The Signal: Fall '15 No. 12

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Vol. XLIII, No. 12

November 18, 2015

Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885

SFB holds ‘Full house’ for Coulier Welcoming new Title IX town-hall coordinator style forum

By Roderick Macioch Staff Writer

By Sydney Shaw News Editor

It’s not often that students attend campus events and think about the logistics or financial planning that went into making that event possible. A venue had to be booked, food had to be ordered and, depending on the type of event, maybe transportation or lighting and sound equipment had to be arranged. Someone must provide the funding and resources to make these activities possible, and more often than not, that responsibility lies with the Student Finance Board (SFB).

On Wednesday, Nov. 11, SFB held its first ever public, town-hall style forum, with a panel of seven e-board members addressing the concerns and answering questions of interested students in room 211 of the Brower Student Center. With the hope of increasing communication between itself and student organizations, SFB advisor Ceceilia O’Callaghan acted as moderator of the discussion.

SFB allocates the Student Activity Fee (SAF), a fund that undergraduate students pay as part of their annual tuition, according to the organization’s website. The SAF fund provides SFB with an annual budget of approximately $1.8 million

“We were backstage and the guy goes ‘All right, we’ve got a full house.’ I see what you did there,” Coulier said, aware of the seats packed with “Full House” fans. “Wow, look at this, some of you have little ‘Full House’ thought bubbles above your heads. ‘Is Uncle Jesse going to be here, too? What about Danny Tanner and the girls? Kimmy Gibbler? Are you going to do your ‘cut it out’ thing?”

Coulier is used to answering questions about the show, like when a man came up

According to a campus-wide email from Vice President for Student Affairs Amy Hecht, the College is welcoming Jordan Draper as its Title IX coordinator on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

“Jordan comes to TCNJ from Rutgers University, where she was the Compliance Investigator with the Office of Student Affairs Compliance,” the email read.

Draper earned her master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Maryland and is currently working toward her doctorate of education in education, culture and society from Rutgers University.

According to Hecht, Draper has numerous publications and presentations, including “Campus Collaborations: Barriers, Advantages and Possibilities” and “Crossing Oceans: Bridging Cultural Barriers to Successfully Support International Students Who Violate Academic Integrity Codes.”

In her role as Title IX Coordinator at the College, Draper will “facilitate notification and education, serve as an investigator and monitor compliance on all Title IX issues at the College,” according to the email.

“The Title IX Coordinator plays a critical role in ensuring that educational pursuits are not hindered by any form of gender

see COULIER page 3

see TITLE IX page 5

see FORUM page 2

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Coulier discusses ‘Fuller House’ and his upcoming comedy special.

By Chelsea LoCascio Opinions Editor

Some students were left behind as others pushed their way to the front of the line and into the Mayo Concert Hall — just for the chance to relive catchphrases, impressions and jokes from their childhood.

Comedian and actor Dave Coulier, best known for his eight-season gig as Joey Gladstone on the television show “Full House,” treated students to a comedy-based lecture, followed by a Q&A session on Friday, Nov. 13.

From Metzger Drive to ‘22 Jump Street’

By Elise Schoening Review Editor

They’re identical twins, standup comedians, actors and even alumni of the College. The Lucas Brothers, a dynamic duo from New Jersey, decided to pay homage to their roots on Tuesday, Nov. 10, by performing a free comedy show for students at the College.

To say the group received a warm welcome would be an understatement. The line to get into their show at Mayo Concert Hall wrapped all the way around the corridor and when the doors finally opened, every seat in the venue was filled with students anxiously waiting to see Keith and Kenny Lucas.

“This is weird to be back,” Keith said. “I remember sitting in the audience, watching comedians bomb on stage and thinking ‘Why would they do this to themselves?’”

But the brothers, who graduated from the College in 2007 with matching degrees in philosophy, certainly didn’t bomb. Their connection to the College allowed them to personalize their set to the audience, such that each joke led to a rousing round of laughter and applause.

“How many people here live in Travers? Is it still shitty?” Kenny asked the crowd, before explaining that he and his brother lived on the fifth floor of Travers Hall during their freshmen year.

After their time at the College, the pair parted ways to study law at different universities. Neither of them, however, finished their graduate degrees. Instead, they passed up taking their final exams to pursue a career in comedy together.

“You guys shouldn’t follow see LUCAS page 14

INDEX: Nation & World / Page 9

Follow us at...

The Signal @tcnjsignal

Editorial / Page 11

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

The Lucas Brothers return to the College for a night of comedy.

Opinions / Page 12

Arts & Entertainment / Page 14

Features / Page 18

Sports / Page 28

Chris Gethard CUB Alt brings comedian to campus

Autumn Angel Theta Phi Alpha holds annual pageant

Ice Hockey DiBrita gets 100th career point

See A&E page 15

See Features page 18

See Sports page 28

page 2 The Signal November 18, 2015

Students catch ’em all at Pokémon scavenger hunt

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

Left: Machamp is hidden low to the ground, proving to be a difficult find for students. Right: Togepi is taped to a column outside Loser Hall.

By Sydney Shaw News Editor

Starter, legendary and classic Pokémon characters were hidden at the College on Sunday, Nov. 8, for The Society for Creative Endeavors’ (TSCE) fourth Pokémon scavenger hunt.

“It is inspired by the game ‘Pokémon Snap,’” TSCE member Rachel Bouton said.

“It’s an older video game where users take photos as the game goes on, and point value is determined by the quality of the photos.”

Bouton and several other members of TSCE were dressed in pink shirts with sewn-on pockets containing paper eggs, resembling the Pokémon Chansey.

To participate in the scavenger hunt, students took selfies with as many of the

126 printed-out and laminated Pokémon photos they could find all across campus.

Each Pokémon was worth a certain point value. Students could then go to the Pokémon Center (located in the atrium of the Social Sciences Building) to cash in points.

“We tried to stick with a theme,” TSCE member Maddie Remetz said.

“Certain types of Pokémon are hidden in places that are associated with them.”

For example, Shuckle, a Bug/Rocktype Pokémon that resembles a turtle, and Caterpie, a Bug-type Pokémon that resembles a caterpillar, were both hidden just outside the Biology Building.

Munchlax, a Pokémon known for its gluttony, was found taped to the wall just outside the Convenience Store, while Vaporeon, a Water Pokémon, was

placed outside of the Packer Hall Pool.

The two Grass Pokémon, Oddish, with green leaves protruding from its head, and Leafeon, with green sprouts on its body, were found taped to Green Hall, as the color of the Pokémon’s characteristics correspond to the building’s name.

“We thought way too much into this,” Remetz said.

The hunt did not come without its difficulties, though, as two pairs of students acted as Team Rocket and Team Magma, challenging participating students to Pokémon trivia games and Nintendo 3DS matches.

TSCE Vice President Graham Roberts and Secretary Tim Cornell comprised Team Rocket, while general members Nicole Haley and Cassandra Gonzalez served as Team Magma.

If the villainous teams defeated the student searching for Pokémon, they had the power to delete the last Pokémon photo from the student’s phone, subsequently erasing those points.

Students who defeated their challengers, though, could take a photo with them for bonus points.

“There was a set of high quality pins for the winner, some stuffed animals for the first few runners-up, a classic game cartridge for another runner-up and some trading cards for other participants,” Roberts said.

Ultimately, a few dozen students participated in the scavenger hunt, which lasted from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

“It’s always a lot of fun,” Bouton said.

“We have some new ideas already for next year’s scavenger hunt.”

Forum / ‘SFB doesn’t pick winners and losers’ continued from page 1

to fund various events presented by the 240 SAF-funded student organizations at the College. These organizations have the responsibility of planning all the logistical details of their proposed event, and then must fill out a “Special Application” to ask for SFB’s financial support.

Representatives from numerous student organizations, ranging from Student Government to the College’s chapter of AMPD (The Association for Music Production and Discussion), were in attendance, bringing their questions and concerns before the panel. Faculty members, including Director of Student Activities Tim Asher, Assistant Director of Student Activities Jessica Claar, Manager of the Brower Student Center Seth Zolin and Assistant Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life Dave Conner, were also in attendance.

The panel was quick to emphasize the importance of following the proper procedures for applying for funding. These procedures are explained in an event presented

by SFB every semester called Passport to Programming, which O’Callaghan said is “a guide to navigating the programs so that student organizations know what they’re doing.”

The forum served to refresh and clarify points discussed at Passport to Programming. Organizations were reminded not to begin advertising for an event until funding has been approved, lest

David Colby / Staff Photographer

SAF-funded organizations, such as the senior class council, work with SFB. the event proposal be rejected and the event called off due to a lack of funding.

This year, SFB changed its policy regarding liaisons. Each organization on campus has someone serving as an intermediary between that organization and the board. To decrease miscommunications and misunderstandings, the board now requires liaisons to meet with their respective organizations in person. During the forum, SFB reminded organizations that the liaisons do not have the power to promise any amount of funding to any organization: the board has the final word on all decisions.

The board said it would not make exceptions whatsoever for any late applications for funding.

The board said it had received some complaints from organizations having applications ignored or rejected because they had

submitted just a few hours after the deadline. O’Callaghan was emphatic that no grace period would be granted when she said “everyone knows when the grace period is and starts to treat that like the deadline.” In the interest of consistency, tardiness will not be tolerated by the board.

Though the focus of the forum was specific to particular student organizations, concerns regarding SFB’s actions were also discussed.

At times, some believe the board’s actions appear to be in opposition to the very mission of the College, even if they are not. For example, the College places a strong emphasis on civil service, embodied by the Community Engaged Learning requirement and the activities of groups like the Bonner Institute.

However, SFB has a policy of not funding philanthropic events. To a student not fully aware of the big picture, this can seem to send

“mixed messages,” Zolin said.

“We seem to be stifling students who want to contribute to civil service and good works,” he said.

Zolin made it clear that he himself does not hold this opinion, and was simply mentioning the fact that some students may feel inclined to have this perception of SFB. There are numerous reasons why SFB does not fund philanthropic events. Foremost among these reasons is that, by the very nature of SFB, it would be impossible to fund every proposed event, due to financial and logistical concerns. Supporting some events and nixing others would make SFB seem to favor some causes over others, and send the wrong message to the organizations whose events it cannot support.

“SFB doesn’t pick winners and losers,” said senior economics major Thomas Barr, who serves

as operations director for SFB. There is one exception to the rule, however, called the “Sandy Clause,” a bill proposed by O’Callaghan, who is now in her second year as SFB advisor. This bill stipulates that the board is willing to consider providing funds for events to benefit major disaster relief, as it did for events held in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and the 2010 Haitian earthquake. The difference between these events and other potential fundraising causes is that these are more short-term.

Cancer research, on the other hand, is an example of a cause that is indefinitely ongoing.

SFB stressed that it does not like having to turn down any group’s application for a proposed event, but between issues of finances, logistics and scheduling, it is not possible to approve funding for every proposed event.

“We want all organizations to get funding,” O’Callaghan said. “But our policies are there for a reason.”

This forum was the first step in a campaign by SFB to increase the level of communication between itself and the student body. The board plans to hold meetings of this sort every semester, but may hold them more frequently should the need arise.

SFB Executive Director and senior accounting major Brandon Klein expressed his eagerness to hear questions and comments, as well as concerns and complaints, from student organizations.

“We want SFB to seem like an open door,” Klein said.

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 3

Coulier / Spot-on impressions ignite the crowd continued from page 1 to him and asked if he actually knew his fellow cast members. Coulier responded, “No, we’re all holograms.”

But Coulier answered the question on everyone’s mind: What about “Fuller House,” the revamped version of the classic show coming to Netflix? According to Coulier, the cast just wrapped filming of the first season on Thursday, Nov. 12.

“It’s been so much fun,” Coulier said.

“I’m here to report that the girls are all still beautiful. So is John Stamos… (and) Bob Saget is still there pretending that he still enjoys being there.”

He joked about how Saget’s R-rated comedy shocks “Full House” fanatics, calling him his “filthy Jewish sister.” The typical “Full House” fan cannot sit through Saget’s act without wondering how he could be so inappropriate after spending so much time around three young girls, Coulier said.

Coulier himself is known for his clean comedy and was shocked when his comedy bits were getting some “ohs” from disapproving students in the audience. The first negative reaction came after Coulier said he would let the audience know his joke was over by imitating the sound of a tuba. He proceeded to make a joke about tuba players needing to be strong, or else they will tip over under the weight of their instrument.

The comedian called out those audience members’ reactions to his harmless joke.

When it happened again to a cannibalism jest, Coulier pointed out some students on the balcony and equated them to the two angry, old men on “The Muppet Show,” Statler and Waldorf.

In an interview with The Signal, Coulier went in-depth into why fewer comedians are playing at colleges because of overly

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Coulier’s comedy ranges from celebrity impressions to fart jokes.

sensitive audiences.

“I think you have to laugh at yourself, and I think it’s a shame because I’ve had to cut back certain material that was really funny,” Coulier said. “I think people are so hyper-aware of their surroundings that humor sometimes gets mistaken for something really critical or racist. I think we need to laugh at ourselves because there are big differences between different cultures.

“I think once you stop laughing at yourself and the cultural differences between us, I think that gets a little bit dicey and a little bit dangerous because suddenly, everything is a very serious topic, and life’s not that serious.”

Coulier made the audience forget about being serious with impressions of Matthew McConaug-“hey my shirt’s off,” a familiar sounding Bill Clinton and what he called “Pill” Cosby — an impression he recalled

doing during “Full House” that would not be acceptable now.

During the lecture, Coulier noticed people trying to snag a picture or video of his performance and let students know he thought they had a problem.

“People love taking selfies. Shouldn’t there be a limit (and) if you do go beyond your selfie limit, you have to go into some kind of counseling? It would be called mehab,” Coulier said.

With a knack for embarrassing the audience, Coulier also enjoyed humiliating himself and his son on stage. He recalled the time his dad video-recorded when he pooped in the tub, and how his own son could not wipe himself properly for the first few years of his life.

The dirty jokes did not end there, as passing gas was a hot topic. He talked about his own traumatic colonoscopy as well as

when he witnessed a miracle — a man’s fart so powerful it triggered the automatic paper towel dispenser. Coulier blamed his immaturity on his dad and nine uncles.

“I pulled more fingers than an orthopedic surgeon… it messed me up,” Coulier said. He discussed how this relationship with his uncles shaped his sense of humor.

Coulier said his bond with his own son was more complicated, such as the knowledge-gap between them on video games, which is evident when Coulier leads his avatar into a wall and accidentally blows himself up.

“My son, he makes fun of me right to my face. I hope you don’t do that to your parents,” Coulier said.

Full of advice, Coulier turned serious to bestow some hope on the students.

“You are the future. I want you guys to do really well because the world’s a weird place right now, so I hope that you lead us to a better place,” Coulier said. “Every time I’m at a college, I always have to remind myself that you guys can do a way better job than we’ve done, so I hope you do.”

With that, he ended the lecture with a few upbeat tunes on the harmonica.

For those who missed out, Coulier’s musical talents, voices and jokes can be found on past episodes of “Full House” and the upcoming 2016 series “Fuller House,” where he will reprise his role as the iconic character.

In his interview with The Signal, Coulier said he will never grow tired of being Gladstone.

“Playing that character has given me a great life. It’s afforded me a lot of opportunity,” Coulier said. “It’s a character I’m very proud of because I think Joey has put a lot of smiles on a lot of people’s faces over the years.”

Search for School of HSS dean continues

By Tom Ballard News Assistant

The College hosted a session of open fora last week that allowed the campus community to meet the four candidates for dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS). The position became available after former Dean Benjamin Rifkin left after last semester to become provost and vice president for Educational Affairs at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y. Since then, John Sisko has been serving as interim dean.

On Monday, Nov. 9, Kate Mehuron, professor and associate dean of Programing at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in Ypsilanti, Mich., visited the College. Mehuron, whose interests include feminist philosophy and social ethics, according to her EMU biography, said that she wants to “give voice” to the liberal arts and that she was attracted to come to the College because of its emphasis on engaged learning.

“Everyone should have an international experience,” Mehuron said, supporting studying abroad. “You never forget the places that you visited… you become a citizen of the world.”

Mehuron placed an emphasis on the role of a dean when she said that it is the dean’s responsibility to be an advocate for the quality of the program. She also called herself a transparent

communicator and said that she would like to collaborate closely with faculty chairs.

“The dean has to be an advocate for the school,” Mehuron said. “Every department has to be heard.”

Mehuron said that she was greatly impacted by the movements for social justice during the 1960s and ’70s, such as Vietnam War protests, the Civil Rights movement and the rise of feminism.

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, Jane Wong, a professor of psychology and interim dean at Armstrong State University (ASU) in Savannah, Ga., introduced herself to the College. According to Wong, she helped grow the university’s psychology department from graduating an average of 14 students to graduating 51 students in 2014.

According to her ASU biography, Wong’s areas of academic interests include cognitive behavioral theory and research and clinical neuropsychology.

“You folks are truly dedicated to engaging students,” Wong said.

“What you do is what I always wanted to do in higher education.”

As dean, Wong said that she would understand the dynamic roles that the dean plays in a school.

“I think that a good leader has to have the flexibility to play many different roles,” Wong said. Among those roles, Wong noted that the dean has to have the wisdom to know how to approach certain individuals in certain situations.

Wong praised the aspects of general education for being “very important things into becoming well-rounded individuals” and hopes to prepare students to not just become workers, but also job creators and to make the best of their degree from the humanities and social sciences.

On Thursday, Nov. 12, Scott Barclay, professor and department chair of politics at Drexel University in Philadelphia, visited the College.

Barclay worked as the program director of the Law and Social Science Program at the National Science Foundation prior to arriving at Drexel, according to his Drexel biography. Barclay said that as dean, he would put emphasis on the importance of adjusting the programs so that they would be able carry graduates into careers and keep them there long after they graduate.

“To me, this is a different time for the humanities and social sciences,” Barclay said. “This is our world… the other disciplines are starting to realize… (a need) to engage with (the humanities).”

Barclay noted how the social sciences are “unique” since they are able to be applied and connected to many different fields such as science and engineering.

He praised the College for its current programs in place.

“It seems to me that TCNJ has a real advantage,” Barclay said.

“You have a lot of the mechanisms already built in.”

On Friday, Nov. 13, Pamela Barnett, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Trinity College in Washington, D.C., met the College community. Barnett said that she was drawn to the College because of its low student-to-faculty ratio and called the College an “excellent hybrid” of being a research and student-based institution.

“You really have this teacherscholar model,” Barnett said.

“I’m very interested in the kind of school that you are.”

As dean of HSS, Barnett said she would be “a passionate advocate” for the humanities and social sciences. Barnett noted that graduates of HSS should not only be concerned about the amount they make in their careers, but also how the humanities helps in the wellbeing of their lives.

“There’s a large TCNJ family and there’s not just people serving four or five years here,” Barnett said.

According to her Trinity biography, prior to working at Trinity College, Barnett was a professor of English and African American studies. Barnett called the College’s Community Engaged Learning program, “essential” in benefiting students’ educations.

“You can’t learn everything from reading a book or talking about it in class,” Barnett said. “I have supported (community engaged learning in) the past… it’s something that I really believe in

and it’s something I would like to support.”

Carole Kenner, dean of the School of Nursing, Health and Exercise Science and the chair of the HSS Dean Search Committee, said that the search for a new dean of HSS has been going on since this summer.

According to Kenner, the College received nearly 80 applications for the open position. The search committee, which is composed of several faculty members and a student representative from the School of HSS, eventually narrowed the pool down to six candidates, all of whom were invited to the College to have faceto-face interviews with the committee and provost. The eventual four finalists were then invited to visit the College to have all-day interviews with faculty, staff, students, Provost Jacqueline Taylor and President Barbara Gitenstein.

“These finalists were selected based on their interviews… and experience in higher education,” Kenner said. “We also talked to their references to get a sense of the leadership style and interactions with students, faculty and staff. This is a very difficult and painstaking process to ensure that the best candidates are brought to campus for onsite interviews.”

According to Kenner, the committee might reach a decision to fill the role of dean of HSS as soon as December or January.

page 4 The Signal November 18, 2015

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 5

Title IX / Ensuring safety and equal opportunity to education continued from page 1 discrimination,” Draper said.

Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 is a federal law that states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Outside of athletics, however, Title IX most often has an impact on the way sexual violence is handled by colleges.

“The number of individuals who have experienced even one act of sexual violence or dating violence is staggering,” Draper said. “As a Title IX coordinator, I have the responsibility to provide a safe and hostilefree environment for every individual that is connected to TCNJ’s campus.”

Since the law works to give men and women equal access to education, the American Civil Liberties Union wrote, “When students suffer sexual assault and harassment, they are deprived of equal and free access to an education.”

In her role as Title IX coordinator, Draper will also provide direct administration of the investigation and findings of responsibility on Title IX issues for faculty, staff and students as outlined in the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Conduct Codes and the Policy Prohibiting Discrimination.

“Nationally, institutions of higher

education have created positions, similar to ours, that allow for a focus on the nuances of Title IX, the management of investigations, and the implementation of an educational component,” Hecht said.

Although Draper will report directly to Hecht, she will also be working closely with the Dean of Students Angela Chong, assistant vice presidents for Student Affairs, the Vice President for Human Resources Gregory Pogue and the College’s Chief Diversity Officer Kerri Thompson Tillett.

“In my previous role working with students, I learned that there is a lack of understanding around many issues such as consent and that students do not know the role a college can play in intervening and creating a hostile-free environment,” Draper said.

“I believe that it is essential to educate all students, faculty and staff on their rights, resources, and processes available to them,” Draper said. “I... hope to create a campus climate where every individual trusts the administration and feels comfortable reporting incidents of sexual violence, dating violence and stalking.”

She has high hopes for the College in regard to making the campus feel safe for all students.

“I believe TCNJ can be a national leader in the crusade against sexual violence and dating violence and I will work tirelessly with the devoted students, staff, and faculty here to accomplish this,” Draper said.

Upcoming Events TCNJ Musical Theatre Presents: “Godspell” Tuesday, Nov. 17 through Saturday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre Panhellenic Association’s “Let’s Talk About It” Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 8:30 in Kendall Hall Grey Sexuality Panel Thursday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. in Forcina Hall, room 201 Campus Town Gives Back Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Campus Town Building 700 Sex Toy Party Friday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Business Building, room 206 CUB Alt Presents: Student Soloist Night Friday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. in the Decker Hall Social Space Delta Epsilon Psi free medical health clinic Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. at Rescue Mission in Trenton, N.J.

SG plans for new designated path around loop

By Alyssa Sanford Web Editor Vice President of Administration and Finance Tyler Holzer presented more information on the Metzger Loop closure project during Student Government’s general body meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

According to Holzer, who recently met with the project’s director of construction and other faculty members on the Metzger Loop committee, the current plan would involve painting a “blue and gold stripe” and installing “mile markers” along a paved path that directs runners away from the road that encircles the campus. Closing the loop by extending the sidewalk all the way around Metzger Drive is too

expensive, currently, according to SG. According to Holzer, the College’s administration expressed interest in the project, which is tentatively called “The Lions’ Trail.”

“The faculty are actually pretty eager to get this going,” Holzer said before unveiling a campus map with the new loop system demarcated in purple lines.

Some new paved pathways and crosswalks would need to be installed, particularly near Lake Ceva and the campus entrance, as well as near Townhouses East.

However, according to the map provided by the TCNJ Multi-Modal Access and Mobility Study of Pedestrian Deficiencies, much of the new loop system would cut through the perimeters of campus. For instance,

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

SG discusses plans to put mile markers around the loop.

part of the loop would cut around Forcina Hall.

“It would be a cheap move if we don’t have to put in any new pavement,” Holzer said.

Olivia White, vice president of Student Services, talked about the “signage” that would let runners know how far they’ve run around the loop, which she believes might be “an incentive” to use the new loop instead of the existing road around campus.

As for the stripes of blue and gold paint, White asked general body and elected members to speak to their constituents and find out if these “very discreet” lines on the pavement would detract from the College’s dignified, Georgian colonial aesthetic.

“Hopefully, we’ll stop running on the (existing) loop and start running on this loop that we’re going to create,” Holzer said.

Next, Executive Vice President Javier Nicasio announced a “town hall style discussion, basically about health and wellness on campus,” that will be held in Mayo Concert Hall on Thursday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m. The event will focus on mental health and suicide prevention and will feature Psychiatrist Dr. Victor Schwartz from the Jed Foundation.

Later, White spoke about a new committee that she will be heading called the Spirit Squad.

Like Equity and Diversity’s committee, Bias Response Team, the Spirit Squad is not necessarily “a part of Student Government.”

“We’re calling it a Spirit Squad, and we’re going to try to increase school spirit by doing

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

TCNJ Holiday will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 1. things like pep rallies,” White said, announcing the formation of this committee ahead of a campus-wide email.

According to Parliamentarian Ken Rubin, about 80 voter registration forms have been collected across campus as of Friday, Nov. 6.

Brittany Angiolini, vice president of Community Relations, announced that TCNJ Holiday, a popular event featuring crafts, giveaways and horse carriage rides to celebrate the upcoming holidays, will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Priscilla Nunez, vice president of Equity and Diversity, announced a meeting for all multicultural organizations on campus, which will be held on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 3 p.m. in the Social Sciences Building, room 130.

“There’s going to be a huge networking event where all the multicultural organizations” will

be able to get in contact with one another and receive “networking opportunities,” Nunez said.

Next, the class councils updated the general body on their upcoming events.

The senior class was fully funded for its cooking class on Wednesday, Dec. 2, which is part of its “Real Life” series. A Qualtrics form will be sent out for sign-ups. The event will take place at 5 p.m. in the 1855 Room.

Spaces are still available for the junior class’s upcoming bus trip to Philadelphia on Saturday, Nov. 21. There are 110 seats in total and students can sign up in the Brower Student Center.

There is a $10 deposit, but students will receive their money back on the day of the trip.

The freshman class will hold its formal on Friday, Nov. 20, at Cedar Gardens Banquet in Hamilton, N.J. Tickets are $15 apiece.

page 6 The Signal November 18, 2015

TCNJ FUND

THANK YOU! On November 5, 2015 the TCNJ community came together in support of #OneDayTCNJ! With contributions from 788 Lions, we surpassed our goal of 750 donors and secured the $5,000 challenge gift!

Extra thanks to Student Government, Ambassadors, Kappa Pi, LionsTV, The Signal, WTSR, Day of Giving Advocates, Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, Roscoe, and all the Lions who posted on social media!

Together, we showed the world how strong our Lions pride is!

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 7

‘Real world’ senior cooking class fully funded

TCNJ Italian Club receives funds for La Bella Notte

David Colby / Staff Photographer

Left: SFB allocates funds for ISA’s Coffeehouse. Right: TCNJ Italian Club is funded $1,125.95 for the Italian culture event ‘La Bella Notte.’

By Jackie Delaney Production Manager

The Student Finance Board was met with several requests for events that will help close out the fall semester at its Wednesday, Nov. 11, meeting.

The class of 2016 was allocated $600 for its Senior Cooking Class, an event that offers an “opportunity for seniors to learn how to cook” in preparation for “their post-graduation transition to the ‘real world,’” according to the information packet.

The cooking class has been held the past two years and has been “super successful,” according to the senior class council. Last year, the class’s menu included beer-brewed pot roast and chicken dumplings. The class of 2016 is still discussing this year’s menu for the chef, but they hope to include a dessert, said senior class council

President Emily Montagna.

There are 40 spots for the free event, which is for seniors only. A Qualtrics form will be sent out for sign-ups, the council said. A wait list will be created if all spots fill up. Students who sign up will be asked to confirm their spot before the class on Wednesday, Dec. 2. It will take place at 5 p.m. in the 1855 Room.

TCNJ Italian Club was funded $1,125.95 for La Bella Notte. This event aims to “commemorate Italian culture,” the club said in its proposal.

“Every year, we host a bus trip to the San Gennaro festival in New York, but unfortunately, this year we were unable to have that, so we want to bring that element to TCNJ,” President Gabriella Guardascione said.

The event will incorporate food from Palermo’s and a presentation from Italian professor Simona Wright on the history

of Italian festivals.

“We really want our event to be authentic,” Guardascione said. “We want to bring history and tradition together to TCNJ students.”

The board discussed the club’s plan for charging tickets for the event. In line with SFB’s aim for consistency with funding, they discussed the previously SAF-funded and recently held Multicultural Buffet, hosted by the Asian American Association. The event, which was held on Tuesday, Nov. 10, charged $3 for food and $1 for bubble tea.

La Bella Notte, however, was funded with the stipulation that there is no charge for tickets after board members expressed concerns on attendance, since the event is new to the College. It is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3, from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the Decker Hall Social Space.

The Indian Student Association was allocated $675 for ISA Coffeehouse, the

club’s annual event that is “meant to bring students from all over campus together to enjoy a performance-filled night,” according to the information packet. The coffeehouse typically features performances from TCNJ Saathiya, Jiva, Sher Bhangra, Taiko, Treblemakers, Synergy and Step Team, as well as individual acts from students, ISA members said.

The event is “a great way for people to relieve stress” right before finals, ISA President Swet Patel said. “It allows people to showcase their talents.”

The coffeehouse will provide light refreshments for guests, including Indian desserts, donuts, cupcakes, muffins and cookies. It is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Lion’s Den and the Brower Student Center Atrium. *Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.

Large load of laundry lifted from Decker Hall

By Colleen Murphy Managing Editor • A $300 set of Bose headphones was stolen from the Career Center between 1:30 p.m. and 5:10 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, Campus Police said. The headphones were attached to a hook on the outside of a student’s backpack, which the student placed outside one of the Career Center’s doors. The student realized the headphones were missing after he returned to his dorm room, police said.

• A load of laundry totaling $1,175 was stolen from a dryer on the fourth floor of Decker Hall between 7:45 p.m. and 8:50 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, Campus Police reported. The load of laundry contained various types of clothes, and when the student went to retrieve her property, saw that the dryer door was open and that the clothes were gone, police said.

• A bicycle was stolen from a bike rack outside of Hausdoerffer Hall, according to Campus Police. The bike, which was unsecured, was taken between 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 6. The owner was unsure of the make, model or value of the bike, but described it as a dark green and blue seven speed mountain bike with a rear rack and a light under the seat, according to police reports.

• A student employee of the Campus Town gym had his textbook stolen between 5:50 p.m. and 8:10 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, Campus Police said. The student placed the book, “Physical Chemistry: The Chemical and Biological Science,” behind the main desk 30 minutes after his shift began. Ten minutes after his shift ended, the student realized he had forgotten the book.

When he returned to retrieve it, it was gone. The textbook is valued at $133, police said.

• A wallet was stolen from a bag inside of the Campus Town gym locker room on Tuesday, Nov. 10, between 3:45 p.m. and 5:20 p.m., Campus Police reported.

The student placed his backpack inside an unlocked locker, and when he returned to it after working out, the front pocket of the backpack was open and the student’s wallet was missing. The student asked the gym’s staff if they had found it, but they said they had not. The wallet and its contents are valued at $145, Campus Police said.

• A tote bag was stolen from a cubby in the Campus Town gym on Saturday, Oct. 31, between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., according to Campus Police. The Longchamp bag, which was valued at $150, along with all its contents, including an Apple iPhone charger, a pair of yoga pants and a

personal can of pepper spray, totaled $218.50 in stolen items, police said.

• A suspicious person in the area of Roscoe West Hall was reported to Campus Police at 3:22 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, police reports said.

A Career Center employee called police after seeing the male rummaging through a desk in one of the rooms. The employee said that the male was about to look through a purse when the suspect quickly left the room and building. The suspect was last seen walking toward the direction of the library, so police searched for the male in the library and the surrounding area of Roscoe West Hall. A male matching the description of the suspect was soon seen walking away from the Education Building and past Centennial Hall.

Police stopped the accused on the walkway and, after getting his name, found that the suspect had an active warrant out of Lawrence Township. For this, the suspect was placed under arrest and issued with summonses for criminal attempt to commit theft and hindering apprehension. Lawrence Township police were notified of the male’s arrest and picked him up from the College for transportation to Lawrence Township police headquarters, Campus Police said.

• Campus Police saw a female who appeared to be intoxicated in the basement of Decker Hall at 1 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1, according to police. TCNJ EMS was notified and arrived to evaluate the student. The female was issued a summons for underage drinking, police said.

Anyone with information can contact Campus Police at 609771-2345.

page 8 The Signal November 18, 2015

2016 Mayo Business Plan Competition Prizes:

$50,000!

TIMELINE REGISTRATION & CONCEPT VIDEOS DUE: DECEMBER 4 Confirm intent to participate: January 4 Complete business plans due: January 31 Semi-final competition: March 9

OPEN TO: TCNJ students from all majors; teams comprised of 2-4 members

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Final Competition: April 6

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The World Languages and Cultures Department invites you to the presentation of:

Jiro Dreams of Sushi INTERNATIONAL FILM FEsTIvAL Date: November 19th, 2015 When: 6:30pm-9:30pm Where: Library Auditorium For most of his life, Jiro has been mastering the art of making sushi, but even at his age he sees himself still striving for perfection, working from sunrise to well beyond sunset to taste every piece of fish; meticulously train his employees; and carefully mold and finesse the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation. At the heart of this story is Jiro’s relationship with his eldest son Yoshikazu, the worthy heir to Jiro’s legacy, who is unable to live up to his full potential in his father’s shadow.

Q&A with Dr. Holly Ogren following the film (ogren@tcnj.edu)

*Sponsored by the Department of World Languages and Cultures, School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Arts and Communication

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 9

Nation & W rld

International horror follows violent terror in Paris

By Candace Kellner Staff Writer

Paris was the victim of eight carefully coordinated and violent terrorist attacks on Friday, Nov. 13, with a death toll of at least 129 and 352 wounded, reported the New York Times. All eight attacks happened within about a half hour.

A deadly attack in the Bataclan concert venue in Paris left dozens of people dead.

President Francois Hollande called the events “unprecedented terrorist attacks.”

According to CNN, Hollande said in a series of tweets, “Faced with terror, this is a nation that knows how to defend itself, how to mobilize its forces and once again, knows how to overcome the terrorists.”

Julien Pearce, a French radio reporter, was inside the Bataclan theater when the two gunmen entered, CNN reported. The gunmen were dressed in black and started shooting what he described as AK-47 guns, he told CNN. After wounded people fell to the floor, the two gunmen shot them again, execution style, he said. Pearce told CNN that the gunmen wore no masks and were silent. The gunfire lasted 10 to 15 minutes.

Another attack occurred the same night at the Stade de France outside Paris and appears to have been a suicide bombing, CNN reported.

The stadium was populated with soccer fans for the France-Germany match, including Hollande, who was rushed out of the stadium, the Wall Street Journal reported.

A dismembered body was found at the scene which, according to CNN, is consistent with the aftermath of an explosion from the type of device used in a suicide bombing.

Several more attacks occurred at four restaurants throughout the city, according to the New York Times.

“We have to show compassion and solidarity and we also have to show unity and keep our cool. France must be strong and great,” Hollande said, CNN reported.

Hollande ordered a state of emergency and increased border security to make sure the attackers could not escape, the New York Times reported.

As a worldwide manhunt is underway for the “dangerous” remaining attackers, the Paris police have warned civilians to proceed with caution, CNN reported.

French authorities have launched an

People mourn the victims of the Paris attacks worldwide.

terrorism investigation, according to CNN. ISIS has applauded the attacks on Twitter and claimed responsibility for them, CNN said.

U.S. President Barack Obama called the attacks an “outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians.”

“This is an attack not just on Paris, not just on the people of France, but an attack on all humanity and the universal values we share,” he said at a White House press conference.

Counterterrorism officials around the United States have convened secure conference calls to try and gather information and

AP Photo

to assess whether there is any indication of threats in the U.S., according to CNN. Officials said that immediate suspicion for the events in Paris falls to so-called returnees — people who have traveled to Syria and Iraq and have returned.

These attacks come less than a year after two gunmen attacked the Paris offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 and wounding 11 in January.

In response to these attacks, on Monday, Nov. 16, the French Air Force bombed ISIS targets in Raqqa, Syria, CNN reported.

Democratic leader wins historic majority in Myanmar

AP Photo

Suu Kyi fights to bring democracy to Myanmar.

By Jahnvi Upreti Correspondent Burmese flags waved and music flooded the streets as the people of Myanmar celebrated a historic victory at the polls on Thursday, Nov. 12, BBC reported. The leader of the National League of Democracy (NDL), Aung San Suu Kyi, led her party to an 80 percent landslide victory against the Union

Solidarity Development Party (USDP), the militia-based opposing party, according to BBC. The NDL’s victory has effectively ended 50 years of sole military rule by the USDP. According to CNN, this historic election, conducted on Sunday, Nov. 8, was held to reelect Myanmar’s official Hluttaw parliament. Though the NDL received the necessary two-thirds majority vote in order to establish its presence in the previously militarized Hluttaw, as well to choose the next president of the country, the group is still faced with tribulations from the USDP. The election marks the country’s first national vote since the 2011 introduction of a nominally civilian government in Myanmar, and the first freest election since 1990.

Suu Kyi, the NDL’s leader, is inarguably Myanmar’s favorite politician, as reported by CNN. Suu Kyi has been fighting for fair representation for the Burmese people for most of her life, even winning the Nobel Peace Prize in the process for being “an outstanding example of the power of the powerless,” CNN reported.

Even while living under house arrest for more than 15 years due to charges of “trying to divide up the military,” accusations she denies, Suu Kyi has garnered a strong and ubiquitous network of support. With her most recent victory at the polls, Suu Kyi is in a position to implement more democratic change than ever as the new face of the

parliament, CNN reported.

“We believe (the NDL) can win,” Myanmarian Ayea Nyeian Thu told CNN at a rally. “We don’t want to see a military government any longer.”

The next goal the NDL has in its sight is to implement a democratically geared president, not to be elected until February 2016 at the earliest. Many have implored for Suu Kyi herself to become president, though she is banned by the military-based constitution from doing so, for she is in violation of a rule making her ineligible to run, CNN reported. Suu Kyi’s husband and two sons were born in England, rendering her unable to assume presidency.

“Myanmar’s transition from military rule to democracy is far from complete, and its successes to date remain fragile,” said a report by the London based policy institute, the Chatham House.

As of now, the collaboration efforts between the NDL and USDP will be monitored closely, as well as the watch for the new presidential candidates for the February 2016 election. But until then, it’s safe to say Myanmar can only improve under the leadership of Suu Kyi. “Some people say it’s not time for us to achieve real democracy yet,” said Suu Kyi, CNN reported. “But I think it’s just because they don’t want to give it to us.

Everyone deserves democracy.”

University president resigns after racial tensions grow

By Kelly Corbett Social Media Editor

Racism, protests and resignations have been rattling through the University of Missouri’s campus.

Heightened tensions, especially in the last two weeks, have resulted in the resignation of university President Tim Wolfe and media professor Melissa Click, on Monday, Nov. 9, according to CNN. According to CBS, 79 percent of the student body is white while 8 percent is black. Black student groups, the target of many racial slurs and incidents, complained that Wolfe was unresponsive and had not properly handled this issue.

“I felt unsafe since the moment I stepped on this campus,” Jonathan Butler, a black graduate student at the University of Missouri,

told CNN. Butler launched a week-long hunger strike, refusing to eat until Wolfe had resigned from office.

Also in favor of Wolfe’s leave was the school’s football team, where dozens of black and white football players went on footballrelated activity boycotts until Wolfe left, according to CNN. Click made headlines when, during the height of these racial protests, she was caught on film grabbing senior photojournalism student Tim Tai’s video camera and telling him he had no right to be there. She then asked for “muscle” to have him removed, CNN reported. Her courtesy appointment resignation means she can no longer work with journalism doctoral students in topics that fall into her area of research, according to CNN.

In October 2015, the Concerned Student 1950, an organization said to represent every black student on campus, published a list of demands to Wolfe.

One demand in particular urged for the removal of Wolfe. While he continued to exert minimal effort to hinder the racial tensions on campus, the football team’s boycott and Butler’s hunger strike pushed him to finally leave office.

According to CNN, Butler wrote in a letter to initiate the strike that, “In the past 90 days alone, we have seen the MSA (Missouri Students Association) president, Payton Head, being called the n-word on campus, graduate students being robbed of their health insurance, Planned Parenthood services being stripped from campus, Concerned Student 1950 peaceful

AP Photo

Student protesters set up tents on the university campus.

demonstrators being threatened with pepper spray, and a matter of days ago, a vile and disgusting act of hatred where an MU student drew a swastika in the Gateway residential hall with their own feces,” CNN reported.

Besides asking for Wolfe’s removal on the list of demands, the Concerned Student 1950 asked for

more black faculty staff members, more funding for social justice centers on campus and a comprehensive racial awareness and inclusion curriculum, according to ABC. “I truly love everybody here and the great institution, and my decision to resign comes out of love, not hate,” Wolfe said in response to his leave, ABC reported.

page 10 The Signal November 18, 2015

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 11

Editorial

How to be more considerate this holiday season

It’s almost that time of year again — the time to scoop more food onto your plate than you can ever consume in one sitting as well as drop some serious cash on gifts. In the time of excessive giving and taking, students at the College should reconsider how they spend their holidays. The most obvious choice would be to give back: volunteer, donate toys to tots and give your loved ones more gifts. However, the less obvious path would be to reduce your waste — your wasteful lifestyle that is.

The more we take, buy, throw out and destroy, the less we seem to care how it affects the world around us, and the holidays amplify that apathy. They enable us to damage the planet even more than normal as we throw out pounds of leftover holiday food, hike up our electric bills with decorative lights, use a greater amount of gasoline and more.

These thoughtless actions make Thanksgiving one of the most ungrateful times of year. You cook tons of food for people to enjoy for a few days and end up throwing the rest in the trash instead of mouths.

While you share what you are thankful for this Thanksgiving, be sure to mention how grateful you are to have food in front of you, while a few local families find themselves starving, yet again, or how happy you are that global warming hasn’t made the Earth uninhabitable yet.

Potentially worse than wasting food and hurting the planet is leaving family at the table just after Thanksgiving dinner to embark on some Black Friday escapades — an embodiment of our society’s flaws. Don’t ditch the people you only see a few times a year. You should spend quality time with your loved ones instead of spending your money and time at the mall with people who would trample you for that last copy of “Star Wars: Battlefront” on the shelf (I’d certainly push you out of the way).

Dropping $500 on your friends and family this holiday season won’t make a difference, but taking the time to bake them treats, make them simple, yet thoughtful crafts or even buy them something they truly need (who doesn’t need socks?) will make more of an impact. The idea is to not buy them unnecessary junk that will collect dust under their bed back home. Instead, give them something they really need or appreciate.

How do students combat this wasteful, selfish lifestyle before the holidays hit? The place to start would be to only take what you need, especially when you dine in Eickhoff Hall. Consider buying food to donate at the Convenience Store with your leftover points or even spend some of your free time volunteering through the Bonner Institute.

Though the holidays encourage people to become more careless with their time, money and values, students should consider taking a more proactive and caring approach to the holiday season by striving to be more considerate to the planet and people that inhabit it.

— Chelsea LoCascio Opinions Editor

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

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

tcnj.edu

To avoid excessive waste this holiday season, try taking only the amount of food that you will actualy eat. This can especially be done on your trips to Eickhoff Dining Hall.

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 Julie Kayzerman Editor-in-Chief kayzerj1@tcnj.edu Colleen Murphy Managing Editor murphc16@tcnj.edu Sydney Shaw Ellie Schuckman News Editors shaws4@tcnj.edu schucke1@tcnj.edu Mackenzie Cutruzzula Michael Battista Sports Editors cutruzm1@tcnj.edu battism3@tcnj.edu Kimberly Ilkowski Arts & Entertainment Editor ilkowsk1@tcnj.edu Jessica Ganga Features Editor gangaj1@tcnj.edu Chelsea LoCascio Opinions Editor locascc1@tcnj.edu Kim Iannarone Photo Editor iannark1@tcnj.edu

Mailing Address: The Signal c/o Forcina Hall The College of New Jersey P.O. Box 7718 Ewing, NJ 08628-0718 Gabrielle Beacken Nation & World Editor beackeg1@tcnj.edu Elise Schoening Review Editor schoene1@tcnj.edu Jackie Delaney Production Manager delanej2@tcnj.edu Alyssa Sanford Web Editor sanfora1@tcnj.edu Olivia Rizzo Kelly Corbett Social Media Editors rizzoo1@tcnj.edu corbetk2@tcnj.edu

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“Playing (Joey Gladstone) has given me a great life. It’s afforded me a lot of opportunity. It’s a character I’m very proud of because I think Joey has put a lot of smiles on a lot of people’s faces over the years.”

— Dave Coulier, actor and comedian

“It was a great season. I wish I had 100 more.”

— Carly Martz, senior cross country runner

“(It) feels surreal to be back. I can’t put it into words.

Being back there again, it almost feels like home.”

— Lexi Smith, junior field hockey defender on the team’s return to the national semifinals

“Reading helps you become a better writer. It is one of those rare things you can learn from observation. You can’t learn how to surf by watching someone do it.”

— Rachel Kann, slam poet

page 12 The Signal November 18, 2015

Opinions

Activists need to fight for green policies

By Gianna Melillo

President Barack Obama’s recent rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline construction is a decision that is sure to foster support among environmentally conscious Americans. The proposed 1,179mile pipeline would have brought 800,000 barrels a day of “carbon-heavy petroleum” from oil sands in Canada to the Gulf Coast, according to the New York Times.

The decision came after a seven-year review of the project, which has sparked debate among those in favor of and against constructing the pipeline. This type of action on climate policy is seen as a step in the right direction, though instances such as this are far too infrequent to appease those who want to see more done politically for the environment.

For the environmentally conscientious American, advocating for climate change policy is just as important as reducing one’s carbon footprint and living a green lifestyle. In a country that is commended worldwide for its model democracy, it could be assumed that the citizens’ best interests would be considered when the government implements new policies.

However, this could not be further from the truth when it comes to the lack

of policies that reflect the interests of the environmentally friendly Americans versus the abundance of policies that favor political leaders’ own agendas.

People who consider themselves green might recycle, take shorter showers or reuse a water bottle. Yet when elected officials downplay or deny the effects of humaninduced climate change, these small actions seem pointless.

Political activism is the solution. If we want to see a change in government policy regarding climate change, collective baby steps are not enough. Pushing for cuts in carbon emissions, the use of cleaner energies and national green action is essential in the average, eco-friendly American’s battle against climate change.

Take, for example, the American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act. This act would “charge polluters for their CO2 emissions and redistribute the revenue to the public,” according to grist.org. The act calls for a carbon tax of “$42 for each ton (major greenhouse gas emitters) spew, and that would go up 2 percent per year to keep pace with inflation.”

This act has been proposed to Congress, but did not pass. However, it needs support from environmentally conscious Americans to pass. An act such as this one can have big

Flickr

People should protest the building of pipelines that hurt the environment. implications, but will never have the chance to be implemented without the support of those citizens who care about its effects.

Matt Smith of New Jersey’s Food and Water Watch came to the College on Thursday, Oct. 1, and discussed the importance of political activism in helping the environment. Food and Water Watch aims to “champion healthy food and clean water for all. (The organization) stands up to corporations that put profits before people, and advocates for a democracy that improves people’s lives and protects our environment,” foodandwaterwatch.org said.

Having participated in protests and pushing for green policy himself, Smith’s views on this issue were empowering. He

said that what green Americans need to do is “build exponential political power” to see the changes they want to be made. Smith said he has been actively protesting the building of natural gas pipelines in northern New Jersey and Pennsylvania, specifically the PennEast Pipeline.

As exemplified by Smith, the only way to make a change that is worthwhile and long lasting is to come together and demand it. Those with the mindset that just adopting a national green lifestyle will solve global warming are naïve. By uniting and demanding action of our government we are taking the issue into our own hands and becoming the initiators of significant political action.

Starbucks starts frenzy over new holiday cups

AP Photo

Starbucks opts for plain, red holiday cups.

By Chelsea LoCascio Opinions Editor

Starbucks stole Christmas this year. The coffee company has changed its famous Christmas cups to just plain red.

According to news.starbucks.com, Starbucks’ holiday cups aren’t just red, but an ombré that starts with a bright red that fades into a darker cranberry. As if this makes anything different, but, according to Starbucks, it does.

“The ombré creates a distinctive dimension, fluidity and weightedness,” said Jeffrey Fields, Starbucks’ vice president of design and content. Apparently, Starbucks was just trying to be artsy by simplifying the design this year as well as encouraging its customers to draw designs on the cups themselves to promote individual creativity. I think Starbucks is a little too hopeful as I do not, nor does anyone I know, dedicate time to drawing on its cups. We care more about

what’s in the cup rather than what’s on it.

Evidently, not everyone agrees considering the pandemonium that broke out after Starbucks released its cups for the holiday season. At this point, you’re probably tired of talking or hearing about Starbucks’ decision to change its cups from Christmas-themed to just red, but an important lesson can be taken away from all of this.

Last week, a feud broke out over Twitter where people were showing their support of boycotting Starbucks because they thought the coffee company was becoming too politically correct. Some people decided to not boycott the store, but instead start a movement using the cup itself.

On Twitter, Joshua Feuerstein, a former television and radio evangelist and now social media personality, posted a video calling on his fellow Christians to “trick Starbucks” into saying “Merry Christmas” by telling employees that their name is Merry Christmas, sparking the #MerryChristmasStarbucks trend. You really showed those slow-witted Starbucks employees, Feuerstein.

“Do you realize that Starbucks wanted to take Christ and Christmas off of their brand new cups?” Feuerstein said.

First, Christ was never on the cups, and second, there was never anything inherently Christian on them. It was just vaguely Christmas-y, with drawings of things like reindeer or ornaments, said news.starbucks.com.

“Do you realize that Starbucks isn’t allowed to say ‘Merry Christmas’ to customers?” Feuerstein said. That’s just simply not true. According to theatlantic.com, a Starbucks spokesperson said in an email that the baristas “are not provided a script or a policy around greeting customers. They are simply encouraged to create a welcoming environment to delight each person who walks through our doors.” Sorry to spoil the fun, but anyone who thought they outsmarted Starbucks by smugly claiming their name was Merry Christmas didn’t accomplish much.

Starting a religion war is so common now when it comes to social media trends. Issues that have little to do with

religion become about just that. After all, this is originally just about a cup of coffee and the packaging it comes in.

The diehard Christians were denouncing the devil that is in charge of Starbucks’ cup design whereas the reasonable Christians and non-Christians were saying how great it was that the company was being so inclusive of all faiths.

I even overheard some Jewish people joke that the world would have ended if they had made the cups white and blue, which could be why Howard Schultz, the Jewish CEO of Starbucks, has avoided that altogether.

Luckily, not all religious folk were losing their minds over this travesty. William Vanderbloemen, a contributor to forbes.com, said how, as a devout Christian, he knows that the issue is not the cups, but that religious people can be slow to accept change. He also mentions how the cups of the past had little to do with the story of Jesus’ birth and Christians should embrace change.

“If you consider the story of Christmas, adapting to change is wrapped throughout its narrative: an unexpected pregnancy, a quick marriage and a move to a makeshift labor and delivery room in a manger. Likewise, the core of faith is all about being adaptable and providing solutions to unsolvable problems,” Vanderbloemen said, hoping to encourage his fellow Christians to use the teachings of their religion to adapt to new situations.

Issues that become religious inevitably transition into people seeing everything through a political lens: those damn liberals and their crybaby political correctness or those jerk conservatives and their close-mindedness. Why does it always have to become political?

The sad truth is that this has nothing to do with religion or politics and everyone made this argument bigger than necessary.

Regardless of how you feel toward the cups, one thing is for sure — Starbucks just got some major publicity and sale boosts from this. The lesson to take away is that by reading this, as well as talking about Starbucks’ coffee and controversial cups, made you want to go to your local Starbucks and fork over $5 for a cup for yourself — making Starbucks the real victor.

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

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

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

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 13

Students share opinions around campus New Starbucks cups offensive? Would more policies help planet?

“I think policy would create more change. I think most (of the) pollution isn’t coming from households.

It’s more from industrial factories.”

“It personally didn’t affect me. I enjoyed when they looked more holiday(themed). It doesn’t bother me as much.”

Chelsea LoCascio / Opinions Editor

Chelsea LoCascio / Opinions Editor

Farihah Shameem, freshman biology major.

Tyler Errico, junior mechanical engineering major.

“I’ve always been against strict (environmental) government policy.

It typically has a negative impact…

I think that a better solution… (is) to create a new sector that certifies (companies are following policies).

It’s best not doing it through government.”

“I don’t think it should offend (people) to be politically correct and inclusive… We need to be more inclusive (and) we’re missing the bigger issues.”

Chelsea LoCascio / Opinions Editor

Chelsea LoCascio / Opinions Editor

Emilie Kim, junior Spanish and biology double major.

Steven Rodriguez, senior history and philosophy double major.

The Signal asks...

What woman should be on the $10 bill?

Farihah: “Ellen DeGeneres because of what she does for people… She uses her platform for a good cause.”

Tyler: “Eleanor Roosevelt. She was an interesting person and helped influence her husband a lot on his decisions.”

Emilie: “Harriet Tubman. She was illiterate, but had a lot of power.”

Steven: “Sappho, a Greek female poet (and) one of the only ones (of that time). I think that’s a great figure.”

Raphaëlle Gamanho / Cartoonist

Some say that the Department of Treasury’s top choice for the $10 bill should be Beyoncé.

page 14 The Signal November 18, 2015

Arts & Entertainment

Lucas / Brothers graduate to Hollywood continued from page 1

our example — we dropped out of school,” Kenny said. “We still owe (the College) money. I guess we’re going to use this check to pay back our loans.”

Keith and Kenny Lucas are best known for their brief but noteworthy role in “22 Jump Street” that skyrocketed their career. The Lucas Brothers have also starred in the television series, “Friends of the People,” and have gone on to produce their own animated series, “The Lucas Brothers Moving Co.,” that is parodied off their own lives.

Although the brothers have dabbled in television and film, Keith explained that stand-up comedy is their favorite creative medium.

“It’s the most immediate gratification and you get to speak directly to people,” Keith said. “With stand-up it’s just you, your jokes and the people.”

While on stage, the pair got political and used humor to discuss the serious issue of racism in our nation.

“I just read a stat in The Atlantic that one out of three African American males will go to jail before turning 31. We just turned 30 so we’re getting close,” Kenny said. “Fortunately, we have a younger brother. So we’ve been trying to get that dude to go to prison instead.

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

The Lucas Brothers bond with the audience about their time at school.

The brothers spoke candidly about how lucky they have been to have such a successful career in comedy and film. They even joked that their newfound fame from “22 Jump Street” would protect them from police brutality, as any cop who dares to stop them would immediately recognize the duo and ask for a selfie.

“We think we figured out a way to improve relationships between blacks and cops,” Kenny said. “Every black man just needs to get a cameo in a movie.

Black cameos matter.”

Students may not have known much about the Lucas Brothers before their set, but everyone in the audience that

night will be sure to remember the pair, who were clearly very excited to be back at the College and even stopped the show early to have time for a meetand-greet.

“We could sit here and talk all day, but I want to engage,” Keith said. “I want to shake some hands and take some pictures.”

As soon as the set ended, students rushed out of the concert hall and eagerly waited in line once again to meet the brothers, who were surprisingly downto-earth and relatable.

The College Union Board has put on a number of comedy shows this semester, but the Lucas Brothers made for an unforgettable night.

Before the show, the pair stopped by Eickhoff Hall to grab a bite to eat amongst students, and happily stopped to talk and pose for pictures for any and everyone who approached them. Despite their recent rise to fame, the Lucas Brothers have clearly managed to stay grounded.

It’s not often that a small liberal arts college has alumni that go on to create their own animated television series and star in blockbuster films alongside Channing Tatum. For these graduates to come back to the College and share an intimate evening of laughter and entertainment with current students was both remarkable and refreshing.

Students bring ‘The Goods’ at day-long festival

Music and poetry performed at Ink’s annual event

Heiner Falls / Photo Assistant

Students recite original works for the festival.

By Ane Rudorfer Correspondent

Students looking for a place to share their poetry with fellow students and watch professional poets perform didn’t have to look any further than “The Goods,” held Saturday, Nov. 7, in the Library Auditorium. Hosted by Ink, the College’s creative writing organization, students performed a variety of pieces, including slam poetry and instrumental music during the all day art festival.

The day also included a performance by the Trentones, the College’s a cappella group and four open mic sessions. According to Kyle Siegel, a junior biology major and the treasurer of Ink, The Goods Festival can be characterized simply as a

“broad and eclectic mix of art coming together.”

Senior psychology major Andrew Edelblum performed covers of popular songs including “Hotline Bling” by Drake and “Jerusalem” by American singer-songwriter Dan Bern. He also played original songs, one of which was inspired by a personal experience. He mentioned that it felt “weird to perform this live.” A few summers ago, Edelblum was working as a busboy at a restaurant. During one shift, he only received $21 in tips, which he thought was very little. Thus, he wrote a song about it entitled “$21.”

Senior English major and president of Ink Rachel Friedman also performed, sharing her poetry collection entitled, “Compact Heart.”

Thematically, the collection is about Friedman’s crush on her former political science tutor. It describes how she processed her feelings during this time. Friedman explained “Compact Heart” as an exploration of “love and struggling to find it.”

The night’s marquee performer was the slam poet Rachel Kann.

She has released three albums, “Word to the WHY?S,” “Ptolemaic Complex” and her most recent, “The Upward Spiral.” The latter is a spoken word album set to ambient electronic music. She has also written a book called “10 for Everything,” which includes poems and short stories. Kann has been featured on the National Public Radio program, “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” and her work has appeared in the journals “Eclipse” and “Coe Review,” among others.

Kann has received the prestigious Rabbit Heart Poetry Award and has performed at TEDx University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

She teaches creative writing classes at the UCLA extension.

Kann performed works from “The Upward Spiral” and “10 for Everything.” The first piece she performed was “Out.” In this poem Kann stated “Come out/ I know all too well what it’s like to be shunned/ to be shamed/ to be straight up endangered/ It sucks/ Come out anyway.”

Here, Kann exhorted her audience to express themselves and open up to love, while also sympathizing with their struggles.

Another poem that Kann performed called “Prayer,” showed her hopes for the world.

In her poem “High,” Kann labeled herself a “hedonistic ascetic.” She described how throughout her life she would push herself to feel high. She explained she completed a water fast where she didn’t drink water for a certain number of days, yet she “lived to tell the tale.”

In the question and answer session following the performance, Kann talked about her career beginnings and writing process.

Kann encouraged aspiring writers to set up deadlines for themselves, as it helps move the writing process. She also mentioned that revision is a key part of the process.

“I spend a lot of time writing and honing,” she said. In addition, Kann mentioned that research is also a key part of her writing process, especially when she writes about subjects she is not completely familiar with.

Kann did not initially set out to be a slam poet. At 21, Kann met her friend, the singer-songwriter Amy Steinberg. Steinberg encouraged Kann to write poetry. Kann soon realized that she had a knack for writing poetry because she was an avid reader.

“Reading helps you become a better writer,” Kann said. “It is one of those rare things you can learn from observation.

You can’t learn how to surf by watching someone do it.”

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

Edelblum covers Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling.’

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 15

Candid comedian Chris Gethard gets gritty

By Benjamin Zander Correspondent

Despite taking place on the most unlucky day of the year, students who attended the Friday, Nov. 13, CUB Alt event featuring comedian Chris Gethard and The Mixed Signals had a night filled with laughter and high spirits.

The event opened with the College’s improv comedy troupe The Mixed Signals, with members Nolan DeVoe, Alyssa Hess, Emily Mullin and Steve Munoz, playing improvisation games with the audience.

Following the troupe’s performance, Chris Gethard took the stage. Just seconds after he began to speak, Gethard was interrupted by an announcement on the Library Auditorium’s PA System.

“I had no idea I’d be competing with both a ’90s nostalgia icon and a PA that nobody can control,” Gethard said, referring to an event taking place at the College later that evening, featuring Dave Coulier from “Full House.”

Gethard, a native of West Orange, N.J., is a writer, actor and comedian who plays the role of Derek in the Comedy Central series “Broad City,” and had a recurring role on the final season of NBC’s “The Office.” Currently, he is the host of “The Chris Gethard Show,” a New York City

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

Gethard speaks openly about his college years, as well as his looks and trip to Gatorland. public access talk show that began as a live stage piece at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Manhattan.

“I was reading a copy of The Signal, and I’m very sorry about the WiFi situation,” Gethard said.

“I went to another state school, but I made a mistake. I had never been to the TCNJ campus and it made me retroactively mad, because I went to a school called Rutgers, and it was terrible. They put all the landscaping into this campus, and let us live like human dirt in a shithole called New Brunswick.”

Gethard also spoke of the discrimination New Jersey residents face in New York City. He described

the luxurious Grand Central Station, which has trains going to Westchester and Connecticut and contains a tennis court, farmers market and an oyster bar inside.

Then, he described Penn Station, which has trains going to New Jersey and Long Island.

“I wouldn’t eat fuckin’ seafood in Penn Station… I wouldn’t eat food that I bought outside and brought with me into Penn Station,” Gethard said.

Gethard made a point to address the females in the audience for this particular point.

“I’m a feminist… I understand there’s a lot of bullshit limitations that you ladies have to fight through,

but here’s one thing you’ll never have to deal with, you’ll never have to go inside the men’s (bath)room at Penn Station.”

Gethard, who describes his appearance as, “a grown up version of Calvin from ‘Calvin and Hobbs,’” said that his wife is more attractive than him “to the degree that it looks like I have hired her.”

He spoke about getting married at a Jewish summer camp, and spent three minutes walking through the logistics of the wedding to lead up to the punch line, but as he was about to say it, the PA system went off again.

Through laughter, Gethard said, “It took me over three hours

to get here only to be tormented by a bodiless person inside of small gray boxes.”

Gethard also spoke of a place that he and his wife stumbled upon in Orlando, Fla. called Gatorland.

“You go into this backyard, which is just filled with hundreds of alligators, and that’s it!” he said. “At Disney World, I paid $16 just to park (and) another $100 to get inside, and you have to wait hours to get on any of their rides. At Gatorland, I paid $20 total, and within five minutes of entering I was watching a show where they hang chicken carcasses from a string, and gators leap out and get ’em.”

After this, the PA system went off a third time, prompting Gethard to say, “There’s now two very long jokes in a row where that happened right at the punch line!”

Gethard described a night of drinking in college, which led to him waking up fully clothed and running down the street in New Brunswick wearing a Batman mask.

Although seats didn’t fill up, those in attendance lined up to get their picture with Gethard and to have a conversation with him after the show.

“I really wish more people were at this event, because honestly, Chris Gethard was the funniest guy I’ve seen so far while going to school here,” sophomore marketing major EJ Paras said.

‘An Evening of Shorts’ and big emotions

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

Characters embrace during one of the many heartfelt scenes of the night.

By Kelly Vena Staff Writer

While most of the student body was catching up on homework on Saturday, Nov. 7, and Sunday, Nov. 8, a small group of dedicated thespians put on three shows in the Kendall Hall Black Box Theatre for this semester’s An Evening of Shorts. The Evening of Shorts is an All College Theatre event which consisted of four one-act plays performed consecutively over the course of two hours.

The first play performed, “Brontosaurus,” written by famed playwright Lanford Wilson and directed by senior English and secondary education major Steven Munoz, tells the story of an antique dealer’s desperate attempt to connect with her teenage nephew.

The dealer, played by freshman women’s and gender studies major Molly Knapp, is an extremely knowledgeable, yet lonely woman.

“I play those kinds of roles a lot,” Knapp said.

“They’re fabulous, and easy for me to get into.”

The nephew, played by freshman English major Julien Blanchard, is living with his aunt in a lavish Manhattan home while he studies theology. While his aunt is talkative, Blanchard plays the nephew as blunt, offering only short, vague answers to the dealer’s long-winded questions.

When the nephew eventually opens up to

his aunt that he decided to be a minister at 12 after receiving a divine revelation, the dealer listens intently to his description of the phenomenal sights and feelings he experienced.

Because “Brontosaurus” was the only play not written by a student playwright, the cast “got an interesting perspective” about how to stage the play, according to Knapp.

“Basically, we got to do whatever we wanted with it,” she said.

The next play, “Drowning,” written and directed by junior journalism major Jonathan Edmondson, tells the story of a group of friends coping with the sudden loss of a family member.

“I actually began writing ‘Drowning’ in May of 2014 and then I put it away for awhile,” Edmondson said of his moving, relatable work. “After I lost my grandparents this summer, I revisited the piece and from then on the words really flowed.”

“Drowning” takes place in the apartment of two friends, Lucas and Tyler, who are hosting their friends for dinner. Although a tragic death of someone close to them is alluded to throughout the play, the full story does not come out until the very end.

“It was difficult at times. I didn’t want to be cliché or over the top,” Edmondson said of his careful selection of words.

After loud screaming matches and even a

physical altercation, it is revealed that Lucas was babysitting three-year-old Carter when a series of unfortunate events take place.

After the tragedy is revealed, the group of friends gather for a big hug, while Lucas and Tyler admit that they both miss Carter, a sign that they are beginning to healthily grieve their loss.

“My cast was incredible,” Edmondson said. “They brought the characters to life in such a beautiful way. They were focused and grounded and willing to take risks. A director couldn’t ask for anything better.”

After a short intermission, the cast of the third play, “<Project Revive>,” took the stage.

This play, written and directed by junior interactive multimedia major Kathleen Fox, centers around three teenage delinquents and the opportunity of a lifetime — being able to forget traumatic events of their past in order to better their present situation.

The three teens, Hayden, Elliot and Fallon, were caught by police as they tried to rob a convenience store. They are kidnapped by Memory Inc., a company famous for their serum that allows people to forget small events that can sour a day, and brought into a room to decide whether they would like to go through with the procedure to turn their lives around.

Fallon and Hayden decide to follow through

with the procedure, while Elliot is taken to jail when he does not want to undergo treatment.

A year later, the trio are reunited, and the play ends with a trembling Elliot debating on whether or not he should go through with it afterall.

“Steve, Kathleen, Sam (the other directors) and I had a blast watching the shows,” Edmondson said.

The fourth and final play, “Thrice Upon a Time,” was written and directed by junior English and secondary education major Sam Miller. This play focuses on characters Emerald, Avery and an evil queen, named Lyla. Emerald, played by freshman Rebecca Conn, is the rightful queen of the kingdom, but her former maid, Lyla, tricks her into switching places. Avery, a witch played by freshman Gigi Garrity, helps Emerald go back in time to the same summer on three separate occasions in order to try and convince the king to spare her life because the queen wants her executed.

The end of the evening was met with roaring applause from the audience, which was no surprise to the directors.

“I’m really proud of everyone who worked on all the shows,” Edmondson said. “The audience really enjoyed their experience. Based on the laughter and the tears, I am extremely happy with how it all turned out.”

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

Students show their acting chops throughout the evening’s performances.

Large Pie, wings, and a liter of Pepsi

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609-434-1188

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Want to be on the other side of this paper?

All coupons expire at the end of November!

page 16 The Signal November 18, 2015

WE HAVE A NUMBER OF POSITIONS AVAILABLE!

We’re looking for:

Writers—Be the one who brings the story to the campus.

Photographers—Capture the events and bring the story to life.

Assistants—Join our staff and help make this paper happen.

Contact us: signal@tcnj.edu

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November 18, 2015 The Signal page 17

Game brings divine role-playing

The fantasy game takes players on various quests.

By Andrew Street Staff Writer

In June of 2014, developer Larian Studios delivered the critically praised “Divinity Original Sin.” The game, which was reminiscent of the fantasy video game “Baldur’s Gate,” blew most hardcore role-playing fans away. Now, Larian Studios is back again to deliver the enhanced edition of “Divinity” for personal computers, Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.

As someone with very little experience in “Baldur’s Gate” or games of its nature, I was eager to jump headfirst into what “Divinity Original Sin: The Enhanced Edition” had promised and to see whether or not it lived up to the hours of questing, fighting and complex game mechanics that I expected.

Being a novice in this specific genre of role-playing games, I began my journey a bit overwhelmed. The game does

Youtube.com

not hold your hand, which is sort of a double-edged sword for newcomers.

While it is nice to be challenged, there was a few instances where I felt that specific functions were either explained poorly or not at all. Despite this, I was able to decipher most of what the game threw at me after paying close attention to the gaming menus and dialog.

For those unfamiliar, “Divinity Original Sin” is a classic turn-based role-playing video game. Players create two characters and control each of them to fight off the countless enemies they will encounter on the game’s many quests.

The game’s battle system is complex, slow at times and requires you to learn the advantages and disadvantages of the party you are controlling. The combat is deep and may turn some gamers away, but if you are willing to put in the time to learn its inner workings it’s an unparalleled pay off.

Outside of battle, “Divinity” matches the

combat in terms of depth. Nearly everything in the world is tangible and can be interacted with. You can loot houses, get involved in local drama and do just about anything else. The seemingly limitless possibilities to get lost in tasks that range from the daring and bold to the mundane drew me in and kept me playing for hours on end.

In terms of narrative, I wasn’t as impressed with “Divinity.” The game follows two Source Hunters, a group that aims to eradicate the evil Source magic.

In an effort to do so, you find yourself stumbling into a much larger issue and various conspiracies that are all entwined within each other.

Don’t get me wrong, as a whole, the main story arc is decently interesting and engaging, but at times I found myself a bit disconnected. This partially stemmed from me disliking a significant amount of crucial characters, especially the party members.

The hundreds of side quests, however, made up for the lacking narration and characters. It was here that I would find quirky talking objects, entertaining stories and silly objectives. The light-hearted nature of these smaller arcs were always a treat, and left me slightly more impressed than the main tale.

“Divinity Original Sin: The Enhanced Edition” brings back the classic, hardcore role-playing video game experience that has been absent for quite some time.

The game may be overly obtuse at times, but this makes for a more challenging experience, where taking risks, being strategic and exploring can either make or break you. Whether you are jumping in on a personal computer, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, you are sure to have a blast. Just be aware of the type of game you are getting into — it certainly isn’t for everyone.

Mundane becomes magical read

By Erin Cooper Staff Writer

The latest U.S. release from Japanese contemporary writer Haruki Murakami isn’t exactly new, but then again, it is. The two stories that comprise “Wind/Pinball” are from his previous novels, “Hear the Wind Sing” and “Pinball, 1973.” This new release combines these critically acclaimed novels and includes a new translation by Ted Goossen as well as a special introduction from Murakami.

“Wind/Pinball” will be difficult for admirers of Murakami to resist, and is worthwhile reading for those who aren’t familiar with the author, although it may not be the best place to start.

“Norwegian Wood” or “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” are some of Murakami’s more recent and popular works, and while there is charm in the idea of starting at the beginning, this book certainly has its merits.

“Wind/Pinball” is an intriguing document of a writer developing his style and themes. In the introduction, Murakami describes the origin of his creative drive when he writes, “For no reason and based on no grounds whatsoever, it suddenly struck me: I think I can write a novel.”

These stories are the result of that impulse. Their progression charts Murakami’s growing skill and confidence as he embarks upon his quest to become a novelist, a quest as sudden and inexplicable as the voyage of any Murakami character. It is learning the story behind the novels that makes “Wind/Pinball” truly special.

Murakami’s novels are ghost stories haunted by loss. In “Wind,” the reader is introduced to the unnamed narrator and his disreputable friend, the Rat, as they hang around J’s bar, philosophize over french fries, leave people and are left behind. The back-and-forth dialogue is peppered with references to film, literature and music — from Beethoven to the Beach Boys.

“Wind” is a slice-of-life story with traces of the unknown and unknowable. There is an almost ephemeral lightness to it. As our narrator faces an uncertain future, his past returns to him in glimpses. It is in the odder glimpses that the story finds its identity.

“Pinball,” the second novel, reveals more of a developed Murakami. The narrator and the Rat return in this story. Here,

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

Band: Wavves Album: “V” Hailing From: San Diego, Calif.

Genre: Indie Skuzz Pop Label: Mom + Pop Wavves is the DIY pop-punk project of Nathan Williams. The band has a gritty punk-infused lo-fi sound that permeates this album. The band’s notorious heavy drinking can be seen as the catalyst for this album, which sounds like a hangover in more ways than one. Many of these songs even begin like a hangover — noisy and ugly, but eventually culminating into something more hopeful. Also, he talks about having a headache in multiple songs, once again: hangovers. What you’ll really find here is something similar to the Beach Boys going to a Ramones concert and getting trashed. I know, it sounds too perfect.

Overall, this is a very listenable album that is grimy and angry but filled to the brim with shiny pop vibes that focus on real life lyrics that everyone can relate.

Must Hear: “Way Too Much,” “Pony,” “My Head Hurts” and “Wait”

Band: JR JR Album: “Jr Jr” Hailing From: Detroit, Ill. Genre: Indie Pop Label: Warner Bros.

Twitter

Murakami shows growing writing skills in new book.

The members of JR JR, previously named Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., are growing as people and musicians — and you can hear it. Daniel Zott and Joshua Epstein have been making music together since 2009. Since then, they have always danced the line with pop music but have always kept a sense of indie quirkiness.

While still engaging in some of that quirk, they are moving in a different direction.

It’s pop, but not really. It’s more of an ’80s new wave pop with a new, fresher orchestration. This album is weeping with intense and awesome melodies and synth work while focusing on a song writing style similar to modern pop. Their lyrics are contemplative and poetic, which adds to the aesthetic of a grown up band.

they have pressing choices to make and the surreality that surfaced in the first novel deepens around them.

“This is a novel about pinball,” the narrator states. He’s not lying, and yet this simple plot leads to a surprisingly fulfilling and moving outcome. By the end of his search for the “threeflipper Spaceship” pinball machine he used to play in an arcade, pinball machines have been invested with an unexpected emotional resonance — an almost mystical significance that defies logic.

There’s a symmetry to the novels, and they work well when presented together. They both begin with the telling of stories and end with departures.

In these early forays, Murakami’s work already displays the wonder, melancholy and unreality that are his hallmarks. His is a world of inexplicable cats and disappearing lovers. “Wind/ Must Hear: “Gone,” “Hypothetical,” Pinball” shows us Murakami’s world and that the seemingly “Break My Fall,” “James Dean” and “In mundane can be truly magical and captivating.

The Middle”

page 18 The Signal November 18, 2015

Features

‘Angels’ take the stage to honor sorority’s sister

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Each ‘angel’ dresses as a different theme for the event.

By Nicole Broomhead Correspondent

Eight contestants from different Greek Life organizations gathered in the Lion’s Den on Thursday, Nov. 12, each dressed as a different type of angel and representing his or her respective organization. Costumes ranged from an angel in the outfield, to a Hell’s Angel and even an Angel Soft toilet paper-inspired costume. Autumn Angel — as the event is known — is a night of

pageantry organized by the sisters of Theta Phi Alpha to support their philanthropies, The House That Theta Phi Alpha Built and The Don’t Stop Believing Fund.

The annual event has been run since 1999, but in 2009, the sisters created the Don’t Stop Believing Fund and switched the event’s focus to support the new fund. It was created in the name of Stephanie Coonan, a sister and Class of 2008 College student who passed away after battling stomach cancer. The Don’t Stop

Believing Fund is set up as a scholarship program that supports families in similar situations. The sorority’s Beta Beta chapter website says Stephanie was “a great friend, sister and student, Stephanie is forever in our hearts.”

A portion of the proceeds are donated directly to the Don’t Stop Believing fund and another portion is donated to the winner’s philanthropy of choice.

Attendees paid a $5 admission fee at the door and could also enter raffles to win gift baskets containing items like a party size bag of Doritos, a plush blanket and a “Juno” DVD. Mainly a competition of creativity, each angel also had to employ some level of skill in two of the rounds. The evening started with a game of musical chairs, which was then followed by a candy transferring competition, where each angel had to suck through a straw to remove as much candy from the bowl as possible. Finally, a question and answer round with questions like “If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could only bring one thing, what would it be?” was played.

Alumni judges Colleen Warwick and Niki Haas, who graduated in 2015, said picking a winner was

difficult because they had to decide if a costume or answer was creative enough in their personal opinions.

“Musical chairs and the candy were easy just because they had set scores, but everything else was really tough because everyone did a really good job,” Haas said.

Steve Schmidt, a sophomore chemistry major, was dressed as the aforementioned Angel Soft angel, “the softest and most absorbent of all angels,” he claimed.

He said the contestants were

not told exactly what they were going to be doing until five minutes prior to the start of the event, but that didn’t stop him from entering the competition.

“I am representing Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) and I am trying to win some money for pediatric cancer research,” said Schmidt, who won the event the event and took home a prize bag. His philanthropy of choice was the B+ (Be Positive) Foundation, which supports families of children fighting cancer and see ANGEL page 21

Hubert Hsu / Staff Photographer

Contestents try to answer questions with a creative twist.

Fraternities join together to raise money for diabetes

By Alexa Kelber Correspondent

The brothers of Delta Epsilon Psi (DEPsi) and Delta Tau Delta (DTD) co-hosted a philanthropic week for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) from Monday, Nov. 9, to Friday, Nov. 13. A variety of fundraisers and awareness events took place daily around the College’s campus, inviting students to learn about Type 1 diabetes in a casual and unconventional setting.

“We were looking to years passed to figure out an event for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation,” said Aakash Trivedi, a junior biomedical engineering major and brother of DEPsi. “Five guys in our newest pledge class had the idea to plan a whole week around it.”

JDRF Week began on Monday night with a Zumba class in the Business Building Lounge at 8 p.m. While setting up a $10 T-shirt display as another method of raising money for the cause, Darshak Vekaria, a junior biology major, explained the reason behind selecting this type of activity to kick off the week.

“One of the major reasons for diabetes is lack of exercise,” said Vekaria, a brother of DEPsi. “This event is an interactive way to get people moving.”

As spectators documented their friends looking awkward via Snapchat, participants didn’t mind looking silly for a good cause.

“Zumba is super fun — everyone likes to dance and it was a lot more fun than a speaker,” Tori Bell, a junior history major said.

Tuesday’s smoothie sale fell on the perfect day, serving as a vehicle to burst through the gray gloom on a pre-hump day afternoon. Fusions of yogurt, strawberries

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Rice performs stand-up while also sharing his story of having diabetes. and bananas sat aloft a banner hanging in front of a table reading, “Committing to a life of excellence means helping others do the same.”

The quote portrayed tackling a huge cause like Type 1 diabetes as a little less overwhelming and a little more attainable.

Chelcie Rice, a stand-up comedian from Atlanta, performed Wednesday, Nov. 11, in the Education Building for “SugarFree Comedy” night. It was a light-hearted mid-week function, as Rice, who also happens to be a Type 1 diabetic, intertwined himself with the cause.

Aliz Holzmann, the College’s nutritionist, opened for Rice in a talk about nutrition across college campuses.

“I think she did a great job,” Vekaria said. “Most people are misinformed about healthy eating.”

Rice’s inescapable relationship with diabetes enables him to poke fun at his own health situation without offending others who share the same illness.

He alluded to his college days and how his incessant need to go to the bathroom (a symptom of Type 1 diabetes) led his roommate to schedule a doctor’s appointment behind his back, where the doctor diagnosed him with diabetes in a rather causal way.

Anecdotal stories like this exemplified that diabetes does not have to be something that defines a person’s life.

“Diabetes is a cruel disease... Mind you, diabetes doesn’t get as much attention as other diseases, like cancer,” Rice said. “I think it’s simply because cancer has cooler spokespeople,” referring to “cool, tough dudes” like John Wayne and Lance Armstrong.

Rice was extremely effective in joking about his experience with diabetes but never looking down upon it, an important message that resonated with the audience.

The Sugar Spike-Off Volleyball Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 12, allowed different teams to display their athleticism in the form of friendly competition.

Nine teams participated in the week’s main fundraiser and the turn out showed strong campus-wide support.

It also helped that the first place prize was a $75 gift card to Piccolo Trattoria’s.

“There’s usually a lot of late night eating, but not a lot of late night physical activity,” Casey Donohue, a senior communications major said. Donohue was in attendance to root on his fraternity’s team, Phi Alpha Delta. “This brought Greek Life together in a great and healthy way.”

Unfortunately, Friday’s lip sync competition had to be cancelled due to technical difficulties. This did not put a damper on the overall success of the week, however.

“It has been very successful,” said Pat Monaghan, DTD philanthropy chair and a junior interactive multimedia major. “People seemed to have enjoyed Zumba, low sugar smoothies and Mr. Rice the most.

“But it’s definitely been stressful,” Monaghan said. “Making sure people come out to our events and that the events are issue-free is a lot to ask for.”

JDRF Week raised awareness about a cause that does not get much attention. The technicalities of the week were overshadowed by the positive impact it had in the lives of those who opened up to learn more about Type 1 diabetes.

Rice said it best: “TCNJ was the first school I performed at, but what really blew me away was how many students with absolutely no connection to diabetes showed up. That means the tide is turning. Finally, diabetes is getting the attention that it needs. The demographic of a college campus has so many distractions that you’d think nobody would care. You guys proved me wrong.”

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 19

: March ‘00

BSU holds emergency rally

Campus Style

By Jordan Koziol Columnist Name: Nadia Olesnycky Year: Sophomore Major: Graphic Design This week, Campus Style caught up with Nadia Olesnycky, a sophomore graphic design major. We talked color palettes, stylish jackets and Ukranian influence. Read on!

In 2000, students gather for an emergency rally.

Jessica Ganga / Features Editor

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

In the past week, students on college campuses across the country have been coming together to show solidarity with the University of Missouri (Mizzou). Mizzou’s students have been leading protests due to racial slurs and issues regarding how the administration has not been addressing the situation. The College’s Black Student Union (BSU) supported Mizzou on Monday, Nov. 16 by hosting a blackout where students dressed in all black to show solidarity. In 2000, Conor Fortune reported on a rally that BSU held in response to biased issues on our own campus.

In a rare moment of campus unity, a panel of administrators, faculty and students addressed a crowd of several hundred gathered for a rally outside the Student Center on issues surrounding recent biased incidents last Thursday afternoon.

The rally, organized by the Black Student Union (BSU) and the administration in direct response to a hate e-mail received by BSU on Wednesday, called for greater level of communication and accountability on behalf of all members of the campus community in discouraging biased events.

In an e-mail message to the campus community, Steve Briggs, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs stated the rally’s purpose and called for the cancellation of classes from 2:00 p.m. to 3:20

p.m. on Thursday. Among three confirmed biased incidents in Briggs’ e-mail was the main impetus for the rally — a hate e-mail sent to BSU. “This is a horrific and vitriolic message,” said Briggs in his email. “I share the anger, sadness and concern of the students whom this message targets. I understand the fear.”

Speakers atop a stage set up outside the student center acknowledged this fear, sparked by the horrific biased events that have in recent weeks targeted minority groups and shaken the campus community’s sense of security. Poignant and impassioned remarks were interspersed with peals of applause.

Jamal Johnson, BSU vice president and junior elementary education and sociology major, addressed the gathering by saying, “Let it be known that March 9, 2000, students, faculty administration and staff came together to take a stand against ignorance.”

President R. Barbara Gitenstein called for a condemnation of biased acts that occur on this campus, which she described as “appalling, frightening and unacceptable.”

“We must, in a unified voice, let those who express threatening, racist sexist and homophobic messages know that we will respond to their words and deeds.” she said.

Celebritease

Jenner walks the Victoria’s Secret runway for the first time.

This year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show began filming 45 minutes late on Tuesday, Nov. 10, but when the show began it went off without a hitch. Unlike last year, which created one of the Internet’s most popular memes when Ariana Grande collided with model Elsa Hosk on the runway, the show ran smoothly. This year’s lavish show featured Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid walking the catwalk for the first time and

JK: Describe your style in three words.

NO: Casual urban flare.

JK: Who or what do you get your inspiration from?

NO: My older sister. She’s 23 and has helped shape my style. A few years ago she told me to put on a dress because I would always wear jeans and T-shirts.

Ever since then I’ve put in more effort and actually enjoy dressing up.

JK: Did your summer trip to Ukraine provide you with any fashion inspiration?

NO: I was able to see how people there dress and now borrow ideas from them.

They have perfected casual, yet put-together and stylish looks. I also shopped at a bunch of Ukrainian boutiques and added pieces to my wardrobe.

JK: Have you inherited any clothing from a relative that you love?

NO: My grandma has a Chanel coat that I’m not allowed to bring to school (laughs).

It’s a black peacoat, but somehow 10 times more chic than a traditional one. The piece itself isn’t flashy, but it’s super stylish and probably the nicest thing I’ve worn.

JK: What is your favorite season to dress for?

NO: I’d say fall. You can wear chic boots with any outfit in the autumn color palette.

My favorites are maroon, dark blue, olive, brown, tan and gray.

JK: Worst fashion faux paux.

NO: I don’t know why my mother ever let me leave the house like this, but in second grade I wore a head-to-toe denim outfit with fringed leather boots. The picture is so funny.

JK: How would going to school in the city affect your ensembles?

NO: I would definitely dress up more. I would wear more booties and go for a fancier/more reserved look. I think I would also wear more shades of black and neutral colors.

JK: Tell me about your jacket game.

NO: I have a gray trench coat and I’ll always pair it with a thick, black infinity scarf and boots. It doesn’t keep me that warm, but it’s stylish.

JK: Any specific article of clothing or accessory you’ll be asking for this holiday season?

NO: More versatile dresses. I like ones that I can pair with tights in the winter or throw on for the spring or summer months.

Also, more sweaters.

JK: What is your all-time favorite article of clothing in your wardrobe right now?

NO: I have a pretty cream-colored sweater with bell sleeves and lace accents. I literally wear it with everything.

:Angels on the runway

AP Photo

By Mackenzie Cutruzzula Sports Editor

JK: Tell me about what you’re wearing.

NO: My cream-colored fringed poncho is from PacSun and my gray skater dress is from Urban Outfitters. I paired the outfit with wool socks and brown leather booties from Forever 21.

Photo courtesy of Jordan Koziol

Olesnycky rocks a trendy poncho.

featured performances by Selena Gomez, Ellie Goulding and The Weeknd.

Supermodel Maria Borges broke barriers by walking the runway without the signature long, wavy locks worn by the other models. Borges instead wore her hair naturally curly and short, looking flawless and skipping the makeup chair fuss.

Also missing from this year’s fashion show was Angel staple Karlie Kloss, who is on hiatus from the modeling industry to study at New York University (NYU).

Her best friend, Taylor Swift, also wasn’t available to take the catwalk as she is busy taking her “1989” tour international, traveling to Asia to perform.

Swift is still rocking her own catwalk on tour, even with a twisted ankle. The songstress has been dawning a new wardrobe for the Asian part of her tour including more sparkles and now an ankle brace. Known for her clumsiness, Swift is still rocking heels for her concert despite the pain.

Swift isn’t facing pain in her most recent lawsuit, though. R&B singer Jesse Graham filed a $42 million copyright suit against Swift over the line, “haters gonna hate, players gonna play” from her hit single “Shake it Off.” California District Court Judge Gail Standish dismissed the case using Swift’s own lyrics against Graham.

The conclusion included, “But, for now, we have got problems, and the Court is not sure Braham can solve them.”

As Swift continues to rock out,

Gomez took her place in this year’s fashion show. Before the show, Gomez retracted her statement about not dating at the moment by hanging out with a NYU student on what appeared to be a very flirtatious night on Monday, Nov. 9. Maybe he’s a classmate with Kloss?

Gomez’s ex-boyfriend, Justin Bieber, was dealing with his own bad blood releasing his album, “Purpose,” on Friday, Nov. 13 — the same day as One Direction’s newest release “Made in the A.M.” The widely talked about album seems to be about his tumultuous relationship with Gomez that Bieber finally opened up about in Complex magazine.

“When stuff would happen, I would lose my freakin’ mind, and she would lose her mind, and we would fight so hard because we were so invested in each other,” Bieber told Complex.

As Bieber continues his healing process, his competition, One Direction, is focusing on taking a break. With the release of “Made

in the A.M.,” the boy band begins their hiatus that will allegedly last two years. The boys are looking forward to enjoying the peace and quiet and focusing on themselves.

You might have trouble keeping up with them, though, as they plan to travel a lot without the commitment of work keeping them from enjoying countries they’ve visited on tour. If you’re looking for Niall Horan, however, you should probably check your nearest soccer stadium as he admitted that he can’t wait to jump into watching every game again as he once did.

As I blast all my new favorite songs from One Direction before the hiatus sets in, I’ll be staring at Nick Jonas’ throwback Instagram post to remind myself of simpler times.

The singer posted a hilarious pic of himself at 13-years-old, hanging out with Miley Cyrus. Complete with messy, curly hair and sweat stains, Jonas admitted that he had been trying to impress his first crush, Cyrus, that night — as my first crush, Jonas, still impresses me.

page 20 The Signal November 18, 2015

New organization brings awareness to prison system

It’s in SPEAR’s future plans to tutor prisoners.

By Elise Schoening Review Editors

While people like to think of the United States as one of the most progressive and free countries in the world, it is indisputable that the great nation has its fair share of flaws. If the past year has taught people anything, it’s that the U.S. continues to struggle with systematic racism, police brutality, gender inequality and healthcare policies.

What hasn’t made the news, however, is the growing issue of mass incarceration.

It’s ironic that people so often refer to the United States as the land of the free when the country, in fact, has the highest incarceration rate in the world.

According to Amnesty International, Americans make up roughly 5 percent of the world’s population. Yet, the U.S. contributes almost a quarter of the total amount of prisoners worldwide.

A small group of students at the College is working to raise awareness about mass incarceration and start a dialogue on what the college community can do to make a difference. Students for Prison Education and Reform (SPEAR) may be a new organization to the College, but it is already making

AP Photo

waves and garnering a strong following on campus.

“This club gives students the opportunity to voice their opinions and make a difference in our prison system,” said Julia McKinnies, a junior special education major and the membership chair for SPEAR. The College’s close proximity to Trenton offers a rare opportunity for its students to volunteer at local prisons and witness firsthand how the prison system is failing society as a whole.

Students may already be aware of the Prison Teaching and Outreach Program coordinated by the Bonner Institute on campus.

SPEAR, however, not only offers tutoring services to local prisons, but also focuses on bringing to light the shortcomings of the prison system and advocating for prison reform.

“I was astounded by the injustice of it,” senior psychology major and SPEAR President Serena Wasserman said. “(I) felt that this campus needed something beyond tutoring to bring awareness to the greater social issues that landed the people we tutor in jail.”

SPEAR is a student-run organization, modeled after a similar club that started at Princeton University

in 2013 under the same name. The original Princeton chapter grew to be quite successful and inspired senior English major Liz Wimberg to replicate the SPEAR program here at the College that same year.

At the time, however, Wimberg was unable to garner enough interest and support from the college community and the group eventually fell apart — but not for long.

Last year, Wasserman decided to revive and revamp the organization, which was approved by Student Government for official recognition on campus earlier this semester.

Since then, Wasserman and the other members of the newly reformed organization have worked hard to engage the student community and increase membership.

Wasserman currently heads the prison reform group with Wimberg serving at her side as the research and advocacy chair.

Both are proud of the overwhelmingly positive response that the organization has received from the College community thus far.

The purpose of the organization is two-fold, explained Wasserman: they hope to raise awareness for the various issues involving the American criminal justice system and to inspire their fellow classmates to join them in advocating for reform.

“We have not started tutoring yet, but tutoring is actually not the main focus of the club,” Wasserman said.

Instead, the group primarily focuses on advocacy and awareness. In particular, the organization works to highlight racial bias within the justice system and the overuse of solitary confinement in place of rehabilitative methods.

While it is easy to write off the members of our society who have or are currently serving jail time, the student members of SPEAR recognize that there is a larger issue at play in the American justice system and are working to give

incarcerated citizens a second chance. They also hope to change how their fellow classmates view prisoners and to show that the prison system unfairly targets minorities, as well as people from low-income backgrounds.

Wasserman explained that her own viewpoint of the prison system completely changed when she began tutoring inmates through the College’s Bonner Program.

“Once I started tutoring, I realized that most if not all of the people I worked with grew up with astounding disadvantages,” Wasserman said. “They were poor, grew up in crime-ridden neighborhoods, had a poor quality of education and they were almost entirely black and Hispanic. It struck me as being entirely unfair that our society gave them so few resources to help them get ahead, and yet we were so quick to jail them when they fell behind.”

Wasserman was not alone.

Many of the current members of SPEAR cited their community service at local prisons as the driving force behind their passion for the cause. As such, they encouraged other students to carve some time out of their busy schedules to volunteer in the local community and involve

themselves in SPEAR. “Particularly here at TCNJ, we represent a privileged group.

Somehow, we each made it to college,” Wimberg said. “Perhaps it is our responsibility then to recognize that privilege and use it to aid others in similar pursuits.”

So far, SPEAR has hosted two forums on campus aimed at increasing general awareness of mass incarceration in the U.S. In the future, it hopes to hold more awareness events and to showcase documentaries detailing the untold stories of prison life.

Wasserman encourages any students interested in learning more to attend SPEAR’s monthly meetings and to sign up for the prison tutoring program, which will begin in the coming months.

She challenges people to see past the closed minded view that inmates are nothing more than second class citizens incapable of redeeming themselves.

“I believe that prisons are full of people, just like you and me, who have made mistakes,” Wasserman said. “By slapping them with the label of ‘criminal,’ we have stripped them of their humanity and hindered their successful reentry into society.

SPEAR is here to give them their humanity back.”

SPEAR focuses on the issue of mass incarceration.

AP Photo

Brown Bag discusses mission to improve the soil

By Victoria Herlocher Correspondent

When Belinda Haikes, an assistant professor in the College’s Department of Art and Art History, moved to Fishtown, Pa., she was thrilled to have a small backyard — a rarity in the Philadelphia suburb. Haikes planted tomatoes and basil in hopes of starting a garden.

Her neighbor asked if she planned on eating them. What Haikes learned next shocked her.

Haikes shared her story to students and faculty during a Brown Bag Lecture in Mayo Concert Hall on Friday, Nov. 13.

Haikes continued her story, explaining how her neighbor told her that there were dangerous levels of lead in the soil due to the town’s local smelting plant.

Haikes was stunned that nobody had told her about this before she moved in. It was vital information that only passed by word of mouth.

“There is a history we’re not aware of, and this history is toxic,” Haikes said. Raising awareness in the community became Haikes’ primary goal after this incident.

Lead is a neurotoxin, and exposure to it

Haikes speaks about the dangers of lead in soil. can impair cognitive abilities in children and delay mental and physical development. Nationally, one in 40 people are exposed to dangerous levels of lead. In Fishtown, one in seven are exposed.

Haikes assembled a team of designers, scientists, students and community

David Colby / Staff Photographer

members to help in her mission to alleviate lead levels in Fishtown.

“I really think design can be powerful in changing the world and I hope you guys do, too,” Haikes said.

Haikes moved from South Africa to Canada and then to the United States.

She encouraged audience members to notice the world around them and to be on the lookout for opportunities to improve the environment.

“Design is about communicating to people — it’s not about painting pretty pictures,” Haikes said.

She believes that with determination and ingenuity anyone is capable of designing a solution to a problem.

Haikes combines her passion for design with her interest in solving the problem facing her community.

Her team learned about a process called phytoremediation, a way of treating soil by introducing new plants into the environment. The plants help to lessen lead levels in the contaminated soil.

Phytoremediation is not the final answer to this problem. In order to completely mitigate the problem, all the soil would have to be extracted from the area. Haikes and her team are in the process of applying for grants that will be used to raise awareness in the community and ultimately resolve the lead problem in Fishtown.

“I want to make one backyard a little safer,” Haikes said. “It’s an imperfect plan, but it’s a plan.”

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 21

Angel / Theta Phi Alpha raises money for groups

New Jersey’s Distinctive Public University

Hubert Hsu / Staff Photographer

To win points, students compete in fun games that entertain the audience. continued from page 18

cutting edge pediatric cancer research. With the win, Schmidt was able to donate money to the B+ foundation.

Other philanthropies represented included Autism Speaks, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Diseases.

Autumn Angel concluded Theta Phi Alpha’s philanthropy week, which had a variety of events to raise awareness and donations for those battling hunger and homelessness.

Shauna Murray, a junior secondary education and English major, is the co-organizer of the sorority’s philanthropy week. Preceding Autumn Angel, Murray said they also had members from the Bonner Institute for Civic and Community Engagement speak about their experiences with hunger and homelessness in the local area. They organized their first ever clothing swap on campus, held a kickball game and partnered with RedBerry, who gave 20 percent of the proceeds to Theta Phi Alpha’s philanthropy when a customer mentioned the organization on Monday, Nov. 9.

“I think there is definitely room for improvement next year, like publicizing it more, but we donated a lot of clothes and actually the clothes that we donated are helping the Bonner Thrift Project team, helping them break the world record for donating the most amount of clothes ever donated within 48 hours,” Murray said, looking back on the success of the week.

The sisters who organized the event, Kelsey Wolff and Brittany Wetreich, said they had a lot of fun putting together the event and love that they are able to help a great cause.

“My favorite part is that it brings a sense of community to Greek life and between each organization,” said Wetreich, a junior psychology major.

Wolff, a senior psychology major, believes that “it reminds everyone that philanthropy is important and it is great to be able to contribute to the community.”

Murray acknowledged that the work the Greek organizations do for their philanthropies is only a small fraction of what these causes need, but any money they can raise for them is a great help and she loves being a part of it.

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page 22 The Signal November 18, 2015

Sports

Lions eliminated from NCAA play Women’s Soccer

By Michael Battista Sports Editor

The Lions started and ended their NCAA tournament journey this past weekend, beating St. Lawrence University in the first round, 4-1, on Saturday, Nov. 14, and falling to Williams College on Sunday, Nov. 15, 3-0, in the second round of play.

The St. Lawrence Saints came into their first tournament game in school history since 1986 with an impressive 13-42 record, while the Lions were coming into their 25th straight tournament appearance with a 12-3-4 record.

The College took the lead early and didn’t look back when freshman midfielder Arielle Curtis was able to knock in a goal just under four minutes into the game. After the goal, the Lions had a few chances that went wide and high past the net, but in the 28th minute, junior defenseman Marissa Scognamiglio scored her first goal of the night, with an assist from sophomore midfielder Elizabeth Thoresen, putting the team up, 2-0.

The Saints quickly retaliated, proving why they deserved to be in this tournament, getting one passed

senior goalkeeper Jessica Weeder to cut the Lions’ lead in half.

The first half quickly ended after that, but the College didn’t let the short break put any hinges in their play. Senior defenseman Brianna Cummings scored just 57 seconds into the second half, giving the Lions a 3-1 lead.

Sophomore midfielder Jessica Goldman said the team finishing on offense was the main difference between Saturday and Sunday.

“We played very well on Saturday and finished the chances we got,” Goldman said. “I think that was the difference between Saturday and Sunday — we finished our chances. Missy (Scognamiglio) played extremely well and had a part in every attack. Our back line was really strong throughout the entire game.

“Once a team gets a goal it is easy for games to slip away, but our back line made sure that didn’t happen,” Goldman said.

“We came out in the second half and scored to put us up.

3-1. For us, that really solidified our position in the game.”

St. Lawrence had few chances throughout the game to come back, only getting two shots on goal against Weeder and only

the one going in. Scognamiglio scored one more time in the 65th minute, where score would stand until the final buzzer, 4-1.

The team moved on to the second round, where they faced off against the Williams College Ephs in a rematch of last year’s elite eight game where the Lions lost, 1-0.

In a rare occurrence for the season, the College was outshot by a total of 15 to nine, with Williams playing tight offense throughout both periods.

The Ephs struck first in the middle of the first half, when sophomore midfielder Evan Gancedo knocked one in passed Weeder to put Williams up, 1-0.

Looking back on the game, Goldman says the Ephs’ tight offensive and defensive play is what won them the game, while the Lions’ missed goal chances cost them in the end.

“Williams deserves a lot of credit, they are an extremely talented team,” Goldman said. “What gave us the most trouble was their counter attack. Whenever we lost the ball they would be down our throats within five seconds.

“In the first 30 minutes of the game we were putting a lot of pressure on them and had a lot of chances. I thought we had a

Football

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Senior defender Brianna Cummings attacks the Saints. great chance at winning, as long as we kept to our style of play,” Goldman said. “However, when you get tired from playing defense for large portions it’s hard to get back into a rhythm. I tried to keep my head level after they scored the first goal because we’ve come back from being down before.”

Williams increased their lead two more times in the second half thanks to goals from senior midfielder Mai Mitsuyama and senior midfielder Crystal Lewin.

The score remained the same as the clock hit 90, and the Lions

fell, 3-0, eliminating them from the NCAA tournament and ending their 2015 season with a record of 13-4-4, while the Ephs move on to face Stevens Institute of Technology.

Moving forward, Goldman thinks the team needs to focus on staying a complete unit.

“We now need to focus on staying close as a team and preparing for spring season,” Goldman said. “We are going to continue to do our workouts and come back for the 2016 season hopefully as a better team. We’re gonna learn from this season and move on together as a team.”

Fantasy Football

Lions beat Rowan Jaguars step up play Finish with four wins

By Sean Reis Columnist

By Anthony Caruso Staff Writer

The College’s football team was motivated to win their last game of the season and end on a high mark. Under the Friday night lights on Nov. 13, the Lions were able to do exactly what they wanted to and win their fourth straight game against Rowan University.

Away in Glassboro, N.J., at Coach Wacker Stadium, the Lions defeated the Rowan Profs, 20-0, to close out their season.

Not only did they end the season on a win streak, 4-5, but they also picked up their first shutout of the season.

Coach Wayne Dickens expected the team to have their first shutout against the Southern Virginia Knights, but was pleased to close out the season with a blank out.

As they’ve done in the previous games, the team rode on the shoulders of senior running back Victor Scalici, who put up a career-high mark for the third straight game. In his final game in a Lions’ uniform, he had 47 carries for 264 yards.

In his final three games total, he had 620 rushing yards, including 222 yards in his final game on home turf.

With his performance, he individually outgunned the entire Profs offense. They had just 125 yards, with 71 through the air and 54 on the ground.

The Lions also had 79 passing yards by junior quarterback Michael Marchesano,

For Week 11, I drafted a team that will fit in your weekly budget featuring a couple of very high-budget players. However, I also suggest drafting Matt Ryan, Lamar Miller or Danny Amendola, depending on your opinion. Good luck!

Quarterback: Derek Carr ($6,300) — Since the start of the season, week after week, I have been skeptical of the Oakland Raiders offense. However, with the half of the season done, I am finally a believer. I trust Carr as a low-budget pick against the Detroit Lions in Week 11.

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

The Lions finish 2015 with a win.

who went nine for nine in the game. Senior tight end Andrew Lachawiec had 31 yards, while sophomore tight end Chase Vena added 28. Scalici contributed 18, and senior tight end Mitch Miller had a catch for four yards.

In the first half, Scalici scored both touchdowns. Scalici added a 15-yard run at 9:40 in the first quarter, as the visitors went up, 6-0. The extra point by sophomore kicker Brian Nagy was blocked. At the 12:52 minute mark in the second quarter, he scored on a one-yard run, as the Lions went up, 13-0.

Marchesano scored on a one-yard run as the Lions went up, 20-0, in the third quarter.

The Lions turned the season around and ended on a winning streak that can possibly carry over into the 2016 season.

Running Backs: Devonta Freeman ($8,400) — My first of two high-budget players this week, Freeman is the top back in the league. At $8,400, Freeman definitely has a high pricetag, but you will receive what you are paying for.

Charcandrick West ($4,500) — At the reverse end of the pricing spectrum is West, whom I may not trust as much as Freeman, but at $4,500 in Week 11, I trust West to have a strong game against the San Diego Chargers.

Wide Receivers: Amari Cooper ($6,800) — Carr has a lot of targets in Oakland, however, the top receiver this season has been Cooper.

With the recent emergence of Michael Crabtree, I am nervous about Cooper,

but I think Oakland will be passing more than rushing and there will be plenty of receptions to share in Week 11.

Kamar Aiken ($4,800) — With the loss of Steve Smith, Sr., two weeks ago, Aiken is now the No. 1 receiver on the Baltimore Ravens depth chart. Aiken may not produce as much as Smith did, but at $4,800, Aiken is one of the most affordable No. 1 receivers in Week 11.

I like Aiken in the upcoming week and the rest of the season.

Davante Adams ($4,600) — In Week 10, Adams was by far the favorite target for Aaron Rodgers with over 20 targets and double digit receptions. Although, he did not receive a touchdown... again, I expect that to finally change in Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Tight End: Rob Gronkowski ($7,700) — My other high-budget player this week, a player I never pick because he is outrageously expensive, is Gronk. However, in Week 11, I predict Gronkowski to have his best game of the season. Julian Edelman is hurt and Tom Brady needs his favorite target to step up this week so I think he will in a dramatic fashion.

Defense: Jacksonville Jaguars ($2,600) — Although I am not a fan of Jacksonville this year, their defense has played well in past weeks. In a really good matchup this week against the Tennessee Titans, for the first time ever, I trust Jacksonville’s defense.

4 6

LIONS

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 23

AROUND THE

DORM 5 3

George Tatoris “The Ref”

Michael Battista Sports Editor

Mackenzie Cutruzzula Sports Editor

Matt Bowker Staff Writer

In this week’s special edition of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” George Tatoris, asks our panel of past and present sports editors three questions: Should DraftKings and FanDuel be illegal? Are the Panthers or Bengals more likely to make it to the Super Bowl and should Kobe Bryant play in the 2016 Olympics?

1. Is New York state right about DraftKings and FanDuel? Should they be illegal?

Michael: I don’t agree with the ban if it’s permanent, it’s extremely dumb and gives New Yorkers more reason to come to the Garden State for their sports betting needs.

The allegations and stories about how users were able to bet and make moves after the deadline make me think websites like DraftKings need either more security or some regulation. At the same time, New York shouldn’t be telling residents how they can and cannot spend their money with this being such a gray area. DraftKings and FanDuel aren’t typical sports betting websites since, when it’s done right and not by users messing with the system, smart people make money for their planned out strategies. It’s an unfortunate situation for New Yorkers who use the site, but I expect the websites to return to state residents in a few weeks after some tune ups are made. If not, internet proxies are an option for those who need their one day fantasy teams.

AP Photo

Mackenzie: New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman must have taken a sip from his extra-large soda that former Mayor Bloomberg tried to ban just a few years ago. With all of that sugar in his head, it’s no wonder he set out on his own banning spree in New York.

It’s not a matter of DraftKings or FanDuel’s legality in this situation, it’s that a ban in one state won’t stop fans from finding online gambling. I’m not a political person, so I can’t say that I know what is best or if stopping people from gambling really is illegal, but just like

people would always find a way to get their XL soda fix, “banning” the online sites won’t really stop fans.

Matt: I don’t think daily fantasy sites like FanDuel and DraftKings should be illegal. To me, it’s not really gambling.

Unlike roulette, slot machines and most other forms of gambling, daily fantasy sites take skill. Players have to know which athletes to pick and which to pass on. Daily fantasy is not random. However, it is unfair, which is most likely why it was deemed illegal. The players that win big spend thousands of dollars, where the everyday man will only pay a 10th of that. The more money you spend joining multiple leagues, the better chance you have to win. When a casual player goes up against one of the richer players, who use formulas to maximize their rosters, they don’t stand a chance.

At least we have all been spared from the never-ending Fanduel commercials… for now.

Matt gets 3 points for saying the sites aren’t real gambling. Michael gets 2 points for pointing out the gray area and Mackenzie gets 1 point for saying that gambling wouldn’t stop.

AP Photo

2. The NFL season is halfway through and two teams, besides the Patriots, are undefeated. Which team is the better Super Bowl contender — the Panthers or the Bengals?

Michael: The Carolina Panthers have the bet-

ter chance to make it to Super Bowl Sunday than Cincinnati does. First of all, look at their remaining schedule! They play every team in the NFC East (minus the Eagles), the Saints and the Buccaneers. The only challenge they truly have is taking on Atlanta twice in the

span of three weeks, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they split those. Then in the playoffs, I think they’ll beat the fourth or fifth seed and walk by Green Bay who are busy having their yearly choke. That’s not even mentioning talent like tight end Greg Olsen, who at 30, is coming off a Pro Bowl season with numbers that could match his 2009 best. Quarterback Cam Newton has thrown for 14 touchdowns, and the running offense has been pretty solid the past few weeks. Everything is working so well that I honestly can’t see them not being in the Big Game.

Mackenzie: The Panthers have the heart and nerve that the Bengals lack to remain undefeated. That stems from the Panthers quarterback himself, Cam Newton. The five-year veteran is looking like a young Tom Brady at that time in his career, and, yes, that is referring to skills and looks. Jokes aside, Newton is out to protect the win streak with scrappy energy that has the team fired up. From ripping down a

Green Bay Packers banner that was hung outside his home stadium to throwing 297 yards that game, Newton is playoff ready because he is ready to protect his house.

Matt: As much as I don’t think the Panthers are for real, I believe in the Bengals and Andy Dalton even less. Every year it seems as though the Bengals impress in the NFC North and have high expectations heading into the playoffs. And then, Dalton reverts into one of the worst quarterbacks to ever play the game in the first round. The Bengals are much improved this year, and so is Dalton. Even if he doesn’t choke, the team still has no chance against the Patriots in a potential playoff matchup. As for the Panthers, I didn’t think they were good at all after five weeks. Then they beat the Eagles and the Packers and proved me wrong.

With their defense, and Newton protecting the ball, the Panthers have a real shot at winning the NFC.

Michael gets 3 points for mentioning the Panthers’ schedule. Mackenzie gets 2 points for getting to the heart of the matter and Matt gets 1 point for Dalton’s past disappointments.

3. Should 37-year-old Kobe Bryant be allowed to end his career with the 2016 Olympics like he wants, or should a younger star take his place?

Michael: Kobe Bryant should be replaced, because for two of the last four years, he hasn’t played a full season without dealing with some injury. The Olympics are supposed to showcase the best of the best in American sporting talent, and Kobe hasn’t proven himself in the past few years. There shouldn’t be a reserved seat for Kobe because he’s Kobe.

Younger stars like Jordan Clarkson and Andrew Wiggins (depending on how they do this year), could argue they deserve it, but it might be too soon for them (but I wouldn’t be against it). In the end, though, we all know the U.S.A. will win the gold metal in 2016 — they’ve won five out of the last six and no other country really looks as powerful.

Mackenzie: Had the Olympics not done away with baseball, there is no question that Derek Jeter would have held out his career to be sent off globally in the upcoming Rio Olympics.

No one would have questioned his abilities or motives, rather, they would have called him an

American hero and given him a worthy sendoff. Why isn’t the same being done for Kobe Bryant? A man with his legacy deserves to be sent off on the world’s stage with fans from around the world giving their proper farewells.

America’s Dream Team won’t disappoint so Bryant can end his career a winner, rather than not even making it to the playoffs with the Lakers who are still rebuilding. Jeter’s career came to a close in a similar fashion when the Yankees couldn’t pull off a successful season for their captain’s last go-around. Had Jeter gotten one last go at the Olympics there would have been an added layer to his farewell legacy. Bryant has that opportunity and deserves a chance to go out on top.

Matt: Sure he should be allowed. Olympic basketball is a joke, anyway. What difference does it make if Bryant or some 22-year-old kid rides the bench? Neither of them will make a difference, for better or worse. The U.S.A. will blow out almost every other team in the tournament, like always. Bryant is one of the best to ever play the game. He should be able to end things on his terms, even if he isn’t worthy of an Olympic roster spot.

Mackenzie gets three points for the Jeter comparison. Michael gets 2 points for Kobe’s injuries and Matt gets 1 point for saying Olympic basketball is a joke.

Michael wins Around the Dorm 7-6-5.

AP Photo

page 24 The Signal November 18, 2015

Fun Stuff Thanksgiving Sudoku!

Fill in the grid with the word “thanks.” Make sure every column, row and box contain the letters t, h, a, n, k and s.

Thanksgiving Jokes!

Q: Why did the turkey cross the road?

A: It was the chicken’s day off!

Q: What did the mama turkey say to her naughty son?

A: If your papa could see you now, he’d turn over in his gravy!

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 25 Cheap Seats

These Warriors just won’t stop winning

By Matthew Ajaj Staff Writer

Through the initial weeks of the 2015-16 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, one indisputable fact prevails — Stephen Curry is a very good basketball player. Averaging over 30 points per game in the young season and earning comparisons to the great Michael Jordan — Curry continues to find ways to improve despite already having received the NBA’s most coveted individual commemoration, the MVP award, just months ago. His dazzling dribbles, pretty passes and unparalleled shooting abilities led his Golden State Warriors squad to a championship last season and an 11-0 start to the 201516 season. Curry’s presence alone cements the Warriors as a championship contender.

At least, that is what ESPN wants to tell you. Believe it or not, the “Golden State Steph Curries” are anything but a one-man squad.

Like every other team in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors dress 13 players each time they take the court — however, this baker’s dozen of basketball players blends better than any other.

The team’s philosophy, “Strength in Numbers,” speaks volumes. Shooting guard Klay Thompson might just be the second-best shooter in the NBA,

The Golden Warriors celebrate their NBA championship win last June.

small forward Harrison Barnes adds athleticism and versatility to the floor, power forward Draymond Green has developed into the definition of a five-tool player and even defensive stalwart center Andrew Bogut is an NBA All-Defensive Second Teamer.

The bench supplies nightly contributions from matchup nightmare Shaun Livingston and the perennially underrated Finals MVP, Andre Iguodala. Together, they make up the deepest, most complete squad in the NBA. And

yet, their greatest asset is not their talent but rather a less palpable quality — selflessness.

In his first year as an NBA head coach, Steve Kerr pushed the team’s selflessness to its limit. Veteran All-Star David Lee was sent to the bench to insert Green into the starting lineup, and Iguodala took a seat in favor of Barnes. Lee and Iguodala put the team before their pride, and throughout the Warriors dominant 2014-15 regular season and gritty games down the stretch

AP Photo

it was clear that Kerr made the right move. Putting the team before the individual truly set the tone for the Warriors’ success.

This altruistic attitude also finds its way into the frenetic Golden State offensive attack, which does not work without constant, fluid passing. The Warriors players disregard individual statistics as they seek out the best possible scoring option on every play. The fast-paced, persistent passing becomes possible due to the

Men’s Basketball

team’s unbreakable chemistry — the players are always on the same page and constantly aware of their teammates’ positioning. This powerful trust derives from the team’s progressive strides made off the court, where they constantly make an effort to hang out together.

They especially relish the opportunity to meet up for meals while on road trips.

The Golden State Warriors perfectly exemplify what it means to be a team. Ego has no place on a squad of players that puts winning as its priority while also having fun together in the process.

Considerable credit must be given to Warriors owner Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, who completely reformed the culture of the team when they gained ownership in 2010. Much praise should also go toward general manager Bob Myers, who has a knack for acquiring talented, coachable players.

The Warriors are currently without head coach Kerr, who is recovering from back surgery.

Nevertheless, next man up Luke Walton has coached the squad to a perfect record to start the season as the Warriors show no sign of slowing down. Look for the Warriors and headliner Steph “Chef” Curry to cook up another championship run as Golden State continues to cater the right ingredients for success.

Swimming

Lions fall in opener Swimming cramps up Split tournament games

By Jessica Ganga Features Editor

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Junior Nick Alaimo scores.

By Otto Gomez Staff Writer

The Lions’ men’s basketball team opened up their 2015-16 season with a tough loss in the first game of Wheaton Tip-Off Tournament on Friday, Nov. 13, against Salve Regina by a score of 80-79.

The team rebounded against Wheelock College on Saturday, Nov. 14, coming up with the 89-65 win.

While the team started off slow against Salve Regina in the first half, they picked up after ending the first half down, 49-40. They were able to start the second period off hot, erasing the ninepoint deficit in less than five minutes.

At one point the Lions took the lead, thanks to their very tough defense that held Salve Regina scoreless for the first five minutes of the second half. For the

rest of the half, both teams battled back and forth, trading shots until the end of the game.

However, the team ended up on the wrong side of the one point margin, coming up just short of victory in the last seconds.

Things look bright for the team, though, as sophomore guard Eric Murdock, Jr., posted a strong stat line with 19 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four steals. The team also got a great contribution from freshman Kevin Bloodgood, who scored 12 points off the bench.

In the second day of the Tip-Off Tournament, the Lions faced off against Wheelock College and bounced back in a strong way, posting their highest scoring total since the 2011-12 season.

The team was hot from the beginning, as they took a nine-point lead and kept the momentum of the game into halftime.

After the break, the Lions showed no sign of letting up as they scored 51 points in the second half, with the result of the game ending up as 89-65.

Murdock put up yet another strong stat line, recording 19 points, six assists and three rebounds, earning him an AllTournament Team spot. More importantly, another Lions freshman stepped up with a strong game, this time it being 6’5” forward Jordan Glover, who put up a resounding 18 points and 14 rebounds.

The Lions hope to continue this strong play in their home opener this Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. against Western Connecticut State in Packer Hall Gymnasium.

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams made their way to the Big Apple this past weekend to compete against New York University (NYU). On Saturday, Nov. 14, both teams fell to NYU. Despite the losses, both teams performed well in various events and are focusing on the future, not allowing the one “L” in the column affect the rest of their season.

The men’s team lost a close meet to the NYU Violets, 151-147.

Once again, the Lions posted impressive numbers and dominated events in the water.

Freshman Alex Skoog took first in two events from the meet. In the men’s 100-yard backstroke Skoog swam for a time of 52.24, just beating out his NYU opponent. Skoog competed in another close race, where he beat out an NYU swimmer by a second in the men’s 200-backstroke with a time of 1:52.61.

In the men’s 500-yard freestyle, junior Ryan Gajdzisz finished with a time of 3:46.69.

In the men’s 1,000-yard freestyle — a 40-lap race — he posted a time of 9:59.00, taking third in the event.

In the men’s 100-yard breaststroke, senior James Shangle posted an impressive time of 57.19, just beating out his NYU opponent who had a time of 57.58. Shangle had another close race in the men’s 200-yard breaststroke, beating a Violet swimmer by one second, clocking in a time of 2:07.31.

The women’s swimming team fell to the Violets, 207-87, but came into the meet knowing that they were competing against a team who, at the time of the meet, was ranked fourth in the nation — the team has since dropped to fifth.

“NYU women’s team is ranked fourth in

the country right now,” coach Jennifer Harnett said. “They are fast and have a lot of depth so we knew going into the meet that it was going to be challenging. We looked at it as an opportunity to swim against the type of team we want to get back to being in the next few years.”

Even with the loss, the women still performed their very best and never gave up in the water.

In the women’s 400-IM, the Lions went first, second and third in the event. Sophomore Debbie Meskin coasted into first with a time of 4:59.41. Seniors Melissa Haley and Sarah Richards followed to place second and third with times of 5:08.20 and 5:11.29, respectively.

Sophomore Marta Lawler inched out an NYU swimmer in the women’s 100-yard freestyle. Lawler placed third in the event with a time of 1:10.57, her opponent came in fourth with a time of 1:10.73.

The women dominated the 400-yard freestyle for a second week in a row, taking first, second and third in the event. The first place team consisted of Lawler, sophomores Ali Huber and Emily Rothstein and senior Lauren Rothstein. The team swam for an impressive time of 3:47.69.

Though it’s tough to see a loss in the column, both teams look to the future and focus on the next meets to come. In their case it will be the TCNJ Invitational, a mid-season meet that mimics the format of the Metropolitan Swim Conference, according to Harnett.

“We will do a couple days of rest for (the invitational) to hopefully produce some faster in season best times, but we will not do a full shave and taper like we do for the conference championship,” Harnett said.

page 26 The Signal November 18, 2015 Wrestling

Wrestling hits the mat hard for strong start

By Connor Smith Staff Writer The Lions began their wrestling season strong on Wednesday, Nov. 11, with a decisive 28-10 victory over Stevens Institute of Technology and kept the momentum on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Ursinus College’s Fall Brawl, where five competitors placed for the finish.

The team battled in front of a packed Packer Hall crowd, including 65 wrestling alumni who were honored before the match as part of the College’s wrestling program celebrating its 50 year history.

“We circled this day on our calendar,” coach Joe Galante said.

“This was really important for us to get off to a good start.”

Stevens took an early 4-0 lead, scoring a major decision in the 125 weight class, but sophomore James Goldschmidt responded immediately with an impressive 3:14 win by fall at 133.

“I knew it was going to be a tough battle at 125,” Galante said.

“Getting the pin at 133 really got the momentum going.”

After claiming a 6-4 lead, the Lions never looked back. Sophomore Ryan Budzek followed it up with a victory by decision at 141. Senior Steven Schneider then battled to win a decision at 149, extending

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Mancella comes out strong to start the season, securing a victory in the first match. the Lions’ lead to 12-4.

At 157, senior Antonio Mancella fought hard to secure a victory by decision, bringing the lead to 14-5.

“I knew it was important,” Mancella said. “I just wanted to win for the team.”

Junior Nick Herring (wrestling at 165) and senior Doug Hamann (174) helped improve the lead to 18-4 by both scoring decisions.

“One-hundred-sixty-five was a little bit of a surprise in that we

dominated their wrestler,” Galante said. “Their wrestler won a tournament last weekend, and I thought we were going to get a little more out of him.”

Junior Dan Wojtaszek capped off the streak by scoring a major decision at 184.

The Ducks chipped the lead down to 25-10 with a 6:57 DQ victory at 197, but heavyweight sophomore Kyle Cocozza put Stevens away by scoring a decision,

making the final score, 28-10, in favor of the College.

“They had a tough freshman come out and wrestle our AllAmerican,” Galante said.

Mancella’s bout was among the most exciting and well-fought from both sides.

“Everyone jokes, ‘It’s like wrestling with yourself,’ because we wrestle very similarly,” Mancella said. “He wrestled tough.”

The Lions’ demonstrated their

preparation throughout their match with Stevens.

“It’s always a big match between us and Stevens,” Mancella said. “We put a lot of focus on this match in particular across the team.”

The Lions carried their momentum into the Ursinus College Fall Brawl on Saturday, where the team entered 18 wrestlers, and fielded five place winners overall.

Sophomore Constantine Rissiotis bounced back from his DQ against Stevens by winning the title at 197. Hamman also followed up his strong start by winning the title at 174.

Herring and Wojtaszek earned second place honors in their respective weights while freshman Ryan Erwin began his collegiate career with a strong fourth place finish.

Rivera, Budzek, Cocozza and sophomore Kellen Whitney all won three matches.

The Lions will look to keep their impressive start going on Wednesday, Nov. 18, when they matchup against King’s College on the road in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. at 7 p.m.

“My end goal is NCAA’s top eight podium,” Mancella said.

“I’m just trying to get better every match.”

Field / Lions win regionals Lions start season off shakey Field Hockey

Women’s Basketball

Team heads to nationals again continued from page 28

poked in the ball.

The Falcons hastily responded when sophomore forward Corissa Gehman scored off a penalty-stroke goal. In the 15th minute, the Falcons scored again when junior forward Moriah Pfautz launched a shot to the left of the box.

The Lions began to struggle with possession as many turnovers occurred and the Falcons took advantage by forcing multiple penalty corners.

But, the Lions found their rhythm in the second period. They scored three goals and shutout the Falcons’ offense. In Lions’ Stadium, the team knows that there is no such thing as too many penalty corners, and the Lions recorded 12 that game.

In the 38th minute, junior defender Alex Magnotta sent a pass to the left side where Barrett finished off a wide open goal. The Lions repeatedly forced more penalty corners until Morrison scored from the 10-yard line to give the Lions a 3-2 lead.

“At first, the team was playing fragmented,” coach Sharon Pfluger said. “Then in the second half, the team started playing more cohesively and cooperatively just like we have done during the season.”

In the 59th minute, Smith received a pass from Barrett’s penalty corner and scored from the top of the circle. With 10 minutes remaining, the Lions hardened their defense while the Falcons attempted to gain possession.

When the final whistle blew, the players raced to the field and embraced each other in jubilation. The Lions won the NCAA regional championship round to advance to the national semifinals. “(It) feels surreal to be back,” Smith said. “I can’t put it into words. Being back there again, it almost feels like home.”

Now two games away from sealing the national championship again, the Lions are traveling down south to Lexington, Va., to face off against the 18-2 Middlebury College Panthers at Washington and Lee University on Saturday, Nov. 21.

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Mikayla Cimilluca remains impressive in the playoff tournament.

Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk

Esposito shoots from the free throw.

By Anthony Caruso Staff Writer

The College’s women’s basketball team got off to a rough start to their season in the DeSales Tip-off Tournament, on Saturday, Nov. 14. They lost both games to their Pennsylvania competition, Widener University and the University of Scranton, in very close fashion.

In their first game of the DeSales TipOff, the Lions lost, 59-53, to the Scranton Lady Royals.

Royals’ junior forward Alexix Roman had 22 points and seven rebounds. She was the only player in double figures on her team.

Other Royals, junior Sarah Payonk and seniors Jaclyn Gantz and Noelle Alicea all had eight points each.

The Lady Royals scored 15 compared to the Lions’ 13 in the fourth quarter for the win.

In the third quarter, Scranton scored 22 points, while the Lions had 17.

At halftime, Scranton led the Lions, 23-22.

Both teams had 15 in a quarter, while the College had eight in the first quarter and the Lady Royals had seven in the second.

Scranton shot 45.1 percent from the field.

They were also eight for 12 from the free throw line. The Lions, on the other hand, shot 36.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from the free throw line.

Freshman Kate O’Leary scored a careerhigh 15 points in her first collegiate game.

She was followed by sophomore Charlotte Schum, who added 14 and senior Angelica Esposito, who scored 12.

Senior Jess Lynch added seven, while fellow senior Christina Merlin added five more.

On the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 15, in the consolation game of the tournament, the Lions lost, 59-55, to the Widener University Pride.

The Pride were led by sophomore Allison Gallagher, who had a game-high 22 points. Senior Brianna Wylie was the Pride player in double-figures, as she had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

At halftime, the Pride led, 31-23.

The Lions trailed, 14-10, after the first quarter, then, 17-13, in the second.

Both teams had 10 points each in the third, before the Lions went on a 2218 run to end the game, but it was not enough to win.

Esposito had 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, along with two steals.

Junior Katy Amato added 11 points and seven rebounds, as the two players in double digits.

The Lions shot 35.5 percent from the field. They were three for four from the free throw line, as O’Leary had the lone miss.

O’Leary had eight points in her second collegiate game. Schum added six, while junior Kim Dana had five.

The Lions look to win their first home game on Tuesday, Nov. 17, against Moravian University.

November 18, 2015 The Signal page 27 Cross Country

Lions lack fire at regional tournament

Photos courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Left: Tedeschi individually qualifies for the national comepition. Right: Junior Laura Straub and Lerit pace each other in the pack.

By George Tatoris Staff Writer More than 500 cross country runners from schools across New York and New Jersey gathered for the NCAA Division III Atlantic Region Championships this Saturday, Nov. 14, which were hosted by SUNY Geneseo.

The Lions went in with high expectations — the men’s team was ranked third in the region and the women were ranked eighth. But the competition would turn out to be too much.

Both teams finished ninth out of 37 schools, failing to qualify for the NCAA National Championship as a team. The women had 241 points while the men had 264.

One of the most difficult obstacles was the sheer number of runners on the course — over 250 competitors were in each race.

“There were so many girls packed up and I got stuck on the inside of a lot of

turns,” senior Carly Martz said.

In addition, with temperatures dropping around 20 degrees and only reaching the late 30s and early 40s this weekend, some runners found it difficult to adapt to the cold.

“For me, personally, it was kind of hard to breathe,” senior Marissa Lerit said.

The cold and the crowded course didn’t stop Lerit from being the first Lion across the finish in the women’s 6k, coming in at 22:58.0, earning her 32nd place.

Freshman Erin Holzbaur and Martz were the next two Lions across the finish line, coming in at 47th and 49th, respectively, with a runner from Rochester University in between them.

“I raced pretty much how I always race,” Martz said. “Unfortunately, this wasn’t the race to go out slow in.”

Martz said her first mile was shorter than what she wanted. To make matters worse, the crowds made it difficult to catch up. When she finally reached Holzbaur and freshman Madeleine Tattory ahead of her,

she was exhausted, but Holzbaur encouraged her to pick up the pace.

Holzbaur came in at 23:16.7 and Martz at 23:19.9. Tattory came in 51st at 23:27.1. The final scoring runner was freshman Emma Bean, who came in at 62nd at 23:37.0.

The women’s team met expectations according to coach Justin Lindsey. Since five of the team’s top seven runners are freshmen, the young team will be able to grow.

“We will build on this season and look forward to the coming years with this group,” Lindsey said.

The men’s team did not see as much success as the women.

“The competition was very talented,” junior Andrew Tedeschi said.

Tedeschi was the first Lion across the finish line, coming in 12th, with a time of 25:43.9. While the team itself did not qualify for nationals, Tedeschi’s performance was enough to qualify him as an independent.

“I gave the race my best effort and I’m

happy with how it went,” Tedeschi said.

The next Lion did not cross the finish line for another 30 seconds — senior Jon Stouber finished 34th with a time of 26:14.6.

After another 30-second gap, senior Roberto Guiducci crossed the finish line at 26:45.2, earning him 67th place.

Behind him, senior Tyler Grimm and junior Brandon Mazzarella finished with less than half a second between them. Grimm took 75th at 26:56.0 and Mazzarella took 76th at 26:56.2.

The ninth place finish was leagues below their third place seed.

“The men did not step up to the competition like we hoped they would,” Lindsey said. “They had an off day and it cost us.”

With this meet, cross country is done for the year. For seniors, it also marks the end of collegiate cross country.

“It was a great season,” Martz said. “I wish I had 100 more.”

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“Going into the game versus Rider we knew it would be a battle,” Collins said. “I thought we came out strong for the first period… unfortunately, Rider was able to capitalize on their power play chances and the momentum started to turn. The game seemed to be a special teams battle and even though we produced, I would have liked to see more.

In these competitive games it is important to match the other team.”

But there wasn’t much time for the College to dwell on the loss as they took their home ice the following day to match the Princeton University Tigers, on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Fueled by a loss to Princeton earlier in the season, the Lions redeemed themselves with a 4-2 win.

“Having a game the next day is a great opportunity to prove ourselves with the fresh, unsettling feeling of a loss,” Collins said. “We knew we couldn’t drop a second game to Princeton with the tight conference standings.”

Collins credited assistant coach Paul Batcho for firing up the team with a locker room speech about resiliency.

“The team definitely took it to heart as we jumped to a quick 3-0 lead,” Collins said.

Suplizio netted a shorthanded goal early in the first. A little over a minute later, DiBrita tipped in a one-timer from junior defender Gary L’Heureux. To finish the first, 3-0, Collins worked his way around the Princeton defense until he had the perfect shot into the top right pocket of the net.

Almost too comfortable with the dominating lead, the Lions fell flat in the second, giving up a goal while on a power play. Princeton found its way again, with just under 10 minutes to go in the third, with another goal to lessen the Lions’ lead. But with one second left on the clock, DiBrita sealed the deal with an empty net goal.

“In the end we pulled out the win, and that’s what good teams do,” Collins said.

“Even though it wasn’t our best game I think we can put it behind us and come prepared for this week’s practice.”

The Lions will hit the road next to take on the University of Pennsylvania on Friday, Nov. 20.

Signal

Sports

Field hockey set to defend NCAA title

Photos courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Left: Morrison adds a goal for the Lions’ shutout over Rhodes College. Right: The team celebrates their regional round win.

By Miguel Gonzalez Staff Writer

The Lions are heading back to Lexington, Va., after defeating Rhodes College and Messiah College at Lions’ Stadium during the weekend of Saturday, Nov. 14. Like the previous year, the Lions were able to advance to the national semifinals with the home crowd cheering them on. But now, the Lions have a national championship to defend.

“Being the defending national champion, every other team is out to get you,” junior defender Lexi Smith said. “Every single game is important and nothing can be taken for granted. We just need to worry about living in the moment and enjoying the experience of competing at

the highest level. Last season was last season, we cannot coast on being the 2014 national champions. We must make a name for ourselves again. To do that, we’re determined and ready to give it all we got.”

On Saturday, the Lions shutout the Rhodes College Lynx, 3-0. The Lions never stopped shooting until the last whistle. Within four minutes, freshman forward Taylor Barrett and senior forward Alicia Wagner shot toward Lynx sophomore goalie Laura Eckelkamp.

However, Eckelkamp kicked both shots and recorded two saves. In the 12th minute, Barrett passed from the right side of the circle towards junior midfielder Jaclyn Douglas, who whacked the ball into the net. Five minutes later,

freshman forward Elizabeth Morrison scored off a rebound from Lynx goalie Eckelkamp. The Lions continued to pound the Lynx defense with multiple shots and penalty corners.

With a 2-0 lead on the board, the Lions continued their offensive dominance. At the 39th minute, Barrett hit a fastball that bounced off the right post.

Douglas followed up with another shot that hit the post.

Two minutes later, Morrison received a pass from junior midfielder Danielle Andreula and scored a goal through the legs of Eckelkamp. The Lynx quickly charged through the Lions’ half of the field. Lynx senior midfielder Alex Friedman attempted to dribble and shoot toward the box until junior goalie Kelly

Schlupp came in for a save. The Lions ended the second period with a pile of continuous penalty corners while regulating the Lynx to only four shots.

A few hours later after their victory, the Lions witnessed Messiah College’s 3-0 win against SUNY New Paltz. The Lions were prepared to encounter the familiar foe the next day, Sunday, Nov. 15. In contrast to the Saturday, Sept. 19, matchup, the Lions did not need more than 70 minutes to win the match.

The Lions defeated the Messiah College Falcons, 4-2, after scoring three uninterrupted goals in the second period. As usual, the Lions scored the first goal as they rushed into the box and Andreula see FIELD page 26

100 points later, captain DiBrita remains humble

By Julie Kayzerman Editor-in-Chief

Senior forward and captain Salvatore DiBrita will never tell you about his individual accomplishments on the Lions’ ice hockey team. Instead, he’ll talk about the pride he has in his teammates, reluctant to take any personal credit for the team’s success.

So it was only fitting that his teammates were by his side when a simple secondary assist, just like the several others he’s had before, went down in the books, marking his 100th career point as a Lion.

The feat was made even sweeter being accomplished on home ice at the Louck’s Ice Center on Friday, Nov. 13. While the point didn’t come from a flashy move and a dramatic goal, it was the perfect 100th point for DiBrita, who prides himself on assists and being a playmaker for his teammates, rather than scoring goals himself.

“He doesn’t care about how many points he has,” said freshman Jason Uibel, the team’s

Lions’ Lineup November 18, 2015

I n s i d e

Julie Kayzerman / Editor-in-Chief

The Lions bounce back from a tough loss to defeat Princeton University.

equipment manager. “All he really cares about is this team winning, and that’s a true leader.”

It was senior defenseman and co-captain Matt Martin who sniped the puck into the net during the Lions’ Friday bout against Rider University off an assist from junior forward and co-captain Kevin Collins, who received the puck from DiBrita.

As the three captains strung together a beautiful play to put the Lions’ back on the scoreboard, DiBrita skated off the ice with the milestone, overpowering the Lions’ tough loss to the Broncs, 4-2.

“Sal can be described as the ultimate team player,” Collins said. “As our captain, he does countless things for the team

that don’t show up on the scoreboard, like blocking shots, laying big hits and setting up screens.

For a guy that is not concerned about personal points, but rather team wins, it is very impressive to reach 100.”

With 25 goals so far this season, DiBrita is the team’s second leading goalscorer, behind Collins. He leads the team with

17 assists so far this season in only 15 games, just shy of already surpassing his total of 21 assists from last season.

“I’ve been blessed to play with teammates who have a knack for scoring,” DiBrita said.

“Without them, I wouldn’t be anywhere close to that mark.”

The Lions jumped out against Rider with the early lead after a Martin wrist shot from the point off of a Collins assist to keep the Lions at 1-0 after the first period.

However, about two minutes into the second, the tides turned as junior forward Will Sulpizio received a five-minute major penalty for boarding, leaving the Lions on an extended penalty kill. The Broncs gained momentum and ran with it, scoring three power play goals during the major penalty — a lead that the Lions were never able to overcome, despite a second goal from Martin later on in the period. see ICE page 27

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