The Signal: Spring '13, No. 12

Student Government Election Results

Evan Edelman pitches well for the Lions baseball team

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Vol. CXXXVIII, No. 12

April 17, 2013

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Search continues for student Paige Aiello

Friends and family show support, remain hopeful

By Brendan McGrath & Editor-in-Chief Jamie Primeau Former EIC

One week after Paige Aiello was reported missing, the search for the College senior continues.

Aiello was last seen by her father at approximately 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9 at her home in Hillsborough, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

At around 3 p.m., Aiello’s mother realized her daughter and car, a grey 2006 Audi A4, were missing. Attempts to contact Aiello via cellphone were unsuccessful. According to the prosecutor’s office, Aiello’s father reported her missing to the Hillsborough Police Department at 7:45 p.m. and an investigation began immediately.

Later that night, at approximately 8:30 p.m., a passerby found Paige Aiello’s wallet and cellphone on the south walkway of the upper level of the George Washington Bridge.

Authorities began searching the Hudson River in the area by the bridge at around 11:20 p.m.

Aiello’s mother’s missing car was found the next day, Wednesday, April 10,

Photo courtesy of Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office

Paige Aiello.

at 10:19 p.m. in a New Brunswick parking lot located near a NJ Transit station, according to the prosecutor’s office.

On Monday, April 15, The Times of Trenton reported that surveillance footage shows Aiello at New York Penn Station, getting off a train and walking in the direction of the George Washington Bridge.

The investigation remains ongoing as of Monday, April 15.

Family and friends continue to remain hopeful, and encourage the campus community to do the same.

“It’s been good to see that the campus and the community and everyone have been so supportive,” said Erin Aiello, Paige’s sister. “They should hang on to the hope that they have.”

Paige Aiello is a captain of the women’s tennis team and a communication studies major at the College.

“I have the honor of knowing Paige as a teammate, classmate, roommate and a best friend,” said senior Lauren Balsamo. “She is honestly the most beautiful person I know inside and out.”

“It is amazing how supportive people have been and I hope everyone continues to pray and keep her in their thoughts,” Balsamo said. “Anybody who has met her knows how wonderful of a person she is and I know I can speak for my entire house when I say that my college experience would not be what it was without her.”

Balsamo also emphasized how much they need Aiello here, and that they cannot

wait to see her.

To show support, members of the College’s tennis teams have created a “TCNJ Peach for Paige” event. Peach is Paige’s favorite color.

“Our teams want to spread awareness for Paige by wearing peach ribbons and posting them on the (Facebook) groups and events,” said Karisse Bendijo, senior and fellow tennis captain.

Explaining the purpose of the peach, Bendijo said, “We just want to show Paige that TCNJ wants her to come home.”

The College plans to update students via email of any updates on the investigation.

“We are all very concerned about Paige’s disappearance and continue to hope for her safe return. Our thoughts and prayers are with Paige, her family and her loved ones during this difficult time,” said Matthew Golden, associate vice president for communications, marketing and brand management for the College.

Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Hillsborough Police Department at 908-369-4323 or the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office at 908-575-3300.

Blue light emergency phones Spring Concert Mac Miller raps

By Tom Kozlowski Opinions Editor

Tom Kozlowski / Opinions Editor

Blue lights on campus aim to provide a safer college.

INDEX: Nation & World / Page 8 The Signal @TCNJsignal

Editorial / Page 9

The College is surrounded by Ewing and Trenton, two municipalities whose safety records can cause concern for some students.

But students do not let this stop them from traveling campus by night.

“I feel extremely safe walking around at night, and I’ve never had an issue with coming home late from the library, meetings or anything of the sort,” said Catherine Tung, a freshman political science major.

What many students forget, though, is the presence of the College’s blue light emergency phone system. In daylight, they appear as nothing more significant than faux telephone poles with blue beacons on top, mini lighthouses on forlorn pathways. Passing students may notice the red button glaring in the middle, yet never consider having need to press it. But, at all times, they are operational safety resources.

The question, then, is how safe do they actually make the campus.

Blue light emergency phones have been prolific on college campuses for over two decades. The College installed them before 1993 and over the years have added to the number of phone locations around campus. They can be found, for example, outside all residence halls, near parking decks around campus and on various sidewalks, such as the path running between Bliss Hall and the Social Sciences Building. see LIGHTS page 5 Opinions / Page 11

Features / Page 12

Warren Fields / Staff Photographer

Read about the Spring Concert, featuring Mac Miller and Big Sean, on page 14.

Arts & Entertainment / Page 14

Sports / Page 28

Reel Art Student Arts and Film Festival performances

Dept. chair retires Engineering chair leaves after 35 years

Health Column Protecting yourself from the sun

See A&E page 15

See News page 3

See Features page 12

page 2 The Signal April 17, 2013

Group funded New Student Government elected Earth Day ready

Julie Kayzerman / News Assistant

The College’s Water Watch requested and received funding for this year’s Earth Week.

By Julie Kayzerman News Assistant

The College’s Water Watch, the sole presenter in front of the Student Finance Board on Wednesday, April 10, was funded for $115 to be used toward their “Earth Week” program.

“They were really prepared and I really liked it,” freshman representative Brandon Klein said.

Klein motioned to fully fund Water Watch’s event.

Earth Week will have daily events including Monday’s “Earth Day,” Tuesday’s “Flower Sale,” Wednesday’s “Garden Day,” Thursday’s “Green-Consumption Day” and Friday’s “Clean Up Day.” These events will take place during the week of April 22 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Brower Student Center and will be free to all students.

Julie Kayzerman / News Assistant

Earth Week will take place the week of April 22 and will feature a flower sale and a clean up day.

Photos courtesy of Student Government website

Tyler Liberty (left) and Daria Wells are elected to executive president and vice president.

By Courtney Wirths News Assistant After a week of sidewalks chalked with campaign ads and neon paper tents atop Eickhoff tables, students voted in this year’s Student Government elections on Tuesday, April 9. The results from the election were posted that evening in the Brower Student Center outside the SG Cube.

This year, 1,806 students voted in the elections, making it the hugest turnout ever, according to Matthew Wells, sophomore SG alternate student trustee.

“We hope to break the 2,000 mark next year,” Wells said. “That’s our next goal.” To encourage students to vote, SG set up laptops in Eickhoff for students to vote on between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.

The SG president serves as the chief executive officer, as well as the lead spokesperson for Student Government.

Serving in this position next year will be junior English and Chinese double major Tyler Liberty. Working alongside Liberty as executive vice president will be Daria Wells.

Assisting the executive officers next year will be the Cabinet members. Thomas Verga was elected to be vice president of administration and finance. Elected along with him were Jen Toth as vice president of advancement, Adam Bonanno as vice president of academic affairs, Michell Lin as vice president of student services, Alex Brown as vice president of governmental affairs, Jillian McCarthy as vice president of community relations, Sadia Tahir as vice president of equity and diversity, and Ryan Boyne as alternate student trustee.

Each graduating class is represented by the executive officers and the cabinet members, as well as their individual class councils. Elected to the senior class council were Grace Moran as president, Santina Mazzola as vice president, Katrina Xyloportas as secretary, and Josephine D’Amico as treasurer.

President Brian Garsh, Vice President Lori Paolini, Secretary Mary Bessemer, and Treasurer Kruthika Ramesh were elected to the junior class council.

Representing the Class of 2016 on the sophomore class council will be President Shap Bahary, Vice President Matt Dotsey, Secretary Emily Montagna, and Treasurer, Sofia Gomez.

All SG positions have a term of one year, with the exception of the alternate student trustee, which has a two-year term. Most candidates ran contested, according to Wells.

“I won by two votes,” said Susan Knox, freshman chemistry major and newly elected Senator of Science.

“You always think your vote doesn’t actually matter, but every vote matters.”

While campaigning, Knox primarily used social media.

She created and posted campaign flyers in addition to sending messages to supporters the morning of the election.

“When I won I was very excited,” she said. “I got a text message and I jumped up out of my chair and started screaming down the hall. I am really looking forward to the experience.”

Knox says she is looking forward to working with the other Senators of Science and Dean Osborn, as well as current science majors in order to hear what they are hoping to gain from their experience at the College.

Along with Knox, Michael Chiumento, Katelyn Dombrowski, Chloe Fama and Kevin Bazer were also elected to the position of senators of Science.

Kristen Speigel, Deborah Wu, Sam Tomczyk, Jason Kalvin and Robbie Nunes are the new senators of Business.

Representing the school of Humanities and Social Sciences as senators are Anushka Patel, Joey DiCarlo, Jessica Glynn, Catherine Tung, Kathryn Picardo, Kyle Brands and Suzanna Conroy-Bray.

In addition, Nicole Ferrito and Ashley Schmitt were elected as the senators of Arts and Communication.

Jaimie DeMarco and Nicole Grabowski are the senators of Education, Maria Spinosi and Daniela Verdugo are the senators of Nursing, Health and Exercise Science, and Jeff Owens and Roberto Cortinas are the senators of Engineering.

Elected to the position of senators-at-large were Brittany Kirk, Ingrid Nunn and Alexa Lago.

Student throws fire extinguisher through window

By Jack Meyers Nation & World Editor

Two male students reported to Campus Police that they noticed missing property from their house in Townhouse West at 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9. After leaving the area at 10 p.m., the two students returned to find that their X-Box with two controllers valued at $80, a black 18”-20” television worth $20 and a Madden 2012 video game worth $40 were all stolen. After noticing that the items were gone, the students asked other residents, but all parties were unaware of any suspicious activity. The victims could not provide any serial numbers for the stolen property. Campus Police informed the victims to contact the Campus Police Department should any new information become available. …

A male student was found covered in residue in Lot 9 when Campus Police were dispatched on report of a 911 call at 10:18

p.m. on Friday, April 12. The caller explained that they had seen smoke and heard four loud bangs on the premises.

Once Campus Police had examined the site, it was determined that a fire extinguisher had been thrown through a first floor safety glass window, causing the noise and smoke. While Campus Police were canvassing the area, they discovered a male student hiding in the second floor stairwell. Campus Police asked the student if he would like to speak with the officers, and the student responded with “I didn’t do it.” An officer asked in response, “You didn’t do what?” and the student, pointing to the broken window, said, “That.” After being unable to produce information on the location of his vehicle or where his keys were, screaming obscenities, and refusing to explain himself, the student was arrested. The accused was given a summons for criminal mischief, improper behavior and disorderly conduct.

…

All Campus Police patrols were dispatched at 11:36 p.m. to Lot 8 on Friday, April 12 on report of a male driver fleeing by foot after backing into a parked vehicle. After the accident, the driver was told by security officers to wait on the scene, but he ignored orders. Once Campus Police came into contact with the accused, he was placed in hand cuffs and arrested. The driver was given a summons for careless driving and for obstructing the administration of law by not stopping for security officers after a motor vehicle accident. …

During the Spring Concert on Friday, April 12, 11 students and locals were transported to local hospitals for alcohol-related health issues and 12 summonses were issued

for underage drinking, according to Campus Police. Most of those transported were sent to Capitol Health in Hopewell, while others were sent to both Robert Wood Johnson in Hamilton and St. Francis in Trenton. …

A female student reported a missing yellow and purple bike with brown front basket and pink bell on the right handle from the bike rack in front of Decker Hall on Saturday, April 13 at 4 p.m. The student reported that she had parked her bike there five hours earlier, but was unable to secure it because her black alphabetical bike lock had been removed from the same spot on April 3.

After asking other residents of Decker, it appeared that no other bikes had been stolen from that rack and that there was no suspicious activity. The student was unable to provide the bike’s brand, model or serial number as it had been a gift. Campus Police advised her to contact the party who gave the gift to find out that information.

April 17, 2013 The Signal page 3

SCREAM raises awareness for sexual assault

By Annabel Lau Staff Writer

A shocking one in four women is the victim of an attempted or completed sexual assault during her college career, according to Brady Root, prevention edu-

Courtney Wirths / News Assistant

Students watch SCREAM.

cation coordinator at Rutgers’ Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance.

That means that of the estimated 3,600 female students at the College, about 900 have been, or will be, a victim.

“Chances are everyone in this room … will know someone who was either the victim or the perpetrator of sexual assault,” Root said.

On Tuesday, April 9, the Rutgers student theater group, SCREAM, or Students Challenging Realities and Educating Against Myths, presented an improvised but realistic skit on sexual assault, victim-blaming and bystander intervention. The event was brought to campus by Anti-Violence Initiatives, Women in Learning & Leadership, the Bonner Center and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“People tend to brush (sexual assault) off as something that happens in movies or TV shows,” said Tiffany Piatt, sophomore biology major and co-vice executive chair of WILL. “But this is way too common.”

The skit, performed by undergraduate Rutgers students, revolved around friends who planned to attend a party together. While they were pre-gaming, freshman Jessica Clark’s character, Liz, followed Cory, played by senior Chris Sharma, into his room. When Liz pulled away from Cory’s kiss, he respected her decision, agreeing to take her on a date first.

However, when senior Benny Del Castillo’s character, Jess, stayed behind with Ryan, played by senior Gabriel Arismendi, Jess thought that they would be flirting

and end up kissing at most. Next thing she knew, Ryan was forcing himself on her, muffling her screams and shouting at her to “take it like the slut (she is).”

“What do you think you came up here for?” he said.

“Ryan, please don’t do this to me!” she screamed. “I just want to go back downstairs.”

The rest of the skit followed the reactions of the friends involved. Liz, Jess’s best friend, claimed that Jess was exaggerating and blamed her for “being a slut.” Jayden, played by sophomore Joie DeRitis, insisted on going to the police, despite Jess’s plea to be left alone.

Freshman Moya O’Leary’s character, Sam, preferred to stay out of the conflict, while Cory decided to confront his best friend about the rape. Ryan denied the

accusations, and the two exploded into an argument.

The performance ended with a question and answer session with the actors while still in character, followed by the actors’ individual takes on lessons to be learned.

“Just the performance itself showed that we need to have more resources and better support networks for our victims … so they can resolve their internal issues,” said Amanda Parks, junior sociology major and executive chair of WILL. When explaining the event’s purpose, Root said, “We want to talk about how can we break those (barriers) down, and build stronger communities where we’re there for each other. We all have a role in ending sexual violence, in our communities, in our colleges, in our state, everywhere.”

School of Engineering Celebration of Achievement Department chair John Karsnitz retires after 35 years

By Chris Minitelli Staff Writer

The School of Engineering held its annual School of Engineering Spring Celebration of Achievement on Thursday, April 11. This event honored and celebrated the achievements of a number of engineering students and faculty. One faculty member in particular, however, was greatly celebrated — John Karsnitz.

Karsnitz has served as the chair of the Department of Technological Studies for 24 years, making him the longest standing chair at the College. However, after 35 years at the College, Karsnitz is retiring.

“The amount of influence that he has

had goes down from his students to our students,” said Julianna Ryan, senior technology education major.

Karsnitz has certainly left a great legacy at the College.

“He was involved on all fronts,” said Keith Finkral, a retired professor of technological studies. “He made great changes … while our disciplinary changed, he was on the forefront.”

Among his many contributions to the College, Karsnitz is recognized for leading the establishment of the math, science and trechnology major in 1998. Along with this, the technology education major was redesigned to incorporate a pre-engineering component in 2005 under his leadership.

Many faculty members recognized Karsnitz’s great contributions to the department.

“We owe him a debt of gratitude … the program is not only unique to the College, but it is a model for other schools,” associate professor Matthew Cathell said.

While Karsnitz is highly regarded at the College, he is also highly regarded in his field.

“In the field, he is five to 15 years ahead,” current chair of the Department of Technological Studies Steve O’Brien said.

“Today, people are doing things he was doing 10 years ago.”

Many faculty members described the department as a family and very social, while as Cathell said, that Karsnitz “is the lynchpin that keeps us all together.”

The true family-like aspect of this department was definitely demonstrated on Thursday night. About 120 people, including current students, faculty members from various departments, and alumni, attended this dinner in order to celebrate Karsnitz and his retirement.

“These are my colleagues. Some of us have been together for 30 years” Karsnitz said while discussing the dinner.

Finally, Karsnitz described the College and his time here as wonderful and said, “My wife and I wanted to give back to the College, so we have started the John and Suzanne Karsnitz Scholarship Endowment Fund, which will be available for a student next year.”

SAF budget approved, SHH club denied

By Natalie Kouba News Editor

The Committee on Academic Programs announced at the Student Government general body meeting on Wednesday, April 10 that a few changes which will be made to the attendance and absence policies.

CAP chair, Chris Fisher, presented the updated policies, stating the committee had been discussing “changing some of the language” in the current policies.

Quite simply, students are expected to attend classes and let professors know when they will not be in class. On the other hand, it is also the responsibility of the professor to have an attendance policy clearly stated in the syllabus.

The absence policy is more detailed, he explained, mostly due to specifications of extended absences.

Fisher discussed the three main reasons for an excused absence.

“The first, of course, is absence due to an extended issue, for whatever reason,” Fisher said. “There are, of course, absences due to religious observances. And absences you may have for some official event related to the institution.”

In the policy, CAP outlined the roles of not only the student

and professor, but also that of Records and Registration. Once Records and Registration becomes informed of a student’s extended absence, they will inform the student’s academic advisor, instructor and the dean for that student.

“That is not the office of Records and Registration validating the authenticity of why you might be absent,” Fisher said. “It is simply making sure that everyone is in the loop.”

To validate an absence, a student has to report the absence in a timely manner and it will then be decided if the student can make up the work depending on the type of course.

The executive director of the Student Finance Board, Lindsay Klein, presented the SAF budget for the 2014 fiscal year for SG’s approval.

The budget was broken down, showing the changes in the budget from last year to this year, for costs of programs, chapter dues, retreats, Loop Bus, intramurals and other programs and services.

“Every year, we were originally promised a three percent inflation rate ... This year we were told that were not guaranteed that

three percent increase,” Klein said.

“Now we kind of have to use the money that we also used last year to cover last year’s costs, to cover the increased costs this year.”

SG voted on and passed the SAF 2014 budget.

Two clubs presented for SG recognition. Net Impact is a club that encourages entrepreneurship and making a positive difference on social and environmental issues through business. SG saw no weaknesses in this club and passed it without moving to debate.

Students Helping Honduras was the other club to present.

Their goal is to help improve the lives of children in Honduras through fundraising.

SG found weaknesses in their lack of concrete implementation of ideas for fundraising. Some of their ideas included organizing a 5K run and a soccer tournament. Several members of SG stressed their concerns about the club’s ideas for fundraising, stating that 5Ks are often very difficult to organize.

Both representatives at the meeting had chapters in their high schools and the club is said to have already over 50 people who signed the charter member list.

SG motioned to move into debate for SHH. Devin Dimmig of governmental affairs stated GA had serious concerns when the club presented to them, and that it was ultimately her vote that brought them before SG for final approval. She also said that the purpose of GA is to filter out weaker clubs, which therefore leads to less debate once the clubs reach SG. The club representatives said they also plan to fundraise for trips to Honduras, but that the fundraising money for such trips would be acquired individually.

One member of SG said they do not need to have the club status to go to Honduras or help out, while others were concerned that the club had not already begun to become involved with other clubs, promoting their cause.

“I don’t think this club needs our approval just yet. I think they would benefit from co-sponsoring with other organizations that have expertise programming on this campus and fundraising,” said Annie Montero, vice president for student services. “They can do that without our approval.”

The committee for governmental affairs had a tie in their vote to approve SHH. SG voted to break the tie, but voted the

club down.

The writings on the wall were supposed to take place this week, however since there were events held on campus last weekend where young children would be present, SG thought it would be in everyone’s best interest to postpone it to this upcoming weekend.

SG announced that Parents/ Family Day will no longer fall on the same day as homecoming. Instead it will be on the same day as Community Fest.

Janika Berridge / Photo Assistant

Fisher gives policy updates.

page 4 The Signal April 17, 2013

6th Annual Student Leadership Awards Finalists The Student Leadership Awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 7 pm in the Brower Student Center Atrium

Leadership Awards WHO'S WHO: ♦ Devin Dimmig ♦ Taylor Enoch ♦ Vianna Fagel ♦ Jennifer Green ♦ Anne Montero ♦ Grace Moran Scholarship Awards ♦ Katrina Notarmaso ♦ Karachi Ukaegbu ELIZABETH ALLEN 1869 SCHOLARSHIP: ♦ Hannah Wey ♦ Regina Zick ♦ Carla Cirelli ♦ Robyn Gold ♦ Kerrie Hannen EMERGING LEADER OF THE YEAR: ♦ Erica Joel ♦ Jane Kim ♦ Chelsea VanOrden ♦ Rachel Chlebowski ♦ Kristen Duke ♦ Ali Lubin HAROLD W. EICKHOFF OUTSTANDING ♦ Andrew Miller ♦ Ravi Shah ♦ William Toth FIRST YEAR STUDENT AWARD: STUDENT ORGANIZATION PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR: ♦ Genesis Arteta ♦ Shap Bahary ♦ Colleen Murphy ♦ Daniel Balevski ♦ Annette Califano ♦ Elena Faris ♦ Shayna Innocenti ♦ Beckie Schlesinger ♦ Christina Kopka ♦ Alaina Springsted ♦ Sarah Stefanelli HAROLD & ROSA LEE EICKHOFF FUND: OUTSTANDING STUDENT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR: ♦ Danielle Bazer ♦ Nicholas Lauda ♦ Lana Rahal ♦ April Bullock ♦ Samantha Codner ♦ Kayla Coleman ♦ Joanna Papadopoulos ♦ Ravi Shah ♦ Jasmine Elkafrawi ♦ Annabel Lau BESSIE CUTTER PERLMAN '25 SCHOLARSHIP: PRESIDENT'S CUP AWARD: ♦ Samantha Altman ♦ Danielle Levine ANNIE F. STOUT & KATE STOUT SCHOLARSHIP: ♦ A-Z Seven Year Medical Society ♦ College Union Board ♦ Beth Amicucci ♦ Kathleen O'Dell ♦ Jessica Stranix ♦ Physics Club ♦ Society for Parliamentary Debate ♦ Joanna Papadopoulos ♦ Corinne Roche BLUE AND GOLD AWARD: MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: ♦ Margaret Allen ♦ Max Bernstein ♦ Joe Dispoto ♦ Jennifer Doughan ♦ Laura Turner ♦ Erica Joel ♦ Tyler Liberty ♦ Kyle Magliaro ♦ Melissa Markle ♦ Kathleen O'Dell ♦ Joanna Papadopoulos ♦ Sarah Stefanelli ♦ Karachi Ukaegbu JOHN WANDISHIN ’79 SCHOLARSHIP: OUTSTANDING STUDENT LEADER OF THE YEAR: ♦ Danielle Bazer ♦ Devin Dimmig ♦ Carmella Holl ♦ Theresa Genthe ♦ Christina Kopka ♦ Valerie Li ♦ Grace Moran ♦ Kimberly Newberry ♦ Stephen Shiffer ♦ Sarah Stefanelli

Programming Awards EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY: ♦Student Government - "I Am Medium" Campaign ♦ Student Government - Writings on the Wall ♦ Student Government - Dustin Lance Black Lecture ♦ Union Latina - Gala de la Raza ♦ Union Latina - COPA OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: ♦ Delta Epsilon Psi - Project Come Together ♦ Residential Education - ABE Mentor/Mentee ♦ Student Government - Youth Outreach Day ♦ Women in Learning & Leadership Redefining Sex Week ♦ Zeta Tau Alpha - Pink Out Balloon Release OUTSTANDING PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: ♦ College Union Board, Student Finance Board, & Student Government - Funival ♦ Leadership Development Program Fall Leadership Retreat ♦ Student Government - Election Awareness Campaign ♦ Student New Jersey Education Association Linking Arms to Stop Bullying ♦ Union Latina - COPA ♦ Zeta Tau Alpha - Pink Out Week PROGRAMMING LEGACY AWARDS: ♦ Alpha Phi Omega - Kid's Day Out ♦ Decker Staff - Valentine's Day Party ♦ Leadership Development Program Youth Development Day ♦ Student Government - Finals Fest ♦ Union Latina - Gala de Raza

EXCELLENCE IN ADVOCACY: ♦ Delta Epsilon Psi - Delta Clinic ♦ Student Government Election Awareness Campaign ♦ Student Government - Blindness Awareness Month ♦ Student New Jersey Education Association Linking Arms to Stop Bullying ♦ Women in Learning & Leadership Vagina Monologues EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE TO TRENTON: ♦ Dreams - Jumpstart ♦ Student Government - Youth Outreach Day EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE TO TCNJ: ♦ Club Field Hockey & Club Ice Hockey Hurricane Relief Game ♦ Lions EMS - Lions EMS ♦ New Jersey Christian Fellowship Honoring Campus Food Service Employees ♦ Student Government Election Awareness Campaign ♦ Zeta Tau Alpha - Pink Out Week EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY: ♦ Decker/ABE/Norsworthy Staff - Energize ♦ Student Government Drink Responsibly Campaign EXCELLENCE IN COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMMING: ♦ Alpha Phi Omega - Kid’s Day Out ♦ Residential Education & Housing - Take the Lead ♦ Student Government & College Union Board TCNJ Holiday ♦ College Union Board, Student Finance Board, & Student Government - Funival ♦ Union Latina - De Novo

April 17, 2013 The Signal page 5

Lights / Campus Police on call 24/7 Emergency phones called into question continued from page 1

All a student in hypothetical danger needs to do is press the red button and speak into the microphone; campus police will immediately be phoned and a trained 24/7 Public Safety operator will be at one’s disposal.

From here, and depending on one’s location, campus police may arrive in a matter of minutes. Students can also call for police escorts when feeling unsafe or uncomfortable, earning a campus walking companion at any time or place.

How students apply the emergency phones, however, has had less to do with real emergencies. 2012’s statistics reflected hardly any egregious instances that put students in danger: out of the 57 calls put through to campus police, 46 were “accidental activations or hang-ups.” These could range from prank calls to a student’s childlike curiosity to press a bright red button.

Aside from this majority, eight calls were to report stuck elevators, one call for a noise complaint, one for missing car keys and another one for a misplaced computer.

Use of the phones is not the whole indicator of campus crime, though. The latest Campus Police Crime and Fire Security Report from 2011 reported

six aggravated assaults, one sexual offense, six burglaries and four motor vehicle thefts, all located on campus. Although 2012’s campus crime figures have not gone public yet, it is obvious that more incidents occur than the emergency phones hear about.

More notably, public perception of the phones’ ability to prevent a present danger are mixed.

“Despite me feeling safe, if someone were to be chasing me, I wouldn’t stop, hit the blue button and wait to speak with Campus Police. The chances of me running away are exponentially higher than me turning to Campus Police for help,” Tung said.

Critics of the blue light system have noted that standing phones are outdated and costly in an era of cell phones and Twitter. The College lacks specific data on the telecommunications costs for the system, but continuous replacement of failed phones or burnt-out light bulbs contribute to the annual maintenance fees.

Many have also encouraged expanding the College’s cell service coverage so that students can individually respond from their own devices; as it stands, a lagging Verizon service pins down the ability to send and receive messages with haste. If the College were to shift costs from old emergency phones to

Tom Kozlowski / Opinions Editor

The above graph shows the usage of the blue light emergency phones in 2012. improved Wi-Fi and cell coverage, many contend that students would actually be safer.

Although their deterrence of crime is disputed, emergency phones are still an asset to the administration. Safety and security reviews, which include the blue light systems, are conducted semi-annually and often recommend new locations and updated maintenance. Campus security has also been inves-

tigating projects to add emergency phones inside residence halls and develop cell phone apps to spread emergency information quicker.

“Safety and security of the campus community is a top priority of the College. Because these phones contribute to the safety of the campus, the investment is well worth the cost of operating and maintaining the system,” said Matthew

Golden, associate vice president for communications.

No one hopes to find themselves threatened by unforeseen circumstances on a late night stroll home. If the situation were to ever arise, though, the Blue Light System remains active for their protection. These phones stand silent and quite forgotten on a daily walk to class, but behind each intercom sits an operator awaiting your call.

Women writers speak out through literature

By Colleen Murphy Production Manager

English department professor Lisa Ortiz saw three recurring storylines within Latin American autobiographies: the story of a victim’s rising, the story of the innocent and the scripted voice of a martyr.

Ortiz wanted to look at the Latin American women writer outliers who did not fall into these “life scripts,” and finding those women was easier than expected.

Ortiz was granted a year-long sabbatical last year when she studied 20th century autocracy in Latin America and how women writers were able to speak about the state of their countries through poems, memoirs and autobiographies. She presented her findings on Thursday, April 11 in the presentation, “Overwriting the Dictator: Latin American Women’s Autobiographical Literature,” for the semester’s final installment of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences-sponsored politics forum.

Nicaragua’s Somoza dynasty, Dominican Republic’s Rafael Trujillo, Chile’s Augusto Pinochet, Argentina’s Juan Peron and Cuba’s Fidel Castro were the five autocratic dictators discussed in the forum.

Ortiz then presented five women writers who wrote about their experiences under the rule of these men.

According to Ortiz, these five women were not just simply writing, they were “negotiating the circumstances of their lives.”

Poet Rosario Murillo wrote about her experience as a Nicaraguan woman. In her poem, “In all this, what woman?,” Murillo names the three women who are not supposed to exist in Nicaragua under the Somoza dynasty: a faceless woman, a woman who knows her presence in the world and a

woman who writes it.

A second writer Ortiz studied was the daughter of Trujillo, Angelita Trujillo, who wrote about her life in “La Hija Mimada” (“The Spoiled Daughter”). She wrote that her father was misunderstood and that he was “the last of a dying breed of men on horseback.”

“She’s not really writing her memories,” Ortiz said. “(Trujillo) collects others’ ideas, complies them and narrates in and around them for proof that no dictatorship existed.”

Trujillo does this because she wants the nation to remember her father as a gentleman, according to Ortiz. However, this might be hard considering that he owned a house in the country where hundreds of virgins were brought to him.

Ortiz is currently researching the writings of Chilean Isabel Allende. At 16, Allende said, “I discovered that parting my knees was much more interesting than keeping them closed.” In her piece, “Aphrodite,” Allende writes erotic tales and is open with her sexuality, in a country where women were required to stay at home to breastfeed, the piece can be considered the anti-manual or anti-womanhood, according to Ortiz.

The next woman writer mentioned, Eva Peron, the Dictress of Argentina, is considered the voice of Argentina, according to Ortiz. In her book, Peron wrote, “I am only the shadow of (Juan Peron’s) superior presence.” She even began her autobiography with, “Let’s not talk about me,” and wrote about her husband. Ortiz said that Peron considers her life a Cinderella Story, thanks to her husband.

Poet and novelist Zoe Valdes was the fifth woman writer that Ortiz highlighted.

Valdes was named a public enemy after

exposing Castro in her writings.

Valdes was born while Castro was announcing his new revolution and said that the labor her mother endured was excruciating and that she can even remember the pain. She attributes that pain to the start of Castro’s dictatorship. Valdes wrote, “The pain was like the pain of death. Life was beginning, but it felt instead like life was ending.”

According to Ortiz, Valdes was exiled from Cuba and said that she is terribly disgusted that she can no longer write about her life in her own country. Without writing,

she feels as though she lost her voice.

But some women can never read or write because they are illiterate. However, according to Ortiz, their voice is still heard and their experiences are still told through alternate ways, including weaving tapestries.

Ortiz said that some of these five women’s writings had no impact because they were not discovered until after the dictator was gone. But these outliers’ writing live on today to remind people of the life that Latin American women had to live in the 20th century under these five autocratic dictators.

Lianna Lazur / Photo Editor

Professor Ortiz presents her findings about women writers in Latin America.

page 6 The Signal April 17, 2013

April 17, 2013 The Signal page 7

‘Django’ undergoes edits Chinese women writers McDonald’s redefines ‘Happy Meal’

By Courtney Wirths News Assistant

• Fast food giant, McDonald’s, is encouraging franchises to improve staffing and promote more welcoming and joyful service to costumers. The push comes following declining sales and large numbers of complaints about rude employees, according to the Wall Street Journal.

• Chinese movie theaters are soon expected to show the long awaited “Django Unchained.” The movie must first undergo editing to fit in with restrictions about nudity and violence set by Chinese censorship, according to the New York Times.

• Sales of personal desktop computers and laptops fell 14 percent this past quarter, the largest decline since tracking of computer sales began in 1994. The decline is being blamed on the rising popularity of smartphones and tablets, according to the Wall Street Journal.

• Moms that graduated from the most selective universities, such as Harvard and Princeton, choose to work less hours and are less likely

to be employed full time than moms who attended the least selective universities. Of the moms from top universities, those with MBAs become stay-at-home moms most frequently, according to CNBC. • Consumers in India, eager to enter the world of smartphones, are buying cheaper, locally produced phones rather than the more expensive options from Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., according to Bloomberg.

• WD-40, a staple in most American garages, didn’t suffer when most of American companies were experiencing heavy losses in the financial crisis. The company is now hoping to expand into other countries where they feel the demand would be high, such as China and Russia, according to CNBC. • TCNJ Economics Club will be hosting N.J. Commissioner of Labor, Hal Wirths, on Wednesday, April 24 at 3:30 p.m. in the Business Building. He will be speaking about creating jobs in New Jersey, major businesses in the state, and working in the Christie Administration.

Lunch will be served.

By Mylin Batipps Copy Editor

Award-winning and renowned Chinese author Yan Ge shared some of her works of contemporary Chinese literature with the College last Tuesday, April 9 in the Library Auditorium.

Born in the Sichuan Province of China, Yan Ge has been writing since the age of 10. She is now 11 books deep into her writing career, and she is the recipient of many international awards. People’s Literature magazine, a popular Chinese magazine, recently selected Yan Ge as one of China’s 20 future literary masters.

Her early works attracted teenagers with her storytelling of gods, ghosts and wonders of Chinese myth.

Now, her works focus on the concept of Chinese female writing. She mentioned that in the 1970s, female writing gained wide commercial success in China.

“You had to be beautiful for a female writer,” Yan Ge said.

Being a female writer was tough for Yan Ge at first, though, because at the time China’s tolerance for female writers was low. She said that at the age of 17, she published her first book but did not want her photo in the book.

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Vicki Wang / Photo Assistant

Ge shares her experiences as a female writer in China.

Nonetheless, she said, her face was shown on the cover and inside of her books.

“First stepping into the world of literature publication, I realized that it’s impossible to stay faceless,” Yan Ge said. “There’s no denial of being female.”

She has learned to embrace that today. Yan Ge explained that being a female writer is “privileged” and that she looks to get the Chinese culture to accept female writers again like in the 1970s and 1980s.

“I want to move the female identity backwards, or to eventually put it in brackets,” she said.

Yan Ge shared two excerpts, the first being from a story about changing her name from Yan Duixing to Yan Ge (meaning “color and sound”), and how her grandmother preferred her original name.

The second excerpt was from

her latest novel, published in 2012, called “The Family of Duan.” In this story, a man stops everything that he does while working as a factory owner to respond to his mother’s frequent phone calls.

Both excerpts were read in Chinese first, and then various audience members volunteered to read parts of the excerpts in English. Yan Ge explained that she has both Dutch and English translations of her work.

When asked how she learned English, Yan Ge explained that in her free time she watches sitcoms and reads a lot of English literature.

“I am a big fan of Jonathan Franzen,” she said. “I also read a lot of William Faulkner.”

Yan Ge is currently a visiting scholar of Duke University and is working on her doctoral degree in comparative literature at Sichuan University.

page 8 The Signal April 17, 2013

Nation & W rld

North Korea stirs up global debate with nuclear arms

By Cait Flynn Staff Writer

Secretary of State John Kerry took his first official trip to China this Saturday in a diplomatic visit that was focused around escalating concerns of nuclear weapons in North Korea. Since the Korean War, China has been the dominant financial and military support of the communist North Korea. So China is often seen as the only ally North Korea has with any influence.

The Chinese have used that influence to stifle any American effort to democratize North Korea. However, as North Korea becomes a more violate state and its leader, Kim Jong-Un, continues to threaten

America and its allies with nuclear attacks, a Chinese-American collaboration may be necessary to avoid nuclear war.

China has historically aligned with North Korea as a way to fortify the presence of communism in the region.

While China has often prevented American presence in the region, Kim Jong-Un’s inflammatory rhetoric against the United States, Chinese leadership may allow, albeit reluctantly, an increased American presence in order to assure regional security.

Recently Jong-Un vowed to make North Korea’s nuclear program more sophisticated and promises a move closer to proliferation. As North Korea points to their capability of war against America, they

have threatened U.S. allies in the region, including South Korea, Guam and Japan, which Jong-Un has stated will be the first targets for their nuclear attack.

In his meeting with China’s new president, Xi Jinping, Secretary Kerry was hoping to elicit the help of China and use their influence over North Korea. Collaboration between China and America may be the best way to address a provocative North Korean government.

It would be in the interest of China and the United States, as well as the world at large, to make sure that North Korea operates within the confines of international law, meaning additional security and intelligence initiatives.

AP Photo

Monday marks the 101st birthday of North Korea’s founder.

U.S. Senate proposes more background on gun buyers

AP Photo

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid argues for more background checks in March.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan Senate proposal to expand background checks for gun buyers gained the backing of one Republican and the potential support of a second Sunday as sponsors said the vote expected

Boston Marathon bombings: 130 injured, 3 dead Two bombs exploded in the packed streets near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, in a bloody scene of shattered glass and severed limbs that raised alarms that terrorists might have struck again in the United States.

New Jersey Report

Governor’s office:

Governor Christie spells out his latest version of a plan to phase in a 10 percent tax cut in a conditional veto of a bill that would restore the earned-income tax credit for the working poor.

All information from AP

this week was too close to call.

The plan would “strengthen the background check system without in any way infringing on Second Amendment rights,” Maine Sen. Susan Collins said in a statement explaining her support for the measure. But she added that “it is impossible to predict at this point” what will be in a final bill.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has a B+ rating from the National Rifle Association, said he was “very favorably disposed” to the proposal that has emerged from Sens. Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. “I appreciate their work,” McCain said. “And the American people want to do what we can to prevent these tragedies. And there’s a lot more that needs to be done, particularly in the area of mental health.”

It was in McCain’s home state that a gunman with schizophrenia shot then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the head during a 2011 rampage in Tucson that left six people killed. It will take 60 votes to pass, meaning that

more Republicans will have to come on board because some Democrats from gun-friendly states are expected to oppose the measure.

“It’s an open question as to whether or not we have the votes. I think it’s going to be close,” Toomey said.

The measure requires background checks for people buying guns at gun shows and online. Background checks currently apply only to transactions handled by the country’s 55,000 licensed gun dealers. Private transactions, such as a sale of a gun between family members, would still be exempt.

Manchin urged lawmakers to read the 49-page proposal. He said it should dispel any misconceptions about infringing on the constitutional right to bear arms.

The senators’ agreement actually includes language expanding firearms rights by easing some restrictions on transporting guns across state lines, protecting sellers from lawsuits if buyers passed a check but later used a gun in a crime and letting gun dealers conduct business in states where they do not live.

Around the World:

Venezuela

After Chavez’s death, VP is elected CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Hugo Chavez’s hand-picked successor, Nicolas Maduro, has officially won Venezuela’s presidential election by a stunningly narrow margin that highlights rising discontent over problems ranging from crime to power blackouts.

His rival demanded a recount, portending more headaches for a country shaken by the death of its dominating leader.

One key Chavista leader expressed dismay over the outcome of Sunday’s election, which was supposed to cement the self-styled “Bolivarian Revolution” of their beloved president as Venezuela’s destiny. National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello, who many consider Maduro’s main rival within their movement, tweeted: “The results oblige us to make a profound self-criticism.”

Maduro’s victory followed an often ugly, mudslinging campaign in which the winner promised to carry on Chavez’s legacy, while challenger Henrique Capriles’ main message was that Chavez put this country with the world’s largest oil reserves on the road to ruin.

Despite the ill feelings, both men sent their supporters home and urged them to refrain from violence.

Capriles insisted on a recount and Maduro said he was open to one, though it was not immediately clear if election officials might permit it.

“We are not going to recognize a

AP Photo

The election process in Venezuela is doubted as Chavez’s choice of successor is elected to president in Sunday’s close vote. result until each vote of Venezuelans is counted,” Capriles said. “This struggle has not ended.”

Maduro, meanwhile, said, “Let 100 percent of the ballot boxes be opened. ... We’re going to do it; we have no fear.”

Maduro, acting president since Chavez’s March 5 death, held a double-digit advantage in opinion polls just two weeks ago, but electoral officials said he got just 50.7 percent of the votes compared to 49.1 percent for Capriles, with nearly all ballots counted.

The margin was about 234,935 votes out of 14.8 million cast. Turnout was 78 percent, down from just over 80 percent in the October election that Chavez won by a nearly

11-point margin over Capriles.

Chavistas set off fireworks and raced through downtown Caracas blasting horns in jubilation. In a victory speech, Maduro told a crowd outside the presidential palace that his victory was further proof that Chavez “continues to be invincible.”

But analysts called the slim margin a disaster for Maduro, a former union leader and bus driver in the radical wing of Chavismo who is believed to have close ties to Cuba.

At Capriles’ campaign headquarters, people hung their heads quietly as the results were announced by an electoral council stacked with government loyalists.

Many started crying; others just stared at TV screens in disbelief.

April 17, 2013 The Signal page 9

Editorial

Paige Aiello coverage

We have decided to use this space this week to talk about our coverage of Paige Aiello.

We understand that it has been an incredibly difficult week for many people who she has known both at the College and in her hometown of Hillsborough.

We are attempting to cover her story in a way that both informs the campus community of the facts of the situation and provides an opportunity for people who know her well to speak.

As we move forward, we will continue to cover this story in a professional manner with the intention of continuing to provide factual information as well as the human perspectives of those most affected by this situation.

Twitter

Paige Aiello has been missing since Tuesday, April 9.

— Signal Editorial Staff

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

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

Brendan McGrath Editor-in-Chief mcgrat28@tcnj.edu Amy Reynolds Managing Editor reynola1@tcnj.edu Christopher Rightmire Natalie Kouba News Editors rightmc1@tcnj.edu kouban1@tcnj.edu Chris Molicki Sports Editor molickc1@tcnj.edu Shuan Fitzpatrick Features Editor fitzpa28@tcnj.edu Thalia Ortiz Arts & Entertainment Editor ortizt1@tcnj.edu Tom Kozlowski Opinions Editor kozlowt1@tcnj.edu Lianna Lazur Photo Editor lazurl1@tcnj.edu Jack Meyers Nation & World Editor meyersj2@tcnj.edu Katie O’Dell Review Editor odell4@tcnj.edu

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Quotes of the Week “Despite me feeling safe, if someone were to be chasing me, I wouldn’t stop, hit the blue button and wait to speak with Campus Police.

The chances of me running away are exponentially higher than me turning to Campus Police for help.”

— freshman political science major Catherine Tung about blue light emergency phones

“We want to talk about how can we break those (barriers) down, and build stronger communities where we’re there for each other.

We all have a role in ending sexual violence, in our community, in our colleges, in our state, everywhere”

— Brady Root, prevention education coordinator at Rutgers’ Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance

page 10 The Signal April 17, 2013

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Send an email to signal@tcnj.edu or stop by our office in the Student Center basement on Sundays at 6 p.m.

April 17, 2013 The Signal page 11

Opinions

The freedoms and oppression of language

By Vincent Aldazabal The college at which we all live and learn at is to many a place we proudly call home. At such an institution, we are all fortunate for the incredible academic and social opportunities presented to us one day. As the sunny weather creeps in and our peers gather outside discussing a plethora of topics, we are brought a warm solace. However, it is still clear that embedded within these sentimental exchanges are bitterly cold remarks of resentment. Racial, homophobic, sexist and hateful slurs are slung both consciously and unconsciously to categorically demean, dismiss, and dehumanize individuals.

One would be justified in expressing a certain sense of disappointment when hearing the ease by which their fellow peers disperse such verbal forms of assault.

This argument is in opposition to perpetuated ignorance and an intellectual laziness. Ultimately, the use of offensive language reveals a certain degree of selfishness.

Furthermore, those who use such words exhibit deeply rooted closeminded patterns of behaviors and modes of thinking.

AP Photo

Republican Don Young used the slur wetback for Hispanics last month, hardly appropriate for democratic discourse.

This may have been acceptable in the safely protected bubble of traditional suburban life or in the divisive, gritty, and brutal grip of a decaying cityscape, but not here.

This is not the promise that our democracy promotes. In fact, many see college as a better place promising to free its members from ignorant prejudice and hateful alienation that plagued their old way of life. Essentially, this is a matter of understanding the purpose and promise of a liberal arts college, and that it is our responsibility to

fulfill such a promise. We sleep, eat, attend class, socialize and live in the presence of others. Yet, it seems that some students function in solitude, ignoring the feelings and struggles of others.

Being more conscious of the words we speak is of the utmost significance. For, shifting the language we use in private dialogue will help shape a more progressive discourse on equality.

If we are mature enough to accept that we genuinely want to affect change in some fashion, we

must start on the micro level. If we believe in equality in regard to marriage, it starts with consciously defending against using homophobic slurs to render a friend or stranger as a lesser being. If we want to stop the rape of women on campus, we must consider the impact of using language that diminishes the autonomy of women as individuals. If we wish to treat women as more than sex toys, it is how we speak to or about them that will ignite such a shift.

What’s more, it is completely counterintuitive to assert that racism is less prevalent today compared to yesterday and then go on to perpetuate stereotypes about different ethnicities. In addition, if we expect to truly confront the oppressive legacy of slavery, we must refuse to engage in its reinforcement — both subtle and overt. If we strive to see the handicapped treated equally in our institutions of education, we must reconsider using their circumstances to degrade our peers.

This can be done without infringing on our most preciously cherished freedom of speech. It would be absurd to expect legal censorship and monitoring of our

words, and I abhor such a notion.

In knowing this, we can begin to garner the deeper truth that we are free individuals, free to say whatever we want. But we also must realize that implicit to such a freedom is the responsibility to acknowledge the integrity of an individual and recognize deterrents to society.

Words do matter. The next time you call a girl a “slut,” you may be unknowingly degrading a victim of sexual assault. The next time you jokingly refer to your friend or insult an enemy by invoking ethnic slurs, just ponder the probability that he or she will begin to genuinely believe the inferiority you are placing the person under. What if that girl hears such words and picks up a knife with self-destructive intent? What if the closeted homosexual decides that his life isn’t worth living anymore? What if the handicapped individual decides to stop attending school?

These aren’t simply words — these are oppressive tools of communication that gradually shape the quality of other people’s lives.

The choice is ours, and we are free to choose.

Rights not just white A farewell to arms debate This article was written in resopnse to Jack Meyers’s editorial “Awareness and acceptance on campus,” published on April 10.

By Sarah Lewis Jack Meyers’s most recent editorial “Awareness and acceptance on campus” stresses the need for local and national acceptance of other races and cultures. While I certainly applaud the topic of this editorial, there are several points that I would like to address.

First, Meyers cites education as the most important way of promoting change within a society. While I do agree with this statement, I believe that he does not adequately address topics that are vital to teach — namely, privilege and racism.

These two words are loaded with extremely powerful connotations that scare people into avoiding any discussion of their existence. Yet privilege and racism are present all around us in a white-dominated society. As a white person, I have never been asked to speak for all members of my racial group during a class; when I was recently pulled over for speeding, I did not even consider the possibility that the cop used my race to single me out from other drivers; and when I open up my favorite newspaper or magazine, I find wide representation of my race in almost all of the pictures and articles.

Most people are not aware of possessing these unfair privileges, nor have they even been educated to recognize that they exist. Meyers suggests that people “need to be informed about … what exactly (disadvantaged) people need.” However, I believe that we need to teach students the complete opposite: how to narrow the gap between “us” and “them,” the disadvantaged and the advantaged, so that our society can truly identify ourselves as “we.”

Until then, the national and international campaigns that call for tolerance and acceptance will not change anything. They are equivalent to placing a Band-Aid on a stab wound: almost entirely useless until the deeper problem is treated. We must advocate for more people of color to be in positions of power; we must speak out against the collective assumption that the term “American” is equivalent to “white;” and we must get rid of the label “nonwhite” to describe a person of color.

In short, we must first address the issues of white privilege in our society before we are able to reach a point of societal acceptance and equality for people of all races, abilities and sexualities.

Gun control fails unfairly

By Tom Kozlowski Opinions Editor

If you’ve forgotten that a gun control debate was raging across the American polity, then it’s because its conclusions have been so shamefully disappointing. Only two examples need illustrate the point: the recent Manchin-Toomey background checks bill and Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX), defender of gun rights for newborn babies.

Both are ridiculous, but hold your anticipation for Mr. Stockman. As a culmination of five months’ debate and study, only one diminutive bill has made any progress whatsoever, and its lifespan is limited. “The Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act.” Scoff at its name. It appeals to our gun touting duck hunters and our basic desire for security too, what’s not for Congress to love? Namely, the content. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-WV) and Sen. Pat Tommey (R-PA), would allow for extended background checks on gun shows and online sales, but nothing more. And as for any

future progress we’ll make in Congress on the issue, nothing more.

Anyone actually concerned with America’s gun obsession refuses to stand up for stricter measures — magazine reductions, national uniformity in legal enforcement — all have been thrown off the table. For, election season is on the horizon and Democrats in conservative states fear for their necks. How red they’ve become.

Public polls show that Americans are in favor of increased gun control measures, but whatever those might be, we can’t find them. Even the most basic of compromises on background checks can’t get support from liberals. That’s because the appeals of Democrats and some moderate Republicans have been squelched by the gun lobby, career climbing and a clear lack of sensibility.

Now we close with Mr. Stockman and champion of logic. Last week, he tweeted his new campaign slogan plastered on bumper stickers that are sure to slow down Texas mental traffic.

Please enjoy its brilliance below.

AP Photo

If Congress passes more gun control measures, our infants will be without arms.

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page 12 The Signal April 17, 2013

Features

Fedelo’s: Not bad, not good enough

By Amy Reynolds Managing Editor I’ll admit that I’m the biggest baby in the world when it comes to rain and cold. And, as you probably know, it was pretty darn rainy and cold on Friday. So, to put it simply, there was no way that I was walking to Eick for mediocre food.

Because I refused to walk anywhere for food, I decided to order in from Fedelo’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria.

I’d never had Fedelo’s before, and I can’t quite remember how I heard about it in the first place, but I figured it couldn’t be too awful, as most Italian Pizzerias and Restaurants are pretty good.

My friend and I split two entrées: shrimp scampi and chicken parmigiana. Both dinners came with garlic bread and a side salad.

When we ordered, we were told that it’d be about a 50-minute wait for our food, which was a little disappointing because we were so hungry. What was even more disappointing, however, was the fact that our food took well over an hour to get here. We ordered at around 7:20 and our food arrived at around 8:45.

By the time it did get here, though, we were really excited.

We started with the salad, which came with one slice of a tomato, one slice of a cucumber, white onions and olives — it was pretty typical. The dressing was also just straight up olive oil, which was a little disappointing (as well as really messy).

After eating half of our tiny salads, we dug into our meals. I started with the chicken parm as my friend started to devour the shrimp scampi.

I’d say that it’s pretty hard to screw up chicken parm. And I’d also say that’s exactly what it was: not screwed up. It was certainly good, but nothing special. In my opinion, it would have greatly benefitted from more cheese, and I definitely prefer the chicken parm at my hometown’s diner. It was definitely a large portion, though. In addition to a massive amount of pasta, there were three large pieces of chicken included in the meal.

Amy Reynolds / Managing Editor

Fedelo’s skimps on shrimp scampi, but doesn’t screw up chicken parm. But how difficult is it to screw up chicken parm?

The shrimp scampi was also average. The sauce was really good — a mix of lemon, garlic and butter — but I wish there had been more shrimp (there were only five pieces). Lately I’ve been on a seafood kick, and there definitely wasn’t enough to satisfy my craving.

Somehow we managed to finish all of the food, including the “garlic” bread (of which there was no actual garlic). I kind of felt sick the rest of the night, though. But I guess that’s what happens when you’re starving and forced to wait over an hour for your meal and then stuff your face.

Fedelo’s definitely wasn’t bad — it’ll beat Eick any day. It was a little expensive, though. Each meal was approximately $15. There were cheaper items on the menu, but anything with meat or seafood in it was at least $12.

I don’t think I’ll be ordering from Fedelo’s any time soon. But if you want to give it a shot, go for it. It won’t be terrible, but you won’t be wowed either.

Fedelo’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria Where: 1241 Lawrenceville Rd Lawrenceville, NJ Contact: (609) 406-1818 Hours Mon. - Wed.: 10:30 a.m. -10 p.m.

Thurs. - Sat.: 10:30 a.m. - 2 a.m.

Sun.: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Overall Rating (3 out of 5)

The sun comes out and students play, but be careful!

AP Photo

Stay golden — not lobster-red — pony boy.

By Ruchi Shah Columnist

Everyone’s favorite season of the year has finally graced the College’s campus with its presence once again. As evidenced by the beautiful weather we had last week, the spring sun has come out to play, spreading its warm rays and shining down upon us.

Students have naturally been quite receptive to this positive change in the weather, emerging from the depths of the Library to study in Alumni Grove and leaving the Bio Commons in favor of the fountain in the Science Complex. This interaction is most certainly a two-way street. As spring flirts with us, inviting us outdoors into nature’s abode, we flirt back, showing lots of skin from our heads down to our toes.

However, like everything that seems too good to be true, this interaction should be taken with a grain of salt. As I’ve seen quite a bit of painful red mixed in with the green grass this past week, it seems that many of you are recklessly throwing yourself into this relationship without taking heed. This red is sunburn, the inflammation and peeling of the skin caused by the ultraviolet rays

Got style?

of the sun. Sitting inside all winter and then going to sit outside on a nice spring day leaves one especially vulnerable to sunburn. With that said, here are some not so well known facts about the sunburn that emphasized its severity and encourage you to cover up!

1. Sunburn can cause melanoma, which is the worst form of skin cancer. Not only can it be fatal, but it is also the fastest spreading form of cancer. Melanoma can be identified by dark freckles on the skin, clearly visible to the naked eye. Fair skinned individuals are particularly susceptible to melanoma.

2. Sunburn can also lead to actinic keratosis, which causes growths on a person’s hands, face and forehead. Although these growths tend to be noncancerous, a doctor should immediately

be consulted on their appearance.

3. Repeated sunburns can cause cataracts, which lead to an impairment in vision. It also leads to other eye diseases, such as macular degeneration.

4. Sunburns accelerate premature aging of the skin, leading to the early appearance of wrinkles and age spots.

5. Sunburn can trigger precancerous growths.

6. Sunburn comprises the immune system. There is a negative correlation between sunburn and the effectiveness of white blood cells. People with darker skin are more susceptible.

As shown by the consequences listed above, sunburn is serious business.

This is why I encourage you not to be so quick in committing yourself to a serious relationship with the spring sun.

Instead, have a fling with spring!

nominate yourself or someone you know for the campus style column.

send a facebook profile link to koziol5@tcnj.edu

April 17, 2013 The Signal page 13

Environmentalist offers college sustainability guidelines

By Sorraya Brashear-Evans Columnist “I aimed to go zero carbon, yes, but also zero waste in the ground, zero pollution in the air, zero resources sucked from the earth, zero toxins in the water. I didn’t just want to have no carbon impact. I wanted to have no environmental impact,” Colin Beavan said.

Beavan, also known as the “No Impact Man,” has been described as being a “liberal schlub who got tired of listening to himself complain about the world without ever actually doing anything about it,” according to New York City publications. However, I consider him a courageous individual who wasn’t afraid to make a difference in his community. In 2006, Beaven, along with his family, embarked on a yearlong experiment to live in the heart of New York City with as little environmental impact as possible.

The purpose of the project was to devise new ways of living that offer mutual benefits to its participants and the environment. It brought to light the numerous environmental issues that many are either unaware of or choose to ignore. He addresses food, the availability of drinkable water, climate change, sustainable energy and the change of environmental policy.

For the next year, Beavan operated in waves to eliminate harmful habits that are detrimental to the surrounding environment. First on his agenda was to figure out how to live without producing so much trash. According to the Clean Air Council, “Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks and spoons to circle the equator 300 times.” The experiment called for an immediate halt on the use of disposable products and prewrapped goods. Colin and his family opted to buy fresh produce from farmer’s markets, where having the option for non-wrapped goods is more frequent.

Stage two included finding out new ways of transportation that didn’t release harmful chemical emissions into the atmosphere. This included cars, trains, buses, planes and even elevators. The third and final stage of the No Impact experiment involved making as little environmental impact when it came to consumer purchases; that meant saying goodbye to household energy and water usage.

Being a very impressionable person, I was moved by Beavan’s dedication to make a better world for younger generations to come, so much so that I immediately researched similar campaigns that were applicable to a college campus. To my surprise there was one.

The University “No Impact” project is a “one-week program designed to boost motivation and interest in sustainability, build community and create positive change,” according to the project’s website. Instead of the usual “whistle blower” approach that most Go Green programs utilize, this one offers guidelines almost identical to what Beavan created. These guidelines include: • Sunday: Consumption Don’t buy anything new (except for food!)

• Monday: Trash Don’t create any trash.

• Tuesday: Transportation Only transport yourself through environmentally friendly ways, such as biking, walking, public transportation or carpooling.

• Wednesday: Food Only eat local food and cut down on your meat consumption.

• Thursday: Electricity Cut back on your electricity use or stop it all together.

The only thing more memorable than Cruella De Vil’s evil role in the Disney classic is her effortless mastery of a classic combination: black and white.

Ever wonder why old pictures of your grandparents look so glamorous? It’s because something magical happens when these two shades are paired together.

When crisp white meets edgy black, the result is a chic and bold style that has Audrey Hepburn cheering in her grave and applauding Spring 2013 for its widespread publicity.

Perhaps the greatest aspect of this trending style is that you can truly make it your own. Since the color palette is simple by nature, you have free range to either keep the look basic or experiment with more striking combinations. For inspiration, consider the following looks borrowed straight from Paris Fashion Week SS ’13:

Domination: To avoid looking like a

• Saturday: Giving Back Give back to your community.

• Sunday: Eco-Sabbath Unplug and reflect. You and the environment take a break.

Of course the program includes activities to gain a positive morale across the campus that contains documentary screenings, arts/crafts projects and much more. Beavan’s main goal was to bring awareness that consumerism in America needs to be controlled. So far our efforts to make the public aware of their actions has been so-so and a true act of change is still in need.

We, being the pioneers for the next generations of scientists, lawmakers and activists, need to take control of our bad habits and change for the better. College students hold the power for a sustainable environment right at their fingertips — all it takes is an ounce of inspiration.

By Johnanthony Alaimo Columnist

complicated puzzle, let either black or white be the dominant color and use the latter for minimal accentuation. Try this look by pairing liquid black leggings and a sleeveless black and white striped turtleneck.

Pop of Color: For those who have reservations about a monochrome combination, adorn your lips or wrists with a burst of color. Wear wine-red lipstick or carry a mustard colored clutch to break up the two-toned aspect.

No matter how you do it, this ensemble creates a chic and iconic look that has been gracing the streets since well before Big and Carrie broke up (the first time).

So this spring, celebrate contrasting forces by making black and white the yin to your outfit’s yang.

Mod: Channeling glamorous icons of the ’60s, try an elongated silhouette or cropped jacket that dons a black and white checkered pattern. Extending the trend to accessories, bask in the decade’s oversized sunglasses and small box bags.

Texture: To avoid Michael Kors prophecy, “I always say, white on the top and black on the bottom leaves you looking like a waiter,” add texture to each piece of your ensemble. Combine black leather with white chiffon for an outfit that tells a different story with each piece.

• Friday: Water Cut back on your water use.

Sass is not Wanted

Campus Style

By Jordan Koziol Columnist

AP Photo

Consumerism and environmentalism — one comes at the expense of the other.

AP Photo

Depending on whom you ask, fashion isn’t a matter of black or white.

EVERYONE. Are you still alive? Am I talking to a survivor of the devastating Twitter war between Louis Tomlinson of One Direction and Thomas Parker of The Wanted?

I thought I was the only one left. But you’re here. And reading this. Before we repopulate the planet, let us take a look back at what got us to this point.

Thomas Parker was the one who attacked first, launching a preemptive strike at Louis, tweeting, “You even talk about us at your own gigs. Are you that upset you didn’t get into this band?” To which Louis, the sassy motherfucker that he is, responded, “Pal, we both know I wouldn’t waste time auditioning for your band. You humour me with your bad boy persona.” Then Liam Payne of One Direction joined in and that’s when I blacked out and woke up writing this.

First off, who does Thomas Parker think he is?!?! The Wanted fighting with One Direction is like Milli Vanilli picking a fight with The Backstreet Boys. Sit your ass down Thomas and behave!

Now that we’ve all been put in our places, let’s discuss how some members of Congress are trying to investigate Beyoncé and JayZ’s trip to Cuba. The heavenly pair went to the communist nation to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. Forget your Silver 25th, this reads Red fifth all over. The United States has placed a tourism embargo on the island nation for the past 50 years, meaning only people with special permission can take a waltz in Havana. But being Beyoncé, she makes her own damn rules. Who answers to Congress anymore? It’s all about the Beyhive. Nevertheless, an “investigation” is apparently underway and both Beyoncé and Jay-Z have yet to comment. Listen y’all, you’re all a bunch of bay of pigs if you think you’re gonna take down Beyoncé, you hear?

Finally, Lindsay Lohan appeared on David Letterman last week to promote her latest film noir, “Scary Movie 5.” A classic piece of work, I’m sure. Lindsay. though, got visibly uncomfortable when David asked her questions relating to her recent rehab sentencing. Listen Lilo, why did you possibly think you were going to promote a movie? The biggest thing you’ve been in this year is a clinic. Let’s focus on what’s really going on. Lindsay of course reiterated that she “loves working.” Bitch if you love working so much why don’t you do it, it misses you. Of course Lindsay cried (and probably saved her tears since they’re laced with Adderall) and made a big dramatic showing. But until you prove it to us that you’re back by being in a decent film, I don’t want to see your croc tears.

Jessica Simpson Baby Watch!: Jessica Simpson has now developed her own gravitational pull.

AP Photo

Beyoncé needs no permission, she pays the State Deptartment no attention.

page 14 The Signal April 17, 2013

Arts & Entertainment

Rap stars live up to fan expectations

By Jack Meyers Nation & World Editor

An audience of students and locals fused ear drums with booming speakers as artists Mac Miller and Big Sean took the stage for the College’s 2013 Spring Concert on Friday, April 12.

The event, sponsored by the College Union Board, began with a high energy, electronic ensemble by DJ group GrooveBoston. Formerly known as the “mobile club,” GrooveBoston selects from a diverse pool of DJs to perform at each event they hold.

For last weekend’s concert, DJ Detonate was chosen to set the scene: with an extraordinary mix of upbeat dance anthems and quirky techno jams he did justice to the company’s name.

“Everything we’ve brought here is for the audience,” said GrooveBoston director, Bobby Dutton. He explained that what sets his group apart from other

club DJs is for whom they build their shows. Instead of a venue with tons of random people gathering around a big name producer, GrooveBoston aims to give college students a reality-warping experience in their own community.

“You can go to a festival with hundreds of thousands of people who you don’t know,” Dutton said. “But if you’re on your college campus with your friends, it amplifies that energy and comfort level.”

Dutton’s sentiment was clear, and the group’s focus on playing music according to mood warmed the young, eager crowd up for the night’s headliners. After all, the lead performer on Friday was only recently a teen himself.

It was no wonder then that a room full of peers would welcome Malcolm McCormick, known on stage as Mac Miller, with devoted ears and fanatical screams.

The 21-year-old rapper began his journey to fame at the ripe age of 19 — just out of high school, like many of the

audience members. With this level of familiarity, Miller has easily connected to young listeners. Infiltrating the online stage in 2010, Miller released his debut album “K.I.D.S” completely free of charge and began his march up the billboard charts.

“Surprisingly my favorite part of the concert was watching everyone funnel in,” said sophomore secondary education and history double major, Danny Kaplan. “The look of excitement and happiness on their faces was just awesome to see.”

A community of students typically separated into varying majors, career paths and cliques was united by the simple satisfaction of music. Big Sean, another young rap star and the second headliner on Friday, wooed the same youthful crowd with hospitable vibes.

“I’m a big fan of his,” said sophomore criminology major, Kelly Coughlin, as she explained with a twinkle in her eye that she and her friends “were happy and ecstatic to be together, singing some of (their) favorite songs.”

Warren Fields / Staff Photographer

Mac Miller is a showstopper amongst fans at Spring Concert.

Talented student writers entice audience

By Lauren Longo Correspondent

Student writers took the stage to read emotionally charged original poems and short stories.

INK’s Spring 2013 Student Reading Series, which took place last Tuesday, April 9, included five captivating writers, each chosen from an application process.

The night began with the readings of senior English and secondary education double major Andy Gallagher.

Gallagher read three of his works, beginning with “Schism,” a poem about an apocalyptic world where two opposing sects are at war.

In this world full of hatred and self-supremacy, words such as soothe, dinner, song and roof have become archaic.

After reading about the epic

fantastical battles of “Schism,” Andy lightened the mood by reading his two remaining poems, “Roofin’ It” and “The Man.” Junior English and women’s and gender studies double major Ryan Rousseau stepped up to the podium to share his two works, “11:11” and “Nowhere New Jersey.”

Throughout “Nowhere New Jersey,” listeners heard the voice of a fluctuating indecisive mind — “Should she give up? Bartending school seems fun. Nursing school?”

But amidst the incredibly relatable confusion, the poem concluded with a wonderfully clear didactic line — “Cling to the idea that there is beauty in nowhere.”

Alexa Logush, sophomore history and English double major, was described by her presenter as being able “to understand how a pen feels without its cap.”

Logush began by sharing

two untitled poems and ended with “Being a Tourist in the City I Used to Live In.” She shared that this poem was about her moving experience — her family once moved to a different house within the same town.

But after they moved all of their belongings from their old house to the new, her family had to spend one night in her old empty home.

Listeners could hear the emotion and pain in Logush’s clear voice, which was believed by her presenter to be reminiscent of sleigh bells.

Michael Hassin, breaking the trend of the other readers, read a collection of 18 short writings from his cell phone, one of which being selected tweets from his Twitter account.

Another told of a little girl dropping coins into a saxophone man’s upside down hat, and the elation she expressed after doing so.

Warren Fields / Staff Photographer

Five captivating writers are selected to present their poems and short stories at INK’s Student Reading Series.

Hassin’s short, insightful readings, mostly about daily life, truly engaged the audience — these poems provoked constant bursts of laughter and the “I feel you” sort of snap.

The night concluded with senior English major Samantha Zimbler, who has led INK for the past two years.

She read multiple poems from two collections, one being a series about Hurricane Sandy,

and another about her experience teaching memoir writing to women prisoners.

Samantha’s voice was truly that of an advocate for the incarcerated women she teaches.

She wrote of their brilliance and love of writing.

Her closing poem, “Free the Diva,” was written from the perspective of one of her students who had been placed in isolation for unjust reasons.

Experimental sounds define JT’s new album

By Megan Whalen Staff Writer

AP Photo

Timberlake makes his return to the music scene in an old-fashioned style.

Justin Timberlake has been noticeably absent from the music scene for the past several years, leaving a Justin-shaped hole in the pop charts.

Finally, this month, fans waiting with bated breath were granted “The 20/20 Experience,” Justin’s first album since “Future Sex/Love Show” in 2006.

This album marks a bit of a departure for Justin. His first two albums focused heavily on catchy chart-toppers and had a satisfying balance of fun pop songs and ballads.

“The 20/20 Experience” shows a more old-fashioned side of Justin, as he seems to be hearkening back to the motifs of Motown and the big band era, rather than the R&B pop he is known for.

For example, “Pusher Love Girl,” the album’s opening song, features sweeping violins and brass instruments, with Justin singing in his signature falsetto.

African themes even make an appearance in “Let The Groove In,” which is a fast-paced song that succeeds in making listeners want to get up and dance.

Instead of playing these genres straight, Justin pairs them with more modern techno beats and playfully suggestive

lyrics, which makes for an interesting combination that is different from his prior work.

Just like any experiment, this often pays off, but can also fall flat. The artistry and fun of songs like “Suit & Tie” and “That Girl” are placed in stark contrast to the strangeness of songs like “Spaceship Coupe” and “Strawberry Bubblegum,” which seems to be a failed homage Barry White and the deep voices often utilized in 1950s pop songs.

Perhaps the biggest qualm one can have with JT’s newest endeavor is its sheer excess. Songs that could easily get their point across and be perfectly catchy within four minutes drag on for eight.

Not only are the songs long, but the extra space is utilized by lengthy, unnecessary instrumentals and simple repetitions of the choruses.

Although I have to commend Justin for treading new ground with the incorporation of different genres and a more artistic sound, the result is an album that is not as radiofriendly as his former albums.

The singles, while strong and catchy on their own, are overshadowed by their weaker counterpoints.

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself skipping through these songs and opting to listen to “Cry Me a River” for the millionth time.

April 17, 2013 The Signal page 15

Power goes out but show goes on

By Brian Kempf Features Assistant

Audience members began trickling into the Lion’s Den. The mood was electric with excitement, as the smell of freshlypopped popcorn wafted through the air.

The Student Film Union’s REEL ART festival was almost ready to begin. Displays were being organized, and the musicians strummed their guitars to warm up. Then the lights went dark.

An errant lightning bolt (maybe) had struck the Brower Student Center, and with a loud explosion the lights went dark.

But as the refrain goes: the show must go on!

While the student films could not be exhibited due to the power outage, this didn’t stop the show’s musicians and poets from performing.

Instead of being on stage, performers sat under the only working light in the student cen-

ter, as audience members made a circle of seats. Tom Ciccone, a junior journalism major, was up first, taking to the acoustic guitar as brilliant purple sparks flew across the sky.

One of his songs was written in response to the Trayvon Martin murder, as he laments, “There’s a man outside who wants me dead.” The sound was sorrowful, yet uplifting.

Among the poets was Rachel Friedman, a freshman English major. One of her poems, “Syzygy,” was born during an INK meeting, during an activity in which club members wrote a poem based on obscure words.

Meanwhile, another one of her poems, “Puzzle Pieces” lamented (tongue-in-cheek) that “You two go together just like puzzle pieces / meant for the ages of three and up.”

Andrew Edelblum, a freshman communication studies major, performed spoken word with his poem “18 and Unglorified.”

With friends wanting to sneak out on the night before his 18th birthday, the decision to join them was rather grueling, “I’m not a risk taker, but a risk flaker / I would be on the cover of a cereal box known as ‘Risk Flakes.’”

At the end, him and his friends get onto a golf course and watch Atlantic City’s neon lights, and he realizes that a rite of passage didn’t necessarily embrace maturity, and that “stupid things become the greatest chances.”

Freshman interdisciplinary business major Ryan Quindlen performed a handful of songs, beginning with his original “I Don’t Know Love.” Striking a brilliantly sarcastic note, he crooned “Be my flower / at least for an hour” and “I don’t want to fall in love forever / You’re just the one until I find someone better.”

His next song was about “someone who just wants to accomplish his dreams,” which was a glorious tribute to Emma Stone. “Yea you

Photo by Heiner Fallas

Despite a power outage, the REEL ART: Student Arts and Film Festival carries on.

got me, Emma Stone / yea, you got me Emma Stone’d / Take my hand / you were the only good part about Spiderman.”

His act wrapped up with a brilliant acoustic cover of Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop.” The final act was self designed theater major Liz Plevy, who, having had her performance interrupted at first by a boisterous

fraternity, concluded the show unperturbed with “Apples,” an original song performed on her ukulele.

The sound was bittersweet and simple, just like the titular fruit.

It was the perfect song to capture the essence of the season, with the year drawing to a close but the promise of summer so near as to be in reach.

Forgettable kids sitcom offers surprises

By Jared Sokoloff Staff Writer

AP Photo

Jerry Trainor, formerly of Nickelodeon’s ‘iCarly,’ stars in the network’s latest sitcom.

I remember seeing the first commercial for “Wendell and Vinnie” earlier this year and thinking, “My god, this looks painfully atrocious.” And maybe it was my lowered expectations that allowed me to kind of enjoy this show.

This is, as the title would suggest, just another sitcom. The genius child, Wendell, is mature beyond his age but has to go live with his man-boy uncle, Vinnie, who has never had to take on any responsibility. Helping to raise the child are Vinnie’s sister and his female nextdoor neighbor. And the madness ensues.

Surprisingly, I didn’t have trouble watching the episode. It was actually okay. The supporting characters were entertainingly weird, and the female leads didn’t fall as deeply into sitcom stereotypes as I expected.

The star of this show is Jerry Trainor, who plays Vinnie. He recently finished up playing Miranda Cosgrove’s brother/ caretaker on “iCarly,” but college students will fondly remember him as Crazy

Steve from “Drake and Josh.”

I have to say, I really appreciate him as an actor in his current role. He could have easily gone for the completely immature fool, but he is able to mix in just the right touch of maturity, sweetness and atypical humor to his character.

There is one major problem with the show: I have no idea who the hell this show is catered toward. This show is aired on Nickelodeon, and there are plenty of jokes for the kids.

Nick has been notorious for hiding some adult jokes into their shows (just take a look at any classic Spongebob episode). But I do believe this show goes a tad too far, making jokes about lingerie and some pretty obvious sex references like, “I have reservations for dinner and dessert ... and dessert.”

Overall, this show is okay to watch if you’re just mindlessly flipping channels.

But there are much better options on television, and unless this show really starts innovating itself, it will soon end up with the numerous other sitcom rejects that have come and failed throughout the years.

AP Photo

Meant as a kids sitcom, ‘Wendell and Vinnie’ might make viewers cringe with its inappropriate jokes.

Devine intervention — indie rock at the Rat

By Shirley Guzman Staff Writer

Janika Berridge / Photo Assistant

Kevin Devine proves to be a crowd pleaser at Friday’s Rat Show.

Kevin Devine headlined a lively show in the Rathskeller on Friday, April 12, also featuring Geoff Rickly and the Dundees.

The Dundees, an indie rock band from the College, opened the College Union Board’s show.

The band offered the audience free sample CDs and signed autographs from eager fans.

After two-and-a-half hours of being on public transportation, Rickly, the frontman from the band Thursday, arrived and took over the stage following The Dundees performance. He sang some of Thursday’s old hits upon the audience’s requests, and a few songs from the solo albums he’s working on. Rickly’s vocals were very captivating.

“When he opened his mouth, I was shocked because I haven’t seen anyone that good live in a long time,” said Ellen Plattman, sophomore math and music double major.

Rickly opened up his performance with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” and closed up his act with the song “Climax” by Usher. He shared with

the audience how much music means to him and how music has helped him through hard times.

His songs are available online and are free to download. He made it clear that he had no care to gain money off his music. His gain comes from making his fans happy. Rickly has been a part of different bands, including United Nations.

He will be touring with John Nolan from Taking Back Sunday this upcoming May, and with Vinnie Caruana, formely of The Movie Life, in June.

The last performance of the night was done by Kevin Devine, an indie rock singer who is well known for his solo acts and for being a member of Bad Books.

Devine is originally from Brooklyn. He released his first solo album, “Circle Gets the Square,” in 2002 and has continued to play music ever since. Kevin Devine had fans singing along to all his songs and yelling out songs they wanted to hear.

The audience was very in tune with his music and taking in the moment.

If you are looking for softer indie-inspired rock, then Kevin Devine is definitely an artist to check out.

page 16 The Signal April 17, 2013

April 17, 2013 The Signal page 17

Improv comedy show mixes it up

By Mike Herold Staff Writer

There’s a relatively new saying that goes something like this: Any comedy show beginning with two grown men flinging monkey poop in order to fit in is a show worth watching.

Okay, so that saying probably won’t catch on. But it did ring true this past Saturday, April 13, when the College’s improvisational comedy troupe, The Mixed Signals, performed in the first ever Mixed Mixed Signals show.

That isn’t a typo. The show’s premise was simple — each member of the troupe came dressed as a different member, crossing the barriers of gender and fashion sense with equal parts disdain and comedic fortitude.

“I was the prettiest girl at the prom,” said junior computer science major Graham Mazie, who really looked more like sophomore music and secondary education double major Shannon McGovern than he did his usual self.

The idea for this theme was one that the

group had tossed around for a while before finally implementing.

“Last year, we played a game like party quirks where everyone was a different Mixed Signal,” said sophomore psychology major Garrett Verdone, dressed as Mazie.

“So that’s where the idea kind of started.”

“We’ve been joking about it for a long time, and then a couple weeks ago we were like, we should really do that,” said junior computer science major Lindsey Nice, who could have easily been confused with sophomore women’s and gender studies major Morgan Teller.

Despite the shuffled looks of the players, the show was very similar to the usual performances the improv group puts on, as the troupe took part in games including film and theater styles, objective and family slide show, and, in a true display of improvisational skill, two more games than were originally planned.

“We were halfway through our set and we hadn’t even gone an hour yet, so we needed to add more games in the middle,” said senior biology major Dan Loverro (wearing an outfit reminiscent of junior nursing major

Nina Shulgach).

Loverro, who serves as the Mixed Signals’ president, was giving one of his final performances with the group, and his last in their usual performance location, the Library Auditorium “It feels weird, but it kind of doesn’t feel weird because it’s just like another show,” Loverro said. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet, I guess.”

Members of the troupe were happy with how the show turned out.

“We brought back a lot of jokes throughout the show, and the audience seemed to be on the same page as us,” Shulgach (performing as Nice) said. “I was really happy about that.”

Also encouraging to the performers was the bonds that have formed between them.

“I think the best thing about playing individual games is that you know everyone else in the troupe is going to support you, even if you aren’t quite there,” McGovern said, proudly sporting the look of junior history and secondary education double major Jonathan Dowler. “I think that makes it a lot less scary.”

Photo courtesy of Shannon McGovern

The latest Mixed Signals performance pushes gender barriers as members dress up as each other.

“Everyone is so in tune with one another that we almost always see where the plan that we have is going,” Teller said, looking like freshman history and secondary education double major Rachel Friedman.

The audience certainly loved where that plan went.

Upbeat performances show hip-hop appreciation

By Liz Wimberg Staff Writer Step teams and individual artists from both the College and Rider University took the stage Tuesday, April 9 for the “Hip-Hop Showcase,” hosted by the College Union Board and Men of Distinction.

The show also featured upcoming rappers Casey Veggies and Skizzy Mars. The stage was constructed on one end of room 202 in the Brower Student Center, complete with bright lights and wires.

The majority of the audience remained congregated outside the door until show time, but even the scarce clusters within made the air buzz.

Before long, the overhead lighting receded, and we seemed to have left campus instantly. Freshmen Wachan Harris and Dianna Ruberto, both members of the

step team, were among the first to secure spots near the front.

“We’re here to support the team,” Harris said.

As the College’s Black Out took the stage, it was clear that Harris and Ruberto were not alone in their endeavors. The group presented an impressive amalgam of dialogue and percussive choreography, and the crowd loved it.

Step requires a degree of artistic embodiment, and the result is indubitably potent.

Black Out performers, along with the members of Rider’s Front Row, owned the music, the stage and the attention of the audience According to the audience’s applause, Black Out won the competition.

The end of the step performance brought us to a series of rap battles, settled by a similar measure.

Performers took the stage under the pseudonyms “Dalmatian,” “Splash,” “E.S.” and “Blaze.” Some were seasoned competitors and others battled for the first time, but each put on quite a show.

In the background and between sets we heard an eclectic mix of music: everything from Justin Bieber and One Direction to Drake and Rihanna. After intermission, Skizzy Mars took the mic. He performed several pieces from his latest album, “Phases,” which just dropped last month.

The album includes songs like “Sideways” and “Sirens,” which both feel a little bit like Childish Gambino’s Cudlesac or Kid Cudi on Man on the Moon.

Skizzy samples indie music and features other artists like Conner Youngblood, G-easy and Sterling Fox on Phases.

The album is available for free download on Skizzy’s website and Facebook page.

Timely film carried by cast This week in photos

By Chris Minitelli Staff Writer

There have been plenty of movies made about the President being kidnapped, the White House being destroyed, and even Air Force One being taken over. However, I had yet to see a film about the President being held hostage in the White House itself until I watched “Olympus Has Fallen.”

This film follows a disgraced former Secret Serviceman who is able to get inside the White House as it is under a terrorist attack. While using his inside knowledge and experience, he is able to work with national security in order to rescue the President from his kidnappers.

When I decided to see this film I honestly did not have very high hopes for it; however, I was pleasantly surprised. While the plotline of “Olympus Has Fallen” was not really all that original, it did have certain interesting elements. Something that really stuck out to me about this movie, though, was how relevant it is.

With the recent developments in North Korea, many people are concerned about possible attacks on either the United States or its allies. In “Olympus Has Fallen,” the White House is attacked and taken over by antiAmerican Korean-led guerrilla forces. While I do not think that this will actually ever happen, I think this film definitely worked to be relevant to particular concerns and fears that many Americans may have.

While the storyline of this film was decent, it actually had a pretty impressive cast. The

cast of “Olympus Has Fallen” included Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Melissa Leo and Dylan McDermott. With this cast, I thought that “Olympus Has Fallen” was definitely able to give itself a certain edge that it would have lacked otherwise.

In the end, I would recommend seeing “Olympus Has Fallen.” Although this film lacked in a number of areas, it is a decent action movie. It was definitely entertaining, kept my attention, and is worth checking out.

AP Photo

‘Olympus Has Fallen’ takes a fictional approach to the White House.

Vicki Wang / Photo Assistant

David Rago and Suzanne Perrault of Rago Arts and Auction Center discuss the value of art at Brown Bag.

page 18 The Signal April 17, 2013

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April 17, 2013 The Signal page 19

Fun Stuff

page 20 The Signal April 17, 2013

Classifieds

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April 17, 2013 The Signal page 21

Winning clouds character of athletes Cheap Seats

AP Photo

Everyone forgets Tiger’s deeds once he begins to win again.

By Mike Herold Staff Writer

One of sports’ oldest adages is a little misunderstood and goes like this: Winning is everything.

So as long as a team is winning, no one really cares about how they’re doing it. So as long as a player wins, nothing that player does can be all that bad.

After all, bad people can’t possibly be winners, right?

Wrong.

We’ve seen this time and time again.

Winners in sporting competitions are far from the heroes we make them out to be, and sadly are rarely worthy of the celebrations we throw in their honor.

And they aren’t deserving of all the attention we give them, either.

Take, for example, the coverage of the Masters this past weekend. Did anyone else notice just how much of the talk was about Tiger Woods? You remember Tiger, he’s the guy who spit on

the “gentleman’s game” part of golf for almost his entire career while winning the award for “most times cheated with a porn star.” You may also recall that he never really apologized for all of this, and recently released a commercial essentially mocking everyone who loves him again, by boldly stating that “Winning takes care of everything.”

The sad part? He’s basically right.

And it’s our fault, we sports fans, for allowing this to all happen. We’re the ones who still buy jerseys bearing the names of sexual offenders, spousal abusers and animal killers. We’re the ones who serenade these villains with MVP chants and raucous applause over their most minor of accomplishments. We’re the ones who idolize cheaters and criminals, because they do the one thing that matters most. They win.

It’s enough to make you sick if you really think about it.

After all, these faux-heroes are the ones that kids look up to and aspire to

be. Any child watching the roars of the crowd as Tiger sinks a birdie will aim to become him, faults and all. They will think that it really doesn’t matter what you do in life, that so long as you win nothing else matters at all.

But there is something we can do about it, fellow sports enthusiasts. We can stop cheering, stop celebrating when these lousy people win despite their evildoings. We can stop showering them with attention when they don’t really deserve it. And maybe, just maybe, if enough people follow suit, these athletes will realize they can’t get away with anything just because they win.

You know what I hope for? I hope to someday be watching a sporting event with my kid, and for one of these scoundrels of sport to win. I want there to be silence at his victory, and I want my kid to ask me why. I want to give the explanation that has become the new saying in sports: Winning isn’t everything.

Tennis

Amid rainouts, tennis still finds a way to win

By Chris Molicki Sports Editor

In a week filled with rainouts and postponed matches, the men’s tennis team still managed to do what they always do — win. And this time, it was with ease.

It was business as usual for the Lions (12-0) on Wednesday, April 10, as they made short work out of Rutgers UniversityCamden, 9-0. And in this match, everyone won big.

Freshman Billy Buchbinder and senior Jordan Cruz won their matches with perfect 6-0, 6-0 marks. Freshman Pierce Cooper and junior Howard

Telson both approached that result, each winning 6-0, 6-1.

Seniors Marc Nichols and T.J. Riley were also victorious.

“The team was coming off of a weekend of two tough matches and they definitely got us playing well,” Telson said.

“We knew that we needed to keep our intensity up for this match and the rest of the season as it winds down. After the match, we were happy with our performance and glad we didn’t have a letdown at all.”

The College ran the tables in the doubles portion of the contest, with the teams of Nichols and Telson, Riley and sophomore Jack August, and Cooper and

Cruz winning all of their matches by perfect 8-0 scores.

“Jack has done an amazing job of coming back from a tough injury and really helping us this season,” Telson said.

“After not being able to play for a few months, he really came back strong and has been impressing us all.”

During a rainy week, the men had a match against New York University on Friday, April 12 postponed. In addition, both the men and the women had a match at Skidmore College that was cancelled.

Both teams will resume play on Saturday, April 20, with the men taking on SUNY Oneonta

at 2:30 p.m., while the women are back in action against the University of Mary Washington at 10 a.m.

With the season winding down and postseason play in the team’s sight, the College is focusing harder than ever on the stretch run. A perfect season is still alive for the men, but other huge goals are on their radar on the national scale and are certainly attainable.

“We’re just continuing to work hard in practice and trying to keep getting better,” Telson said. “We know that we’ll need to be at our best for nationals so the motivation is definitely there.”

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Tennis beats up on the opposition this week.

Baseball

Nicknames and chants create good atmosphere Baseball team root one another on and has fun

By Chris Molicki Sports Editor

“Come on two six!” yelled one player from the dugout. “That a boy two six, here we go,” added another. Two six (26) is the number and nickname of freshman pitcher Evan Edelman. With a little help and support from his teammates, 27 was the bigger number of the day, as Edelman recorded a complete game 14-1 victory over St. Joseph’sLong Island on Tuesday, April 9 by recording 27 outs.

When players are having fun and boosting each other’s confidence, it leads to better play and more wins.

That’s a technique that the College’s baseball team practices quite a bit. Their dugout is seldom quiet, as they spend the majority of games hooting and hollering for whoever is on the mound or at the plate. In the case for this specific game, Edelman’s remarkable performance got the players roaring.

“I heard them supporting me and it means a lot,” Edelman said. “We get along really well. It’s always a lot of

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

The support the players give each other is more encouraing than distracting, and has helped the team win.

fun with these guys.”

For some players, the constant banter may be a distraction, especially for a pitcher who’s trying to focus on the mound. For Edelman, however, it helped him relax in a game where he gave up a run in the first inning, but dominated the next eight.

“It helps me out,” Edelman said.

“Sometimes I hear them and it makes me chuckle on the mound.”

Edelman wasn’t the only one who had a nickname thrown out, as several other players were referred to as their nicknames by their teammates. Some were simple: Murph for senior outfielder Mike Murphy, Cuz (pronounced Cooz) for sophomore shortstop Anthony

Cocuzza, and G for freshman catcher Garen Turner. On the contrary, some were more outlandish and goofy: Patty Cakes or Patty Daddy for freshman outfielder Patrick Roberts, Mur-dog for sophomore third baseman Mike Murray, and Skells for senior second baseman Scott Kelly.

“We just spend a lot of time with each other and pick up on different things each other does,” Murphy said.

“Nicknames have a way of spreading and sticking.”

With the season entering a crucial stretch, the Lions need to come together more than ever. A blowout win over St. Joe’s was just what the doctor ordered, and in it the team exhibited more than just pitching and offense. The support they displayed for each other was something that winning teams emulate. If they keep up this attitude, they’ll keep up the wins.

“It shows how close we’ve come,” Murphy said. “We’ve been through all the early workouts, practices and all the ups and downs as the season has progressed.

Everyone has become a family.”

page 22 The Signal April 17, 2013

April 17, 2013 The Signal page 23

Lions Fantasy World

By Mike Herold Fantasy Guy

League Standings

Nothin’ But Net

Sometimes when historic things happen in sports, everyone notices. Whether it’s a perfect game in baseball, the Helmet Catch in the Super Bowl or the time Blake Griffin destroyed Timofey Mozgov with the dunk heard round the world.

Other times, historic events in sports are seen, talked about and just about obsessed over, without anyone realizing just how huge they might be.

I’m talking, of course, about Kobe Bryant’s ruptured Achilles.

By now, everyone is aware of what happened. Bryant was worn down playing way too many minutes (since the Lakers needed their inhuman superstar to play with everyone else on the roster banged up, and since they hired the worst coach possible for their roster who decided “Hey, Kobe can do it, right? I’ll play him all the time, what’s the worst that could happen?”), and ruptured his Achilles in a “freak” accident.

(Was that too long a tangent in the middle of that sentence? Oh well, it’s my thing.)

Here’s what no one seems to be talking about, but I will: I think that was the biggest single injury in the history of sports.

You know an explanation is coming.

See, by pretty much any calculation, Kobe’s one of the top 10 NBA players all time. Some even have him in the top five, and I’ve heard as high as number two.

Also, by pretty much any means of evaluation, Kobe is a top 10 player right now. This may seem impossible, given his advanced age, but Kobe can still ball with the best of them, despite running on what surely must be mostly bitterness at this point.

So we have a top 10 player, both all time and right now, gearing up for a potential playoff run (the Lakers were looking to be a somehow very dangerous eight seed), and he goes down with a potentially career-ending injury.

Go ahead, tell me a bigger injury that’s ever happened. And if you bring up Tom Brady, I will laugh you into next week.

I’m not saying that Kobe’s injury will completely change the course of this season or NBA history. The Lakers definitely were not the title favorites they seemed to be heading into the season, but still. Would you really want your favorite team going against angry Playoff Mode Mamba with Dwight Howard at his back?

In terms of fantasy, this injury might not mean much. Sure, Kobe is probably the first top five to ten pick to go down this year, but with only three games remaining that isn’t such a big deal.

But give it time. A decade from now, we’ll probably all be talking about Kobe’s injury as a defining moment in basketball history.

And when we are, I just wanted to make sure that you saw it as history in the making.

Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Team Name Team Allen Team Friedman Team Matos Signal Squad Team Molloy Team Vazquez Team Nichols Team Gannon Team Caputo Team McG Team Myshkoff Team Jha

Team Owner Gabe Allen Remy Friedman Rob Matos Chris Molicki Kyle Molloy Victor Vazquez Marc Nichols Andrew Gannon Joe Caputo Brendan McGrath Zach Myshkoff Ashray Jha

Points 33925 32042 31500 30325 29293 28187 27807 26946 24743 24404 22520 16370

Top Performer (Season) Top Performer (Past Week) Jrue Holiday (3955) Thaddeus Young (182) David Lee (4460) Carmelo Anthony (278) Russell Westbrook (4858) Carlos Boozer (239) LaMarcus Aldridge(3912) Goran Dragic (208) James Harden (4584) James Harden (204) LeBron James (5742) LeBron James (209) Kobe Bryant (4786) Kobe Bryant (242) Kevin Durant (5523) Kevin Durant (239) Al Jefferson (3727) John Wall (184) Greg Monroe (3956) Deron Williams (261) Chris Paul (4190) Pau Gasol (285) Dwyane Wade (3571) Nate Robinson (147) All standings are accurate as of 6 p.m. Monday, April 15

Moves Made This Week Team Allen: Added Tobias Harris Dropped Jose Calderon Signal Squad: Added Jimmy Butler, Eric Gordon, Tiago Splitter, Wilson Chandler, Jason Thompson Dropped Jameer Nelson, Tobias Harris, Mo Williams, Isaiah Thomas, Joakim Noah

AP Photo

Good Moves, or Bad? Well, Team Allen definitely made the right move, since Harris has been playing well and Calderon is injured. Any time you can trade nothing for something, that’s a smart play.

As for the 12 moves the Signal Squad made this past week (shown, as always, is the sum total of those moves), it was a mixed bag. Some players were hurt, some moves were upgrades, and some didn’t work out. OK, so most didn’t work out, he dropped a bunch of players right before they had huge games for players who had lousy ones. But hey, that’s life, and we all know that predictions are more luck than skill.

I May Be Wrong, But...

Here are the moves I would make in Fantasy Basketball this week: Add: By the time this comes out, there will be one or two games left for each and every team. The playoff seedings might be decided already, as could lottery positions. I would say to add anyone starting who usually wouldn’t, especially if they are looking for a better contract next season.

Be Cautious Of: Being in the lead. Some fantasy leagues may be lopsided (as this one certainly seems to be), but other leagues can easily turn on the final day. My personal league is currently separated by a mere four points at the top, and any lead under 300 or so could swing. Don’t make any bets, I guess would be my point here.

Drop: Pretty much anyone who won’t be playing. Pay close attention to who will be resting on the final night of the season, because chances are that everyone might. Drop those players who won’t play, especially injured ones (Kobe Bryant, likely Dwyane Wade), and bring from the depths of your bench those that will see the court.

Look Out For: The NBA Playoffs. They start on Saturday, with one game for each playoff matchup being played at some point this weekend. Even though some series won’t be all that interesting (I’ll be semi-previewing them here next week), there are sure to be at least some fireworks. The playoffs always deliver.

AP Photo

page 24 The Signal April 17, 2013

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April 17, 2013 The Signal page 25

LIONS

AROUND THE

DORM 5 3

Alec Zucker “The Ref”

Mike Herold Staff Writer

Greg Oriolo Correspondent

Brendan McGrath Editor-in-Chief

In the Around the Dorm playoffs, the “Ref,” Alec Zucker, challenges staff writer Mike Herold, correspondent Greg Oriolo and Editor-inChief Brendan McGrath to answer questions about the Heat’s playoff competition, the Miguel Cabrera vs. Mike Trout debate, and who is the favorite to hoist the Stanley Cup this year.

But at the same time, it’s no little fact that the Knicks beat the Heat convincingly three times already this year. If Brooklyn beats up the Heat in the second round, the Knicks play at the top of their game, and either LeBron or Wade is off their game, New York will have a chance.

Greg gets 3 points on his analysis of how to beat the Heat. Mike gets 2 points for listing the teams that may contend with Miami.

Brendan gets 1 point for giving the Knicks a little too much credit and leaving out OKC and San Antonio.

AP Photo

1. Coming off their championship last year, the Miami Heat have had a dominant regular season and are the clear favorites to win this year’s NBA title. With the season coming to a close, does any team in either conference have a chance to beat the Heat?

MH: The short answer is yes, several teams have a chance. However, they almost all lurk in the Western Conference and will have to duke it out amongst themselves just to get there. The Heat are not only better than everyone else this season, but they’ve also had some phenomenal luck in terms of injuries. None of their key players have gone down, while the two biggest threats in the East (Chicago and Boston) have lost their best players, and the other contenders to dethrone their Eastern supremacy (New York and Indiana) will have to beat each other first, and will most likely not have enough gas left over to take on Miami. In the West, I’d give the Thunder (the only team with the star power to match Miami) and the Nuggets (the only team with the sheer speed to handle the Heat) a fair shot, and the Spurs if they can stay healthy. I’d also say that the Clippers and Grizzlies would have a puncher’s chance, due to Chris Paul and Zach Randolph/Marc Gasol, respectively. So while several teams could beat the Heat, I don’t think any of them will. Unless, of course, Derrick Rose suddenly returns.

GO: With the NBA season coming to a close, there are a few teams that have a chance to beat the Heat in a seven-game series. First, if OKC meets the Heat in Finals they will have a chance to win. The Thunder have the star power, and offensive ability, and matchup defensively better than most teams against the Heat.

Also, they have been there before, and I do not think they would make the same mistakes they did in the Finals last year. Next, several teams in the East have a shot to take the Heat down. The Knicks, Pacers, Nets and Bulls are all very deep teams, which in the playoffs is overlooked by the stars in the NBA. The way to take down the Heat is to play a physical game, getting them in foul trouble. The four teams listed all have deeper benches than the Heat and can afford to play this style of basketball against them. With that being said, I do not think that any team could execute and win four games against the Heat ,and come early June, Miami will be repeat champs.

BM: It seems pretty unlikely that any team would knock off the Heat, but there’s no way you can rule out the Knicks. The Heat are, without a doubt, a better team than the Knicks, but that doesn’t mean that they have a lock on the conference. If the Heat get beaten up in the first couple of rounds and the two teams meet in the conference finals, the Knicks have the ability to sneak four wins out of a seven-game series.

Don’t get me wrong, if LeBron turns it on in the playoffs again, it’ll be nearly impossible.

2. Even though Miguel Cabrera hit for the Triple Crown last year, many baseball fans insist that Mike Trout is the best player in baseball (including pitchers and hitters). Do you agree?

MH: I can’t say for certain that Trout is the best player in baseball, as I think it isn’t possible to properly compare hitters to pitchers, but I do agree that he’s better than Cabrera. I take this position mostly because baseball is about more than just hitting — defense also plays a role. By virtually every statistical and nonstatistical measure, Trout is fantastic on the field, whereas Cabrera hovers somewhere between average and lacking on that side of the ball. And while Cabrera did hit for the Triple Crown, his numbers weren’t that astronomically better than Trout’s, especially considering that he’s a power hitter and Trout isn’t. His batting average was a mere four points higher, and while he stole just four bases all last season, Trout swiped 49. Also interesting to note is that Trout walked one more time than Cabrera, despite having 63 fewer at bats. This generally means that Trout is either better at beating out counts, or that he’s intentionally walked more often. Either way, it speaks to how much pitchers respect his abilities. So the offensive difference is marginal at best, and with Trout’s considerably better defense, I’d say he’s better than Cabrera overall.

AP Photo

GO: Mike Trout is one of the few “five-tool” players in the MLB. The skill set he possesses makes him one of the most talented in baseball and his production last year was off the charts, but I cannot say he is the best after just one season. If he produces like he did last year for a season or two more, hands down this claim can be made, but there are others that have produced for more years. In my opinion, there are two players that I consider better than Trout. First is Matt Kemp. Like Trout, he is a “five-tool” player that has had several remarkable seasons in a row. Kemp is a gold glove center fielder, who can run the bases, hit for average and hit for power in timely moments. He has proved to be arguably the most complete player in the league. Another factor about Kemp is that he is reliable and proven to last a whole season. With the exception of

2012, Kemp has played over 150 games in four straight seasons, which is so valuable.

That is why he is the best in baseball.

BM: I wasn’t opposed to Cabrera winning the MVP last year, but I would say it is fair to call Trout the best player in baseball. If you look at a stat like WAR, Trout comes out on top. That’s the big argument for Trout being the best, but in reality, he dominates the traditional categories too. He has good power and run production, though his totals are currently short of what Cabrera puts up. Beyond this, however, he brings defense and speed into the equation.

This at least puts him on even keel with the rest of the best players in the game, but if you count the fact that he’s only 21 years old, it seems like he has a good chance at “developing” more power, to the point where he may be the best in these categories in a couple of years as well.

I don’t know how he’s going to turn out, and I think there’s an argument to be made for Cabrera, a future Bryce Harper and a healthy Matt Kemp, but if there is one player who I want in my team’s lineup today, it’s Mike Trout. And if there’s one player I want in my lineup 10 years from now, it’s Mike Trout.

Mike gets 3 points for discussing Trout’s skill set and Cabrera’s weaknesses. Brendan gets 2 points for talking about Trout’s epic potential for years to come. Greg gets 1 point for being realistic about Trout after only one season.

3. The shortened NHL season is almost over.

Which team has the best shot to win the Stanley Cup this year?

MH: While it might seem like a two team race between the Penguins and Blackhawks right now, I’m going to take into account the lessons from past seasons. Last year, the Kings won it all despite being a No. 8 seed and barely squeaking their way into the postseason, and in hockey, it often seems as though seeding and regular season record don’t matter all too much. What’s more important is having a stud goalie and heating up heading into the playoffs.

At the moment, the two teams who most fit that description are the Washington Capitals and the St. Louis Blues. Both, as of writing this, are riding winning streaks, and have seen strong goalie play from Braden Holtby and Brian Elliot, respectively. Of the two, I’d pick Washington to take home the cup, if only because they have the best overall player on either team in Alex Ovechkin, and often in the playoffs, the best players come out on top.

GO: Like I’ve said before, the NHL playoffs are by far the hardest to predict in any sport.

Before the Crosby injury, I would have said the Penguins would have been the team to beat.

Now, with him out, each team that makes the playoffs will have a shot. My prediction for who wins the cup is whoever is the hottest team entering the playoff tournament. Last year, the

No. 8 seed Kings got hot at the right time, only losing a handful of games on their way to the cup. Right now, the hottest team is the Washington Capitals. Led by Alex the Great, who is playing better than anyone in the NHL, the Caps have reeled off six straight wins. If the playoffs were to start today, they would be my pick. Unfortunately, they do not. In the end, I feel that Anaheim will raise the cup. They are the least talked about elite team in the NHL and possibly the most well rounded team in the league. Look for them to knock off the much more talked about Blackhawks squad in the Western Conference Finals and whoever comes out of the East.

AP Photo

BM: I think the Blackhawks are obviously a great team and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they win, but my money’s on the Penguins.

This does not look like a year where a low seed is going to make it all the way to the finals. In this shortened year, the Penguins and Blackhawks, along with a couple of other well put together teams, are in pretty strong position.

The Penguins, come playoff time, will be in the strongest position. This is an experienced, successful and very talented team. Crosby’s out right now, but they’re just holding off on him until they need him. Until then, Malkin and Iginla, two of the other greatest players of the last two decades will carry the team — not to mention the other 10 plus quality skaters they boast. By the second round, this team will be running on all cylinders and they’ll be able to overcome the Canadiens, Bruins, Rangers and any other team that might appear to be a challenge. Pay no attention to what they do the rest of the season, because as soon as the playoffs come, they’ll tear up the competition in the East. In the finals, they can outgun the Blackhawks or Ducks, and ride an adequate M.A. Fleury to the Cup. Greg gets 3 points for mentioning the Ducks and their balanced squad. Brendan gets 2 points for talking about Pittsburgh’s acquisitions and playoff experience. Mike gets 1 point for noting that the Kings get hot at the right time and comparing them to Washington and St. Louis.

Greg wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5

page 26 The Signal April 17, 2013

.500 week highlighted by milestone Baseball

Baseball splits games, Kelly reaches milestone

By Chris Molicki Sports Editor

No pitcher wants to give up a run in the first inning.

It adds pressure and discomfort when facing future hitters. But when a pitcher can weather the storm and put together a gem, it makes it all better.

That’s exactly what freshman pitcher Evan Edelman did after allowing a first inning run, pitching a complete game and allowing only one run on five hits while striking out seven batters. This was all in the College’s 14-1 blowout over St. Joseph’s CollegeLong Island. Edelman received plenty of support from his teammates, both on the scoreboard in the form of 14 runs and in the dugout with the constant chants of two six (26, Edelman’s number) serenading the young pitcher, who was in a groove.

“I figured out what I should do to get the guys out,” Edelman said. “Today, I didn’t have great stuff, but I could locate, so it worked out.”

After the two squads exchanged one-two-three innings, the Lions (13-13, 5-4) got things going in the bottom of the third. Freshman outfielder Mark Mari got on with a walk and senior second baseman Scott Kelly smacked a double out to left field, scoring Mari and tying the game. Kelly then stole third, and when an attempt to get him out at third went wild, he trotted home to score the go-ahead run.

“It was the second time around we were seeing that (pitcher) and we weren’t getting good swings on the ball the first time around, so when we saw him again, we started getting good, hard swings,” Kelly said. “Me or anybody else, every other day seems to start the fire. It was me today, but tomorrow it will be somebody else.”

Using the concept of small ball, the College was able to manufacture some runs in the bottom half of the inning. Freshman catcher Garen Turner led off with a single to right field, and after a walk for freshman outfielder Patrick Roberts, Turner stole third. A base hit by sophomore third baseman Mike Murray drove Turner home, and an infield single by Mari loaded the bases. A walk by junior Joe Dispoto brought in another run and a sac fly by Limon put the score at 5-1.

“Coach preaches the little things all the time,” Kelly said. “One thing he stresses a lot is getting those little things started, because little things turn into big things, and big things turn into big runs and big innings. That’s what we needed to do and I’m glad we got that done today.”

Extra base hits for Roberts, Kelly, and Dispoto led

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Kelly collects his 200th career hit in the win over St. Joe’s.

to another four runs to make the score 9-1. This included Kelly’s 200th hit of his career..

“It just means I played too much,” Kelly joked. “As long as we keep getting W’s, that’s all that counts.”

Freshman outfielder Peter Kennedy also got his first career hit with an RBI double, while fellow freshman outfielder J. C. Rizzi knocked in the 14th and final run.

In a home and home against William Paterson University, with the second game being postponed due to rain, the Lions struggled to get anything going offensively, losing 4-2.

In the first game, played at the College, Pioneers’ pitcher Tim O’Shea held the Lions hitless for 6 1/3 innings. It was an odd occurrence, because despite having no hits, the College took a 2-0 lead in the first inning after Kelly and Limon got on base with walks, advanced on a wild throw and scored on an error.

A home run by William Paterson got the Pioneers on the board in the top of the second, and they took a 4-2 lead that would not be lost after scoring three runs in the top of the fifth.

The Lions were able to get on base patiently by getting 10 walks, but in addition to that, they only had one hit the entire game, with Dispoto getting it in the

Lacrosse

bottom of the eighth.

Rounding out the week with a doubleheader against Ramapo College, the Lions split the pair against the No. 14 Roadrunners, winning the first game 6-4 and dropping the second game 7-2.

Junior pitcher Brendan Kelly got the win for the Lions, going eight strong and giving up four earned runs while striking out six.

Once again, the concept of small ball was in effect, with sophomore infielder Jake DeWitt drove home Murphy with a squeeze bunt. Ramapo responded with a run of their own, but DeWitt was back at it in the fourth with a ground ball to second bringing in a score.

Turner trotted home on a wild pitch to make it 3-1.

In the fifth inning, a single by Limon drove in a run, while more sloppy fielding by the Roadrunners got Murphy home again, giving the College the goahead fifth run.

A sac fly by Cocuzza in the sixth brought Mari home for the team’s sixth and final run. While Ramapo mustered two more runs, the College was able to hold on.

The second game had to have had the Lions feeling uncomfortable, as they were feeling the heat from both the weather and the Roadrunners. After giving up three runs, freshman pitcher Steve Volpe had to leave the game due to an injury. An infield single by Limon in the bottom half of the first got Kelly home, narrowing the deficit to 3-1.

Despite a spot performance by Edelman, Ramapo tacked on a total of seven runs, a number the Lions could not get close to.

With the bases loaded late in the game, it seemed as if the team was going to start a rally that could lead to an amazing comeback. However, Ramapo was able to escape the jam, giving up only a sac fly to Limon and keeping the score at 7-2.

Being a game over .500 in the conference, the team knows that this is where they have to make some noise. The stretch run of the season is crucial, and it will show a lot about the mental toughness of this young team.

“We’re a talented team with a lot of potential and are in a pretty good shape in the conference,” Murphy said. “We hold our destiny in our hands. It’s up to us to play at the level we can and the wins will roll.”

With a dozen games remaining in the regular season, including nine NJAC games, the Lions have their sights set on the postseason. They will resume action on Tuesday, April 16 against Penn State Abington, with the hope to use a non-conference win to build momentum that can carry over to conference games.

Lacrosse defeats Montclair, wins NJAC

By Peter Fiorilla Sports Assistant

Lacrosse clinched another conference title with time to spare with a 17-9 win over Montclair State University last week, extending its NJAC win streak to 16 games and giving the Lions some breathing room heading into Tuesday’s game with Rutgers University Camden.

It is the third consecutive title for the Lions (9-4, 4-0) in the past four years. It was earned in a span of 34 days, from a win against Kean University at the beginning of conference play on Tuesday, March 5 to Tuesday’s clincher.

“It was really nice to clinch the victory last Tuesday, especially being on our home field,” junior attacker Jen Garavente said.

“Montclair gave us a really competitive game and it was nice to win after such a contest. However, that does not mean that we look past any competitor. We still have to go out there and play our game with a high intensity and prove we deserve that NJAC title.”

The win both ended a five-game win streak for Montclair, the only other team in the conference which was un-

beaten heading into the game, and further proved the Lions’ ability to score in the NJAC, as they scored 17 goals for the fourth time in as many conference games this year.

Senior attacker Jillian Nealon and Garavente each led the team with a gamehigh five goals each, with the former adding three assists, and another handful of Lions got on the scoreboard.

Junior midfielder Lauren Pigott and sophomore midfielder Lauren Karpovich pitched in two goals each, while sophomore attacker Erin Waller, sophomore midfielder Kendal Borup and sophomore attacker Nicole Ham found the back of the net once each.

Junior Goalie Zinck made eight saves for the win, which was only contested in the middle of the first half when Montclair rallied from a 7-6 deficit to make it a onegoal game.

Pigott and Nealon both scored to give the Lions separation, though, and the College led comfortably for the rest of the game.

“For the Montclair game, we moved the ball well and really focused on being careful by valuing our possessions,” Garavente said. “It was really important to us

that we took our time and looked for the best scoring opportunity instead of forcing shots and passes that weren’t necessarily there, which is why I think so many people were able to contribute. It was a big goal for us that we were going to try to be smarter than the other team with taking control of the game, which is why I think we were so successful.”

The Lions also battled with No. 2 Salisbury University on Friday, who entered and left their game with the College with a spotless record thanks to an 11-5 victory.

It was the largest margin of defeat this season for the Lions, whose previous worst defeat was just three goals, despite being a close contest throughout the first half and into the second.

“Salisbury is an extremely talented team and I think they just played an overall smarter game than we did,” Garavente said. “In the first half, it was pretty even, but I think we let the game slip out of our control in the second and they dominated early in the half. They are so tough because they are very fast paced, aggressive, and smart. They capitalize on the opportunities they have, which is something that

Photo coutresy of the Sports Information Desk

The women win the title.

we needed to do more of.”

On offense for the Lions, Garavente found the back of the net twice and three other Lions found the back of the net for the program’s lowest goal total since a 5-3 win against Rowan University in 2009.

After their game with Rutgers-Camden on Tuesday, the Lions next host Neumann University on Thursday, April 21.

April 17, 2013 The Signal page 27

ports Week In Review This guy again

Are you hot? You look like you could use some cold chocolate After starting the year 2-7, being outscored 65-49 in that stretch, baseball flipped the script and has gone 11-6 overall in its last 17 while outscoring opponents 129-78. And on Sunday, the Lions earned a split with NJAC rival No. 14 Ramapo.

Softball Pitching Records: Not Changing Anytime Soon

... this week in Division III stories DThis week, former D-III and Detroit Pistons star Dennis Rodman announced his intentions to return this August to North Korea, where his good friend Kim-Jong Un rules. “We have no plans really, as far as what we’re going to do over there, but we’ll just hang and have some fun!” Rodman told GossipExtra.com.

Single-Season Records Career Records ERA: .24, Gina LaMandre (’85) ERA: .48, Gina LaMandre (’85) Shutouts: 17, Rose Kalisak (’84) Shutouts: 45, Gina LaMandre (’85) Win percentage: .977 (28-1), Win percentage: .924 (61-5), Rose Kalisak (‘84) *Erine Grove (1991–94) *Freshman Ashtin Helmer’s win percentage this year: .924

AP Photo Rodman, in a money suit.

Zinck’s Numbers game by game Goals allowed vs. saves made

28

Alex Spark 53 Jillian Nealon 35

21

Jen Garavente 34

14 7

Follow us on Twitter at @TCNJSignal for all of our latest in sports and much, much more!

AP Photo

Lauren Pigott 23 S

GA

Season save percentage: 51% *

ST U D E N T AT H L E TE O F

THE WEEK Jillian Nealon

Senior attacker Jillian Nealon continued a career year in both goals and points by scoring five and eight, respectively, against Montclair University last Tuesday to help the Lions clinch their third consecutive NJAC title.

Nealon added an assist on Friday against Salisbury University to lift her point total to 52 this season. Nealon had 11 last year.

This week’s picks from the staff NBA Playoffs NHL MLB, Series EPL Peter Fiorilla

Islanders vs.

Maple Leafs

Orioles vs.

Dodgers

5

Chris Molicki 3

Arsenal vs.

Everton

Track & Field April 19 & 20 Larry Ellis Invitational (Princeton University) Greyhound Invitational (Moravian College) Baseball April 18 vs. Montclair State University, 3:30 p.m.

April 19 @ Montclair State University, 3:30 p.m.

April 20 vs. Rutgers University-Camden, 11:30 p.m. (Double Header)

Men’s Tennis April 20 vs. Onoenta State, 2:30 p.m.

April 21 vs. Muhlenberg College, 10:30 p.m.

2

Brendan McGrath 2

Women’s Tennis April 21 vs. Muhlenberg College, 2 p.m.

Jamie Primeau 1 Andrew Grossman0

Last week’s Signal Trivia Answer:

?

Signal Trivia

?

Sports

Softball April 20 @ New Jersey City University, 1 p.m. (Double Header)

Amy 5 Reynolds

Mike Herold

The Horizon For

Lacrosse April 18 vs. Neumann University, 7 p.m.

Lacrosse

Game-high eight points in NJAC-clinching victory

Knicks vs.

Point leaders Celtics

Erin Waller 20 *Junior goalie Kelsey Zinck stopped 23 of 43 shots on net last Kendal Borup1511 week, including a career-best against No. 2 Salisbury University, to keep herKarpovich season save 9 average above 51 percent.

Lauren

This is how far behind Kobe Bryant is from Michael Jordan in career points scored.

AP Photo

German soccer powerhouse Bayern Munich recently won its 23rd domestic title with six weeks to spare, after an historically low 28 match days (the previous German and Bayern record was 26). Currently, Bayern is battling FC Barcelona in the semis of the UEFA Champion’s League.

Signal

Sports

For Lions, there’s no place like home

ECAC qualifiers all around for track and field

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

The team excels in one of their few home meets of the season.

By Julie Kayzerman News Assistant

The track was roaring with cheering fans as the College’s track and field team hosted over 25 track programs for the New Jersey Invitational, their first home meet of the season.

“We want everyone to do well on

our home turf,” sophomore sprinter and long jumper Erica Roberts said. “This is where you have the upper hand.”

Roberts took advantage of performing on her home sand pit as she jumped her way to the top of the long jump scoreboard with a distance of 5.43 meters, beating out an impressive 21 competitors.

“I try not to get inside my head when I jump,” Roberts said. “I take each individual jump as what it is and try not to get discouraged if I have a bad jump.”

Roberts also ran a strong 100-meter dash alongside senior teammate Kim Shelus, who took sixth in the event.

“I love running with Kim in my heat,” Roberts laughed. “It makes me want to run faster because I know her abilities. It’s great competition.”

Shelus was also part of the 4x400meter relay team that not only finished in first place, but also ran their best time, qualifying for the ECACs at 4:02.65. Shelus ran alongside sophomore Joy Spriggs, junior Emily Kulcyk and sophomore Katelyn Ary. Both Ary and Kulcyk each had overwhelming success in their respective events, as Kulcyk won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.97, while Ary ran a 58.44 in the open 400-meter, taking second.

The final first place finish came from freshman Kristen VanBenschoten in the shot put during her first home meet of her career here at the College.

“It was awesome,” VanBenschoten said after throwing a personal best distance of 11.48 meters to win the event. “The team is great, everyone’s so supportive and always cheering for everyone else.”

Another personal best came from sophomore Liz Johnson, who has continuously improved her 800-meter time, placing second with 2:21.06.

On the men’s side, the athletes struggled against very tough competition, but still managed to run honorable performances and a come out with a pair of ECAC qualifiers.

The sole first place win for the men belonged to junior Juan Giglio in the pole vault after he cleared 4.50 meters for the Lions.

“It’s great being at home,” senior Kyle Magliaro said. “We’ve seen a lot (of) personal bests today (and) the environment has really helped us out.”

ECAC qualifying times were posted by junior Michael Spekhardt in the 400meter with a time of 49.98 and freshman Peter Okoh in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.94.

However, the 100-meter dash was dominated by the Lion’s assistant coach, Ashhad Agyapong who ran unattached, finishing with a time of 10.48.

As the Lions are running toward a successful season, come out and watch them sprint toward the finish line at their next home meet, the Lion’s Invitational on Friday, April 26.

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

The women leave the opposition in the dust.

Helmer tosses second no-hitter of season

Freshman pitcher’s gem propels College to win

By Chrissy Onorato Staff Writer

This week seemed to test the College’s softball team more than any other week so far this season. Going into the games this week, the team knew it was going to take their best effort to beat their opponents, and they were ready for the challenge.

Especially ready was freshman pitcher Ashtin Helmer, who notched her second no-hitter of the season.

Their first games of the week came against Rutgers University-Camden on Tuesday, April 9, in which the College was able to dominate both games. In the first, it was Helmer who propelled the team to victory with her second no-hitter of the season. It’s always been said that softball is all about the pitching, and when a team has a pitcher like Helmer, it really is.

Helmer took the mound and allowed only one baserunner to

Lions’ Lineup April 17, 2013

I n s i d e

reach second base while striking out four batters. This was her 12th straight victory so far this season. Her ERA is now a mind-blowing 0.96, unheard of on many teams.

While Helmer was taking charge of the mound, the team had her back with stellar offense to make the final score 8-0. The first runs were scored when senior right fielder Michelle Casale scored on a bunt from senior third baseman Kelly Hommen. Junior shortstop Kristen Lake was also able to send home freshman left fielder Christine Desiderio which doubled the score.

A three-run home run from junior designated hitter Nicole Brodbeck gave the Lions the rest of their runs, capping the game out at eight.

In the second game against Rutgers-Camden, the Scarlet Knights took the early lead, scoring two runs before the end of the first inning. However, once the Lions had their turn at the plate,

those two runs were not going to be left unanswered.

Senior center fielder Liz Huttner started it off by singling and then scoring on a single from Hommen. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the College really came alive and scored five runs.

Senior left fielder Ashley Sogluizzo brought home two runs with a double while Casale also doubled.

By the time the fifth inning rolled around, the Lions were still at it, scoring another three runs. Hommen brought home two more runs and finished the game with three RBI. Helmer, who had come into the game as relief, grabbed the 9-2 victory over Rutgers-Camden.

In the second set of games this week, the Lions battled hard, but unfortunately fell to Montclair State University on Saturday. While both games went into extra innings, the No. 1-ranked Montclair State came out on top.

In the first, the Lions and Red

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Helmer is dominant.

Hawks battled it out, going completely scoreless until the ninth inning. It was a pitcher’s duel from the start and neither team was relinquishing a run easily.

The Lions were the first ones to

score in the game when freshman catcher Jamie Purcell doubled and sent home junior outfielder Corinne Minicozzi.

In the bottom of the ninth however, the Red Hawks scored two runs on a home run, which won them the game. This was Helmer’s first loss of the season, but she was still extremely dominant on the mound, striking out seven.

In the second game, it was mostly the same story. Junior Alex Carisone was on the mound for the Lions. It was another pitcher’s duel up until the sixth inning when Purcell sent Minicozzi home again. The Red Hawks also scored this inning, and took the lead 2-1.

Despite the losses, the Lions are still playing strong and are in great shape for the last few games of the season. They take on Rowan University on Tuesday, April 16 at 3 and 5 p.m. and New Jersey City University this Saturday, April 20 at 1 and 3 p.m.

46 53 Around the Dorm page 25

Baseball wins big page 26

Tennis stays on top page 21

Lacrosse wins NJAC page 26