The Signal: Spring '15 No. 14

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Vol. XLII, No. 14

May 6, 2015

Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885

College ‘sends silence packing’

Suicide: the silent struggle

By Sydney Shaw News Editor

One thousand one hundred backpacks were scattered across the Green Hall lawn, impossible to miss for students walking to and from classes on Tuesday, April 28. The backpacks, some of which bore personal stories, represented the 1,100 college students who die by suicide each year in the United States.

Send Silence Packing, a powerful traveling public education display hosted nationally by Active Minds, aims to raise awareness about mental health issues, remove mental health stigmas and lower suicide statistics by using donated backpacks to give a face to the students lost to suicide each year.

“We want to work to start a conversation about mental health,” said Mimi Tohill, a road trip staffer for Active Minds. “At most colleges we go to, a student will come forward and ask if they can contribute a story about a loved one they lost to suicide.”

According to Tohill, about a third of the backpacks were accompanied with stories written by parents, siblings, friends and significant others of students around the country who have committed suicide. Many of the stories included photos of the students who lost their lives to suicide and personal memorabilia, such as college pendants.

“I just want you to know that you were a beautifully fantastic person,” one story read. “We all loved you and you never let me down.”

Besides the overwhelming backpack display, signs around the lawn shared statistics see SILENCE page 3

Kim Iannarone / Photo Assistant

The College hosts ‘Send Silence Packing,’ a display to raise awareness about mental health struggles.

By Kelsey Leiter Correspondent

May 9, 2013. April 30, 2014. Oct. 6, 2014.

Three tragedies. Less than two years. One life altering decision: the individual moments when three different students from the College decided to end their lives.

Among the general population of young adults aged 1824, homicide and suicide are the second and third leading causes of death.

There are currently no studies comparing homicide and suicide rates of students that fall within that age demographic both on and off campuses — however, many

campus professionals dedicated to suicide prevention and mental health promotion often refer to suicide as the second leading cause of death among college students, according to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s website.

When sending their children off to four-year institutions for

Stud renovations undermine clubs

In the wake of renovations, student organizations struggle to find space.

By Alyssa Sanford News Assistant

After the announcement that the Rat would be closing forever after 40 years, and once telltale fences and green mesh began to pop up

around the perimeter of the Brower Student Center, it became clear that renovations to the Stud would be starting soon — but not without affecting the student organizations housed there.

Although renovations to the

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1970s-era Student Center are long overdue, and the campus community seems to be generally enthusiastic about it, leaders of on-campus clubs and organizations are frustrated that they’re being displaced by future construction efforts.

Editorial / Page 10

Opinions / Page 11

TCNJ Hillel, a club associated with the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life is a prime example of the negative effects that the Stud renovation is having on clubs who work out of the Stud. Hillel has already been relocated from its office space in the Stud basement to a closet in the Spiritual Center — much to the dismay of its members who had to throw out a lot of supplies and holiday decorations.

“Probably the most upsetting thing is that we had to leave behind a lot of meaningful things,” said Danielle Kassick, co-president of Hillel and a junior psychology and elementary education double major. “We had to throw away scrapbooks that members of Hillel from 10 plus years ago put together. We also had see STUD page 4

Features / Page 13

higher learning, parents may feel a tumultuous ensemble of emotions. Pride, joy, hope for the potential future — are all at the forefront of their minds.

Somewhere in a darker corner, however — worry, anxiety, fear.

On one hand, they are nostalgic for the child they swear see SUICIDE page 2

Local union leader, professor to retire after 45 years

By Mark Marsella Correspondent

Although Professor Ralph Edelbach is retiring after nearly 50 years of teaching at the College and working with its union local, he still searches for fascinating issues he would’ve discussed in his Society, Ethics and Technology class. And while he is no longer teaching students, he’s found a new audience to educate.

“Jon Stewart did a piece the other day on religious rituals associated with robots and artificial intelligence,” Edelbach said. “I look at that and say, ‘Oh, I can use that in class! Oh wait …

I’m not teaching anymore.’ So I tape it on my TiVo, put it on PowerPoint, and now I show it to my grandkids.”

Now, as Edelbach prepares to move to Texas so that he can be closer to his family and grandchildren, the Technological Studies teacher reminisces about his half-century see EDELBACH page 15

Arts & Entertainment / Page 17

Sports / Page 28

Greek Life Organizations shake off national stereotypes

TCNJ Cares Week raises awareness of mental health

Lacrosse Team wins NJAC for fifth straight year

See News page 6

See Features page 13

See Sports page 28

page 2 The Signal May 6, 2015

Suicide / An issue that hits too close to home

Samantha Selikoff / Photo Editor

Stephanie Menakis participates in the balloon release, part of TCNJ Cares Week. continued from page 1

was two-years-old less than five minutes ago. But, they are also excited for their son or daughter as they recall the experiences they had at the colleges they attended. Could that really be 20 years ago?

On the other hand, the gutwrenching feelings they may have stem from their innate habit of worrying, something they might try to stifle but can never completely defeat. Their uneasiness can also be equated with the horror stories of things like alcohol poisoning, Greek life hazing and drug abuse, among other tragedies, that occur on college campuses across the U.S. These worries are not just founded in shocking news stories, but also in startling statistics. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcoholrelated unintentional injuries.

With college campuses focusing on issues like these, it is often more startling when a suicide occurs on a college campus.

When students, who seemingly have everything to live for, take their lives, it sends a crippling wave of shock across campuses all over the country, affecting families and students alike.

At the College, the first death by suicide in the last several years was that of tennis captain Paige Aiello, 21, who was tragically considered missing for a month before police identified her body in the Hudson River.

“I just don’t understand what’s happening to these high-achieving kids,” said Aiello’s father, Christopher, to Philly.com. “How did we get to this spot? The whole thing, for me, will never make any sense.”

An A-student at the College, Aiello was weeks shy of graduation and had been accepted to nine law schools when she went missing two days before her 22nd birthday.

Police believe Aiello jumped from the George Washington Bridge because they found her purse, cell phone and car keys on the span’s south walkway.

“It’s so normal for anyone

who is connected to a suicide or a loss to ask themselves what they missed,” said Dean of Students Angela Chong, who manages the College’s student outreach program. “It’s just really important to remember that every person is different “College is tough. Many of our students are learning how to be in relationships for the first time …

There’s a lot going on during that time in someone’s life. This is not the time to think you can handle it all by yourself.”

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) defines suicidal thoughts and behaviors as “psychiatric emergencies requiring immediate intervention.” According to their website, suicide is the most common psychiatric emergency with close to one million Americans receiving treatment for suicidal thoughts, behaviors or attempts on a yearly basis.

Volunteers at Mercer County’s crisis hotline, CONTACT, have been on the other side of many an “immediate intervention.”

CONTACT is a free crisis intervention hotline for people seeking someone to listen, ease their despair and help them share the daily burdens of life. Their website explains their work as “compassionate listening and safety services” that over the past 35 years has saved “countless number of lives that would have been lost to suicide.”

Chong said that there is usually no single defining moment or situation that leads to suicidal thoughts or attempts.

“No one really wakes up one day and feels like they don’t have any alternatives. It’s a process,” Chong said. “Most students have been dealing with depression or anxiety, or something has been going on for a while.”

The College has tragically seen an increase in suicides on campus in the last two years.

Only a year after Aiello’s death, and coincidentally in the same month, Michael Menakis, 18, a freshman playing for the College’s basketball team, allegedly died from injuries sustained by jumping from the top of a school parking garage.

Emily Johnson, a sophomore business management major, was with Menakis the morning of his suicide attempt and said that she didn’t notice anything alarming about his demeanor.

“Even his best friends that he played basketball with said they had no idea anything was wrong,” Johnson said, reflecting on the incident.

“I think second semester his habits got worse, like skipping class and stuff,” she realized in retrospect. “But no one really noticed because it happened subtly and everyone skips class. You’re not necessarily looking at that like it means something or thinking, ‘Oh, wow, he must be really struggling.’”

While it is sometimes difficult to recognize warning signs, Chong explained, “Look for changes in behavior. Drastic change — you’re not just looking for one isolated circumstance or behavior. (You’re) looking for anything that is a change … especially during stressful academic times of the year. It may not be any one thing. It can’t just be up to any one department, one friend, one boyfriend, one anything, to have the responsibility of noticing these things.”

In response to the recent devastating losses, the College has changed its approach to better assist students seeking help.

“The approach has changed so that it’s a community effort,” Chong said. “Our net is wider so that we can have a more holistic picture of what’s going on with that student to discern if we should be concerned or not, because you certainly don’t want to overact and drive a student away from seeking help services.”

Though Menakis had been drinking that night, according to Johnson, she said he was no more drunk than she had ever seen him before. Johnson was with him as early as 3:30 am the morning of his attempt. When she first received a call from one of Menakis’ new fraternity brothers, she was only told that Menakis was in the hospital and had potentially been assaulted.

“The police came to question me and at that point they didn’t really know what had happened, or they just weren’t telling me,”

Johnson said. “They asked me if he had ever talked about Madison Holleran who he ran track with in high school. He hadn’t, and I didn’t realize at the time who she was.”

Holleran was a freshman track star at the University of Pennsylvania who graduated from Northern Highlands High School with Menakis. On Jan. 17, 2014, just as her second semester had begun, she committed suicide by jumping from the roof of a parking garage in Center City, Philadelphia. Her death was one of five among the Penn student body in six months’ time, including four confirmed suicides, Philadelphia Magazine reported.

It wasn’t until this January that her parents revealed the contents of the note their daughter left behind.

“I thought how unpleasant it was to be locked out, and I thought how it is worse perhaps to be locked in,” she wrote, also leaving behind cookies for her grandparents, chocolates for her father and necklaces for her mother. “I love you all … I’m sorry. I love you,” she wrote.

Her former classmate, Menakis, had just become a member of the College’s chapter of Sigma Pi Theta Delta before he took his own life. Members of the organization were in shock.

After his death, Menakis’ fraternity brothers participated in Hamilton’s “Out of the Darkness Suicide Walk,” sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Frankie Parisi, a junior business major at the College who joined the fraternity at the same time as Menakis, said he never saw any signs.

“Mike was just one of the guys, we all loved being around him. I don’t think Mike ever reached out to anyone, which is tough to understand,” Parisi said.

His lack of outreach to his fraternity brothers is especially difficult to understand as the fraternity’s philanthropy is the Sean Vernon Feliciano Amazing Day foundation for suicide awareness.

The “In Memory of Mike Menakis” fundraising page the fraternity created surpassed its goal of $1,000, ultimately raising $1,709. All proceeds are going to the American Foundation

for Suicide Prevention.

“We have done everything we can to keep his memory alive,” Parisi said. “Aside from our philanthropy, that is probably the most important thing to us.”

Chong has created a task force at the College implementing efforts to help reduce the negative stigma often attached to reaching out for help.

“You just want to make sure that you’re asking, how can every effort and message help protect our students?” Chong said. “How can this be a place that is comfortable talking about this kind of thing, that it eventually reduces the stigma? And that people feel more free to say that, ‘Hey, I’m going through something.’

“I can’t imagine anything worse than someone saying ‘I’m gonna reach out for help,’ but then feeling like that’s wrong or that there’s something wrong with me.”

Less than four months later, Sarah Sutherland, 18, a 2014 Scotch Plains High School graduate and freshman at the College, committed suicide when she jumped from the Route 22 overpass on Park Avenue in Scotch Plains, N.J. Sutherland’s suicide was a shock to junior Jennie Sekanics, Sutherland’s freshman floor Community Advisor.

“She always seemed happy and was always kind, she was very generous — always one of the first people to offer help,” said Sekanics, an English and women’s and gender studies double major. “I will say that it was evident that she was under a lot of pressure … Sarah was well-liked on our floor and her death affected each and every one of us.”

Like many others who are in some way affected by a suicide, Sekanics has struggled to deal with the loss of her young resident.

“I was very distraught for a long time. I really felt like I didn’t do my job — in my mind, her death was my fault. I had trouble coping with her loss and my guilt,” Sekanics said. “It took a lot of conscious self-love, care and advocacy, but I am here, and I am happy and healthy. I realized I needed to recognize how I cared for myself — what worked, what see SUICIDE page 3

Campus Resources

Anti-Violence Initiatives: (609) 771-2272 Alcohol & Drug Education Program: (609) 771-2572 Campus Police Department: (609) 771 2345 Counseling & Psychological Services: (609) 771-2247 Dean of Students (609) 771-2201 Disability Support Services: (609) 771-3199 EEO/Title IX Complaints: (609) 771-3139 Residential Education & Housing: (609) 771-3455 Student Health Services: (609) 771-2889 TCNJ Clinic: (609) 771-2700 Concerned about a friend? Submit a report at: sa.pages.tcnj.edu/student-of-concern or call (609) 771-CARE

May 6, 2015 The Signal page 3

Suicide / Preventing future tragedies at the College continued from page 2

didn’t and why. It is really important to know what makes you feel good, especially in times of distress, and now self-care is the most important thing in my life… academics following second, of course.”

It is unknown whether these three students had reached out to the College’s Counseling and Psychology Services center (CAPS), however, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center website explains that “even though most campuses provide low or no-cost mental health services to their students or can refer students to off-campus services, student survey data shows that many students who need help are not asking for it directly.”

The American College Health Association found in 2008 that most students who report being depressed (i.e., screening positive for depression, self-reporting depression diagnoses or symptoms) are not in treatment. One survey, for example, showed “only 36 percent of students who screened positive for depression or anxiety actually received some form of treatment.”

Most students who die by suicide are not clients of the counseling center, the website explains.

So, what can be done? What is being done?

Chong explains that after the deaths of these students, there was an outpouring from the College’s student body and faculty who wanted to do something to help prevent future suicides and help students seek assistance when needed.

The College’s Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention Task Force, made up of faculty, staff and students, lobbied for two additional counselors in CAPS in order for psychiatrists to be available on campus for 20 hours a week. The task force has also put trainings on for faculty and students to better help break down barriers for students who want to reach out for help.

This past October was the College’s CAPS’s Mental Health Awareness Month.

The month began with a Mental Health Screening Day in which students were invited to get a “mental health check up.” Screenings for mood and anxiety disorders, alcohol use/abuse, eating disorders and gambling were available with immediate feedback provided by professional staff from CAPS, Anti-Violence Initiatives (AVI), the Alcohol and Drug Education Program (ADEP) and the TCNJ Clinic.

CAPS Peer Educators (CAPS PE),

Samantha Selikoff / Photo Editor

Students walk to raise awareness for suicide and mental health struggles. students who volunteer with the program, hosted several other events for students including “Stigmonolgues” where more than 200 students heard personal stories from their peers about their experiences with mental health issues, stigma and recovery.

New York City author, Josh Rivedal, was brought to campus to present his oneman show, “The Gospel According to Josh,” which narrates his journey through depression and explains how he made it to the other side. Students were able to learn more about how to reduce the stigma, raise awareness and help fellow students struggling with depression seek help.

During the month, CAPS PE brought with them to all events what they call a “Message of Hope” table. They asked students to create and leave hopeful messages for others and then take with them a message that someone else had written.

“The aim was simple: bring a smile and sense of hope to another, while leaving with a bit of hope for yourself,” the group’s website explains.

The influx of messages and positive feedback inspired CAPS PE to create a Tumblr page called TCNJ Unbreakable as a forum to anonymously post positive messages, uplifting quotes and images.

“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in,” a quote from Leonard Cohen added to the page by a student at the College reads. “Behind you are the challenges you’ve met. Before you lie new

possibilities. Today you chose the direction of your life,” another student wrote.

CAPS also encouraged students to attend Hamilton’s “Out of the Darkness” Suicide Walk.

Other organizations have also stepped up to help promote suicide awareness. In 2013, junior psychology major Noelle Skrobola and senior psychology major Melanie Wong, along with alumnus Monisha Ahluwalia, opened a chapter of Active Minds with the goal of “increasing awareness of students, faculty and staff at TCNJ about issues surrounding mental health, symptoms related to mental health disorders and mental health resources available both on-campus and in the surrounding community,” the group explained on its website.

The organization has already been recognized by Active Minds, Inc. as a five-star chapter and was nominated for a Road-Runner Award, which is given to a chapter that “hit the ground running on programming, leadership formation and awareness efforts on its campus,” according to the group’s website.

During the Suicide Prevention Month this October, Active Minds set up a table in the Brower Student Center where students could dip their hands in paint, leave prints on the banner and sign their names — metaphorically lending a hand to stop suicide.

“Every handprint represents a person who’s willing to talk to you,” junior psychology major Margaret Pappadimatos,

student organizer for Active Minds, told The Signal in an article from the Oct. 1, 2014 issue. “They will talk to you for however long (you) need, as long as you don’t take that final step.”

The Active Minds website has links to resources for students, families and teachers seeking help for themselves or others.

And while CAPS and Active Minds have made significant steps in the right direction, Johnson feels there is still more to be done.

“I don’t think TCNJ or the email directly addressed the issue,” Johnson said, referring to the email alert sent to the campus announcing Menakis’s death. “I know it’s very personal for family and friends, but the community should be aware of what’s happening. And it seems to be a recurring issue at TCNJ, so it needs to be more of a universal topic. If it weren’t such a closed subject, people would be more likely to address it if they were having an issue. It wouldn’t have to only be an internal struggle.”

Sekanics agrees that changes need to be made to the way the College handles the announcement of a campus suicide.

“A death, especially a suicide, is not a ‘special announcement,’” Sekanics said.

“Language needs to be better suited and more sensitive to the matter and the communities, and the TCNJ community at large, that it affects.”

Available data from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center suggests that suicide occurs at a rate between 6.5 and 7.5 per 100,000 among college students. More than 80 percent of college students felt overwhelmed by all they had to do in the past year and 45 percent felt that things were hopeless.

The American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment, likewise, finds that 60.5 percent of students “felt very sad” and 30.3 percent say they “felt so depressed that it was difficult to function” at least once in the prior 12 months.

The College’s campus community is working to fight against these unsettling statistics. Progress has been made and yet there is so much more to be done.

As Johnson said, “Once it’s done, it’s done. You can’t take it back.”

But, hopefully, with the right action steps, the College will be able to help prevent suicide in the first place and give students the right tools to seek help before drastic circumstances unfold.

Silence / Raising awareness, lowering statistics

continued from page 1

and motivational messages, such as “50 percent of college students report suicidal ideation at sometime in their life” and “seeking help shows strength.”

“I’ve had a lot of mental health issues,” said president of the College’s chapter of Active Minds Sarah Perry, who didn’t hesitate to share her history of struggles with mental health. “It’s about starting a conversation and offering a safe space for students, so I’m not afraid to admit it.”

According to resources available at the exhibit, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. With three students from the College committing suicide in the past two years — senior Paige Aiello in May 2013, freshman Michael Menakis in April 2014 and freshman Sarah

Sutherland in October 2014 — the demonstration was approved to appear at the College with the hopes of reaching students who are struggling with mental health disorders.

“We haven’t received any negative feedback yet,” Perry said. “For some students who have dealt with or are currently dealing with issues like depression or suicide, the display may act as a trigger and bring up a lot of emotions.”

In order to assist students who are triggered by the display, volunteers from TCNJ Clinic were available to talk near a table in front of the wall on the Green Hall lawn. The table contained a plethora of resources for students who may be struggling with depression.

“We have pocket guides to mental health, pamphlets on how to help a friend, magnets with

local resources and hotlines and more,” Tohill said.

There were also crisis intervention resources for particular demographics, including LGBTQ individuals, blacks, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, student-athletes and veterans.

“Instead of it being seen as a weakness, we want students to know that reaching out for help is a strength,” Tohill said. “There is a space to talk about how you’re feeling.”

Members of the College’s chapter of Active Minds walked up and down the diagonal paths that crisscross the Green Hall lawn, handing out informational flyers and letting students know that they are not the only ones struggling.

“We may often suffer in silence,” one of the more prominent signs of the day read, “but we do not suffer alone.”

Kim Iannarone / Photo Assistant

The display encourages students to reach out for help.

page 4 The Signal May 6, 2015

Stud / Organizations struggle to find space continued from page 1

to leave behind important religious items, like prayer books and shabbat cups.”

According to Kassick, co-president of Hillel, it was “just a really stressful process” to consolidate their office into a significantly smaller storage space.

“The office was supposed to act as a place where we could store our things, but also a place where we could hang out with other members in a place that we always knew would be available,” Kassick said. “Now that this is gone, it’s been difficult to have spontaneous gatherings for our organization.”

Katie Yorke, a co-chair of programming for Women in Learning and Leadership (WILL) and a member of the Women’s Center, echoed Kassick’s sentiments of frustration. The Women’s Center’s office space in the basement of the Stud has already been cleared out — making it impossible to hold private meetings with women in need.

“The Women’s Center is supposed to be a safe space for anyone to come to and know that there’s people there for them, but now, if we are moving into a public space, people might feel hesitant to come and open up,” said Yorke, a junior Spanish and international studies double major.

Yorke also mentioned that the basement office in the Stud wasn’t necessarily conducive to attracting foot traffic.

“We’re an important organization but we were always a second-thought in the fact that we were just allotted the basement,” Yorke said. “How can we advertise when people don’t even know our room exists?”

Yorke has not yet been told where the new office space will be, however, according to Stud Manager Seth Zolin, they will be relocated to an open space in the Stud.

If this occurs, however, the lack of privacy “could create conflicts” for women who want to talk openly without fear of judgment, Yorke said.

Other club leaders have already experienced conflicts with Student Center managers.

Kerri McLaughlin, president of Circle K, said that “a few months ago they basically told us, tough luck, we don’t have space for you anymore.”

For a club like Circle K, which emphasizes service and leadership, it was shocking that the Stud managers were “turning a cold shoulder” to the executive board, as well as many

Some student organizations feel neglected by Stud renovations. other well-established organizations, she said.

“We’re not the only club that’s not being given space back that really needs it,” McLaughlin said.

TCNJ Musical Theatre, for example, doesn’t have “any designated meeting or storage space that we can easily access on a daily basis” allotted for next semester, said Ken Abes, a junior biology major and secretary of TMT. TMT shared their cube in the Stud with All College Theatre, the Mixed Signals and Alpha Psi Omega, as both storage space for props, costumes, merchandise and memorabilia, as well as a meeting space. So far, while Stud management “has been accommodating” in assisting in the move-out process, they haven’t designated a new space for TMT that would be easily accessible to both the club and the public, according to Abes.

“While the staff of the student activities center have been very accommodating when it comes to other aspects of our organizations’ business, no communication had been made to alert us that we would be losing this space or why we were not given a guaranteed space in the renovated student center,” Abes said. “This loss came as a surprise to us.”

Abes hopes that the College administration will implement better forms of communication so that all students’ concerns can be expressed in the future.

Zolin is aware of the space issues that come with renovation.

“It was very quickly realized that we could not provide a space for all of the 200 student organizations on campus,” Zolin said. “Every dedicated space created reduces square footage available for the general population.”

tcnj.edu

While the new Stud design will allot space for “storage cages” in the basement for many student organizations to use, the current space issue will be more difficult to resolve.

Management first reached out to organizations “from underrepresented populations” so that their “vital service” to the campus community would remain intact for years to come, Zolin said.

The George Jackson Center, Simon Bolivar Room, Pan-Asian Room, PRISM and Women’s Center offices will all have a prominent position in the new Student Center so that they’ll be “easier” to find and more accessible to the public, Zolin said.

Fortunately, other organizations were able to find a new home for the next few semesters. Zolin listed a few of the organizations that he was able to find space for, including CUB, SFB, PRISM, Student Government, Inter Greek Council, Black Student Union and several others.

The Student Government office, like many other organizations’ offices, will be relocated to Roscoe West Hall, even though the cabinet isn’t sure exactly what the space will look like yet. Matthew Wells, president of Student Government, is optimistic about the Stud renovations, simply because it will improve life on campus for everyone.

“I think any sort of construction or anything sometimes bars some students, but … in the long run I think it’s going to be extremely beneficial to the college,” said Wells, a senior health and exercise science major. “Some people will see it as a great thing, like, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m going to

have a brand new, renovated student center my junior year.’ But then others will be like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to go here because it doesn’t have it here and now.’ It depends on the person.”

But Wells recognizes the prevailing sense of frustration that comes with moving office space.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Wells said, though he acknowledged that “it stinks having the student center down” for logistical reasons.

Besides the obvious closures of the Rat and the Lions’ Den, students will also have to adjust to the college bookstore’s closure and relocation.

“Provided everything stays on schedule” with Campus Town construction, the College Barnes & Noble location in the Stud will close in July for a two-week period, store manager Josie Tavarez said. It will tentatively reopen on Monday, Aug. 3, in its brand-new Campus Town location. The allotted space for the Campus Town bookstore will be 1,400 square feet and will also have a Barnes & Noble Cafe.

It will be a “new and improved bookstore,” Tavarez said.

Zolin also mentioned the addition of “more meeting and programming spaces located throughout the building,” as well as “innovative” new spaces like the Global Corner near the new main entrance. It will feature televisions tuned to world news, and the Multimedia Corner that will allow students to project media from their laptops onto a large screen to share with others.

“These types of innovative spaces will help us meet the goal of providing a modern, attractive and welcoming student center that will benefit our community for years to come,” Zolin said.

Although there are positive changes happening to the Stud, like the construction of new on-campus restaurants that will fill the vacancies left behind by the Rat and the Lions’ Den, it will take some time for students to adjust to the reconstruction of the campus’ longtime epicenter.

“Organizations are just going to have to be flexible throughout the next two to three years,” Wells said. “Flexibility and resilience will keep us through.”

Signal staffers Julie Kayzerman, Sydney Shaw, Ellie Schuckman, Kimberly Ilkowski, Mackenzie Cutruzzula and Jonathan Edmondson contributed to this report.

SG members reflect on past year of governance

By Alyssa Sanford News Assistant

Candidates, both old and new, vied for seats on Student Government’s cabinet, as well as positions as class council heads and school senators, on Tuesday, April 28, marking the end of election season and another successful year of governance in SG. On Wednesday, May 6, SG members will hold their final meeting of the semester and formally make the transition between the current cabinet and elected cabinet.

According to current Executive Vice President Michael Chiumento, the cabinet speaker and vice president of Advancement positions have yet to be selected. A campuswide email from Kevin Kim, the alternate student trustee and chair of the elections committee, sent on Monday, April 27, mentioned that some positions were not open to a vote because there weren’t enough

candidates running for the positions. These positions and freshman class council positions will be voted on in the Fall 2015 semester.

Casey Dowling, the newly elected president for next year, is looking forward to another year of governance.

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to serve the students of TCNJ again,” Dowling said. “Student Government has a strong and dedicated group of students and I am excited to see what we can all work together to accomplish in the coming year.”

Javier Nicasio, the new executive vice president, spent the past year serving on the cabinet as the vice president of Equity and Diversity.

“I have been able to advocate on issues that revolve around diversity,” Nicasio said of his time on the committee, citing projects like “I, Too, Am TCNJ,” “TCNJ Epcot” and the Bias Response team that deals with intolerance on campus.

As executive vice president next year, Nicasio is eager to “continue to advocate on behalf of the student body on a variety of issues.”

“I would be lying if I didn’t say I was nervous, but I am very enthusiastic about my new position,” Nicasio said. “If I had to describe myself in one word I would say that I was hard working. I put 110 percent into everything that I do, and as executive vice president, I will continue to work hard in improving our campus.”

Graduating senior Mike Chiumento, the executive vice president of SG from 2014 to 2015, has mixed feelings about leaving his post behind after three years of service to the campus community as a part of SG. “Part of me is glad to be closing such an important chapter of my college experience and another part of me would love to be able to keep serving TCNJ students for another year,” Chiumento said.

In particular, Chiumento is immensely proud of the work that he has done and overseen this past

year, especially of projects like the Middle States review commission and changes to the college’s online and blended learning policies. Though it is not always easy to advocate for a wide variety of on-campus issues, Chiumento believes it’s important because “they impact students every single day in countless ways.”

Chiumento is confident in Dowling’s and Nicasio’s leadership

capabilities, however, he does have some advice for his successors.

“Be confident from the get-go, hit the ground running before and throughout the summer, and recognize that some things are out of (your) control and will inevitably go wrong,” Chiumento said. “In those moments, (President) Matt Wells and I came to realize that we could be confident in our organization to bounce back and persevere.”

Newly Elected SG Officials Executive President: Casey Dowling Executive Vice President: Javier Nicasio Vice President of Academic Affairs: Dana Disarno Vice President of Administration & Finance: Tyler Holzer Vice President of Community Relations: Brittany Angiolini Vice President of Governmental Affairs: Ceili Boles Vice President of Student Services: Olivia White Vice President of Equity & Diversity: Priscilla Nunez Student Trustee: Kevin Kim Alternate Student Trustee: Ryan Molicki

May 6, 2015 The Signal page 5

College announces 40 million dollar campaign

tcnj.edu

Gitenstein launches a historical campaign, ensuring exemplar education.

By Sara Torres Staff Writer On Saturday, April 25, Quimby’s Prairie was sprinkled with approximately 1,000 enthusiastic students, faculty, staff and alumni anticipating President Gitenstein’s much awaited announcement — the College is launching a historical campaign.

It will ensure the exemplar education the College has provided for more than 160 years continues to be accessible for many more years to come.

The Campaign for TCNJ, subtitled “Innovate, Inspire, Engage,” is the College’s first-ever comprehensive fundraising effort, with the goal of raising at least $40 million by June 2017.

“TCNJ has always had the clarity to recognize when we stand at a crossroads and the boldness to embrace new strategies when that crossroads requires it,”

Gitenstein said to the crowd. “Because of the stagnating economy and declining state support, there are financial pressures on our students and their families and on the college. That makes this a challenging moment in the history of TCNJ.” The campaign began quietly about two years ago, led by President R. Barbara Gitenstein, the Board of Trustees and Vice President for Advancement John Donahue.

“But challenge has never frightened the College,” Gitenstein continued. “We have always met challenges with courage, marshalling the forces necessary not just to endure, but to prevail.”

In total, the campaign has already raised $24,890,515.

“If you’re a president, you always round up,” Gitenstein said. “So $25 million.”

In terms of both the number of individuals willing to lend their time to ensure the campaign’s success, as well as

those who have come forward with donations, the president says the response has been extraordinary.

“I have no doubt that with the leadership of our volunteers and the support of our community, that this campaign, the first in the history of our college, will be a resounding success,” she said.

Gitenstein introduced two co-chairs of the campaign to the audience, Barbara Meyers Pelson, a member of the class of 1959, and Allen Silk, a long-time volunteer and supporter of the College.

Former New Jersey Governors Brendan Byrne, Thomas Kean, Christine Todd Whitman, as well as Jim Florio, a member of the class of ’62 and a member of the honorary leadership for the campaign, were also in attendance during the celebration.

According to the College’s spokesman Dave Muha, Gitenstein spoke of an array of awards that are ready to be publicly announced, but these only represent a portion of the overall $25 million already granted through the campaign.

“There are a lot of other gifts that are going to have impact as well,” Muha said.

“We’ve been talking to people who share the vision of what we’re trying to achieve, and are willing to make a gift in support in the campaign.”

The College’s main strategy has been the website, campaign.tcnj.edu, as well as several publications the College has published, including a case statement which brings to life the campaign’s four main priorities: student support, academic enrichment, the student experience and capital improvement. According to Muha, an event on Tuesday, Dec. 2, of last year invited campus leadership to meet with the president and board members in order to discuss what these priorities should be, and these have been

brought to fruition.

The statement also features those who volunteered and agreed to be ambassadors for the campaign’s 10 committees — one for each of the seven schools, the library, student affairs and athletics. These volunteers will be working with the deans and vice presidents of these departments in order to identify and carry out the campaign’s goals moving forward.

According to Muha, there is still a lot of effort to be made to engage others in the goals of the campaign.

“It’s really going to be a people effort,” Donahue said. “It’s not about a website, or a launch, or a publication.

It’s about that person to person interaction, and sharing what the College is doing, asking for help and making those connections.”

As state funding has been declining for years, it seems the campaign could not have come at a more pivotal point in the College’s history, especially in light of Gov. Christie’s proposed budget cuts, which could cut $2 million to operational funds if it is passed.

Muha said the campaign was not a direct reaction to this year’s cuts, nor is it in anticipation of budget cuts, but rather a “recognition of a desire to continue to build on the excellence that the college has achieved, knowing that we needed additional support beyond our traditional sources of funding.”

The success the campaign has already achieved makes this a very exciting time for everyone involved with the College, some have said.

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm for everything the College has been able to do throughout the years, and it’s very heartening,” Muha said. “It’s an indication that this campaign is going to be a great success.”

Several summonses issued for underage drinking

By Colleen Murphy News Editor • Three males received underage drinking summonses on Saturday, April 25, at 1:50 a.m., according to Campus Police. The three men were attempting to gain access to the rear of Travers Hall by using an ID they had found on the ground. The three were unable to get in. Upon arrival, police smelled alcohol and saw that all three had bloodshot eyes.

The boys denied drinking, but after failing a sobriety test, they admitted to drinking beer at the off-campus house of Alpha Chi Rho fraternity. Lions EMS evaluated the boys and they refused further medical attention.

• A male was attempting to gain entry into the rear of Travers Hall on Saturday, April 25, at 5:30 p.m., Campus Police said. When en route to the call, police found the boy had walked to the rear of Wolfe Hall. He had slurred speech and when asked questions, was confused and corrected himself frequently. According to Campus Police, the boy said he had consumed four to five cups of beer at an off-campus Sigma Pi party. He was summoned with underage consumption of alcohol.

• An intoxicated student was found in the Spiritual Center’s bathroom at 8:10 p.m. on Saturday, April 10, according to Campus Police. The student had his pants down to his knees and appeared dazed and confused as he swayed from side to side. He had also defecated and urinated on himself. When police asked him how old he is, he mumbled, “I’m 21.” When asked how much he had consumed, the student said he had a little beer. While being evaluated, the male

vomited several times. It was later determined that he was actually 18, so he was summoned with underage consumption of alcohol, according to Campus Police.

• Four students were issued summonses for underage drinking during the Spring Concert on Saturday, April 25: -At 8:10 p.m., a member of the security team hired for the concert brought a student to police after growing suspicious that she was intoxicated when she did not follow directions that he had given her. The girl had glassy, red eyes and was evaluated at the Lions’ EMS triage area. Because the girl was cooperative and no further medical attention was necessary, she was allowed to stay at the concert, but she decided to return to her dorm room, according to Campus Police.

-At 9 p.m., a student was assessed by Lions’ EMS and admitted to having six shots of vodka in his dorm room.

-At 9:20 p.m., a student was assessed by Lions’ EMS and admitted to having one shot of vodka while at ‘Luau,’ an off-campus party.

-At 10 p.m., a student was evaluated by Lions’ EMS and admitted to having four shots of vodka. The student was transported to Capital Health-Hopewell by Princeton EMS. • A swipe card reader and its cover was broken from its holder near Armstrong Hall in Lot 2 on Monday, April 20, sometime between 10 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., according to Campus Police. The reader is still in usable condition, but it will cost an estimated $50

to replace it. There are no witnesses, Campus Police said.

• Yellow graffiti was found during Lions Day on the west wall of level four of Lot 7 on Sunday, April 26, at 10:45 a.m., Campus Police reported. One of the paintings looked like the letter ‘S,’ while the rest of the markings didn’t appear to say or depict anything in particular. A work order was requested, Campus Police said.

• A girl had her Tory Burch purse stolen from Eickhoff Dining Hall on Friday, April 24, sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., according to Campus Police reports. The student went to hug a friend she had not seen in a long time, putting her bag down and forgetting it there after she left a short time later.

The girl’s friends reported that after she had left, a dining hall employee had asked if the black purse belonged to any of them, and they said no. When the girl returned to look for the small purse, she checked with two managers who told her it was not returned to them or in the safe. The leather bag with a gold emblem is valued at $250, and the bag had $13 in cash in it, as well, according to Campus Police.

• A male student had his wallet stolen while he was at an event on the Travers/ Wolfe Hall Lawn on Sunday, April 26. Before he went into a couple of inflatable play houses at 2:45 p.m., the boy took off his shoes and put his wallet and phone into his shoe. When he returned 15 minutes later,

the wallet was missing. The boy checked with the information desk’s lost and found and there was nothing. The brown leather wallet, which was possibly a Docker’s, is valued at $15. Inside was $40 cash, a Visa card that has since been canceled, a debit card that has since been canceled, a driver’s license, an Indian Springs Golf gift card that might not have any money left on it and a $25 gift card, Campus Police said.

• A purse was taken from the Music Building’s basement hallway sometime between 7:40 p.m. and 7:50 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, according to Campus Police. A woman left her purse and another bag on the floor while she went into the dressing room to help a friend. When she returned, the bags were not there. After searching, she found the second bag in a coat room, but not the purse. The purse is valued at $30. A driver’s license, ATM bank card, a life insurance card, $3 cash and car keys were in the purse, Campus Police said.

• While at an event in front of Travers and Wolfe Halls, a student had $2,515 worth of items stolen from under a table he was volunteering at on Tuesday, April 28, according to Campus Police. A red and black North Face backpack ($100), a silver Macbook Pro ($2,200), a white JBL Bluetooth speaker box ($125), a Kabbalistic Judaism paperback book ($75) and an Incase black laptop case ($75) were taken sometime between 2 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Campus Police said.

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

page 6 The Signal May 6, 2015 SAF FUNDED

SAF FUNDED

UPCOMING EVENTS

FREE

CARNIVAL RIDES BIG TOP CIRCUS GLOBE OF DEATH MOTORCYCLE SHOW GAMES FOOD VENDORS & MORE

FUNIVAL 2015 FRIDAY, MAYFRIDAY 8 IN LOTSMAY 5 AND 6 AT 4PM - 10PM 8 $10 FOR ALL OUTSIDE GUESTS, PART TIME STUDENTS, AND GRADUATE STUDENTS LOTS 5 AND 6 | 4PM-10PM

RAIN DATE: MAY 9. CO-SPONSORED STUDENT GOVERNMENT AND THE TCNJ CIRCUS CLUB FREE FOR WITH FULL-TIME STUDENTS

CARNIVAL RIDES, BIG TOP CIRCUS, GLOBE OF DEATH MOTERCYCLE SHOW, GAMES, FOOD VENDORS, AND MORE! $10 FOR ALL OUTSIDE GUESTS, PART TIME STUDENTS, AND GRADUATE STUDENTS

RAIN DATE MAY 9

IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT ACCESS OR WISH TO REQUEST A DISABILITY-RELATED ACCOMMODATION FOR THIS EVENT, PLEASE CONTACT SOOYM@TCNJ.EDU OR CUB@TCNJ.EDU.

FILM SERIES

FREE

BIG EYES (8PM) & 50 SHADES OF GREY (10PM) T/W MAIN LOUNGE SATURDAY, MAY 9

CUB MEETINGS ARE ON WEDNESDAY AT 3PM IN BSC 202 E

TCNJ College Union Board @TCNJCUB @TCNJCUB

May 6, 2015 The Signal page 7

Greek life’s struggle to shake off stigmas Recent national headlines cause bad reputations

By Chelsea LoCascio Production Manager

Among a college’s student body, there are always those few that tend to stick out — the individuals wearing Greek letters on their shirts. Yet, it’s been those letters which have garnered a negative connotation during the recent media mania, highlighting fraternities and sororities engaging in underage drinking, sexual assault, hazing and other reckless behaviors.

Despite philanthropic intentions, Greek organizations have found themselves in the media’s spotlight recently. One of the latest incidents came in the form of a nine-second video featuring a racist chant from the University of Oklahoma’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter. This resulted in two expulsions, a ban of the fraternity on campus and a loss of their house, according to ABC News.

According to the Huffington Post, colleges have had to shut down or suspend 30 fraternities in the past month. Some of these organizations include University of Michigan’s Sigma Alpha Mu, the fraternity that racked up around $430,000 in damages at a ski resort, as well as Pennsylvania State University’s Kappa Delta Rho fraternity, which allegedly spread pictures of unconscious, nude women and discussed selling drugs in a Facebook group.

Sororities are not out of the limelight either as York College suspended its chapter of Theta Phi Alpha for four years due to hazing, according to pennlive.com. There have also been accusations of racist southern sororities, such as at the University of Alabama, where allegedly none of the 16 panhellenic organizations allowed two black women to join despite their qualifications, according to ABC News.

“The negative stereotypes (of Greek life) are that you buy your friends, you’re all drunk alcoholics, you have no regard for class work or academic achievement … and you’re a group of narrow-minded, similar individuals that only see things in a certain light or perspective,” said Dave Conner, assistant director of Fraternity and Sorority Life and a brother of Theta Chi at the University of Delaware.

“What’s kept me here … is that I don’t think a lot of those stereotypes fit with our organizations. We have sorority and fraternity members who are consistently above the all men’s and all women’s average (GPA), which are high at TCNJ.” Erin Shannon, a junior English and women’s and gender studies double major and Sigma Sigma Sigma sister, thinks that these stereotypes become tricky when they contain some truth.

“There are a lot of negative stereotypes,” Shannon said. “Some of them are earned to a certain degree, and I think one of the problems with Greek life is that they like to throw everything under a rug, anything that’s negative, and immediately

classify it as a stereotype.”

Negative assumptions about Greek life members’ character can lead to scapegoating, which Sigma Sigma Sigma witnessed firsthand as some students suspected the sorority of vandalizing 19 cars on Friday, March 27, in Lot 13. To this accusation, Shannon responded with disappointment in her peers.

“That’s disgusting to say,” Shannon said. “Painting cars with derogatory things is not what we do. We have sisters of all different racial backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds and religious backgrounds.

We’re very tolerant and accepting so we’d never do something like that.”

Yet despite the stereotypes and negative attention, students still find themselves drawn to Greek life.

“I saw not only the impact the fraternity (Phi Alpha Delta) made on campus but the impact it had on the kids I knew,” said Chris Drabik, a senior communications major and brother of Phi Alpha Delta. “It was getting kids involved in a positive way and it was making them more well-rounded individuals. It just seemed like that at a small school like this, (Greek life) was a great way to get involved on campus. As well as for the brotherhood and family aspect, which I still feel to this day.”

“Greek life is not something that necessarily deserves it’s entirely villainous reputation, but there are definite problems in the system.”

-Erin Shannon

Junior Sigma Sigma Sigma sister

This year alone, Drabik’s fraternity has raised money for its philanthropy, St. Baldrick’s, through Piccolo Trattoria and Hooters fundraisers, as well as their main event, in which 24 brothers shaved their heads to promote awareness and support for pediatric cancer victims. In addition, Phi Alpha Delta, along with the rest of the College’s Greek organizations, all contributed to TCNJam this past January, which raised $50,566 for the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, a charity to fight childhood cancer.

“For a small school to do that is pretty incredible,” Drabik said. “It’s just tough that we are such a small school and we have to try to shake that negative connotation because of these terrible things going on across the country. It’s a poor representation of what Greek life is and what it

Information courtesy of Dave Conner

Overall, those in Greek Life on campus hold higher GPA’s.

Samantha Selikoff / Photo Editor

Greek organizations contribute to TCNJam, helping raise over $50,000. does to help me and all of my brothers.”

According to Conner, the downpour of stories shaming Greek life has not affected the College directly.

“When it rains it pours and we’re in the middle of a hurricane right now,” Conner said. “When we see those types of things, it does give the opportunity for reflection … Our SAE chapter had a lot of conversation with the community. The conversation was based around the community openly saying ‘we don’t believe that’s what SAE is about.’

“Certainly in the reflection and review piece it has impacted (the College), but I think that our groups operate on such a different plane from other organizations at schools across the country,” he added. “We don’t have growing or imminent concern that it’s something that can happen here.”

Bryce Escobar, a junior economics major and president of SAE, said that the inappropriate behavior of the University of Oklahoma chapter has not affected SAE here. In response to the incident, several brothers of the College’s SAE chapter, New Jersey Tau Gamma, posted their creed “The True Gentleman” on Facebook to signify that they do not stand for the kind of behavior demonstrated in Oklahoma.

“People are very accepting here, they know that just because one person does it, doesn’t mean that it has to shame the entire organization,” Escobar said. “No matter what media sources may have been saying … we wanted the population to know that this is what we stand for, this is who we are and that we weren’t going to let our values be overshadowed by the inappropriate actions of a few.”

The College’s SAE chapter has also been participating in diversity training, which is an online course intended to inform the brothers of issues regarding racism and prejudice. “(It allows us to) really educate ourselves about race issues and what we can do as SAE brothers and as people to really get our society away from that race standpoint, see everybody equally and try to eradicate racism from its roots,” Escobar said. “Overall, Greek organizations are a force of good in this world. There’s a lot of positives, so many more positives than there are negatives talked about in the media.”

The College’s award-winning and nationally recognized Greek life organizations do not concern Conner, but if an organization were to find itself in trouble, then the College would take immediate action. According to Conner, the College consults a privileges and responsibilities document, which details the expectations,

policies and privileges of Greek life membership. Within that document is the fraternity and sorority conduct processes that the College consults when determining what steps in the event of a violation. The organization then undergoes a partnership process, an informal hearing and a formal hearing with a student board or a formal hearing with an administrative board, depending on the violation.

“Any information that I receive or that any college official receives via email or a post on Yik Yak … are things that we take a look at,” Conner said. “We will investigate to the best of our ability any incident and make a decision … on whether or not to charge a chapter with a violation of policy.”

Though the College does not have to resort to taking action against Greek organizations often, Shannon believes that there are some issues about Greek life that still need to be addressed.

“When it rains it pours and we’re in the middle of a hurricane right now.”

-Dave Conner

Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life

“Greek life is not something that necessarily deserves its entirely villainous reputation, but there are definite problems in the system,” Shannon said.

“Thankfully, they’re not super terrible on TCNJ’s campus, but there’s always room for improvement.”

The improvement, as Conner suggests, would be for all of his students to truly understand what it means to be a good person to their peers as well as to their community.

“At the end of the day, you have to do the right thing. So many groups will say ‘but we do all of this service,’” Conner said. “I constantly try to explain to my students that it’s not a scale. Good is good and bad is bad. Things don’t always cancel each other out. This isn’t a balance sheet in accounting, this is real life.

“Understand that when you join one of these groups, you get a lot of attention.

You are targeting yourself. You wear fraternity or sorority letters, you stand out now in the crowd … you need to make sure that your actions not only reflect you and your personal integrity, but they reflect your organization, because you always act for both from here on out.”

page 8 The Signal May 6, 2015

Board meets after Christie’s proposed budget cuts Group discusses funds for 2015-16 school year

By John Irvine Staff Writer The College’s Board of Trustees held a meeting open to faculty, students and the public on Tuesday, April 28, to discuss a handful of issues; primarily tuition costs for the 2015-2016 school year.

The focal point of the meeting was a presentation, given by President R. Barbara Gitenstein and Vice President/Treasurer Lloyd Ricketts, which revolved around Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed budget. If that budget passes, the College’s base state appropriations will be reduced by approximately $2.4 million for the upcoming fiscal year, according to the president and treasurer.

With $2.4 million fewer to work with, but with grander plans than ever for the College, Gitenstein stressed to the Board of Trustees the continued importance of investing.

“We already came to closure about two years ago that we spend too much time worrying about cuts, and not enough time about where to invest,” Gitenstein said to the Board. “We have to think about how to invest as well as how to cut.”

Despite this very balanced approach toward the future of the College, under the governor’s proposed budget, some things must still be cut and prices must still be raised, particularly the cost of

next year’s tuition.

As it stands, the exact increase in tuition costs has not been definitely decided, but one of two scenarios is likely to be chosen. Scenario A would entail a 2 percent tuition increase, while Scenario B would have tuition prices rise by 3 percent. For every percentage point that tuition increases, it will cost families an additional $156 per year.

To put this into perspective, over the past four years tuition costs have risen by 4.5 percent, 3.5 percent, 2.5 percent and last year by 2 percent. But with the state so heavily cutting the College’s appropriations, it will be difficult to maintain the 2 percent increase, according to Ricketts.

Remarkably, tuition increases have gone down over the past four years even though, over that same span, the state has provided fewer and fewer funds for each student. In 2011, the state provided $8,297 for the cost of each student, and in 2014 the state’s coverage had dropped to $7,691.

If that trend continues, tuition increases seem probable as well. If tuition increases by 2 percent, then a $4.46 million deficit would need to be overcome with funds from elsewhere. With a 3 percent tuition increase, that deficit drops to $3.5 million. There is also talk of another scenario in the works,

AP Photo

Christie’s proposed budget will reduce the College’s funds by $2.4 million.

besides options A and B, which would increase tuition by more than 3 percent. Not much more was said about how likely that scenario is, but Board of Trustees Secretary Robert Altman did not hesitate to voice his opinion about that other scenario.

“Increasing tuition by more than the three percent would not be a good idea,” Altman said.

And yet, in spite of all the budget cuts and talk of tuition increase, the College continues to invest. Many new faculty have been offered positions to meet the growing needs of the College. Even with

the budget cuts, new faculty members are still being brought on board.

“Now we’ve got budget cuts from the state. Can we go back to these new faculty and take away their contracts? I don’t think so,” Gitenstein said to the Board.

“That seems to fly in the face of our institutional integrity.”

In addition, $16.45 million has been budgeted for Fall 2015 scholarships, an amount higher than ever before.

The next Board meeting will be in July, by which the governor’s budget will have been decided and the Board can more definitely discuss these issues.

SFB meets to discuss finances for fall events

The 1975, Walk the Moon top list of possible acts

Kim Iannarone / Photo Assistant

Board members hear from clubs about future events.

By Jackie Delaney News Assistant The Student Finance Board met to decide on the last funding requests for this year as well as several high volume College Union Board requests for next semester on Wednesday, April 29.

First, SFB presented for its Base Budget Retreat, a twoday meeting the organization holds annually to review every SAF-funded organizations’ base budget request. According to the proposal packet, over $250,000 is allocated over the duration of the retreat. The retreat was fully funded $1,700 by the board.

The College Union Board

then proposed for $2,000 for its annual Summer Retreat and Training trip in August.

The retreat serves as “an opportunity for the new executive board to bond with one another through various activities while also having a designated time to train,” according to the proposal packet. SFB tabled the proposal after discussing the time frame requested for the event, which was planned for three days and two nights. The board was torn over whether the three day trip was too excessive.

CUB then requested $37,620 for the Fall Lecture to be held next semester.

The organization’s top choices for lecturers include Laverne

Cox, Shawn Johnson, Steve O and Tyler Posey. Cox is an American actress known for her role as Sophia Burset on “Orange is the New Black” and for her advocacy for LGBTQ awareness. Johnson is a retired American gymnast and a 2008 Olympic gold medalist. Steve O is an actor, stunt performer and comedian, among other titles, and is known for his stunts on the TV series “Jackass.” Tyler Posey is an American actor and musician, best known for his role as Scott McCall on MTV’s “Teen Wolf.”

CUB hopes to bring one of these speakers to campus in the fall and expects a high turnout, as these lectures have been “successful every time.” The event was fully funded by the board.

Next, CUB proposed for the Fall 2015 concert. The annual event usually features a band that the “TCNJ music community has expressed interest in” and that appeals to a large amount of students.

CUB’s list of possible bands include The 1975, Bleachers, Walk the Moon, Cage the Elephant and The Gaslight Anthem.

In deliberation, the board discussed eliminating a charge and ticketing for the event.

The event was fully funded at $79,068 and will still be ticketed, but will be free to students if agreements can be worked out with the band that is chosen.

CUB then presented for the Fall Comedy Show as its last request. The organization asked for funding to bring

its first-choice headliner Bo Burnham to campus, or the second-choice headliner Nick Kroll. Alternate comedian options include Hannibal Buress, Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon. SFB fully funded the event for $53,130.

Student Government then requested a total of $728.99 for Finals Fest 2015, which is set to take place from Tuesday, May 12, through Friday, May 15. The event “helps to raise student moral and energy on campus during the stressful week of finals,” according to the proposal packet. The board fully funded the event.

Lastly, TCNJ Musical Theatre proposed for $11,140 for their

fall production, “Godspell.”

The show’s purpose is to “entertain our peers, provide our organization’s members with valuable experiences and use the theatre facilities on campus in constructive and creative ways,” according to the proposal. The annual Black Box musical will take place from Tuesday, Nov. 17 to Saturday, Nov. 21 next semester in the Don Evans Black Box Theater. It was fully funded by SFB. *Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.

Kim Iannarone / Photo Assistant

Members approve funding for CUB’s fall shows.

May 6, 2015 The Signal page 9

Nation & W rld

Baltimore riots call for a state of emergency

AP Photo

Violence in Baltimore ensues after Freddie Gray’s funeral.

By Roman Orsini Staff Writer A state of emergency was declared for the city of Baltimore, Md., on Monday, April 27, in response to ongoing rioting. The National Guard was deployed to the city and a weeklong curfew was implemented, according to the Atlantic. Baltimore Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings, lifted the citywide

curfew on Sunday, May 3, according to the New York Times.

The unrest began on Saturday, April 25, following the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, while in police custody, according to CNN. On Sunday, April 12, Gray, a black man, was approached by a police officer in a high crime area of Baltimore, and immediately ran away.

The officer caught up to Gray and apprehended him without a

fight. During the altercation, the officer discovered a switchblade and arrested Gray.

According to the Times, Gray requested an inhaler after his arrest and did not receive one. He was handcuffed, placed face-down on a bench of the police wagon without any seat belt, despite police regulations requiring it. Gray complained to the officers that he was having trouble breathing, but was not given any assistance, the Times said. By the time the van reached the booking station, Gray was unresponsive. According to the Times, he was taken to University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma Center, where he died a week later.

Gray sustained significant spinal injuries due to his time in the back of the moving police van, said CNN. A medical examiner’s report later ruled that Gray’s death was a homicide. On Friday, May 1, the chief prosecutor in Baltimore

charged the six officers involved in the arrest with manslaughter and murder, according to CNN. Many protesters took these charges as vindication for their activities, while the Baltimore police union called them an “egregious rush to judgment,” against the officers.

In light of the protests in Ferguson, Mo., many of the initial protests in Baltimore were peaceful, yet some have taken to rioting.

According to the Daily Mail, 19 buildings and 150 cars were set on fire overnight. Small businesses in the downtown section have been targeted in particular — hundreds of store owners had to close their shops during the riots.

In a press conference, Capt. Eric Kowalczyk, from the Baltimore Police Department, said that 40 police officers were being treated for injuries from the rioters, who threw bricks and bottles. Over 200 people were arrested, half of whom were

released after two days since a specific charge wasn’t given.

Rawlings has taken a nuanced approach to the riots, by balancing the protesters’ rights with the destructive forces within the movement.

“I’ve … worked with the police … to make sure that the protesters were able to exercise their right to free speech,” Rawlings said in a National Review article. “It’s a very delicate balancing act … We also gave those who wished to destroy, space to do that, as well.”

The Baltimore Orioles closed their game against the White Socks to the public due to the violence of the riots, according to an NPR article.

Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said in an interview with Breitbart News, that her uncle would be “heartbroken” over the violence in Baltimore. Dr. King once called rioting the “language of the oppressed.”

Witnesses testify against Aurora theater shooter

By Candace Kellner Staff Writer James Holmes, the accused gunman in the Aurora, Colo. movie theater massacre, is standing on trial this week on charges of capital murder, alongside other offenses. Holmes, 27, a former doctoral student in neuroscience is accused of killing 12 people and injuring another 70 victims, according to CNN. Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty.

Witnesses provided horrifying images of the aftermath left from the tragic event. Police Sgt. Gerald Johnsgaard was one of the many witnesses that testified on Wednesday, April 29. Johnsgaard recalled seeing a 6-year-old victim, later identified as Veronica Moser-Sullivan, who appeared to be lifeless. Sullivan was the youngest victim in one of the worst mass killings in U.S. history, according to CNN. Johnsgaard explained that the victim’s age bothered him so much that he could not keep her at the scene.

“I wasn’t keeping a child in that crime scene,” Johnsgaard

testified. “I didn’t want my officers stepping over (her).”

A then-pregnant Katie Medley and her husband picked a seat near the exit of the theater in case she went into labor. Medley was just a week away from delivering her baby when she went to see the new Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises,” according to CNN. Medley recounts seeing Holmes interrupt the movie, saying, “I saw him step in. He was wearing a (gas) mask and Kevlar. He had a longer gun with a scope on it.”

Rita Paulina remembers the moment she was shot in her leg and arm, according to CNN. Paulina thought she would bleed to death in the cinema and told her husband, Anggiat Mora, to save himself and their son, Prodeo.

“I told my husband, ‘Just leave me here, you go out with my son. I’m ready to die here,’” Paulina said, according to CNN. “My husband said, ‘No, we promised we’d go together back to Indonesia next year.’” Mora pulled his wife out of the theater and carried her on his back to safety.

Holmes admits to the shootings, but claims he was suffering from a “psychotic episode” at the time, according to court papers filed in July 2013 by state public defenders,

AP Photo

Crowds enter the courthouse for Holmes’s trial.

Daniel King and Tamara A. Brady.

Dr. Jeff Metzner and Dr. William Reid conducted “sanity exams” on Holmes, according to CNN, and concluded “that the guy was sane.”

According to District Attorney George Brauchler, Holmes told doctors he believed he could increase his selfworth by killing people.

Iranian Navy intercepts U.S. ship in Persian Gulf

AP Photo

An Iranian warship sails through the Strait of Hormuz.

By Gabrielle Beacken News Assistant After the Iran Revolutionary Guard Patrol circled and followed a U.S.-flagged ship on Friday, April 24, four U.S. Navy warships escorted four U.S.-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, on Thursday, April 30, according to a CNN article.

The U.S. Navy’s decision to accompany U.S.-flagged ships through

the strait is to protect U.S. vessels from any “potential harassment” by Iran’s Navy, said CNN. According to CNN, this new military protection is a “significant change in the U.S. military posture in the Strait.”

The vessels accompanied by the U.S. Navy did not experience any problems.

This newfound protection is “not designed to send a signal, but is ‘merely a hedge against some

unpredictable Iranian behavior the last few days.’” said Col. Edward Thomas, special assistant for public affairs, in a CNN article.

On Friday, April 24, four Iranian vessels “encircled” U.S. ship, Maersk Kensington, in the Strait that connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, according to CNN. This Strait is the only channel that connects the Persian Gulf to the open sea. The Strait is also known to be a prominent strategic military location.

Proceeding Iran’s Navy interception of the U.S. ship, the Marshall Islands-flagged ship, Maersk Tigris, was apprehended in the Strait, as well, according to CNN. After firing shots at the Marshall-Islands vessel, Iran “seized the ship and detained its crew,” according to a New York Times article.

Allegedly, the Tigris was captured due to a “legal dispute concerning 10 shipping containers from Iran to the United Arab

Emirates,” dating back to 2005, the Times said.

“Simply, our Naval forces implemented the decision of the court,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a CNN article.

The Tigris’ crew of about 30 people are “safe and, under the circumstances, in good spirits,” according to Maersk, a Danish shipping company, as quoted in a CNN article.

The Marshall Islands gained its sovereignty from the U.S. in 1986, yet the U.S. still holds a “security agreement” between the two nations, according to Fox News.

Following the containment of the Tigris, three coastal patrol ships, the Thunderbolt, Firebolt and Typhoon, as well as a U.S. Navy destroyer, the Farragut, “were operating in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz conducting maritime security operations,” according to a Business Insider article.

According to Business Insider, Pentagon Spokesman and Army Colonel Steven Warren believes that these two incidents indicated a “pattern of harassment.”

“It has certainly created a situation where maritime cargo vessels presumably would have to consider the risks of traversing the strait,” Warren said, as quoted in a Business Insider article.

These two incidents followed the U.S.’s decision the week prior to send warships near Yemen to prevent Iran from docking their ships there, according to CNN. The U.S. worried that an Iranian convoy was providing weapons to Houthi rebels that overthrew the “western-backed” administration in Yemen’s largest city, Sana’a, CNN said.

According to CNN, just as the Iranian ships turned away from Yemen after the U.S. deployment, the same result is being pursued by temporarily accompanying U.S. vessels across the Strait.

page 10 The Signal May 6, 2015

Editorial

As Student Center closes, The Signal says goodbye to its nostalgic office

This week, The Signal reported on the obstacles student organizations have encountered getting offices and storage space in the soon-tobe renovated Brower Student Center. The story, however, would not be complete without the struggles of our very own newspaper, which, after serving the College for decades from our humble abode in Student Center basement, is being permanently removed and relocated.

It all started through the grapevine. Like many other student organizations, The Signal first heard of its eviction inadvertently and off the record. Two janitors inspecting fallen ceiling tiles in our office joked aloud that there’d be no need to fix them — our office would be gone soon enough. As journalists, our ears perked up, and it wouldn’t be long before we traced our lead back to the source: The Stud managers confirmed we would be forced to leave in the spring, and the production of our weekly newspaper would be indefinitely delayed if proper office space wasn’t available.

Indeed, the powers that be had an agenda, one that neglected working with student leaders to assemble a cooperative plan or even gauging the individual needs of each organization. When it came to The Signal, neither the Stud managers, nor the plan makers, had ever come knocking on our office door to look around; no one consulted our executive board about the technological and spatial requirements necessary to produce a 24-page weekly newspaper; and frankly, it seemed no one cared. The office space ultimately allocated for our paper was a four-desk office above the gutted Barnes & Noble when The Signal has at least a dozen computers, a printer, conference tables and cable TV access to produce the bare minimum.

In other words, The Signal would be effectively out of business in our new and improved office.

While the Stud managers admitted they were powerless to answer our pleas, The Signal took the fight elsewhere. With the help of Amy Hecht, Angela Chong, Sean Stallings and other members of Student Affairs — all of whom have our sincerest thanks — we agreed upon the fundamental necessity of a healthy and operational student newspaper on campus and subsequently began planning for a new office in Forcina Hall. This office, where The Signal will be pumping out papers next semester, is a vast improvement over our allocated space in the Student Center and was given far more care and consideration than the renovations planners ever mustered.

Moreover, we tell this story not for the snide sake of criticism. We share it because it reveals the inherent disconnect between certain administrative organs and the student body. For renovations to the Student Center not to consult the very students who operate and use the building every day defies the very name of a Student Center itself. The administration and Stud managers may take pride in revamping the aesthetics of their building, but they should be ashamed of the callous and indifferent process with which they’ve carried it out.

No doubt The Signal has fought and won a victory in receiving proper space next semester. But it’s with a great deal of sadness that we come to the end of an era in the Student Center basement. Our office has not only been the breeding ground for professional writers across all forms of media, but a source of comfort and family for many of our editorial staff over the years. Each relic we’re forced to throw out this May has a shared, if not eccentric history of its own, and when we pack up our belongings for good, we’ll be forced to leave that history behind.

And so it’s with heavy but hopeful hearts that we start our paper anew somewhere else. Forcina may not be the shining beacon of modernity that will be the new Student Center, but at least it will house us with the means to tell the news. And at least it will treat us with the respect any and every student organization deserves.

— Tom Kozlowski Editor-in-Chief

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

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

Colleen Murphy / News Editor

The Signal will relocate to a new location in Forcina Hall. Just like other student organizations, the paper was not initially told of the administration’s plans for change.

Quote 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

Editorial Staff Tom Kozlowski Editor-in-Chief kozlowt1@tcnj.edu Julie Kayzerman Managing Editor kayzerj1@tcnj.edu Colleen Murphy Sydney Shaw News Editors murphc16@tcnj.edu shaws4@tcnj.edu Matt Bowker Sports Editor bowkerm1@tcnj.edu Jonathan Edmondson Arts & Entertainment Editor edmondj5@tcnj.edu Kimberly Ilkowski Features Editor ilkowsk1@tcnj.edu Ellie Schuckman Opinions Editor schucke1@tcnj.edu Samantha Selikoff Photo Editor selikos1@tcnj.edu Jessica Ganga Nation & World Editor gangaj1@tcnj.edu Mackenzie Cutruzzula Review Editor cutruzm1@tcnj.edu

Mailing Address: The Signal c/o Brower Student Center The College of New Jersey P.O. Box 7718 Ewing, NJ 08628-0718 Chelsea LoCascio Production Manager locascc1@tcnj.edu Olivia Rizzo Web Editor rizzoo1@tcnj.edu Mylin Batipps Social Media Editor battipm1@tcnj.edu Gabrielle Beacken News Assistant beackeg1@tcnj.edu Alyssa Sanford News Assistant sanfora1@tcnj.edu Jackie Delaney News Assistant delanej2@tcnj.edu Michael Battista Sports Assistant battism3@tcnj.edu Elise Schoening Features Assistant schoene1@tcnj.edu Emilie Lounsberry Advisor lounsber@tcnj.edu Courtney Wirths Business/Ad Manager wirthsc1@tcnj.edu

“College is tough.

Many of our students are learning how to be in relationships for the first time …

There’s a lot going on during that time in someone’s life.

This is not the time to think you can handle it all by yourself.”

— Angela Chong, Dean of Students

“There are a lot of negative stereotypes.

Some of them are earned to a certain degree, and I think one of the problems with Greek life is that they like to throw everything under a rug, anything that’s negative, and immediately classify it as a stereotype.”

— Erin Shannon, Junior sister of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority

May 6, 2015 The Signal page 11

Opinions

Rifkin’s weekly message offends student

Dean’s call for donations deemed patronizing The following message was sent out to students in the School of HSS in Dean Rifkin’s weekly email.

April 26, 2015 Dear Students: I hope you enjoyed at least some of the festivities yesterday during our alumni reunion and, especially, the launching of the College’s first comprehensive campaign. I enjoyed chatting with some of our alumni, learning about their lives and careers since graduation. One recent alumnus I spoke with is working in the office of a New Jersey state senator, another in a law firm, and a third completed a master’s degree and landed a new job with the Securities & Exchange Commission. I also had the pleasure of talking with alumni who graduated 10 or more years ago, including one woman back for her 65th reunion!

Everyone had beautiful stories to tell about the impact of their education at the College.

In short, HSS alumni continue to be happy and super smart after graduation!

As a public institution, The College of New Jersey, of course, depends on the support of the people of the great state of New Jersey. Unfortunately, New Jersey, like many other states, has been reducing its financial support of public higher education. The most recent information on the budget proposed for the next fiscal year, as reported in The Signal last week, would suggest a reduction of over 8 percent in state support of our college.

The comprehensive campaign is designed to help the College be more resilient to reductions in state support.

With the support of donors, the College

can build its endowment and, thereby, sustain and perhaps even increase financial aid for students who face increased costs of attendance when the state reduces its contribution. Increased financial support for the College from donors also means more money for students traveling to conferences to present their research and more money for student scholarships for study abroad, for example. Indeed, the theme of our comprehensive campaign is “innovate, inspire, engage” because the additional financial support the College is seeking will help us continue to innovate in the design and delivery of the educational opportunities that change our students’ lives, inspire our students to attain the highest levels of achievement, and engage our students not only in the classroom, but all over campus and in the communities beyond Metzger Drive.

The other theme of our comprehensive campaign is “all in.” This means that all of us who are members of this community should be “in” in demonstrating our commitment to the College we love.

As your dean, I ask you, too, to be “all in” by making a donation to the College, no matter how small, every year. By giving even just a few dollars, you add your name to the list of donors. This increases the percentage of students who are contributing which helps the College make the argument to other prospective donors: if 80 percent of our current students and 90 percent of our alumni are contributing to the campaign (no matter the size of their gifts), we will be more successful in bringing in gifts from other donors who see that rate of participation as

This opinion piece was written in response to Dean Rifkin’s April 26, 2015 Weekly Message.

Dean Rifkin, I have always appreciated your presence in both the HSS and the College as a whole. I have shared lunch and dinner with you, attended plays alongside you and have been very nearly inspired to consider the Russian language thanks to your recommendation and the prospect of having you as a professor. In short, you have had my respect for the entirety of my two years at the College, and I was genuinely disappointed to hear that you were leaving us at the end of this semester.

That said — and indeed because of that — I sincerely hope that the content of last Sunday’s weekly message does not reflect your personal beliefs. Despite its superficially good intentions, your email and its takeaway was patronizing, myopic, brash, naive and, as you can hopefully imagine, downright offensive. I read your email in an airport while traveling during my term of study abroad, a time of personal and intellectual expansion, and I was struck by its utter banality. Perhaps I had simply forgotten about the recurrent solipsism of the College’s administration, but I would like to take the time to offer proof of the existence and myself and my peers.

I, admittedly, have not been on the College’s campus this semester, and as such, was not aware of the College’s new “comprehensive campaign.” Without laboring on the exact nature of this initiative, its implications appear

tcnj.edu

Campain co-chair Barbara Meyers Pelson, second from left, donates one million dollars to the College. compelling evidence of our community’s belief in the value of a TCNJ education.

So, please, make a gift – and you will make a difference. The cost of your education exceeds the amount of tuition charged to you, even if you pay the non-resident tuition. By contributing to the College, even just a few dollars, you are saying to prospective donors everywhere that they should be “all in,” too. When we increase the percentage of students (and alumni) contributing to the College, our rankings rise. This makes your diploma more valuable, while allowing the College to attract the best qualified students, faculty, and staff. Again, it’s not the size of the gift you make, but rather the fact that you made one at all.

I also ask you to ask your parents

deeply disturbing. In particular, this concept of being “all in” concerns me. In your email, you ask that we students do our part to be “all in” and commit ourselves to the College and its future. In fact, you ask that we become all in, “too,” implying that we ought to be following some moral/social/communal paradigm set forth for us. You then go on to suggest how we too can achieve this state: by giving the College money.

I am perfectly aware of the reductions in state budgets for the College and all public educational institutions.

Both of my parents are/were public school teachers, and many of my closest relatives and family friends also have careers in the New Jersey public education system.

I am more than empathetic and sympathetic to the cause of raising more money and more support for our public schools, at the college and lower levels.

That said, I have to ask: just how many times do my peers and I have to pay the College to be considered “all in?” Did the designers of this new campaign forget that not only do students here at the College pay upwards of $27,000 per year to attend, but also that the College’s students and their parents also pay taxes that continue to make up the majority of the College’s endowment?

Has the administration forgotten that the College has raised its tuition prices year after year, while keeping its financial aid offerings woefully lacking for all but the most impoverished of students?

I understand there are restrictions on how money can be raised and spent by public schools. I understand the

or other family members as well as any friends who are alumni to make a gift as well, again, no matter what size. It’s not the dollar amount that matters for this aspect of our campaign: it’s the rate of participation for these groups – students, family members, and alumni – that makes a difference in our College’s rankings.

Faculty and staff are also making contributions for the same reason.

It’s easy to give: just go to campaign.tcnj. edu and click on the button marked “donate.”

And, yes, I’m “all in” myself: I contribute to the College every month with an automatic payroll deduction and I make additional periodic contributions as well.

Sincerely, Your friendly neighborhood dean, BR

longitudinal strategic goals of the College as a “school to watch” and such. But the College’s administration, and too often even its academic faculty, has become blind to the stark reality of what college truly is: a financial investment. I appreciate education as both a pragmatic advantage and as a philosophical endeavor, and I can understand the administrative tendency to downplay the chill of the former while exaggerating the idealism of the latter. But it is disingenuously bordering on dangerous to be so blind to the practical, tangible, life-altering burdens a college education represents, and to then shamefully add more.

My family is lower middle class, with my mom teaching special education and my dad having recently retired with meager disability benefits. They had no way of knowing that the costs of college would skyrocket by the time it was my turn to apply, and even if they had such foresight, they never had the means to offer me any substantial savings. I came to the College knowing that I would be entirely reliant upon scholarships and student loans. I came to the College because it is a decently well-respected and competitive school at supposedly competitive prices. I knew the concrete costs, I knew the theoretical rewards, and I made my decision knowing the potential consequences. After interest is considered, I currently owe over $50,000 in student loans.

I do not blame the College for my situation. I have faith that the College sets its prices to what it needs to survive.

See ALL IN page 12

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 e-mail 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 300 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.

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

page 12 The Signal May 6, 2015

All in / Student unhappy Dean Rifkin justifies email Asking for money unjust

continued from page 11 What I do blame is the College, its administration and you, Dean Rifkin, for is the implication that if I choose not to give the College even more money that I am somehow less of a member of its “community,” somehow a less valuable student, somehow less “in.”

How dare you. How dare you patronize me by offering sappy stories of alumni with “master’s degrees” and jobs “at the SEC” and “a law firm” as justification for my blind and ultimately financial faith in this institution and its offerings.

How dare you say that the “costs of my education exceed the amount of tuition charged” with absolutely no concrete idea what kind of long-term benefits and detriments my degree might hold. How dare you imply that even if I did donate money that its primary purpose would only be to “make an argument to other prospective donors.” How dare you put out a call for unity and obligation in this time of supposed crisis when you yourself are leaving the College to hold a loftier position at another university, while assuring us that monthly payroll deductions constitute your being “all in.”

I am a student at the College. I am a member of the Honors Program and two academic honor societies; I am a host of a WTSR radio show and a recurring contributor to The Signal; I belong to the Pre Law Society, Parliamentary Debate Team and Aikido Club; I hold a place on your very own Dean’s List; I work in both the College library and as a legal intern in the Office of the General Counsel; I am soon to be an alumni of the College’s study abroad program, having studied at the University of Oxford. My peers and I have been “all in” since the day we matriculated simply because we could have never been anything less. Yet despite the countless things my peers and

I have accomplished, all of which helps make the College what it is and what it could be, the College now sees fit to launch a campaign that has at its core a greedy and dichotomizing sentiment.

We see past the kitsch, vapid anecdotes and embarrassingly aphoristic slogans like “innovate, inspire, engage.” We know that our school is both so much less and so much more than the imaginary contrivance you have helped to erect. At this point, the towing of this line has become more tiresome than anything else. It has made me cynical and skeptical, and yes, has led to my pursuing a college transfer. It has made me genuinely question whether a college community can even exist in the first place, or if any bits of uniqueness in a population will immediately be put to use as marketing tools or, as in this case, emotional leverage in fundraising campaigns. But I digress. I suppose that all I ask is that we students are shown respect not only as budding scholars or future workers, but first and foremost as intelligent and capable adults; that the administration that supposedly works for us act with dignity, sincerity and selfawareness; that we are treated not as a means to keep the school solvent, but as the entire reason for the school’s existence.

Do not scrounge your active students for extra cash, Dean Rifkin, and certainly do not extort our fondness for and appreciation of the College.

No matter my opinions on the College, the HSS, you, the administration or the state of New Jersey itself, I continue to believe that we are all above that.

With respect, Alex Holzman Alex Holzman is a sophomore, double major in political science and psychology. He also serves as a TCNJ General Counsel Legal Intern and is a TCNJ Honors Program Scholar.

Gitenstein announces the College’s Comprehensive Campaign.

tcnj.edu

Dean Rifkin sent this message in response to Holzman’s email.

To the Editor: If every student were to contribute $5 or even $1 to the College’s Comprehensive Campaign, the total dollar amount raised would not be transformative for the campus: no new buildings would be built, no new faculty or staff would be hired, no new scholarships established, no expansion of our college’s financial aid program. But it would mean that we would have a 100 percent participation rate of our current students and that is an extremely powerful statistic to take to other donors and to foundations. The same is true for the participation of other stakeholder groups, such as alumni, parents of current or former students, and faculty and staff.

When we have high participation rates from our stakeholder groups, our campus is better positioned to attract donations from individuals and foundations that can transform our community. Such gifts could build a new building, hire new faculty or staff, establish new scholarships for study abroad or undergraduate research in the summer, and expand our college’s financial aid program to make it possible for students to graduate with less debt.

My request to our community to consider giving to the College through the campaign comes from a shared vision of the College with more budgetary resources to help all our students achieve their goals: attend small classes with talented and caring faculty in state-of-the-art facilities with opportunities to participate in our signature experiences without financial barriers and with a reduced debt burden.

I believe in the mission of the College and I believe in the College’s community. I give to the College myself and urge others to give as well.

Sincerely, Benjamin Rifkin

Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences

Spokesman Dave Muha raised the following concerns in response to Holzman’s email: Holzman said that the College’s endowment comes from taxes, but all of it comes from private donors who support the College’s mission and students. Gitenstein spoke about the importance of supporting students, which is why the campaign aims to raise 20 million dollars for scholarships. One of the first donations, The Helene Fuld Charitable Trust, is valued at 6.6 million dollars and will aid nursing students.

Conservatives slow to support same-sex marriage

Cruz believes same-sex marriage is a states’ rights issue.

By Alyssa Sanford News Assistant Republicans are fighting a losing battle.

In 38 states and territories, same-sex marriage is legal, according to Freedom to Marry, a marriage equality campaign.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments for the legalization of gay marriage at the national level.

Even staunch conservatives — like presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio — are admitting that while they don’t think same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, it should be a states’ rights issue, and not up to the federal government to decide.

According to the New York Times, Cruz recently remarked that he would be okay with his daughters being gay. NPR reported that Marco Rubio,

AP Photo

a self-described “new-generation Republican,” said that he would attend a gay wedding, and that he doesn’t think homosexuality is a choice.

Even so, some 70 percent of Republicans are opposed to gay marriage, according to NPR. The same polls find that 60 percent of young Republicans, however, are in favor of gay marriage, suggesting that the Republican Party is clinging to its socially-conservative, oldfashioned roots.

It is ridiculous to pander to party-line ideology over something like same-sex marriage. In past months, state courts have been ruling in favor of marriage equality and amending controversial laws that would allow business proprietors to deny services to gay couples on the basis of religious beliefs.

Though conservatives hold majority

rule in Congress, their outdated social views do not rule the land.

Nor should they.

Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., challenged attorneys defending the interests of samesex couples during arguments in Supreme Court on Tuesday, April 28, saying, “Well, how do you account for the fact that, as far as I’m aware, until the end of the 20th century, there never was a nation or a culture that recognized marriage between two people of the same sex?”

Perhaps there was little precedent for same-sex marriage, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth legalizing. There was little precedent for women’s suffrage, but eventually that was deemed constitutional.

“Republicans who are actively resisting the legalization of gay marriage must be afraid.”

To uphold every outdated law and social view would be unconscionable. Imagine if outright segregation was still on the books, just because that’s the way things were always done in the past. Opponents of gay marriage continue to cite Biblical “laws” as evidence that gay marriage shouldn’t be permitted, but there are other things that the Bible explicitly outlawed that are acceptable today. Why not this?

Of course, the age-old argument is that gay marriage undermines the institution of

marriage. Hillary Clinton used to think so, in accordance with her husband’s passage of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996. But, as the New York Times noted, Clinton’s standpoint on the issue has shifted dramatically over the last 20 years.

Does that mean that Clinton is a hypocrite? Or, is she simply adjusting her viewpoint as she becomes more informed on the topic? Did she realize that her adherence to the political current of a bygone era didn’t make sense anymore and gradually abandoned it over time?

Maybe Clinton isn’t entirely forthcoming in everything that she does, but I can respect her changing attitudes toward gay marriage, and her transparency in doing so.

Republicans who are actively resisting the legalization of gay marriage must be afraid. They’re losing their grip on an issue that everyone used to agree on, almost unanimously. They must recognize the futility of their efforts in opposing gay marriage when there’s no evidence that it undermines “traditional” marriages between a man and a woman. But, for fear of seeming hypocritical, they cling to an untenable position.

It’s time for Republicans to concede.

The Supreme Court is closer than ever to making a decision in favor of marriage equality. If conservatives want to continue to have influence in national politics, they need to recognize that the tides are changing and flow with them instead of thrashing against the current.

May 6, 2015 The Signal page 13

Features

TCNJ Cares Week brings campus together

Samantha Selikoff / Photo Editor

Students release balloons with messages of hope written on them.

By Leigh Cesanek Staff Writer

Students throughout campus came together to talk about suicide awareness and prevention in a series of events from Monday, April 27 through Friday, May 1 in the first ever TCNJ Cares Week. The week was an opportunity for students to participate in conversations about mental health and the importance of giving mental health issues priority in the everyday lives of students.

The College hosted its first TCNJ Cares Week with events that included spreading messages of hope throughout campus on flowerpots and in the Student Center, public speakers, a campus walk, an exhibit and small group discussions.

“The one thing that I wanted to achieve this week was to get the campus community talking,” said Stephanie Menakis, a senior management and psychology double major and a member of the TCNJ Cares Team. “I think that’s the first step in making a true difference in our community.”

Menakis lost her brother, Michael Menakis, a freshman on the College’s basketball team, who tragically took his own life last year in April 2014.

The Lions’ Walk for Hope on Friday,

May 1, became the largest ever walk for suicide awareness to take place on a college campus, according to the TCNJ Cares Team. The Walk for Hope concluded the week with a procession around the loop on campus and a balloon release.

The previous record for a suicide awareness walk for on a college campus had been below 500 people, and on Friday, the Care Team ran out of 500 balloons to hand out to all the students in attendance.

Menakis began the Walk for Hope with a speech about her personal involvement with the mental health cause by sharing a story about her brother, Michael.

“In the past year, I learned a few things,” Menakis explained about suicide and mental health. “People tend to generalize someone who is suicidal,” she said, when in reality, it can be anyone.

“People also don’t know how to talk about suicide,” Menakis said. “I wasn’t prepared for the ignorance that also exists.”

She emphasized how important it is to be someone to turn to and to be someone for others to confide in.

“Seeking help shows strength,” Menakis said. “I urge you all to be an ally.” Following the walk around campus, balloons were released in honor of those who were lost to suicide. The display also honored

those who personally struggle and those who show support and act as an ally to the cause.

On Tuesday, April 28, Active Minds put on the Send Silence Packing exhibit as part of TCNJ Cares Week. The display featured 1,100 backpacks strewn across the Green Hall Lawn, representing college students who commit suicide every year. Some backpacks had small biographies or messages from loved ones.

Students stopped by to read and digest the display, according to Sarah Perry, president of Active Minds and a junior psychology major.

“At least 1,000 people stopped by today,” she said. Perry also said that many students commented on the display’s impact.

TCNJ Cares Week kicked off on Monday, April 27, with “What Do You Care About?” sponsored by To Write Love on Arms TCNJ UChapter, where students wrote inspiring quotes and messages, such as “You are beautiful!” that were displayed on the Path of Hope in the Student Center.

On Monday night, Jordan Burnham, a public speaker and mental health advocate shared his experiences with depression and suicide to stimulate the conversation within the college community.

As Burnham recounted his suicide attempt in detail and his eventual decision to share his story with news organizations, he remembered thinking: “I never want anyone to be in the position I’m in now.”

His purpose now in speaking and advocating, Burnham explained, is to motivate others to have a healthy emotional balance, develop healthy coping mechanisms and to “continue the conversation, making mental health relevant on your campus.”

Deborah Wu, a senior accounting major who attended the speech, said, “It’s important so that the people who are struggling know that they aren’t going through it alone.”

Justin Shaffer, a senior biology major, who was also in attendance, explained the

importance of speaking out, “The people out there who are trying to get the point across publicly make it OK for people on a private level to talk about it,” Shaffer said.

The Wellness League put on a peer-led discussion called TCNJ Connect Tuesday night. The League’s co-founder and leader Derek Giannone, a psychology major with a clinical counseling specialization, opened up the event by explaining that the organization’s purpose is to “make TCNJ a more emotionally involved place.”

Personal conversations took place among students who had never known each other previously. Students discussed ideas to make the College a better community as well as ways to prevent suicide on campus.

On Wednesday, April 29, students dressed in purple and yellow, showing support for suicide awareness, and posted selfies to Instagram with #ICareTCNJ, tagging friends they care about.

Counseling and Psychological Services’ Peer Educators set up a table in Alumni Grove for students to decorate flower pots with messages of hope to “Plant Positivity” on Thursday, April 30.

The TCNJ Cares Team included: Menakis, Shap Bahary, Ryan Molicki, Rebecca Morrissey, Mariagrazia Buttitta, Kelsey Capestro, Dane West, Ryan Cleary, Angela Lauer Chong, Elizabeth Gallus and Kelly Hennessey.

TCNJ Cares Week touched many people on campus.

“I was blown away by the number of emails, Facebook messages or just people stopping me this week to thank the TCNJ Cares Team for organizing this week of events — how much it personally meant to them and how much it has the potential to affect the community,” Menakis said.

“Our team always said if we impact one person by the end of the week then we accomplished our goal and I would love to believe that we did just that.”

AEPi hosts 24-hour barbecue to raise money

By Nicole Ferrito Staff Writer Hotdogs and hamburgers were grilled for 24 hours straight on Tuesday, April 28, as the brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at the College fundraised for the Heroes to Heroes foundation, one of their national philanthropies.

At this year’s annual day and night barbeque event, the fraternity raised $2,498.15 to be donated to the their philanthropy.

“We figured it would be

something that was fun for us and for the campus,” junior chemistry major and President of AEPI Andy Glass said on choosing to do a 24-hour barbecue as a way to raise funds.

In addition to hotdogs and hamburgers, the brothers sold “Support Our Troops” bracelets, pretzels and other snacks.

The brothers chose to raise funds for Heroes to Heroes because two of their members are related to war veterans, Glass said.

Samantha Selikoff / Photo Editor

AEPi sells hotdogs and pretzels for students.

Since the fraternity has hosted the barbecue since Alpha Epsilon Pi’s establishment on campus in 2007, they felt it was a part of their history to continue the event, according to junior and philanthropy chair of the fraternity Alec Grossman.

“It brings out every brother and the students,” Grossman said.

When commenting on the reasoning behind planning the event Glass said, “It’s just something different that not a lot of other groups do.” The fraternity stationed themselves outside the Travers and Wolf dorms and said they do get a lot of people that come out to the event at night.

“I think it’s really cool and a good cause,” said Priscilla Blanco, junior Deaf education and Spanish double major, who was grabbing a hotdog during at the event during the afternoon.

The Heroes to Heroes foundation aims to help veterans who have tried to commit suicide or are suffering with depression.

“We provide a spiritual healing and peer support program for

Samantha Selikoff / Photo Editor

The 24-hour barbecue raises funds for Heroes to Heroes.

veterans,” program founder Judy Schaffer said.

The veterans are taken on a trip to Israel, Schaffer said. The journey is meant to “help them regain that sense of self and faith.” The program takes a group of about 10 veterans, who are paired with three to five mentors from Israel.

Heroes to Heroes is a non-denominational program and is open to all combat veterans.

The program was established five years ago and has had over 60 veterans participate in the program, according to Schaffer. They will be sending another group to Israel in October. Schaffer explained that the trip is both a spiritual and social journey and that the veterans help each other to heal.

Schaffer added that all of the funds raised and donated go directly to the program.

page 14 The Signal May 6, 2015

: April ‘03

Junior year transitions

Campus Style

By Heather Hawkes Columnist This week, I interviewed junior biology major Jasmine Muniz-Cadorette on spring style.

Kimberly Ilkowski / Features Editor

Kell describes the transition from sophomore to junior year.

By Kimberly Ilkowski Features Editor The final issue of the Spring 2003 semester featured a heartfelt confession on the struggles of transitioning into junior year.

Sports Editor John Kell wrote to let freshmen and sophomores know that it is never too late to get involved and get the most out of your time here at the College. As our own semester comes to a close, it is an important reminder to stay motivated and positive.

I hate those articles/opinions about reflection. I don’t think that much can be learned by them, but here I go trying not to reflect too much. I’ve been asked to write about something that I have been saying for weeks, the difference between a sophomore and a junior.

Sophomore year was an amazing year.

I went to countless concerts, semi-formals, formals, date parties, frat parties, house parties, Broadway shows and nightclubs.

In one weekend, I ended up partying or going to events in four different cities (Philadelphia, New York, Camden and Trenton — I didn’t say they were all good cities.)

Sophomore year in college is the year you start thinking like a college student and finally leave that high school mentality behind you. But I don’t think that sophomore year is the real year of truth.

Junior year is hard. Any junior in

The

college can tell you that this is the year that really counts.

When my sophomore friends ask me what junior year is like I tell them to imagine how hard their junior year in high school was, (by far the worst year in high school), and multiply that to the college level. At times, it’s that bad.

Junior year is the year that I finally realized the reason that I was at college. I joined SGA and the staff of The Signal. I got two new jobs — hall security worker and another at the Gap. I realized that I had been wasting my time during my sophomore year — time that I had to make up this year. My resume sucked and I realized that without hard work and experience, I wouldn’t get any internship let alone any job that I applied for.

Now I’m busting my ass and attempting to make up for it.

Last semester, as any of my friends can tell you, I didn’t party much because I had to budget my time to the minute. I was working over 30 hours a week between my three jobs on top of being a full-time student. It wasn’t always fun but I grew up to be the man I am today.

I have to say that in retrospect, I was just a boy before that. if anything, junior year has taught me that I am ready for the internship and the eventual job I hope to get.

It taught me that I can move off campus senior year and balance my life and

Let’s start off with where you shop.

What are some of your go-to stores?

JM: I like to shop at stores that provide high quality clothing for reasonable prices.

A few of my favorites are J. Crew, Banana Republic, Urban Outfitters and Zara.

Do you have any celebrity influences that you look to for style inspiration?

JM: Yes, I love Jessica Alba’s style — she has the perfect balance between classic elegance and current flare. I also look toward Angelina Jolie for inspiration. I think there is something to be said for women who can be fashion forward while still presenting themselves with class and poise.

What is your favorite thing about dressing for the spring season?

JM: It’s so refreshing to mirror the new spring colors outside in my wardrobe through a brighter color pallet.

Also, I’m so glad that I no longer have to cover up my outfit choices with a bulky winter coat.

What is your favorite accessory that you absolutely can’t live without?

JM: My ring. I got this simple silver ring from Green Street Consignment in Princeton and I wear it every day. It’s such a great place to find unique high quality jewelry that doesn’t tarnish.

How would you describe your personal style?

JM: I would say my style is very versatile. I don’t stick to just one look. It’s all about experimenting with different textures and patterns, but at the same time finances better when I’m off on my own. I think I’m ready to move away from home after college and if I get an opportunity to move away from the east coast or even further, I would have to take it.

So what am I trying to say in this opinion?

AP Photo

Jessica Alba shows off her fresh, spring fashion.

keeping it classic and simple.

What is your best shopping advice?

JM: Comfort is key to being confident in your clothes. You want to choose classic pieces that are higher in quality so they will last you a long time. Quality over quantity is definitely the way to go.

What is your biggest fashion pet peeve?

JM: When people are wearing things that don’t fit them. One of the most important elements of dressing well is making sure that your clothes are tailored to your body.

I guess I’m saying that if you are reading this, it’s not too late to get involved.

It’s not too late to do all the things you saw yourself doing in college and it’ll never be too late to grow up to become a better person then you were yesterday.

Hollyword: Alaimo has final word

AP Photo

Hilary Duff bowls with TV best friend, Miranda Sanchez.

By Johnanthony Alaimo Columnist

Have you been holding your breath waiting for a “Lizzie MaGuire” reunion? Well, I have news for your blue, dead body. It happened! Sort of. Are you still excited even though I said sort of?

Would you be more excited if I said absolutely? Do you hate me asking you questions when there’s really no way of you answering

them? Shut up and listen!

According to E!, Hilary Duff she went bowling and hung out with former TV best friend, Miranda Sanchez, played by…I have no idea what her name is in real life and I refuse to find out. Why can’t it be Miranda Sanchez? She also hung out with her TV brother, Matt, who now has a receding hairline. Cool! This all happened not because Hilary necessarily wanted to, but because she went

on a Tinder date with some guy named Tom! Tom who, Hilary???

Tom Welling? Tom Arnold? Tommy Pickles? All this mystery will certainly hurt the campaign for presidency you just launched.

Hil refused to give up more details on her beau, but she said that he’s an actor and she doesn’t like that! Should’ve swiped left, Hil. She went on to say she ABSOLUTELY did not kiss him at the end of the night but that she’s a TINDER ANIMAL, a phrase I hope to never hear again describing a person. Good for you though, Hilary! Get yourself out there. Where’s Gordo in all this, though? Is he OK? Is he off your radar? Let’s find him!

In news that is not shocking, but should be, Mariah Carey is best friends with a dolphin! How did she manage such a feat? Dolphins of course are known for their fandom of Mariah! (While sharks are known as Ariana Grande fans.)

In a recent interview with Robin Leach, she explained she’s buddy

buddy with a dolphin named Osbourne. Sounds good, Mimi! But if this is a PR stunt by SeaWorld, though, I’m not having it. Just please remember that he needs to be immersed in water at all times, so cool it on the ice cream carting with him!

Alas, my chickadees, this is the last edition of the Hollyword.

Please, don’t shave your head.

Save (shave?) that drama for another day. It brought me great joy and carpal tunnel syndrome writing

this column for you. We’ve been through a lot. Meltdowns, throwdowns and pat downs (my favorite). My only regret is that I will not still be writing when Justin Bieber will inevitably be airlifted off a toilet. Hopefully another sociopath takes my place here at The Signal to cover that.

I will leave you with the wisest words I know. I quote, “DON’T BE FUCKING RUDE!” — Kim Kardashian. Good night and good potluck.

AP Photo

Carey takes a picture with her dolphin friend in 2000.

May 6, 2015 The Signal page 15

Edelbach / Retires after 48 years of teaching

continued from page 1

at The College of New Jersey — or Trenton State College — as the school was named for most of his time here.

As one of the more active and influential faculty members, Edelbach has taught a wide variety of courses, served on the Faculty Senate as the union representative and was the president of the school’s American Federation of Teachers (AFT) union local for 25 years.

Throughout Edelbach’s involvement with the College, he has not only witnessed countless changes in these fields, but has also been invaluable in implementing them.

Edelbach’s multifaceted career at the College began in 1966, when he joined a much smaller campus and faculty to teach classes in the school’s burgeoning “Industrial Arts” program. He primarily taught “General Shop,” which educated all different majors in the techniques of industry, design and building.

“When I think about some of the equipment we used to use — oh, God,” Edelbach laughed.

“We never thought about (safety and) that stuff back then. Now there’s whole lectures on safety.”

Edelbach largely developed the College’s Graphic Photography program in the 1970s, and noted that the term “digital” did not exist back then — they used darkrooms, “chemicals and all,” to process photos.

He also taught classes in printing and Advertising Design, describing the College’s phototypesetter — a machine that created what is essentially today’s WordArt — as a “crude beast of a machine.”

Edelbach taught courses in Graphic Photography and Advertising Design with John Karsnitz, former chair of the Technological Studies Department, who joined the College’s faculty in 1978. In fact, when the College gave Karsnitz an office on the third floor of Bliss Hall that was inconvenient for him, Edelbach intervened.

“Ralph said, ‘Hey, why don’t you move into my office?’” said Karsnitz, fondly recalling how small the offices were back then. “There

was barely enough room for a filing cabinet, two desks and two of us.”

Karsnitz continued to teach Graphic Photography and Advertising Design with Edelbach and another faculty member when the original Armstrong Hall, “the elevated area (of Armstrong Hall) on the Bliss side,” was built in the early ’80s. But as the successful program grew and developed into the College’s modern engineering program, Karsnitz taught in the Technological Studies Department on the teacher’s education side, while Edelbach taught courses on the industry side of engineering.

In the early 1990s, however, the Society, Ethics, and Technology (SET) course was developed as part of the College’s first liberal learning program (the original program required freshmen to take a class called “From Athens to New York,” and required sophomores to take SET). Edelbach transitioned to teaching SET and later on becoming President of the AFT local. He devoted half of his time to the union and the other half to teaching SET. “We wanted the students to better understand how the technological world was impacting them. Everyone on campus thought that was important,” said Karsnitz, who said that he, Edelbach and faculty from nearly every discipline collaborated to develop the course.

Although the SET course is no longer a requirement for all students, it remains a popular Liberal Learning elective taken by many majors, exploring the cultural, ethical and moral implications of today’s cutting-edge technology.

Junior accounting major Christina Roach took Edelbach’s SET class during her first semester at the College in the fall of 2012. She said that although his class was challenging and his teaching style strict, she greatly enjoyed and benefitted from the subject. “(The class) greatly impacted me,” Roach said. “It kick-started my career here at TCNJ at the highest standard … it prepared me for what to expect, and how to critically think.”

Edelbach said that SET was

his favorite class to teach because the nature of the subject is always changing.

“Teaching the class was really a great experience,” Edelbach said. “There’s always something different going on, whether it’s about biomedical ethics, pollution, the need for more energy. As the years went on and there were more and more issues to discuss, instead of cutting anything out of the curriculum I said, ‘I just have to talk faster.’”

Edelbach has not only impacted the College as a teacher.

For 25 years, Edelbach served as the president of the AFT union local, working with the College, several of its presidents and the state of New Jersey to mediate relations between teachers and their administrations. During his time with the AFT, Edelbach witnessed both periods of cooperation and unrest between faculty and administration, including two statewide teacher strikes in 1974 and 1979 — the first lasting one day and the latter lasting nine.

“And it was very tough,” Edelbach said. “They were over issues like the faculty being able to pick textbooks, salaries, health benefits, things of that nature. They were pretty nasty times.”

Another period of tense relations between the AFT and the College administration occurred just before President Gitenstein’s term of office, Edelbach said. He recalled that the College’s teachers held demonstrations against a former president, because the College was “crying poverty” and raising tuition while simultaneously purchasing expensive local properties.

“Those were really rough times on our campus,” he said.

Since Gitenstein has taken office, however, relations between the faculty and administrators have changed for the better, according to Edelbach.

“Right now, we have on our campus the best working relationship between administration and faculty of any school in the state,” Edelbach said. “I think I was able to help bring that about and keep it going, with much support, and with the administration willing to

Photo courtesy of Ralph Edelbach

Edelbach enjoys his trip at German Grand Prix in 2005 with friends. do things in a collegial way.”

And there has certainly been an improvement in this relationship.

“Before (Gitenstein), it was much more adversarial and even crude,” said Karsnitz, who also served on the Faculty Senate executive board. “(Edelbach) should certainly be recognized as bringing a much more effective, professional relationship between the administration and union to the College.”

Edelbach noted that the union and the College will always have some disagreements, such as Gitenstein’s advocacy for state schools to gain more autonomy from the state.

“We, the union, feel that it would be detrimental to faculty to have that happen,” Edelbach said.

“We feel that the more autonomy the presidents get, the more likely it is that you’ll have some whacko president going crazy. That hasn’t happened on our campus, but it’s happened on other campuses,” he said, citing the president of Kean University who purchased a $219,000 conference table.

In addition to teaching, coauthoring new editions of the “Society, Ethics, and Technology” textbook and serving as president of the AFT local, Edelbach has a passion for race cars and for rebuilding old cars. He has taken trips to the Sebring 12-hour races (where he once relayed messages from the pit stops to the control tower), the Festival of Speed at

Goodwood England, the Monterey Historic Races and the German Grand Prix. He has even driven on the infamous Nürburgring racetrack, which has hosted many German Grand Prix races.

Edelbach also designed and built his own house.

His passion for building and designing outside of the classroom, he said, translates to the satisfaction that teaching always brought him.

“I always like to do things with my hands,” Edelbach said.

“So working with equipment and tools, showing somebody how to do something who didn’t know how to do it — that was always rewarding. And when it comes to the SET course, the intellectual stimulation of looking at issues from the perspective of technology was equally rewarding.”

“Rewarding,” Edelbach says, is the best way to describe his 48 years at the College.

“I’ve been damn lucky to have this job because it’s been so rewarding, so stimulating and so enjoyable,” Edelbach said. He noted that while there are people who dread going to work and cannot stand their colleagues, he has never had to face that. He also hopes his grandchildren will have the opportunity to have the kind of rewarding job that he was able to enjoy.

“I’ve always been able to go to work and say, ‘Today’s going to be a great day,’” Edelbach said.

TCNJ EMS: Test anxiety and how to handle it

Courtney Wirths / Business Manager

Finals week creates additional stress for students.

By Steven King Columnist

We’ve almost made it to the end, but we still have one last challenge to overcome this school year: finals. Finals

come around every semester, and every semester everyone experiences that all too familiar stress. For some people, however, this stress translates into severe anxiety, which can keep a person from being able to focus on studying and performing well.

Testing anxiety is no laughing matter and it can affect people to an extreme degree, to the point where even the simplest question becomes tough to answer. Even after a test, a person might still feel anxiety, which can lead to poor performance on the next test. Hopefully, TCNJ EMS can give you some tips to help reduce this anxiety so that you can do your best on your finals.

First of all, what is testing anxiety?

Sometimes you can feel really nervous before a big event in your life, whether it be going on a roller coaster or competing in a sport. This type of uneasiness, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. Generally, this anxiety makes you

more alert and ready. It might not feel too nice, but it doesn’t compare to the anxiety that is experienced by people who suffer from testing anxiety.

Testing anxiety is unhealthy for you, physically and mentally. It is a form of excessive fear that makes it difficult to concentrate on an exam and is usually accompanied by physical symptoms such as nausea, which makes it even harder to focus. Overall, testing anxiety can be defined as an extreme sense of fear — marked by unhealthy physical symptoms — that keeps a person from being able to focus on their exams.

So, what exactly can you do to deal with testing anxiety? Luckily, there are several methods to help relieve this anxiety. First of all, you need to get a good night’s sleep. While it is tempting, do not cram all night before the exam. Unfortunately, cramming can lead to even more anxiety. Besides that, eat something healthy before the exam, but make

sure you do not eat something too heavy.

Avoid sugary foods, since it’s possible for the sugar to make anxiety worse.

During the exam, try to sit in a comfortable position and change your position if you need to. It also helps to use some positive reinforcement, such as acknowledging that you are doing your best. Just try to stay calm and stay positive, and ignore any negative thoughts that might be trying to mess with you.

Overall, healthy physical habits are a must, but remember to stay positive about yourself and your performance.

While testing, anxiety can certainly be nasty and detrimental to your exam score, there are ways to deal with it. By thinking positive thoughts before and during the test, eating healthy and practicing good sleeping habits, it is possible to calm your anxiety. With only a little bit of time before the year ends, good luck on your finals and remember to stay positive!

page 16 The Signal May 6, 2015

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May 6, 2015 The Signal page 17

Arts & Entertainment

Lights, camera, action! Campus MovieFest ’15

By Sydney Shaw News Editor

From films abounding with pining and romance to futuristic sci-fi thrillers, this year’s annual Campus MovieFest boasted the wide array of talented student filmmakers at the College.

The premiere, held at the Kendall Hall Main Stage Theatre on Tuesday, April 28, included screenings of the top 16 student-created films.

It also concluded with an awards ceremony that determined which films would head to Hollywood for the annual summer screening of the best Campus MovieFest films.

Top films from the evening included “Paramnesia,” a production depicting an artificially intelligent robot who believes he is a human; “Archie,” in which a young woman helps a college filmmaker produce his first romance movie by exposing her true feelings for him; “The Work Force,” which features a man who will stop at nothing to finally get a job; and “OK Cupid,” a poem-turned-film about the struggles of dating in a digital world.

According to the competition rules, teams were given one week to write, film and edit a five-minute short film. This year 61 teams from the College participated.

The winners of the coveted Silver Tripod Awards were selected by the Distinguished Filmmakers Network and awarded to three films who succeed in specific areas, including Best Cinematography, Best Directing and Best Special Effects.

The cast and crew of “Archie” took home the Silver Tripod for Best Cinematography.

Senior history major Michael Cort, the mind behind the story and the creator of the movie, is no stranger to filmmaking — his short film “Twitch Plays College” won Best Comedy in last year’s Campus MovieFest and was

screened in Hollywood last summer.

“I created the entire thing by myself, so I was taking on a huge amount of responsibility,” Cort said about “Archie.” “This worked for me last year so I figured, why not? I’ll lose a lot of sleep for a few days, but the finished product is going to be my exact vision and that’s more important to me than sleep.”

Unlike most of the films screened during the premiere, the only sound in “Archie” was the music added during editing.

“Images alone are more powerful than some people give them credit for and I feel like ‘Archie’ accomplished more in five minutes as a silent film than it would have if I had chosen to weigh it down with dialogue,” Cort said. “This was only made possible by Sean (Harshman) and Kim (Ilkowski) who were absolutely brilliant with their expressions. They sold the story without having to say a word, and I think that’s a powerful thing.”

A sophomore journalism major and the features editor at The Signal, Ilkowski’s expressions earned her the Best Actress award for her role as Clara in “Archie.”

The Best Actor award went home with senior marketing major Garrett Verdone, a cast member from “Paramnesia,” which also earned the Silver Tripod for Best Special Effects and Best Production Design.

Verdone plays Alex, a seemingly ordinary individual who attempts to decipher which of the two responses on his computer screen was sent from a human and which was automated by a robot. The tables are turned, however, when the test administrator reveals that Alex himself is the robot — programmed with detailed memories and complex emotions.

“Wait! Please,” Verdone desperately cries in the film. “Please stop. I’m a person.”

Photo courtesy of Andrew Edelblum

‘OK, Cupid’ is based on a poem written by Edelblum earlier this year.

Photo courtesy of Joshua Lewkowitz

‘Paramnesia’ is a futuristic look into artificial intelligence.

His convincing performance, along with flawless special effects and editing done behind the scenes, launched “Paramnesia” straight to Hollywood.

“Due to scheduling restraints, we had to film everything in one day on Saturday, leaving us no room for pickups and only three days for post-production,” film creator Joshua Lewkowitz said. “A few sleepless nights later, we finished barely on time!”

Lewkowitz, a senior interactive multimedia major with minors in communication studies and marketing, credited sophomore interactive multimedia major Ryan Laux with the 2D Visual Effects, creating the holographic screens and cleaning up the film.

Sophomore interactive multimedia major Chris Lundy composed the musical score for the film. Senior interactive multimedia major Andrew Kuserk modeled and animated the “creepy robotic elements seen in the back of Alex’s head” at the end of the film, according to Lewkowitz.

The team’s film, “Iris,” won Best Picture at the College and Best Special Effects in the country at last year’s Campus MovieFest.

Inspiration for the film came from the actors themselves, who Lewkowitz described as talented writers and improvisors.

For junior psychology major Andrew Edelblum, the inspiration for his film “OK, Cupid” came from a poem he penned in January.

“I actually made my first online dating account (then),” Edelblum said. “I was feeling pretty lost and disillusioned about love at the time, so my thoughts were far from optimistic. But after reading ‘OK, Cupid’ to different crowds over the past few months, it became an instant favorite.”

“I’m not about to go investing my time into some website where compatibility is based

around a series of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions,” Edelblum recites during his film.

He goes on to give viewers some insight into the relationship he had before he made his OK, Cupid account, describing himself and his ex-girlfriend as “two starry-eyed cartographers charting maps of one another, slowly and carefully.”

But after two years, Edelblum says the pair traveled into territory they no longer wanted to explore.

“OK, Cupid” was a winner of one of the Jury Awards, which are given to the top four best movies. The award was also bestowed upon the cast and crews of “Archie,” “Paramnesia” and “The Work Force.”

“I had a loose idea for ‘The Work Force’ back in October,” said Folake Ayiloge, a junior communications studies and interactive multimedia double major. “When I saw my movie title appear on the big screen as a winner, I nearly burst into tears. It was surreal.”

Ayiloge celebrated her 21st birthday on the night of the premiere, making it an even more memorable win. This year’s premiere was special for several other student filmmakers as well, marking their last Campus MovieFest before graduation.

“It meant the world to me that I could have this be one of my last big moments in college,” Cort said. “I’m going to miss this terribly, but hopefully we’ll be able to throw some money together and go to Hollywood, so who knows?

Maybe the journey isn’t over yet.”

As for Edelblum, the Campus MovieFest this year proved to be the start of a new journey in itself.

“It’s amazing how much this whole experience means to me,” he said. “(Calling the experience) a turning point would be an understatement.”

Kendrick Lamar delivers insightful third album

By Brandon Agalaba Staff Writer

Kendrick Lamar released his third album, titled “To Pimp a Butterfly,” in March 2015. “To Pimp a Butterfly” was the successor to 2012’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” the album that made Lamar a star by receiving critical acclaim. This latest record is Lamar’s most ambitious album yet.

“To Pimp a Butterfly” is a conceptual album that deals with social, political and educational themes. It succeeds its attempt to be an intelligent and emotional album through the well-constructed lyrics of Lamar’s rapping. Lamar manages to effectively tell stories in an evocative

way that perfectly complements the music in the album.

The lyrics are sensible, intelligent and thoughtful. They feature great insights into life while perfectly going along with the music. For example, “These Walls” has lines such as, “these walls want to cry tears / these walls happier when I’m here / these walls could never hold up.”

This song perfectly demonstrates the intellectual, and at times philosophical, nature of the album.

The lyrics also have political elements in them, particularly in the 12-minute opus entitled “Mortal Man,” which progresses into a spoken word protest about standing up for yourself and fighting the ills of society.

“Wesley’s Theory” is another

highlight from the album. It opens the record with a nice beat and storytelling lyrics that are both descriptive and multidimensional. “i” is another notable song, which samples “That Lady” by The Isley Brothers and brings a radiofriendly and funky edge to the album. “For Free?” is a compelling, fast-paced jazz tune complete with double bass, piano and drums.

The album is diverse and varied. It never stays the same for longer than a moment. The songs can be interludes, spoken word pieces or atmospheric tunes with various sound effects.

“To Pimp a Butterfly” arranges its songs in a way that is interesting and never predictable. A number of samples are

integrated into the music. The samples range anywhere from funk to jazz and always complement the music without feeling obnoxious. The songs also have various nuances to them that keep the album from getting stale, such as the stereo-panned vocals of “Institutionalized,” the yelled vocals and tempo change of “u” and the relaxing pianos of “These Walls.”

“To Pimp a Butterfly” has an excellent flow despite the album being a massive undertaking with a length of nearly 80 minutes. It is well-structured to keep the listener from being overwhelmed. “To Pimp a Butterfly” jumps from one idea to the next quite naturally and all of the

songs have a meaning. Despite the wide range of music, none of the songs feel out of place. Additionally, the songs segue into each other, which makes the album feel connected and shows how well the records underlying themes relate to one another.

“To Pimp a Butterfly” demonstrates that there is still quality hiphop music being made today. It has an intelligent, socially aware atmosphere that is built up with evocative lyrics and solid rapping on Lamar’s part. The album flows quite well and never feels over the top or overly inaccessible. It is an ambitious album that is pulled off well. Anyone who enjoys hip-hop with a critical, intelligent and diverse edge will surely enjoy this album, as well.

page 18 The Signal May 6, 2015

Tikka Roll takes home $22,000 1st Place Prize in the 2015 Mayo Business Plan Competition! more teams more money more excitement

2016

Truly an interdisciplinary challenge, the 2015 Mayo Business Plan Competition (MBPC) drew entries from 5 TCNJ Schools!

Established in 2011 by Professor Buddy Mayo and supported by Eric Szabo (‘97) of Annaly Capital Management, the MBPC increases student appreciation for the exciting yet difficult challenge of developing a viable business Next year’s Mayo Business Plan Competition idea. Finalist teams are chosen for their begins now! ability to articulate plans that address this challenge.

TCNJ students from all disciplines are encouraged to form teams of 2-4 members (all TCNJ students) to begin The School of Business wishes to developing their business plan. Faculty, alumni and other thank our many judges, the Small business professionals can advise but each student team is Business Development Center, solely responsible for the quality of the business plan. Teams the School of Engineering, seeking to find advisors can contact Dean Keep. The 2016 MBPC and the staff and faculty timetable and rules will be posted on the School of Business website who helped make this

by August 1, 2015. competition a success.

MBPC

Total Prize Money for 2016 Mayo Business Plan Competition = $50,000!

Important Dates:  August 1 – MBPC timetable and rules posted on School of Business web.  October 15 – Alumni Entrepreneur Panel discusses the basics of starting and running a small business (BB Lounge – 6 pm.) A sample business plan and outline form will be provided.

The MBPC recognizes excellence, initiative and zeal

Get ready to invest in yourself! Form a team and come to the School of Business Alumni Entrepreneur Panel to learn more about this exciting challenge.

See: http://business.pages.tcnj.edu/ Questions? Contact Dean Keep: keep@tcnj.edu

excellence ● initiative ● zeal

!

May 6, 2015 The Signal page 19

INK holds end of semester reading series Students recite original poetry and prose pieces

By Jessa Gianotti Staff Writer

INK, the creative writing club at the College, gathered students and faculty for an intimate night of poetry and creative prose readings at its Student Reading Series on Tuesday, April 28, in the Library Auditorium. The event was hosted by INK’s treasurer, Rachel Friedman, and featured readings from three students — Jonathan Edmondson, Samantha Miller and Marryam Naqvi.

Edmondson, a sophomore journalism major and arts & entertainment editor at The Signal, started the evening with six spoken word poems and one original prose piece: a prequel to the British novel “Rebecca,” in the form of a love letter written by the main character, Rebecca.

Edmondson’s poetry captivated the crowd from beginning to end, starting with a piece entitled “September Sunburn,” which was inspired by the sunburn he received over this past spring break.

He also read a poem called “Secondhand Smoke,” a piece that he wrote an hour before the show after being inspired by a conversation with a friend.

Most of his work can be found on his Tumblr page, he explained, as he proceeded to read a piece called “Lifeline,” which was a culmination of quotes from

his Tumblr, dating back to August 21, 2009. This piece drew a range of emotions from the audience from laughable one-liners about finals week, to more solemn topics about life and love that were relatable to many in the room.

The next speaker was Naqvi, a junior English major that transferred to the College for the Fall 2014 semester from Brookdale Community College. James Cody, a former professor of Naqvi’s from Brookdale, introduced her performance by comparing her to flattering characters from Shakespeare’s works and describing her switch from a premed science major to an English major.

“After taking a few English courses in college, I realized that it was a field that I truly felt passionate about, and made me feel as though my brain was working, thinking and creating,” Naqvi said. She debuted her creative talents at the series with 11 different poetry and prose pieces.

The Student Reading Series gives students an opportunity to showcase their talents in creative writing, and many times, students like Naqvi use the series as an opportunity to branch out and recite their poetry for the first time in front of an audience.

The third and final performance was by Samantha Miller, a sophomore English and secondary education double major with a

Kim Iannarone / Photo Assistant

Naqvi debuts her work in front of an audience for the first time.

classics minor, who also read her poetry for the first time at the reading series.

In the words of Miller, it was obvious that she was a classics minor after hearing her read 10 different prose and poetry pieces, some focusing on mythological creatures, such as the Sirens.

“I think they went well. I was super nervous, but once I was up there, I just

sort of went with it,” Miller said. “I had fun up there. But I loved hearing my peers’ work, too — the Student Reading Series is one of my favorite events on campus.”

While this was the last of two Student Reading Series events this semester, the series will return in the fall with two more shows.

‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ packs a serious punch

AP Photo

The ‘Avengers’ franchise continues to pull in fans.

By Julia Woolever Staff Writer

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” is a monumental movie on every level. Everything is bigger than it has been in previous Marvel movies and the majority of the time, this is what makes it better. The movie has some serious flaws, but the amazing action sequences, sharp humor and general heart make it truly marvelous.

The film is a sequel to 2012’s “The Avengers,” yet it has seven years of film material to tie together as it is the 11th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which began with 2008’s “Iron Man.” The first scene of “Age of Ultron” makes it apparent just how intricate this universe has become — we meet the Avengers mid-attack, as they storm a HYDRA base where Loki’s scepter is being held. The scepter is powered by one of the six Infinity Stones, which power the mythical Infinity Gauntlet. This setup

is based entirely on events from previous movies and will be unintelligible to any newcomers to the series.

This interconnectedness is both one of the best and worst things about “Age of Ultron” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general. For longtime fans, it’s a blast to see characters from past films make guest appearances and interact with other members of the team. But the sheer number of characters involved can make things confusing for even the most devoted of audiences.

“Age of Ultron” does double duty, as it wraps up some of the loose ends left in previous movies and lays the foundation for future movies. As a result, some scenes feel contrived and take away from the core plot, which is a bit muddled to begin with.

The film follows the Avengers as they battle Ultron, a self-aware robot who is hell-bent on saving the world by wiping out the human race and starting over again.

Ultron is especially devastating to the team because he was created

by Robert Downey Jr.’s character, Iron Man, with the intent of becoming a peacekeeping police force for good. Ultron’s quick descent into evil sparks a major ethical debate within the team and provides them with their biggest challenge yet.

Ultron, voiced by James Spader, is certainly a menacing villain, but he isn’t particularly threatening.

He bears a strong resemblance to “Harry Potter’s” Voldemort and has a passion for sarcasm, which is noteworthy in a franchise known for its witty banter.

Perhaps it is the knowledge that all of the Avengers are scheduled to appear in future Marvel films that makes it difficult to see Ultron as a real threat to the team. Comparing Ultron to Loki, the beloved villain of “Thor” and “The Avengers,” won’t help matters either, as Ultron can’t hold a candle to Loki’s charisma, looks and general fabulosity.

Three new superheroes are introduced in the battle against Ultron. Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are orphans whose powers are a result of biological experimentations by HYDRA. Played

by Aaron Taylor-Johnston and Elizabeth Olsen, respectively, the twins are a welcomed addition to the team. The coolest newcomer however, is Vision, played by Paul Bettany. Created by some questionable science involving the pesky Mind Stone, Vision is both powerful and wise. His presence refocuses the struggling Avengers on uniting for the greater good of society and defeating Ultron.

The best surprise of the film is Hawkeye, played by Jeremy

Renner, who takes on a new role as the emotional anchor of the team. His primary “power” of archery designates him the least “super” of the Avengers, and puts him at the receiving end of many jokes about a general lack of coolness.

If Hawkeye is the best surprise, then Black Widow is the worst.

Played by Scarlett Johansson, who always deserves better, the Black Widow is saddled with yet another romantic subplot. This time, she is thrown together with Mark Ruffalo’s character, the Hulk. Having been half-heartedly paired with both Hawkeye and Captain America in previous films, the romantic attraction between this pair comes out of nowhere and is as unconvincing as Quicksilver’s Eastern European accent. The beauty and the beast routine is an outdated plot for a damsel in distress, which certainly does not apply to the Black Widow.

Lead by Hawkeye, there is a new level of humanity infused in the film that previous Marvel movies have lacked. In the dramatic final act, the amount of time devoted to showing the Avengers’ efforts to get citizens to safety is nearly equal to the time devoted to actually battling the villain. This attention to the double-edged sword of superheroism makes the film feel grounded, and connects the audience to the characters in a new way.

As a standalone film, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is not particularly good. It can’t quite measure up to the novelty and sheer awesomeness of the original “Avengers.” But when putting it in context as the culmination of so many events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the harbinger of things to come, it is a worthy entry in a franchise that has changed the movie industry and established an incredible cultural legacy.

AP Photo

Black Widow is dragged down by a romantic subplot.

page 20 The Signal May 6, 2015

TCNJ Business Institute for Non-Business Majors Summer 2015

KNOWLEDGE • SKILLS • PERSPECTIVES Earn eight credits while you learn from TCNJ School of Business Faculty and Visiting Business Executives

BLOOMBERG BUSINESS WEEK’S #1 UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL IN NEW JERSEY Questions? Contact George Hefelle at BI@tcnj.edu or 609.771.2540 businessinstitute.tcnj.edu

From the classroom to the corner office.

Dr. Kathryn Yeaton, Associate Professor of Accounting, and her class engaged in student presentations.

Ramapo College offers accelerated part-time graduate degree programs designed to prepare you for the next step in your career. Ramapo’s graduate programs combine classroom and online study to allow students to balance their lives and their education.

We offer graduate degrees in: • NEW Master of Social Work • MBA, Master of Business Administration • Master of Science in Nursing • Master of Arts in Sustainability Studies • Master of Arts in Special Education • Master of Science in Educational Technology • Master of Arts in Educational Leadership

GRADUATE OPEN HOUSE Thursday, May 28, 5:30-6:30pm Register at: www.ramapo.edu/grad1

(Click on link under Upcoming Events)

Learn more at: www.ramapo.edu/grad1 or 201-684-7270 505 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, NJ

Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the Best Regional Universities North for public institutions

Featured in the Princeton Review’s “Best in the Northeast”

Listed by Kiplinger’s as one of 100 Best Values in Public Colleges

As a College of Distinction, Ramapo attracts and supports engaged students, great teaching, a vibrant community and successful outcomes

May 6, 2015 The Signal page 21

Sports Softball

Lions fall to Kean, eliminated from NJACs

By Michael Battista Sports Assistant

The softball team entered the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) tournament with high hopes, but returned with mixed results. The Lions faced a crushing loss to William Paterson, but edged out a close win against Rowan University. However, they were finally eliminated from the tournament after a defeat by Kean University.

The College’s first tournamant game came on Tuesday, April 28, against William Paterson in Wayne, N.J. The Pioneers had a strong start, and that was all they needed in the long run. The bottom of the first saw five runs earned for William Paterson off of three separate hits, giving the Lions a lot of ground to cover early.

William Paterson’s pitching kept the College at bay by shutting them down at the plate for the entire game, leaving them unable to gain any momentum.

The College’s pitcher, junior Katie Hourihan, who came in to

relief pitch during the first inning for junior Ashtin Helmer, kept the Pioneers scoreless for the rest of the game. This gave the Lions a fighting chance to try and make up ground.

But it was not to be, as the Lions went hitless and lost the game, 5-0.

The team had to move on, though, since every win counted for them to stay alive in the tournament. Their next tournament game was against Rowan University on Friday, May 1, in Glassboro N.J. The matchup started out as a pitchers duel, with neither one letting up a run or several hits.

Helmer, who picked up the loss at William Paterson, redeemed herself with a complete six innings of work by keeping the Profs to seven hits.

“Tournament games are the important games,” Helmer said.

“They’re the ones you need to really show up for, both physically and mentally. They’re what the season is all about.”

A double in the top of the sixth gave Rowan a one-run lead, but it didn’t last long. Freshman first baseman Bria Bartsch lined

a single up the middle to score a run for the Lions, and junior catcher Jamie Purcell was able to reach first base on a fielding error, scoring another run later in the inning.

While the Profs had a few chances, the College was able to hold on to pick up the win, 2-1.

Helmer said the teamwork of the squad is what really gave them an edge.

“We played together,” she said.

“Everyone gave it their all, and we left everything on the field. Every aspect of our game was on, and we were unbeatable.”

The team didn’t have to wait long for their next game as it was the following day, Saturday, May 2, against Kean University in Glassboro.

The team had a rough beginning once again and Kean took full advantage in the first. The Cougars scored a total of six runs in the first inning off of two singles, a double, a triple and a fielder’s choice against Lions’ pitchers Helmer and freshman Sam Platt.

Platt helped the team score a run in the second inning with a double

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Hourihan faces off against Rowan’s offense.

to right field, but Kean struck back with another run in the bottom half of the inning.

The third inning had more of the same, with the College getting a run, thanks to Purcell, but Kean scored two more runs after.

For every step the Lions took, the Cougars were right there to counter back.

Junior Steph Vuono scored one more run for the College in

the fourth off a fielder’s choice, but Kean’s excellent pitching and fielding prowess kept the rest of the game scoreless, leading the Lions to a 9-3 loss and tournament elimination.

Helmer says that first inning put them in a difficult position early.

“We had a rough first inning that put us in a hole,” she said. “We continued to fight each inning, but couldn’t get the win.”

Cheap Seats

May-Pac worth the price

By Michael Battista Sports Assistant Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, the fight which has been years in the making, has come and gone over the weekend, leaving a lot of people wondering: Was it all worth it?

After weeks of commercials touting that “All roads end here” in Las Vegas’s MGM Grand, multiple series about the fighter’s training, stories about their upbringings and years and years of anticipation, Saturday, May 2, the date of the fight, finally arrived and people were excited.

As both fighters entered the ring, announcer Michael Buffer pumped up the audience with his signature slogan, “Let’s get ready to rumble.” Announcers Jim Lambley, along with Roy Jones Jr., got set to call the action as the bell rang — and round one commenced.

A crowd, heavily favoring Pacquiao and booing the undefeated Mayweather, watched as Mayweather did what he always does — staying quick on his feet and stopping his appointment from getting an offensive start, usually by holding him.

Even though he was landing more punches, Mayweather seemed off balance and almost a little shocked from the multiple quick shots from Pacquiao.

Round two saw a much more aggressive Pacquiao getting Mayweather into the corner or on the ropes multiple times and beating his midsection relentlessly.

As Mayweather hopped and held his way out of these spots, the commentators called it perfectly — he seemed to be fighting scared.

Now, this is where most people are complaining. Mayweather’s tactics of constantly holding his opponents to stop attacks and using quick jabs to increase his number of punches landed isn’t right and

made the fight less exciting. But this is something he’s always done, looking back on his fights with brawlers like Ricky Hatton and Arturo Gatti, this has consistently been his way of avoiding damage and picking up rounds. This is how he won so many of the rounds against Oscar De La Hoya a few years back, and in the later rounds against Pacquiao.

This pattern was continued throughout all 12 rounds. Pacquiao had brief spurts of quick offensive shots to the body, but Mayweather cancelled it with a hold.

Mayweather won by unanimous decision, much to the disappointment of Pacquiao, who believed he had won since Mayweather “did nothing” during the bout. The crowd of fans voiced their disappointment online, including former champion Mike Tyson who tweeted, “We waited five years for that… #Underwhelmed #MayPac.” It could just be me, but I enjoyed that fight immensely. I knew going in that both fighters had their own styles, and both did exactly what I thought they would.

Through 12 rounds I was on the edge of my seat watching the fight on my (totally legal) set up. From every Pacquiao body blow to every Mayweather head blow, I was audibly excited.

Pacquiao may not have won, but he is still an amazing fighter who is definitely a Hall of Famer once he decides to hang up his gloves. As for Mayweather, he said his next fight on his Showtime contract in September will be the last one of his career, and a win there will tie his undefeated record with Rocky Marciano’s. I can’t blame him though, since after 20 years of intense training and hard battles it’s not hard to believe he wants to call it quits. Jeremy Schaap of ESPN said something once that describes Mayweather to a tee: “At a certain point, invisibility is boring.”

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page 22 The Signal May 6, 2015

Fun Stuff Thought of the day:

Upon looking for similarites between boxing and wrestling...

...We found a MATCH.

Solve some sudoku!

tic

JOHN DOE DOES IT AGAIN

tac

Puzzle #1

toe

Puzzle #2 Answers on page 23!

APRIL SHOWERS BRING...

Word Puzzle answers: 1) Musically inclined 2) Overcome the odds 3) The underdog 4) Cut above the rest 5) One thing after another 6) Waving goodbye

May 6, 2015 The Signal page 23

MORE Fun Stuff a may madlib

solve the word puzzle

Sudoku Solutions From page 20

Sudoku Solution #1

Sudoku Solution #2

Answers on page 22!

page 24 The Signal May 6, 2015

FALL 2015 REGISTRATION

APPOINTMENT PERIOD

Initial Registration Period for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Tuesday, April 7th Through Friday, April 17th

•

Your enrollment appointment reflecting the first time you will be eligible to register for the Fall 2015 semester can be accessed via your PAWS account. To view your scheduled enrollment appointment, visit the Enrollment Appointment section in the PAWS Student Center. Once eligible, students remain eligible throughout the registration period. Undergraduate students who do not register by 11:59pm on Sunday, April 19th will be subject to a late registration fine. Graduate students have until July 15th. Late Registration Fine Undergraduate: $150 Graduate: $125

•

The Fall 2015 Schedule of Classes is available on PAWS and can be viewed by using the Search for Classes button. Winter 2016 registration opens along with Fall 2015 registration. Check PAWS frequently for upcoming winter course offerings and consult with your advisor for appropriate course selections.

Meet with your advisor: we encourage you to schedule an appointment with your advisor to review your academic plan, learn of any changes in requirements, opportunities within your department, as well as career opportunities.

•

•

•

•

•

•

Visit the PAWS HELP website for complete information on how to log-­‐in to PAWS, search for classes, browse the Course Catalog, view your Holds, add courses to your Shopping Cart, and register for classes: http://pawshelp.pages.tcnj.edu/ Use the Validate feature directly from your PAWS Shopping Cart to check for potential pre-­‐requisite issues before registration! For more information on the Validate feature, visit: http://pawshelp.pages.tcnj.edu/files/2011/07/validate.pdf Check PAWS early and frequently for Holds that will prevent you from registering. All Hold Flag information can be viewed under the Holds section in the PAWS Student Center.

Access your Academic Requirements Report on PAWS to view your degree requirements via the Advising Tools link.

Double-­‐check call numbers and course sections prior to your registration appointment for schedule changes and periodic updates.

•

Graduate Students: If you are a non-­‐matriculant who is applying for Fall matriculation, you should not register during this timeframe. If accepted for matriculation, you will be invited to register during one of the Graduate Studies orientation sessions.

4 6

LIONS

May 6, 2015 The Signal page 25

AROUND THE

DORM 5 3

Matt Bowker “The Ref”

Josh Kestenbaum Staff Writer

Kevin Luo

Staff Writer

Michael Battista Sports Assistant

In this week’s championship edition of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Matt Bowker, asks our panel of experts three questions: What NFL team got the biggest steal at the draft, who had the worst pick of the draft, and what remaining NHL playoff team will win the Stanley Cup?

1. What team got the biggest steal of the NFL draft?

Josh: I hate to go with the obvious answer, but the biggest steal of this year’s draft was Leonard Williams going to the Jets.

He should never have been available at the sixth pick. The obvious landing spot for Williams was the Redskins, who ranked in the bottom half of the league last year in sacks. Williams was also arguably the best player in the draft, and could have justifiably gone to any team in the top five spots.

The Jets didn’t necessarily need Williams but he was by far the best player available.

The Jets defense will undoubtedly get their offense on the field, but it is yet to be seen if their offense will be able to do anything.

Kevin: I think the steal of the draft was Randy Gregory. He was once discussed as a topfive talent and he fell all the way to pick 60.

Although his multitude of off-the-field issues have been on full display, I think the Cowboys are the perfect fit for him on and off the field. On the field, Dallas is in dire need of

AP Photo

pass rushing help. With the suspension of Greg Hardy and the overall problems this defense has had getting to the quarterback, Gregory will have a golden opportunity to

make an immediate impact on the field. Off the field is where Dallas gives Gregory a tremendous opportunity to succeed. Dallas has a history of dealing with “problem players”

during the Jerry Jones era — from Michael Irvin to Dez Bryant and even Rolando McClain. Although there is still tremendous risk associated with this pick, Dallas gives Gregory the best chance to get his head on straight and reach his full potential as a football player.

Michael: The biggest steal would have to be wide receiver Devin Funchess, from the University of Michigan, going to the Carolina Panthers. The 41st pick in the draft, Funchess was named a Big Ten honorable mention in his freshman year and was the Big Ten’s Tight End of the year during his sophomore year. His junior year season had decreased stats, but more of that can be placed on the entire Michigan team which had one of its worst offensive seasons in the past few years. He is strong and big, which are two things that will help him break through defenses and give Cam Newton more options. For a team that made, and won a game in the playoffs last year, this is a great pick for the Panthers.

Josh gets 3 points for mentioning the Skins failures. Michael gets 2 points for crediting Michigan’s poor offense, and Kevin gets 1 point because Dallas promotes criminal activity.

AP Photo

2. Which team had the worst draft?

Josh: The team that had the worst draft was the Buffalo Bills. They were without a first round pick this year because of the trade that got them Sammy Watkins last year. Their picks did not necessarily fill their most important needs and many of their picks have been

widely considered reaches. In my opinion, the trade to move up for Watkins did more harm than good. They gave up this year’s first round pick when they didn’t really need to. Notable wide receivers still on the board when Buffalo could have picked were standouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Kelvin Benjamin. The Bills could

have had either of those players and retained their first round pick for 2015.

Kevin: It truly pains me to say this, but the St. Louis Rams had the worst draft.

The Rams had just as many starting caliber running backs as starting caliber offensive linemen, following the first two days of the draft. The Rams had a few big issues, that if properly addressed, could lead to them being a playoff contender. The Rams had holes across their offensive line and in the secondary and could’ve used a No. 1 receiver for new quarterback Nick Foles. There were no offensive linemen worth taking at the 10th pick but they could’ve taken Devante Parker or Trae Waynes to address their other issues. Instead, they drafted a running back who’s coming off a torn ACL. The rest of their draft was equally mediocre. Three of their next four picks were right tackles who were all drafted

way before they should’ve been taken. I hope I’m wrong about this, but drafts like this are why the Rams have been garbage the past decade.

Michael: The worst pick I saw during the draft has to be from the Oakland Raiders, who took defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. from Florida State. The 35th pick in the draft was such a wasted opportunity to find a better defensive player then Edwards. He has a grand total of eight sacks in his three years at Florida State, compared to someone like Mississippi State’s Preston Smith, who was still on the board at this point, who had a total of nine last year alone. He doesn’t have a lot of arm power, and even if he did, scouts have noted he doesn’t seem to have a lot of desire, he’s more content where he is rather than wanting to improve. The Raiders had a chance to make things better but they didn’t go with the best option.

Josh gets 3 points for going a different route with his choice. Kevin and Michael get 2 points each for picking on bad teams and their picks.

3. After the first round of the NHL playoffs, which remaining team is your favorite to win the Stanley Cup? Josh: My favorite to win the Stanley Cup is the New York Rangers. Against the Penguins, the Rangers were lights-out defensively and kept Malkin and Crosby from making the kind of difference that they are capable of making. Through the first round and what has been played of the second round, the Rangers have the lowest goals-against per game with 1.71. Backstopping that defensive effort is Henrik Lundqvist, who currently has the second-best goals against average in the playoffs. The Rangers’ defensive corps, with the help of the King, has the depth and ability to carry their team to the Promised Land.

Kevin: I’ll say my favorite to win the cup is the Chicago Blackhawks. I just think their offensive firepower is outstanding with Patrick Kane coming back from injury and players like Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa scoring better than they did in the regular season. They’re also solid in the back, led by Duncan Keith. However, the thing that sets the Blackhawks apart is

their championship experience. They’re the only team still alive in the playoffs that have won the cup since 2008 — another reason I like the Blackhawks in this. Also, Corey Crawford and Scott Darling have both been shaky in goal so far this postseason, but this was a question mark last time the Hawks won the cup and Crawford was just good enough.

Michael: The 2015 Stanley Cup Champion will be the New York Rangers, and the simple reason is I love their defense. Every game the team has played this postseason has been decided by one goal, and yes while one of those games was a 4 - 3 loss to Pittsburgh, it still deserves mentioning that the defense kept them in the game. Henrik Lundqvist has been playing impressive in goal, and players like team captain Ryan McDonagh and Dan Boyle are helping to keep the puck away from him in the first place. When it comes down to it, their defense can wear down a team enough to a point where an opening emerges. The Rangers have enough parts moving together to capture Lord Stanley’s cup and return it to Madison Square Garden.

Kevin gets 3 points for not picking the Rangers. Josh and Michael gets 2 points each for making the same argument.

Josh wins Around the Dorm 8-6-6.

AP Photo

page 26 The Signal May 6, 2015

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May 6, 2015 The Signal page 27

High hopes for new basketball coach Men’s Basketball

By Anthony Caruso Staff Writer

Last week, the College made the announcement that Matt Goldsmith was named the new men’s basketball head coach. This is Goldsmith’s first appointment as a head coach.

While he may be new to head coaching at the collegiate level, Goldsmith is no stranger to New Jersey. He is a Morristown, N.J., native and a Delbarton High School graduate.

He is replacing former head coach Kelly Williams. Williams resigned earlier this year following his new appointment as the Senior Associate Director of Athletics — External Affairs.

“I’m super excited to join the TCNJ family,” Goldsmith said. “I’m also excited to get back down to New Jersey, and I’m originally from New Jersey.

So being able to come home and coach college basketball at such a prestigious school that has such great academics, it’s an honor.”

Goldsmith added that he’s extremely excited to coach for the Lions.

“It means the world to me, and I’m a family guy first,” Goldsmith said. “This move allows me to be closer to my family — and join such a great academic family.”

Goldsmith said that all the pieces fell into place when the job became available. He also said that recruiting in New Jersey helped him get the job.

“I’ve been recruiting N.J. for a long time,” he said. “The guys that I like to coach and be around — are those high academic student-athletes. I think

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Goldsmith wants to make men’s basketball a goldmine. to coach at The College of New Jersey, we’re going to have student-athletes that want to be coached the right way — you go to class and you do well in class, but you also excel on the court.”

He comes to the College from Amherst College in Massachusetts where he was an assistant coach to David Hixon for the last three years. During his tenure there, the team had a 78-14 record.

Goldsmith won the 2013 National Championship while at Amherst. He was also a player on the school’s first National Championship team in 2007.

“I think any time you have a new head coaching job, you do feel a little pressure, especially after how well former head coach Kelly Williams did last year,” Goldsmith said. “He had an awesome

year last year, and I’m coming in with big shoes to fill. I think for me, at Amherst, I’ve been doing a lot of the head coaching duties with coach Hixon. I’ve been doing a lot of the head coaching duties for the last two years. I think I’m ready to step into that role.”

Upon being named the Lions’ head coach, one of the first tasks was to meet with his new players. He met with the players on Wednesday night, April 29, and followed that with individual meetings with each returning player for about a half an hour.

While the team is losing Jayson Johnson, Skylar Ettin and Alex Fox to graduation, he’s still excited about the roster that is returning next season. He, especially, is very interested in coaching star

Baseball

player junior Bobby Brackett.

“I think losing Johnson, Ettin and Fox are big losses, as they did the right things on and off the court,” Goldsmith said.

“There are a lot of young guys around a very good, talented big man — in Bobby Brackett. I’ve been able to see Bobby on tape, and he’s a very special talent. He’s a great player with unbelievable athleticism.

“I think if we continue to put the right pieces around Bobby and continue to build on last year, we can hopefully win 15 or more games. If we do that, we have a very good chance of performing in the NJACs.” While Goldsmith would like to win 15 games each season, the Lions are coming off of a season, where they went 1511. They also went 11-7 within the New Jersey Athletic Conference, and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2008-09 season, which was Williams’ first season as head coach. In the conference playoffs, the team lost to New Jersey City, 74-60, on Saturday, Feb. 21.

The NJCU loss was the end of Williams’ tenure at the school. In seven seasons, he went 64-111, including the career-best 15-11 record this past season.

In addition, Williams has also helped Goldsmith transition to the college.

“I’ve spoken with coach Williams a few times,” Goldsmith said. “He’s been very helpful, as he’s been helping me out throughout the entire transition. He’s been a great help. I think he’s going to be a great asset for me when I have questions about the College, the guys, and the potential recruits. I think it’s going to be a good fit moving forward.”

Cheap Seats

Lions come up short NHL vs. NBA Playoffs Talents still shine despite loss

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Volpe throws a complete game for a win.

By Jessica Ganga Nation & World Editor

The College’s baseball team defeated top-seeded Rutgers University-Camden in the opening round of the 2015 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament on Saturday, April 28. However, the team later fell to Kean University and RUC in a second match, ending their chance to take home an NJAC title.

It was a back and forth in the first game between the Lions and RUC until the seventh inning. Freshman pitcher Joe Cirillo gave up two runs in the first inning but pitched a phenomenal game, earning his sixth win of the season. Cirillo struck out four in six innings. Senior Anthony Cocuzza, who was named NJAC CoPlayer of the Year, also had a huge game. Cocuzza had a hot bat, going 4 for 5 with

three RBIs. Junior Garen Turner singled to center and advanced to second on an error. Senior Michael Murray hit a single up the middle, scoring Turner and cutting the deficit to, 4-3. Murray moved into scoring position and then came home to tack on the tying run, off a base hit from junior John Rizzi.

It was the seventh inning that was huge for Turner. Cocuzza led off the inning with a single, and after one out, it was Turner’s turn to step up to the plate. Turner blasted a two-run home run, making it his second of the season and giving the College its first lead of the game.

The Lions did not stop there — the team added three more runs in the eighth inning. Freshman Steve Bucci walked and Rizzi laid down a bunt single. Junior Mark Mari loaded the bases with still no outs. Cocuzza, who

was having a successful night, got his third hit of the game, scoring two when the RUC left fielder misplayed the ball. Senior Josh Limon hit a sacrifice fly to give the Lions a 9-4 victory.

Junior Steven Volpe threw a complete game in the College’s win against Rowan University on Friday, May 1.

Volpe silenced the Profs up until seventh, but that was the only run he allowed during the Lions 5-1 defeat of Rowan.

The Lions moved to the winner’s bracket after their consecutive runs, but fell short to Kean, losing 8-6 on Saturday, May 2. The team got off to a good start, scoring early in the game, but couldn’t hold off the Kean offense.

Unfortunately, losing to RUC 7-3 on Saturday, the Lions have been eliminated from the conference tournament. The team showed tremendous effort and perseverance throughout the entire season. The Lions end with a 18-18 record. This was their 18th consecutive season competing in the NJAC tournament and their eighth straight playoff run under head coach Dean Glus.

By Matthew Bowker Sports Editor

It’s the age-old debate. The NBA playoffs vs. the NHL playoffs. Everyone has a favorite.

Everyone chooses a side. There is no in between. There is only right and wrong. And in this case, if you choose the NBA playoffs as the superior, you, my friend, are very wrong.

The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs is arguably the best postseason in sports, right up there with March Madness and the NFL playoffs.

What separates the Stanley Cup playoffs from the rest, however, is the level of competition.

Every playoff game is close, it seems. Of the 46 first-round games played, 22 went to overtime, with one triple-overtime game.

There is nothing more exciting in sports than an overtime hockey game, with teams trading rushes up the ice, laying it all on the line. Four other games were separated by a goal with under two minutes to go, before the other team scored an empty net goal to seal the win. More than half of the first-round games came down to the wire.

Compare that to the first-round of the NBA playoffs, where only four games went to overtime. Even so, watching the final two minutes of any basketball game is insufferable, with someone getting fouled every five seconds to try and prolong the game and limit the leading teams’ possessions. Not only does this strategy never work, but it is almost as entertaining as a trip to the DMV. The NBA matchups are also much less compelling than the NHL’s playoffs. Two teams in the East made the playoffs with a losing record. The Celtics were promptly swept and the Nets were blown out by 25 in the final game of their series. As if that wasn’t enough reason to pass on watching the playoffs, the Bulls smacked the Bucks by nearly 60 points.

These lopsided contest are exactly what makes

the NBA playoffs less attractive. Most of the series are jokes, featuring teams that have no right to be in the playoffs in the first place.

Do we really need two excruciating months of bad basketball to figure out that the Warriors and Cavs are going to the Finals?

The NHL playoffs, on the other hand, are as exciting as ever since the league switched to their current format two seasons ago. Each playoff team is guaranteed to face a hated division-rival in the first two rounds of the playoffs. These games are always close and highlight physical battles well worth watching. In the NHL, every team has a chance. In the past, we have seen the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings take home the Cup. When was the last time you saw an eighth-seed even advance past the first round in the NBA? Call me crazy, but I would rather watch a triple-overtime game between two teams that hate each other’s guts than watch a blowout basketball game that has little to no consequences.

AP Photo

The Stanley Cup is action-packed.

Signal

Sports

Lions take home fifth straight NJAC title

Photos courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Left: Lions’ Karpovich brushes past Kean’s competition. Right: The team scores an impressive 14 goals against Rowan.

By Michael Battista and Anthony Caruso Sports Assistant and Staff Writer

The women’s lacrosse team entered the NJAC Tournament on Wednesday, April 29, hoping to win their fifth straight title — and they did, with a 14-5 win over Rowan University at Lions stadium.

The first match of the tournament was against Kean University at home, in a rematch of the regular season final.

The Lions jumped out to an early lead in this game with a 4-0 start. Cougars junior Jordan Blanda made it 4-1, before the Lions scored the next five goals. The team was up 9-1 at the end of the first half. In the second half, the College scored five times

compared to the Cougars’ three goals. The College had two goals scored by freshman Amanda Muller while seniors Erin Healy and Kendal Borup and sophomore Jaclyn Douglas also scored in the second half.

Lions goalie, sophomore Kelly Schlupp, made five saves and allowed four goals in 60 minutes compared to Cougars freshman Nikki Apostolopoulos, who made eight saves and allowed 14 goals in Kean’s loss.

The Lions had a few days to rest before their next game, against the Rowan Profs on Saturday, May 2, at home. The team had past success against the Profs in the regular season last month 12-4, and hoped they could repeat.

The Lions jumped out to a 6-0 start before

the Profs even got on the board. Borup scored twice and Healy scored the final three goals of the first half, giving the Lions a 10-3 lead. After the Profs scored five minutes into the second, the Lions scored four straight unanswered goals, capped off by junior Courtney Natalicchio.

Schlupp made two saves and allowed five goals in 60 minutes for the win, while her counterpart, Profs freshman Erin Horner, made four saves and allowed 14 goals in the loss.

With the win, the team clinched the New Jersey Athletic Conference title and will now have more than a week off before their 31st straight appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament.

Senior Ava Fitzgerald said that the team is ecstatic about their title, but need to look forward to nationals.

“Winning NJACs is a great experience,” she said. “We have come a long way since the start of our season and I have no doubt we have a lot more room to grow and excel as the national tournament begins.

The NCAA announced that the Lions will host St. John Fisher College in the second round of the tournament on Sunday, May 10.

“This is such an exciting time and being a part of the tournament is an honor.”

Fitzgerald said, “I can’t wait to see what else we can accomplish as a team.”

Track and field takes second in NJACs

By George Tatoris Staff Writer A College championship streak and a near-streak were ended in Mahwah this weekend as the men’s and women’s outdoor track teams both took second place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships — a meet that the women’s team had won last year, and the men’s team had won for 17 consecutive years.

The women’s team amassed a total of 183 points while the men’s team garnered 158.50 points. Both lost to Rowan University.

The men’s team obtained 20 of the 158.50 in the steeplechase event. Junior Scott Savage and senior Jeremy Garrell led the pack, racing to a tandem finish in second and third with finishing times of 9:28.78 and 9:31.59.

Senior Patrick Waite and juniors Andrew DeMaria and Roberto Guiducci also scored, finishing sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively. The steeplechase is the only race to involve both barriers and water pits.

The steeplechase stems from an old Irish horse race in which participants would start at one town’s steeple and finish at the steeple of the next town. In between it was common to race through

Lions’ Lineup May 6, 2015

I n s i d e

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

The Lions battle hard in the NJAC championship.

streams and over walls. Nowadays those streams and walls are replaced by barriers and water pits.

In the 10K, three Lions, junior Tyler Grimm, sophomore Andrew Tedeschi and freshman Conor McMahon finished second, third and sixth, respectively, garnering 16 points for the College. The trio clocked times of 32:47.45, 33:00.80 and 35:01.79.

Tedeschi took second in the 5,000-meter, as well, posting a time of 15:16.08.

The top sprinter among the Lions was

junior Jake Lindacher, who took second in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.10.

On the field, senior Juan Giglio finished second in the pole vault, registering a height of 4.20 meters and earning the College eight points.

The effort was strong but not strong enough to tack another win at the end of the outdoor track team’s 17-year NJAC streak.

The women’s team saw their best performance in the 400-meter dash — in that race seniors Katelyn Ary, Michelle Cascio

and Joy Spriggs finished second, third and fourth, respectively, and earned the College 19 points in the process. Ary had a finishing time of 56.80, Cascio was a tenth of a second behind at 56.81 and Spriggs finished at 57.42.

“I thought everyone competed and gave their all,” Spriggs said.

Another trio roped in points in the steeplechase. Sophomore Laura Straub, senior Alyssa Silver and junior Kayla Glynn finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, with times of 11:54.96, 12:11.99 and 12:19.79.

In the 10,000 meter event, senior Jillian Manzo finished fourth with a time of 18:50.58.

On the field, senior Brigit Roemer and junior Courtney Paciulli won the College 13 of its 183 points in the long jump — Roemer was runner-up with a top distance of 5.19 meters while Paciulli was fourth at a distance of 5.10 meters.

These strong performances were not enough to retake the championship title the women’s team had won last year. They simply could not beat first place Rowan, who had a strong meet this weekend.

“We did everything we could and sometimes things just do not work out in your favor,” Spriggs said.

46 53 Around the Dorm page 25

Baseball page 27

Men’s basketball new hire page 21

Softball page 21