Fall '24 Issue No. 7

The Signal

Vol. LIV, No. 7

https://www.tcnjsignalnews.com/

December 6, 2024

Serving The College of New Jersey since 1885

Custodian privatization sparks legal and safety concerns

By Parisa Burton Opinions Editor

The College announced in an email on Nov. 20 that it will privatize the rest of its custodial services through ABM Industries, which currently serves about half of the residential and academic buildings on campus. The remaining building service operations are currently fulfilled by two unions: CWA and IFPTE. The implementation has an anticipated completion of March 31, 2025. Current janitorial and moving team members will have the opportunity to apply for ABM positions, represented by the Services Employees International Union.

According to Vice President of Operations Sharon Blanton in campus outreach email, The College expects significant savings of $8 million in the first five years of the contract, working towards their goal of cutting its operations budget by $20 million.

“An $8 million dollar savings in five or eight years is a drop in the bucket,” said Linda Gagnon, an IFPTE building maintenance worker at the College since 2013. “I would not have left [the College] as soon if we weren’t thrown away by them changing their cleaning positions to ABM.” In a response letter to the College, Kathleen Hernandez, President of CWA Local 1031, outlined three key issues with the College’s decision to privatize custodial services.

First, according to Hernandez, the College’s actions violate their State Worker

Photo by Andre Paras

The College decided to privatize remaining building service operations.

Contract, which could lead the union to file a grievance. Second, the College is violating New Jersey’s subcontracting law, which provides grounds for legal action. Third, the alleged savings from privatization are questionable.

Hernandez alleged that this decision specifically violates N.J.S.A 34:13A-50 which restricts subcontracting agreements involving public employers, including state colleges and universities without prior notification or engagement with the affected unions.

As stated in the letter, The College is currently under a 2023-27 contract with CWA and other unions, and if subcontracting proceeds, all affected

union members would be entitled to damages under New Jersey legislation.

“You can’t contract out people during the life of the contract,” Hernandez said in an interview. “There was no interaction.

There was no talking with us, and their numbers are not real.”

President Michael Bernstein told The Signal in an interview that the College has carefully reviewed the numbers.

“We spent a fair amount of time kicking the tires on those numbers, so we certainly are not surprised that the union would beg to differ with our estimates, but we’re pretty confident,” Bernstein said.

According to Hernandez, the College has failed to consider all of the factors

that contribute to the costs, including reimbursements that New Jersey state colleges receive like sick and vacation time, pension, health benefits and more.

“They need to explain how they came up with what they think they’re gonna save,” Hernandez said.

Aside from the legal concerns, another issue the CWA has with the College’s decision to subcontract is the safety of students.

“By contracting out custodial work, it could impact all the students because we don’t know who’s gonna be in the buildings,” Hernandez said. “At Rowan University…they have faced a lot of issues because there’s no background checks.

People have access to the students’ rooms and it’s an unsafe environment.”

The timeline for addressing these concerns remains uncertain, according to Bernstein.

“Whether the proposal will be approved…That’ll take anywhere from a month to longer for us to get a response...

I can’t predict the timing of the Civil Service Commission,” Bernstein said.

“They, in the end, have to make the final determinations.”

The CWA is urging the College to negotiate with the unions to avoid legal action.

“They should not be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on temporary staff who do not know the contracts or the laws in N.J.,” Hernandez said. “The bottom line is if they’re breaking our contract and they’re breaking the law, what’s to say they’re not gonna do it to other units?”

Bernstein looking forward to spring semester, holiday season Some students face Plan Coordinated Action Teams have another successful year. Alongside the challenges with been making efforts to meet its revenue class of 2025, the President will attend generating goals. The CATs are on track commencement in May to send off the spring enrollment to deliver reports to Bernstein by the end graduating class.

Photo courtesy of Anthony DePrimo

The president is excited for the spring.

By Ally Uhlendorf and Isabella Darcy Managing Editors With the fall 2024 semester coming to an end, the College is preparing to announce what progress it has made throughout the last three months. The Signal sat down with President Michael Bernstein on Dec. 3 to reflect on this semester and discuss future plans for the College.

As the College continues working to tackle budget shortfalls, LIONS

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of this month, who will update the campus community once he finishes processing what he is informed of.

Bernstein said he was proud of the College this semester for the way the entire campus community navigated the 2024 presidential election.

Given the speculation around Presidentelect Donald Trump pledging to close the Department of Education, the College is paying close attention to the news and will “respond as circumstances require,” according to Bernstein.

While the closing of the federal Department of Education could bring challenges to the College, so could a continued lack of state funding.

“Elected officials in Trenton, there are a lot of mouths to feed, a lot of people asking for support, whether it’s in education or in healthcare, in infrastructure, in the industry, in the K through 12 space,” Bernstein said.

“Everybody has needs. The state has finite resources.”

Despite these challenges the College is working to navigate, Bernstein is optimistic about the near future.

Looking ahead to the spring semester, Bernstein is looking forward to celebrating

FEATURES

page 4

TCNJ earns DEP grant

The College was given a $42,000 grant to allow a waste and recycle audit to be conducted on the campus.

OPINIONS

“My first commencement was a delight last May, so I’m looking forward to round two,” Bernstein said. “What does not get tiring is getting genuine reactions each time from the graduating class.”

In addition to the graduating class, Bernstein is looking forward to the spring sports season — both at the College and in the major leagues.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the outcomes for [the College’s] teams, they did remarkably well last year,” Bernstein said. “As a Yankees fan, it was a difficult end to that season, we got our heads handed to us by the Los Angeles Dodgers, so I’m looking forward to the next baseball season.”

To end off the semester and celebrate the holiday season, Bernstein will spend time watching his two favorite holiday movies: “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “The Wizard of Oz.” As a child, Bernstein loved to watch “The Wizard of Oz” when it was shown once a year during the holiday season, so it has now become a holiday classic.

As the College moves into the new year, Bernstein will be providing updates on the evolving initiatives to the campus community at the start of the new semester. page 5

Mental health during finals Exerting yourself to the point of burnout is far too normalized in college culture, and this needs to change.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

By Tristan Weisenbach and Isabella Darcy Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor Hundreds of students are having trouble enrolling in classes at the College for the second semester in a row due to lower budgets for adjunct sections, an increase in the number of full-time students, faculty vacancies and other factors.

As of Nov. 22, 737 undergraduate students were only enrolled in less than three units for the spring 2025 semester. 284 of those are firstyear students, according to data provided to The Signal by a program assistant in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Anyone enrolled in less than three units is considered a part-time student.

“We knew by Wednesday of the second week of registration that there was nothing left in most classes, and particularly those that served the college core,” the HSS program assistant said.

According to the program assistant, the number of students under-enrolled this semester is more than typical. However, they did not provide any specific numbers to compare from previous semesters.

See ENROLLMENT on page 2

page 12

TCNJ Bands perform

Concert Band, Wind Orchestra and Wind Ensemble performed for the last time during the fall semester on Nov. 22.

SPORTS

NFL predictions

page 15

The Signal’s sports staff put together their predictions for the Super Bowl Champion.

page 2 The Signal December 6, 2024

ENROLLMENT/ Hundreds of students have trouble enrolling in classes

Photo by Brooke Zevon

Numerous departments had difficulty providing enough classes for students.

Continued from page 1 Marimar Huguet Jerez, the department chair of world languages and culture, said the “My courses up until my actual enrollment number of adjunct sections that her department time had just kept closing and closing and could offer this year was reduced due to budget closing,” said Rebecca St Fleur, a freshman challenges. In addition, her department has lost English major. “So even five minutes before my five faculty members in the last three years, none time, I had to keep looking up classes to figure of which have been replaced. it out.”

“I mean, it’s like a ticking time bomb,” Marie Barger, a sophomore women’s, Huguet Jerez said. “Who’s going to teach these gender and sexuality studies major, told The students?”

Signal that she is worried the lack of available Her department offered eight sections of classes for the upcoming spring semester will Spanish 102, the most popular basic sequence throw her off track from graduating on time. course, in spring 2024. However, there are only “My enrollment period, it wasn’t late but it five sections being offered this upcoming spring. also wasn’t super early, and every single class For Spanish 103, nine sections were offered I wanted was filled up,” Barger said. “Every last spring, but only six are being offered next single one.” semester.

Elissa Paranich, a sophomore sociology and “We serve almost half of the student body criminology double major, said she had three of this institution because of the language courses to enroll in but struggled to enroll in requirement,” Huguet Jerez said. a fourth. The class she wanted had four seats According to data provided by Luke Sacks, left immediately before her enrollment time. the College’s head media relations officer, there However, she was still unsuccessful. was a 4.1% increase in the number of full-time “In the time it took for me to hit ‘enroll,’ the equivalent undergraduate students at the College four seats were gone,” Paranich said. from fall 2023 to fall 2024: 6743 to 7020.

However, some students, especially seniors, An HSS professor who spoke on the told The Signal they did not have issues enrolling condition of anonymity said another contributing in classes for next semester. Sydney Eltringham, factor to the registration difficulties is the number a senior political science major, said she did not of faculty members who accepted the voluntary have any trouble with enrollment, but knew of separation incentive plan this past spring. other students who did. Seniors typically have The proposition allowed faculty members the earliest enrollment time periods, and some and librarians over the age of 60 or who have seniors do not enroll in a full four-course load. worked at the College for more than 20 years Numerous departments across the College, to complete an alternate assignment for one especially those that offer College Core classes, year before retiring. Most alternate assignments told The Signal they had difficulty providing began this fall. According to Sacks, 26 faculty enough classes for students. Most of these members accepted the voluntary separation. departments are in HSS. The HSS professor said more faculty took

this agreement than the College had anticipated, and many of these positions have not been rehired yet. According to multiple sources, this, combined with a reduction in adjunct sections and a greater number of students at the College than previous semesters, caused the number of available seats in needed courses to be less than the number of students.

“It seems like somebody didn’t do some basic math, right?” the professor said.

The HSS program assistant said that during a program assistants meeting earlier this fall, Interim Provost Suzanne McCotter assured staff that steps were being taken to avoid the registration issues that were previously experienced ahead of the fall semester.

“Everybody heard the provost go on the record saying, ‘we will not be in that same position. There’s money. We’ll plan ahead.’

None of that happened, obviously,” the program assistant said. “What did happen is that we knew at the department level, probably in October, there were just literally mathematically not enough seats for students in general to fully enroll in four classes.”

McCotter provided a statement to The Signal on Nov. 21 regarding the current spring registration situation.

“In previous years we have accommodated additional demand by opening more sections even if enrollment in those sections was low.

This year we’ve been trying to be more efficient in our scheduling. Clearly, we still have more work to do to improve the process by which we identify need,” McCotter said.

In an email to the campus community on the same day, McCotter said late registration fees for the spring semester will be waived due to the challenges students are facing. She also said additional course sections will be opened soon.

Many academic schools are utilizing waitlists to help students with course registration.

Huguet Jerez said she tried to squeeze one or two students into classes where it was possible, but more than 40 students were still on the world languages and culture waitlist as of Nov. 19.

Erica Bagnarelli, assistant dean of the school of the arts and communication, said she’s worked with her students to use waitlists for courses and help them with any challenges they’ve faced so far. She also encouraged students to communicate with faculty and staff in their departments when they encounter trouble.

“I think that our students are well connected with their departments when they do possibly run into a challenge,” said Bagnarelli. “They

know the right people to connect with through our waitlist system and just connecting with our chairs and program assistants.”

Sunita Kramer, dean of the school of science, told The Signal that this year, her school has taken measures to avoid opening more courses than needed which often results in canceling under-enrolled classes in the future, as they’ve done in previous semesters.

“Our approach this year was to be a little bit more fiscally responsible and not just open up classes right away, but really create a waitlist situation where we can get an idea of what students need, and then be committed to making sure that we have the sections that we need,” Kramer said.

According to Kramer, faculty and staff in her school are working to address the individual needs of students, and she expects to have all registration issues addressed by the end of this semester.

“We care very deeply about our students, and it’s one of the things that I like the most about being here at TCNJ,” Kramer said.

The College is considering options like adding more sections to some courses, and in some cases being more flexible with requirements in an effort to resolve scheduling issues. In the meantime, the College is asking all students, faculty and staff to be patient, according to Sacks.

“We want to ensure that the solution adequately addresses the need, but does so without creating excess capacity as has happened in the past,” Sacks said in a statement to The Signal.

Lauren Madden, an elementary science education professor, told The Signal in a statement that she is grateful that more course sections are opening. Madden said it has been frustrating to see so many students experience difficulty with registering for classes they need.

“I’m just glad that many of the students who were really scrambling are in a better situation now than a few weeks ago,” Madden said.

The course registration process always has its highs and lows, according to Bagnarelli, who has seen a variety of situations play out over the 20 years that she has been involved in the process. She is confident that by the spring, any difficulties that are currently being faced will be worked out.

“I have no doubt in my mind that despite the frustrations and challenges that our students and our advisors are experiencing right now, we will find schedules that work for our students, in time for graduation,” Bagnarelli said.

Career and Community Studies students to live on-campus next year

By Briana Keenan Correspondent

Students in the College’s Career and Community Studies program will have the option to live in residential dorms starting in the 2025-26 academic year, according to Student Life Coordinator Victoria Swift. This decision was made after Swift and other staff from the program met with staff from Residential Education and Housing, who agreed it would be more inclusive.

CCS is a four-year program at the College where students with intellectual disabilities ages 18-25 learn about independent living, career readiness and adult life. Most students apply during their senior year of high school and, if accepted, graduate with a certificate upon completion of the program.

Currently, many students in the CCS program live in one of eight houses located on Pennington Road and Carlton Avenue, which are about a 10-minute walk from campus, according to students who live there.

“The ultimate driving factor for this is the ever-growing initiative for diversity and inclusion,” Swift told The Signal. “CCS students have to be considered as well.”

Swift said the pitch to administration to allow CCS students to live on campus began in 2011 when she was a student life mentor. She, along with CCS Director Jerry Petroff and CCS Assistant Director Amy Schuler, met with Kelly Hennessy, assistant vice president of student

development, and Tina Tormey, director of residential housing and education, who gave the final approval.

“We’ve been dreaming of this,” Swift said.

The community mentor role still exists within the program today; they are students at the College who “assist and guide” CCS students “towards daily independence,” according to the CCS page on the College’s website. Next year, when CCS students will be allowed to live oncampus, this role will continue to exist even though some students will be in a residential hall living with community advisors and community mentors rather than one of the off-campus houses.

“It will be a collaborative effort to support all residents,” Swift said. “Community mentors will live with CCS residents alongside the CAs.” Next fall, three houses will remain on Pennington Road for CCS students to live in, with two being for first-year students. Swift said the goal of these houses is to “provide a home-y, family space and prepare students for life in the dorms.”

Those who choose to live on-campus, however, will be assigned to dorms based on grade levels. Sophomore CCS students will be placed in New Residence Hall, and juniors and seniors will be placed into mixed cohort housing in Hausdoerffer and Phelps Halls, as well as the Townhouses, Swift said.

Gracie Harkins, a junior fine arts major and CCS academic mentor, said she is excited that her friends now will have the opportunity to live

on-campus if they feel that it is a good option for them.

“Living in on-campus housing allows the students to have more accessibility walking to classes, especially in bad weather, and be more involved on campus,” Harkins said. “The students will not have to worry about crossing streets or walking far at night time after class or club meetings, which makes it safer for the CCS students also.”

Ciara Corbett, a junior secondary special education and English major, is a current CCS community mentor. Although she will most likely continue this role in an off-campus house as a freshman mentor, she expressed the importance of this change.

“Segregated housing has no place on our campus and I have no doubt that creating integrated living spaces will benefit our entire student body,” Corbett said. “Ultimately, we must refer to the opinions of each CCS student on this major decision; they can decide what will be best for themselves and their goals.”

Cooper Scott, a freshman CCS student, said that he will be living on-campus next year.

“I feel a little nervous living on-campus next,” he said. “I will miss the off-campus houses. I like the house I am in.”

Quinn Gallagher, a sophomore CCS student, also plans on living on-campus, and feels ready for the new change.

“I’m not nervous,” he said. “I’m actually pretty excited.”

Grace Gagliardi, a junior in the CCS

program, also expressed excitement but shared Scott’s feelings of missing the off-campus housing, too.

“I would love to be a part of the CCS oncampus housing for next year,” she said. “I’ll miss living on Pennington next year. I can’t believe it!”

Some CCS students have decided that remaining off-campus works better for them.

Victoria Billyard, a sophomore CCS student, wants to continue living off-campus for now.

“I like to live off-campus because it is better for me and it’s convenient that my parents drive me to school,” she said. “I hope to move oncampus when I’m a senior but I’m really not sure yet.”

The housing selection process will follow a very similar timeline to the one that students who are currently living on-campus are following.

CCS staff will continue to assign housing based on where they see the students best fit, and they will work as a team for a positive and supportive experience, according to Swift.

“We wanted to do our due diligence in being thoughtful and mindful,” Swift said.

Corbett emphasized the need to be mindful as this change occurs.

“It is essential that we find ways to ensure that core aspects of the program, like fostering social, culinary and other independent living skills, are thoughtfully and successfully carried out in these new environments,” she said.

Read more on our website!

December 6, 2024 The Signal page 3

Campus Police urge road safety at Student Government meeting

By Raeanne Raccagno Staff Writer

Campus Police gave a presentation on road safety in the Student Government general body meeting on Nov. 20, discussing crash-prone areas at the College, how to maneuver traffic and how to be a responsible driver.

Andrew Iannaccone (‘23), a Campus Police officer who participated in Student Government while studying at the College, gave the road safety presentation to educate and motivate the general body.

“I hope the knowledge I give you today will help empower you and help you navigate whenever you get into a crash, when you get pulled over and what to do if you’re in a traffic jam,” Iannaccone said.

According to Iannaccone, the main entrances, parking garages and blind spot turn near Lot 13 are accident-prone areas on campus. He showed security footage clips of collisions in these spots and told students how to handle the situation.

One video showed how a driver involved in an impact forgot to put their car in park after exiting, causing the vehicle to roll down the road and police officers having to run after it to prevent further damage. The officer said your adrenaline will be high before and after an accident so it can be hard to think clearly, putting you in a “fight or flight mode.”

He also suggested driving your car, if it’s still driveable, to the shoulder or side of the road as much as possible to keep you and other drivers safe. If your car becomes disabled in the middle of the road, put your hazards on, leave your vehicle completely and stay on the side of the road until help arrives.

If students are ever involved in a traumatic crash, Iannaccone informed the group that campus resources like counseling are available.

To help avoid future collisions, the College has implemented more light-up crosswalk signs, purchased more traffic cones and began using a digital road sign advertising where to park on event days.

When in a crash in New Jersey, the drivers involved must fill out the New Jersey Traffic Report-1 and Self Report-21 form.

The NJTR-1 form details how the crash happened, the contributing factors and what is told to police. The SR-21 form is for when you do not report a crash right away, or if a driver did not notice damages from a collision. The reporting driver would then need to fill out the form within ten days of the accident and hand it in.

At the end of the presentation, Iannaccone showed a video made by the New Jersey State Police. The clip talked about the negative aftereffects the

COVID-19 pandemic has had on road safety due to reduced levels of traffic enforcement.

According to the video, New Jersey had almost an all-time low of 558 traffic deaths in 2019, but the number of crashes has been increasing since the pandemic.

2020-2021 was the largest year-to-year increase in the state in more than 50 years and the most deaths on record in 15 years, according to the video.

The video called for the state to take action and change together by taking the necessary steps to stay safe and help prevent more road tragedies from happening.

Iannaccone also mentioned the signs around campus that refer to SAMI’s law, which stands for “stop, ask, match and inform” The law requires rideshare companies to display light-up signs and confirm that they are the requested party’s driver.

SAMI’s law is named after Samantha Josephson, a college student who was abducted and killed by someone impersonating an Uber driver in 2019.

The same year, New Jersey became the first state to enact such legislation, and the federal government followed suit in 2023.

The presentation also touched on some recent state traffic law updates like the Safe Passing Law, which requires drivers to give vulnerable road users at least

four feet of space, or if the road cannot accommodate that, to go at a speed slow enough to easily stop in case a pedestrian crosses in front of your vehicle.

Similar to the Safe Passing Law is the Stop and Stay Stopped law, which mandates drivers to wait for pedestrians to be completely off the road before driving again. To prevent impaired visibility from random snow, the state also executed the Ice and Snow - Remove It Before You Go law, which requires drivers to remove snow from the roof, sides and mirror of a car before driving.

Throughout his presentation, Iannaccone also gave various driving tips like always having an alternate route to your destination in case of road closures, “knowing your limits” when it comes to driving and staying undistracted. He also recommended having supplies in case of emergencies, like a jump starter, flat tire kit, ice scraper, flashlight, warm clothes, water and food.

He told the general body that Campus Police can assist with certain car troubles using its jump starter and lockout kit.

Iannaccone encouraged all members of the Student Government to capitalize on their position within the school to help promote road safety.

“You’re all the local leaders at the student body and you could affect really great change here,” Iannaccone said.

Cop Shop: A dip in the lake, a dance on the bus, transports

By Isabella Darcy Managing Editor The Signal and Campus Police work together on a weekly basis to inform the campus community about crime on and around campus. All records given to The Signal are public records and do not contain personal information. Some information provided may be triggering for some students.

Nov. 14: Possibly intoxicated passenger A New Jersey Transit bus driver called Campus Police in the early evening to report a passenger who may have been intoxicated.

The bus driver told Campus Police that the passenger had been singing and dancing when he first boarded.

When officers arrived at the bus, the passenger was not conscious or responding when officers tried to wake him. After Campus Police made multiple failed attempts to wake him, Ewing Township EMS arrived and assessed the passenger.

The man eventually began responding while EMTs evaluated him. The responders noticed that his eyes were dilated.

Campus Police and Ewing Township EMS helped the man off of the bus. He was later transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center. EMTs told officers they believe the man was on drugs.

Nov. 14: Bad cut A student who cut her hand when it got stuck in a Music Building door was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center around dinner time.

Campus Police and Ewing Township EMS responded to reports of the injured student. The student told officers that the cut had been bleeding a lot before they had arrived, and that she thought she could see her bone. Officers wrapped the student’s injury in gauze and secured it with medical tape while they waited for EMTs to arrive.

Once Ewing EMS got to campus, the EMTs cared for the student and later transported her to the hospital.

Nov. 15: Burnt mac-n-cheese A smoke detector in a Cromwell Hall room was triggered after macaroni and cheese was burnt in a microwave. The building was not evacuated, but Campus Police and Ewing Township Fire Department responded to the

room.

The student who was making the dish told Campus Police that it burnt because she forgot to add water before cooking it. Her room was filled with smoke, so firefighters used a fan to air it out.

Nov. 15: Booted, but not a vehicle An individual twisted and injured her ankle in a patch of grass while walking near Trenton Hall around dinner time.

Campus Police and Ewing Township EMS responded to a report of a sprained ankle, and evaluated the injury. The individual was able to stand on her own, but walked with a limp.

When asked if she would like further medical treatment, she refused and told responders that she had sprained her ankle before and had crutches and a boot to use.

Nov. 17: Passed out A student passed out in the Library Café just after noon.

Campus Police and Ewing Township EMS responded to the scene. When Campus Police arrived, the student was alert and conscious. She told officers that she commonly passes out when she does not eat or drink enough, and that she had not eaten yet.

Officers gave the student a glucose gel to consume, and EMTs evaluated her.

The student then refused further medical attention.

Nov. 17: Transport A woman who had missed her bus was standing in the Jersey Mike’s Subs parking lot holding a golf club and multiple bags of clothing in the early evening. Campus Police received a report about the “possibly disoriented” woman and responded to the scene.

Officers observed that the woman seemed to be trying to warm herself up. When they talked to her, the woman said that she had been waiting in the cold for hours and was suffering from frostbite in her hands. She then requested medical assistance.

Ewing Township EMS evaluated and cared for the woman, and then transported her to Capital Health Regional Medical Center.

Nov. 18: A dip in the lake

At least 10 students who are on the football team swam in Lake Sylva just before noon to celebrate the end of the fall season.

Around the lake are signs that warn about a harmful algal bloom and advise to use caution when swimming.

Before the students went into the lake, Campus Police received a report that 30 to 40 people wearing swimsuits and carrying towels were walking toward the bridge that extends over Lake Sylva.

By the time Campus Police arrived, the students had already gone in the water and were walking away from the lake. Officers told the students to take showers because of the algae growth.

Nov. 18: Garbage problems A Campus Police officer was flagged down while on routine patrol by a Claflin Avenue resident in the early afternoon. The resident told the officer that he was having trash-related issues with his neighbors who are students that attend the College.

Trash was constantly being blown from the students’ overflowing trash receptacles into other yards. The trash attracted rodents and other vermin in the area, which attracted larger predators, the resident told the officer.

After taking down the resident’s contact information, Campus Police met with the Dean of Students office and explained the concerns. The office decided that the students will be meeting with Student Conduct & Off Campus Services, and the resident will be notified once the meetings are complete.

Nov. 18: Ankle injury A student went to the hospital in the early evening after rolling and injuring her ankle while dancing in the Decker Hall basement.

Campus Police and TCNJ EMS were called, but the student’s friend drove her to the hospital.

Nov. 19: Allergic reaction A student who was having a day-long allergic reaction called Campus Police in the early morning to report his scratchy throat after his mother told him to.

Campus Police, TCNJ EMS and Ewing Township EMS all responded to the call and reported to Travers Hall where the student was. EMTs evaluated the student, who then refused further medical treatment.

Nov. 23: Disagreement Campus Police received a report in the early morning about a possible fight in progress in Wolfe Hall. There was no fight in progress when officers arrived, however a moderately sized group of students was gathered in the hallway.

A student approached the officers and told them he was involved in a verbal disagreement with another student, and the rest of the crowd was not involved.

Campus Police got both sides of the story from both residents involved. Both reports matched.

Nov. 23: Stomach pain Campus Police responded to a call from a student with stomach pain in her right side in the early evening at the Brower Student Center. The student told officers that she began having the pain after eating at Eickhoff Hall.

Before calling, the student took two Pepto Bismol pills and ate pasta from the BSC. The student then threw up in the bathroom and began to have blurry vision.

Ewing Township also responded to the scene and cared for the student who was soon transported to Capital Health Medical Center in Hopewell.

Nov. 25: Finger Injury A student injured his finger while playing basketball in the Recreation Center in the late evening.

Campus Police and TCNJ EMS responded to reports of the injury. The student told responders he hit his right pinky finger on a backboard when going for a rebound, causing it to break.

The responders offered to get him an ambulance, but the student decided to get his own ride to the hospital.

Nov. 26: Off-campus fire alarm A fire alarm in an off-campus house on Carlton Avenue went off in the late evening.

The cause is unknown, but the only resident who was home suspects shower steam set the alarm off.

Campus Police and Ewing Township Fire Department responded to the alarm.

After completing checks of the house, the responders deemed it safe to reenter.

Read more on our website!

Features

Alumni Adventures: Jason Lipshutz reflects on career journey at Billboard

Photo courtesy of Jason Lipshutz

Jason Lipshutz began his career in music journalism as a student at the College.

By Rebecca Heath Features Editor Jason Lipshutz ‘10, executive director of music at Billboard, had always known he would pursue a writing career. But while a student at the College, the music fanatic never anticipated that he would one day interview the world’s biggest pop stars, attend award shows and be at the helm of Billboard’s music coverage.

“I couldn’t have dreamt of this when I was at TCNJ, being able to meet some of my heroes and write cover stories,” Lipshutz said.

“It’s been beyond my wildest dreams.”

Lipshutz, who majored in English at the College, developed a passion for music early in his college career, which piqued his interest in the music journalism field.

“I also got really into music criticism.

I was just reading a ton of album reviews

and features on artists and stuff like that,” he recalled. “[I] realized, hey, maybe I can try to do this.”

Lipshutz landed an internship at Billboard while he was a junior at the College, which led to a freelance writing gig his senior year.

Soon after graduating, Lipshutz relocated to New York City to pursue a full-time job as an editorial assistant at the media organization.

“Because I had interned with that team for so long, and had been contributing stories and profiles and features, they knew my work and trusted me,” he said.

Since joining Billboard full-time over a decade ago, Lipshutz has moved up the ranks, starting as a news blogger and features contributor, and working his way up to leadership positions. In his current role, Lipshutz describes himself as “something of an air traffic controller in terms of our greater music coverage.”

In addition to writing and editing for Billboard’s magazine and website, Lipshutz works closely with the live events, video, audio and social media teams.

“It’s my job to keep an eye on pop music and trends and artists that are bubbling up and songs that we need to cover and…just making sure everything is tied together in a cohesive way,” he said. “I love all the different facets of music journalism, and writing and editing and managing and coverage and interviewing, and I love that no two days are really the same for me.”

Lipshutz credits his experiences in WTSR, the College’s radio station, with preparing him for his public speaking tasks at Billboard, which comprises a large part of his job.

“I do a lot of different moderating and live interviews…and obviously being on air for hours every week and for multiple years really, really helped me out a ton,” Lipshutz said.

As an avid music fan, Lipshutz said he has always been drawn to sharing the stories behind music.

“I’m always really interested in the stories behind a song and the context behind an artist,” he said. “I really like being able to kind of zoom out and tell the story of why was this album so successful? Why did this song hit the top 10? Why was this tour so successful?”

To keep pace with the evolution of the music industry, Lipshutz said Billboard has “leaned in” to presenting these stories in new and innovative ways, including through social media, to supplement their print and online coverage.

“I think it’s just changing and adapting in a way where younger audiences can find it a

little bit more accessible than the magazine model of days past,” he said.

While Lipshutz’s career journey at Billboard has presented him with many exciting opportunities, including attending the Grammys, his most memorable experience was interviewing Taylor Swift for a cover story in 2019.

“She was big in 2019, she was a superstar,” Lipshutz said, “but even now as the years have passed and she’s only gotten bigger, it makes me just grateful…It’s like covering the Beatles, it’s unbelievable.”

Though Lipshutz admits he has “bucket list celebrities” he would be anxious to meet, after a decade of interviewing stars, he has become “numb” to the nerves. He said keeping calm helps celebrities open up, and often leads to his best stories.

“After doing this for so long, you kind of realize that artists just want to be talked to as people and they want to be treated as a person, so I always try to make them kind of feel at ease and feel respected and just have conversations with them.”

Piecing together archived quotes from interviews he conducted with rock band Linkin Park, biographical research and critical analysis of the group’s music, Lipshutz released his debut novel, “It Starts with One: The Legend and Legacy of Linkin Park,” in October 2024.

“It was a process of a ton of research to be able to help tell their story in a way that really reflected their impact and importance in rock music history,” he said. “I had a blast. It was like climbing a mountain, and I loved it. I can’t wait to do it again with another book.”

Read more on our website!

Eddie’s Edventures: Sightseeing in Rome

By Eddie Young Former Sports Editor

Eddie Young, The Signal’s former sports editor, is studying abroad in the United Kingdom this semester and will chronicle his travels each print edition.

One of the most historical cities in the world, Rome has a lot to offer a tourist.

With the history of the Roman Empire and the Roman Catholic Church both having large strongholds in this city, you can never go wrong with any tourist attraction you try to see while you are there.

I only had two full days in Rome, and on day one, my friends and I had planned to visit the Vatican and the Colosseum.

However, once we entered the Vatican Museums, we realized that we were going to be spending our entire first day there.

The Vatican Museums have basically everything you could imagine a museum having. It is the Vatican, so of course it has a bunch of religious artwork and artifacts.

However, it also had an area dedicated to all different cultures around the world, not just Catholic cultures, and had artifacts from some of the smallest and most remote corners of the world. There were also sections dedicated to paintings from all different time periods in history, all the way up to today, and sculptures from the Roman and Greek empires.

After walking what felt like hundreds of hallways lined with some of the most gorgeous tapestries and murals I have ever seen, I finally made it to what everyone entering the Vatican Museums goes to see: the Sistine Chapel.

The Sistine Chapel was quite a sight to see. It was smaller than you would expect, yet the building was still packed with tourists all craning their neck up to get a glimpse of the ceiling. There were guards

all over the chapel constantly reminding people that photos and videos were not allowed, yet I broke that rule almost instantly once I stood under “The Creation of Adam.”

After spending a decent amount of time wondering how someone could possibly paint on a ceiling that beautifully, I left the Sistine Chapel and moved onto that Vatican’s next grand offering, St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Basilica was one of the most beautiful churches I had ever seen in my life. It had a giant main altar at the center, and was lined with chapels all containing gorgeous sculptures and paintings that complemented everything perfectly. It was so nice that I went back for a mass the next morning at the main altar.

After that mass, I got lucky enough to stumble into Pope Francis giving a speech from his window to thousands of people listening earnestly in St. Peter’s Square.

My friends and I joked about seeing the Pope during this trip, but that was an experience that I was actually able to have.

Later that day, my friends and I made our way over to the Colosseum, one of the seven wonders of the world. It lived up to expectations. Walking inside of a stadium where gladiators used to fight each other and other animals to the death was as cool as it sounds.

Read more on our website!

Graphic by Sandra Abrantes

Graphic by Kira Rubiano

College student media is the way higher education institutions can solve financial hardships

Photo by Erin Reilly

College media should promote open dialogue.

By Tristan Weisenbach and truthfully scary position that our school Editor-in-Chief is in — along with many other institutions of higher education across America.

It has been two and a half years since I Other colleges and universities in New first joined the editorial board of The Signal, Jersey, such as New Jersey City University, and three and a half years since I first stepped are facing similar budgetary challenges. In foot onto the College’s campus as a student. the case of the College, a lack of adequate One might assume that by being a student state funding is partly to blame. here, I would surely have learned quite Our school saw the lowest percent increase quickly of the College’s grim financial state: in state funding from 2013 to 2023 compared over $300 million in total debts. to all other public, four-year colleges and However, it wasn’t until The Signal universities in New Jersey, according to a published an article last November about this 2024 memo from the College’s branch of the surmounting debt that I realized the fragile American Federation of Teachers union.

Finals aren’t festive: Mental health matters

Photo by Andre Paras

Take care of yourself during finals.

By Parisa Burton Opinions Editor

Finals season came before we all knew it. The inconsistent weather patterns we’ve been experiencing make it more difficult to process that the end of the semester is approaching, and winter break is nearly here.

The days leading up to this long-awaited reward feel different than it did when we were children, with classroom Christmas movies, hot chocolate and holiday spirit.

As college students, there is nothing festive about finals.

It can get increasingly harder throughout the semester to be mentally present during lectures, submit assignments on time and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Exerting yourself to the point of burnout is far too normalized in college culture, and this needs to change.

Whether it be a cumulative exam in a challenging course, or a final presentation with unreceptive group members, this time is a stressful period for us all. Most college students have pulled a crunch study session at some point, which involves cramming a large amount of information in a short span of time, typically before a final exam.

This bad habit exerts a lot of pressure on students, as it requires them to absorb a considerable amount of class material on a ticking time clock. The fear of failure adds another layer of stress to this study strategy.

However, this memorization tactic can be harmful in the long run. According to Boston University, “within a week, 75% of the content we learn through cramming is forgotten.”

It is undeniable that dedicating elaborative practice to every class is not realistic. Sometimes, we just need to pass a class, and we do not care about retaining knowledge beyond the course. That’s okay.

But let’s remind ourselves that sacrificing regular sleep hours for extra study time is counterproductive, as it decreases concentration levels during the exam, which could potentially reduce performance.

Making a study plan to split up mundane tasks into smaller portions is crucial if you want to remain sane during finals week.

Allocating a longer amount of time to study also allows you to assess your strong and weak points, so you can devote more time to your weaknesses.

The other factor to consider during finals is your mental health. Remember to give yourself grace during this time, and allow yourself to take breaks. “Breaks” can look different for everyone. Someone’s idea of relaxation could be escaping their room or designated study spot and going for a walk.

Absorbing nature can help you feel more grounded in your environment, and reduce your stress levels.

More importantly, taking a step back to appreciate beautiful environmental points like lakes and meadows, or even greenery around campus can serve as a reminder that exams are not what life is about. Failing or doing poorly on an exam is not a testament to your intelligence and grades do not define you. The world keeps spinning, so you shouldn’t stay stagnant. Let this serve as a reminder to try even harder, instead of giving up.

The College does an outstanding job of advocating for mental health, especially around finals week. Be on the lookout for This Week @ TCNJ emails on and before finals week, where various clubs and organizations host essential study breaks that encourage creativity and offer students a chance to unwind from academics. Notably, Student Government hosts “Finals Fest” every semester, featuring activities like arts and crafts, study sessions, movie nights, and even therapy animals. Be sure to watch for its schedule this year!

With so much on the line, it takes an entire college community to solve a financial deprivation of such magnitude.

College student media, while it can’t provide monetary funds, can offer the easiest avenue to successfully decide what to do with what we have.

The Signal keeps the college community informed by publishing articles about new initiatives envisioned by President Michael Bernstein in collaboration with other individuals and teams from the administration to address budget shortfalls. Some examples include a 4% tuition increase, the establishment of a new School of Graduate, Global and Online Education and ending free interlibrary loans, among others.

The latter, which was suggested to reduce spending costs by the library, received considerable backlash from students on campus, particularly those who are English majors and utilize interlibrary loans most often. The Signal published an article outlining these students’ concerns.

Student media goes beyond just serving students, too — it can provide a space for faculty, staff or any other individual to voice their opinion in the form of a letter to the editor regarding potential college actions.

As the College grapples with personnel departures in-part due to financial constraints, Marimar Huguet Jerez, department chair of world languages and culture, shared her outlook in a letter to the editor on the current faculty vacancies in her department and

how she thinks it could impact students.

In a responding letter to the editor, Interim Provost Suzanne McCotter addressed the concerns that were raised.

This back-and-forth allows for open dialogue around shared problems, rather than behind closed doors at faculty meetings.

It allows a greater sense of transparency with the entire campus community, not just between those who ultimately hold the power to have the final say in how the institution will move forward.

College student media is traditionally a place for prospective journalists to get a few years of professional newsroom experience under their belt before they graduate. But it is also just that — a professional newsroom, working to inform the public about real world problems that impact us on a day-to-day basis.

A college newsroom should report on the events, festivals, concerts and attractions that highlight the hustle and bustle of our campus.

But it should also investigate information about the core issues that inevitably plague every American higher education institution, whether it be financial hardships or other concerns.

In doing so, college student media can be the backbone of the incredibly detailed process that is needed to reach a common, agreeable solution forward. It can be a tool to bring us together and reach a consensus about how to make the most of what we are fortunate enough to have in college.

page 6 The Signal December 6, 2024

Ticketmaster is a win for some, and a loss for others

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Ticketmaster is the ultimate gamble, and its time for a new company to emerge.

By Olivia Harrison to secure tickets for either date. Nonetheless, I Staff Writer considered it a win that I could see Tomorrow X Together on an alternative day.

On March 18 at around 3 p.m. I logged into The problems I experienced with Ticketmaster, hoping to get tickets to Tomorrow Ticketmaster arose again with Sabrina X Together’s show at Madison Square Garden. Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” tour presale. Fans However, the map froze when I logged in, not were given a presale code for various nights at allowing me to click any seat options. I had various venues. I chose Madison Square Garden to settle on a backup option to see them on a and selected Wells Fargo Center as a backup. different day instead.

I ended up in the back of the queue, with A part of me felt annoyed that instead of about 40,000 individuals in front of me, more displaying “tickets have been sold out,” the than both stadiums could hold. Other fans website froze, leaving some fans confused and struggled with Ticketmaster booting them out, others to retreat to a different day. Some users frozen screens and more issues. When it was were booted out of the system and were unable my turn to see what was available, both shows

were sold out, leaving my best friend and I heartbroken.

With my frustrations growing with Ticketmaster, I tried searching for an alternative solution, but there were no other options. I was stuck using Ticketmaster or playing roulette on StubHub and Vividseats.

The most troubling thing about Ticketmaster is its monopoly on the concert ticket industry.

Ticketmaster is under the parent company Live Nation, which has a near-complete monopoly over the industry, in which pricing, fares and taxes are all controlled under them.

The United States Justice Department has sued the company for violating antitrust laws, but it’s unclear how the case will turn out.

Although Stubhub and Vividseats are verified websites, transactions are highly-priced, and there is a higher chance of getting scalped or scammed by so-called “resellers.”

Ticketmaster does sell resale tickets, but the platform has allowed scalpers to overcharge.

The company needs to pay more attention to this problem.

A key issue is that Ticketmaster owns the resale platform, monopolizing the resale ticket market as well. There is no other solution, which is a problem considering the amount of money and time fans spend attaining concert tickets.

Despite Ticketmaster being a legitimate company and a legitimate site, there have been numerous problems with the security of ticket sales as well, with the company selling “unverified” face-value tickets or taking tickets from customers without them knowing. Fans

often find themselves stuck in a labyrinth of customer service options that go nowhere, and their valuable time and money are lost.

For example, seventeen fans ordered tickets for the tour only to have their tickets stolen and taken by scammers who breached the system.

Ticketmaster did nothing to help the situation, leaving fans helpless while others sought legal action.

Most recently, Oasis fans were also jipped, with Ticketmaster taking more than 50,000 tickets away. This shows a high lack of consumer protection on Ticketmaster’s end, with no recourse for most customers. Ticketmaster only cares about the company’s true purpose: making profit. There is no consideration for customers, nor the artists themselves, who face liability if tickets are stolen from customers.

Live Nation’s monopolization of the industry has gone on long enough, and it is time for another company to emerge. While the company acts like it is providing an essential service, some fans win, while others don’t and waste valuable time.

In addition, even the fans who do get tickets are not 100% guaranteed that Ticketmaster will not take away what they perilously battled for.

It is a double-edged sword with no winning solution.

It’s time for a real solution in the concert ticketing industry to emerge — one that prioritizes the fans and artists instead of focusing on profit. Until that happens, Ticketmaster and Live Nation will continue this vicious cycle leaving concertgoers helpless.

Christmas decorations go up after Thanksgiving NaNoWriMo’s defense of AI is harmful at worst

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Thanksgiving is underappreciated.

By Lacey Okamura Staff Writer

I t ’s w i n t e r. Te m p e r a t u r e s a r e dropping and the sun seems to set e a r l i e r a n d e a r l i e r e v e r y d a y. M a n y of us have seasonal depression, desperately trying to get through the last few weeks of school and work before the holiday break.

People have different ways of coping with the changes. Some people try picking up a new h o b b y, e n g a g e i n h e a l t h y h a b i t s like working out and staying active, or changing their diet.

O t h e r s m a y g o t o t h e r a p y, o r l i s t e n to music to cheer themselves up.

B u t t h e r e ’s o n e m o r e m e t h o d of coping that I can’t quite get behind: decorating for Christmas e a r l y.

I get it. Christmas decorations are merry and bright, and they can lighten the mood during an otherwise very dark season. The holidays are a time when we forget about our troubles and f o c u s o n o u r f r i e n d s a n d f a m i l y.

Decorating early can invoke some of those feelings and help overcome the looming sense of doom that occurs right around N o v e m b e r.

December flies by (trust me I know), and we want to soak up the holiday magic for as long as possible. I’m in full support of keeping decorations up way past N e w Ye a r s , f o r a l l o f J a n u a r y, e v e n f o r s o m e o f F e b r u a r y. B u t , November should be reserved for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving, in my opinion, is a n u n d e r a p p r e c i a t e d h o l i d a y. N o t only is the food amazing and just as delicious as during Christmas time, but it doesn’t bring on the pressures of gift giving that Christmas does. Thanksgiving is a perfect little break that allows us to reset and refocus our lives before making that final push t h r o u g h t h e e n d o f t h e y e a r.

Putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving undermines the time allotted for a p p r e c i a t i n g t h e h o l i d a y. S i m i l a r t o h o w F e b r u a r y i s f o r Va l e n t i n e ’s D a y, O c t o b e r i s f o r H a l l o w e e n and December is for Christmas, November should be reserved for Thanksgiving. These are very c l e a r, s t a n d a r d r u l e s t h a t I t h i n k we can all agree make perfect sense.

Thanksgiving is all about fall.

I t ’s a b o u t l e a v e s a n d p u m p k i n s and the orange and brown color scheme. Throwing in snowflakes, green and red hanging lights and Christmas trees completely throws off of the Thanksgiving vibe.

I w i l l c o n c e d e , h o w e v e r, t h a t it is alright to start listening to C h r i s t m a s m u s i c b e f o r e D e c e m b e r.

This is simply because there is no such thing as “Thanksgiving m u s i c , ” a n d I t h i n k i t ’s f a i r t o use music as a way of getting into the holiday spirit without disrespecting Thanksgiving.

This may be a controversial take, as I know many people enjoy putting up their Christmas decorations as soon as the weather turns cold. If putting up your decorations is absolutely the only thing that will get you t h r o u g h t h e e n d o f t h e y e a r, b y a l l means put them up.

But I still think that the majority of Christmas decorations shouldn’t be put up until after Thanksgiving, so we get to enjoy both holidays separately and for a decent amount of time.

By Sky Pinkett Staff Writer For those in the creative writing world, November is a particularly exciting month. National Novel Writing Month, better known as the quirky moniker NaNoWriMo, sees thousands of writers, old and new, try their hand at writing a 50,000-word manuscript in 30 days.

Starting as a nonprofit organization in 1999 with 21 participants, now with over 400,000 participants across continents, NaNoWriMo has helped foster a creative space where amateurs and professionals can push themselves to their limits without the extra expense of a writing retreat.

It is an ambitious endeavor that gets the creative juices bubbling with excitement each year. But what happens when an international writing organization beloved for fueling originality and creativity publicly supports the use of AI in writing? A controversy, it seems.

In early August of this year, the organization released an unprompted statement on its Zendesk page concerning the use of AI in creative writing. The post, which has since been revised, originally claimed that condemning writers for using AI was ableist and classist.

As many of us who are chronically online know, those two labels are among an abundance of buzzwords that are often used (and misused) to stir the pot. In this case, according to Wired, NaNoWriMo’s logic behind the rhetoric is that not all writers have the privilege of hiring a human editor, and that “not all brains have [the] same abilities,” and may “require outside help or accommodations to achieve certain goals.”

On the surface, the organization’s reasoning doesn’t seem too far-fetched.

It’s true that not all writers have the means to go about traditional methods of editing and publishing. It is also true that some writers face unique challenges due to neurological limitations.

However, it is important to note how many artificial intelligence programs work. AI operates solely on the data that is fed to it. Any information found on the

internet, including published work by established authors, is used to inform the data that AI produces. This means that there is a high likelihood that whatever writing AI generates is taken from preestablished work.

We would call that plagiarism here at the College.

This is where NaNoWriMo’s comments begin to take on a dangerous edge. With this statement, the organization, whose sole job was to nurture a space for writing along with all the integrity that comes with it, has basically endorsed plagiarism.

Many writers affiliated with NaNoWriMo found other issues with the organization’s statement. Writers such as Daniel José Older and Cass Morris have stepped down from Nano’s writers board with Older calling the organization’s words “vile, craven, and unconscionable.”

“Your heinous re-configuring of language used to fight actual injustices into a shield to cover your transparently business-based posturing is unforgivable,” Older emailed to Nano’s board.

Author of the fantasy series “The Kingston Cycle” C. L. Polk, who also identifies as disabled, found Nano’s take on AI particularly offensive, saying, “NaNo is basically asserting that disabled people don’t have what it takes to create art when they trot out the lie that scorning AI is ableist.”

It seems that the organization intentionally used real issues such as classism and ableism to make their stance on AI seem above reproach, almost as if they knew their statement would be controversial to begin with.

For the most part, AI isn’t entirely condemnable. Using it as a tool to check spelling or grammar is something we have all taken advantage of on a school paper or two. However, there is a major difference between using it as an editing tool versus using it to take the place of the writer. Supporting the latter goes against NaNoWriMo’s entire existence.

Read more on our website!

Editorials Letter from the editor: Reflecting on almost 4 years of growth in The Signal

By Matthew Kaufman Former Editor-in-Chief As I sat down to write this editorial, it only truly dawned on me that my time leading The Signal was coming to an end once I wrote the words “Former Editor-in-Chief” under my name.

With each change in title from semester to semester, I’ve grown as a writer, journalist, manager and person.

Each new title brought along a new set of responsibilities, and a new set of opportunities.

Any freshman writer can tell you the nervousness they feel when working on their first article. From attending the first section meeting to addressing the first comments on a story, it can be quite a nerve-wracking experience.

When I turned in my first article for the Nation & World section, I had no idea what my future in The Signal would look like. I couldn’t see myself leading the whole organization the way the top editors at the time did, and I wasn’t sure I had what it took to produce the hard-hitting news stories that the paper needed.

But in the semesters that followed, I became more confident in my writing abilities and set my sights on applying for an editorial position, starting out as assistant editor before leading the Features section.

It was during that semester as Features editor that I began to envision ways of making The Signal even better. Our relevance on campus had diminished, and we felt we weren’t adequately serving our community.

The Signal had (and continues to have) amazing potential, and I wanted to help be part of the team that guided the

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Illustration by Sky Stewart

With each change in title, I’ve grown as a writer, journalist, manager and person. paper.

I’m most proud of the work done in my semesters as managing editor and editor-in-chief. Thanks to our amazing editorial team and endlessly helpful advisors in the journalism department, we were able to bring back print newspapers around campus, revitalize our presence on social media and ensure the consistent release of content that informs the campus.

Just this semester, we provided

live coverage on election night in collaboration with WTSR and installed new newspaper racks around campus, and I even got to co-moderate a dialogue between political clubs on campus.

However, being editor-in-chief is not always easy. Plenty of times I was faced with an urgent issue that had to be resolved before I could turn my attention to school work or social functions. Plenty of times I would fall

asleep at night and suddenly wake up with a worry about if I had missed something in a story or forgot to respond to an email.

But the stress is worth it, because I believe in the need for quality journalism in every community, and I believe that the immense responsibility held by journalists — student journalists included — is not to be taken for granted.

I can see the visible reaction around campus when a hot new article drops or when a funny Cop Shop headline gets posted to The Signal’s Instagram.

A news outlet is nothing without an audience, so I’m tremendously grateful for the platform that The Signal holds at the College. I am proud to look back on our work over the past four years and believe with all of my heart that we are doing something important for our institution.

Perhaps most importantly, I’ve met some of my closest friends through The Signal. We’ve spent countless nights up until 3 a.m. (or 4 or 5…) tweaking the upcoming print edition to make sure every picture had a border, every space was filled and every column lined up precisely with the one next to it. Those production nights will hold a special place in my heart when I look back on the memories I made in college.

The Signal has been a part of my life since I was a wide-eyed, nervous firstsemester freshman, and while I’ll still be around to write occasional articles and help bring in some money, it’s time I step back to let my friends lead the paper into the future. I know they’ll do amazing things, and the future of The Signal will be brighter than ever.

The Signal

Parisa Burton Opinions Editor

https://www.tcnjsignalnews.com/

Rebecca Heath Features Editor

Email: signal@tcnj.edu Business Email: thesignalbusiness@gmail.com

Aidan Mastandrea Sports Editor Aliyah Siddiqui Nation & World Editor

Editorial Staff

Administrative Staff

Matthew Kaufman Former Editor-in-Chief

Elizabeth Gladstone Multimedia Coordinator

Tristan Weisenbach Editor-in-Chief

Ela Kirimca Social Media Editor

Ally Uhlendorf Isabella Darcy Managing Editors

Jenna Weldon Web Editor

Kate Zydor News Editor Alena Bitonti Lake DiStefano Arts & Entertainment Editors

Liam Simonelli Editorial Cartoonist Kathleen Webber Faculty Advisor

POLICIES The Signal is published bi-weekly during the academic year and not financd by the Student Activity Fund but solely by advertisement revenue. Any student may submit articles to The Signal. Publication of submitted articles is at the discretion of the editors. All materials submitted become the sole property of The Signal.

The Letters section is an open forum for opinions. Submissions that announce events or advertise in any way will not be printed.

The Signal willingly corrects mistakes. If you think we have made a mistake, contact us signal@tcnj.edu.

The Signal’s Holiday Grams

ebber o Prof. W ne Raccagn Raean uch eing s u for b volved o y k n in Tha g and l! a carin t this schoo a e <3 ! s y figur a Holid Happy

SNOWFLAKE HIBERNATE FIREPLACE EVERGREEN BLIZZARD HOT COCOA SLEDDING SNOWBALL

Down: 1. Traditional December 25th greeting 2. January first 5. Decorative tree for Christmas 6. Hot drink for a cold day 8. Santa’s helpers 10. Frozen precipitation

Across: 3. Spinning top game 4. Red-nosed reindeer 7. Candleholder used during Hanukkah 9. New Year’s wish

SOLSTICE HOLIDAYS SNOWMAN ICICLE SLEIGH SKIING BREAK

Good News Lion: Tigers, whales, endangered species return home

Graphic by Sandra Abrantes

The theme of this week’s Good News Lion article is animals returning home.

By Aliyah Siddiqui Nation and World Editor The Good News Lion is the Nation & World section’s biweekly news segment, highlighting positive news in the country and around the world. The theme of this article is animals returning home.

Kazakhstan reintroduces Siberian tigers to the country After being declared extinct from the country for over 70 years, Kazakhstan has recently received two captive Amur tigers named Bodhana and Kuma. With support from the World Wildlife Fund and United Nations Development Program, Kazakhstan is planning

to restore the Ile-Balkhash delta ecosystem.

“This tiger translocation is a critical step to not only bring back the big cat to its historic homeland but also to rewild an entire ecosystem,” said Stuart Chapman, leader of WWF Tigers Alive.

The tigers, having originated from the Anna Paulowna Sanctuary in the Netherlands, are currently residing in a semi-natural enclosure in Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve. The WWF reports that their offspring will be released into the wild, marking the first international tiger reintroduction program and reestablishing the tiger population in the nation.

According to CABAR.asia, the

tiger population was decimated in the Caspian area due to human development on natural lands, over-hunting and reduced prey.

Years later, the government began extensive efforts to revitalize the delta ecosystem, creating the IleBalkhash Nature Reserve and reintroducing tiger prey including the endangered Bukhara deer and Kulan. Stricter hunting laws also allowed wild pig populations to come back.

The reintroduction of tigers not only benefits the local ecosystem, but also the nearby communities.

Adilbaev Zhasar, the head of local community group, “Auyldastar,” described the benefits of the program.

“With the launch of the tiger reintroduction program, we have witnessed a significant change — the revival of nature and our village of Karoi. This project not only restores lost ecosystems, but also fills us with pride in participating in a historic process,” Zhasar said.

New Zealanders save over 30 stranded pilot whales After over 30 pilot whales got stuck on a New Zealand beach, wildlife conservation workers and local residents worked to free them by lifting them on sheets. Although four whales died, the rest of the pod has not been trapped again on the beach, according to the Associated Press.

“It’s amazing to witness the genuine care and compassion people have shown toward these magnificent animals,” said Joel

Lauterbach, a Department of Conservation spokesperson. “This response demonstrates the deep connection we all share with our marine environment.”

It’s unclear how the whales became stranded, but whale strandings are common in New Zealand. Scientists believe that the North and South islands, due to their shallow beaches, may confuse the species as they depend on echolocation to navigate.

Endangered animals return to Madagascar Thailand plans to send over 900 endangered tortoises and lemurs back to Madagascar after discovering the animals in an antianimal trafficking operation. CNN reports the first batch of animals were delivered on Nov. 30.

In May, Thai police found 1,117 animals in the operation, including spider tortoises, radiated tortoises, ring-tailed lemurs and brown lemurs, all of which are considered endangered species. Some animals have died since, due to poor health sustained when they were smuggled and the inability to adapt to the different environment.

These creatures are sought after to keep as exotic pets, and illegal trading in wildlife and timber ranks as the second-biggest danger to Madagascar ’s biodiversity.

However, Attapol Charoenchansa, director of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said that the repatriation operation would discourage future trafficking plans.

Nations meet to discuss climate crisis and solutions in 2024 COP29

By Padmaja Thirumalai Staff Writer

The annual Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change met in November, according to Nature. The event consists of global countries gathering together to discuss plans on how to tackle climate change.

According to the BBC, about 50,000 delegates attended COP29.

This includes representatives from the United Nations, diplomats, climate scientists, union leaders and environmental activists.

But other leaders from some of the largest economies and carbonemitters were absent from COP29, including India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United States President Joe Biden, China’s President Xi Jinping and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen.

This year ’s meeting was held in Baku, Azerbaijan from Nov. 11-22.

However, the location of this year ’s conference drew concern from some, as the country is trying to expand its gas production by a third.

According to BBC, some observers worried that the country would thus shift the focus away from fossil fuels when they are a large factor of climate change. BBC also reported that Azerbaijan officials were using this conference to boost investment

for their oil and gas company.

According to Nature, The Nature Conservancy staff was at the forefront of COP29 suggesting some solutions. Some of TNC’s priorities include eliminating fossil fuels, building strong societies that adapt to variations in climate and investing in financial flow towards climate.

According to The Global Climate and Health Alliance, the international health and climate community also called upon COP29 to deliver climate change solutions that would ensure the health of people and the planet. Some of their solutions were to collaborate with the most impacted communities, building strong and sustainable agriculture and ecosystems, enabling finance and prioritizing holistic adaptation.

In COP29, countries advocated for more renewable energy and investment from both public and private sectors to help those countries who were impacted severely by climate change.

During the conference, countries have also agreed to triple the target financing amount for addressing climate change, partly to aid developing countries. The countries have committed to donate $300 billion in climate finance annually until 2035. The money would also help them cope with varying climate changes and shift away from fossil

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

In COP29, countries advocated for more renewable energy and investment. fuels. countries must stop playing games According to VOA, Germany with our life and put a serious has pledged $62 million, France quantified financial proposal on the has pledged $3 billion and the table.”

U.S. pledged $3 billion each year Until the next meeting, there to the adaptation fund. However, are some 2024 COP agenda that developing and poor countries are the countries are focusing on. not satisfied with this contribution. According to CGIAR, countries They say that more money should will try to limit global warming, have been contributed when billions adapt to impacts of climate change and mobilize financial resources. of people’s lives were at stake.

“It is just utter disrespect to According to the United Nations Program, the those countries that are bearing Environmental the brunt of this crisis,” Panama’s COP29’s priorities indicate that representative, Juan Carlos countries will tackle extreme heat Monterrey Gomez, said as reported by increasing investment rates and by the Assoicated Press. “Developed take action into sustainable cooling.

December 6, 2024 The Signal page 11

Wildfires burn on both coasts in New Jersey and California

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Fire crews continued to battle wildfires across both the east and west coasts.

By Gauri Patel Staff Writer Fire crews have battled numerous wildfires across both the east and west coasts of the United States.

While wildfires are a familiar challenge in California, the recent outbreaks in the northeast have sparked concerns about shifting wildfire patterns and the readiness of regions that typically do not face such threats.

In New Jersey, hundreds of wildfires broke out during one of the driest periods on record, in terms of rainfall. According to Reuters, the Jennings Creek Wildfire burned 5,000 acres along the New York/ New Jersey border and threatened two residential structures. The fire

has been fully contained as of Nov. 22, according to a statement from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The blaze claimed the life of an 18-year-old New York State Parks worker, Dariel Vasquez, as he fought a fire near Greenwood Lake.

A historic drought has exacerbated the wildfire risk in the region. The U.S. Drought Monitor at the University of NebraskaLincoln reported that the majority of counties in southern New Jersey are experiencing extreme drought conditions, while the remainder of the state faces severe to moderate drought, as of Nov. 27.

Rainfall briefly provided relief overnight on Nov. 11, but fire officials warned it would not meaningfully alleviate the drought

or significantly reduce the fire risk.

States including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island implemented Red Flag warnings to mitigate risks, including bans on debris burning and outdoor grilling in certain areas, according to Reuters. However, the region continues to struggle with dry conditions and occasional humancaused issues, like arson, making the situation more challenging.

According to CBS News, a 14-year-old boy faces charges of aggravated arson for allegedly starting a wildfire. The fire was ignited on Oct. 30 in Evesham Township in New Jersey and burned through 52 acres over several days, though no structures were damaged, according to Evesham Police.

According to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, the fire was 90% contained as of Nov. 8.

According to The New York Times, New Jersey has faced 306 wildfires since Oct. 20, a significant increase from around 28 during the same period last year. Similarly, Connecticut has battled nearly 150 wildfires in the past month, compared to just five last year.

On Nov. 13, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a drought warning and requested people to take voluntary water conservation steps, stopping short of mandatory water usage restrictions, which would be the highest alert the government can impose.

“New Jersey is experiencing unprecedented weather conditions — as a result of climate change

— that require us to take these precautionary measures now,” said Gov. Murphy. “It can be challenging to adjust our daily habits, but it is imperative that we all work together, heed the guidance to conserve water, and use the utmost caution outdoors to reduce the risk of wildfire as dry conditions continue statewide.”

Meanwhile, California continues to grapple with its longstanding wildfire crisis.

The Mountain Fire in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, has burned over 32 square miles, destroying at least 245 structures and displacing thousands of residents, according to The Associated Press.

Although firefighters have achieved 95% containment as of Nov. 17 thanks to diminishing winds and cooler weather conditions, dry Santa Ana winds continue to pose a threat.

Over the course of five hours on Nov. 13, the fire quickly grew from less than half a square mile to over 16 square miles.

Thousands of residents faced evacuation orders, as the fire posed a threat to about 3,500 structures, according to The Associated Press.

While many have been allowed to return as red flag warnings lifted, thousands of homes remain under evacuation.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in Ventura County. The cause of the Mountain Fire is under investigation.

As the fires are brought under control, the focus now turns to addressing the root causes to mitigate future wildfire risks.

Ukraine fires U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles into Russia

By Gauri Patel Staff Writer

In a significant escalation of the war between Ukraine and Russia, Ukraine has fired long-range missiles supplied by the United States at Russian territory for the first time, according to NPR. The attack targeted a military weapons facility in Russia’s Bryansk region on Nov. 19.

According to NPR, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that six missiles were launched, with five intercepted and one causing minor damage. Ukrainian officials have not confirmed the specifics of the attack but emphasized their expanded long-range strike capabilities.

The move comes shortly after the Biden administration approved Ukraine’s use of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) within Russia, ending months of restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range, Western-made weaponry to avoid escalating the conflict. While Kyiv has previously used drones to strike deep within Russia, this marks its first use of these weapons supplied by the U.S. Ukraine and many of its Western supporters have been lobbying Washington for months to allow Ukraine to use the ATACMS to strike deeper inside Russia, arguing that the United States’ ban was limiting Ukraine’s ability to counter Russia’s attacks on cities and electrical grids, according to the Associated Press.

This comes as Russia has launched drone and missile attacks along the frontlines of eastern and southeastern Ukraine, aiming to

disable Ukraine’s power grid and weaponize the freezing temperatures for a third consecutive winter.

Officials describe these attacks as some of the largest in months, according to the Associated Press.

“And this is the answer to everyone who tried to achieve something with Putin through talks, phone calls, hugs and appeasement,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, referring to the Russian attacks.

Meanwhile, approximately 11,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

There is no evidence that the North Korean troops have engaged in combat with Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region yet; however, U.S. officials believe some troops are already positioned to join Russian forces in the coming days.

At a news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their South Korean counterparts, Austin said the North Korean troops have been given Russian uniforms and equipment, and Blinken revealed that the soldiers have undergone training in artillery, drone operations and infantry tactics, indicating their likely role in front-line combat.

According to the Associated Press, Austin added that Pyongyang supporting Russia would be a “very, very serious issue,” saying the escalation has the potential to broaden the war.

Although Kyiv has previously used drones to target regions further within Russia than the Bryansk region, Moscow has maintained

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Biden’s administration approved Ukraine’s use of the Army Tactical Missile System. that using long-range Western weapons would constitute a major escalation.

The Kremlin approved changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, setting out new conditions for carrying out a nuclear response on Western states. The changes now state that any attack on Russia by a non-nuclear state, if supported by a nuclear power, will be treated as a joint assault, according to NPR. “If the long-range missiles are used from the territory of Ukraine against the Russian territory, it will mean that they are controlled

by American military experts and we will view that as a qualitatively new phase of the Western war against Russia and respond accordingly,” said Russian Foreign

Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press conference at the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller criticized the Kremlin’s updated nuclear doctrine, stating that Russia has consistently used nuclear threats to intimidate Ukraine and other nations, according to the Associated Press. He emphasized that the U.S. sees no need to change its nuclear stance but urged Russia to stop its “bellicose and irresponsible” rhetoric.

The use of long-range missiles and changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine signal a significant escalation in the conflict, raising concerns about the consequences for regional and global stability.

TCNJ Bands’ final performance of the semester

Photo by Mia Shea

Kendall Hall was filled with music as the College’s Concert Band, Wind Orchestra and Wind Ensemble performed their last show of the semester.

By Mia Shea Staff Writer The College’s Concert Band, Wind Orchestra and Wind Ensemble brought life to the Kendall Hall Main Stage with their final performance of the fall semester on Nov. 22.

The show began with the Concert Band, conducted by Michael Pettis. The band wowed the audience with four whimsical pieces.

The band’s first piece was “Into the Clouds!” by Richard Saucedo. The concert program described this piece as symbolizing “individualism and selfreliance,” specifically while on a journey.

This was evident throughout the entire piece as the themes mirror the feeling of flying.

The Concert Band then performed two more pieces, “In His Grace” by Aytey Shabazz and “Skyward Spirits” by Jarod Hall. Both of these symphonies also

reminisce on the feeling of embarking on a journey through time and space.

Each performing band had one song that was conducted by a student. The student conductor for the Concert Band was Jillian Scott, a senior music education major.

She conducted “Silent Sky,” which was originally by Dennis Eveland.

The final song from the Concert Band was “Carabina Afterparty” by Omar Thomas. This upbeat, exciting and fun piece included audience participation in the middle of the song.

The next group to perform was the Wind Orchestra, led by conductor Adam Warshafsky. The first piece was student conducted by senior music education major Laurel Pondish.

The Wind Orchestra then performed “A Mother of a Revolution” by Omar Thomas, “Sheltering Sky” and “Until the Scars,” both by John Mackey. “Until the Scars” is an adaptation of the first movement of a work based on Homer’s “The Odyssey.”

The Wind Ensemble was the third and final group to perform and put on a versatile, show-stopping performance. The ensemble was conducted by Eric Laprade.

Freshman music education major Liezel Reyes plays the tuba in the Wind Ensemble.

“As one of the only freshmen in the wind ensemble, it is super fun,” she said. “And all of the upperclassmen are so welcoming.”

Their first piece was “Notezart”

by Cindy McTee, and was in a quasiRenaissance style. This song is reminiscent

of self-reliance, as shared by McTee in the program.

The second piece was studentconducted by Grace Trumpy, a senior music education major. The song was the classic “Ave Maria,” composed by Franz Biebl originally for a seven-part men’s choir. This piece was well received by the audience.

The third piece, “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin and arranged by Donald Hunsberger, featured José Beviá, professor of music theory and composition, on piano where he received a standing ovation from the crowd. The piece was a tribute to the late Hunsberger, who was a conductor at the Eastman School of Music for 37 years and taught Laprade. “[Hunsberger] was a professional and consummate musician,” Laprade said in the program. “Tonight, we celebrate his life and legacy through our performance of his arrangement of ‘Rhapsody in Blue.’”

The final song of the night was “Kingfishers Catch Fire” by John Mackey.

This piece perfectly encapsulated the message of the night of hope and selfreliance.

“I thought the show was amazing,” said freshman English secondary education major, Grace Mandy. “I love live music, whether it’s concerts or bands…everyone is so talented and it was a pleasure to enjoy.”

While this was the final orchestral performance of the semester, each group will be back in the spring semester for more performances.

Netflix’s tribute to Elvis Presley’s iconic comeback

By Ashley Ragone Staff Writer

Elvis Presley faced a pivotal moment of his career in 1968. After a heightened focus on Hollywood musicals and over seven years of no live performances, his popularity was dwindling. The future of his musical relevancy rested in the hands of a CBS television special, which would determine whether audiences still held space for him as the performer he once was.

Netflix’s new documentary, “Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley,” promises a deep dive into the making of this moment, offering an analysis of the context leading to his authentic reemergence. The documentary weaves behind-the-scenes footage of the taping with personal interviews to present a profile of Presley’s career beginnings, though it is slightly one-dimensional in its portrayal.

The documentary begins with Presley as a teenager, noting his first 1954 cover of “That’s All Right” by Arthur Crudup.

Despite previous segregation within the music industry, his childhood upbringing in Mississippi and Memphis influenced his appreciation for Black music stylings.

Presley’s genre-bending abilities allowed him to transcend existing barriers and reach a new, younger audience that was hungry for something fresh.

One of the more unexpected but insightful contributions came from Wright Thompson, a senior writer for ESPN. Though a surprising choice for the documentary, he offered his thoughts on the relationship between Colonel Tom Parker and Presley. Parker, who worked as the singer’s manager, “thought Elvis was merch” and wiped him of his authentic Southern roots.

Other notable interviews featured Jerry Schilling, a member of Presley’s Memphis

Mafia friend group, and Bruce Springsteen, a fellow rock and roll singer. He spoke to Presley’s long-lasting influence for other rising artists, as he “gave you the allowance to be who you actually are.”

As the documentary progresses, it shows Presley as he is eventually drafted into the army and dips into silver screen productions. As he shifted into the Hollywood scene, he found commercial success in a formulaic pattern of musicalmovies. The novelty of them started to fade though, especially with emerging artists like The Beatles overcasting Presley’s fame. Presley overall started to lose his appeal, and lost his place in the cultural zeitgeist.

This fall from glory set the scene for the 1968 CBS special, a significant moment of redemption for his career. The opener, “(If You’re Looking For) Trouble,” introduces the singer in all leather, with an electric energy and palpable confidence. Despite early filming nerves, his charisma is effortless and stunning. His finale of “If I Can Dream,” in a white suit with his name in neon lights, solidifies his comeback.

Thompon described Presley’s return to his roots as helping him to be “remembered today as one of the most quintessential American talents. And it is because there were moments when people saw.”

The success of his special was evident, with 42% of the American television audience tuning in to witness his brilliance.

Its triumph marked the end of his decline, and he opened the door on a new, more authentic chapter of his career — though his death came not long after because of the drug abuse that was allowed by corrupt doctors and the business-oriented Colonel Parker.

While “Return of the King” provides viewers a framework through which to understand the context of Elvis Presley’s need for a comeback special, it ultimately lacks the depth and complex understanding

Photo courtesy of IMDb

The documentary follows Presley’s life leading up to the famous 1968 comeback special, “Elvis.” that I felt was more present in other media, such as director Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 film “Elvis.”

Though some aspects were more fictionalized, that film took into account the negative role of Parker in the habits and choices of the singer. The documentary glosses over more nuanced aspects of his life, such as the financial exploitation of Presley and his chronic mistreatment of women. Nevertheless, it serves as a clear introduction to the singer’s story and allows for further exploration of his background.

“Return of the King: The Fall and Rise

of Elvis Presley” succeeds in presenting a narrative of Presley’s life and career up to the 1968 CBS special that reintroduced his place in the music industry. It fell short of delivering more nuanced depictions of some aspects of his life, instead opting for a half-baked narrative of events or glossing over certain topics entirely.

Overall, Presley was a unique blend of his ancestral roots and fresh American desire, breaking boundaries across genres and inspiring countless artists after him.

For someone looking to learn more about Presley and broad strokes of his career, this documentary is a solid portrayal of him.

December 6, 2024 The Signal page 13

A journey of self realization: ‘Shawn’ by Shawn Mendes

By Mia Shea Staff Writer

The record “Shawn” by Shawn Mendes contains 12 songs that recall what it’s like to find yourself and your own identity while struggling with the pressure around you.

Mendes announced the record on X in July of this year. “Shawn,” released on Nov. 15, is his first release since his previous album “Wonder” in 2020.

“Music really can be medicine,” Mendes wrote. “2 years ago I felt like I had absolutely no idea who I was. A year ago I couldn’t step into a studio without falling into complete panic. So to be here right now with 12 beautiful finished songs feels like such a gift.”

The album opens with the track “Who Am I,” which wrestles with the idea of figuring out who you are when life throws unexpected obstacles in your path and the people around you are pressuring you to succeed.

The following track is titled “Why Why Why” and was the lead single for the record. On a depressing note, this song harps on figuring out why Mendes feels the way that he does when it comes to certain situations.

The main chorus of the track goes, “Feels like everything goes ‘round and ‘round / And ‘round and ‘round and ‘round it goes.” It heavily pushes this idea that life is just a continuous cycle, when every day feels the same.

As the album continues, Mendes proceeds with the depressing themes of

Photo courtesy of Apple Music

The 12 track record, titled “Shawn,” was released on Nov. 15. missing past relationships and longing to find meaning, with tracks like “That’s The Dream,” “Nobody Knows” and “Isn’t That Enough.”

Throughout the album, the instrumentals are primarily acoustic and involve guitars. The melody and instrumentals are somewhat reminiscent of a country album, along with the light harmonica sprinkled throughout.

The pace begins to pick up with the catchy sixth track, titled “Heart of Gold,” which goes through the different stages of grief and moving on from losing someone. This track adds some variety into an otherwise very monotonous album.

In a Jan. 2 Instagram post, Mendes wrote: “The biggest lesson for me this year has been to accept and welcome the

lows of life… not to constantly need to change or fix something in order to feel high again, because i know if i really slow down and listen when i’m low there’s always something to hear.”

This quote encapsulates the message and overall themes of the record, like trying to pick yourself up after being knocked down or experiencing hardship — and in the process, attempting to find the meaning of life.

The track “The Mountain” is more about self growth and having your own experiences. This track also pays homage to the Indigo Girls song “Closer to Fine,” with the lyrics in Mendes’ song saying, “I took a trip to the mountains / I took a trip to the sea / I took a sip from the fountain.”

The album ends on a higher note than it began, with the beginning songs being more discouraging and depressing. The tracks toward the end of the album soar, such as “The Mountain” and “Rollin’ Right Along.”

The final track for this record is a unique choice, as it is a cover of the song “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.

The emotion in Mendes’ voice is very present, as it is throughout the rest of the album. However, the decision to do this might hinder overall opinions on the record because it is not an original.

The record overall is lyrically strong, and the message is very prevalent throughout. The acoustic instruments and more laid back tone enhance the album, featuring a somewhat new, experimental style for Mendes.

‘GNX’: Kendrick Lamar’s nostalgic, west-coast inspired surprise album

Photo courtesy of Apple Music

Lamar chose the Buick GNX car to showcase this record’s connections to himself, his nostalgia and to celebrate his riches and success of this year.

By Andre Paras Staff Writer Kendrick Lamar, the Compton rapper, songwriter and Pulitzer Prize winner, has had himself quite a year coming off of a feud with one of hiphop’s biggest names, Drake. Since then, Lamar has been recognized with seven nominations for the 2025 Grammys and is set to headline the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show.

He’s secured both of these without a new album since 2022 — until now.

At around 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 22, Lamar released a snippet with the album’s name, “GNX.” Thirty minutes later, “GNX” released without any other promotion, leaving even the

music industry blindsided.

“The label found out this morning,” said Brian Zisook, CEO of music platform Audiomack, on X. To add to the surprise element of this record, none of the features were listed in the song titles on streaming platforms for its release. SZA is the main major feature on “GNX,” on tracks “luther” and “gloria.” Roddy Ricch also joins in on “dodger blue.”

The rest of the album gives a platform to lesser-known, underground west-coast rappers such as Dody6, Wallie the Sensei, Sam Dew, Ink, AzChike and more.

Producers Dahi, Mustard, Sounwave, Terrace Martin and more have reunited with Lamar on this

project. However, a big, unexpected name also has significant work on this record, and that is Grammy-awardwinning producer Jack Antonoff.

Known best for his work with Taylor Swift and other modern pop stars, Antonoff proves his versatility in hiphop on “GNX.” The car Lamar named the studioLP after, which is seen posed with on the album’s artwork, is the Buick GNX, short for “Grand National Experimental,” according to the American Muscle Car Museum.

The GNX, a turbo-charged car that could go from 0 to 60 mph in just five seconds, was released in an extremely limited series of just 547 cars in 1987, Lamar’s birth year (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Lamar chose the Buick GNX car to showcase this record’s connections to himself and his nostalgia, and to celebrate his riches and success from this year.

The first song, “wacced out murals,” begins with Lamar stating: “Yesterday, somebody whacked out my mural,” referring to a Compton mural of him being vandalized, according to XXL. Through a simple pulsating beat, Lamar continues on with the track, reflecting on his beef with Drake and addressing the disappointment and betrayal he’s seen after being chosen as the Super Bowl’s upcoming headliner.

He expresses love for Lil Wayne, whom fans think Lamar stole the show from, with the event being held in Wayne’s hometown of New Orleans.

As an opening track, this song greatly sets the tone for the album.

Lamar is focused and unfiltered in his artistic commitment despite barriers placed in front of him. He does this while getting vulnerable and opening up about his struggles.

Next is “squabble up,” which fans may recognize as a snippet teased at the beginning of Lamar’s “Not Like Us” music video. This song continues

with the west-coast influenced sound of “Not Like Us” through its instrumental, while interpolating his own flows from that song throughout.

The track “luther” likely gets its name from a sample in the song of the late R&B singer-songwriter Luther VanDross. VanDross’ vocals open the track singing, “If this world were mine,” and Lamar and SZA use this line to paint their ideal worlds free of pain and suffering. With many seamless lyrical exchanges, Lamar and SZA flex their chemistry on this track in their fifth collaboration together.

On the second half of the album, “reincarnated” and its instrumentation is driven by a sample of the legendary rapper Tupac’s song “Made Ni***z.”

Lamar uses the idea of reincarnation to describe the similarities between himself and past notable Black musicians.

Lamar reclaims his “The Heart” series with “heart pt. 6,” which is made to combine hip-hop culture in relation to his life. During his rap beef from this year, Drake titled one of his Kendrick diss tracks “The Heart Part 6” to mock the series and talk about how one of Lamar’s friends went against him.

Despite this, Lamar doesn’t discuss Drake here. This track instead details Lamar’s early days and inspirations as a rapper under music label Top Dawg Entertainment. As Lamar describes his rise to the top of hip-hop, he also recalls his passion for independence, thus describing leaving TDE and creating his current label, pgLang.

For an artist who’s been on a generational run since the start of his discography, he has nothing to prove yet a lot to lose in potentially staining his legacy. As a surprise release, “GNX” is everything fans could’ve asked for, and arguably his most fun record to date.

On his quest to perfectionism, Lamar has earned himself another great album to help support his case as hip-hop’s greatest of all-time.

page 14 The Signal December 6, 2024

‘Anora’: A sex worker’s unpredictable fairytale turned harsh reality

By Andre Paras Staff Writer “Anora” is the latest film from director and auteur Sean Baker, released on Nov. 8.

With this movie being awarded the Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival’s highest prize, you can expect to see it as a 2025 Oscar Best Picture contender, according to The Financial Times.

Through most of his films, Baker has advocated for sex workers, immigrants and the lower class. He gives audiences a look into big American cities with average people in an honest, off-Hollywood way.

“If there is one intention with all these films, I would say it’s by telling human stories, by telling stories that are hopefully universal,” Baker said at a Cannes press conference. “It’s helping remove the stigma that’s been applied to this livelihood, that’s always been applied to this livelihood.”

In 2015, he shot his full-length film “Tangerine,” telling the story of a pair of transgender sex workers in Hollywood searching for a pimp, on an iPhone 5s.

His 2017 film “The Florida Project” is from the perspective of a 6 girl living with her single, unemployed mother in a motel near Disney World.

Finally, “Red Rocket,” released in 2021, is about a washed-up porn star returning to his small Texas hometown.

Now, “Anora” is the least grounded of these all, but that’s what makes it a fanfavorite. The film follows a 23-year-old sex

worker from Brooklyn who goes by Anora or Ani, played by Mikey Madison. She meets a 21-year-old Russian named Ivan, played

by Mark Eydelshteyn, who lives alone in a massive mansion given to him by his father, a Russian business overlord.

Their sharp contrast in lifestyles and youth attract both of these characters to each other, leading to an impulsive marriage in Las Vegas weeks after meeting. While this sounds similar to the plot of the famous romcom “Pretty Woman,” later events turn this film into a wild, unpredictable ride.

Shot on film, this movie carefully paints the NYC nightlife, breathing more liveliness into its erotic ambiance. Shortly after, this is where Anora meets Ivan.

If I were to divide this film into three parts, the first plays out like a perverted manchild’s dream rom-com. The heavy alcohol and drug-infused Las Vegas trip is swiftly and seamlessly edited together by Baker, who’s also in charge of this movie’s cut. Many carefree, spontaneous moments happen, like their quick marriage. This showcases Ivan’s affluenza and immaturity, but the ridiculous circumstances provide a lot of screwball comedy along the way.

This is only Eydelshteyn’s first role in a major film, let alone as a star, but his casting was perfect. He plays this horny guy with lots of boyish qualities well, with his wealth giving him a bold amount of confidence for such an immature character.

The movie’s second part is where Madison shines as Anora. Ivan’s parents,

who are very unhappy with the marriage, send workers to stop Ivan and fly out to annul the marriage. However, Ivan successfully escapes the workers’ disastrous efforts.

The workers are left alone with Anora, and Madison unleashes total mayhem in her performance. Despite her Los Angeles origins, she channels Anora’s Brooklyn attitude, accent and anger, defending her marriage and going to great lengths to try and escape the mansion. There’s lots of yelling, screaming and expletives on top of each other, reminiscent of the New York film “Uncut Gems.”

One of the workers is named Toros, played by Karren Karagulian, who’s acted in every Baker-directed film to date. Toros is his biggest role in a Baker film yet. He certainly makes his screen time powerful here.

Without entering spoiler territory, the last part of this film is the most grounded and depressing. While this isn’t surprising for Baker, the way he’s able to provide so much depth in one of the most fun movies of the year is infinitely impressive.

Madison is able to give “Anora” so much power, but also so much vulnerability. In contrast to the film’s opening, this movie’s final, silent and intimate shot lingered with me. The film’s credits were completely silent, giving the film an abrupt but necessary ending for the audience to sit and think.

Along with winning the Palme d’Or, another highlight of this film’s rollout was the reaction it received at a screening for real sex workers and strippers.

Photo courtesy of IMDb

The film follows a 23-year-old sex worker from Brooklyn.

“I could probably cry talking about it. It’s the most important thing because the movie is for sex workers,” Madison told Variety.

“So that was really special. Just to walk in and all of these amazing women are clapping with their heels, giving us applause. That was beautiful.”

The best part of it all is Baker’s observational, non-critical look into sex work. Hopefully “Anora” will get Baker his well-deserved flowers from the Academy, and provide Madison and Eydelshteyn’s with a breakout for more big roles.

Second half of ‘Outer Banks’ season The winners of ‘Dancing with four brings an unexpected ending the Stars’ Season 33 finale

Photo courtesy of IMDb

“Outer Banks” continues with the second half of its fourth season.

By Heather Halperin Correspondent

Netflix’s original series “Outer Banks” came back on Nov. 7 after a month-long wait with the second half of season four.

As this season continues, this group of friends begins to realize that no matter how hard they try, getting out of the “G game,” their search for gold will never be a possibility for them. Their desire for treasure hunting will always be within them, pushing them back into the search whether they want it or not. This, however, will continue to affect their group in many different ways.

Part 2 picks up right where Part 1 left off, in the middle of the Pogues’ search for Blackbread’s treasure. The second part is jam-packed with more adventure and excitement than the last.

As the Pogues continue on their mission, shocking truths are revealed that change everything they know about themselves and their futures.

Season four of “Outer Banks” proves this show still has life left in it. The last two seasons caused me to think this show

was going to continue to go downhill.

However, I am proud to say this season proved me wrong. Season four brought everything I was hoping for: love, friendship and non-stop adventure.

The fast pace of this season allowed me to stay entertained as well as enjoy what was happening on the screen. The new adventure introduced this season is what was needed for this group of friends, and it made me remember why I fell in love with this show back in the first season.

This new journey continued to show the loyalty the Pogues have for one another. Despite the differences these friends have, sometimes the love they have for one another outshines any hardships they go through.

While friendship is a big theme in this show, I’m glad this second part lets the plot and adventure lead the story instead of solely focusing on the romance in the friend group. Although I love the relationships within the group, I enjoyed it being a side story rather than the show revolving around it.

This season reflected that true friendship is about always being there for the ones you love no matter what. Season four was filled with unexpected plot twists and new allies, and it ends in the most devastating way possible.

The ending had me in both shock and tears, and it made me interested in the show’s future plans. Even now, I still think back to the show because of what a wonderful job it did making the audience feel connected to the characters.

For “Outer Banks” fans wondering whether this new season is worth it, I can promise it will not disappoint. This season exceeded my expectations and showed me why I enjoyed season one so much.

“Outer Banks” is coming back with its fifth and final season. It has been confirmed on the show’s Instagram page that season five is expected to be the perfect ending for the Pogues.

By Abigail Holliday Staff Writer

“Dancing with the Stars” just wrapped up 33 seasons with Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson taking home the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy.

Graziadei is a 29-year-old who transitioned from a contestant on “The Bachelorette“ to being crowned “The Bachelor” on the shows’ 28 season, according to People Magazine.

Johnson is a 30-year-old professional dancer who has been on “Dancing with the Stars” for eight seasons. She was also partnered with Jojo Siwa in Season 30, according to People Magazine, making them the first same-sex pairing on the show.

This season included two Team USA Olympians, Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik, a former NFL player, Danny Amendola, and TV stars Graziadei and Chandler Kinney. Another notable celebrity was Anna Delvey, a famous criminal and con artist, who was eliminated in the first round with Ezra Sosa.

The finalists included Amendola and Witney Carson, Graziadei and Johnson, Kinney and Brandon Armstrong, Maher and Alan Bersten, and Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold.

Graziadei and Johnson started strong in the finale, dancing the Cha Cha to “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” by Justin Timberlake as their redemption dance chosen by the judges, and finished with a freestyle to “Canned Heat” by District 78 featuring Jake Simpson.

Their freestyle dance was inspired

by Graziadei’s love for tennis and stemmed from the fact that before his stint on “The Bachelor,” he was a tennis coach in Hawaii.

Photo courtesy of IMDb

Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson were named the winners of Season 33.

The duo ended the night with a final score of 117. They earned a score of 30 for their redemption dance – a perfect score – and a 29 for their freestyle from the judges.

Carrie Ann said their routine was “underwhelming” and that they lost their energy in the middle.

The crowd and other judges, Derek Hough and Bruno Toniolo, vehemently disagreed to the point that she was booed.

Ilona and Alan came in at a close second place, with Chandler and Brandon in third place, Stephen and Rylee in fourth place, and Danny and Witney in fifth place.

Actress Xochitl Gomez and dancer Val Chmerkovskiy, the winners of “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32, passed the torch to Graziadei and Johnson. This is extra special for Johnson since her husband, Chmerkovskiy, was the one to be the first to award her winner and celebrate.

It was also announced that Kinney, Maher, Graziadei and Nedoroscik will all be joining the DWTS Live 2025 Tour, with Stephen co-hosting, according to Today.

December 6, 2024 The Signal page 15

Signal Sports staff’s Super Bowl and MVP predictions play, the Bills can beat anyone. The team is built for the cold weather of the playoffs and will have no fear against whoever is in their way. This could be the year that Bills Mafia can finally celebrate their team winning the Super Bowl.

Senior pitcher Jordan Gray in his outing.

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Gladstone Photo from Flickr

Lamar Jackson is looking for his third MVP award.

By Aidan Mastandrea, Joseph Caruso game, and allowing the second least. and Tyler Morello However, the biggest question mark for Signal Sports Staff Detroit is Goff. As the playoffs approach and competition gets stiffer, the Lions With winter break at the College will need Goff to make big-time plays — quickly approaching, The Signal’s sports something that he has struggled to do in staff put together their predictions for the the past.

Super Bowl Champion and League MVP With that being said, the Lions as the season progresses. rushing attack and defense alone are Super Bowl Predictions enough to make them the unquestioned favorite in the NFC, as they look to punch Joe: Detroit Lions their ticket to the Caesars Superdome for Now in his fourth season as head coach Super Bowl LIX. of the Detroit Lions, Dan Campbell has completely transformed a Detroit team Aidan: Buffalo Bills that had previously been the laughing This story has been told before. The stock of football for decades prior.

Buffalo Bills and quarterback Josh Allen Along with their fiery coach, the have beaten the Kansas City Chiefs Lions undoubtedly have the best roster during the regular season multiple times, in the league. Superstars on both sides of creating a facade that they are a better the field with players like Brian Branch, team. Ultimately, they have fallen short Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, each and every year in the playoffs.

Aidan Hutchinson and Penei Sewell This year, however, has a different along with plenty of others, this Detroit feel. Before the season, many “experts” squad is the deepest team the league has were critical of the Bills because of the seen in years. Although Jared Goff is not loss of star Stefon Diggs and more, but the best quarterback in the world, he has they have looked as good as ever. Allen been perfect within offensive coordinator is currently playing the best football of Ben Johnson’s system. his career and the team feels suited for With a league-best 11-1 record, the the postseason.

Lions are dismantling teams week after The Chiefs look vulnerable, and if week, averaging the most points per Allen keeps up this level of quarterback

Tyler: Kansas City Chiefs It’s looking like there may finally be a different Super Bowl champion this year with many new squads breaking out.

Josh Allen and the Bills have gathered a lot of momentum and are sitting at 10-2.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens each are well-coached teams that are looking to get over the hump of previous seasons, while the Philadelphia Eagles and Lions seem to be quiet threats with how dominant their running games are. However, one of the best quarterbacks of all time is looking to lead his team to a third consecutive Super Bowl victory. Despite the Chiefs looking shaky at times and cutting it close in many of their games, there is no one better to trust in a playoff setting than Patrick Mahomes. Even though the Chiefs are 11-1, they are without a doubt one of the weaker Mahomes-led teams in recent memory. The defense is still one of the best in the league, and while the offense doesn’t have the firepower fans are used to, Mahomes and coach Andy Reid will be able to manage down the stretch.

MVP Predictions Joe: Lamar Jackson Now a two-time NFL AP Most Valuable Player, the Baltimore Ravens signal-caller is having his best season yet. Jackson ranks second in passing yards and second in passing touchdowns, all while having just three interceptions.

Along with his career-best pace in the air, the dual-threat quarterback leads the position in rushing with 678 yards.

Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills has a compelling argument as well, leading the seemingly undermanned Bills to a 10-2 record, and handing the Kansas City Chiefs their lone loss.

However, Allen ranks outside of the top 12 in passing yards, and outside the

top five in passing touchdowns. Although Jackson’s Ravens are just 8-5, they have scored more touchdowns than any team in football this season, a testament to the impact of Lamar Jackson. Assuming Baltimore doesn’t fall on their face in December, Jackson will have a case to take home his second consecutive MVP award.

Aidan: Saquon Barkley In recent years, the running back position has been scrutinized greatly.

Many pundits believed that a great running back was not crucial to a team’s success. Saquon Barkley has flipped that narrative.

The Eagles added Barkley to a talented roster and have looked nearly unstoppable as of late. Barkley has already accumulated over 1700 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns. The Eagles are 10-2 and poised for a top seed in the NFC East. If they finish the season strong and Barkley continues to rack up the yards, he will be in a great spot to be the first running back to be MVP since LaDanian Tomlinson in 2006.

Tyler: Lamar Jackson The Baltimore Ravens have had one of the most efficient offenses of recent memory, with some thinking it’s because of the offseason addition of Derrick Henry. While you could make an argument for that, the real reason is that Lamar Jackson continues to develop his game year after year.

He is second in passing yards while also placing 22nd in rushing yards as a quarterback. He’s also on pace for a career-high in passing yards and passing touchdowns. The Ravens have had some puzzling losses this year to inferior teams such as the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns, but their defense has regressed tremendously from last season.

They are near the bottom of the pack in points allowed per game and yards allowed per game, and have given up the most passing yards in the entire league. The reason the Ravens have been successful is because of the otherworldly play of Lamar Jackson, who should win his third MVP award.

Seniors Nina Branchizio and Arianna McCleod ready to lead TCNJ women’s basketball to success

Branchizio advancing the ball up the court.

By Olivia Trasser Correspondent With three games already under their belt, the College’s women’s basketball team is gearing up for a promising season led by seniors Nina Branchizio and Arianna McCleod. As co-captains, Branchizio and McCleod bring leadership, experience and skill that have already shone in the team’s performances this season.

Branchizio, a sharpshooter who recently surpassed 200 career 3-pointers, a milestone reached by only one other player in program history, has been a consistent offensive force for the Lions.

In Sunday’s Morin Memorial Tournament championship game against Williams College, she scored a team-high 14 points and made four 3-pointers.

Photo by Arion Owes

Branchizio’s ability to stretch the floor with her shooting and all-around hustle was evident as she played all 40 minutes of the game.

Meanwhile, McCleod has showcased her scoring ability and leadership, dropping a career-high 22 points in Saturday’s 91-53 rout of Framingham State.

“Nina and I have embraced our roles as leaders by leading through not only words but by our actions,” said McCleod. “We understand the importance of setting a strong example, whether it’s staying positive through tough games or helping keep the team focused and motivated during practices.”

McCleod emphasized the team’s commitment to creating a culture of perseverance and growth.

“We’ve worked hard throughout the

preseason to create a culture where everyone is driven to be the best on and off the court regardless of any setback or obstacle in the way, and we’ve had a few so far this season already,” she said.

The Lions currently hold a 2-1 record.

The team dominated Framingham State with an explosive third quarter, shooting 14 of 19 from the field, and showcased their balanced offense, with four players scoring in double figures.

However, they experienced some challenges in the championship game against Williams, enduring scoreless droughts that led to a narrow 55-49 defeat.

Despite the ups and downs, the senior duo remains focused on fostering growth among their teammates.

“With a younger roster, I think we’ve had to focus on creating a supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable growing and even making mistakes,” McCleod said. “We understand how difficult transitioning from high school to college can be, and we know what it takes to become elite players.”

The team’s depth is another strong point, with contributions from players like junior Grace Kowalski, who has scored in double figures in all three games, and sophomore Katie Fricker, who tied her career high with 21 points against Framingham State.

McCleod believes that her and Branchizio’s leadership roles have

pushed them to elevate their performances.

“In a way, being role models for our teammates helps us push ourselves individually. It holds us accountable because we want to lead by example,” McCleod said. “Being both role models and standout performers takes a lot of hard work and dedication.”

The pair also credit their teammates and coaching staff for fostering a dynamic collaborative team.

“What helps us is the support we receive from our coaches and teammates, it’s easy to be role models for teammates who respect our leadership and understand what it takes to be a successful team,” she said.

Looking ahead, the Lions will face Stevens this Saturday in what promises to be another competitive matchup. With Branchizio and McCleod leading the way, the College’s women’s basketball team is poised to make a statement this season.

“Our goal is to take it one game at a time, stay disciplined, and continue building chemistry,” McCleod said.

“We’ve leaned on our experience from previous seasons to guide our younger teammates. We’re excited to see how far we can go.”

Fans can expect this senior duo to lead the charge with their determination and commitment to making this season one to remember.

Jasinski receives All-American honors after stellar season

Jasinski racked up eight recieving touchdowns on the year.

By Aidan Mastandrea Sports Editor It has been an eventful five years as a part of the College’s football team for Malin Jasinski. From starting out as a young freshman looking to be a quarterback to becoming a seasoned fifth year star receiver, Jasinski helped lead the program to its best season in over a decade.

He has been recognized as a 1st team all American by the American Football Coaches Association. He is the first Lion selected for first team honors since Shawn Brown in 2011.

While the recognition shows his impact between the lines, Jasinski’s career at the College has been much more than that.

After the COVID-19 pandemic took away his freshman season, Ja-

Photo by Elizabeth Gladstone

sinski began his career in 2022 on the defensive side of the ball. He played in six games and brought home NJAC defensive rookie of the week honors.

Jasinskis junior year at the College saw him step into many different roles on the team. He began to blossom as a receiver while also starting two games at quarterback. The former Seneca highschool quarterback came to the College with hopes of continuing to lead the offense, but ultimately became one of the best receivers the school has seen.

“With my knowledge of QB, it kind of gave me an advantage when it came to reading the defense and knowing where to go,” said Jasinski.

“Sometimes I would put myself in the QB shoes and try to imagine where I would want my receiver on a certain play, and then I would just go there.”

The Lions and Jasinski took a leap in 2023. Finishing the season at 5-5, the College came up just short of an NJAC championship at the end of the year. As a team captain, Jasinski recorded 36 receptions for 362 yards and four touchdowns.

Throughout all of the position changes and challenges, Jasinski stuck with the College, wanting to bring success to the program.

“In a day and age where transferring is the answer to every obstacle, Malin stands as a shining beacon of what is possible when you focus where your feet are,” said Lions offensive coordinator Aaron Mershman.

With a possible fifth year available, Jasinski, along with his teammates and friends, Trevor Bopp and Thomas Burke decided to come back to the College in hopes of hoisting an NJAC championship trophy.

“I pushed myself harder this offseason than any other one, also because I knew how much the rest of the team cared, especially Bopp and Burke,” said Jasinski. “I knew that if all of us were coming back, it wasn’t going to be for nothing. The three of us knew what had to be done in order to be better.”

Right from the start it was obvious how much work Jasinski put in during the offseason. He finished with a jaw-dropping statline of 13 receptions for 152 yards and two touchdowns in week one against Eastern University.

“He was obsessed with his weaknesses,” said Mershman. “When we got on him as a staff about getting off of press and his blocking he went out just quietly fixed it in the offseason.”

Statistics like week one’s became

normal for Jasinski as the season progressed. He finished the season with 99 receptions for 1378 yards and eight touchdowns in just 10 games.

The Lions were unable to capture the NJAC crown, but finished over .500 for the first time since 2011.

First team All-American honors are rare and was ultimately something that Jasinski thought was attainable.

“My whole life I’ve looked up to kids that received this award but never thought I could come close to that,” said Jasinski. “All-American was the furthest thing on my mind this whole season, I honestly was so caught up within the grind of trying to win the NJAC it never hit me.”

The star receiver certainly will leave a major impact on the program after he graduates in May. “I am certain that now as he leaves us for either a continued career in football or the world of finance whatever organization and community gets to be his next home, will immediately be made better by his presence there,” said Mershman.

Jasinski credits Bopp and Burke for being alongside him on the field and helping him put together his legendary season. He also feels that he would not have been able to accomplish what he did without assistant coach Joe Plaza training him over the summer.

“With everything with football, school, and even my personal journey, I’ve had a lot of curve balls thrown my way but I just kept my head down and grinding,” said Jasinski. “Through all the extra hours on the field, extra hours in the library, extra hours enjoying all the benefits of college, it was all worth it.”

No. 15 ranked Lions continue to roar in men’s basketball

Photo by Elizabeth Gladstone

Nick Koch keeping the ball from defenders.

By Joseph Caruso this year. After averaging 17 points Staff Writer per game and 5 assists per game as a sophomore, those numbers are up to The College’s men’s basketball 20 and seven, respectively. team followed up a Greg Grant Tip“Nobody is perfect, and I Off Tournament victory with two road understood what I can improve on wins against Ursinus College and from last season and worked on it to William Paterson University, winning the best of my capability,” Koch said. by 26 and 40 points, respectively.

“I’m already seeing a jump in my On Saturday, Ursinus hosted the game.”

Lions at D.L. Helfferich Hall. The This momentum was carried College took a 20-point lead into the into the first New Jersey Athletic halftime locker room and did not look Conference game of the season for the back, besting the Bears 97-71. It was College when they traveled to William junior Nick Koch leading the way, Paterson on Tuesday to take on the getting right to his season average Pioneers. of 20 points. Sophomore David William Paterson hung tight for the Alexandre had an extremely efficient first half, keeping the deficit at single 18, missing just one of his nine shot digits going into the locker room. attempts.

However, The College blew the doors Koch is following up his amazing off after halftime, outscoring the 2023 season with even better numbers Pioneers by 31 en route to a 40-point

victory.

It was a very well-balanced attack, with five different Lions reaching double digits, with Koch leading the way with 17 points along with a teamhigh 6 assists. Senior Matthew Okorie had 16 points, and junior Jonathan Okocha chipped in 15 points.

The Lions have been dismantling opposing teams all season. Now with a perfect 6-0 record and ranked 15th on the D3hoops.com men’s Top 25 for week 2, the College continues to move up the ladder. This is the first season they have been ranked since 20042005 when they started 11-1 and got as high as #12.

“The key to our undefeated start is what happens when no one is watching,” Koch added. “We treat every practice like it’s a championship practice which helps us for when it’s game time” The College lost multiple key senior leaders going into the season, which just means other guys have had to step up.

“A lot of people thought we would slow down, but we are just getting started,” Koch said. “We are focused more on our principles with defending and running through our plays, and I would say with this start we are definitely succeeding on what we have to do, it just depends on if we can continue to do it.”

With six different Lions averaging more than nine points per game, it has been an all-hands-on-deck approach

from the College.

“All players on the team, 1 [through] 18, push each other to become the best versions of ourselves, so whatever we see in the game we have already seen in practice,” Koch said.

The toughest test yet awaits the Lions, as the Ospreys of Stockton University travel to Packer Hall on Wednesday to try and end the College’s undefeated streak.

TCNJ Athletics Schedule Men’s Swimming and Diving Saurday, Dec. 7, 1 p.m Home against NYU Men’s Basketball Saturday, Dec. 7, 1 p.m Away at Kean University Women’s Basketball Saturday, Dec. 7, 3 p.m Away at Kean University Wrestling Saturday, Dec. 7 Invitational in York, PA Men’s and Womens Track Saturday, Dec. 7, 5 p.m Winter Open in New York, NY