The Signal: Fall '15 No. 9

Page 1

Breaking news, blogs, and more at TCNJSignal.net. Vol. XLIII, No. 9

October 28, 2015

Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885

On-campus Homecoming unites Lions of all ages jobs hard to come by By Colleen Murphy Managing Editor

Senior health and exercise science major Victoria Kerr knew she wanted to have a job while in college. So while she was getting ready to attend the College four years ago, she applied to several on-campus jobs. One of the jobs she applied to was to be a box office cashier for the Center for the Arts. The employer emailed Kerr asking to have an interview and a few days after they spoke, Kerr heard back from the Center of the Arts — she had gotten the job. For four years now, Kerr has sold tickets to students, faculty, staff and the public for concerts and dances; handled the phone and answered any questions that patrons might have had, either in the Don Evans Black Box Theater, Mildred and Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall or Kendall Hall Main Stage Theater. “I enjoy dealing with the public,” Kerr said. “Our events can generate large crowds which sometimes proves to be a challenge, but usually everything see WORKER page 2

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Cheerleaders engage the crowd, performing at MainStage during the day.

By Jennifer Goetz Staff Writer

Smells like team spirit? It certainly did at the College’s annual Homecoming event on Saturday, Oct. 24, which concluded this year’s Spirit Week. Homecoming is the culmination of school pride, with current students and alumni joining together in celebration. The day was packed full of events, including the announcements of the Homecoming spirit winner and the Homecoming king

and queen, as well as the highly anticipated football matchup, tailgate and MainStage performances and activities. Several organizations on campus competed in the College’s Spirit Week activities, with each team representing a different decade. There were a number of field events, including a three-legged race and a human pyramid with judges evaluating their performances for each. The Lip Sync and Dance Competition, held at the Recreation Center on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m., was a chance for spirit teams

to use their “decade” to create a lip sync skit about the Lions football team prevailing over the Montclair Red Hawks during their Homecoming game, while the dance portion utilized fresh choreography to a mix of songs with the theme of their decade. The Lions followed through for the Homecoming game at 1 p.m., delivering a 23-20 win in an exciting matchup. In the fourth quarter, the Lions scored a touchdown, followed closely by a Red Hawks touchdown, as well. But the Lions managed to keep their lead by the end of the game to edge out the Hawks and claim their first win of the season. At halftime, the Homecoming court walked onto the field. Senior marketing major Alex Moskal from Phi Alpha Delta fraternity and senior accounting major Alyssa Blochlinger from Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority were named Homecoming king and queen. At the end of the game, it was announced that the spirit team winner for 2015 was Delta Phi Epsilon and Co. as they channeled the 1920s for this Homecoming’s “Decades” theme. Saturday’s tailgate, which ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., was held in lots 4 and 6. This gave students and alumni the chance to mingle, eat, drink and celebrate the College’s spirit. Lot 6 was designated for alumni and guests while Lot 4 was open to all, with colored wristbands separating those who were see HOMECOMING page 3

Spirit Week raises Homecoming hype Lecture fights

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Students gather for free pep rally gear before Homecoming.

By Tom Ballard Staff Writer

The College was perfused with blue and gold last week during Spirit Week, which sought to raise pride for the school,

INDEX: Nation & World / Page 12

Follow us at...

The Signal @tcnjsignal

leading up to its Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 24. The week, which began on Monday Oct. 19, and carried through until Friday Oct. 23, was the College’s 28th annual Homecoming Spirit Week and was filled Editorial / Page 13

with a variety of activities and contests ranging from men’s cheerleading to lip syncing battles. The week brought the College back in time, with teams having to abide by the theme of “Decades” in their performances and painted murals. During the week, the Homecoming Spirit Week Committee kept track of the performance of each of the 10 Spirit Week teams that were comprised of 23 of the College’s organizations. The team consisting of Delta Phi Epsilon and Co. were proclaimed as the overall victors after the week’s 12 different scorable events. Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Kappa and Sigma Lambda Beta placed second and Phi Sigma Sigma and Alpha Chi Rho took third. The lip sync contest, according to Homecoming Spirit Week Chair Nicole DiMarco, was the largest event with an audience of approximately 1,400 students. The battle was won by the team comprised of Phi Alpha Delta, Delta Zeta and Delta Epsilon Psi, with their contemporary performance of 2015. Delta Phi Epsilon and Co. followed in second with their rendition of the Roaring 1920s and a spin-off of

stigma of mental health By Emma Califano Correspondent

What do Demi Lovato, Abraham Lincoln and Brandon Marshall have in common? The same thing that one in four people in the world suffer from: mental health disorders. Kurt and Tricia Baker have devoted their lives to Attitudes in Reverse (A.I.R.), a program that combats the negative stigma associated with mental health disorders, after the suicide of their son, Kenny, at age 19. In the library auditorium on Wednesday, Oct. 21, the Bakers gave a presentation about mental health awareness and the dangers associated with it having a negative connotation. “Kenny was a great kid, a hard worker and a swimmer who loved his family, his friends and his loving girlfriend,” said Kenny’s father, Kurt. “But he suffered from a severe case of dyslexia and depression, which ultimately took his life.”

see SPIRIT page 3

Opinions / Page 15

Features / Page 19

see STIGMA page 5

Arts & Entertainment / Page 23

Sports / Page 27

Queer Awareness Month Vigil held for those who lost their lives

Multiplicities Senior art exhibition highlights student work

Football Lions pick up first win of the season, 23-20

See Features page 19

See A&E page 23

See Sports page 32


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.