The Signal: Spring '18 No. 8

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Vol. XLVIII, No. 8

Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885

Campus Town missing mental health care

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

The campus community has not received any updates on Cavi’s status.

By Michelle Lampariello Managing Editor

Nearly one year after Campus Town’s InFocus Urgent Care announced its decision to offer counseling services, and just over six months after the practice celebrated its grand opening, only one thing is missing from the bustling health care center students are thankful to have as a medical resource — the long-awaited, much-debated mental health care component.

At the close of the fall 2016 semester,

the College announced its decision to close the TCNJ Clinic, creating a need for an affordable, long-term mental health care option on campus, especially for students who may have difficulty finding transportation to an off-campus practice.

InFocus recognized this need, and after having multiple discussions with the College, agreed to establish a counseling center in Campus Town in a separate building from the main Urgent Care.

This counseling center, named Cavi, intends to provide services that cannot be

offered by the College’s Counseling and Psychological Services, which focuses on shortterm care — counseling that generally lasts a semester or less. While CAPS remains the primary mental health care option for students, it does not provide long-term counseling, which is sought by many students.

Angry about social justice issues, including the College’s decision to close the Clinic, members of the TCNJ Committee on Unity staged a sit-in in Green Hall in April 2017.

Some TCU members felt that closing the Clinic — an affordable counseling option for community members — reflected a toxic relationship between the College and the neighboring city of Trenton, New Jersey.

The protesters were not in favor of opening a practice in Campus Town to address the need for long-term counseling, as they recognized that this counseling center would be more expensive, and perhaps be more complicated for patients who have issues with obtaining health insurance coverage.

With tensions high, the decision to close the TCNJ Clinic was suspended on May 10, after College President R. Barbara Gitenstein announced that a thorough review of the Clinic would be conducted to assess its efficacy as a resource not only for patients, but for graduate interns who used the Clinic as a means of gaining real-world experience.

While on-campus mental health resources were evaluated and shifted during the spring and fall 2017 semesters, there was no indication that Cavi was affected by any changes made to the Clinic.

March 21, 2018

Lack of out-of-state students at College causes concern

By Brielle Bryan News Editor

As her peers argued over whether the popular New Jersey specialty was called Taylor ham or pork roll, freshman psychology major Samantha Goldfarb stared at them, befuddled.

Goldfarb hails from Monroe, Connecticut, and had no idea what they were talking about.

About 7 percent of the undergraduate students at the College are from outside of New Jersey, according to the College’s website. While a lack of out-of-state students may seem like it is strictly an issue at the College, it appears to be a state-wide predicament.

New Jersey’s colleges are so full that only 9 percent of New Jersey college students come from out-of-state. In fact, many prospective students leave New Jersey for higher education because the state doesn’t have enough institutions to accommodate all the students, according to The Washington Post.

Goldfarb can feel singled out at times as a part of the minority of outof-state students.

“New Jersey specifically seems to have its little quirks that everybody kind of knows about because it’s a small kind of tightly-knit state,” Goldfarb said. “You feel a little left out see TUITION page 2

see PATIENT page 2

CUB Alt bands tame audience of party animals

By Heidi Cho Arts & Entertainment Editor

Seattle-based rock band Great Grandpa created a party-like atmosphere with their set of indie songs for March 6’s CUB Alt concert in the Brower Student Center, which was opened by bands Harmony Woods and Petal.

This concert was Great Grandpa’s last hurrah on their tour before driving back to Seattle.

Vocalist Alex Menne and guitarist and vocalist Patrick Goodwin settled to one side as guitarist Dylan Hanwright and bassist Carrie Miller took the other.

The drummer Cam LaFlam sat in front of a vibrant blue banner that read “Great Grandpa Plastic Cough” that had been hanging there the whole night. The entire band sported paper party hats, even the stuffed apes that sat on the speakers and hung around the mic stand.

Red balloons thrown into the

INDEX:

crowd were kept afloat, bouncing from person to person, as Great Grandpa played songs off of its 2017 album “Plastic Cough.”

The set began with a rousing performance of the song “Teen Challenge.” The vocals skipped almost like a record with precision timing. The sound effects gave the band a jovial sound that filled the whole room and brought the crowd closer together.

Three songs in, the band invited the crowd to get close to the stage to grab some party favors including plastic toy dinosaurs and party hats to match those of the band. Crowd members donned their party hats and shook “shakers” shaped like miniature maracas to the beat.

Tracks like “All Things Must Behave/Eternal Friend” incorporated puns, catchy repetitive lyrics and the garage feel of grunge pop.

The band kept an ongoing commentary during the intermittent breaks. The casual banter provided

Nation & World / page 6

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Editorial / page 7

a respite from the energizing and fun songs.

This was Miller’s last show, and Hanwright gave her a fond sendoff, phrasing her reason for departure — getting a nursing degree — the best way he knew how.

“Here at Great Grandpa, we value the collegiate,” Hanwright said. “(Carrie) is going to study how to make people feel better.”

Nearing the end of the show, the crowd was congratulated for keeping the balloons going and shaking the maracas on time with the beat surprisingly well.

Hanwright had the most fun playing the last song, “Favorite Show,” that kept the audience dancing to the very end. “(It) has a really fun buildup and it’s the most energetic part of the set,” Hanwright said.

The stuffed monkey on the speaker crowd surfed through the palms of delicate handlers as the extended chorus and last stanza played out.

Opinions / page 9

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

The College is the final stop on Great Grandpa’s tour. “(Great Grandpa) got the crowd into it,” Colin Lawn, a freshman marketing major and a CUB associate board member, said. “I have never listened to them before this, but I will definitely listen to them after this.”

Harmony Woods opened the show, an indie rock band fronted

Features / page 12

by lead singer and guitarist Sofia Verbilla, with support from a backup guitarist and bassist as well as co-manager Jeremy Berkin on drums. “(Verbilla’s) only a freshman in college,” said Alex O’Connor, see INDIE page 16

Arts & Entertainment / page 15

Sports / page 24

CASED II Award Gitenstein earns distinguished honor

‘Lil Boat 2’ Review New Lil Yachty album stays afloat

Baseball Lions win seven straight games

See Features page 12

See A&E page 15

See Sports page 19

page  2  The  Signal  March  21,  2018

Patient / College restructures mental health care options

Brielle Bryan / News Editor

The CCC provides long-term care on campus. continued from page 1 No announcement was made to the campus community with an update on the counseling center’s status, despite InFocus’ publicized grand opening celebration in September.

As other Campus Town eateries, stores and salons open their doors to new customers, Cavi’s doors remain closed, and WKH SUDFWLFH LV \HW WR KDYH LWV Ă€UVW SDWLHQW “There was a conversation between the doctor of the Urgent Care and the College to see if they could bring counseling there,â€? said Greg Lentine, a director of university campus development for the Campus Town developer, PRC. “Now I know Cavi went and they were hiring licensed therapists — they had some good people that they were bringing in. I don’t know whatever happened between the conversations with the College and with the practice.â€?

Lentine has not received any updates on Cavi’s status, but he is not concerned about when the practice will open. “They’re paying rent, so it’s not a (big) deal. We would go in and I’d talk to the Urgent Care doctor all the time, I just never asked her ‘hey you know when are you opening that up,’� Lentine said.

After several attempts to contact her, Dr. Seeta Arjun, the head doctor and owner of InFocus Urgent Care, could not be reached for comment.

While Arjun had multiple discussions with the College about opening a counseling center in Campus Town, Mark Forest, director of CAPS, explained that nothing agreed upon at these spring 2017 discussions was “written in steel.� “Nothing was sort of promised per se — they kind of quickly asserted that in addition to the medical component of Urgent Care, they recognized they might be able to offer some

counseling services as well, and in consultation with us they SUREDEO\ JRW PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ WKDW D VLJQLÀFDQW QXPEHU RI VWXdents that come to CAPS are really looking for more long-term counseling and that we have struggled on-and-off for several years with trying to connect people with community providers for a variety of different reasons,� Forest said.

Forest explained that some students struggle to obtain care from community providers due to transportation issues. This SUREOHP LV SDUWLFXODUO\ FRPPRQ IRU Ă€UVW \HDU VWXGHQWV ZKR DUH QRW DOORZHG WR NHHS D FDU RQ FDPSXV :KLOH D Ă€UVW \HDU student who needs to leave campus on a regular basis for medical or mental health appointments can get special permission to bring their car to the College, Forest feels that transportation remains a barrier for several students seeking long-term care. “TCNJ is sort of plopped in the middle of a suburb, which is quite different than a college that’s sort of in a small city or near a city where there might be more resources available,â€? Forest said. “There are limited numbers of community providers very local to the College, and then simply some students just don’t have transportation.â€?

As of last spring, InFocus and the College came to the mutual understanding that opening a counseling center would be a “win-win� situation, according to Forest. The College needed a facility on or close to campus for students who need longterm assistance, and InFocus would be able to provide that care. However, Forest has not received any substantial update on Cavi’s progress. “We’re always looking for convenient, longer term kind of referral options for our students. We’re still hoping that will happen at some point — we just don’t have a clear timeframe,�

Forest said.

Students also value an emphasis on long-term care that &$36 GRHV QRW SURYLGH :KLOH VWXGHQWV DUH JHQHUDOO\ VDWLVĂ€HG with CAPS’ services, some are concerned about what happens to students who need treatment for more than one semester. “On campus counseling with a longer treatment plan and more counselors seems to be the best solution,â€? said Matthew Bird, a junior psychology and communication studies double major.

Though many campus community members eagerly anticipate Cavi’s opening, students still have access to long-term mental health care resources that are in close proximity to campus that are independent from Cavi.

The Clinic is currently back up and running in its old space in Forcina Hall, but these services will soon be relocated to a facility on or close to campus following the College’s Oct. 31 decision to provide services previously offered at the TCNJ Clinic at a newly established Center for Integrated Wellness.

The new center for health and wellness will be a long-term mental health care resource, but will also include wellness components such as yoga sessions or resources for students with learning disabilities.

Carole Kenner, dean of the School of Nursing, and Suzanne

McCotter, dean of the School of Education, are co-chairs of a task force that is responsible for incorporating the Clinic’s offerings into the new center, and plan to continue student employment opportunities similar to what was offered at the Clinic.

While the TCNJ Clinic gave graduate students studying counseling a chance to gain experience, McCotter and Kenner hope to provide employment opportunities for public health and nursing students as well at the new center.

On Feb. 7, Forest informed the Student Government that WKH &ROOHJH¡V 2IÀFH RI +HDOWK DQG :HOOQHVV KDG HQKDQFHG its capability to refer students to appropriate places for longterm treatment.

Mental health services are a priority for the College, especially with high rates of depression and anxiety on campus.

The College’s depression rate currently matches the national average at 32.8 percent. However, the chronic anxiety rate at the College is 56.4 percent, with the national average being more than two percent lower. Forest explained that depression used to be the top mental health problem on campuses, but currently, anxiety is the most widespread issue for students across the U.S. CAPS’ short-term model, which uses a skill-based program focused on mood management and interpersonal relationships, is similar to the mental health care model used in other colleges and universities throughout the country, as most schools also provide short-term care services.

What sets the College apart from other institutions of higher education is its use of a collaborative model, according to Forest. The College’s Community Counseling Collaborative, ORFDWHG RQ WKH IRXUWK à RRU RI )RUFLQD +DOO KDV H[WHUQDO FOLQLcians who see students individually. Each clinician comes in for a few days each week, giving students a chance to speak with a professional on a long-term basis without having to leave campus.

Clinicians involved with the CCC have to be licensed and have prior experience working with college students. They also must have a relationship with insurance companies or charge patients on a reasonable sliding scale.

Initially, students were referred to receive long-term care at the CCC through CAPS, but as more clinicians become involved, their contact information will become available online so that students do not need to go through CAPS to schedule an appointment with a CCC clinician.

Forest hopes that the CCC’s on-campus location will eliminate the transportation barrier some students face, and that the CCC’s night and weekend hours will make the program a convenient option for long-term care.

While Cavi’s status remains a mystery, students have multiple options for both long and short-term care through CAPS and the CCC, as well as the Center for Integrated Wellness, which is set to open in the near future in a facility on or close to campus.

Tuition / New Jersey colleges lack incentives for out-of-state students continued from page 1

“I had an out-of-state student scholar `ship coming into TCNJ, which lowered because it feels like you have a little tag WKH FRVWV WR PDNH LW UHDVRQDEOH DQG MXVWLĂ€above your head that just says ‘out-of- able for me to come to TCNJ, but I still pay state student.’â€? more,â€? said Chris Blakeley, Student GovMegan Scarborough, a freshman art edu- ernment’s executive president and a junior cation major from Cranston, Rhode Island, civil engineering major from King of Prusalso noticed how much she stood out to stu- sia, Pennsylvania. dents from New Jersey.

Blakeley began to work with SG to make “I have different words for some things, tuition more affordable for out-of-state stulike we call water fountains ‘bubblers’ or dents as an incentive to increase the amount roundabouts ‘rotaries’ in Rhode Island,� attending the College.

Scarborough said. “My friends will tease me “It’s in the early stages and it takes a little to no end about certain vocabulary.â€? bit of time trying to present different facts, Julia Heidler, a junior nursing major but a bunch of schools do it and usually from Lakewood, Ohio, saw that in-state they’re in a bigger system,â€? Blakeley said. students at the College had preconceived For New Jersey residents, the tuition and notions about where she was from because fees to attend the College — not including they had never been there or knew someone room and board — is $16,148, while it is who had lived there. $27,577 for out-of-state residents, according “People thought Ohio was full of corn- to the College’s website. Ă€HOGV DQG WKDW , OLYHG RQ D IDUP Âľ +HLGOHU VDLG Scarborough said that attending the ColThe College currently offers out-of-state lege is not cheap, and that she would not have VWXGHQWV WKH EHQHĂ€WV RI D IUHH DSSOLFDWLRQ decided to go there without receiving an outwhen applying to the College, guaranteed of-state student scholarship on top of her housing all four years and scholarship money scholarship with the Bonner program. ranging from $1,000 to $12,000 per year to Kiplinger, a Washington, D.C.-based help offset tuition costs, according to the Col- publisher of business forecasts and personal lege’s website. Ă€QDQFH DGYLFH QRWHG WKDW WKH GLIIHUHQFH LQ Some students feel that there are fewer VWLFNHU SULFH LV VLJQLĂ€FDQW EHWZHHQ LQ VWDWH out-of-state students because there are cur- and out-of-state tuition. Sticker price is the rently not enough incentives for them to at- SULFH WR JR WR D FROOHJH EHIRUH Ă€QDQFLDO DLG tend the College. awards are considered.

Photo courtesy of the TCNJ archive

Blakeley works to make out-of-state students feel more accommodated.

During the 2015 to 2016 academic year, the average annual sticker price — including tuition, fees, room and board — for an in-state student attending a four-year public college was $19,548 while the average annual sticker price for an out-of-state student attending a four-year public college was $34,031, according to Kiplinger.

There are multiple regional, state and FROOHJH VSHFLĂ€F SURJUDPV WKDW DOORZ VRPH students to qualify for in-state or heavily discounted tuition at out-of-state public schools. “I’ve started to look at different ways we could potentially create a regional tuition rate,â€? Blakeley said. “So if you’re in a

certain area outside of New Jersey it would be a lower cost.�

There are four regional organizations currently in place that help students from outside of New Jersey alleviate the cost of their education.

Through the Midwest Student Exchange program, students can save between $500 and $5,000 dollars a year if they choose to go to a college that in states such as Illinois, Indiana, Kansas or Michigan, as long as they reside in one of these states.

These tuition discounts are see APPLY page 3

March  21,  2018  The  Signal  page  3

Apply  /  Out-­of-­state  students  find  adjustment  difficult continued from page 2 available at more than 100 participating colleges and universities.

Students pay no more than 150 percent of the school’s in-state tuition cost at public colleges, and can receive 10 percent off the cost of tuition at participating private colleges, according to the Midwest Student Exchange Program.

The Western Undergraduate Exchange program offers eligible students 150 percent of the in-state tuition rate at participating public colleges in states such as Alaska, Arizona, California and Hawaii, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

While the midwestern and western regional programs do not require students to pursue a major that is not available in their home state, but southern and New England programs do require students to have certain majors that are not offered instate in order to be eligible.

The Southern Regional Education Board’s Academic Common Market allows qualifying students to apply for in-state tuition at participating colleges from 13 southern states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware and Georgia, according to the Southern Regional Education Board.

Students are eligible for the New England Regional Student Program if they live in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island or Vermont. The RSP enables thousands of New England residents to enroll in out-of-state New England public colleges and universities at a discount. In the 2016 to 2017 academic year, over 9,000 New England residents saved an estimated $60 million in tuition because of the RSP, according to the New England Board of Higher Education.

Despite several programs in

place throughout the U.S., New Jersey seems to be one of the few states that is not a part of any regional program. “We have to sort of invest some way into creating a new network for people to come to TCNJ, to know about TCNJ, and that’s getting people from Pennsylvania and New York,� Blakeley said.

States also have their own smaller-scale reciprocity programs to help determine who TXDOLÀHV IRU LQ VWDWH WXLWLRQ 6RPH of them allow in-state tuition for students from anywhere within a neighboring state. Colorado and New Mexico have an agreement that allows qualifying students from either state to get in-state pricing in both states — a better deal than the regional Western Undergraduate Exchange program, according to Kiplinger.

The University of Arkansas waives 70 to 90 percent of the difference between in-state and outof-state tuition for students from Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas who earn at least a 3.2 GPA and score at least 1160 on the SAT, according to Kiplinger.

Students feel that with all of the opportunities available at the &ROOHJH WKH\ ZRXOG EHQHĂ€W IURP adopting similar programs offered by other institutions. There are some students, however, that do not think it is necessary to increase the amount of incentives for out-of-state students to attend the College. “As long as they’re hitting the necessary amount of students entering the school, I don’t think it matters where they’re from,â€? said Harrison Kelly, a junior interdisciplinary business major from Middletown, New Jersey. %HQ 6FKXOPDQ D MXQLRU Ă€nance major from West Windsor, New Jersey, felt uncertain about the need to increase incentives. He said that if the College

increases its efforts to bring in more out-of-state students, that might go against New Jersey’s efforts to recruit young people to work and live in New Jersey.

Other students feel that the problem is not creating more incentives, but stepping up the school’s marketing to prospective students outside of New Jersey.

Arjun Sahni, a sophomore computer science major and an international student from India, heard about the College because he has relatives who live in Hillsborough, New Jersey. His sister FDPH WR WKH &ROOHJH Ă€UVW DQG DIter she recommended it to him, he decided to apply. “When I told my friends that I go to TCNJ, no one had any clue what it was,â€? Sahni said. “It wasn’t just friends in India. I have some friends in America — they’re from California. When I told them they also had no idea.â€?

Goldfarb recalled her experience of sharing her college decision with her friends in Connecticut. “Everyone else was like, ‘where even is that?’ They had no idea where it was. No one had even heard of it because ‌ people have barely heard of it in New Jersey,â€?

Goldfarb said.

Blakeley said that although the College is looking to get more out-of-state students, it doesn’t necessarily plan on increasing the number of students accepted in the undergraduate program, overall. He believes that an increase in the amount of out-of-state students would bring positive change to the College. “I think it could offset the number of New Jersey students, and eventually decrease the acceptance rate, which is pretty good for an institution,� Blakeley said.

While some students feel there should be more incentives made for out-of-state students in New Jersey, as well as more awareness of the College as an

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New Jersey is not a part of a regional tuition program. institution, some also feel that there should be more programs for out-of-state students currently at the College. “It would have been helpful to create the sense of community that people who live here in New Jersey already have,� Goldfarb said.

According to Sahni, the College provides transportation services to the airport for international students. Heidler, however, was not offered that same opportunity when she did not have a car on campus. ´,W ZDV GLIĂ€FXOW Ă€QGLQJ RXW KRZ WR XVH WKH WUDLQV DQG Ă \LQJ RXW DORQH ZDV VWUHVVIXO DW Ă€UVW Âľ Heidler said. “Now that I drive , WKLQN LW ZRXOG EH EHQHĂ€FLDO LI there was a way for out-of-state students to connect so that if some of us lived generally close we could carpool home.â€?

Scarborough also thinks that there should be a way of joining out-of-state students to help get them get acclimated to the College GXULQJ WKHLU ÀUVW IHZ ZHHNV While he did not have those initial connections coming into the College that a lot of students had, Blakeley said that he would not have attended out-of-state student

HYHQWV RQ FDPSXV GXULQJ KLV Ă€UVW semester at the College. “Most people don’t want to feel like they’re the outside group, and that can be a reality,â€?

Blakeley said.

Although the transition to a QHZ VWDWH PD\ EH WRXJK DW Ă€UVW most out-of-state students agree that the College provides many learning and networking opportunities that they wouldn’t be able to receive elsewhere. “Since starting at TCNJ, having working, incredible artists as my professors, learning about art theory and art history — art has truly become everything to me.

It’s the most fascinating thing to me now, it matters so much more and it was TCNJ that gave me that,� Scarborough said.

Goldfarb said that she also feels that the College is the perIHFW ÀW IRU KHU DQG KRSHV WKDW other out-of-state students become more aware of the different programs and opportunities the school has to offer. Besides, how else would students from other places learn about the perpetual debate amongst New Jerseyans over the food referred to as both Taylor ham and pork roll?

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Facebook

Missionaries participate in community service activities.

By Julia Marnin Production Manager A growing sense of uneasiness spread across campus as rumors of human trafÀFNLQJ ÀOOHG VWXGHQWV¡ KHDGV 6SHFXODtion was centered on multiple incidents where students encountered groups of

people who invited them to a dubious off-campus event. “They asked me and my roommate if we’d be interested in joining their bible study that meets off campus, but they didn’t tell us where,� said Kayla Mahns, a junior psychology major.

The way these people described their

bible study was very vague, which made the invitation seem suspicious, according to Mahns.

Campus Police began to investigate the group that was approaching students on campus, and came to the conclusion that it was a religious organization called the World Mission Society Church of God. ´2XU RIĂ€FHUV KDYH LQYHVWLJDWHG WKHVH reports and spoken directly with people associated with this group,â€? said Tim Grant, the College’s interim chief of police, in a campus-wide email. “At this time, we have found no cause for concern but will continue to monitor the situation.â€?

The World Mission Society is religious organization that originated in South Korea. Since then, it has established multiple churches across the U.S. A spokesman and missionary for the group, Victor Lozada, said that the organization has had multiple locations based in New Jersey for around 20 years. This religious organization is distinguished from others due to its unique belief in both a male and female God. Members of the World Mission Society claim they have been falsely accused of OXULQJ IHPDOH VWXGHQWV LQWR KXPDQ WUDIĂ€FNing at multiple college campuses, including Vanderbilt University and the University of Mississippi.

“The person now thinks that they were DW ULVN RI EHLQJ NLGQDSSHG DQG WUDIĂ€FNHG Âľ Lozada said.

From his research, Lozada believes the rumors started from a Facebook post in California.

Viral posts on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter alleged that people who preach about “God, the motherâ€? are actually a part of an elaborate human WUDIĂ€FNLQJ VFKHPH 6WXGHQWV RI WKH &ROOHJH eventually caught wind of these social media posts. “My roommate ran into my room worried because she saw a screenshot posted in the ‘TCNJ Class of 2018’ (Facebook) page warning about the group,â€? Mahns said.

Lozada and members of the religious organization are very disappointed with the prevalence of such rumors revolving around their group. Immediately upon hearing these UXPRUV /R]DGD VDLG ´WKH ÀUVW WKLQJ ZH GLG was go to the police department.�

The organization wanted to know what could be done to end these accusations because of the fear they had spread. Lozada said he was advised that the best thing he could do was issue statements on social media saying that the rumors were not true. see CHURCH page 5

page 4 The Signal March 21, 2018

TCNJ JSA x KSA presents

March 21, 2018 The Signal page 5

Facebook ‘friend’ intimidates student

Individuals wearing College sweatshirts invade dorm

By Brielle Bryan News Editor

Online stranger attempts to make student’s life ‘a beautiful hell’ On March 6, at approximately 7:10 a.m., a male student arrived at Campus Police Headquarters to report an attempt of extortion. He told Campus Police that he received a Facebook friend request on March 5 from an account with the name of a female individual who he did not recognize. The student decided to accept the friend request, and soon after received a Facebook message from the female individual. They had a three-hour long conversation through Facebook Messenger, according to police reports.

At some point during their conversation, the female individual asked the male student to video chat through Facebook, police said.

The male student stated that while they were video chatting, the female individual — who did not appear on the video while they were video chatting — asked the male student to do sexual acts. The female individual asked the student to masturbate and to make sure that his face was in the video, to which he complied, according to police reports.

After the video chat was concluded, the male student stated that he received multiple threatening messages from the female individual. The individual warned the student that if he did not send money, she would send the screenshots she took from the video chat to his family, police said. She then proceeded to show him that

she knew the Facebook accounts of both his father and mother, and also sent him the screenshots that were taken.

The male student advised Campus Police that he offered to pay the female individual $15 and could not provide more since he is a student. He told police that the female individual said that $15 was not enough, and that he needed to send at least $100 for the photos to get deleted. The female individual sent the male student a link to where he had to send the money, according to police reports.

The male student said that he also received a threatening email from the individual saying that if he did not pay, “I swear to you that I will make your life a beautiful hell.” After he received that email, the student stopped answering the individual and went to Campus Police Headquarters to report the incident.

The student stated that he did not exchange any further information with the individual and did not send any money. He told Campus Police that he removed the female individual as a friend on Facebook and subsequently received a message from a different Facebook account that included the pictures of him as well as a message saying that he needed to pay the money, police said.

Campus Police told the male student to stop any further communication with both Facebook accounts, and that it would send a message to the email account and advise the individual that what she was doing is illegal and to cease contact with the male student. Campus Police had the male student forward all

emails and Facebook messages he exchanged with the female individual.

The male student left Campus Police Headquarters and returned later at 10:30 a.m. He stated that he received another threatening email at approximately 10 a.m. Campus Police had the male student forward the message and advised that it would be best to not reply to the message, to which the student agreed.

Intoxicated individuals crash Wolfe Hall On March 3, at approximately 11:05 p.m., Campus Police was dispatched to Wolfe Hall in reference to two suspicious males. Upon arrival, Campus Police spoke with a concerned male student who reported that a female student approached him and told him that she was in Wolfe Hall with two friends when two unknown white male individuals entered the room uninvited, police said.

The female student said that the individuals had on blue TCNJ sweatshirts and blue jeans. The individuals appeared to be drunk and told the students that they used to live in that dorm room. The two male students left when she told them to, police said. The female student told Campus Police that the door of the room was not locked when the individuals entered.

The individuals were gone when Campus Police arrived on scene, police said. Campus Police checked the common areas for the individuals in question but they were not located. The students were advised to keep their doors locked and to contact Campus Police if they had any additional information.

Church / Religious group faces backlash continued from page 3 Lozada said he even approached some of the people who posted the accusations, and asked them to take them down.

The individuals responded by saying that they wanted to raise awareness, even if the rumors were not true.

“These accusations fell upon us because we simply approach people and invite them to our bible study,” Lozada said. “No one fact-checked. Nobody did their research.”

It has become dangerous for followers of the church to preach their beliefs — Lozada said that some of the people who believe the allegations are calling for violence on members of the World

Mission Society.

“Our members are getting harassing texts, phone calls, voicemails and death threats,” Lozada said. “Some members almost got ran over by vehicles and our churches are in the risk of being vandalized.”

Lozada said it is likely there are college students who are members of the church at some of the campuses where the rumors have spread.

“Our students preach when they’re in school. Our military members preach in the military.

Members in the workforce preach in different fields,” he said.

Some of the students at the College had positive encounters with the religious organization.

Kara Barone, a sophomore

nursing major, said one of the women she talked to gave her a phone number and a link to the World Mission Society’s website.

“They were actually nice,” Barone said. “I didn’t think they were a part of human trafficking (organization) until everyone started talking about it in my sorority’s group chat.”

The church has been actively reaching out to publications that have reported on this issue to subdue the damage of the human trafficking allegations.

“Yes, human trafficking is happening, but the rumors are sending people in the wrong direction,” Lozada said. “It’s hurting us as religious individuals because our basic beliefs are being attacked.”

The World Mission Society encourages its members to do volunteer work.

Facebook

Student almost drinks her pants off at frat party On March 7, at approximately 3:20 a.m., Campus Police was dispatched to Townhouses East in reference to a possibly intoxicated female who may have had no pants on. Upon arrival, Campus Police observed a female student who appeared to be intoxicated. She was wearing black ripped jeans, which were unbuttoned, with fishnet stockings underneath the jeans and a black tube top, police said. The female’s knees were scraped up, which Campus Police later found out because she fell.

The intoxicated student advised Campus Police that she lived in the townhouses and that she went to a party that was hosted by a fraternity and had too much to drink, police said. She did not disclose what she had been drinking.

Pro-staff, TCNJ EMS and Ewing Township EMS arrived on scene to evaluate the female student. The female student refused further medical attention and signed the refusal paperwork after she was evaluated by EMS, police said.

The female student who called Campus Police about her intoxicated friend advised Campus Police that she was concerned about the welfare of her friend when she made the call. Therefore, the intoxicated student wasn’t issued an underage drinking summons due to New Jersey’s 911 Lifeline Legislation, police said. The intoxicated student was left in the care of her housemate.

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

Vital Signs: Don’t be ‘e-lliterate’

Health-related articles online are not always reliable.

By Anna Kellaher Columnist

Have you ever had the sniffles or a headache and poked around the internet for a few minutes, only to convince yourself you have a rare life-threatening parasite? With so many health-centered apps and websites at our fingertips, it is important to assess our eHealth literacy.

Health literacy is the ability to obtain, process and accurately appraise information about health and wellness, and eHealth literacy refers specifically to information that we get from online sources. These tips can help you sort out medical fact from fiction.

Pay attention to the URL. If a website ends in “.com,” you’re better off taking that information with a grain of salt. Anyone can create a commercial website, so there is no guarantee that the content on these sites will be factual. More trustworthy and regulated

Flickr

resources end in “.gov” or “.edu.”

If the article is selling or promoting a specific brand or product, the information provided may be distorted or biased.

If a health-related article pops up on one of your social media feeds, click through the article and check that it came from a reliable source or organization. No offense to your Facebook friends, but they are usually not credible sources for medical information.

Even if your information comes from a reliable source, don’t make any decisions or diagnoses without talking to a health care provider. The internet can provide some useful general knowledge and give you an idea of where to start, but it cannot compare to a real life assessment and individualized treatment plan. If you have any concerns about your health, contact your health care provider or Student Health Services.

page 6 The Signal March 21, 2018

Nation & W rld

Florida Gov. signs landmark gun control bill

By Pooja Paidipalli Staff Writer On March 9, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation that imposed tight gun limitations following the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida last month, according to CNN. Senate Bill 7026 is the first legislative gun control measure taken after the grisly shooting in one of the most gun-friendly states in the country.

The bill, known colloquially as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, raised the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21, extended the long guns waiting period to three days and banned bump stocks to prevent guns from firing automatically, according to CNN. The bill permits police to seize firearms from the mentally ill, fund bulletproof glass and metal detectors and train teachers and other personnel to carry guns in every school, according to Fox News.

The bill also allocated over $69 million in funds for mental health services in schools. The government will spend an additional $98 million to heighten school building security, according to CNN. Families of Parkland shooting victims

applauded the bill.

“When it comes to preventing future acts of horrific school violence, this is the beginning of the journey,” said Tony Montalto, whose daughter Gina was killed, according to The New York Times. “We have paid a terrible price for this progress.”

The Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program, a section of the bill named after the coach who was killed while shielding students with his own body, is a controversial $67 million provision that arms teachers with the consent of both the school district and local police department, according to CNN. The guardian program faced fierce opposition from teachers’ unions that sent letters to Scott, urging him to veto funding that would permit school personnel to carry weapons, yet Scott emphasized that the guardian program is voluntary, according to CNN. “If counties do not want to do this, they simply can say no,” he said, according to CNN. The bill carries significant political implications for Scott, who is approaching his term limit. Scott received high praise from the National Rifle Association in the

AP Photo

The bill includes funding for mental health services and a ban on bump stocks. past, and the signing of the bill marked his first time deviating from the organization’s philosophies, according to CNN. The bill faced immediate opposition from the NRA, which filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court and deemed the new law unconstitutional for imposing age restrictions on purchasing weapons, according to NPR. “Florida’s law banning adult lawabiding citizens under 21 from purchasing firearms of any kind is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment and 14th Amendment of the United States

Constitution,” the NRA wrote in the suit, according to NPR. The law’s passage surprised many residents of the state. Florida had previously failed to impose gun restrictions after shootings at Pulse nightclub in 2016, which claimed 49 lives, and Fort Lauderdale airport, which left five dead, according to The New York Times.

“To the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, you made your voices heard,” Scott said, according to CNN. “You didn’t let up and you fought until there was change.”

Hong Kong elections prove political polarization

AP Photo

Partisan disparity is high in Hong Kong’s politics.

By Anandita Mehta Staff Writer

Pro-democracy voters in Hong Kong failed to fulfill their goal of drawing power away from China’s Communist government after winning only half of the vacant legislative spots in by-elections on March 11, according to Reuters.

Two ideological parties have been competing to fill the positions for the past eight months — the pro-establishment group sympathizes with the Chinese government and the prodemocracy group advocates for representative democracy in

Hong Kong, according to The Economist.

The elections involved four out of six open positions on the Legislative Council, which formerly belonged to six lawmakers whose oaths of office were disqualified. According to Reuters, four of the ousted representatives were prodemocracy, and the other two were pro-establishment.

The pro-democracy group won two seats with candidates Au Nok-Hin and Gary Fan. The pro-establishment group won the remaining two seats with candidates Vincent Cheng and Tony Tse, according to The Hong Kong Free Press.

The pro-democracy group, which was expected to win three of the four open seats, suffered at the polls due to low voter turnout, according to TIME. The Legislative Council is a leftover governing body from when Hong Kong was under British rule, according to The Economist. It has 70 positions in total, half of which are filled by direct votes from civilians.

Since Hong Kong returned to Chinese control in 1997, the city retains semi-autonomy under the “one country, two systems” approach, according to TIME. The democracy movement has been growing in recent years, especially within youth communities. Pro-democracy street protests and sit-ins were included in a 2014 operation called the Umbrella Movement, according to The New

York Times.

The democratic political views include support of selfdetermination for Hong Kong, which the central government of China sees as a gateway to the city declaring independence, according to Reuters.

After ousting the six lawmakers from their positions on the Legislative Council, the Chinese government issued an interpretation of how the oaths of office should be read, which angered young lawyers who saw the move as Beijing exerting authority over the city, according to Reuters.

Despite the democracy movement’s growth in recent years, the strong political fervor is not widespread amongst Hong Kong’s citizenry.

The elections were fairly quiet, according to Reuters, with few candidate banners, televised debates or popularity polls.

Only 43 percent of eligible voters came out to vote, according to TIME. “The mood is subdued,” said Peter Lee, a student who attended a pro-democracy rally, according to Reuters. “Many people feel helpless and think things can’t be changed and the central government will eventually take control over Hong Kong. But that’s why we need to come out now to demand changes, before it’s too late.”

Slovakians march against corruption, organized crime

By James Wright Staff Writer

Over 40,000 Slovakian citizens participated in a string of demonstrations beginning on March 9, according to The New York Times. The demonstrations are in response to the murders of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, according to Bloomberg.

Kuciak was investigating political corruption in the Slovakian government, led by Prime Minister Robert Fico. The journalist suspected that some government officials had ties to Italian organized crime groups, most notably the ‘Ndrangheta, according to The New York Times.

Kuciak was investigating whether the crime syndicates

were stealing European Union aid funds and then using them to bolster Slovakian politicians, according to Bloomberg.

Kuciak and Kusnirova were both found shot dead in his home on Feb. 25, according to The New York Times.

“I really hope the murder will be solved,” said Peter Nagy, a protest organizer, according to The New York Times. “If it’s not, it’s going to leave a stigma in the society.”

The protests were the largest demonstrations in the Slovakia since the 1989 Velvet Revolution, which toppled communism in the country, according to The Guardian.

Civilian anti-government protests have become commonplace in Eastern Europe in the past few years, according to The Guardian.

The protests, which typically have

little effect on policy, often focus on issues of corruption and political ties with Russia.

Fico’s reputation has been shattered over these latest accusations. Though the Slovakian economy flourished during his 10 years of service, protesters chanted, “Enough of Fico” and jangled keys during protests, a gesture reminiscent of anti-Communist rallies during the 1980s, according to Reuters.

Fico’s Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak resigned on March 12 after being blamed for botching the investigation into Kuciak’s murder and other corrupt dealings. Kalinak, who oversees the Slovakian police as interior minister, has become the fourth government official to step down, according to The

AP Photo

Protesters allege government links to Kuciak’s murder.

New York Times.

“I think to fulfill my mandate I have to do everything to preserve stability in Slovakia,” Kalinak said, according to The Guardian.

Kalinak was Fico’s right-hand man for 12 years, according to The New York Times. Though he survived past scandals, the execution-style murders of Kuciak and

Kusnirova was a chilling reminder for Slovakians who endured Communist rule.

“Politicians in power have lost our trust,” said protester Maria Kuliovska, according to Reuters.

“We don’t trust them to guarantee an independent investigation. They have failed to investigate all previous scandals.”

March 21, 2018 The Signal page 7

Editorial

Time alone is important for sudents

The beginning of my freshman year consisted of awkward Welcome Week ice breakers, countless Taylor ham versus pork roll debates and hoping that I would never have to eat alone at the dining hall.

The thought of having breakfast by myself was intimidating — I envisioned walking into Eickhoff Hall with the entire study body and staff looking at me and wondering why I hadn’t made friends yet.

As the semester progressed, my friends and I realized that due to our conflicting schedules, sharing every meal together would be impossible.

So I sucked it up, ate my pancakes by myself and soon realized that there is something peaceful about being alone.

Having a meal by yourself can be an opportunity to catch up on the news, do some last-minute homework or simply reflect on your day.

Feeling like you always have to coordinate your meals with your friends is unnecessarily stressful, especially since no one could care less if you are eating by yourself or not.

When sitting alone, I am more aware of my surroundings — I can sit in the library, drink my morning coffee and think about how lucky I am to attend such a competitive college. As I walk across Green Lawn on my way to class, I am reminded of the beauty of the College’s campus and all the opportunities that the next four years will bring.

Sometimes, filling time with another conversation with a friend about last weekend’s party, the chem lab they haven’t started or how much sleep they didn’t get the night before is both unnecessary and unfulfilling.

When I’m alone, I’m not worried about making anyone happy but myself. I can eat at my own pace, listen to my favorite Spotify playlist or actually click on that New York Times notification without feeling rude or unengaged. I don’t have to pretend I’m in a better mood than I actually am or think of a funny story to tell for the sake of someone else’s entertainment.

I have learned that alone time has allowed me to become a better listener — it’s hard to immerse yourself in other people’s lives without making time to reflect on your own.

At a young age, we have been taught to befriend the kid who is sitting alone in the school cafeteria. Growing up, I would often pity the man who sipped his coffee alone at the diner, wondering if all of his friends were too busy that day to spend time with him. But for many people, being by yourself is a beautiful thing. Independence is such an admirable quality— once in awhile, we all need to be able to enjoy our own company.

So, next time you’re hungry after class and no one in your group chat answers that “anyone wanna go to Eick?” text, don’t go back to your dorm and settle for ramen noodles. Instead, think about how much you might actually enjoy a meal by yourself.

I promise that no one is staring at you, and if they are, they would probably benefit from some alone time as well.

— Emmy Liederman Opinions Editor

tcnj.edu

Students should not feel intimidated by the thought of eating alone.

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

Editorial Staff Thomas Infante Editor-in-Chief infantt1@tcnj.edu Michelle Lampariello Managing Editor lamparm2@tcnj.edu Brielle Bryan Elizabeth Zakaim News Editors bryanb2@tcnj.edu zakaime1@tcnj.edu Miguel Gonzalez Malcolm Luck Sports Editors gonzam23@tcnj.edu luckm1@tcnj.edu Lily Firth Features Editor firthl1@tcnj.edu Heidi Cho Arts & Entertainment Editor choh2@tcnj.edu Emmy Liederman Opinions Editor liedere1@tcnj.edu Breeda Bennett-Jones Nation & World Editor bennett4@tcnj.edu

Mailing Address: The Signal c/o Forcina Hall The College of New Jersey P.O. Box 7718 Ewing, NJ 08628-0718 Nadir Roberts Reviews Editor robertn5@tcnj.edu Meagan McDowell Photo Editor mcdowem4@tcnj.edu Julia Marnin Production Manager marninj1@tcnj.edu Heather Haase Web Editor haaseh1@tcnj.edu Maddi Ference Kristen Frohlich Social Media Editors ferencm2@tcnj.edu frohlik1@tcnj.edu Emilie Lounsberry Adviser lounsber@tcnj.edu Thomas Munnia Business/Ad Manager tmunnia@gmail.com

“‘Hello, my name is Barbara Gitenstein I’m the president of TCNJ. I’ve never met you before, but can you give me one million dollars?’”

— R. Barbara Gitenstein College President

“We’re always looking for convenient, longer term kind of referral options for our students. We’re still hoping that will happen at some point — we just don’t have a clear timeframe.”

— Mark Forest

Director of CAPS

“I’m basically always studying during midterms week, day in and out. The stress will get to you sometimes. The snow days couldn’t have had better timing.”

— Carly Mastrogiacomo Junior nursing major

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

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

page 8 The Signal March 21, 2018

Congratualations to the Signal Staff!

NJPF Better College Newspaper Contest 2017-2018 Award Winners: First Place: Overall Website First Place: Opinion/Column Writing—Michelle Lampariello Second Place: Column Writing—Kelly Corbett Second Place: News Writing—Connor Smith, Ashton Leber and Brielle Bryan Second Place: Sports Writing — Maximillian C. Burgos Third Place: Enterprise and Investigative Reporting—Brielle Bryan Third Place: Profile Writing—George Tatoris

March 21, 2018 The Signal page 9

Opinions

College should prioritize reproductive health

Instagram

Health Services now provides care unaffiliated with Planned Parenthood.

By Rachel Smith Those without female anatomy, financial hardship or a need for hormone treatment may not have noticed the lasting effects of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s 2010 decision to cut funding for family planning.

The impact of this decision, compounded over the last eight years, has resulted in a loss of over $50 million that could have been put toward preventive reproductive health care services, according to Planned Parenthood. This has likely contributed to fewer cancer detections, more unplanned pregnancies and a 35 percent increase in bacterial sexually transmitted infections between 2009 and 2015 statewide, according to Planned Parenthood.

At the College, access to affordable testing and contraceptives is just as vital as

anywhere else. Thus, it was a concern when Planned Parenthood, which had originally offered its services to students three days a week, could only offer care once a week.

On Jan. 24, the College launched its own women’s health services after deciding that Planned Parenthood could no longer provide sufficient care. This change allows services to again be offered three-days a week and is run by Ana Slack, a nurse practitioner who is experienced in the field.

“After meeting with the CEO of Planned Parenthood in November, it was apparent that the best choice for our students was to expand our (own) services to include accessible, cost effective and consistent women’s health care three days per week,” said Director of Student Health Services Janice Vermeychuk. “Dr. Ana Slack has over 15 years of sexual and reproductive health experience and was able to move easily into

the role of women’s health clinician.”

Services that continue to be offered include free office visits, annual exams, pap smears, pregnancy options counseling, STI testing and free treatment, according to Vermeychuk. Short-term birth control, including pills, patches, rings and injections, are still offered but long-term options and student hormone maintenance are no longer available. “(Health Services) is not inserting IUDs or birth control implants at this time because patient demand is very low and the cost to students for the medical procedure and product would be very high,” Vermeychuk said.

IUDs and implants are over 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy, making them the most effective reversible contraception available. Hormonal IUDs can help women prone to heavy bleeding and anemia and last between three to five years. ParaGard, the copper IUD, can last up to ten years and offers a necessary alternative to those who cannot use any form of hormonal contraception, according to Planned Parenthood.

While students should feel fortunate that reproductive health services are still available, students should have access to care offered three times per week and a wide variety of options — not one or the other.

This is not to say that Health Services is at fault for these shortcomings, the College still offers comparable or superior services to other New Jersey colleges of similar size.

Still, the College should work toward having the variety of services available from Planned Parenthood in the future. In the meantime, the College should look into viable transportation options for students who may desire long-term contraception or hormone treatment.

Despite Health Services’ reports that it has not seen enough demand for IUDs, national trends suggest otherwise. According to The British Medical Journal of Sexual and Reproductive Health, 83 percent of women stated they were happy with their IUD and 87 percent reported that they would recommend it to a friend.

Short-term options may work for many students, but these options could also become less accessible if government-mandated coverage changes. Once inserted, long-term options are guaranteed to last the three, four, five or ten years they advertise.

Unfortunately, our healthcare is too often contested for us to remain silent or to be content with cherry-picked services.

As students reflect on the dedication of individuals such as Slack and Vermeychuk, who pushed for a return to services offered three days a week, they must also acknowledge the constant instability of birth control access. At one point, the College had full Planned Parenthood services and three-day-a-week care.

I was fortunate enough to be in the same room as Gov. Murphy when he signed the bill to reinstate funding for family planning in New Jersey. As Murphy himself stated, “We cannot immediately undo the damage of eight years of vetoed women’s healthcare funding under Gov. Christie, but we can put the era of putting personal politics before the needs of countless thousands of New Jerseyans behind us.”

The College is not the exception, but the precaution to this sentiment. If we do not pay attention, be vocal and bear witness, our rights to healthcare could continue to be taken from us.

Higher education admissions ignore intersectionality

By Darshan Kalola We all lead nuanced lives with incredible variation, and discrimination often arises when individuals ignore these nuances. Instead of recognizing the array of values, strengths and beliefs that constitute a person, bigots choose to characterize individuals based on a limited set of variables.

Atrocities such as slavery in the U.S., The Rwandan Genocide and Native American expulsions were based on race. The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Inquisition and the Holocaust are examples of religious discrimination, and the bloody proletarian revolutions of the Soviet Union reveal mistreatment on the basis of class.

These examples represent a refusal to recognize intersectionality — the idea that human experience cannot be accurately described according to a single attribute or trait.

Even today, instituted social justice policies are dismantling intersectionality in society.

In the workplace, new policies encourage or even force recruitment personnel to focus on race, gender and class when deciding who to hire, and some universities give disadvantaged groups a leg-up in the admissions process. These policies may seem morally righteous, but they oppose equality by routinely discriminating against a great portion of applicants.

Imagine that three students with precisely the same academic record are competing for admission at a prestigious university. Applicant one, though extremely wealthy and the child of a prominent businessman, is a member of a disadvantaged group, while applicants two and three are not. Applicant two’s family is impoverished, but he has still managed to achieve academic success. Applicant three suffers from a severe speech impediment, crippling his ability to interact with his peers. Due to his lisp, he is socially awkward and shy, but despite this setback, he managed to become

president of the Business Club at his high school.

Out of these three applicants, all with seemingly equal academic potential, who deserves admission?

Under the current social system, applicant one would most likely be selected, but most of us would support applicant two or three, as both applicants achieved success despite facing inherent adversity.

This hypothetical situation is a reality for admission counselors across the U.S. Each of us has been faced with our fair share of trials and tribulations, yet current social systems attempt to rank groups on a hierarchy of oppression and disadvantage.

Many are born into a variety of situations that they have no control over, and social justice policies aiming to promote inclusivity presumptuously identify some groups as more deserving than others.

There are definitely some individuals who are less advantaged than others, which is why we should try to channel aid toward those who

Colleges should value individuality in applicants. are both skilled and disadvantaged rather than abide by a single definition of privilege.

An increased investment in education, especially in places that are performing below a suitable standard, would be a good start. Another small yet effective step would be for The College Board to publish an electronic version of their preparatory materials free of charge for all students, instead of profiting off content that is beneficial for any

tcnj.edu

college applicant.

Combating discrimination is no easy process, but many of today’s policies have simplified what it means to be disadvantaged. A more effective and universal approach to achieving equality will require more effort, thought and discussion.

The development of such a process may be slow and complex, but it will focus on building success, rather than simplifying how success should be measured.

Policies

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

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

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

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

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

page 10 The Signal March 21, 2018

Fun Stuff Happy Spring!

March 21, 2018 The Signal page 11

Students share opinions around campus “How do you feel about health services on campus?”

Emmy Liederman / Opinions Editor

Briana Tattory, a junior nursing major.

“The nurse practitioners prescribe too many medicines and it’s so hard to get an appointment.”

Emmy Liederman / Opinions Editor

Jonathan Kane, a junior finance major.

“Their schedule is inconvenient and the staff can be rude. I’d much rather go to urgent care.”

“Is the college admissions process fair?”

Emmy Liederman / Opinions Editor

Rebecca Korovin, a junior electrical engineering science major.

“Some students have an advantage with standardized tests because they can afford tutors.”

Emmy Liederman / Opinions Editor

Elena Nattes, a freshman biology major.

“I think it’s pretty fair. Especially on this campus, I see a lot of diversity.”

The Signal’s cartoons of the week...

page 12 The Signal March 21, 2018

Features

Snow days break up midterms week

Left: Students enjoy their time off by building a snowman. Right: Six inches of snow blankets the College after the storm.

By Lily Firth Features Editor Midterms are always a dreaded part of the semester, filling college students with stress, confusion and anxiety. Luckily, this year, heavy snowfall and strong winds caused classes to be cancelled for two days straight on March 7 and March 8 — giving students two extra days to study, sleep and enjoy some much needed relaxation as a tantalizing prelude to spring break.

Some students took advantage of the additional time provided by the snow days to review for their exams. Kelly Vena, a junior English major, was relieved when she heard classes were cancelled.

“Having Thursday off was a real treat. I normally have three classes that day. It bought me more time to study for my (literature) midterm … now I have all of spring break to prepare,” Vena said.

Classes and on-campus activities were cancelled since the inclement weather made roads unsafe for students and faculty to commute to their respective classes and on-campus meetings.

“I have a lot of meetings on Wednesdays that take up a

lot of my free time. Sometimes I’m sitting there like, ‘I could be studying right now,’ as the meetings drag on. But with the snow day, there was none of that anxiety of precious time lost,” Vena said.

James Perry, a junior civil engineering major, used the snow days as an opportunity to socialize and catch up with friends.

“It’s hard to find time to relax during midterms week, let alone time to hang out with your friends,” Perry said.

“I have four midterms this week, but the snow days helped move them to another date. It was nice to go outside with my friends, throw a few snowballs and mess around for a few hours. I was worry-free for the first time this week. Even if it was really cold.”

The storm’s perfect placement during the height of exams allowed students to unwind and prioritize time with friends instead of cramming for tests.

“It was fun to be a kid again,” said Carly Mastrogiacomo, a junior nursing major. “My friends and I went sledding and it was just full of laughs and nostalgic fun. I’m basically always studying during midterms week, day in and out. The stress will get to you sometimes. The snow days couldn’t have had better timing.”

Jill Murray, a sophomore marketing major, agreed.

Instagram

“Midterms were honestly just about to break me until we got a much needed snow day. Thank God for Dave Muha,” Murray said.

Some wished that they had more time to plan for the storm, since the closures on March 7 and March 8 were an early start to spring break for students lucky enough to not have classes on March 9.

“I just wished that I had more time to prepare a ski trip or something, since I don’t have classes on Fridays either, said Jessica Celona, a junior communication studies major. “I could’ve started spring break early.”

A few students were upset that some exams and classes were pushed until after spring break, creating a seemingly unnecessary and avoidable to-do list for students who otherwise would have finished most of their midterm exams and projects before the break started.

“I’m actually a little annoyed we had a snow day,” said Lydia Christiano, a junior marketing major. “I mean, of course I got a little more free time, which was cool. But I had a presentation and a midterm on Thursday, and now it’s moved until after break. I just wanted to get it over with because I’m nervous for both, and the roads were honestly fine by the second snow day.”

Gitenstein wins esteemed leadership award

By Emmy Liederman Opinions Editor

Throughout R. Barbara Gitenstein’s presidency, the College has raised more than 47 million dollars, increasing its endowment by over 1,200 percent.

This fundraising has allowed the College to offer more scholarships, hire additional professors and improve its facilities. These improvements have likely contributed to the College’s impressive graduation rate, which is the fifth highest among public institutions in the nation.

If that isn’t enough, she is also the first

woman to serve as president of the College.

These accomplishments have allowed Gitenstein to secure The CASE District Chief Executive Achievement Award for District II — the largest district in the country — making the award especially competitive.

“Winning this award was absolutely wonderful,” Gitenstein said. “This is partly because I was able to thank the people that were the backbone of this campaign. The president can come in as the closer, but if somebody hasn’t developed the relationship with a donor earlier, I can’t just say ‘Hello, my name is Barbara Gitenstein I’m the president of TCNJ. I’ve never met you before, but can

Gitenstein works to make the College affordable for all students.

tcnj.edu

you give me one million dollars?’”

Gitenstein’s advancement team is comprised of public relations professionals who are responsible for explaining the College’s vision and forming relationships with donors.

According to Gitenstein, what makes the College deserving of donations is its ability to offer a private school feel for a public school price.

“The College has a private school feel not in an elitist sense, but in the fact that there is an individualized relationship between the professor and the student,” she said. “Professors aren’t just here to complete their six hour obligation and go home.”

This environment can only be achieved with the help of donors, as money from the state of New Jersey is scarce.

“The state is not going to give us additional resources — it doesn’t have the money,” she said. “As the College has started having bigger aspirations, we had to develop a bigger bench for people who would be raising money. How do we find additional money to support students for scholarships and for faculty to do their work?”

Gitenstein cites the College’s ability to cater to low-income students as the most important use of donations.

“I would like us to have enough resources so that no student who has the capacity to come to The College of New Jersey ever turns us down because they can’t afford it,” she said.

“We’re not there yet, but people should never be forced to make that decision.”

Under Gitenstein’s leadership, 60 percent of the College’s current staff has been hired,

and through the help of donors, she has been able to recruit professors who are genuinely interested in each of their students.

Donations have also allowed the College to expand its curriculum to foster individualized learning.

“At TCNJ, students are given credit for a fourth hour of instruction, which is not based on time sitting in a classroom,” she said. “It’s based on faculty-student research and an individual relationship.”

Although the College does have some debt, Gitenstein is proud that money has always been spent for academic purposes — projects that do not directly relate to academics are funded through partners. According to Gitenstein, Sodexo invested $31 million in the renovated Brower Student Center, and Campus Town is entirely supported by developers.

“A lot of criticism for higher education these days is that students are coming for lazy rivers and climbing walls,” she said. “That’s not true for our students. The students love Campus Town, but they’re coming here because they want to study here.”

Although Gitenstein recognizes the award as a collective achievement, her advancement team is quick to praise her for her individual contributions in making these improvements possible.

“I think Gitenstein’s willingness to listen and hear all sides of any discussion is really to her credit,” said Head Media Relations Officer Luke Sacks. “She always willing to hear new ideas and has earned the respect and admiration of everyone that has come in contact with her.”

March 21, 2018 The Signal page 13

: March’89

Campus Style

Stress takes toll on students’ health

Photo courtesy of the TCNJ Digital Archive

Some students have trouble balancing their overbooked schedules.

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

For college students, stress comes in many forms — from pressure to earn good grades, struggling to manage time or even finding time to socialize. Stress can be detrimental to students’ health, as it leads to irregular sleep and meal schedules that take a toll on our bodies.

In 1989, the College was concerned with the stress placed on students, and tried to implement solutions to help students cope with their busy schedules.

Stress plays a major role in the life of students. Taking exams, money, competition and the next meal are only a few of the problems students face.

Stress is an unavoidable part of life.

Stress can range from a mild traffic jam, to taking an exam, to a family argument, to the death of a loved one.

According to Rose Marie Fassbender, Director of Health Center on campus, some stress-related symptoms include upset stomach, diarrhea, anxiety, either increased or loss of appetite, high blood pressure, and hives or other skin problems. Stress can lead to the deterioration of one’s health.

Usually around mid-term and final exam week, students become extremely “stressed-out.”

Larry Gage, a counselor at the Psychological Counseling Services, says that the stress-related problems on campus include test anxiety, procrastination

caused work “pile-up” at the end of a semester and relationships with family members. Fassbender says that a lack of sleep and pledging are also causes of stress-related problems on campus.

When students come to Gage he says, “often things appear worse than they really are, but when people leave, they usually feel relieved just because they did something about their problem.”

According to the pamphlet “About College and Stress,” the word “stress” comes from a latin word meaning “to draw tight.” When there’s no outlet for this feeling of “tightness,” stress can be harmful. Now students face more stress at Trenton State than in the past. Because of the strict retention standards, students know that they must keep their GPA as high as possible.

A well-balanced life can help both to prevent stress and to alleviate stress that cannot be prevented. This might include alternating physical activity with mental activity, limiting alcohol consumption, eliminating smoking, sharing emotional feeling with others and having a variety of hobbies or other interests outside work or school.

Students will be at their peak of stress around mid-term and final exam week.

There are many clubs and activities that students can take part in on campus to help relieve the pressure from school work and problems in general.

The Culinary Club Presents...

Lions Plate

Cauliflower has become a trendy ingredient used to cut carbs, but maximize flavor and flare. Substituting cauliflower for rice is a great way to add Vitamin C and Vitamin K to your diet, and the egg adds some protein. I left my rice cooker at home, so I was excited to give this recipe a try.

If you want to save time, cook a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and throw them in the frying pan instead of using

By Lexy Yulich Columnist Although there is still some cold weather left in the forecast, spring is quickly approaching. After doing some shopping over spring break, I was inspired by all of the new collections and color palettes the upcoming season has to offer. While most days it’s too early to wear shorts, spring themed dresses or sandals, here are a few easy ways to incorporate pieces inspired by warmer weather into your wardrobe: 1. Light-colored clothes. Nothing says spring like pastels and light neutrals.

Pair your favorite dark-colored jeans or pants with a light top or lightly colored cardigan. Another easy way to add some color is to accessorize your outfit with

dainty gold or silver jewelry.

2. Sweaters and skirts. For relatively warm days, pair your favorite jean skirt with a warm sweater. For added style, pair a chunky sweater with a belt or long necklace and booties.

3. Spring florals. There are a ton of new floral patterns emerging for the new season. I tend to be very picky with patterns, especially floral ones, but recently I’ve been seeing a lot of florals that pair well with a variety of outfits. I recommend pairing your florals with dark-colored jeans and tan booties.

4. Light ripped jeans. Alternative denim is still wildly popular, but as the temperatures begin to rise, light jeans become more and more trendy. I love to pair my ripped jeans with a white sweater and pink suede sneakers for a trendy take on a classic look.

Cauliflower and veggie ‘rice’

Use cauliflower as a low-carb alternative to classic rice.

By Julia Dzurillay Columnist

Instagram

Left: Warm sweaters paired with skirts are perfect during seasonal change. Right: Floral tops brighten up neutral outfits.

1 stalk of celery 1/2 onion 1/2 cup of frozen peas 1 egg 2 garlic cloves 1 tbsp of chopped ginger 3 tbsps soy sauce

Flickr

fresh carrots and celery. If you want to cut back on salt, use low-sodium soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce. As an added bonus, throw some scallions and teriyaki sauce on top to make the meal look as good as it tastes.

Makes: Two servings Ingredients: 1 large cauliflower head 2 tbsps vegetable oil 1 carrot

Directions: 1. Pulse small chunks of cauliflower into a rice-like consistency with a food processor. You can also use a knife or cheese grater to chop it into fine pieces if you do not have a food processor.

2. Boil water and cook frozen peas according to package instructions. Set aside.

3. Peel and cut carrot into small cubes. Dice celery and onion. Set aside.

4. Beat and scramble egg in a large frying pan. Remove egg from the frying pan and set aside.

5. In the same frying pan, add vegetable oil, ginger, garlic, carrot, celery and onion. Cook over medium heat for about five minutes, or until onions are translucent.

6. Add cauliflower “rice” and soy sauce. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Stir in peas and egg. Cook for an additional five minutes over medium-low heat.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

page 14 The Signal March 21, 2018

FALL 2018 REGISTRATION APPOINTMENT PERIOD Initial Registration Period for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Tuesday, April 3, Through Friday, April 13



Your enrollment appointment reflecting the first time you will be eligible to register for the Fall 2018 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 for Fall 2018 by 11:59pm on Sunday, April 15, will be subject to a late registration fine. Graduate Students registering for Fall 2018 have until Sunday, July 15: Late Registration Fine Undergraduate: $150 Graduate: $125



The Fall 2018 Schedule of Classes is available on PAWS and can be viewed by using the Search for Classes button. Both Summer 2018 and Winter 2019 registration are also open, along with Fall 2018 registration. Check PAWS frequently for any updated winter/summer course offerings and consult with your advisor for appropriate course selections.



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/validate1.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.



Make an appointment to see your advisor to discuss your Academic Requirements Report. Your advisor’s name and email address can be located in your PAWS Student Center.



Double-check course 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 the Graduate Orientation session on May 31. or August 16, 2018.

THE OFFICE OF RECORDS AND REGISTRATION Green Hall 112, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

March 21, 2018 The Signal page 15

Arts & Entertainment

Indie / CUB Alt bands go bananas in Student Center

Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor

Verbilla forms a narrative through her lyrics. continued from page 1

a junior communications studies major. “She’s becoming really big with her band.”

Harmony Woods’ setlist included two songs as a sneak peek of the band’s next album to be released in the future “if the gods allow,” according to Verbilla.

Verbilla’s lyrical quality shone in her opening track, “Vignette #1,” and all the others to follow. The songs took inspiration from some past and some imaginary relationships, according to Verbilla.

“The lyrics are a core part of the music,” said Lucia Gardiner, a freshman art education major. “The lyrics are sincere.”

Imagery was scattered throughout her songs, all to a homey and acoustic backdrop.

“I tried to make a home in you but the foundation was overlooked,” Verbilla sang in the third song of the set, “Jenkintown-Wyncote.”

All of the material felt familiar. Part of the music’s allure came from relatable depictions of watching headlights through a window or feeling lethargic, unable to get out of a warm bed. It had audience members nodding along.

“I like the narrative lyrics,” said Sofia Hayda, a freshman urban education and English double major. “I’ll definitely look them up afterwards.”

Petal, the second opener, is the solo musical project of Kiley Lotz, who hails from Pennsylvania. Lotz stood on the stage alone accompanied only by three flowers adorning the strap on her electric guitar.

“There’s not a lot of queer women in (this) music scene,”

O’Connor said. “It’s refreshing to see a powerful woman like her.”

Lotz sang songs like “Chandelier Thief” from her album “Shame” with a delicate and hypnotic quality offset by the rhythm of the guitar.

Lotz did her usual “ending spiel” before playing her last song, “Heaven,” which she had written when she was feeling depressed.

“If you feel lonely … if you’re struggling, you deserve love, and I care, and the world wouldn’t be better off without you,” Lotz said.

Despite the heavy tone of “Heaven,” Lotz ended her performance on a cheery note.

“Way to go queers!” Lotz said. “Way to go trans folks!”

Chris Ratanski, an executive board member of CUB and a junior chemistry major, found Lotz’s stage presence to be sweet and funny.

“I can tell she’s speaking from her heart,” Ratanski said.

Greg Ferretti, a 28-year-old Eatontown resident, is a long-time fan and drove to the College for the show.

“I love her, she just, her songwriting in general and just the way she conveys her emotions — I find it really moving,” Ferretti said.

‘Lil Boat 2’ takes on ‘lil’ water with new sound

By Thomas Infante Editor-in-Chief

Atlanta rapper Miles McCollum — better known as Lil Yachty — has simultaneously been an outlier and a trendsetter in rap music since his sensational online debut in August 2015. Within a genre dominated by generic trap production and lazy lyricism, Yachty stood out with glitzy pop-inspired instrumentals and positive lyrics that he either rapped anthemically, or slathered in auto-tune and euphorically crooned. This was the musical niche he occupied since his debut 2016 mixtape “Lil Boat,” but he struggled to further develop that sound on his 2017 studio album “Teenage Emotions.”

His latest release, “Lil Boat 2,” released on March 9, shows the now 20-year-old rapper largely abandoning his original sound, embracing trap music both with his choices of beats and featured artists, which include Offset, 2 Chainz and Quavo. Several of these songs get quite monotonous, but there is enough good in the tracklist to keep the album afloat.

The album’s voyage begins with the track, “SELF MADE,” with a sparkly, aquatic-sounding beat reminiscent of Yachty’s early material. The following track, “BOOM!,” sets the proper tone for the rest of the songs to follow. A minimalist, bass-heavy beat gives the song a high-energy vibe that pairs well with the rappers’ ridiculous lyrics. Featured rapper Ugly God’s verse is underwhelming, considering how funny he can be on his solo material, but Yachty comes through with bars like “Leave a nigga lumpy like cheese grits, dick about as long as four fish sticks” that are difficult not to appreciate.

The next track, “OOPS,” has solid performances from Yachty and featured rapper 2 Chainz, who play well off each other on the bare, empty instrumental. Their lyrical deliveries are solid, but the lyrics lack enough substance to make this track particularly memorable.

The following song, “TALK TO ME NICE,” suffers from the same issue. The beat combined with Quavo’s background vocals make the track sound like a dozen other Migos songs. According to a March 9 interview with Genius, Yachty and Quavo made this song about a day before the “Lil Boat 2” dropped, which partially explains the its played-out sound.

The album continues with “GET MONEY

BROS.” featuring rapper Tee Grizzley. He and Yachty go back and forth trading verses, flowing well together and dropping a few more crudely hilarious lyrical gems like “Used to ride ‘round bagging hoes in a Civic, shawty slurp nut like a blueberry Mistic.”

He trades verses in a similar way on the track, “NBAYOUNGBOAT,” featuring rapper NBA YoungBoy. Their fast paced flows work around the beat that intermittently subtracts changes to make the lyrics sound more punctual and powerful, even if little is really being said. According to Yachty, all the guest verses on the album were recorded in-person in the studio, giving Yachty and his guests a consistently cohesive vocal flow.

“Lil Boat 2” deviates from its trap-influenced course briefly for tracks like “she ready,” which features rapper/singer PnB Rock. Yachty said that he recorded his verse while playing “NBA 2K” through the window of the recording booth, which is even funnier considering this is easily one of the best songs present. The instrumental to this song is driven by an upbeat flute melody reminiscent of the beat from Drake’s 2017 song, “Portland,” but infinitely friendlier and catchier. The autotuned chorus sung by PnB Rock matches perfectly with Yachty’s lyrics about maintaining a relationship while being famous.

The above tracks are all enjoyable to varying degrees, but there are just as many that are either mindlessly repetitive or completely unlistenable. The track “COUNT ME IN” is aggressively terrible, with a sickening, poorlymixed bassline that overpowers the dull lyrics and instrumental. The song, “DAS CAP” features a horrible beat by Southside with a repetitive background noise that sounds like nails scraping against a chalkboard.

Generally, the lesser songs on “Lil Boat 2” are bland rather than completely awful.

Yachty’s performance on “WHOLE lotta GUAP” rips-off Playboi Carti’s braindead adlib rapping style, and the beat only exasperates this. “POP OUT” and “FWM” are similarly mundane. Tracks like “FLEX” and “MICKEY” have better lyrics and flow, but have equally dreary production.

It’s no wonder that there are no features on most of the worst songs, as no sane rapper would go near some of these abysmal instrumentals. These songs depreciate the album as a whole and make the second half of it somewhat of a chore to get through.

The album recovers near the end starting with “BABY DADDY.” It features rappers Lil Pump and Offset, who complement the dark

Lil Yachty casts away from his signature bubblegum trap sound.

instrumental that sounds like it came off a 21 Savage album. Neither of the featured rappers stand out much, but both do an adequate job of rapping and give a nice variety of voices to the song.

Described by Yachty as “the hottest record on ‘Lil Boat 2,’” the final track, “66,” is a highlight. The beat features a dreamy synthesizer melody and bass-heavy percussion, with Yachty and featured rapper Trippie Redd having their own distinct flows that both work well.

One of the project’s strengths, ironically, is its length. With 17 tracks totaling only 45 minutes, it’s fairly short compared to Migos’ 2018 mixtape “Culture II,” which had 24 tracks and was an hour longer than “Lil Boat 2.” While Migos’ mixtape suffered from being bloated with numerous four and fiveminute tracks that should have been shorter or cut entirely, Yachty mostly avoids this by ending the majority of his songs after about three minutes. This means that the best songs are harder to get sick of, but there is also less to enjoy overall.

The album’s main shortcoming is its unoriginality, which has only recently become

Twitter

a problem for Yachty, whose breakout single “One Night” is and forever will be etched into my subconscious. I’d rather listen to Yachty make uninspired trap music than hear him recycle his past work, or try to emulate the emo/ hip-hop style of newer rappers like 6ix9ine and XXXTentacion, but it would have been nice if he expanded on his older sound like he did on tracks like “love me forever,” which is sonically distinguished but tragically short.

“Lil Boat 2” is inconsistent, and I hope he continues to experiment with his sound in order to best fit his musical strengths, but this album proves Yachty’s versatility in the current rap music scene. He can alter his musical style and lyrical deliveries to fit the profile of almost any of his contemporaries, while still setting himself apart with his ludicrous lyrics and memorable vocal melodies.

Yachty said in an interview that he had about 75 requests to do features on other artists’ songs, and I don’t predict that number decreasing anytime soon. “Lil Boat 2” won’t change anyone’s mind about the rapper, but any fan of him or rap music in general is bound to love at least a few tracks on this fun, charismatic and occasionally ridiculous album.

page 16 The Signal March 21, 2018

‘A Wrinkle in Time’ rips holes in plot

Twitter

A magical being helps Meg reunite with her father.

By Amani Salahudeen Correspondent

The film adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 novel “A Wrinkle in Time” hit theaters across the world on March 9.

The film focuses on a young girl named Meg Murray (Storm Reid) who goes on a journey to find her long-lost father.

Meg struggles with self-esteem issues and fitting in with her peers. Meg is bright and gifted as the daughter of two famous physicists who are experts in their fields, yet she still has room to grow and reach her

full potential.

When her father (Chris Pine) disappears, Meg, her younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) and her friend Calvin (Levi Miller) are transferred through time and space with the help of three magical beings, Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey), Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon) and Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling).

The visuals were phenomenal, and the special effects were astonishing, but the story has several plot holes. In the beginning, Meg claims that she will never abandon her little brother. To viewers’ dismay, not even a few minutes later,

she does exactly that.

There is no real reason for Calvin to be a part of the journey to help Meg and Charles find their father. There were slower parts of the movie, which could have been used to develop Calvin’s background and further cement his place in the story. Instead, his story is told so rapidly that the audience barely has time to absorb it.

Despite lacking an interesting plot, the movie incorporated a variety of important themes that could appeal to the young target audience, including the importance of fighting darkness with light and the significance of believing in yourself.

The film demonstrated that sometimes, we as people are unaware of what causes another to behave the way he or she does.

It sheds light on the struggles of other people and encourages viewers to be empathetic to characters that are not generally likeable, such as bullies.

Another issue with the movie was Principal Jenkins’s reaction to when Meg beats up students who are mean to her brother. The principal never asked Meg what her

side of the story was after the fight and went on to tell Meg that it has been four years since her father’s death, so she should just learn to “move on.”

The three magical beings could also have been developed further.

They appear so suddenly and the audience is given no insight into their histories. It would have been nice to know their other abilities or origins.

Introduced as beings filled with light, this means that their powers are weakened in the darkness, leaving Meg, Calvin and Charles alone to fend for themselves. Another shortcoming the magical beings have is their lack of foresight and preparation.

They never give the protagonists food before they are suddenly thrust into the planet known as Camezots, controlled by an evil entity called “IT.” All of Camezots’ inhabitants are terrified of not fitting in, so they insist on conforming to a homogenous nation.

Although the visuals and the special effects were exceptional, it is probably best to only read the novel and leave the rest to your imagination.

‘Thoroughbreds’ an intense viewing experience

By Heidi Cho Arts & Entertainment Editor

“Thoroughbreds” is an independent drama/thriller film released on March 9 to audiences across the U.S. The film is dedicated to the late Anton Yelchin, who portrayed the character Tim. Amanda (Olivia Cooke) is a social outcast who cannot feel anything. Lily Reynolds (Anya Taylor-Joy) is Amanda’s best friend by default. Lily can feel emotions, but lacks empathy. In a horrific and riveting tale, the two estranged teenagers from affluent suburban Connecticut plan to murder Mark, Lily’s rich step dad.

Mark financially supports Lily and her mother, but is emotionally neglectful. His presence is intimidating and his callous mannerisms make audience members wince.

Fueled by emotion, Lily makes a series of rash decisions that would put anyone with less money in jail. The audience watches as Lily’s morality and reservations break down, a process enabled by Amanda.

Together, Amanda and Lily are a perfectly deadly bomb and detonator. They play off of each other like two tennis players at Wimbledon. It’s hard to pull your eyes away from the pair as they tear through a fast-paced script that makes quips even faster.

As partners in crime, the two are the perfect good cop-bad cop to set up Tim, the local lowlife. Yelchin manages to portray the struggle of Tim in a way that elicits pity from the audience for the statutory rapist. The character has no money, unlike the teenage protagonists that blackmail him into murder. Even though Tim was underwritten, Yelchin turns his minimal screen time into a memorable final performance.

Despite Amanda’s characterization as a deadpan teenager without any remorse or hesitation in her actions, she irrationally keeps a picture of Lily and herself from when they were younger and still openly best friends. Even if it is feigned attachment, Amanda is a self-proclaimed excellent imitator who works off her keen observations of other people.

Lily holds no similar sentiment towards Amanda, who she uses to get what she

Amanda (left) and Lily (right) plot to murder Lily’s stepfather.

wants. Once Lily knows Amanda is capable of carrying out murder, Lily reconnects with her not for sentimental reasons, but to ask her to kill Mark.

Tim asks Lily repeatedly if she wants to be dragged down by Amanda, but as the story goes on, it seems obvious that Lily is the one set on digging someone’s, if not her own, grave.

The cinematography heightens the suspense by partially obscuring the surrounding environment. Sometimes, the camera tracked someone closely down tight hallways and stairwells. At other times, the camera zooms in on emotional focal pieces, like an unconscious body or the sunglass-covered eyes of someone listening to a brutal recounting of murder.

Like pointillism, the film gives the audience more than enough dots to connect to see the bigger picture. Similar to impressionism, the film visually and audibly focuses on the emotional responses of characters to the unfolding events, rather than the plot points themselves.

The audience never gets a full sense of what is happening beyond the shot. The unapologetically ambivalent framing intentionally leaves elements like action or bloodshed out of frame, even if they are central to the scene.

Juxtaposition of color and humor kept the film visually and dynamically riveting. The humor was as misplaced as a whoopee cushion in a funeral home, but funny nonetheless.

Warm and cold colors signaled that there were opposing sides at play. When Tim wore red, Amanda wore blue while informing Tim

Twitter

how to murder Mark. When Amanda wore blue, Lily’s couch pillows were orange while Lily was conspiring against her.

The score only elevated the tense atmosphere. The soundtrack is ridden with broken and discordant strings, African percussion and noises perhaps made from a steel wire box or waterphone, instruments typical in horror movies. The indigenous throat singing helped keep the mood strung like a steel wire about to snap.

The sound design further unnerved audiences by making the mundane uncomfortable capturing everyday noises like chewing chips or crinkling bags and making them seem eerie and unnatural. The simple rowing of the ergometer machine — distorted and nightmarish — echoed through the entire house.

Unfortunately, whatever realism the film had left was broken at the climax.

When planning the murder, the characters accounted for forensics and alibis, but when it counted most, all of that was thrown out. The murder would also have been a good point to release the mounting suspense, but the film does not allow the audience any catharsis.

The movie does a great job of unsettling audience members and keeping them guessing until the end. It lays bare the fact that every relationship is open to manipulation and everyone gets used by one another, and questions the usefulness of empathy for the rich and what meaning life holds at all.

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

Band Name: St. Vincent Album Name: MASSEDUCTION Release Number: 5th Hailing From: New York Genre: Glam Rock Infused Electro Pop Label: Lova Vista Recordings It’s pretty much no question at this point that Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, is one of the most important indie artists of our time. On her highly anticipated fifth release, Clark changes her sound once again, this time going for a more direct pop approach than on any of her other previous albums. It’s possible that this could be a result of her work with producer Jack Antonoff of Bleachers who has also produced for pop idols such as Taylor Swift and Lorde. St. Vincent has also been known to have a distinct sound on each of her releases. This album is a collection of punchy pop songs infused with synths, drum machines and Clark’s signature guitar sound. This is not your typical pop album.

The production is flourishing and gritty, yet still somehow sugary at times. The lyrics are dark and personal, and every song has that special sound only St. Vincent can offer. This is a must play.

Must Hear: “Masseduction,” “Fear the Future” and “Los Ageless”

Band Name: Applesauce Tears Album Name: “Pastoral” Release Number: 7th Hailing From: Athens, Georgia Genre: Atmospheric Spacey Psych Synth Landscapes Label: Black Cottage Applesauce Tears tried out a new sound in “Pastoral.” The move from Athens, Georgia to Atlanta added a new delightfully psychedelic quality to their music that was not there before. The group’s sound has grown into their own, mixing percussion, distorted brass and bird tweets to create Salvador-esque desert backgrounds.

Must Hear: “I’m Gonna Work on Maggie’s Farm Part Time,” “Frontier Poets” and “Daisy Gets Around”

March 21, 2018 The Signal page 17

Sports Track and Field

Lions endure rough start to outdoor season

By Malcolm Luck Sports Editor

Following an indoor season full of dazzling performances, four Lions clawed their way to the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.

On March 9 and 10, sophomores Katie LaCapria, Samantha Gorman and Kaila Carter and junior Kathleen Jaeger represented the College in the team’s final indoor meet.

Jaeger was the only Lion to qualify in the preliminaries, earning a time of 2:14.48. In the final heat, she placed seventh out of eight competitors, finishing in 2:13.53, almost a second faster than her preliminary mark.

Jaeger concluded her season earning her second first team AllAmerican honors in the 800-meter event to go along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference indoor track and field Larry G. Athlete accolade.

Meanwhile, LaCapria ran in the 800-meter event as well, missing the qualifying mark with her time of 2:17.73. Carter, representing the College in the 60-meter hurdles, clocked in at 9.01. Gorman completed the 400-meter event in 58.66.

With the indoor season finished, the men’s and women’s

track and field teams sought a fresh start for the outdoor season. On Saturday, March 18, the Lions traveled to San Diego to compete in the Ross and Sharon Irwin Invite at Point Loma Nazarene University.

The sunny weather ultimately proved to be the brightest part of the trip, as both teams were buried by their opponents. The men finished the afternoon in 11th place out of 12, while the women placed 10th.

For the men’s team, junior Noah Osterhus highlighted all performances with his fifth place finish at the 400-meter dash. His recorded time of 49.45 contributed five points to the team’s 12-point total. Freshman Tana Gawe achieved 11th place and two points for the Lions in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing in 56.45.

The quad of sophomores Daniel Pflueger and Tyler Andriopoulos, junior Nathan Osterhus and senior Nicholas Genoese earned the team its remaining five points in the 4x100 relay, achieving an eighth place finish in 43.84.

The women’s team fared slightly better with a 30-point finish, but was ultimately overshadowed by a first place 262-point performance put forth by the U.S. Naval Academy.

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Jaeger takes her second first-team All-American honor in the 800-meter event.

Coming off an amazing indoor season, LaCapria and Carter maintained their top-tier forms.

LaCapria earned eight points for the College with her third place finish in the 800-meter run, crossing the finish line at 2:16.72. In the 100-meter hurdle, Carter obtained sixth place with her time of 15.13.

In the 100-meter dash, freshman Jada Grisson led all Lions,

placing 13th in a slate of 38 competitors and clocked in at a blazing 12.53. In the 200-meter event, senior Danielle Celestin earned 15th place out of 60 and finished in 25.92. Following close behind in 17th and 18th places were teammates Gorman and Grisson with their times of 26.10 and 26.14, respectively.

In the field, freshman Jane

Tennis

Beiermeister earned eighth place out of 22 in the javelin event at 30.15 meters. Sophomore Christine Woods leapt to 10th place out of 21 with her mark of 1.50 meters in the high jump.

After a disappointing outdoor opener, the Lions will look to bounce back at the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener University on March 30.

Lacrosse

Men’s tennis grabs win against Goucher Stick / Lions suffer first loss at home

By Miguel Gonzalez Sports Editor

While a chilly breeze carried through the hollow campus, the men’s tennis team kept their rackets hot at the Student Recreation Center. The Lions captured their third straight victory against Goucher College, 8-1, on March 9.

The team swept Goucher at the doubles competition. Junior Mitchel Sanders and senior Chris D’Agostino fought to overcome Goucher freshman Tetsuya Ota and senior Jack Hodges, 8-5.

Juniors Matt Puig and Omar Bokhari followed up with an 8-4 victory over Goucher sophomores Frankie Mullinix and Slade Dumas.

Junior Tim Gavornik and sophomore Gokul Murugesan then topped off Goucher by defeating juniors Elliot Diehl and

Josiah Meekins.

At the singles, the Lions continued their dominance and only dropped one match.

Sanders topped Ota in two consecutive 6-2 decisions. Gavornik outperformed Goucher sophomore Frankie Mullinix with 6-2 and 4-0 decisions.

The Lions’ sole loss came at the hands of junior Achyuth Balijepalle in his matchup against Dumas. After splitting both sets, Dumas defeated Balijepalle in a final 10-5 decision.

The team then swept the next two matches with victories from Murugesan and D’Agostino.

On Saturday, March 24, the Lions head to Lawrenceville, New Jersey for a meet against local rival Rider University at noon.

The team then returns to the Rec. Center to battle out Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Sunday, March 25 at 11 a.m.

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Bokhari secures a doubles win in with Puig.

Miguel Gonzalez / Sports Editor

Fitzpatrick scores five goals against Cabrini University.

continued from page 24

The team launched shots at Grant, but weren’t able to get past her. In the 30th minute, Cleale nearly scored off a free position attempt when her shot ricocheted off of Grant and landed out of bounds.

Afterwards, Wesleyan struck with a goal by junior attacker Caitlin Wood. With Wesleyan only down by two goals, the Lions tried to hang on as their opponent rallied.

With three minutes left, Wesleyan junior midfielder Abigail Horst tied the match at six when she scored off a free position attempt. On the next play, Wesleyan scored the game-winning goal off another free position attempt.

The Lions then scrambled to send the

game to overtime, but ultimately could not prevail against Wesleyan’s stingy defense.

Despite the loss, the Lions had a pair of notable offensive performances against Cabrini and Dickinson.

On March 6 against Cabrini, the Lions reached 19 goals while only allowing one.

Fitzpatrick led the Lions’ offense with five goals while Cleale and Muller netted in four.

Jaffe completed a hat-trick performance as well. The team then followed up with another impressive performance against Dickinson on March 10. Once again, Fitzpatrick led the team with four goals while Cleale and Gorman both netted in three goals.

The lacrosse team will compete against The College at Brockport, SUNY at Lions Stadium on Saturday, March 24 at noon.

page 18 The Signal March 21, 2018

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March 21, 2018 The Signal page 19 Baseball

Baseball sparks seven-game winning-streak

By Malcolm Luck and Alexander Reich Sports Editor and Staff Writer Following back-to-back losses against Aurora University and Concordia University Chicago on March 10 and 11, the Lions bounced back with seven consecutive wins in Winter Haven, Florida.

The first win came on March 12 against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Following seven innings of shutout pitching from senior pitcher Brandon Zachary, junior pitcher Zac deRocco coughed up the lead. He gave up two earned runs as the opponents tied the game, 2-2. However, in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Lions regained the lead after senior utility player Austin Lindsay smacked a go-ahead RBI single to center field to pull ahead 3-2. Senior pitcher Matt Curry came back to the mound in the ninth to secure the win.

Fueled by a clutch late inning performance, the Lions followed up with back-to-back 15-1 and 16-2 blowout wins at the expense of Utica College in their March 13 doubleheader.

In the first of the two games, junior infielder Danny Borup brought energy to the top of the lineup, starting off the game by lacing a double to left field. He

came in to score following senior infielder Zachary Shindler’s RBI groundout. The double was the first of his four hits in the afternoon along with his three runs scored. Altogether, the Lions stung Utica junior pitcher Noah Martin for 10 hits and 10 runs over his four-inning performance.

Junior pitcher Andrew Rowan closed the window on Utica’s offensive optimism, holding them to four hits and one unearned run over seven innings.

The second game of the doubleheader was more of the same with a majority of the offensive production coming from the second, third and fourth spots of the College’s lineup.

Sophomore outfielder Thomas Persichetti, Shindler and Lindsay combined for 10 hits, 13 RBIs and eight runs scored to bury Utica. Freshman pitcher Tim Schumacher received the win.

The blowout wins were contrasted by a trio of closely contested games, yielding 2-0, 4-1 and 4-0 victories.

The first win came against the University of Southern Maine on Thursday, March 15. Junior infielder Tommy McCarthy put the Lions on the board in the first inning with an RBI single to left field. Borup added another RBI single to left field in the eighth to add an insurance run, which was ultimately proved futile due to

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Follet contributes an RBI single in the College’s four-run fourth inning against Knox.

senior pitcher Joe Cirillo’s eight shutout innings. Curry came on in the ninth for a 1-2-3 inning to secure the save.

The back-to-back victories against Suffolk University on Friday, March 16 were once again attributed to tremendous pitching. In the first game, junior pitcher Michael Fischer pitched for six strong innings, allowing one earned run while tallying nine strikeouts.

In the second game, sophomore pitcher Michael Walley threw six innings of his own, allowing no runs. Curry closed out the final two outs of the game, adding his

second save of the week.

Following the close games, the Lions’ bats came to life to close out the spring trip on Saturday, March 17 against Knox College.

The Lions took advantage of early mistakes by Knox to get on the scoreboard. Following a single by Borup, he came around to score following an error by Knox’s second baseman. Knox tied the game in the bottom half of the inning, courtesy of a wild pitch from Zachary.

The offense made up for it in the top half of the second inning, tacking on two additional

runs off the bat of Borup’s tworun double to left field. In the top of the third, the Lions added four more following McCarthy’s RBI groundout, senior outfielder Mike Follet’s RBI single, a wild pitch and a passed ball.

Zachary showed his appreciation for his offense by clamping down on Knox, tossing eight innings while only allowing two runs and collecting 13 strikeouts.

The Lions look to continue the team’s momentum in a game against Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, March 21.

Softball

Bunt / Lions improve record to 11-3 for season

Photos courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Left: McGuire piles on four RBIs against NYU. Right: The Lions earn a total of 33 runs in their final two Florida games. continued from page 24

The Lions’ March 14 game proved to be a roller coaster as the team dominated Washington College in a 11-3 win before being trampled by McDaniel College, 16-8.

After smacking 12 RBIs against Washington College, the Lions encountered a back-and-forth situation against McDaniel College. With the Lions holding an 8-4 lead in the top of the sixth inning, McDaniel’s offense exploded and scored a total of 12 runs. The 16-8 decifict was too much for the Lions to overcome at the bottom of the sixth inning.

The softball team immediately resurged and dismantled Haverford College and St. Norbert College on Friday, March 16.

In the 19-3 win against Haverford, Namit held the opponents to only three runs while the Lions’ offense exploded for 19 runs, 36 hits and six steals. Mayernik and senior outfielder Madison Levine led the team’s offense with four hits.

The Lions then finished their last spring trip game with a dominant 14-1 victory against St. Norbert College.

Senior pitcher Sam Platt carried the Lions on the field by striking out three batters and holding St. Norbert to only one run. At the plate, Levine, Conroy, McGuire and junior outfielder Gaby Bennett all recorded three hits.

While the team has won plenty of games, Miller prioritizes on building strength and focus while practicing.

“They have attacked our practices with great focus and paying attention to what they need to do — to be better for the team,” Miller said. “Everyone is not at the same talent level as on any team, but as long as we take everyone’s strengths and keep focusing on those, we can do well with production defensively and offensively as a team.”

After a tremendous week of softball, the Lions earned two awards. On March 14, Namit was named the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III national pitcher of the week. She was recognized for her two no-hitter performances against

Wheaton and Trinity. On Monday, March 19, McGuire was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference player of the week for her offensive performance against New York University.

Despite the successes in Florida, Miller emphasizes that the team has a lot to build on before competing against conference opponents.

“The NJAC is the toughest conference in Division III softball,” Miller said. “We need to continue to stay focused on what we are about. We need every player to be accountable to their strengths for this team and continue to increase their awareness of their personal game. We have a lot of talented players and what we all witnessed in Florida is that they won games collectively with good defense, good offense and good pitching. This is what we will stay focused on.”

The Lions will look to continue their impressive 11-3 start to the season in a doubleheader against SUNY Cortland on at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 23 at Dr. June Walker Field.

page 20 The Signal March 21, 2018

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March 21, 2018 The Signal page 21

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page 22 The Signal March 21, 2018

March 21, 2018 The Signal page 23

LIONS AROUND THE

D RM

March Madness Edition

Malcolm Luck Sports Editor

Michael Battista Staff Writer

Alexander Reich Staff Writer

In this week’s edition of Around the Dorm, our panel of three experts — Malcolm Luck, Alexander Reich and Michael Battista — debate which four teams will be in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Division I tournament Final Four.

Malcolm: After two rounds, I’d set my Final Four at Kentucky, Texas A&M, Villanova and Duke.

I think Kentucky has way too much experience to be kept out of the Final Four at this point. Head coach John Calipari has been in the Final Four six times in his career, including four with Kentucky since 2011. This program is saturated with success. I remember watching Calipari in an interview after Selection Sunday. Given a fifth seed in the South region, Calipari was on ESPN being interviewed about the questionable seeding and team expectations. The guy was oozing composure and poise which is when I realized that the regular season record didn’t matter. I knew that this team had a special run in it and I don’t think it will end in the Sweet 16 or the Elite Eight. This will happen especially after second seed Cincinnati, third seed Tennessee, fourth seed Arizona and sixth seed Miami were all eliminated from the South. I’m willing to bet that this is the easiest path Calipari has had to a Final Four appearance.

When former president George H.W. Bush published his bracket having Texas A&M winning it all, I couldn’t help but think that they would get bounced in the first round. Seven vs. 10 seed games are often hard to predict, and Texas A&M barely escaped Providence in the final minutes of the game.

Impressive win, but it could have been a fluke. However,

Texas A&M absolutely dominated second seed North Carolina and this victory really put them on the map as legitimate contenders. I think Texas A&M will have some trouble with Michigan in the Sweet 16, but Michigan has not impressed me. They almost got knocked off by Bucknell in the Round of 64, and only advanced to the Sweet 16 due to poor clutch free throw shooting from Houston and a miracle shot from freshman guard Jordan Poole. That gut feeling arises every time I see Texas A&M’s name — they will advance to the Final Four.

For the few years prior to Villanova’s championship run, the program was notorious for spoiling favorable seeds and matchups with early tournament exits to poorly seeded teams.

I remember a few years back, North Carolina State knocked off first seed Villanova in the round of 32. My friends and I watched together and all three of our brackets predicted the upset, which is typically uncommon, but we knew it was coming. Things have changed though. The program has taken a positive turn and I’m a big fan of Villanova’s offensive and defensive balance. Most college teams that have the ability to put up 80-plus points a game are weak defensively, usually at the fault of their fast-paced offense that leads to increased possession time for its opponents. However, Villanova can play at any pace and still find a high-percentage bucket before

AP Photo

Michael: After an incredible first round that included the first ever sixteen seed beating a first seed, my bracket is pretty wrecked and one of my Final Four teams is gone. The teams I picked to go to the big dance in my standard bracket are Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Duke and Villanova.

The easy one is Villanova, who won the whole tournament two years ago and is the overwhelming favorite to win after Virginia’s loss with 14.6 percent of NCAA sponsored Bracket Challenge users picking them. It’s easy to see why when the team went on a 13-game winning-streak to open the season and only lost four times in the regular season. All the big success comes from talent that

Alex: Since thirteenth-seed University of Buffalo knocked off third seed Arizona in the South region, my bracket on the ESPN tournament challenge has been messed up. However, I still have first seed Villanova winning it all and beating Xavier in the national championship game.

I picked Villanova because of how good their offensive team effort is and dominant three-point shooting. The key players to keep an eye on Brunson and junior guard/forward Mikal Bridges.

Brunson averaged 19.3 points and 4.7 assists a game during the regular season this year. Meanwhile Bridges averaged 17.9

still has time to develop like junior guard Jalen Brunson and sophomore guard Donte DiVincenzo. This young core honestly looks unbeatable.

My next pick goes to the dogs, Gonzaga that is. Last year’s runner-up are of course from the west coast so for a true blue Atlantic Ocean guy like myself, it was hard for me to constantly be in tune with what the team was up to all season. Turns out I was missing a lot. The team dominated in the West Coast Conference, winning the conference tournament against Brigham Young University, 74-54. This team can score, with five players averaging at least 11 points a game while the team as a whole is averaging 84.5 points per game. Statistics like these make the team ninth in the nation, and can also boost the team into the Final Four.

Next up is Cincinnati, but Nevada will instead make an appearance in San Antonio.

The American Athletic Conference housed three tournament-bound teams this year and I felt the conference champion Cincinnati was the team to watch out for. B I should have realized that any team from Cincinnati will choke in the second half of games. The team let up seven turnovers and made only one three-pointer in the second half courtesy of junior guard Justin Jenifer. This is a team that hit nearly every one of it’s offensive season averages, like Jenifer and senior forward

AP Photo

the shot clock expires. The team chemistry is impressive and there aren’t any teams in the East region that can beat them.

Plain and simple.

Duke is the only team living up to its expectations in the tournament right now. They’ve put up 89 and 87 points against their first two opponents and I don’t think any team in the tournament right now could hold them under 80 or put up enough points to run with them. Duke has the potential to run the table.

points with 2.1 assists. They are really talented shooters who can easily get hot and cause trouble for the opposing team.

On the other side of things, I picked Xavier because they are a No. 1 seed and I thought that since they are the real deal, they will advance to the Final Four and to the national championship game. The key player on Xavier is senior guard Trevon Bluiett. He averaged 19.5 points a game in the regular season and could be a big threat to his opponents. Another player on Xavier that could help them win is graduate student forward Kerem Kanter, who posted 18

points against Providence.

I picked Duke to be in my Final Four because head coach Mike Krzyzewski, known as “Coach K” is very good at making his team compete at the most advanced playing style.

He knows what it takes to win important games. The two main guys on this Duke squad to watch out for throughout the tournament are Allen and Bagley III. Allen averaged 15.7 points a game with 4.6 assists.

Bagley III averages 21.1 points despite only averaging 1.5 assists. It’s going to be one heck of a run for these teams, and I am hoping for the best.

AP Photo

Kyle Washington. But in the end, they forgot how to play defense and Nevada overran them into the Sweet Sixteen.

Finally, I see Duke making another Final Four appearance. The team entered the season as the top team in the country but lost to schools like Boston College, St. John’s University and North Carolina State. The team’s defense also made me question its practicality when it allowed at least 89 points for three consecutive games in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season. But, call it conspiracy or luck, I feel Duke can beat any team in their region.

They easily handled Iona and the University of Rhode Island. Syracuse’s fast offense

will be their biggest challenge, but if they can beat them, I believe the team is set.

With freshman forward Marvin Bagley III and senior guard Grayson Allen, this team can go to the Final Four, as long as Allen can stop tripping people.

My championship game is still a possibility, with Villanova taking on Gonzaga on April 2. The final will be an defensive showcase, with long buckets raining down like cats and dogs. Villanova will be winning by two points because the offenses will be mute against one another. The immovable force versus the unstoppable object. In the end, will once again fail to win it all in a heartbreaker, 67-59.

Signal

Sports

Softball shines at Sunkissed Games

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Namit totals 15 strikeouts in her no-hitter against Wheaton College.

By Miguel Gonzalez Sports Editor

While students were on spring break, the College’s softball team brought nothing but scorching fire in this year’s Sunkissed Games at Osceola, Florida. The College won eight games and lost only two, compiling a 11-3 regular season record.

On March 10, the Lions dropped their first game against Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 5-3. The team jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning before WPI made a comeback.

Senior outfielder Madison Levine scored the team’s first two runs off a single to right field.

Junior catcher Jess McGuire followed up with another run when

she hit a single to send sophomore infielder/outfielder Annalise Suitovsky to home plate.

WPI immediately scored a run at the bottom of the first.

With senior utility player Nina Murphy-Cook on second base, freshman outfielder/utility player Marissa Gonzales smacked a single. Murphy-Cook took advantage off a throwing error by

the Lions to score.

The scored remained 3-1 until WPI tied the game at three in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Lions couldn’t score another run as WPI eventually won the game, 5-3.

The loss motivated the College for redemption in their next game. In the Lions’ next game, the team shutout Wheaton College, 9-0, with the help of freshman infielder/pitcher Alanna Namit’s no-hitter. Namit silenced Wheaton’s bats as she hurled 15 strikeouts. Her impressive performance was complemented by the team’s multiple steals and runs.

Head coach Sally Miller says the pitching staff is working together to constantly improve.

“Alanna had a good week of games as did many others on our staff,” Miller said. “All the pitchers have worked hard on their strengths including Alanna. The pitching staff is working together this year and helping each other out in practice and in games. The upper class pitchers are especially helping both Alanna and Eliza Sweet as being first years playing in a very competitive atmosphere.”

The Lions’ offense was equally

dominant against Utica College and Trinity College on March 11.

In the first game against Utica, the team’s bats were quiet until the bottom of the fourth inning.

With McGuire up at bat, sophomore infielder Megan Mayernik took advantage of an overthrow and crossed home plate to score the team’s first run. Afterward, the Lions pounded Utica with more runs on their way to an 8-0 shutout win.

In the second game against Trinity, Namit served another nohitter as the Lions blanked their opponent, 9-0. Namit froze Trinity’s bats with seven strikeouts.

At the same time, the Lions offense cooked up nine runs from multiple hits by freshman infielder Lauren Conroy, freshman outfielder Kaitlin Kocinski and Mayernik. Kocinski also blasted a two-run home run at the top of the third inning.

The team kept rolling past the competition on March 13 with victories against Eastern Connecticut State University, 10-1, and New York University, 11-1.

In both matches, the Lions were able to complete the games in five innings based on the mercy rule. see BUNT page 19

Lions’ offense pounces on Cabrini, Dickinson

Miguel Gonzalez / Sports Editor

Left: Muller contributes four goals to the College’s season-high total. Right: Cleale records four goals and six assists against Cabrini University.

By Miguel Gonzalez Sports Editor

The College’s lacrosse team endured its first loss of the season on the road against Wesleyan University, 7-6 on March 14. Earlier, on March 6, the Lions thrashed Cabrini University at Lions Stadium, 19-1 and rolled past Dickinson College, 15-2, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on March 10.

Sophomore attacker Olivia Cleale was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference offensive player of the week for scoring four goals and recording six assists against Cabrini University the week of March 12.

Lions Lineup March 21, 2018

I n s i d e

Riding high on a four-game winningstreak, the lacrosse team encountered a formidable opponent in Wesleyan, currently ranked No. 18 in the nation according to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Division III Coaches Poll.

In the first half, the Lions’ offense looked for openings, but had trouble scoring. Sophomore midfielder Allie Gorman and sophomore attacker Kasey Donoghue were often denied by Wesleyan sophomore goalkeeper Allegra Grant.

In the fifth minute, Wesleyan was in position for a strong counterattack when senior midfielder Amanda Muller throttled them,

Track and Field page 17

causing a turnover. Sophomore midfielder Alexandria Fitzpatrick netted in the Lions’ first goal off a free position attempt.

The team carried the momentum forward and pressured Wesleyan to foul for more free position attempts. Gorman and Fitzpatrick gathered two attempts, but were stopped by Grant. On the team’s fourth free position attempt, junior midfielder Erin Harvey hurled in a goal to put the Lions ahead, 2-0.

The Lions then doubled their lead to 4-0 with goals from freshman midfielder Erin Jaffe and Donoghue. In the 13th minute, Wesleyan sprung alive when freshman midfielder Rylee White scored a goal off an assist from

Men’s Tennis page 17

Baseball page 19

sophomore midfielder Abby Manning. Less than a minute later, the Lions countered with another goal by Fitzpatrick.

Wesleyan then scored back-to-back goals to cut the Lions lead to 5-3. Despite Wesleyan’s resurgence, the Lions’ offense kept producing goals. In the 26th minute, Jaffe netted her second goal of the match with an assist from Cleale. By the end of the first half, the Lions sat on a comfortable 6-3 lead.

The Lions’ offense was completely frozen in the second half as Wesleyan evaporated its 6-3 lead and snatched the victory. see STICK page 17

Around the Dorm page 23