Breaking news, blogs and more at TCNJSignal.net. Vol. L, No. 12
April 24, 2019
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AJR ‘Burns House Down’ at Spring Concert By Len La Rocca Distribution Manager
AJR’s Lead singer Jack Met jumped onto the darkened stage in his iconic fur-lined trapper hat as he teased the opening track, “Come Hang Out,” by mixing up the instrumental on a beat machine. “I’ll be there next time,” Met sang as the stage bursted with energy. The purple lights engulfed the stage with smoke, the lead singer danced across the set and the three brothers began to play. When Met introduced the band, which includes him and his two brothers, his comedic energy was immediately apparent. “That’s Adam, I’m Jack, that’s Ryan over there in the glasses … What was that? That was like the most sarcastic wave ever,” Met joked. “You don’t even give a shit with that wave.” The College Union Board’s spring concert was thumping with energy for headliner and indie pop sensation AJR and R&B singer and rapper PnB Rock, who opened for the band. Their music tore down the Recreation Center with many unforgettable
Met performs both original songs and covers of outside tracks.
performances of their hit songs on April 16 at 8 p.m. While PnB Rock appealed to rap lovers, AJR has taken charge in the pop music scene with hits like “Weak,” “Sober Up” and the famous number, “Burn The
House Down,” which has generated more than 88 million streams on Spotify. After the band finally made its way onstage, the group performed its hit song, “I’m Not Famous.” The extravagant
Meagan McDowell / Staff Photographer
combination of AJR’s sweetsounding, high pitched and intoxicating vocal melodies along with percussion, electric piano and trumpet made for an impactful performance. The band took a moment
‘Arrive Alive’ tour promotes safe driving
Meagan McDowell / Staff Photographer
Delta Zeta co-sponsors the event following the car crash last semester.
By Julia Marnin Staff Writer
Whether they were Mario Kart fanatics or Grand Theft Auto experts, nothing could prepare the students at the College for The Arrive Alive Tour’s car simulator. On Thursday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., students stopped by Alumni Grove during their usual
commute to class to test out a car simulator, which allowed them to experience the dangers of driving under the influence or while texting. The simulator was the main attraction of The Arrive Alive Tour, which was an event hosted by the Alcohol and Drug Education Program and the NJ Division of Traffic Safety and co-sponsored by Delta Zeta sorority.
INDEX: Nation & World / page 7
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The event also raised awareness of distracted driving as part of Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Although this is the fifth time the nationwide Arrive Alive Tour has visited the College, ADEP Director Joe Hadge believes last semester’s car crash near campus has made this issue much more personal for students. “The importance of
Editorial / page 8
Strings Recital Student musicians perform in Mayo Concert Hall See A&E page 17
Opinions / page 9
drinking alcohol and not driving really hits home,” Hadge said. According to Heidi Martinez, Arrive Alive’s safe driving awareness instructor, drunk driving is the leading cause of car accidents for 18 to 22-year-olds. “It kills 10,000 people every year,” she said. Arrive Alive’s distracted driving simulator used a real car for students to sit inside, put on goggles that impaired their vision and choose between a simulation of driving drunk, high on marijuana or while texting. Drivers could then control the simulated car with the wheel, gas pedal and brakes while watching the screen to see where they were going. “The simulation is as accurate as we can make it and it’s a real car that we travel in,” Martinez said. According to Martinez,
during the set to interact with students and have some fun with each other. “What I wanna do is take a minute and point out people in the crowd that I’ve seen this far in the show,” Met said. “I had my eye on someone. It’s you in the glasses over there. I was noticing those glasses and they’re so bizarre looking. I think Ryan would look so good in those glasses. Pass those glasses up here.” The bright yellow glasses were soon passed up, and its look on the AJR brother made the crowd burst with laughter. This humor continued as the lead singer himself tried them on much to the audience’s amusement. The brothers kept up this high energy throughout the night. They performed songs from their album “The Click” as well as covers of outside tracks such as “All Star” by Smash Mouth and even the theme song to the popular sitcom, “The Office.” To close the show, the lead singer took the audience on a behind-the-scenes journey of how the brothers make their beats. After a combination of see MUSIC page 15
Leadership summit boosts female empowerment By Caleigh Carlson Staff Writer “Empowered women empower women” — this popular statement holds much truth in society, while also summarizing the purpose behind the College’s first annual Women’s Student Leadership Summit, held on April 17 in the Education Building Room 212. The event, led by TCNJ Women in Business President Elizabeth Kelly, featured guest speaker Casey De Stefano, a performance coach who joined the stage with a clear purpose of motivating the room. Written in its mission, The Women in Business club empowers fellow women and leads a supportive network at the College. It aims to prepare students by engaging in leadership strategies that enrich their professional and personal lives, focusing on the strength and grace it takes to be a powerful female in the workplace. As a mother and author of “Women with Balls in the Air,” Casey De Stefano works to help women achieve a successful work-life balance and had endless insight to offer on the subject. She also spoke of her 20-year experience in the television and film industry and how she managed to succeed in a male-dominated profession. The key to her success was building
see CAR page 12
see WOMEN page 3
Features / page 12 Arts & Entertainment / page 15
Empower Yoga Campus Town studio provides mental health support See Features page 12
Sports / page 20
Softball Lions end 13-game winning streak See Sports page 18