences in opinions.”

“Should foreign language classes be mandatory for all students?”

Emmy Liederman / Opinions Editor

Kelly Vincent, a sophomore special education and English double major.

“I was upset when I learned I didn’t have to take a language. Students should be well-rounded.”

Emmy Liederman / Opinions Editor

Nic Stoltzfus, a freshman biology major.

“It’s not fair that biology majors need to take three levels and other majors don’t need any.”

The Signal’s cartoons of the week ...

page 16 The Signal April 25, 2018

April 25, 2018 The Signal page 17

Letter to the Editor: Bible Believers misrepresent Bible April 25, 2018 The Signal page 17

Grace Gottschling / Staff Photographer

Left: The campus community swarms the religious group. Right: Students wave flags to protest the group’s hateful rhetoric.

The recent campus visits from the group calling itself “Bible Believers” demonstrated not only hate speech but also an but erroneous way to read the Bible.

We are faculty members who takes turns teaching the English Department’s course “The Bible as Literature” (LIT 340), and we and our students know the Bible as an anthology of texts written over a period of centuries by numerous authors living in cultures remote from ours. The result is a document filled with diverse voices, varied stories and sometimes conflicting opinions. If we suppress any of them, we change the document, as did early translators when they changed Junia’s name to the

masculine “Junias” in Romans 16:7, because they were scandalized at the idea of a female being “of note among the apostles.”

Rather than believe wrongly that the Bible is filled with hate for others, the campus community should become directly familiar with this ancient document in which God speaks to a female Egyptian slave, King David and Prince Jonathan love one another “with a love surpassing the love of women” (2 Samuel 1:26), two Africans (one in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and one in the New Testament) are portrayed as faithful to God despite having had operations altering their sexual identity,

prophets’ consistent prophesy against the sinfulness of the wealthy who despise and mistreat the poor and outcast and Mary’s prophetic words about God overthrowing the powerful. In addition to hearing suppressed voices, the campus should read passages that they have all too often heard as contributions to hate speech (for instance, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah) — but read them in context. They should read about the complicated relationships between the sons of Abraham (the ancestors of the Jewish and Muslim peoples) and the promise that the nation of Israel would be a blessing to “the nations.” They should read about the tension between

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

early Christians and some of the Jewish people of the time, while understanding that Jesus and his first followers were all Jewish.

The Bible is often cited in political discourse, but in misleading ways. In order to become better informed, and thus better able to participate and shape the discourse, we should all become more familiar with this text.

Sincerely, Jean Graham Professor and Associate Chair of English Glenn Steinberg Professor and Chair of English

Congratulations to the fall 2018 Editorial Staff!

Editor-in-Chief: Michelle Lampariello Managing Editor: Elizabeth Zakaim News Editors: Miguel Gonzalez and Lily Firth Sports Editor: Alexandra Parado Features Editor: Emmy Liederman Arts & Entertainment Editor: Nadir Roberts Opinions Editor: Clare McGreevy Nation & World Editor: Heidi Cho Photo Editor: Meagan McDowell Reviews Editor: Gianna Melillo Production Manager: Danielle Silvia Web Editor: Heather Haase Social Media Editors: Alyssa Louis and Alexandra Raskin Business/Ad Managers: Derek Falci and Brielle Bryan

page 18 The Signal April 25, 2018

Features

Survival / Competition unites Nerf community continued from page 1

Paragian said. “We designed about five or six missions with the capacity to change them while in the game.”

The object of the game is for the humans to defeat the zombies and survive.

Humans can “stun” zombies by shooting them with Nerf guns or hitting them with sock flails, and if a zombie gets “stunned,” they must stay frozen for a designated period of time before continuing to tag more humans. However, if a human was tagged by a zombie (who were made known by the bright orange band around their arms), they had only a few seconds before they were turned into the brain-eating monsters themselves.

Only four students were assigned to be zombies at the beginning of the game, but their numbers grew quickly as they tagged humans struggling to make it out of each mission alive.

Sam Brandt and her girlfriend Sarah VanClef, both graduates of Fairleigh Dickinson University, visited the campus to take part in the day’s events. Brandt helped VanClef arm herself with bands

and weapons before the game started.

While it was VanClef’s first time participating in this type of game, she was glad to be a part of a community that Brandt loves so much.

“I’m nervous and terrified, but (Brandt’s) a big deal in the Nerf community … so I was like ‘I can’t knock it until I try it,’” VanClef said.

Brandt, whose gameplayer name is Archer, is a long-time manhunt player. As founder and president of Women of Nerf, an all-female Nerf community, she’s traveled to different states and taken part in all sorts of manhunt-style games.

“I’ve been doing this for five years,” Brandt said. “There are events all over.”

The humans’ first mission, set in western Siberia, required the humans, members of the U.N. peacekeeping force, be vigilant of any “skirmishes” or suspicious activity. A few fellow humans on their patrol have vanished, and the group has been confronted by confusing intel from Command –– something was coming for them, but they didn’t know what it was. They gripped their Nerf guns and added more sock

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

TCNJ Manhunt’s event provides students a stress-free afternoon.

Zombies anticipate their fight against humans. flails to their arsenal.

The humans had to gather food rations, ammunition and blood samples from the area before they were put into any more danger. The team of humans scuttled across the cold plains of Siberia (the lawn in front of the Music Building) locating what supplies they could, but many fell victim to the imminent attack of their howling zombie counterparts. The first mission ended in less than 10 minutes and the zombies had already doubled in number.

“The increase of zombies makes it easier to make formations and more tactics,” said Brandon Unda, a former student at FDU. “But now that we have a decent squad, ambushes are a thing now.”

The team of humans had little time to rest before returning to their base, the Physics Building Room 101, to discuss the terms of their second mission.

The peacekeeping group had moved to Kiev, Ukraine where they were having trouble receiving audible radio transmission from Command. They needed to fix their radio before the zombies got

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

too hungry.

The humans that survived a zombie ambush fixed the radio, but were then confronted by an alarming bit of transmission –– according to Command, two humans in their group were suspected of carrying the deadly zombie virus. They had to choose –– end them now, or keep them alive to use their special set of weaponry later on. The group decided to push their luck and let them live for as long as they could.

After a long day of dodging Nerf darts and surviving harrowing missions, the humans eventually succumbed to the ever-growing number of zombies, as they do every year. But the students who play don’t mind the repetitive outcome –– they’re here to have fun, decompress during a stressful semester and spend time together.

“I’m most looking forward to spending the day with my girlfriend,” VanClef said. “She really loves this community, it’s a really big part of her life and I’m really happy that I’m here.”

Fraternity encourages audience to ‘Take a Walk in Our Shoes’

By Gabriela Rey Staff Writer

Emotions ran high during the fourth annual “Take a Walk in Our Shoes” event on April 17 in the Brower Student Center.

The event was hosted by Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, and promoted an open and safe space for students to come and share their stories of personal struggle, and foster a sense of community and support with the audience.

“Our founders started this event because people throughout their lives always bottle up things inside them,” said Damani Walker, a senior finance major and member of Sigma Lambda Beta. “We created this event to give that open space to everyone to speak what’s on their minds, to speak about what’s triggering them.”

The night’s performances included poetry, songs, personal anecdotes and free-flowing thoughts.

The microphone was also extended to members of the audience

who, inspired by their peers, felt the courage to come up and share their experiences.

One of the most powerful performers of the night was Dejon Ricketts, a junior urban education and history double major representing the College’s chapter of the NAACP, who recited his original poem “A Day in My Life.”

Ricketts decided to write this poem in 2016 after riots left him sleepless and inspired. He spoke about the experiences of African Americans in the U.S., and of violence and fear.

“I’ve read this poem before,” Ricketts said. “It’s something that’s really personal to me and I really think it fits perfectly with the ‘walk in my shoes’ (theme).”

Alex Penafiel, a junior finance major felt a build-up of courage watching the other performances. He proudly read a poem to the crowd that he related to, and resonated with his personal challenges and adversities.

“I’m a little bit of an introvert, so being up there was pretty hard and

it just helped me see things from a different perspective,” Penafiel said. “I also felt that (the event) created a sense of unity. If you’re up on the stage, you can definitely see the different walks of life.”

There was not an empty seat in the house, and though many students had to sit on the ground, each performer was met with a roaring applause. The audience motivated the performers, and the crowd’s supportive spirit showed the students on stage that they were not only heard, but accepted.

Jesse Geevers, a senior marketing major, came to the event to support of a friend.

“I feel like we don’t take that time out of our day to really listen to someone else’s story. We just see what’s on the exterior and we don’t really get involved,” Geevers said.

The members of Sigma Lambda Beta acknowledged that everyone is a different person with a different story, and they hope that this event not only resonated with those in attendance, but that

it will also help to make a change on campus.

“Coming together to listen to one another, to hear what another

person has to say and what they’ve been through, I think it’s going to impact the campus overall,” Penafiel said.

Miguel Gonzalez / Sports Editor

Students share their stories of personal struggle.

April 25, 2018 The Signal page 19

: March’73

Campus Style

Suicide attempt shakes campus community

Photo courtesy of the TCNJ Digital Archive

Recognizing signs of distress can save a life.

Every week, Features Editor Lily Firth hits the archives and finds old Signals that relate to current College topics and top stories.

Suicide is a concern that is unfortunately all too prevalent, especially in the lives of young people. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In 1973, a suicide attempt at the College brought the issue to the forefront of the campus community.

A near suicide at Trenton State College several weeks ago brought into focus a major problem among college students in this country. More than 50 thousand college students a year take their own lives, and the rate of occurrence for those who’ve attended college is more than twice that of the persons in the same age class who never have.

In order to gain some insight into this startling problem, Dr. Tony Di Giorgio of the Human Development Center was asked what a person should say or do when dealing with an individual who is intent on self-destruction.

“The two main things to remember are to, first, remain calm, and second, to maintain some type of ‘holding action.’ Words get in the way when they communicate anxiety and apprehension. Your own excitement and agitation is transferred to the suicidal person.

When you are calm and unexcited it tends to relax him to some degree.”

“It’s important not to try and be too clinical. One should not attempt to use their own rational persuasions when dealing with a person in such a state, because what seems rational to us is not necessarily rational to him.

To him suicide is the most rational alternative at that time. It is more helpful to try to understand the situation from his perspective. This way you show him that you are concerned, and this can do more for him than any rational arguments.

“It is also important not to appear that

you are judging or evaluating the suicidal person in any way. This is just adding to his own negative view of himself, and adding to his own self-devaluation.”

Asked if there were any signs that would show that a person was deeply distressed, and perhaps contemplating suicide, Dr. Di Giorgio replied, “There are really no signs that are generally applicable to all situations. But there are two signs that are quite common.

The first is a sudden withdrawal over a short period of time. This student usually breaks off all social relationships, and he may just sit in his room for hours or days at a time, without doing anything. The second sign, is a sudden air of resignation. This student no longer cares about his previous problems. There is an unrealistic denial of emotions.”

Dr. Di Giorgio told what an average, untrained person could do to help someone who is troubled.“Listen to what they say about themselves. When everything comes out negative—that is when we must get involved. You should let them know that you are concerned about the way they’re feeling, and because you’re concerned you wanted to talk with him about it. Then you could suggest that he seek some type of help.”

However, people are not often so willing to intervene, even when they notice that a person may be troubled. According to Dr. Di Giorgio, this is because, “there is a definite risk involved whenever we become involved with another human being. There is a possibility that we will be rejected. When trying to help a troubled person, he might tell you to ‘go to hell,’ claiming ‘there’s nothing wrong with me.’ Yet, the important thing is that he knows that another person recognizes that he is troubled, and is concerned enough to speak with him about it.”

Lions Plate

Instagram

Left: McLavish describes her style as both beachy and bohemian.

Right: Bright colors help McLavish change up her look.

By Lexy Yulich Columnist Today we are catching up with junior special education and sociology double major Bailey McLavish. When she isn’t student teaching in the classroom or working as a Student Ambassador, she likes to go to the beach and spend time with friends.

I have always admired Bailey’s style, and I often go to her for fashion advice.

LY: If you had to choose, where are your favorite places to shop?

BM: I love to find a good deal, so I usually shop at American Eagle, Free People, TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack. Those stores really fit my style without breaking the bank, and I can always find something that I look and feel good in.

LY: What is your favorite spring trend?

BM: I absolutely love jean jackets. I think they work with almost any outfit.

Not only are they cute, they also serve a purpose because they keep you warm during the chilly spring nights. I like to wear a jean jacket with a casual dress or keep the outfit simple and wear it with a nice pair of black jeans and a white top.

LY: How would you describe your personal style?

BM: I would have to say I have a mix between beachy and bohemian. I prefer to wear simple clothes, but I like to accent my outfits with a boho top or shoes.

LY: Where do you get your fashion inspiration from?

BM: I love to look at Pinterest for outfit ideas, especially when I have a piece that I don’t know how to style. Sometimes I get bored with my clothes so rather than buy new clothes, I check Pinterest to see how I can create new outfits with the clothes I already own.

LY: What advice to you have to those who want to step out of their comfort zone?

BM: Definitely check out stores like TJ Maxx because you get can trendy pieces for less, so you don’t break the bank if the piece goes out of style. If you truly like something, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t wear it. Also, if you want to dress outside your comfort zone, you can always add a pop of color. For example, I don’t wear red often, but if I want to change up my style, I’ll wear red or another bright color.

Two -ingredient pancakes

Left: Small pancakes are thin and light, but still tasty. Right: Two-ingredient recipes are a frugal option for students on a budget.

By Julia Dzurillay Columnist

If you’re craving pancakes but lacking ingredients, look no further than this easy, two-ingredient pancake recipe. Thinner, lighter and more flavorful than normal pancakes, these are sure to be a weekend hit with your family and friends. Plus if you

make a bunch, you can cover them with plastic wrap and enjoy them as a weekday snack.

Top with powdered sugar and maple syrup to add extra sweetness to this minimalist breakfast.

Ingredients: 1-2 ripe bananas 2 eggs Butter (for pan)

Optional ingredients: 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp honey 1/2 tsp flour

Makes: 12 small pancakes Directions: 1. Using a fork, mash bananas until there are no large chunks.

2. In a separate bowl, using the same fork, whisk eggs until egg yolk and egg white are combined. Pour eggs into the mashed bananas and thoroughly mix together.

3. Add optional ingredients. Add baking powder to make the pancakes fluffier, vanilla and honey to sweeten the pancakes and flour to thicken the batter.

Flickr

4. Turn stove to medium heat and melt butter in frying pan.

5. Add a teaspoon of batter onto the frying pan. When batter begins to congeal, flip the pancake.

6. When pancake turns golden brown on both sides, transfer to a plate.

7. Repeat until there is no batter left.

8. Enjoy!

page 20 The Signal April 25, 2018

Arts & Entertainment

Cameras roll for Campus Movie Fest finalé

Kyler Steele / Staff Photographer

Audience members line up for the premiere of 16 student films.

By Kevin Doyle Staff Writer

The College rolled out the red carpet for the 2018 Campus Movie Fest, the closest the College comes to the Academy Awards.

Studio lights set up in Brower Student Center beamed down on student filmmakers and actors on April 19.

This year, more than 60 teams submitted a film, but only 16 of those films were screened.

Students lined up outside of the Student Center at 6:30 p.m. for the premiere in hopes of seeing their films appear on the big screen. Out of the 16 shown, only four received jury awards and moved on to the national level.

“It was just very tedious because we filmed in one day for about four hours straight and it really put into perspective the amount of

effort it takes to make a 30-minute episode of a TV show,” said Rebecca Webb, a freshman interactive multimedia major.

CMF is the world’s largest student film festival. Students received Apple laptops loaded with Adobe Creative Cloud applications, Panasonic HD cameras, Sennheiser sound equipment and external hard drives upon signing up for the event, according to CMF’s website.

With this equipment, students were given a week to shoot and edit original five-minute films to submit to the panel of judges made up of faculty, alumni and students.

At 7:30 p.m., the lively crowd waited for the show to begin as the two hosts, CMF touring event manager Quincy Bazen and freshman civil engineering major Zach Michonski, came on stage to provide an overview of the event and contest prizes attendees

could win throughout the night.

Senior communication studies major Emma Streckenbein starred in sophomore communication studies major Jason Monto’s “How to Say Goodbye,” a drama about a girlfriend tired of her boyfriend’s irresponsibility. She won a silver tripod award for her incredible performance.

“I knew the film was good and I hadn’t seen it until tonight — it was a surprise — so I had no idea what to expect and as soon as I saw it I was blown away,” Streckenbein said.

Some films had less serious themes, like senior marketing major Tim Santoro’s “Mr. Bubbles,” a comedy about an imaginary friend who showed up 13 years too late.

In Brian Marino’s amateur film, “10 Hours,” the sophomore mechanical engineering major put a twist on the film “127 Hours,” in which a hiker gets trapped in a remote canyon. In Marino’s parody, the protagonist is trapped in Eickhoff Hall.

One of the only music videos submitted, “Time Thief,” directed by freshman mechanical engineering major Christian Simpson, earned itself a silver tripod award for best sound.

Following every four film screenings, the hosts led interactive prompts where audience members had opportunities to win prizes such as an Amazon Echo, a drone and a $100 Uber gift card.

A mini-competition posted on the Facebook group page, CMF at TCNJ Premiere 2018, encouraged filmmakers to bring the most audience members. Junior communication studies and interactive multimedia double major Lou Cacchione, the filmmaker who drew the largest crowd received a free cruise to the Bahamas.

As the premiere wore on, filmmakers were shifting anxiously in their seats and whispering to neighbors because with just a few

screenings left, the odds of their film being shown grew slimmer.

“I was up until 3:30 a.m. editing on a Saturday night. It was ridiculous. I thought, ‘What if I don’t get screened after putting in all this work?’ But by the end, I was like, you know what, I don’t even care about that. I just told a story I really care about,” Monto said.

Jury awards were handed out based on three categories of criteria, according to Bazen. Judges consider the content of the film like acting and story, technical components like cinematography and sound and lastly, overall quality.

After the last film was shown, the jury award winners were announced.

The first winner was Monto’s drama, “How to Say Goodbye.” The next film, “Milkman,” was an action-comedy directed by junior communication studies major Kevin Walsh. The third winner was senior interactive multimedia major Keith Glidewell’s “Delivery.” The last award went to the quirky action-comedy, “Snapped,” directed by junior technology education major Evan Noone.

The winning teams rejoiced as participants rushed to the stage to give their victory speeches.

As a feeling of defeat hovered over students whose films were not screened, Bazen encouraged all students to send their films into the national film competition, TERMINUS, because they will be able to screen alongside the jury award winning films.

The four winning films will advance to TERMINUS in Atlanta on the weekend of June 15.

“This was the cherry on top. It was the most rewarding experience, and even if you’re not involved in film, you should totally come out and just do it because anything can happen,” Monto said.

CUB Alt Student Band Night brings back classics

By Nadir Roberts Reviews Editor

Those who chose to stop by Traditions for dinner on April 11 were in for a treat as student musicians took the stage for CUB Alt’s Student Band Night at 8 p.m. Packed into the Traditions Lounge, audience members enjoyed an intimate show from three bands.

The first band, Sun Tunnel, captivated the audience with their ’90s shoegaze-esque sound.

Hailing from Gloucester County, New Jersey, the band enchanted the crowd by playing songs from

their 10-track LP, Sun Tunnel, released this February.

Jared Poehlman, a junior psychology major, brought together bassist Dan Panus, guitarist Keith Cook and drummer Alex Bierman for a time-bending experience. Some listeners were captivated by their post-rock, experimental metal sound.

The band was inspired by the likes of Mogwai, This Will Destroy You, Have A Nice Life, Giles Corey and Deafheaven.

Sun Tunnel’s self-titled album can be found on bandcamp. com, where their gloomy, yet

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

Festa adds strings to Lagniappe’s sound.

bittersweet sound can be heard free of charge.

“If I could just hear your voice, I could hear you sing,” Poehlman cried out in “Your Voice,” with a faint guitar riff in the background.

Next to perform was Lagniappe, a student band formed at the College.

“We sound like your dad’s favorite music reimagined with an angsty twist,” said Dylan Sen, a junior electrical engineering major and the band’s lead guitarist and vocalist.

The rest of the band consists of senior communication studies major Chris Moncada on bass guitar and backup vocals, junior interactive multimedia and marketing dual major Jillian Festa on violin, senior biology major Alisha Basak on rhythm guitar and junior electrical engineering major Derek Arnheiter on drums.

The band covered well known songs like “In Bloom” from Nirvana’s 1991 album, “Nevermind” and “Bulletproof I Wish I Was” by Radiohead on their 1995 album, “The Bends.”

One of their last covers was another classic, “White Room”

by Cream from the band’s 1968 album, “Wheels of Fire.”

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

Sen puts an angsty spin on a variety of classics.

The band’s favorite song of the set, and an audience favorite was the band’s cover of “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin.

The song features a violin solo that caught some off guard and wonderfully changed the dynamic up.

Last to perform was The Airy Duo, a dynamic two-person band from Ewing, New Jersey.

Lucia Gardiner, a freshman art education major, and Anthony Garcia, a freshman journalism and professional writing major, finished off a night of rock and metal with a smooth set.

The Airy Duo played a mix of original songs and covers. Both members contributed to the success of the performance by passionately playing and singing.

The Airy Duo’s sound is a mix of folk, blues and jazz.

They covered classics including “Jackson” by Johnny Cash, “Where did You Sleep Last Night” by Leadbelly and “Maybe” by the Ink Spots.

Fans can find more music

by The Airy Duo on the band’s Soundcloud page. The band is expected to release a new project at some point this summer.

April 25, 2018 The Signal page 21

Students put on riveting ‘Evening of One Act Shorts’

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

Cassie foils Alex, her roommate and eventual love interest.

By Thomas Infante Editor-in-Chief

The spotlights above the Don Evans Black Box Theatre stage illuminated four student writers and directors on Friday, April 20. As they described the themes of their plays, spectators anticipated a compelling show for All College Theatre’s Evening of One Act Shorts.

Each short play was entirely student written, directed and acted. The audience saw a mixture of seriousness and comedy, with many convincing and passionate performances.

The first short of the night, titled “This is a Play (And Someone Dies at the End),” was directed by junior technology education major Evan Noone. The story centered on five stereotypical characters.

The play began with otherworldly music.

Suddenly, it stopped as a spotlight cut through the darkness and shone upon sophomore history and secondary education dual major Casey O’Neill.

“Oh! This is a play!” O’Neill exclaimed after looking around confusedly in the dark.

Soon after, he donned himself the Protagonist.

He was joined by his friend Comic Relief, played by senior chemistry major Eric Schreiber. His character was essentially a walking cliché, whose antics included silliness like sweeping while singing “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” In the most stereotypical way possible, Protagonist met Love Interest, played by sophomore music education major Angie Francese.

“Hi, I’m nerdy, but with a certain eclectic

charm you can’t resist,” Love Interest said.

She is betrothed to Antagonist, played by sophomore marketing major Gail Cevallos.

When Love Interest confronts Antagonist about her role, Antagonist reveals that she never wanted to be a villain, but was robbed of the chance to be the hero of the play.

Meanwhile, Comic Relief stumbles upon the script. Once he realizes that the dialogue within corresponds to what is going on in the play, the title spurs him to show the script to his friends, worried that one of them will soon die. He brings it to the confrontation between Protagonist and Antagonist, hoping that it will resolve the conflict peacefully.

Protagonist takes the script, insisting that they must fight because fate demands it, while Antagonist pleads with him to let it go. She attempts to take it from him by force, and after a brief struggle, Protagonist is killed.

With the script, Comic Relief recites the final lines of the other characters with them, and concludes the play by reading the stage directions to exit.

The second play, “Dating Cigarettes,” was directed by senior interactive multimedia major Haley Witko.

The story began with the main character Alex, played by senior communication studies major Kirsten Gassler, sitting on a bench smoking a cigarette. Alex is a college upperclassman that struggles with feeling isolated and unfulfilled from her life at college.

Alex’s best friend Emma, played by sophomore English and secondary education dual major Joely Torres, calls Alex. The two live

far apart, and Emma obviously cares about her and is concerned about her friend’s smoking habit and feelings of depression.

After hanging up, Alex runs into her friend Matt, played by sophomore management major Anthony Sofia.

Matt starts a conversation and eventually tells her that he is transferring. Alex is resentful, and Matt gets argumentative, saying that she should understand how it feels to be lonely.

As the conversation progresses, things get stranger until it is revealed that Matt is a figment of Alex’s imagination. Alex admits that she smokes to remind herself of him.

She throws her cigarette on the ground, proclaiming “no more,” and walks off stage. Matt stomps on the cigarette which ends the play.

Witko, who made her collegiate directorial debut with “Dating Cigarettes,” said that is was a challenge to convey abstract ideas and concepts through her script.

“It can be a huge challenge when it comes to letting people go,” Witko said. “It was tough to get the right pattern in the dialogue, and to establish that pattern for the audience. It had to be done in a way that felt very natural.”

The third play, “Room 216,” was directed by senior interdisciplinary business major Natalia Byrdak, who said that the short focuses on “what is unsaid rather than what is said.”

The story revolves around two college freshman roommates. Cassie, played by freshman English major Cali Blanchard, is a shy biology major, whereas Alex, played by freshman art education major Megan Scarborough, is an outgoing journalism major.

Cassie and Alex bond quickly despite their differences. Cassie is studious and focused, foiling Alex, who said she is “not really a writer,” despite studying journalism.

At first, Alex went out of her way to include Cassie, but as time progressed, Alex started disappearing for days at a time to go get high with her new boyfriend.

One night, Alex comes home late, nearly blacked out. The two share a heart-to-heart, and Alex reveals inner feelings of bitterness and cynicism. They talk about the stars, which Alex hates along with everything else, but Cassie does her best to convince her of their inherent beauty and majesty.

The next day, Alex buys Cassie cling-on glow-in-the-dark stars, telling her that now she can always look at the stars. She then leaves to take a call, and is not seen again.

The final scene features Cassie by herself in her dorm room, accompanied only by a note left on Alex’s bed. She explains that Alex has committed suicide, depriving Cassie of the chance to tell her that she had fallen in love with her. She laments on her lost opportunity, with an impassioned monologue that she ends by wishing she had gotten to tell Alex that all stars are beautiful, even though “some burn brighter than others.”

The final short, “Lox,” was directed by senior graphic design major Rob Birnbohm.

The story centers on Dan, played by sophomore communication studies major Jason Monto. Dan is a recent college graduate who earns good money at a job that he hates. He lives alone, accompanied by the imaginary friend he swears exists named Lox, played by freshman interactive multimedia Dylan Jonas.

Lox is an orange ghost with a blue puff atop his head that resembled a Truffula Tree from Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax.”

Dan’s only real friend is his ex-girlfriend Cheryl, played by sophomore elementary education and psychology double major Kate Augustin, who comes over every Thursday for take out and conversation. Cheryl is dismayed

by Dan’s childlike regressions.

She tries to push Dan toward pursuing his college dreams of writing and acting, but Dan dismisses these as pipe dreams. After Cheryl storms out in frustration, Lox helps Dan realize that his personal relationships are more important than his current lifestyle. Lox bids Dan a final farewell, leaving Dan truly alone to call Cheryl.

After “Lox” concluded, the audience responded with thunderous applause as the entire cast came back out and took a bow. More than anything, the directors of the plays credited their acting and production staff with the amazing outcome.

“I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out,” said Noone, whose first time it was directing a production. “I’m so proud of everyone, it was a daunting task, but I’m very grateful to have the support of the entire cast.”

Boheme Opera Company presents two Italian tragedies

By Grant Playter Staff Writer

The Boheme Opera Company debuted a performance of the operas “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “I Pagliacci” in the Kendall Hall Main Stage Theater on Friday, April 20, with a second show on Sunday, April 22. Both operas, independent of each other but often performed together, tackle the issue of adultery and its tragic consequences.

“Cavalleria Rusticana” opened with a soft, building orchestral piece, performed by an in-house orchestra. After a brief drunken monologue from the protagonist, Turridu, the audience is introduced to a beautifully choreographed scene of an Italian community setting up for the day. It features roughly 30 chorus members acting out small, individual stories across the stage.

“The director had us at specific musical points go out at different times to establish what our characterization was,” said Britney Montoro, the chorus master for the play. “There were the people who were the bar attendants, there were people who were selling and giving flowers, there was a bag lady who was specifically selling wares that no one wanted to buy.”

The play details the story of

Turridu, who sleeps with his former lover, a woman named Lola who is married to a businessman named Alfio, and spurns his current lover, Santuzza, in the process. After Santuzza confronts Turridu regarding his infidelity, he spurns her again, sending her down the path to vengeance.

Eudora Brown portrayed Santuzza who, fueled by rage and jealousy, revealed Lola’s infidelity to Alfio.

“When she disseminates the information, that means Turridu is gonna die. That is the culture, that’s what happens … that’s her decision point, right there,” Brown said.

Turridu also knows that is his fate once he is confronted by Alfio.

Before he walks out to his death, he begs his mother, Lucia, to take care of Santuzza should he die.

At the end of the play, Santuzza still mourns for Turridu despite the play’s events.

“I think that the relationship that (Turridu and Santuzza) have is very broken,” Brown said. “It’s a lovehate kind of relationship, it’s kind of dysfunctional. The director and I decided that there is a real love interest between Turridu and Santuzza, even though it’s completely dysfunctional. He really loves her, and Lola was just sort of the fling.”

The second opera, “I Pagliacci,”

concerns the plight of Caino, better known as the clown, and character he portrays, Pagliacci, who endures sorrow following the affair between his wife, Nedda, and a local villager named Silvio.

Caino is part of a traveling performance group comprised of himself, Nedda, a fool named Tonio, who portrays Taddeo and another actor named Beppe.

The band performs plays in which Nedda plays Colombine, a ditzy flirt who is having an affair with Beppe’s character, Arlecchino.

Pagliacci and Taddeo provide comic relief to their antics.

When a villager jokes about Nedda cheating, Caino angrily states that he is not a fool in real life.

“Even though Caino might seem a bit angry, often, he does love Nedda,” said Errin Brooks, who portrayed Caino. “He says ‘I’m the one who found you, picked you up off of the street, saved you from hunger and certain death, and I gave you love whenever you wanted, but it apparently wasn’t enough.’ So basically at the end, if (he) can’t have her, no one else can.”

Following this scene, Tonio confesses his love to Nedda, who rejects and insults him. Wounded, Tonio vows vengeance.

Tonio does get his revenge by

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

The cast performs the show entirely in Italian. showing Caino proof of his wife’s infidelity, albeit with unfortunate timing, near the scheduled start of the troupe’s next play.

The play goes on after Tonio managed to placate the furious Caino into performing with his unfaithful wife. During the troupe’s performance, Caino wavers between acting and reality, delivering a powerful performance that left many confused as to what was fictional and what was real.

“There’s the intrigue and the betrayal as a part of the play becomes reality,” Montoro said. “You don’t know at any point in time whether it’s real or it’s not and so you’re in the in-between level. So with Caino, one of the most interesting (aspects) of his character, is that we don’t know if it’s part of the play, and we don’t know if it’s real life until the

very end.”

Following the powerful performance, the situation escalates until Caino ends up with two dead bodies at his feet. Despondent, Caino falls to his knees.

Caino looks at the audience as he delivers the final line, “The comedy is finished!”

The productions, fully delivered in Italian with projected English subtitles, contained sensational performances evoking the timeless themes of love and betrayal at the core of both plays. Tragic and melancholic, both plays offered insight into the machinations of the human mind.

“This opera is very much relative to real life,” Brooks said. “It covers love, sex, jealousy, murder — all the delicious ingredients that make up life.”

page 22 The Signal April 25, 2018

April 25, 2018 The Signal page 23

Treblemakers’ Coffeehouse warms crowd

By Heidi Cho Arts & Entertainment Editor

The Treblemakers, the College’s all female a capella group, decked out the Decker Social Space for their spring 2018 Coffeehouse on April 17.

Students and were welcome to come enjoy the refreshments and live performances by 13 student soloists as well as the Treblemakers and TCNJ iTunes A Capella.

“We used to hide in the back but now, this year, we came out with a bang,” said Alyssa Fanelli, the music director of the Treblemakers and a junior secondary education and mathematics dual major.

Fanelli was part of a committee that included Emma Eisenbeil, a freshman English and secondary education dual major and emcee for the coffeehouse, who was happy to see the event come together.

Part of the reason behind the event was to “highlight other performers and give them a chance to perform,” according to Eisenbeil.

Halle Luttrell, a freshman fine arts major, has been singing all her life and was glad for the chance to perform at an event with a “good setup and vibe” at the College.

“The last time I did this, my dress fell off so I hope it doesn’t go like that,” Luttrell said as she began her performance.

This time, Luttrell sang “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles at the coffeehouse without a hitch. Her practice and dedication was evident as her voice carried through the whole room.

This week, WTSR’s Sean Reis highlights some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.

Miguel Gonzalez / Sports Editor

Fanelli strums along to Rihanna’s ‘Stay.’

Hager Abuellsaad, a junior marketing major, originally came to the event to support her friend Luttrell, but was roped into doing her own singing performance.

Since singing was a hobby for her, Abuellsaad went into the spontaneous performance of “Medicine” by Queen with a “why not” attitude.

“It was really fun to watch everyone sing,” Abuellsaad said.

Throughout the event, Najalis Gual, a member of the Treblemakers and a freshman history and political science double major, helped work sound at the event.

Mia Ingui, a sophomore journalism and professional writing major, sang Rihanna’s “Stay” as a duet with Fanelli, who also played guitar as accompaniment.

The Treblemakers invited

other groups to perform and help support each other as part of an “a capella family,” as Fanelli said.

The iTunes came out in full force to the event to support the Treblemakers. They performed crowd pleasers like “Electric Lady” by Janelle Monae featuring Solange, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey and “Drumming Song” by Florence + The Machine.

Asa Sams, a member of iTunes and a freshman secondary education and English dual major, first performed “Get You” by Daniel Caesar featuring Kali Uchis. Sams then sang and rapped along to his next song, “Cocoa Butter Kisses” by Chance the Rapper.

Ryan Abramowitz, a member of the Trentones and a freshman and history secondary education

dual major, joked before singing “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé to lighten up the crowd.

“So a Trentone and a Treb walk into a bar … ” Abramowitz said, making the audience laugh.

Abramowitz’s strong vocals made several audience members whoop and cheer in response.

To finish off the night, the Treblemakers performed “Honey, I’m Good.” by Andy Grammer and “Salute” by Little Mix. Everyone on stage burst into laughter by the end of “Honey, I’m Good.” and was dancing together by the end of “Salute.”

Audience member Zack Johnson, a sophomore history and secondary education dual major, found the event well run as an “encouraging fan” of the Treblemakers.

“I loved hearing everyone,” Johnson said with a smile.

Audience joins virtual world of ‘Ready Player One’

Band: Dega Album: “Dega” Release Number: Debut Hailing From: Athens, Georgia Genre: Surreal Indie Pop Label: Lemonade The debut album from this electro-pop duo is a fun collection of tracks. Their sound has a heavy ’80s influence that is almost reminiscent of the Eurythmics, but with a modern touch. With bouncy synths and smooth vocals throughout the whole album, this is an accessible and easy listen that is perfect for radio play. For a debut record, this album is very solid, and though this band may go under some radars, the duo is definitely worth a listen.

Their music has potential to explode in the indie scene soon.

Must Hear: “Don’t Call it,” “Already Know” and “Mirrors”

By Amani Salahudeen Staff Writer The action-packed film “Ready Player One,” based on Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel of the same name, took theaters by storm on March 29.

Wade Watts (Ty Sheridan) is the 18-yearold protagonist and narrator of the movie.

His his deceased parents named him after a superhero alternate name — similar to Peter Parker, Clark Kent or Wade Wilson.

The dystopian movie is set in 2045.

Characters venture into the OASIS, a stunning 3-D video game dream world, in order to escape their own realities by assuming an anonymous identity with an avatar.

“In 2045, there’s nowhere left to go except, The OASIS,” Watts said.

Maverick James Halliday (Mark Rylance) created the highly popular game.

When Halliday died, he told the rest of the world that whoever finds the three keys can open a gate with an Easter egg inside that contains his massive fortune.

People spent hours of their time in an attempt to find the keys, but even after a long time, no one was able to obtain them.

Eventually, many accepted defeat.

Watts was still determined to find the Easter egg that Halliday left in the game.

In the game, he goes by his screen name, Parzival, and teams up with Art3mis (Olivia Cooke), Aech (Lena Waithe) and Sho (Philip Zhao).

Parzival and company also fight against Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), who wants to use the OASIS as a theme park

Watts chooses reality over the OASIS. for the wealthy.

This movie demonstrates how far people are willing to go in order to join the ranks of the wealthy and powerful.

The film’s visuals were enthralling, and the fast-paced film has action scenes that anyone can enjoy.

There were very few slow scenes overall. For the most part, everything was a whirlwind adventure, and the video game designers put a great amount of thought into creating the OASIS. When Parzival first meets Art3mis in the game, he is quick to tell her avatarto-avatar that he is in love with her.

However, she is not impressed.

Art3mis tells him that he only sees the parts of her that she decides to show him on screen. This assumes that Watts would be disappointed if he saw Art3mis

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in the real world.

In the beginning of the film, Wade is wrapped up in this game, much like everyone else, but by the end of the movie, Watts tells inventor Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg) that he plans on sharing the fortune with his friends rather than keeping it to himself, which demonstrates his character development.

As Morrow said, “The OASIS was never supposed to be played by one person.”

Despite the captivating video game experience, Wade realizes the value of living in the real world, and spending time with people like Samantha Cook, the real person behind Art3mis.

“Ready Player One” is a must-see for Marvel or action movie fans, but also for those who have not read the book or are not into video games.

Band: American Pleasure Club (FKA Teen Suicide) Album Name: “A Whole Lifetime of This” Release Number: Third Hailing From: Baltimore Genre: Bedroom Rock, Lo-fi Indie Label: Run for Cover American Pleasure Club is a rock band that is led by Sam Ray. On this album, Ray blends many different genres like folk, ambient, rap, indie rock and drum and bass. David Lynch-inspired synth ballads that were held together by a consistent lofi aesthetic. While a lot of the songs are slow, melodic and abstract, there are also punk bangers and acoustic ballads. While most of the album would not be widely considered “radio friendly,” a few tracks are really good and worth the listen. The other tracks are a worthwhile challenge for listeners with an open mind.

Must Hear: “New Years Eve”

page 24 The Signal April 25, 2018

Sports Track and Field

Lions blaze lanes at Moravian College

Abrams competes in the unseeded 5000-meter event.

By Gregory Leddy Staff Writer

The track and field teams turned in an exciting week of performances in two prestigious, competitive invitationals — the Larry Ellis Invitational, hosted by Princeton University, on Friday, April 20 and the Greyhound Invitational, hosted by Moravian College, from Friday to Saturday, April 21.

Some of the Lion runners were fortunate enough to be admitted into the Larry Ellis Invitational, including senior Dale Johnson

and freshman Robert Abrams in the unseeded 5000-meter event.

The 5000-meter event gave Abrams and Johnson a shot at a sub-15 minute time and Abrams took on the early lead to try and set an even pace for the two of them. Abrams and Johnson hung tight to the pack throughout the race until the furious last 800-meters, led by senior Blake Brancato of the New Jersey Institute of Technology and sophomore Paul Nichols of Villanova University.

Abrams made a big push in the

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

final lap of the race and came up just seconds short of sub-15, running at 15:07.04. Johnson, running at 15:20.57, was not far behind.

At the Greyhound Invitational, several impressive performances helped boost the team’s overall confidence and morale.

Senior Nicholas Genoese took second place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.05, a personal best, after dominating the preliminary heat. Genoese came back to run the 200-meter event, placing fifth overall in 22.97.

The 800-meter event was one

of the highlights of the men’s events, as juniors Jack Wood and Noah Osterhus both crossed the finish line first and second in 1:54.82, finishing less than a hundredth of a second apart. Wood and Osterhus worked together to set a fast pace, taking the first lap out in 56.7 seconds and closing at a nearly even split.

Sophomore Mike Zurzolo fought hard in the 3000-meter steeplechase, placing third and running at 9:58.23, a personal record that represents his first recorded time under 10 minutes.

The crown of the men’s performances was the victory at the 4x400-meter relay, comprised of Noah Osterhus, sophomore Andrew Dyer, junior Nathan Osterhus and Wood. Noah had put the team in the lead early on with an incredible 49-second opening leg, but it was Dyer, who set a 1,500-meter personal record of 4:04.71 earlier during the meet, that ran a crucial third leg of 54.6 to keep the team in contention for the win.

The women recorded some spectacular performances as well.

In the 200-meter event, senior Danielle Celestin, freshman Jada Grisson and sophomore Allison Zelinski swept the top three spots, running 26.15, 26.52 and 26.93, respectively. Grisson and Celestin also placed second and third in the 100-meter dash earlier, running 12.57 and 12.60 respectively.

Zelinski placed second in the long jump with a mark of 5.47 meters.

Junior Emma Bean put up a great fight in the 5000-meter event, running 18:36 for fourth place. Senior Sarah Hughes of Moravian College and senior Jamie Pacilio of Muhlenberg College pulled away from Bean over the last 3200-meters, but Bean still came away with a great time.

Sophomore Kaila Carter won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.11, dominating a final field comprised of athletes from only the College and Lehigh University. Carter captured the win by a large margin of over half a second while freshman Annette Wanjiku and junior Abigail Rizzo placed third and fifth, respectively. Finally, the 4x100meter ‘A’ team placed second in the event, while the 4x400-meter ‘A’ team placed third.

The Lions will be in action this weekend at the Penn Relays, the annual relay competition hosted by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field from Thursday, April 26 to Saturday, April 28 in Philadelphia.

The College will host the Lions’ Invitational from Friday, April 27 to Saturday, April 28 at the track and field complex. The Lions look to create many exciting performances as the team prepares for the New Jersey Athletic Conference championships.

Softball

Namit tosses two no-hitters to shut out Stockton, Kean

By Malcolm Luck Sports Editor With the regular season finale around the corner, freshman pitcher/infielder Alanna Namit is preparing to dominate in the playoffs.

Namit got the College’s five-win week started in the first game of its doubleheader against Stockton University on April 17 at Dr. June Walker Field. She hurled her first no-hitter of the week, holding her opponent hitless in five innings while the Lions’ offense generated eight runs, cruising past Stockton, 8-0.

In the back end of the doubleheader, the Lions found themselves in an early 1-0 hole after the first inning. In the third, the College regained the lead after an RBI double off the bat of senior outfielder Madison Levine, followed by an RBI single by freshman infielder Lauren Conroy in the next plate appearance.

Junior catcher Jess McGuire blasted a home run to left field in the bottom of the third to add an insurance run. Senior pitcher Sam Platt froze Stockton and tossed a complete game, earning her sixth win of the season.

Despite playing four games in 26 hours, the Lions didn’t stop grinding out wins in their home doubleheader against William Paterson University on April 18. Junior outfielder Gaby Bennett got things started for the Lions in the first game, sneaking a

two-run single through the right side in the bottom of the first inning to give the College a 2-0 lead.

Bennett struck again with a double in the bottom of the third, adding another RBI. McGuire brought Bennett home on an RBI single just one batter later. Five runs proved to be plenty as Namit only allowed one run in seven innings, propelling the Lions to a 5-1 win.

In the second game, Platt allowed two runs in the top of first inning, putting the Lions in an early 0-2 deficit. William Paterson didn’t hold the lead for long as the College bounced back in the bottom of the first, scoring a run on a passed ball before Conroy singled to left field to tie the game at two.

In the bottom of the third, Conroy added another run with an RBI single. McGuire struck a two-run double to extend the lead to 5-2. The Lions never looked back as they won with a final score of 9-3.

Kean University proved to be no match for Namit as she took the mound for the first game of the College’s doubleheader on Saturday, April 21 in Union, New Jersey. For the second time in the five games, she threw a no-hitter, striking out 13 batters. Her commanding performance marks her fourth no-hitter of the season.

Head coach Sally Miller praised Namit’s pitch velocity and movement.

“Alanna has a lot of movement on her pitches, combined with the fact that she throws hard is the advantage that she

Namit strikes out 13 batters against Kean.

brings with all her pitches.”

Kean, however, bounced back and won the second game, never giving the Lions a chance to hold the lead. Platt surrendered two runs in the first inning. The Lions cut the deficit in half when McGuire hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth. Kean countered with another run in the bottom of the fifth.

After McGuire smacked a home run in the sixth and Conroy ripped an RBI single in the seventh, Kean freshman utility player Katie Debbie hit a walk-off double to

Miguel Gonzalez / Sports Editor

send the Lions back home with a 4-3 loss.

“We had a little breakdown defensively in game two with Kean which hasn’t happened since our first set of games,” Miller said. “We need to stay focused and have a consistent pre-pitch approach to whoever is pitching to opposing hitters. We have had the same approach all years in many areas.”

The Lions return to the diamond on Saturday, April 28 for a doubleheader against Montclair State University at Dr. June Walker Field at 1 p.m.

April 25, 2018 The Signal page 25 Tennis

Stevens, Mary Washington trample tennis team

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Rangu defeats Mary Washington, earning one of only two singles wins for the Lions.

By Rohan Ahluwalia Staff Writer

Despite earning a 9-0 victory against Stevens Institute of Technology on April 18, the women’s tennis team lost its first game of the season when they fell to the University of Mary Washington, 7-2, on Saturday, April 21. Meanwhile, the men dropped both of their games.

At the outdoor tennis facilities, sophomore Audrey Chen and freshman Andrea Giacobbo completed a doubles sweep with an 8-3 victory.

Senior Maddy Stoner then took the spotlight as she picked up her 100th career victory for the Lions. She partnered with junior Grace Minassian for an 8-0 win. Meanwhile, junior duo

Sneha Rangu and Alyssa Baldi continued their fantastic partnership this season with a commanding 8-0 doubles victory.

In singles competition, the women claimed all six matches in straight sets and clinched a 9-0 victory. Rangu and Minassian both outlasted their opponents, and senior Brittany Reedman won in two 6-0 sets.

Stoner then managed to notch her 101st victory as she defeated Stevens’ freshman Chelsea Braithwaite in 6-2 and 6-0 sets. Baldi and Chen then finished the game for the College, finishing the singles competition with a pair of wins.

Baldi credits the team’s supportive dynamic for its success.

“I think it comes from how close we are as a team,” Baldi said. “Even though there is a certain amount of players from each grade, we are all really close and bring a lot

Cheap Seats

to the table together.”

The team then endured its first loss of the season against the University of Mary Washington on Saturday, April 21.

In doubles competition, the team dropped all three matches. Stoner and Minassian were defeated 8-3 by Mary Washington seniors Ashley Barrow and Kait Brogan. Rangu and Baldi endured their first doubles loss to Mary Washington sophomore Rachel Summers and senior Caroline Mosberg, 8-3. Giacobbo and senior Danna Tsay also suffered an 8-3 loss against Mary Washington senior Brittany McBride and junior Danielle Mirabella.

In singles, only Reedman and Rangu could salvage a win for the Lions. Reedman managed to win in straight sets over Mary Washington senior Hannah Jabusch while Rangu defeated Brogan in straight sets as well.

The men also struggled against Stevens on April 18. The afternoon began brightly for the College as they won two of their three doubles matches. Junior Matt Puig partnered with sophomore Thomas Wright to defeat Stevens senior Danny Polk and freshman Bryan Szayna, 8-6.

Juniors Tim Gavornik and Omar Bokhari then worked together to take an 8-1 doubles victory. In singles competition, the Lions struggled and lost all six matches to ultimately lose, 7-2.

The team’s downturn continued against the University of Mary Washington as it lost, 6-3. Gavornik and Bokhari were the only winners at doubles, with a closely contested 8-7 matchup against Mary Washington freshman Moses Hutchison and junior Matt Miles.

Going into singles competition, only Puig and Gavornik gathered victories for the Lions. Puig won a close match against Mary Washington sophomore Joseph Brown in 7-6 and 7-5 straight sets while Gavornik won in straight sets over Mary Washington sophomore Michael Fleming.

Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams will seek to amend their mistakes and finish their seasons strong when they take on the State University of New York at Oneonta on Saturday, April 28 at the outdoor tennis facilities starting at 10 a.m.

Lacrosse

Puck / Playoffs worth watching Lions smash ranked opponents

By Miguel Gonzalez Sports Editor

The Penguins look to win their third straight Stanley Cup title.

continued from page 28

series that had teams come back from 3-1 deficits to win in Game Seven. The team lost the first time in 2009 to the Capitals, but they returned the favor in 2015 against Alex Ovechkin and his club.

The best, however, was between Games Two and Four, when the Rangers scored two goals compared to the Penguins’ nine in 2014. As a fan, all hope seemed to be lost with the Rangers building me up to inevitable heartbreak once again. But then Game Five was played, center Derick Brassard scored two beautiful goals, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves and the team won, 5-1. Game Six was another win, but only by two goals when it finished, 3-1.

AP Photo

By the time the Rangers had completed the comeback with a 2-1 win in Game Seven, they have already muted center Sidney Crosby and kept him to only one goal in the series. Goaltender Marc-André Fleury allowed 14 goals in seven games and Hank looked like a Swedish god. That series comeback pushed the team deeper into the playoffs and eventually to the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

That wouldn’t have happened in Five Games. Playoff hockey is, without a doubt, the best kind of hockey despite its length.

Some better teams may lose because of a Cinderella’s luck. But like the NHL says in its best commercials, that’s “Because It’s the Cup.”

The second best team in the New Jersey Athletic Conference? No sweat. The number one ranked team in the country? No competition. A team all the way from Colorado? Just another day at Lions Stadium.

During the past week, the College’s lacrosse team claimed three victories. The Lions first defeated conference rival Rowan University, 16-3, at Lions Stadium on April 17. The team followed up with another home win, 10-1, against Salisbury University on Friday, April 20. On Sunday, April 22, the team hosted its last home match of the regular season and dismissed Colorado College with a 14-4 victory.

At Lions Stadium, the lacrosse team was more than prepared to deal with Rowan, who was ranked 21st in the country by Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Division III Coaches poll.

Rowan posed no challenge to the Lions as the team unleashed its mighty offense.

Sophomore midfielder Allie Gorman led the Lions’ offense with six goals. Despite

Rowan forcing 25 turnovers and netting three goals, the Lions peppered Rowan’s goal with 46 shots.

The Lions’ next match was against the undefeated 14-0 Salisbury University, who was ranked first in the nation at the time according to the IWLCA Division III Coaches poll. Salisbury had been wrecking ranked opponents all season long.

Nevertheless, the Lions crushed Salisbury in a 10-1 victory. Jaeger and Gorman led the Lions’ offense again with three goals apiece. After outscoring Salisbury 9-1 in the first half, the Lions faced more aggressive attacks in the second half.

On Sunday, April 22, the Lions played their last regular season home match, overwhelming Colorado College, 14-4. Although the match ended in another blowout, the team celebrated the immense contributions of three seniors — midfielder/defender Jaclyn Douglas, defender Elizabeth Morrison and midfielder Amanda Muller.

The Lions will conclude their regular season on the road at Union, New Jersey when they take on Kean University on Saturday, April 28.

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Bernardi’s stellar defense helps limit Salisbury to four goals.

page 26 The Signal April, 25 2018

Fun StufF

It’s the end of the semester...

April 25, 2018 The Signal page 27

LIONS AROUND THE

D RM

Malcolm Luck “The Ref”

Kyle Olszak ATD Correspondent

Ryan Vander Werf ATD Correspondent

Andrew Santonocito ATD Correspondent

In this week’s edition of Around the Dorm, “Ref” Malcolm Luck asked our panel of three experts — Kyle Olszak, Ryan Vander Werf and Andrew Santonocito — three questions: 1. Will José Bautista make an impact on the Atlanta Braves? 2. Who do you think the New York Giants should take with their No. 2 draft pick? 3. How many seasons does LeBron have left until he shows signs of age?

1. Will José Bautista make an impact on the Atlanta Braves?

Kyle: José Bautista will increase attendance for Atlanta’s minor league games, but that will ultimately be the only impact he will have on the organization. Bautista, once a star in the MLB, is now 37 and after a season where he batted only .203, it would not be surprising if he never played another game in the majors again. It is important, however, to note that there is rarely, if ever, a such thing as a poor minor league signing. By signing Bautista to a minor league deal, the Braves are taking little to no risk. Ultimately, it is impossible to say with certainty whether or not Bautista will make an impact with Atlanta, but as of right now it

seems unlikely.

Ryan: I think José Bautista will make little to no impact on the Braves. With the Braves currently sitting at 10-7, three games back of the New York Mets for the division lead, they aren’t in a position where they’ll be throwing Bautista into the lineup just yet. His contract is a minor league deal, so I assume he’ll play in their system for majority of the year to prove what he still has left in the tank.

José was known for his big bat and right now the Braves aren’t in need of a home run hitter. Only if they’re having a hard time scoring runs in the future do I see them throwing Bautista into the mix.

Andrew: Personally, I do not believe José Bautista will have any

impact on the Atlanta Braves.

Bautista, who was signed to a minor league deal on April 18, will now be playing the hot corner for the Braves, which he has done only 12 times since 2012, when he was 31 years old. Bautista is now 37 years old and his best games are behind him. The days of Bautista erupting the Rogers Centre with monstrous bat flips in the playoffs are over, and the chances of him making it up to the big leagues and having an impact are slim to none.

After a horrid second half in 2017 when Bautista hit an underwhelming .156 with nine homers and 27 RBIs, the Blue Jays declined to pick up his option for 2018 simply because his bat is just not the same. “Joey Bats” is a career .250

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hitter with 331 homers and 927 RBIs, but in my opinion, he will have a hard time making it back to the big leagues and making an

impact with his decreased numbers and current second basemen Ryan Flaherty hitting .354 for the Braves ahead of him.

Andrew receives 3 points for highlighting Bautista’s awful stats. Kyle receives 2 points for mentioning the harmlessness of minor league deals. Ryan receives 1 point for mentioning the Braves’ lack of desire for a home run hitter.

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2. Who do you think the New York Giants should take with their No. 2 draft pick?

Kyle: This question is obviously dependent on who the Browns draft with the first overall pick. If we assume that recent reports are accurate, and the Browns select quarterback

Josh Allen, then the Giants should take quarterback Sam Darnold. Though the product from the University of Southern California struggled with turnovers during his college career, he made up for it with his hard work. Darnold also has some of the more physical intangibles as opposed to a prospect like quarterback Baker Mayfield, as Darnold is 6 feet 3 inches tall and over 220 pounds. He played tight end and linebacker in high school, which is something he should quickly overcome after working with an NFL training staff and coaches. In a draft that appears to have four NFL-ready quarterbacks, a team like the Giants who need a replacement for quarterback Eli Manning should not pass on Darnold at the number two spot.

Ryan: The Giants should draft Sam Darnold with the No. 2 overall pick if he is available. Darnold is thought by many to be the best overall quarterback coming out of the draft this year.

With Eli Manning only having about two more years left in the tank, this would be a great opportunity for the Giants to draft his replacement and allow Darnold, who is only 20 years old, time to develop and adapt in the NFL. With that being said, in the case that the Browns draft Darnold first overall, the Giants should draft running back Saquon Barkley. Saquon is the most

dynamic player in the draft. Saquon has the ability to make people miss while running the ball, but also I think an underrated aspect of his game is his pass blocking ability. Saquon will provide the Giants needed help in the pass game while also bringing his running abilities to the plate. Barkley is the safest pick in this draft.

Andrew: With the NFL draft just over a week away, it is coming down to the wire and teams are scrambling on who to select. Whether it be one of the top three quarterbacks like Allen, Rosen and Darnold. After doing some research, I think the New York Giants should take Barkley out of Penn State with their No. 2 draft pick in the 2018 draft. Giants general manager Dave Gettleman once told the press about drafting a hall-of-fame caliber player. Who would be a better selection than a 21-year-old out of the Bronx, New York? The Giants do not need to select a quarterback right away while they still have Eli. It would be a tragedy to pass up on Barkley, who ran for a whopping 3,843 yards with 43 touchdowns and racked up 1,195 receiving yards and 8 touchdown receptions in his collegiate career. Barkley is exactly the hall of fame player Gettleman was talking about.

Kyle and Ryan receive 3 points for presenting multiple options contingent on the Browns’ decision. Andrew gets 1 point for alluding to Barkley’s college stats.

3. How many seasons does LeBron James have left until he shows signs of age?

Kyle: If you did not already know, LeBron James is a freak of nature. No player in his 15th season should be able to put up 46 points in a playoff game so easily. This, coupled with his amazing regular season in which he improved his shooting and played in all 82 games, suggests that LeBron still has several years left. In order to maximize these years, LeBron has to leave Cleveland this summer and sign with a team that has two young, generational talents. This team I am referencing is the Philadelphia 76ers.

Point guard Ben Simmons looks like the closest thing the NBA has seen to another Magic Johnson, and Joel Embiid has already become one of the top centers in the league. My prediction is that by partnering with them, LeBron could remain at his level of dominance for at least another five years.

With that being said, I think the answer to the question is that it depends — if LeBron stays in Cleveland and posts another 82game season next year while carrying the team on his back.

Ryan: LeBron, in his 15th season, has

shown no signs of deterioration. He’s actually on par, if not better, than he was in his prime. I believe LeBron won’t show signs of his age for another three seasons, making him 36 years old. LeBron is playing great basketball, but this does take a toll on your body after playing as many games as he has and making deep playoff runs year after year.

The only way I see LeBron showing a dropoff anytime sooner than three years is if he gets seriously injured. We’ve seen this with other basketball players and athletes who dominated their sports, such as point guard Derrick Rose, who dropped off after several serious injuries and even quarterback Peyton Manning, who had a neck injury and surgery before dropping off and retiring. LeBron is one of the best athletes of any sport of our generation and I truly believe he has more left in the tank and will prove many people wrong for years to come.

Andrew: The multi-billion-dollar question, “when will LeBron James start showing signs of age” is one that not even LeBron himself could provide an answer for. James, who is currently 33 years old, has been in the league since 2003 and has not showed

Kyle receives 3 points for mentioning LeBron’s longer career potential. Ryan gets 2 points for alluding to the possibility of a major injury shortening LeBron’s career.

Andrew gets 1 point for discussing LeBron’s ability to take care of himself.

any signs of fatigue or deterioration. LeBron is simply built like a beast and I do not see him slowing down for at least another three to five years. This is credited to LeBron taking care of himself and realizing he isn’t that 18-year-old kid anymore and he has to make the right decisions. LeBron spends 1.5 million dollars a year taking care of his body to ensure he is always ready to dominate and take over the game. While others are fatigued after the 82-game season, LeBron’s season starts now with the playoffs. LeBron is an athlete like no other and his age may never hold him back. It is unreal to watch him dominate every game he plays in. We are truly witnessing greatness before our eyes, and to LeBron, age is simply just a number.

Winner’s Circle Kyle wins ATD 8-6-5

Tom wins ATD 9-5-4 “You 100%me of the shots I want “Hurry up miss and draft because you don’t take”Faccus to be there.

I want to wreckrepe this league

together.” — Johnny Manziel

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Signal

Sports

Lions duel Rowan for top conference seed

Lindsay makes a smooth defensive play up the middle.

By William Guttman Correspondent

The top two teams in the New Jersey Athletic Conference met on Sunday, April 22 at George Ackerman Park in an exciting contest.

The first game of the series between the Lions and Rowan University was played on Friday, April 20 in Glassboro, New Jersey. The Lions could not scratch a run in the 1-0 defeat. Before the Lions and Rowan could play again, the team had business elsewhere.

The Lions traveled to Jersey City, New Jersey on Saturday,

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

April 21 for a doubleheader against New Jersey City University. The Lions swept the doubleheader with 7-6 and 7-0 victories.

When the teams took the field on Sunday, the warm, clear weather with winds blowing out toward center field was perfect for the matchup.

On the mound for the Lions was sophomore pitcher Michael Walley. Rowan countered with junior pitcher Andrew DiPiazza.

After an inning and a half of uneventful play, senior utility player Austin Lindsay got the offense started with a leadoff, line drive home run to left field.

Walley escaped a first-and-third jam unscathed in the top of the third, handing the game back to his team’s bats. Junior infielder Ryan Fischer led off the half inning with a double and sophomore outfielder Thomas Persichetti reached on an error two batters later. The Lions then scored two runs off of Lindsay’s second extra-base hit of the afternoon, a double to center field.

Rowan came back in the top of the fourth inning. Rowan’s two solo shots and an RBI double tied the score at three. Junior first baseman Tommy McCarthy led off the bottom half of the fourth with

a double to left field. Following sophomore outfielder Jacob Simon hitting a productive groundout to move McCarthy to third, sophomore catcher David Cardona III hit a sacrifice fly to put the Lions on top, 4-3.

Walley recorded three strikeouts in the fifth, but a Rowan home run evened the score at four.

For the fourth inning in a row, the Lions started off with a double, as junior infielder Danny Borup hit a double extra base hit to right field. Persichetti promptly followed with another double, scoring in Borup. Later in the inning, Persichetti scored on a wild pitch, allowing the Lions to accumulate a 6-4 lead.

Junior pitcher Dylan Crowley entered the game to relieve Walley. In two innings of work, Crowley stopped Rowan from continuing the back-and-forth battle, only giving up two singles.

The Rowan bullpen cooled down the Lions during these two innings, but after a 1-2-3 inning by sophomore pitcher Nickolas Kleftogiannis, three Rowan pitchers combined to allow three more runs for the Lions, padding the College’s lead to 9-4.

Walley struck out four and

earned the win to move to 3-1 on the season. Senior pitcher Matt Curry came on in the ninth to secure the game, giving the Lions their 23rd win of the season while handing Rowan its sixth loss.

Lindsay commended Rowan’s starting pitcher DiPiazza, who came into the game with a 0.75 ERA. However, when the offense and pitchers reach their full potential, Lindsay believes the Lions have the advantage.

“I don’t think there’s a better team than us,” Lindsay said. “When everyone is contributing like they did today, that’s when it’s fun.”

Head coach Dean Glus was very pleased with how the bullpen came in and shut Rowan down. He was happy to have his whole team be a part of the win on both sides of the ball.

“It does a lot for a team,” Glus said.

Earlier on April 17, the Lions secured a 14-4 win against Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham.

The Lions return to action on Thursday, April 26 in Wayne, New Jersey to take on William Paterson University. They then compete against William Paterson again at George Ackerman Park on Friday, April 27 at 3:30 p.m.

NHL playoffs worth lengthy postseason

By Michael Battista Staff Writer

I love the smell of ice in the morning.

The National Hockey League playoffs started a few weeks ago, and I’ve been enjoying myself immensely so far despite the fact that the New York Rangers failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2010.

I can’t help but be swept up by the teams and stories taking place right now.

These stories range from the Vegas Golden Knights’ success in their first-ever season, to left wing Evander Kane stepping up in his first-ever playoff series for the San Jose Sharks after being traded from the Buffalo Sabres earlier this year. Now both of these teams are lined up to face one another in the second round in what should be a mustwatch series.

That doesn’t mean the competition isn’t without critics. On my WTSR sports show, “Riding the Pine,” my co-host Alex Mitchell and I discussed the idea that the NHL Playoffs are too long.

It’s not hard to see why people like Mitchell believe this. The first round started on April 11 this year and will end sometime in June. Last year’s entire playoff process took nearly two months, starting on April 12 and ending on June 11 when the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators in six games. Mitchell said he also believes

Lions Lineup April 25, 2018

I n s i d e

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Guentzel celebrates a goal in Game Six of the first-round playoffs.

the NBA playoffs, a league that he follows more closely, is also far too long while the MLB postseason only takes a month.

While everyone is entitled to their own points of view, I did start to think extensively about why a best-of-seven series for every round of the NHL playoffs is better for the sport. It’s mainly attributed to the level of talent and competition. Look

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at the Philadelphia Flyers. After losing 7-0 in Game One of their first round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, they beat the defending two-time champions in Game Two, 5-1. That sort of comeback just doesn’t happen in the NBA, especially against a team like the Penguins.

Looking at the NBA, if someone believed that the San Antonio Spurs could

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beat the defending champion Golden State Warriors by a lopsided score like 121-79 after losing a game, I’d love to meet them.

The Washington Capitals, the top team in the Metropolitan Division, lost the first two games of its first round series to the wildcard Columbus Blue Jackets in overtime this year. Not many people could say they saw that coming and that series became must-watch hockey.

Now look at the NHL’s Western conference. On route to being swept, the Los Angeles Kings lost all their games to Vegas by one goal in close games and L.A.’s goaltender Jonathan Quick stopped nearly every single one of the Knights’ shots. The Colorado Avalanche scored four goals against the Nashville Predators in their Game Two loss, 5-4, and found themselves in a three-goal deficit just to nearly come back by scoring two unanswered goals in the third period.

Games like this prove that these teams do have the ability to fight back and push matches farther than they should go. The odds are bad and yes there will still be sweeps or blowouts, but I never think a team is fully out of contention, unlike the NBA. There’s also a personal note in my reasoning for enjoying these long playoffs.

As I said before, I am a long suffering Rangers fan. Between 2009 and 2015, the Broadway Blueshirts were part of three see PUCK page 25

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