The Signal: Spring ‘17 No. 12

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Vol. XLVI, No. 12

April 19, 2017

Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885

Faculty fights expired contracts in solidarity

By Brielle Bryan Production Manager

Professors, librarians and professional staff members of the College parked themselves outside of Green Hall on Wednesday, April 12, wielding picket signs in order to send a potent message.

“What do we want?” asked John Krimmel, criminology department chair and president of the College’s chapter of the American Federation of Teachers.

“Contract,” the College’s faculty replied.

“When do we want it?”

“Now!” The College’s faculty members were protesting working under expired contracts for almost two years. However, they were not the only protesters that day, as Wednesday was a “Day of Action” for public universities across New Jersey, which held similar protests at the same time.

Most faculty members, including professors, adjuncts, librarians and professional staff, are members of AFT, a national union of teachers.

AFT membership is optional, and if an employee does not want to belong to the union, they still have to pay an agency fee that is 85

Meagan McDowell / Staff Photographer

Faculty have not had contracts for almost two years.

percent of the dues that members are required to pay, Krimmel said.

However, all employees still benefit from the union’s efforts in negotiating a contract.

Within that union exists the College Council, a state union

that represents all nine state public universities, excluding Rutgers, which negotiates separately with the state. Each state university has its own union that is a part of the College Council.

Dave Prensky, vice president of

the College’s chapter of AFT, said that in addition to the College, the College Council represents Rowan, Stockton, Kean, New Jersey City, William Paterson, Montclair State and Thomas Edison universities as well as Ramapo College.

Gubernatorial candidate hosts town hall

By Olivia Rizzo Staff Writer

Gubernatorial candidate John Wisniewski came to the College on Thursday, April 13, so students and members of the local community could have some of their questions about New Jersey’s future answered.

The Democratic candidate for the state’s highest office participated in an in-person town hall in room 212 of the Education Building, which was broadcasted online via Facebook Live.

Wisniewski believes strongly in the need for electoral reform and the overturn of Citizens United, which was a major talking point during last year’s

Kim Iannarone / Staff Photographer

Wisniewski wants single-payer health care for New Jersey.

INDEX: Nation & World / page 11 Editorial / page 13 Student Comedy Night Follow us at...

Laughs and gaffs at comedy show The Signal See A&E page 15 @tcnjsignal

presidential election primaries.

“We have to make sure we have a democratic process that allows ordinary people to have a voice because without that voice, issues that are important to all of us never have the opportunity to be heard,” Wisniewski said.

Wisniewski has been a member of the State Assembly serving District 19 for 21 years. In that time, he has served as the chair and deputy speaker of the Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee. If elected governor, Wisniewski will take on political and economic corruption in the state, as well as advocate for working- and middle-class families, according to his campaign site.

“We need to make sure that we are addressing one of the single biggest issues that face not just New Jersey, but the nation’s health care,” the candidate said, commenting on one of his main campaign points. “What I will do as governor and what I propose is that we create America’s first statewide singleplayer healthcare system.”

Wisniewski said by creating a

The College Council negotiates contracts with a New Jersey state government agency called the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations. Krimmel said negotiations have been taking place since July 2015.

The Office of Employee Relations did not wish to comment on the current state of negotiations with the College Council.

“It seems that every time our contract is up, there is a delay.

Since I’ve been here, I think this is the longest,” said Todd McCrary, a professional staff member for the Educational Opportunity Funds Program for 15 years who teaches a freshman seminar entitled “African American Gospel Music.”

Contract negotiations are supposed to happen every four years for AFT members, according to Susanna Monseau, a business law professor.

The Public Employment Relations Commission asked New Jersey’s State Supreme Court on March 13 to reverse an appellate court ruling that found that PERC overstepped its authority when it disregarded a four-decades-old doctrine that says step increases outlive the term of a contract, see CONTRACT page 7

Forum explores College’s role in Trenton community

By Heidi Cho News Assistant

There was no disrespect. No overlap. No arguing.

The only exception was when two people accidentally spoke over each other, and both apologized in turns in rapid succession.

The words were powerful and the people were opinionated, but every view and person was more than respected — everyone was heard.

In these self-regulated conditions, the Advisory Commission on Social Justice held an open forum on Thursday, April 13, in the Library Auditorium. Students were able to discuss the implications of naming the College’s admission building, Paul Loser Hall, after a segregationist.

The discussion quickly evolved to focus on the College’s image and role within the Trenton, N.J., community, with a few students agreeing the name change would be an empty gesture to the College’s neighbors.

The two forum moderators first displayed and handed out copies of the Trenton Times article from October 1943 and letter penned by a mother of students in the Trenton school system that made the College reconsider the name of Loser Hall.

Paul Loser was said to have “dragged his feet” in the court-approved lawful desegregation of two black students into a whites only school, according to Kevin

see HALL page 7

Arts & Entertainment / page 15

Opinions / page 19

see FORUM page 9 Features / page 23

Sports / page 32

Day to End Rape Culture Students learn to spot slut shaming and more

Men’s Tennis Dicheck gets 400th coaching victory

See Features page 23

See Sports page 32

page 2 The Signal April 19, 2017

April 19, 2017 The Signal page 3

Speaker explores human rights crisis unfolding in Syria

By Jennifer Goetz Staff Writer Amnesty International hosted a Syrian Refugee Crisis Lecture on Wednesday, April 12, in which three College professors presented different aspects of the Syrian refugee crisis. The audience learned about the origin of the Syrian civil war, the devastating health implications it has had on civilians and refugees, and why this human rights crisis needs to be addressed.

“This is the worst humanitarian disaster of our time (and) has caused untold suffering for Syrian men, women and children,” according to the United Nations.

As of March 2017, 5 million people have left Syria and there are 6.5 million Syrian citizens displaced, according to CNN. Political science Professor Miriam Lowi, public health Professor Carolina Borges and religious studies Professor David Rech discussed this and presented the complicated and challenging aspects of this crisis.

Lowi talked about the conflict in depth and explained why citizens are fleeing Syria after a civil war that broke out in 2011.

In Syria, south of Daraa, middle school children wrote graffiti on the walls on March 2011, agreeing that President Bashar alAssad’s regime needed to be stopped. The government response to this anti-regime act was extreme and violent, according to Lowi.

Peaceful demonstrators of multiple ethnicities protested between March and August 2011, Lowi said. Assad’s regime sought to divide the populations “by planting fear” in

Lowi unravels the situation in Syria.

different communities and making them suspicious of each other, according to Lowi.

This regime bought people off and released prisoners known for religious fanaticism to create chaos. The Free Syrian Army is a militia that wants to get rid of the regime and establish a democratic society, although this group struggled to find the support they needed from outside of the country.

Lowi also explained the difference between ISIS’s and the Syrian people’s goals: ISIS wants to unite all islamic countries into one while the Syrian citizens want the regime gone.

Another aspect of the Syrian refugee crisis is public health, according to Borges.

Men, women and children are suffering in

Jason Proleika / Photo Editor

the middle of war-ravaged areas, and most refugees don’t have access to the basic necessities that they need to stay healthy.

“There’s no guarantee refugees will get access to health services they need,” Borges said.

As of 2015, there are 73 refugees registered in New Jersey out of a total of 1,682 refugees that came to the United States, according to the Refugee Processing Center, which is run by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.

Based on refugees that have come into America, health professionals saw what diseases and public health issues with which this population is dealing.

The most prominent health conditions

afflicting Syrian refugees are anemia, diabetes, hypertension and mental illness, according to Borges. Refugees also face problems with primary health needs, immunizations, women’s health, mental health and communicable diseases like HIV, syphilis, tuberculosis and hepatitis B or C. Syrian citizens are more likely to develop diseases after living in harsh conditions and are often caught in the middle of traumatic situations that are not healthy for a person’s mental state.

Rech focused on viewing the refugee crisis as a human rights issue that could happen anywhere. He questioned terminology of the “Syrian Refugee Crisis” and particularly thought the word “crisis” was not fitting, stressing that people go through little events that can be considered crises everyday, while what is happening to Syrian citizens is murder and injustice.

“Amnesty International is an apolitical organization dedicated to promoting human rights and that means that we have to promote awareness when human rights are being violated,” said Usha Trivedi, the current president of the College’s chapter of Amnesty. “I am so glad with the success of this panel, and I hope TCNJ Amnesty continues to host school-wide awareness-themed events in the future.”

After the panel, the professors and members of Amnesty gave students the opportunity to write letters to refugees offering support.

“The last part of our event was a letter writing campaign, where we wrote letters to our local representatives to urge for the voices of the refugees,” Trivedi said. “This is because activism directly comes from awareness.”

Students brush their teeth with bottles of Jack

By Brielle Bryan Production Manager Kesha brings out the “Animal” in students At approximately 8:10 p.m. on April 7, an officer was requested on reports of an intoxicated underage female at the Student Recreation Center, where TCNJ EMS was stationed for the Spring Concert.

Upon arrival, the officer met with a female student who appeared intoxicated. The student had slurred speech, glassy eyes and could not stand up straight — all consistent signs of someone who is under the influence of alcohol, according to police reports.

The student also admitted that she drank an unknown amount of vodka prior to entering the concert, police said. TCNJ EMS assessed the student and decided that she did not need to be transported for further medical assistance. The student was issued a summons for underage consumption and was released without incident.

At approximately 8:20 p.m., an officer was at the recreation center when another underage intoxicated female student was brought in for medical treatment. The female student exhibited signs of intoxication through her slurred speech and glassy eyes. The student also admitted to drinking two or three shots of vodka prior to entering the concert, police said. TCNJ EMS assessed the student and decided she did not need to be transported for further medical attention. The female was issued a summons for underage consumption and was released without incident.

At 9 p.m., another female student was brought to the TCNJ EMS room by security during the Spring Concert. The female student had

trouble maintaining her balance, slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and was red in the face — all symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol, according to police reports.

TCNJ EMS evaluated the student and determined that she needed to be transported to the hospital for further treatment. The female student was issued a summons for underage drinking.

At approximately 9 p.m., another female student was brought into the TCNJ EMS room during the Spring Concert. The female was visibly intoxicated and would not cooperate with TCNJ EMS or Campus Police, according to police reports. The female student gave false information about her identity and kept saying that she wasn’t drunk. She was given a field sobriety test and she could barely walk, police said. The female student finally gave her name after several attempts to identify her.

Ewing Township EMS arrived at the scene to transport the female to the hospital. According to Campus Police, the female then became combative. She started yelling that she wasn’t going to the hospital and began waving her arms in an attempt to get off of the stretcher.

An officer quickly handcuffed the female for her safety, his safety and the safety of TCNJ EMS, police said. Ewing Township EMS transported the female to a hospital. Campus Police rode in the back of the ambulance with the female.

She was transported for medical assistance and the handcuffs were removed upon arrival at the hospital without incident. The female was issued a summons for underage drinking.

During the Spring Concert at approximately 9:40 p.m., a male was brought to the TCNJ EMS

room by security. The male showed signs of intoxication through his inability to maintain balance, slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and belligerence toward TCNJ EMS and Campus Police. TCNJ EMS evaluated the male and determined that he needed to be transported to the hospital for further treatment. The male was issued a summons for underage drinking.

Window shattered in Wolfe At approximately 11:20 p.m. on April 5, four Campus Police officers responded to Wolfe Hall in reference to an injured individual.

Upon arrival, Campus Police met with a resident in one of the elevator lobbies in Wolfe Hall who stated that he was the roommate of the injured student. The roommate pointed Campus Police to the room where they could find the injured student.

Upon entering the room, Campus Police observed a male student sitting in a chair with a white shirt wrapped around his left hand.

The student stated that he got into a verbal argument with his girlfriend over the phone and punched a window out of frustration, police said.

The damage incurred on the window was estimated to be $150, according to police reports.

When asked what happened between him and his girlfriend, the injured student said he asked his girlfriend to come over to his room to talk, but she said she could not because she was busy studying. Campus Police said the injured student stated he found out that his girlfriend wasn’t studying, but hanging out in her friend’s room instead.

At approximately 11:30 p.m., TCNJ EMS arrived at the scene and evaluated the injured student.

The student had lacerations on his left hand that appeared to require stitches, police said. The student stated that he did not want to be medically transported.

The injured student signed a waiver for medical assistance and was transported by his roommate to the hospital. The student was issued a summons for criminal mischief.

Golf cart taken from T-Dubs At 12:40 a.m. on April 8, a Campus Police officer was dispatched to I Street on a report of a stolen golf cart. Upon arrival, the officer met with a Sodexo employee who stated that between 7:30 p.m. and 12:40 a.m., a T-Dubs campus-issued golf cart was taken. The golf cart was last seen parked in the loading dock behind TDubs on I Street.

The Sodexo employee described the golf cart as a white two-seater with a damaged black storage bed, according to police reports.

The officer advised the Sodexo employee that he would contact her if Campus Police were to locate the golf cart. Campus Police searched the campus and surrounding neighborhoods with negative results.

TCNJ Dispatch notified the Ewing Police Department of the situation.

A symbol of harm or a good luck charm?

At approximately 8:55 p.m. on April 9, a Campus Police officer was dispatched to the courtyard outside of Mayo Hall. Upon arrival, Campus Police met with a student who said she was reading the comments from Accepted

Students Day on the billboard outside of the building when she noticed a questionable symbol written on it. The symbol, which appeared to be an inverted swastika, was written in blue ink, police said. It looked like someone tried to scribble over it with a red ink pen, but was unsuccessful.

After further investigation, it was determined that the symbol that appeared to be an inverted swastika is actually a symbol of good luck in certain Indian religions, police said. Campus Police contacted the night maintenance man so that he could respond to the scene, and the symbol was covered up without further incident.

Student might have inhaled more than marijuana At approximately 10:50 a.m. on April 11, two Campus Police officers were dispatched on a medical call to help a student with a possibly punctured lung. Upon arrival, the officers met with a male student who stated that he was having difficulty breathing. The male student stated that he had smoked marijuana out of a new glass bong in the morning and was worried that he may have inhaled glass, police said.

Ewing EMS arrived on the scene to transport the male student to the hospital. According to police reports, the male student stated that he possessed both marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his dorm room. Campus Police retrieved the marijuana and drug paraphernalia from the student’s room. Due to the New Jersey Lifeline Legislation, no summons was issued.

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

page 4 The Signal April 19, 2017

SFB gets in step with three dance-centric events April 19, 2017 The Signal page 5

By Olivia Rizzo Staff Writer

The Student Finance Board withheld funding for two events at its latest meeting, citing concerns over the high cost per student, while providing funding to three dance-centered events.

The Association of Students for Africa was denied additional funding for its Akwaaba Banquet. The additional funds would have covered the costs of an outside host and performers for the banquet. The board deemed that the additional funding would make the price per student for the event too high and would, therefore, be fiscally irresponsible.

According to the proposal packet, the Akwaaba Banquet “will foster the appreciation for diversity on this campus by exposing the TCNJ community and introduce the student body to a new culture.”

The Akwaaba Banquet will take place on Saturday, April 22, at 8 p.m. in the Decker Social Space.

A Taste of South America hosted by Medicine, Education and Development for Low Income Families Everywhere was tabled, as the board was concerned that the event violated its constitutional policy against funding charitable events. Additionally, the board was concerned about the price of food.

“Aside from immersing our attendees in a cultural experience, we want to address the public health issues in South Africa, as well. We believe that cultural and public health go hand in hand, and that people are unaware of the medical, education and development situation in other countries, particularly in South America,” the proposal packet read.

The Unified Greek Council did not

SFB denies funding to A Taste of South America. receive funding for its Stroll for a Cure event. The board denied funding for the event due to concerns over the high cost per student and the event’s similarity to TCNJam, which was held earlier this semester. The board also expressed concern that UGC did not seek funding for such a large event earlier in the semester.

“The purpose of Stroll For a Cure is to further the awareness to TCNJ’s community about HIV and to celebrate the amount that has been raised for the AIDS United organization throughout the month of April,” the proposal packet read.

The Inter-Greek Council was funded $6,672.50 for its AirBand event, which will

Jason Proleika / Photo Editor

take place on April 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the Packer Hall South Gym. “The purpose of AirBand is to showcase the creative talent and cooperative spirit of TCNJ’s Fraternity and Sorority community as the closing event of Greek Week. Airband is an open event, to which all TCNJ students are welcomed and encouraged to attend and enjoy the entertainment provided by the Greek Week teams,” the proposal packet read.

Funding will cover the costs of sound setup, stage assembly, lighting, private security and Campus Police.

The Asian American Association was funded $54.06 for Mystique of the East 2017, which will take place on Sunday, April 23, at 6 p.m. in the Kendall Hall’s Main Stage.

“Mystique will feature performances that have origins rooted in various Asian countries, such as China, Japan, India, the Philippines and Korea,” the proposal packet read.

Funding will cover the costs of bamboo poles and dance ribbons.

Swing Dance Club was funded $1,094.84 for Once Upon A Rock Step, an on-campus swing dance event. The dance will be held on April 28 in room 100 of the Brower Student Center at 7:30 p.m.

“Our event is intended to involve TCNJ students in the fun and exciting activity of swing dancing, while also providing a fun and inviting atmosphere for non-dancers,” the proposal packet read.

Funding will cover the cost of a live band, decorations, food and sound technicians. The board tabled the organization’s funding request for a dance floor rental due to its high cost.

SFB was funded $1,139 for its Summer Training Retreat on Tuesday, April 25.

“This year we want to hold a training event with our current e-board and new e-board, and if space permits optional gboard members. We felt like in the past there has not been sufficient training for our new board. In order to ensure a smooth beginning of the semester next year, we hope to bring all parties together for an intensive training session,” the proposal packet read.

Funding will cover the costs of a housing rental, pizza, breakfast and snacks.

Lecturer shines light on America’s ingrained white narrative

By Scott Somerville Correspondent In Robin DiAngelo, an author and professor of racial and social justice, came to Mayo Concert Hall on Tuesday, April 11, to suggest a new way of looking at racism.

Her goal was to expose people to the unconscious power of the “white narrative” in America, so the audience could be more racially sensitive.

Her goal for the audience was for them to realize that despite being educated, they have never really learned about racism.

“You can get through graduate or law school without ever discussing racism in class,” DiAngelo said to a nearly full auditorium of students and faculty, the vast majority of whom were white.

In today’s America, racism is still prominent and getting worse, according to DiAngelo. Communities are segregated not because of laws, but because people do it themselves: They regularly come up with reasons to move to homogenous neighborhoods that are filled with people of the same race as them. DiAngelo believes that people lie to themselves by saying that they move because of better schools.

“How can we teach race doesn’t matter in (the midst of) segregation?” she said.

DiAngelo said while all white people seem to have an opinion on racism, all those opinions are uniformed. The audience was asked to remember the first time they had a teacher who was the same race as them. Many of the white students in the audience had such an experience when they were very young.

DiAngelo emphasized that this is important because teachers are role models for students. For people who are not white, this experience happens much later in life, if at all, driving diversity within the teaching profession down. This exacerbates the problem further, according to DiAngelo.

DiAngelo emphasized the idea that Americans are constantly subject to a white narrative that is not recognized because it is always present. She brought this concept to life for the audience through a PowerPoint presentation of familiar cultural examples.

In the darkened auditorium, DiAngelo showed ads and images that portrayed a white ideal, which has a powerful

subliminal effect on people and their way of thinking, she said. Images of the final five contestants at the Miss Teen USA beauty pageant, all white, alongside white images of God, Jesus and the Virgin Mary were used to buttress the point.

Another example of the white narrative was made by showing Facebook’s picture for 2015’s Women’s Equality Day, which portrayed nine women, seven of whom were not white, celebrating women’s right to vote.

DiAngelo pointed out that while women won the right to vote in 1920 through the 19th Amendment, black women in the South were disenfranchised by poll taxes, literacy tests, harassment and other obstacles. These problems were addressed in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 45 years after the 19th Amendment was passed.

The Facebook picture perpetuates an inaccurate rendering of how history was experienced by non-white persons and keeps social media users in the dark about racism.

The movie “The Blind Side” was used as an example

of a poor black male who is saved and mentored by a plucky, wealthy white woman. DiAngelo commented on the stereotype of the white savior, which, in this film, is portrayed through a white suburban woman teaching a black high school senior how to play football at the highest level.

DiAngelo wanted the audience to realize that today’s society still has a white ideal and that people are still not being educated on the issues of racism. She said in many parts of the U.S., a white person could go their entire life without ever having a meaningful relationship with a black person. DiAngelo’s intention is to challenge and change this process.

The lecture ended with a question regarding combating racism.

“What about your life has allowed you to not know what to do about racism?” DiAngelo asked.

Her belief is that when people answer this question honestly, they will know what to do to stop racism.

DiAngelo asks her audience to question the white ideal.

Kim Iannarone / Staff Photographer

page 6 The Signal April 19, 2017

April 19, 2017 The Signal page 7

Contract / AFT members march for fair working conditions continued from page 1

according to an NJ.com article.

Step increases are raises in pay that workers receive every year to help adjust for inflation.

The provisions of the old contract state that step increases for public workers should carry on even if the contract is expired, however, this hasn’t been the case recently for New Jersey public workers.

James Beyers, the elementary and early childhood education department chair and mathematics education professor, said step increases have been frozen since 2009 when Gov. Chris Christie took office.

“I should have had about six increases in the last nine years, and I’ve had only one,” Beyers said.

Charles Wowkanech, president of New Jersey’s American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, was a guest speaker at the College’s protest.

“Taxes are going up. Utilities are going up. Auto insurance is the highest in the nation,” Wowkanech said. “Everything you look at — food, gas — is going up. You’re paying more for your health care. How do they expect you to afford this?”

The professors and staff members of the College agreed that they have seen their pay stay stagnant while not adjusting for inflation over the past few years.

“Just the beginning of this year, my biweekly paycheck went down $150,” Monseau said. “It’s a lot. That’s $300 a month.”

Beyers calculated how much money he is being cheated of using a few mathematical models.

“My pay is about 15 percent lower than

Meagan McDowell / Staff Photographer

Professors brandish picket signs outside of Green Hall.

what it should be,” Beyers said. “Over the course of my career — over the next 25 years — that equates to me making about $200,000 less.”

The biggest complaint among the College’s public workers was that health insurance has gone up.

“On average, it costs us about $8,000 or $9,000 more a year for health insurance,” Beyers said.

Beyers added that on top of not being compensated the right amount, public workers are being asked to volunteer more over the summer when their contract is only for 10 months out of the year.

“We understand that we’re appreciated here, but part of the appreciation is how you are treated as an employee,” Beyers said.

College President R. Barbara Gitenstein believes not reaching an agreement is hurting the College.

Hall / Wisniewski talks NJ’s future

continued from page 1

single-payer healthcare system in New Jersey, state residents won’t have to worry about what is happening with the Affordable Care Act in the nation’s capital.

The Democratic candidate also spoke on his plans to provide tuition-free college for students coming from households with an annual income of $125,000 or less. This will be a step in solving the state’s current student debt crisis, according to Wisniewski.

Wisniewski also elaborated on his stance on environmental policies.

“The legacy of environmental contamination in New Jersey is rich, and we still have a lot of work to be done,” Wisniewski said.

“Whether it is Superfund sites that need to be cleaned up or just standing up to the people who know that the rules aren’t being enforced try to bend the rules.”

In the question and answer portion of the town hall, a College student asked Wisniewski about his stance on legalizing marijuana. The

candidate replied that he plans to legalize and decriminalize marijuana.

“The so-called war on drugs that we have been fighting for however many years have resulted in thousands of people in the state having criminal records from use and possession,” Wisniewski said. “They then can’t get jobs, they can’t get student loans, it creates an entire world of problems.”

Wisniewski said that by legalizing and decriminalizing marijuana, state police resources will be better utilized. Those currently serving a sentence for possession or use will be given a pardon and their records wiped clean, so they have a better chance of finding employment or receiving student loans.

“TCNJ’s not an apolitical setting. Students are willing to come out to events like these,” said Jontan Moukh, a junior economics major and president of TCNJ Democrats, which hosted the event. “I think (Wisniewski) had a very progressive and optimistic view of what he’ll be able to accomplish if elected.”

TCNJ Democrats host Wisniewski.

Kim Iannarone / Staff Photographer

“There is no doubt that the failure to come to agreement is having a very negative impact on morale for employees,” Gitenstein said.

Gary Fienberg, a music professor who has been teaching at the College for 16 years, said he did not think the faculty’s morale was a crisis, but could see how it could easily begin to unravel.

“As you begin to see things break apart, people begin to question, ‘Why should I do this?’” Fienberg said. “Why should I answer emails at 9:30 p.m. at night? Why should I be at a meeting with a student on a Sunday afternoon? Why should I do some of these recruitment events on Saturday afternoons?”

Professors at the College were initially planning to protest Accepted Students Day on April 1 by not showing up for the event.

However, Krimmel called off the protest because he knew how much that would hurt

the incoming freshmen.

Art Hohmuth, a psychology professor who has been teaching at the College for almost 50 years, said he was primarily concerned about hurting the students.

“Sometimes when you get into labor disputes, faculty will start doing what’s called, ‘working to the contract,’” Hohmuth said. “This means you meet your classes, but you don’t do things like write letters of recommendation.”

Hohmuth said the faculty realized that working to the contract would be very hurtful to the students, and that they’ve carefully chosen not to do that, but this doesn’t mean that faculty at other colleges aren’t doing that.

The faculty agreed that while they love teaching their students and working at the College, they all have bills they need to pay and find it unfair how the administrators have been compensated fairly.

“The president of this university has a contract and her staff gets a raise,” Wowkanech said to the crowd. “Why shouldn’t you?”

Hohmuth agreed that it’s frustrating to watch administrators get raises while the faculty haven’t seen any.

“It rubs salt into the wound a little bit,” Hohmuth said.

Gitenstein has control over her staff’s wages, but not over the raises of faculty at the College since members of a union have to negotiate explicitly with the state.

“Rather than this structure where statewide councils negotiate for all members of a unit from every campus, I would welcome local negotiations,” Gitenstein said. “My rationale is simple. The state college campuses are see MARCH page 9

SG convenes in Trenton’s statehouse

SG held its weekly meeting underneath the golden dome of the state house.

By Olivia Rizzo Staff Writer Student Government held its weekly meeting on Wednesday, April 12, which took place at the New Jersey State House in Trenton, N.J., rather than on campus like usual.

SG approved the Student Finance Board budget for the 2017-18 year, titled “FY2018.”

The most important change to the budget is the increase in the staffing budget because of changes proposed by Amy Hecht, the vice president of Student Affairs.

The budget will now expand to include a director of Diversity and Inclusion, so it will increase from $60,000 to $158,000. This affects the funds that can be allocated to various student organizations.

Some aspects of the budget, such as funds allocated for club sports, stayed the same, but some budgets were cut down, such as the budget for the Loop

Bus, which is decreasing from $30,000 to $20,000, as efforts will be made to make the loop bus run more efficiently, such as cutting down on rides.

The student employee wages will be decreasing overall and any student making more than $4,000 will receive an 8 percent wage decrease.

“We currently pay $120,000 towards student employee wages, so that includes the wages for (College Union Board), SFB as well as SG. Our wages for the next year are going to be reduced slightly,” said Ziyi Wang, SFB’s operations director and a junior finance major.

The budget for club equipment, such as whiteboards, will decrease and SFB will focus on clubs that already have equipment, but is no longer functioning properly rather than buying completely new equipment that does not need replacing.

“We support organizations who want to purchase new equipment,

AP Photo

so for example, this year, SG got a new whiteboard, Student Finance Board upgraded the equipment that our program director rents out. … We’re decreasing the amount (of money) that student organizations can request for equipment,” Wang said.

SFB also currently contributes about $800 per issue used toward printing The Signal, but plans to reduce that amount to around $400 per issue. SFB will also be cutting $2,000 from the funds allocated to intramural sports.

“The result of this cut (is that) individual students will have to pay more in order to play sports like bowling and golf,” Wang said.

SG and CUB are the groups that cost SFB the most money, so SFB has decided the groups will be given their base budget for next year in advance. This will help SG and SFB plan their events more efficiently and help reduce costs, according to Wang.

page 8 The Signal April 19, 2017

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April 19, 2017 The Signal page 9

Forum / Students question College’s systematic discrimination continued from page 1

Moncayo, one of this forum’s moderators and a senior psychology and history double major.

The history behind the naming was further clarified by John P. Donohue, the vice president of College Advancement. Tom Loser donated $1 million to the College and wanted no recompense, according to Donohue. At the College’s insistence, Tom basically said if you have to name something after me, name it after my father, Paul, who was an educator, specifically a superintendent.

“There was no economic incentive to not change or change the name of Loser Hall,” Donohue said.

The decision, if not about money, “should be a no-brainer,” according to Andrew Holt, a sophomore mechanical engineering major who experienced Trenton’s education system first-hand.

Mark Scott, a sophomore open options major who was a student in Trenton’s public school system, also questioned the value in a name change.

“Where does changing the name help my community?’ Scott asked.

The focus should be on what else the College can do for its local communities, according to Hold.

“This is like one smidgen of a very huge, bigger problem,” Holt said.

This debate deals with what role the College plays in Trenton and the implications of that role or if it even impacts the citizens of Trenton at all.

Each student has to participate in eight hours of service in firstyear community engaged learning, or CEL, days.

Holt shared what influence CEL days had on Trenton’s public school system. He lives 12 to 15 minutes away from the College.

“I didn’t really see much of a presence at all from TCNJ, and as everyone stated, the presence I did see was like the forced like ‘Ugh, I have to be here.’ Like I knew that these kids were here because they had to be here,” Holt said.

“This was the closest college,

Sydney Shaw / Former Editor-in-Chief

Controversy over Loser Hall’s namesake is the catalyst behind the forum.

but it was yet the furthest college away from me,” Holt added.

Holt said he felt many other students from Trenton shared that same sentiment.

Victoria Guerra, a sophomore nursing major and a Bonner scholar, agrees there is a sense of frustration and forced resentment around CEL days.

“It is very frustrating to do service that provides an apolitical means to try to solve, not even solve, but try to contribute effectively to conditions that have been very much politically produced,” Guerra said.

Guerra also asked how the College will avoid gentrification and a savior complex while helping the community.

Chris Loos, a sophomore history major in the audience, felt that the College has already taken actions that connote a patronizing nature symptomatic of a savior complex.

“Community service… almost has the sort of sense of a top-down approach, where we, the people from TCNJ, nobly come into Trenton and solve all the problems,” Loos said.

“Instead of describing reform, (there should be) focus on cooperation with the community of Trenton, fostering growth from the ground up, working with them, taking care

not to gentrify,” he added.

Similarly, the TCNJ Clinic is another tie to the Ewing, N.J., and Trenton communities.

“The affordability and quality mental health services that the TCNJ Clinic offers is invaluable to the Ewing, Trenton and nearby communities,” Moncayo said.

The TCNJ Clinic is scheduled to close at the end of the 2016-17 academic year.

These ties between the College and the Trenton community are underwhelming at best, according to Tim Osborn, a senior physics major. He questioned what progress can be made on a shaky foundation where the TCNJ Clinic is closing and CEL days are surrounded by an atmosphere of force.

“If you can’t hold steady ground, how can you start to improve?” Osborn asked.

Throughout the discussion, questions like these probed the deeper issues plaguing the conflict between the role the College perceives itself to have and what it really does in Trenton.

The majority of the intense hour and 30 minutes delved into what Christopher Fisher, an associate professor of history and member of the TCNJ Committee on Social Justice, called “an existential question.”

“We don’t know who we are as

an institution,” Fisher said. This stems from the College not knowing itself well enough to know how to engage with Trenton, according to Fisher.

“This is about our identity, answering these questions and bridging these connections with Trenton,” Fisher said.

The way the College markets itself only further convolutes and contradicts the liberal learning environment it claims to have.

“The College needs to drastically change the way it markets itself,” Osborn said.

“It is marketed as a school for upper middle-class white people, by middle-class white people, with a sole purpose to upper middleclass white people. And I think when you have that mindset, when your student body looks like that and your study body thinks like that, and that’s all they care about, you are naturally going to create a populace that doesn’t think these issues are important,” Osborn added.

Sarah Bennett, one of the forum’s moderators and a sophomore elementary education and English double major, believes she was tricked by the College’s marketing.

“I was thinking of TCNJ kind of using their minority students in flyers, students and videos, and you get on campus thinking like ‘Where’s that

girl from the video?’” Bennett said.

Fisher perceives a similar lack of diversity among faculty.

“Look for the number of African American men on campus. I wanna bet maybe five,” Fisher said.

“And of those five, I’m probably the second oldest here. Now that’s a problem.”

While Fisher talked about the lack of racial diversity among professors and faculty, students like Scott and Guerra see a reversed version of the same problem in the on-campus staff.

“When all the Eick managers gather together, and they have a meeting, there is not one black face in that crowd. There’s about four to five people and they are all white,” Scott said.

Guerra ran into an old friend from the Trenton school system while in line at Quimby’s, except her friend was on the other side serving food.

“Being from Trenton, it is incredibly confusing to be served by someone I’ve been to high school with and understand that they do not have the investment and the resources available for them to actually go to college,” Guerra said.

The core issue is the same.

These students perceive a lack of diversity that does not naturally lend itself to fostering the discussions that either of these students were hoping for.

“The College needs to market itself as a place for these conversations,” Osborn said.

Fisher agrees that discussions like these are what differentiates “a college from a trade school or a technical school.”

“They train you basically to work at a job. We train you to be leaders and to be citizens. That requires more from you than just knowing your major,” Fisher said.

This forum made students, faculty and staff reevaluate itself and its place in Trenton’s community, and it asked students to know what they paid for and why they chose to come here.

“It’s a conversation I don’t think we have in TCNJ. Why the hell are you here?” Fisher said.

March / Impassioned speeches fuel faculty protest

continued from page 7

very different, both in institutional needs and culture and in the relationship between employees and administrators.”

Some members of the national AFT disagree with this point of view.

“I know that the president of Rowan University is thinking about or keeps insisting that what he wants to do is bargain with us as individual schools and divide and conquer and break it up and say, ‘Oh, if you just come to me, I’ll happily give you everything you want. Divorce yourselves from the rest of these people,’” said Andrew Dixon, an English adjunct professor at Rowan who spoke at the College’s protest. “Should we take that deal?

Would we do better if we all bargain individually? No.” Krimmel’s speech during the protest went into detail about the differences between being inside and outside of a union in the field of education.

“About a third of the faculty in this country that have union contracts have provisions for academic freedom, and

we’re one of them. But, the fact is that we’re losing ground,” Krimmel said.

“This shift is occurring in institutions across this country and they are losing their light for academic freedom.”

Wowkanech agreed with Krimmel, adding that the strategy of most state agencies is beating unions down to the point where they start to fracture and separate, relinquishing any hope for a good deal by agreeing to take a bad one.

The AFT members of these state public universities are not the only ones working under expired contracts.

About 30,000 employees in one of the largest communications and media labor unions, called Communication Workers of America, are working under expired contracts, Wowkanech said. New Jersey State Police have also been working under an expired contract for about four years.

Campus Police have been working under an expired contract, with no provisions for a discount for their kids to attend the College.

“We’re all workers — no matter if you’re working at a college university, if

you’re staff, if you’re a nurse, if you’re a construction worker, a state worker — we’re all workers,” Wowkanech said.

“So, stand tall, stand with the leadership of your union and fight for what you deserve: a fair contract.”

Wowkanech rallies faculty with his speech.

Meagan McDowell / Staff Photographer

page 10 The Signal April 19, 2017

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April 19, 2017 The Signal page 11

Nation & W rld

Syrian chemical weapons prompt US airstrike

Twitter

The chemical weapon can cause suffocation.

By Zachary Sobol Correspondent

Bashar al-Assad, the dictator of Syria, used a chemical poison on April 4 to kill at least 69 individuals, including women and children, in the rebel-based town of Khan Sheikhoun, The New York Times reported.

In a response to this attack, the U.S. launched 59

Tomahawk cruise missiles at Al Shayrat Airfield, where the Syrian planes took off to deliver the chemical attack, CNN reported.

“The patients are in the corridors and on the floors of the operation rooms, the E.R.s and in the patient rooms. I saw more than 10 deaths due to this attack,” said Mohamad Firas al-Judi, the opposition’s minister of health, in response to the chemical attack, according to The New York Times.

“The symptoms of this chemical attack included suffocation, fluid in the lungs, foam pouring out from the mouth, unconsciousness, spasm and paralysis,” al-Judi said.

A 14-year-old resident of Khan Sheikhoun, Mariam Abu Khalil, left her home in the early morning to study the Quran when she saw an aircraft drop a bomb on a building, according to The New York Times.

In an interview with The New York Times, Khalil said the explosion looked like a yellow mushroom cloud and that “it was like a winter fog.”

President Donald Trump proclaimed his dismay for the chemical attack and responded with a U.S. airstrike on the chemical attack’s launch site.

“I will tell you it’s already happening that my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much. When you kill innocent children — innocent babies — babies — little babies with a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was, that crosses many,

many lines,” Trump said, according to CNN. Six people were killed in the air strike at 3:40 a.m. local time on April 6, CNN reported.

“Tonight I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched. It is in this vital national security of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons,” Trump said in a statement once the missile strike was ordered, according to CNN. The strike targeted aircraft shelters, air defense systems, ammunition bunkers and petroleum storage units, CNN reported.

Russia deemed the attack an “act of aggression,” and Bashar Al-Assad deemed it to be “a disgraceful act (that) can only be described as short-sighted,” according to CNN. The same source reported that missiles were fired from two U.S. warships, the USS Ross and the USS Porter.

“Initial indications are that this strike has severely damaged or destroyed Syrian aircraft, and support infrastructure and equipment at Shayrat Airfield, reducing the Syrian government’s ability to deliver chemical weapons,” Captain Jeff Davis, the Pentagon spokesperson, said.

The Tomahawk missile has been used since the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and usually contains a thousand-pound warhead. The Tomahawk missile does not need a pilot and can be launched from Navy destroyer ships from up to a thousand miles away, according to The Washington Post.

Sweden faces its ‘worst peacetime attack’ in Stockholm

By Alexis Bell Staff Writer

A hijacked beer delivery truck in Stockholm plowed into pedestrians and an upscale department store on April 7, killing four and injuring 15, Bloomberg reported.

This was Sweden’s “worst peacetime attack,” the same source reported.

The attack occurred on Drottninggatan, or Queen Street, a popular destination lined with shops in a pedestrian-only section of the street, according to NPR. In a news conference on April 9, officials identified the suspect as 39-year-old Uzbek national Rakhmat Akilov, who had applied for residency in 2014, but was denied and ordered to leave Sweden, NPR reported.

“We know that he has shown sympathy for extremist organizations like (the Islamic State),” said Jonas Hysing, chief of national police operations, according to NPR. A hearing occurred at the Swedish capital on April 11. Akilov’s lawyer, Johan Eriksson, said Akilov did not speak in court

and will remain in custody pending a trial, CNN reported.

The suspect “confesses to the terror crime, and he agrees with the detention order,” said Eriksson, according to CNN. According to the same source, Court President Malou Lindbolm said Akilov must be formally charged by May 11.

“We will not bow down to terrorism.

Sweden will be an open and safe country,” said Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, according to Bloomberg.

The victims of the attack were honored in a moment of silence and a makeshift candle memorial on April 10, The New York Times reported.

“Our unity will always be stronger than the forces that seek to tear us apart.

Our way of life will never be suppressed.

Our democracy will triumph over freedom,” Lofven said, according to The New York Times.

Stockholm is the most recent of several European cities that have been targeted in similar attacks. A terrorist in London

Stockholm is not the only European city to face similar attacks. drove a car into pedestrians last month, while trucks plowing through crowds killed many last year in Berlin and Nice, France, Bloomberg reported.

Lofven recognizes the demonstration of the strength of Sweden and its people in the midst of the attack’s aftermath.

Twitter

“In these 24 hours, Sweden has shown itself from its best side. Helping each other, supporting each other, opening their homes to others. And that shows the strength of our country. No one can ever take that strength away from us,” Lofven said, according to Bloomberg.

ISIS Palm Sunday bombing leaves 49 dead, 78 injured Al Jazeera reported.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to CNN. Since Christians are a minority group in Egypt, which is predominantly Muslim, the Coptic community is vulnerable, according to The New York Times.

The Coptic Orthodox Church split from other Christian denominations in 451 A.D., but Coptic Christians believe in the Ten Commandments and practice sacraments. Many Coptic Christians believe that they are descendants of the ancient Egyptians, according to ABC. Approximately half of all AP Photo Christians in the Middle East are Metal detectors did not stop the suicide bombers. members of the Coptic faith, acBy Anandita Mehta 78 injured on April 9, The New cording to The Atlantic.

Staff Writer York Times reported.

The Coptic community, repThe attacks, which occurred resenting about 10 percent of the During a terrorist attack on in the cities of Tanta and Al- Egyptian population, has been two Coptic churches in south- exandria, were committed by targeted by violent groups in the ern Egypt, 49 were killed and bombers wearing suicide vests, past, Al Jazeera reported.

Samer Shehata, an associate professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera that the attacks show poor security efforts in the country despite past violence against churches.

There were metal detectors at the entrances to the churches, but the suicide bombers pushed past them, according to The New York Times.

Egyptian President Abdel Fatteh el-Sisi declared a state of emergency in the wake of the blasts, as well as three days of nationwide mourning for the victims, according to CNN. The same source reported that ISIS threatened to attack again in the future, with these attacks strategically planned to coincide with the start of the Christian holy week.

The Coptic Christian community has been shaken by the attacks and did not celebrate Easter

this week as a sign of respect for the victims and their families, The Independent reported.

According to the same source, Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Egypt later this month.

The grief surrounding the attacks has taken a hold even in Coptic churches in America, as members of the faith mourn the deaths of their fellow worshippers, The Atlantic reported.

Just before the attacks, el-Sisi visited the U.S. and spoke with President Donald Trump about their mutual agreement to fight terrorism in Egypt, CNN reported.

The same source reported that in the wake of the attacks, the U.S. stood by Egypt, pledging to defeat terrorism.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres “condemned the attacks and offered his sympathies to the victims and to the country,” according to CNN.

page 12 The Signal April 19, 2017

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April 19, 2017 The Signal page 13

Editorial

Are unpaid internships worth the hassle?

Prior to the start of my unpaid internship, I admit that I was a bit pessimistic.

Each time I have to dig into my savings to go food shopping or fill up my gas tank, my heart breaks a little. But, I have found that my unpaid internship has been much more rewarding than I could have ever expected.

Statistically, most internships turn into something more, but beside the obvious fact that an internship of any sort may lead to future fulltime employment or that it looks great on a résumé, I’ve found there is a benefit specific to unpaid internships — less pressure.

I don’t mean to say that just because you’re not getting paid means you can slack off, but I do mean that not being paid relieves some of the anxieties that may come with a paid internship or an entry-level job.

I felt much more comfortable asking to try out different jobs because I was working for free. I’m not wasting the company’s money if I take my time on an assignment or try something new that I’m not great at. In reality, anything I did was helpful to my employer because all effort on my part was ultimately saving the valuable time of my higher ups.

Based on interviews that I have done for both paid and unpaid internships, I have noticed that unpaid internships tend to have less rigid job descriptions. This is why I think that unpaid internships open you up to more opportunities. An unpaid intern has more flexibility because, let’s face it, you’re not being paid.

How I see it is that paid internships come with more responsibility while unpaid internships are more focused on the education of the intern. Of course, unpaid internships come with responsibilities, but there is also a different sense of freedom. Most employers understand that because they aren’t paying you, they should let you explore your options in order for you to get the most out of your experience.

I also found that there’s a different sense of satisfaction that comes from loving an unpaid internship. I didn’t love going into the office twice a week because I was desperate for a paycheck, but because I genuinely liked being there. I think an unpaid internship is a great way to unbiasedly test the waters of your future career. If you love working for free, just imagine how much you’ll love working for a salary.

Of course, if you have a shot at a paid internship, go for it. I am all for being paid for your work, but students shouldn’t diss working for free because it can be equally, if not more, rewarding. Let’s face it, paid internships are hard to come by, so keep an open mind.

— Alyssa Gautieri Features Editor

Editorial Content Unsigned editorial opinions are those of the Editorial Board, which consists of the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing, News, Features, Arts & Entertainment, Opinions, Photo, Sports, Review and Social Media editors and the Business and Production managers, 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.

Students should seek internships that involve more than just coffee runs.

AP Photo

Quotes of the week tcnjsignal.net Email: signal@tcnj.edu Telephone: Production Room (609) 771-2424 Business Office (609) 771-2499 Ad Email: signalad@tcnj.edu

Editorial Staff Chelsea LoCascio Editor-in-Chief locascc1@tcnj.edu Connor Smith Managing Editor smithc57@tcnj.edu George Tatoris News Editor tatorig1@tcnj.edu Miguel Gonzalez Sports Editor gonzam23@tcnj.edu Alyssa Gautieri Features Editor gautiea3@tcnj.edu Thomas Infante Arts & Entertainment Editor infantt1@tcnj.edu Mia Ingui Opinions Editor inguim1@tcnj.edu Michelle Lampariello Nation & World Editor lamparm2@tcnj.edu Elizabeth Zakaim Reviews Editor zakaime1@tcnj.edu

Mailing Address: The Signal c/o Forcina Hall The College of New Jersey P.O. Box 7718 Ewing, NJ 08628-0718 Brielle Bryan Production Manager bryanb2@tcnj.edu Kyle Elphick Web Editor elphick1@tcnj.edu Ashton Leber Social Media Editor lebera1@tcnj.edu Jason Proleika Photo Editor proleij1@tcnj.edu Maximillian C. Burgos Sports Assistant maxburgos66@gmail.com Heidi Cho News Assistant choh2@tcnj.edu

Emilie Lounsberry Adviser lounsber@tcnj.edu Thomas Munnia Business/Ad Manager tmunnia@gmail.com

“My pay is about 15 percent lower than what it should be.

Over the course of my career — over the next 25 years — that equates to me making about $200,000 less.”

— James Beyers, elementary and early childhood education department chair and mathematics education professor

“I didn’t really see much of a presence at all from TCNJ, and as everyone stated, the presence I did see was like the forced like ‘Ugh, I have to be here.’”

— Andrew Holt, sophomore mechanical engineering major

page 14 The Signal April 19, 2017

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WANT TO RUN FOR A POSITION ON THE COLLEGE’S AWARD-WINNING NEWSPAPER? Email a letter of intent to signal@tcnj.edu by 5 p.m. on April 21 In your letter, include the position for which you are running, back-up positions and why you are qualified for each position.

Elections are on April 23 in room 204 in Forcina Hall.

• Elections for Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, News Editor, Sports Editor, Features Editor and Arts & Entertainment Editor are at 1 p.m.

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April 19, 2017 The Signal page 15

Arts & Entertainment

Student comedy troupes amuse audience

By Elizabeth Zakaim Reviews Editor

A frustrated scream echoed throughout Traditions –– a scream belonging to one of the members of a student comedy group, Kiss on the Lips. They were in the middle of a sketch about a game show contestant with 30 seconds to call a friend for some help with an answer that could win him a million dollars.

But the contestant made the fatal mistake of calling his mother, who apparently hadn’t spoken to her son in awhile.

“Mom, no mom, listen,” the contestant cried as he tried to ask for her help with the question. His mother, a prerecorded voice coming from the speakers offstage, relentlessly interrupted her son with small talk and gossip, despite her son’s attempts to speak.

“You never call!” she said, stifling her son’s protests from the other end of the line.

Unfortunately, the contestant’s 30 seconds were up. He did not win the million dollar prize.

On the night of Friday, April 14, different comedy groups showed off their talent and wit at CUB Alt’s Student Comedy Night in Traditions. At least once a semester, CUB Alt likes to shift the focus of their shows away from music and dip their toes into the world of comedy, according to Dana Gorab, CUB Alt co-chair and a communication studies major.

Different performers treated the audience to a variety of performances. The audience enjoyed improv, comedy raps, stand up and other eccentric bits.

Comprising senior marketing major Garrett Verdone, Alex Guaglianone (’15) and Jonathan Van Halem (’16), Kiss on the Lips filled the stage with various bits, including “Roll Call,” where the group acted as counselors taking attendance for their bunk in camp. An innocent rhythmic head count of the imaginary Bunk Six turned into a deep confession about the inner sinister secrets of the camp.

The counselors shouted “Roll call” as they clapped their hands in time to the beat.

They then divulged to the campers that their camp is the grounds of an unsolved murder, that they’re most likely under government surveillance and that “oh, by the way” archery is at 3 p.m.

The group transformed from camp counselors into bar mitzvah partiers dancing to “The Cupid Shuffle.” The song blasted from the speakers, and they danced happily until the song got stuck and started mindlessly repeating “to the right, to the right.”

The poor dancers robotically followed the song’s demands, only growing more frantic as each step brought them closer to the wall they soon smashed into uncontrollably. The audience chuckled when the dancers begged for someone to stop the music as they teetered, as if on the edge of a ship, near the side of the stage trying fruitlessly to stop dancing to a dance song gone horribly wrong.

Over the years, the group has since developed a knack for sensing what makes people laugh.

“The formula for silly: keep it short, fun and don’t let them get bored,” they said.

Their sketches are inspired by “middle school humor” and its endless slew of embarrassing moments. The group also follows other “underground” sketch groups from New York, like Murder Fist and Derrick Comedy, which they draw a lot of inspiration from for their own work.

“We steal sketches from old episodes of ‘SNL,’” Van Halem said about their diverse cultivation of material. Verdone and Guaglianone laughed. The group writes their own scripts individually, and then meets together to consolidate their work into one big sketch.

The group started in their friend’s basement in Ewing, N.J., while they were all students at the College, according to Verdone.

After they graduated, when both Guaglianone and Van Halem moved to New York City, their act moved with them.

They started performing in venues in

Photo courtesy of Morgan Lubner

Levi Reed entertains the audience with his stand-up routine.

Brooklyn and doing monthly shows at the People’s Improv Theater in the city. They suit their performances to fit each venue.

Grimy bits that made their basement friends laugh wouldn’t necessarily do as well in a dimly lit bar in downtown Manhattan.

The group is excited to be showcasing other facets of their humor at the College again soon –– they will be opening for B.J. Novak’s comedy show at the College later this month.

Up next was rap group Gang King who entertained the audience with its song “I’m the Man.” Two members of the group, senior marketing major Erik Hess and Matthew Fishman who doesn’t attend the College, performed the rap, which consisted of one trying to remind the other why they’re each “the man.”

Their voices faltered over the beat as they slowly ran out of reasons for why they’ve bestowed each other with that title, but nothing stopped them from trying.

“I’m sorry dude I had a list in my head,” Hess said. “I tried.”

Its was the group’s first time performing at the College, but they’ve done many other performances with the rest of their members in other venues, including opening for Kiss on the Lips at a comedy club in Manhattan.

Hess and Fishman knew each other from high school where they sang in choir together.

“We used to hang out after school,” Fishman said. “He was really obnoxious.

I hated him.”

They eventually grew on each other and started “making beats and funny songs,” Fishman said.

They entered a comedy video for Campus MovieFest in 2014 and found their niche in the world of humor.

“Anything goes,” Hess said of their creative process and ideas for new material.

“If an idea is stupid, a lot of times it’s good because it’s funny.”

Both groups loved the crowd at the College and hope to be back soon in the future.

“TCNJ was always our rock,” Guaglianone said.

Most of their fans are students and alumni from the College, most of whom still come to their shows in the city.

The members of Kiss on the Lips, who met while a part of the College Union Board back in 2014, were ecstatic about coming to perform back where they first found their love for group comedy.

“We’re really happy we came out of TCNJ… and we’re really happy we got invited to perform,” Guaglianone said.

Bada$$ speaks ‘For My People’ on ‘All-Amerikkkan’

By Thomas Infante Arts & Entertainment Editor Jo-Vaughn Scott — better known by his rap moniker Joey Bada$$ — has always been somewhat of an outsider in today’s

rap music scene. His first album, titled “B4.DA.$$,” drew heavily from the sound of ’90s east coast hip-hop, while infusing its own distinct style due to Joey’s solid lyricism and smooth flow. The 22-year-old rapper released his

Flickr

Bada$$ addresses social justice issues on ‘All-Amerikkkan.’

second album, “All Amerikkkan Bada$$,” on April 7, and while his first album at times felt like a tribute to Joey’s rap idols, “All -Amerikkkan” is diverse in its production, which highlights the heavy tone of the subject matter that Joey speaks about.

As a whole, “All-Amerikkkan Bada$$” is much bolder and more subversive than any of Joey’s previous efforts. In an April 10 interview with XXL Magazine, Joey said he aimed to craft his lyrics — which often commentate on current socioeconomic, political and racial issues — around catchy and upbeat production.

“The music is a vibe, but it’s something that you just got to listen to,” he said. “Even though you’re having a good time, you will listen and be like, ‘Damn, he said that? That’s some real shit.’”

These lyrical themes are evident from the first track on the album, titled “For My People.” On this track, Joey raps about how difficult it still can be growing

up black in America. It’s a great opening track, and its calming, yet upbeat, production draws the listener in with soft synthesizers and horns behind a groovy drum rhythm. His lyrics also seem to summarize the purpose of the album as a whole.

“Music is a form of expression,” Joey raps. “Imma use mine just to teach you a lesson.” His train of thought continues onto the next track, “Temptations.”

The beat features a bluesy guitar riff over heavy bass and snare drums. Joey’s lyrics are both dark and empowering, making for one of the catchiest conscious rap songs in recent memory.

“I never felt selfish before, I’ve been living so reckless I know,” Joey raps on the chorus, ending each by repeating the phrase “Lord can you help me?”

The following track, the single “Land of the Free” is one of the more overtly political songs on the album. The beat features bright synthesizers syncopated with a jazzy bass line,

while Joey’s lyrics once again address socioeconomic issues of the black community. While the track sounds good overall, Joey’s lyrics come off as a little preachy, especially since such similar subject matter dominates the lyrical content of many of the album’s songs.

The next track, “Devastated,” was released several months ago as the lead single to the album.

When the song was first released it seemed like a cool change of pace for Joey, but compared to the rest of this album, the track is pretty weak. Joey’s singing in the chorus is grating after multiple listens, and the production and lyrics don’t really stand out, especially against the much more powerful songs on this album.

The next track “Y U Don’t Love Me?” also suffers from the same problems. Nothing in the production is very memorable, and for once, Joey’s lyrics are disjointed and forgettable. see JOEY on page 17

page 16 The Signal April 19, 2017

Pinegrove’s performance enlivens crowd

Have A Good Season, Half Waif set the mood

Left: Pinegrove gives a powerful performance. Right: Half Waif opens for Pinegrove with a melancholy indie rock set.

By Nicole Howard Correspondent Pinegrove headlined the latest CUB Alt showing on April 11 in the Decker Social Space.

Half Waif and Have a Good Season opened the night, as they helped set the stage for Pinegrove’s diverse musical palette.

The show brought out a large crowd of fans who were more than ready to dance and sing along to their favorite songs.

When Have A Good Season began playing, the audience bopped around to the music

in the background and made friends in the crowd. Each song was received with large smiles and people screaming the lyrics as loud as they could.

The drummer, Dan Sakumoto, played his heart out on the beat-heavy songs and the intense guitar moments left lead singer and guitarist Nicolas Palermo and bass player Daniel Stattner dripping with sweat.

Palermo told the audience that he was going to play “something a little faster if you guys wanna move around,” and there was hardly any control

over the moshing, crowd surfing and jumping that ensued.

Have A Good Season ended its set on a high note and left Half Waif to pick up where they left off.

Swaying together as lead singer Nandi Rose Plunkett sang about loss, nostalgia and searching for a home, the crowd pulled tighter in to hear the smooth rhythm of Half Waif.

The mood shifted once Half Waif finished its set, as the audience of strangers seemed to become something more than that.

The smooth sound of Half

Waif opened up for the main act of the night — Pinegrove.

Recently signed by Run For Cover Records, Pinegrove had a powerful presence onstage and brought sounds of groove, country and even a little rock to the Social Space.

Karin Flannery, a sophomore interactive multimedia and communication studies double major, said the main reason she came out on Tuesday night was for the good music that she so dearly loves.

“Pinegrove is my favorite band ever!” she shouted as the

Jason Proleika / Photo Editor

show began to start. “My favorite thing about them is how unique they are in the music scene.”

The rest of the audience definitely shared Flannery’s excitement and fully embraced the moment they had with a band like Pinegrove.

As the night came to a close, the piercing noises in the audience’s ears were met with beaming smiles.

Everyone was pleased with how their Tuesday evening had gone and were excited to have sang along with their best friends and favorite bands.

‘Thirteen Reasons Why’ goes from novel to Netflix

By Jenn Zuccaro Staff Writer I first came across the novel “Thirteen Reasons Why” when I was in middle school, which is also around the time it was published.

The story follows a boy named Clay Jensen, a shy high school student who receives a box of cassette tapes, which are later revealed to be recordings of the late Hannah Baker, Clay’s former classmate and crush who had recently committed suicide. Clay quickly learns that the tapes reveal the reasons why Hannah chose to kill herself — and since he has received the tapes, he is one of the reasons why.

Jay Asher’s 2007 novel, a controversial bestseller, tells an important story. It reminds us that actions have consequences and people have breaking points. It teaches us these things in a memorable way, with a compelling storyline that makes it difficult not to devour the entire book in one sitting.

While it might not be the most accurate representation of the realities of depression and suicide as a growing issue in high schools, it is successful in the way it helped start an important conversation within an age group that, prior to 2007, hadn’t had access to many books written specifically for teens that dealt with such heavy topics.

“13 Reasons Why,” the Netflix adaptation of Asher’s novel, keeps the main premise of the book while adding in some

personal twists. For one, Clay and Hannah are more than just casual acquaintances in this version of the story. The series plays up the romance aspect of Clay and Hannah’s relationship quite a bit, forming a love story out of what was formerly little more than a casual hookup.

The enhancing of a love story is not a new concept regarding film and television adaptations, but the building up of Clay and Hannah’s relationship is particularly detrimental to this story in particular, and not simply because it distracts from the important topics being addressed. It also makes us regret Hannah’s death for the wrong reasons.

In the novel, we miss Hannah because we grow close to her as we learn her story and sympathize with her and the hardships she was forced to endure during her life.

With the series, we miss Hannah because we want to know what might have happened between her and Clay had things not ended the way they did.

With so much focus on the romance, we lose the true tragedy of Hannah’s suicide. The Hannah Baker that Asher created wouldn’t want us to mourn her simply because she didn’t end up with her prince charming in the end.

The series also makes another smaller, yet very noticeable change to the original story. In the novel, Hannah commits suicide by swallowing pills, while in the Netflix adaptation, she slits her wrists and bleeds out

in a bathtub.

Once again, this isn’t a surprising change, as adaptations often find a way of utilizing all opportunities to heighten the drama, but it is a change that I find problematic for a number of reasons. By opting to include a more violent suicide method, the show almost romanticizes the act. But the act itself is not something that we are meant to dwell on — it is the buildup to the act, the reasons why this has happened, that we are supposed to focus and reflect on.

Asher’s novel dedicates no more than a few sentences to Hannah’s actual suicide, leaving the focus where it should be: on Hannah’s story.

“13 Reasons Why” succeeds when it is

not trying so hard to get us to feel a certain way. In the beginning of each episode, when Hannah Baker’s voice cuts into the room, thick with loneliness — those are the moments when I feel the most connected to Hannah and her story.

The Netflix adaptation is not a failure in any sense, but it doesn’t quite hit its mark.

The suspenseful storyline, coupled with the star-crossed lovers theme and controversial subject matter, all but ensure the popularity of the series.

But if you’re interested in a less gimmicky version of Hannah Baker’s story that colors her as a deeply troubled teen rather than merely the Juliet to Clay’s Romeo, then Asher’s novel might be the better choice.

Hannah’s suicide deeply impacts her friend and classmate Clay.

YouTube

April 19, 2017 The Signal page 17

Joey / Rapper releases ‘Legendary’ album

Bada$$ shows growth and maturity in his artistry on ‘All-Amerikkkan.’ continued from page 15

The album’s tone becomes darker around the second half, starting with the track “Rockabye Baby,” which features rapper Schoolboy Q. The beat consists mainly of a minor sounding piano riff complemented by a simple yet powerful drum groove.

Joey’s lyrics similarly shift in this song, which features himself and Q trading verses about selling drugs and running with street gangs. Joey still has the occasional conscious lyric, but for the most part, this song just bangs.

The next track, “Ring the Alarm,” has

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far more featured artists than any other track on the album. Rappers Meechy Darko of the Flatbush Zombies, as well as Kirk Knight and Nyck Caution from Joey’s own Pro Era record label, each contribute a strong verse to the song. Refreshingly absent of politics, the verses of the song illustrate the lack of lyrical skill of many popular rappers, which is accentuated by the impressive and deft lyrics from each.

The album gets political again on the track “Super Predator,” the title referencing the outdated term used by some politicians to describe black youths in gangs. Joey raps over a simple snare beat complemented by

a saxophone, giving it a distinctly cool East Coast vibe. Despite the title, the lyrics aren’t very political, rather they are optimistic about the future of the nation.

The next song, “Babylon,” has a reggaeinspired sound, assisted by Jamaican reggae artist Chronixx who sings on the bridge.

The subtle four-chord organ pattern complemented by trumpets, a saxophone, drums and finger snaps add sonic diversity to the album. Joey’s lyrics are quite bleak and, at times, very angry.

“To tell the truth, man, I’m fuckin’ disgusted / I fear for the lives, for my sisters, my brothers / Less fortunate than I,” Joey half shouts, half raps. “I’m sick of holdin’ grudges / I’m loadin’ in all my slugs and aimin’ it at the judges.”

The final two tracks, “Legendary” featuring J. Cole and “Amerikkkan Idol,” both have laidback beats that allow the lyrics to stand out. At the end of “Amerikkkan Idol,” Joey calls his people to action and stresses the importance of civil disobedience in an era in which black people cannot trust the government or police.

“What the government is doin’ amongst our people is downright evil /Disturbin’, but not surprisin’, that’s for certain,” Joey rhymes. “They want us to rebel / so that it makes easier for them to kill us and put us in jails / Alton Sterlings are happenin’ every day in this country and around the world / The scary part, boys and girls / Is most of these stories don’t make it to the news and reach mass consciousness / It is for sure time that we as a people stand up for acknowledgement.”

Joey continues his monologue for a while, his claims becoming more and more extreme as the track goes on. While I cannot directly relate to what Joey is talking about on “All-Amerikkkan,” I admire the conviction and phrasing of what he has to say. As he said on “Temptations,” “That’s just the way I feel.”

The Chainsmokers change sound on ‘Memories’

By Lily Firth Staff Writer The Chainsmokers released its highly anticipated album, “Memories Do Not Open,” on April 7. The electronic musicproducing duo transitioned from their classic EDM style to more typical types of pop music.

Some love the album, saying it nailed the transition to pop and this shows with the sales of the album being pretty high. Still, others say that the group was just trying to get on the radio to increase sales, adding that this brand of pop music is the same sleepy melodies we have been hearing for years.

There is no doubt that The Chainsmokers is a very talented group, so, of course, the album wasn’t a complete flop. But I do have to say that some of the songs were mediocre, with just bland beats layered in the background.

Still, the majority of the songs were still very enjoyable even if the sound was a little repetitive. You can hear little

bits of “I Want Something Just Like This,” featuring Coldplay, in the group’s other tracks like “Don’t Say” and “Bloodstream.” But the consistency isn’t bad. It gives off a relaxed pop sound.

The third track on the album, “Bloodstream,” had a more mellow sound. What surprised me was that the slow songs were actually my favorite ones on the album. They were raw with personal and emotional lyrics and soft music in the background.

The group, of course, has some of its trademark Chainsmoker sounds as well, making the songs extra fun to dance to.

The pace picks up with “Break Up Every Night,” a song about a girlfriend who puts him on an emotional roller coaster.

“She’s got seven personalities / everyone’s a tragedy...she wants to break up every night.” Though the lyrics are repetitive, they’re clearly not meant for a close inspection. It sounds exactly like what it’s supposed to be –– a lighthearted dance song

to get people going.

Many of the songs are already hits, such as their dance hits “Paris” and “Something Just Like This.” They collaborate with other popular bands as well, such as Florida Georgia Line and Coldplay.

Emily Warren, who’s featured on “Don’t Say,” brings the song to life.

Her soft falsetto voice in

the chorus complements the electronic sound nicely, and the subtle harmony only adds to the songs smooth movement.

The Chainsmokers let vocals lead the way for the music. However, this becomes a problem when the singer’s voice is not that strong. In “Honest,” the lead vocalist doesn’t carry the song the way Warren did in “Don’t

Say,” and the whole track suffers because of it. The electronic beats fade to the background of listeners who don’t know to appreciate the group more for their techno sound.

Give this album a chance. The Chainsmokers still hit the charts with relative success and with its loyal fans. I believe that the album will continue to have success.

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The Chainsmokers’ music has evolved into a more pop-friendly sound.

This week, WTSR staff member Rachel Miller highlight some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.

Band Name: Go Fever Album Title: “Go Fever” Hailing From: Austin, Texas Release Number: Debut Genre: Surf Pop Rock & Roll Label: Independent Australian transplant Acey Monaro, who dropped out of school at 14, and had married and divorced a man twice her age by the time she was 26, is a known rabblerouser. After gaining fame in Australia as a solo artist, Acey moved to Austin, Texas, to form Go Fever with her new husband Benjamin Bordick on bass, Keith Lough on guitar, Sam Rivers on keys and Josh Halpern on drums. Calling their music “surf pop rock and roll” they pull influences from the Beach Boys to the Pixies. Acey’s attitude and point of view translate directly to her music. Complete with catchy lyrics and three-part harmonies, “Go Fever” is sure to be stuck in your head for days and wanting more.

Must Hear: “Come Undone,” “Small Talk,” “Folk Zero” and “Go Fever”

Band Name: Middle Kids Album Title: “Middle Kids” Release Number: Debut EP Hailing From: Sydney, Australia Genre: Indie Pop Label: Domino Records Having achieved enormous popularity in Australia with its first two singles, indie-pop trio Middle Kids have reached international acclaim with its self-titled EP. After an endorsement from Elton John himself, they achieved stardom almost overnight. Hannah Joy’s gripping vocals combine with bubbly slide guitar from Tim Fitz, and Harry Day on drums to create a compelling and catchy collection of tracks. Off to a running start with festival appearances and an upcoming tour with the Cold War Kids, the sky’s the limit for the Middle Kids.

Must Hear: “Edge of Town,” “Old River” and “Your Love”

page 18 The Signal April 19, 2017

April 19, 2017 The Signal page 19

Opinions

Alpha Xi Delta should reconsider philanthropy

By Ely C. Class of 2018 An open letter to Alpha Xi Delta: Every time I disclose the most fundamental aspect of my identity, people are shocked.

“But you’re a college student!”

“You’re not even in career and community studies!”

“You seem normal! I mean, mostly… definitely not autistic.”

I’m sick of it. We, the autistic community, are sick of it, and we’re sick of wellmeaning yet ignorant folks perpetuating these misconceptions.

Your philanthropy, Autism Speaks — an autism advocacy organization dedicated to “promoting solutions” for people with autism and their families, according to its website — is awful.

Let’s ignore the ethical implications of its stances for now and focus on the way it spends funding. Only 3 percent of the funding goes to family services, according to the Autism Self Advocacy Network.

Where does the rest go? Well, beyond the usual nonprofit spending on advertising, fundraising and lobbying, 32 percent of its funding goes to researching a “solution” to and the “prevention” of autism, according to ASAN. Why does that bother us so much? Its website says autism affects behavior and both verbal and nonverbal communication, but it omits that autism also affects sensory perception, the way we think and even our movements.

Alpha Xi Delta’s national philanthropy is Autism Speaks.

Think about this for a moment — it affects both the ways we perceive and interact with the world. It affects our entire sense of self. As Jim Sinclair, an autistic activist who was nonverbal until the age of 12, writes, “There’s no normal child hidden behind the autism. Autism is a way of being.”

When you say you want to find a cure, solution or way to prevent autism, you are saying you don’t want us to exist.

I have a question: When you plaster flyers around campus that promote an organization that released “Autism Every Day ” — a documentary that includes then-Executive Vice President Alison Tepper Singer admitting she

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fantasized about driving herself and her autistic daughter off of the George Washington Bridge, but the only thing stopping her was her non-autistic child — does it even occur to you that we’re here, too?

You’re the ones who supposedly possess a superior theory of mind, empathy and communicative abilities. How do you think we feel knowing that to you, our existence is a tragedy that needs to be rectified, and seeing the evidence all over campus?

I know what you’re about to say: This isn’t about the autistic people like you who are “high-functioning” enough to go to college. This is about the kids who bang their

heads against walls, can’t speak, “can’t tie their shoes and aren’t toilet trained at 8” as one woman I interacted with put it.

I’ll let you in on my biggest secret: I am that kid.

I had episodes of incontinence into my teenage years. I still have episodes of involuntary muteness. I can’t tell my left from my right. I spend all day putting my energy into passing as “normal,” and it drains me so much that I have to sit in a dark room humming and rocking back and forth for upwards of an hour everyday to center myself.

There have been days where I’ve been catatonic and couldn’t even move from my bed. Because of this, I’ve withdrawn, failed and taken incompletes in classes that I loved.

And you know what? I don’t want to be cured. I love myself, and that — at a very fundamental level — means I love being autistic.

I can’t imagine who I’d be without autism.

Without it, I wouldn’t be a member of the wonderful autistic community. I wouldn’t be able to sit still for hours in awe, watching the trees’ shadows shift with the sun. Contrary to what supposed experts say, I don’t think I would have the same empathy for the misunderstood and marginalized.

I wouldn’t be me.

Autism speaks — no, autistics speak, type, point and scream, but you don’t listen.

We found our own organizations — ASAN, Autism Network International and Autism Women’s Network — yet you choose to support the one that wants us erased.

Please, before you “speak for us,” listen to us.

College responds to parking garage barrier concerns

By Amy Hecht, Angela Lauer Chong and Mark Forest Vice President for Student Affairs and co-Chairs of the Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention Task Force An opinion piece was published on April 10 stating inaccurate information regarding a campus construction project involving campus parking garages.

Current construction on the Lot 7 parking garage is the first installment of a comprehensive project to construct barriers for the top floor and the openings between the third and fourth floors of each parking garage on campus.

This project is the result of careful research, development and planning for more than a year in a partnership between many areas of campus, including student affairs, campus planning and the Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention Task Force. Completion of the project on all three garages is slated to be completed by May 17.

Erecting such barriers is an example of “means restriction,” one of the most proven, evidence-based and effective methods of suicide prevention endorsed by the Jed Foundation, one of the nation’s leading nonprofits focused on this issue. Similar measures have been installed at other institutions of higher education and public spaces that pose a risk as a means for

death by suicide such as bridges, tall buildings, train stations, etc.

With that said, means restriction should not be — and is not — the only initiative or strategy employed by the College in recent years to address death by suicide as a public health issue.

Our community has benefited greatly from additional staffing in Counseling and Psychological Services, assessment and revision of policies and protocols around mental health, robust health and wellness programming, increased emphasis placed on health and wellness in the student affairs division and College’s strategic plans and institutionalizing gatekeeper training for faculty, staff and students, among other initiatives.

We also cannot underestimate the impact and importance of the rich dialogue we have engaged in as a community through town halls, open forums and panel discussions in partnership with student peer educators, student organizations and individual students passionate about this movement.

We are committed to all of these strategies because the evidence is there. The College is thoughtful in its approach to this very real public health issue by working with a team of faculty, staff, students and experts that are trained and committed to this work. It is clear that the College is committed to the safety of our students because it has invested fiscal and human resources in staffing, programs, dialogue and yes, construction.

Jason Proleika / Photo Editor

Lot 7 barrier construction will be complete on May 17.

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page 20 The Signal April 19, 2017

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April 19, 2017 The Signal page 21

United Airlines mishandles overbooked Flight 3411

Dao is forcibly removed from United Flight 3411.

By Michael Battista By now, most of the world has heard about last week’s United Airlines Flight 3411 fiasco in which a passenger was forcibly removed from his seat by Chicago Department of Aviation security officers because the flight was overbooked.

After no passengers volunteered to leave their seat in exchange for $800 in vouchers, including one for a hotel room, the plane’s crew then turned to a computer, which randomly selected four passengers using a variety of factors.

Dr. David Dao, who’s from Elizabethtown, Ky., refused to give up his seat after being picked.

His removal by extreme force, including having his head slammed into an armrest, was captured on video by multiple passengers and went viral over the next few days.

United Airlines is now going through one of the biggest public relations disasters I’ve ever seen an air travel company go through. Stock prices are falling,

AP Photo

backlashes are breaking out online and more stories critical of the airline are all fueling this fire.

Companies need to learn that passengers aren’t just names filling up seats or buying products, they are actual people.

“For a long time, airlines, United in particular, have bullied us,” said Thomas A. Demetrio, Dao’s lawyer during a press conference on April 13.

“Are we going to just continue to be treated like cattle?”

No video evidence shows Dao resisting or being violent with the officers, so I can’t fathom a single reason why the amount of force used on him was applied. Demetrio also claimed his client suffered a “serious broken nose, injury to the sinuses,” a concussion and may require reconstructive surgery.

Dao sustained a head injury, not only from the blood pouring from his face and splattered on the plane, but the fact that he ran back onto the flight somehow and began yelling “I need to go home” before collapsing.

Worse than that is the actual disregard for Dao that came from within the company itself in the incident’s aftermath. United’s CEO Oscar Munoz sent an email out to employees a day after the incident, claiming his staff “followed established procedures” and Dao was being “disruptive and belligerent,” according to CNBC. In a way, I can respect Munoz standing up for his employees. Too many times I have seen employers throw employees under the bus for either doing their job or for being in a lose-lose situation. To be fair, no United employee did anything wrong during the altercation — it was police that escalated the situation and injured Dao. But claiming Dao was being belligerent for not wanting to give up his seat is incredibly dumb. The video shows Dao trying to explain that as a doctor, he needed to get back to Louisville.

While no one deserves to be treated the way Dao was, it

is still important to realize that Dao wasn’t fully in the right. An airline company has the authority to pull passengers from their plane, and Dao really should have followed instructions.

Airlines overbook flights because it’s smart and cost effective.

It allows planes to factor out passengers who miss flights for whatever reason and keep planes full.

A YouTube video from Wendover Productions explains in more detail why airlines overbook.

It also says Chicago O’Hare is one of United Airline’s hubs, meaning flight connections happen there regularly.

“A large percentage of the passengers taking a flight from Chicago connect from another flight and, since one-quarter of U.S. domestic flights arrive late, many people miss connections,” the video explains.

The flight in question needed to make room for employees traveling to Louisville in order to work a flight out of that area.

United should put their employees over customers if they want smooth service. A passenger usually can handle being delayed and find another flight, while an employee needs to be on the flight they are scheduled to work.

So, in the end, both sides are wrong, but United and the Chicago officers are the one who are expected to be more professional. They are expected to respect and care for the people who do business with them everyday.

United also could have made an exception to their computer’s choice, or possibly booked him on another flight with another company in order to get him home or to work quicker, as well. If he truly did have to leave and wasn’t obeying the company’s orders, then yes, he can be forced off.

Still, any force that gives a man that many injuries without any obvious resistance is going way too far, and ample punishment in the form of a lawsuit should be taken up.

United will likely face a lawsuit from Dao, according to his attorney.

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Women shouldn’t shy away from body hair

By Olivia Rizzo

Hair. We all have it. It grows almost everywhere on our bodies and yet we are constantly trying to tame it or control it in some way. Biologically, head and body hair serves many purposes, from protection against the elements to thermal regulation.

Socially, however, hair has come to have a variety of different meanings, which have mainly been constructed by society’s expectations dependent upon one’s gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion or sexuality.

In American society, women are expected to be as hairless as possible, as leg, armpit and pubic hair are associated with being unhygienic. In actuality, hair is beneficial to the body. Pubic hair, in particular, helps block the transmission of STIs. Despite the biological naturalness of body hair, 99 percent of American women take up depilatory practices, according to Rebecca Herzig’s book entitled “Plucked: A History of Hair Removal.” This also adds extra expenses into the lives of women. In the book, Herzig states that an American woman who shaves will spend more than $10,000 over the course of her lifetime, and a woman who prefers to wax will spend $23,000 on hair removal in her lifetime.

These habits and costs are also relative to a woman’s race class, ethnicity and region.

In contrast, men are expected to be as hairy as possible. Chest and underarm hair

are lauded as symbols of maturity and manhood. The resurgence of facial hair as a fashion trend in recent years has further emphasized that body hair is a symbol of masculinity. Men who shave their face regularly will spend on average $5,500 on shaving materials in their lifetime, according to Herzig.

Although it may be a taboo subject to talk about in public, there is no denying that body hair plays a significant role in our adult lives. As a result, everyone should feel free to do whatever they want with their hair. Let it grow, shave it, wax it — it’s all up to the individual to decide what feels the most comfortable for their bodies.

If you do decide to remove your body hair, please make sure you have the proper materials and are using a safe depilatory method. Wax that is too hot can burn some of the body’s most sensitive skin, and similarly, razors can cause nicks and cuts in sensitive areas, which may lead to painful ingrown hairs. It is best practice to research products and esthetician services.

It is important to note that privilege plays a very important role in discussions about body and head hair. For example, African American women often face pressure to straighten their natural hair as natural hair has been constructed to mean messy, lazy and not stylized. White women would never face such scrutiny due to their race. Additionally, transgender people can have a complicated relationship with hair,

as different hormone treatments can have varying effects on hair growth.

Having more open and honest conversations about head and body hair along with the politics and social meanings surrounding their maintenance, removal and growth will advance the process of de-stigmatization.

The greatest takeaway to understand

about this discussion about head and body hair is that everyone is going to have their own experiences and feelings with their body and head hair. Those experiences and feelings should be respected no matter what.

No one should feel pressured to shave in the same way that no one should feel pressured to grow out their hair.

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Clothing company Aerie encourages women to love and embrace their bodies.

page 22 The Signal April 19, 2017

Students share opinions around campus “Does society pressure women to shave their body hair?”

Mia Ingui / Opinions Editor

Jared Theinert, a freshman communication studies major.

“Yes, there’s honestly no reason to shave except to appeal to others.”

Mia Ingui / Opinions Editor

Alison Kroepfl, a sophomore graphic design major.

“No, if you really don’t want to, you don’t have to. Many people don’t conform.”

“Did United handle the overbooking situation fairly?”

Mia Ingui / Opinions Editor

Chris Kinzler, a freshman finance major.

“The video looked terrible, but the worst thing was overbooking the plane in the first place.”

Mia Ingui / Opinions Editor

Paulina Costello, a sophomore graphic design major.

“No, he rightfully had a spot on the plane. There could’ve been a less forceful way to go about it.”

The Signal’s cartoons of the week...

April 19, 2017 The Signal page 23

Features

College fights back against rape culture

Kim Iannarone / Staff Photographer

Left: Presentations discuss the harm behind rape jokes, slut shaming and sexual objectification. Right: Students criticize rape culture.

By Jennifer Goetz Staff Writer About one in five women and about one in 13 men are victims of sexual assault on a college campus, according to national statistics cited in “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses.

While the College’s Anti-Violence Initiative has been tackling this issue year round, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

AVI peer educators, interns and volunteers informed the campus community about the different aspects of rape culture on April 11 at AVI’s second annual Day to End Rape Culture.

The expo-style event allowed students to walk around the Education Building as they learned about a range of topics, including slut shaming, rape jokes and sexual objectification.

“I love that (students were) able to learn about different aspects of rape culture,” said Jovia Ferris, a junior communication studies major.

Aside from providing helpful information, organizations including Residential Housing and Education, Campus Police and Counseling and Psychological Services, also provided students with helpful resources for sexual assault survivors, and friends and family of survivors.

At one table, sophomore math major Rebecca Conn gave a presentation about the objectification of women.

“People don’t understand the power they have as consumers or individuals (and) they don’t think that they can stop these huge problems, but they can,” she said.

Conn showed the students advertisements that clearly portray women as objects. One ad even depicted a woman as a table.

“It’s a very prominent problem, but it’s easily solvable,” Conn said.

Consumers must use social media to draw negative attention to the objectifying ads, until the company takes them down, according to Conn.

With more than 500 students in attendance, the event had an impressive turnout.

“(The event) wasn’t mandatory by any means,” said Rachel Murphy, a Student Anti-Violence peer educator and a junior political science major. “Last year, we had 400 mandatory people come, but we surpassed our goal without having anyone mandated to come.”

While Day to End Rape Culture is AVI’s biggest event during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the organization also planned several events including the Teal Party, Love Letters to Survivors and Denim Day. AVI has worked year round alongside Title IX to bring sexual assault awareness to the College, including a recent viewing of “The Hunting Ground.”

Jordan Draper, Title IX coordinator, wants students to be aware of the resources that are available.

“Some people consider it to be a private matter and something they want to deal with on their own, and that makes complete sense because anything sexual is very personal,” Draper said. “It’s just to make sure that when these people are ready to talk about it, that

(they know) there are always resources and options for them.”

Draper wants students to understand the definition of sexual assault.

“Most people assume that sexual assault is just penetration. At TCNJ, (sexual assault) is considered to be non-consensual sexual contact,” she said.

If students are unaware that what happened to them can be considered sexual assault, they will not report the incident and “most students don’t report (their assaults) because they don’t think an issue is serious enough,” according to Draper.

Draper and AVI want to spread awareness to the campus community, so students feel comfortable seeking resources, regardless of how minor a sexual assault incident may seem.

“I want every student at the College to know what AVI is, what Title IX is, what sexual assault is and then once we get that, we can dig a little deeper and be able to say, ‘We know that there’s a problem, how do we address it. What can we do?’” Draper said.

Students explore solar system at Star Party

Jason Proleika / Photo Editor

The telescope spots Jupiter and its jetstreams.

By Kevin Shaw Staff Writer

Thanks to the Astronomy Club and its telescope, students were able to see Jupiter up close and personal, even spotting its jetstreams. They also saw history unfold as they spotted Jupiter’s extra-terrestrial moons that formed the basis for

Galileo’s heliocentric model of the solar system.

After some ongoing unfortunate weather, the Astronomy Club was finally able to host its Star Party on Quimby’s Prairie on April 11. The fun and informative gathering brought together lovers of space and seekers of knowledge.

As a cleverly crafted playlist of space-related songs radiated through the campus, the Star Party could be heard before it was seen. The songs ranged from Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” to tracks off Hans Zimmer’s “Interstellar (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).” The music built an atmosphere of discovery and awe as students inspected their celestial neighbors.

Due to persistent cloud coverage, the telescope was limited to viewing Jupiter, its Galilean moons and the moon. Despite the limited viewing subjects, the glimpses were a spectacular site in the vibrant night sky.

A few clouds wouldn’t ruin any good party, and the Star Party was no exception. The Astronomy Club commandeered a lab room in the Physics Building and screened a show featuring the iconic Bill Nye the Science Guy. The lab room acted as a vestibule to the main event — a planetarium presentation led by Ian Reed, a sophomore physics major, and Will Braverman, a sophomore physics major. Reed informed the crowd about the dangers of Venus and shared the facts behind Pluto no longer being a planet.

Meanwhile, Braverman presented a view of the magnificent rings of Saturn, the rust-coated surface of Mars

and the vastness of the Milky Way using the school’s new Digitarium Planetarium System — a new and improved planetarium projector. “(The new system is) much easier to use than the old Skymaster unit we had before,” Braverman said. “Only a few people at TCNJ actually know how to use (the Skymaster). This new one is way more accessible.”

And accessible it was. Reed and Braverman hosted their show with nothing more than a projector remote and an Xbox controller.

Not only is it easy to use, but the Digitarium also has the most up-to-date view of the solar system. On the virtual tour, students got a high-resolution peek at Pluto, a view that didn’t exist two years ago.

“There are texture packs and updates coming out.

Things like the Kuiper Belt can be downloaded and viewed and things are patched in as we learn about them,” Braverman said. “While the Skymaster is more for viewing distant stars, the Digitarium gives us a better view of the planets in our solar system.”

While the Astronomy Club hosts star parties once a semester, according to Reed, they would love to host more.

With more access to telescopes and the planetarium, the Astronomy Club could spread their love of the cosmos to more students, faculty and staff on campus.

For students who missed the Star Party, there are telescopes available for use Monday through Thursday in the Science Complex’s observatories. There, students can use large telescopes that offer a great view of cosmic neighbors near and far.

Muslim panel answers anonymous questions page 24 The Signal April 19, 2017

By Hannah Fakhrzadeh Staff Writer

“I don’t feel oppressed. I feel liberated.”

For Abrar Ebady, a senior biology major, wearing a hijab is not how the media portrays it.

While wearing the hijab started at a young age for Edady, it is ultimately her choice to continue.

“The hijab is really about modesty,” said Farsha Rizwan, a senior biology major.

Hosted by the Muslim Students’ Association, “Ask A Muslim” was held on Wednesday, April 12. It provided students the opportunity to ask questions to a panel consisting of students and two special guests about the misconceptions of Islam and life as a Muslim in America. “(The event) is a great way to learn about another religious group on campus and it provides students and faculty alike (the chance) to have their questions answered,” said Zahra Memon, MSA’s public relations co-chair and a sophomore deaf education and iSTEM double major.

At the event, questions were anonymously submitted to ensure students felt comfortable asking about a range of topics.

“We want everyone to be honest with asking whatever they are curious about,” said Alizeh Shamshad, MSA’s public relations co-chair and a sophomore biology major. “By keeping it

Jason Proleika / Photo Editor

Panelists share what it is like for Muslims in America. anonymous, nobody needs to worry about potentially offending someone due to their question, as we would love to answer every question you have. No question is offensive, as the end goal of each question is to develop a greater understanding and facilitate awareness.”

Sameera Chaudry, a general member of MSA and a junior biology major, agreed.

“This kind of open discussion can serve to unite the TCNJ community by fostering an atmosphere of understanding and unity,” she said.

Dr. Mateen Khan, a guest speaker, physician and a Muslim community leader who has dedicated his life to studying and teaching the Quran, believes the

panel helped students better understand each other.

“Panels like these help to break down these walls and help us understand one another as fellow human beings,” he said.

“Islam is a beautiful religion which over a billion people attribute themselves to. It is worth sharing and understanding.”

Yaseen Ayuby, a panelist and a junior applied mathematics major, reminded the audience to learn for themselves and to “take what you see on the media with a grain of salt.”

Ebady further explained educating oneself and directed the audience to a book titled “The Sealed Nectar” in which she calls, “a beautiful interpretation of Islam.”

The second guest speaker,

Kieran Webster, a Rutgers University–New Brunswick graduate student studying business strategy and human resource management, loves the journey Islam has taken him on. Webster wasn’t born into an Islamic family. Instead, he made the choice to convert from Christianity to Islam about three years ago.

“Islam is a religion of logic.

The foundation of our religion is ‘as salaamu `alaykum,’ which means ‘May the peace and security of God be upon you,’” Webster said. “It elevates us beyond bias, prejudice or bigotry because with this greeting, we are made aware that we worship one God and we seek peace by being peaceful with one another.”

After a question inquired about

the injustices of the panelists, Ebady and Nawal Mubin, a sophomore communication studies major, shared their stories.

Mubin described a moment she had with a supermarket shopper. She said, at first, she was unsure how the interaction would pan out. She soon realized that the woman was genuinely interested in learning about her culture.

Ebady recalls a time she passed a group of guys on her walk home from a party. As she passed, she heard them call out “terrorist.”

“I was genuinely afraid for my life,” Ebady said.

While the event allowed the panelists to share their stories, it was also a learning experience for both the audience and panelists.

“I learned more about my religion than I expected tonight,” said Roshaan Iqbal, a sophomore biology major and one of the student panelists. “There were some concepts about my religion that I didn’t even fully understand, and even I got some of those concepts and ideas cleared up.”

Liana Shehata, MSA’s historian and a sophomore psychology major, said Muslim Americans are just average Americans.

“We go through the same struggles and live our lives normally here in the States — we just have beliefs and cultures that differ from the Western culture, and different isn’t necessarily bad,” she said.

B U L C O H T C N N E O I FR S R U C

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$10 REFUND ABLE BUS DEPOSI T | CONTACT : F RENCHC L UB@ TCNJ.EDU

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Students make sandwiches for TASK April 19, 2017 The Signal page 25

Miguel Gonzalez / Sports Editor

The PB&J race helps the local community.

By Michelle Lampariello Nation & World Editor

Students gave new meaning to the phrase “food for thought” at Student United Way’s fourth annual PB&J race.

Twelve teams of students competed to see who could make the most peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to be donated to Trenton Area Soup Kitchen on Thursday, April 13, in the Education Building.

The PB&J race fits Student United Way’s

values of giving, volunteering and advocating.

“Donating and giving is a big portion of our motto as a club, and this really could help our local communities,” said Donte Ingram, the president of Student United Way and a senior management major.

Busy schedules often prevent students from having time to volunteer, but the PB&J race allowed students to take a few hours to give back to the community.

“As college kids, we are all super busy.

We all have crazy schedules. I think it’s really important (to volunteer) when you have spare time, instead of going home to take a nap or watch TV,” said Francesca Canzoneri, the publicity chair for Student United Way and a junior communication studies major.

While WTSR’s music played in the background, students fiercely competed in five rounds of races, each with their own twist. In the first round, only some tables were given the resources needed to make the sandwiches, such as peanut butter, jelly and utensils.

“How did it feel to have all of the resources for some teams?” Ingram asked the crowd. “How did it feel to have none of the resources?”

The resource challenge represent of the real world. Some teams had more supplies than others, and everyone had to work together and compound their resources to ensure that each team had an equal amount of peanut butter, jelly and bread.

“It’s nice that people are willing to give back to the community because there are

so many problems and (so much) injustice,” Canzoneri said. “People need help.

I think the best thing you can do is to give back in any way that you can.”

Student United Way hopes to raise awareness that students can help Trenton, N.J., residents in need.

“In our little bubble at TCNJ, we forget that not everyone has everything that they need,” said Holly Liebau, the secretary of Student United Way and a junior math and secondary education dual major. “Here we all are getting an education and meal plans, and it’s crazy expensive. No one realizes that people a town over could have nothing.”

Organizations like Student United Way take advantage of the College’s proximity to Trenton in order to help people who may be struggling.

“We’re right next to a community that needs help, and we have the time and resources to do so,” Ingram said.

Theta Phi Alpha, Phi Beta Lamda, Circle K, Women in Business, Alpha Kappa Psi, Chi Upsilon Sigma, Sigma Lamda Gamma, Alpha Xi Delta, Phi Alpha Delta and Sigma Sigma Sigma and two teams from Delta Sigma Pi competed at the event.

The race “brings together a sense of TCNJ community, part of something more than just yourself,” said Brooke Buchan, a sophomore political science major who competed for Sigma Sigma Sigma.

Student United Way proved that even a simple elementary school staple can make a difference to those in need.

Minority students experience ‘culture shock’

By Maximillian C. Burgos Sports Assistant

“Coming (to the College) was like a culture shock. Coming from a very diverse high school, it was a little intimidating.”

Sarah Sleiman, a Lebanese sophomore management major, came from a North Brunswick high school where so-called “minorities” were the majority.

In high school, she felt at home.

When she came to the College, she initially felt misplaced and found it difficult to make friends.

As of 2015, the College has an ethnic population of only about 30 percent, with the rest being white, according to collegeportrait.org.

Over the last few years, the minority population at the College has grown. College President R. Barbara Gitenstein is dedicated to inclusion and creating a diverse environment.

“Over the last decade or so, there has been an increase in the number of students and faculty

from underrepresented groups at TCNJ,” Gitenstein said. “Surely more representation is necessary, but also it is important to participate in difficult discussions across difference, not within silos of sameness. Such discussions can become the foundation for a community welcoming to all students, faculty and staff.”

While some students feel they blend in well — regardless of their race — other students like Sleimen initially had a harder time becoming accustomed to the College’s lack of diversity.

Some ethnic students feel divided from their peers due to race, appearance and cultural preconceptions. Sometimes there are breakdowns in communication in which students feel a palpable detachment due to their peer’s lack of understanding.

“Coming here was not too different from what I already knew,” said Theresa Fineza, a Filipino sophomore nursing student. “Over time, there has been a slight divide

The Culinary Club Presents...

Lions Plate

between me and some of my peers that stems from a couple of things.

Primarily it stems from not understanding each other fully, but that goes both ways.”

While Fineza has never felt discriminated against, at times, she has felt a lack of understanding between her and her peers due to their cultural differences.

Through its plethora of different clubs, organizations and programs — such as the Korean Student Association and the Peer Mentoring Program — the College tries to help students of all creeds feel safe and comfortable to express themselves, and help ethnic individuals find their place.

For students like Jen Piserchia, an Indian-Italian sophomore biomedical engineer major, the College helped to transform the campus into a home.

“I never felt out of place,” she said. “I feel very included here at TCNJ. TCNJ has helped me find my identity.”

Despite the College’s efforts,

some students still had a hard time adjusting to the College’s culture.

For Sleiman, the College felt more like home once she connected with a group of understanding peers. Feeling a part of the College’s culture, she was able to get over her initial culture shock.

“It was very difficult for me at first,” Sleiman said. “But everyone was so nice and friendly, so I

Flickr

tcnj.edu

The College tries to turn campus into a home for students.

: holy moly, it’s guacamole

By Julia Dzurillay Columnist

Students treat themselves with guacamole.

got used to it.”

While the College tries to create a welcoming environment for its students, white students are still the majority, Sleiman said. As a community, she feels students and faculty at the College can create a sense of unity by getting involved in organizations, creating a diverse group of friends and keeping an open mind.

I am lucky that I can say that all the students on my freshman floor were really friendly, and we quickly formed a bond. One of our favorite activities was — you guessed it — eating, however, the lack of ovens in the freshmen dorms made cooking a challenge. Eventually, my friend cracked the code. He threw his door open, blasted music through his amplifier and started making guacamole.

It took him forever to mash the avocados and there were cilantro stems smushed into the floor, but it was worth spending time with friends. Despite our busy schedules, homemade guacamole brought us together.

I encourage you to grab these convenient ingredients from the C-Store or the local grocery store and reward

yourself and your friends for all of your hard work.

Ingredients: 3 avocados 1 lime 1 teaspoon of salt 1/2 cup onion (diced) 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro 2 tomatoes (diced) Directions: 1. In a small bowl, squeeze juice from the lime. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, peel, pit and mash the avocados.

3. Stir the onion and tomatoes into the mashed avocados.

4. Add the lime juice, salt and cilantro.

5. Enjoy!

page 26 The Signal April 19, 2017

:March ‘02

Campus Style

Minorities lack representation

Students feel that the College lacks diversity.

Alyssa Gautieri / Features Editor

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

In 2002, students stood up to the Student Finance Board and Student Government, arguing that minorities were not equally represented in these organizations. Today, the campus is continuing its efforts to be both diverse and inclusive, however, some students still feel administration could do better. This week, Sports Assistant Maximillian C. Burgos talked to minority students about their experiences at the College. The students said that, at times, they have felt out of place in the homogeneous campus.

A letter to the editor appearing in the Feb. 19 Signal and a corresponding article in the Feb. 26 issue has sparked controversy over representation of minority groups in the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Student Finance Board (SFB).

The letter, written by Almirrah Tiller, senior English major and treasurer of the College’s chapter of the Nation Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and Monique Hankerson, senior women and gender studies major and local NCNW vice president, criticized SGA for “ignoring voices” and certain members for their “rudeness.” It also questioned whether “minority voices” were being heard by SGA and SFB. Tiller and Hankerson said that the

problem isn’t that these organizations actively discourage minority participation, just that they are doing a bad job of getting the word out to run for office.

“More publicity is needed,” Tiller said. “How would you know to run?”

Hankerson agrees. “I want to see more minority representation,” she said. “It starts with getting people more involved.” Hankerson said she originally didn’t know much about SGA, but learned of the organization’s importance as she became more involved on campus.

“I would love to see more minority students running to be members of SGA,” said SGA president Al Ribeiro.

“However, the SGA does not decide who will be in the organization each year.

The student body (decides).”

“If people think that they are not represented in the SGA, then we want them to get involved, come to meetings and eventually run for a position,” Ribeiro said.

Hankerson wants to get minority students more involved with SGA and SFB and the campus community as a whole.

“Don’t just section yourself off,” she said. “The world doesn’t work that way. We have to get involved. I’m not calling anyone racist or prejudice. If we don’t get involved, our voices won’t be heard.”

Flickr

Left: Quay sunglasses use distinct colors and shapes for their lenses.

Right: Skorts are making a comeback.

By Jillian Greene Columnist We’ve all become accustomed to Mother Nature’s indecisive behavior.

However, it seems as though spring finally sprang last week and is here to stay — cross your fingers. I’ve noticed shorts, sandals, sundresses and tank tops all around campus.

I am eagerly awaiting the weekend I will get to go home and swap my winter clothes for my spring clothes. I’ve been especially envious of students who remembered to bring their stylish sandals to school before last week’s wave of warm weather. As we all prepare for spring, here are some popular trends to keep an eye out for.

Mix and match Prepare to not only see mix and matching bathing suits at the beach, but you should also expect to see more colors being mixed together.

Skorts I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — everything in fashion comes full circle.

Skorts are back in action. When I was younger, there was a negative attitude surrounding skorts, but now they’re all the rave. They have even become a popular going out item.

Quay sunglasses Sunglasses are an essential spring accessory, and the Australian brand, Quay Sunglasses, are taking over. Quay is known for its fashionable lens styles, including untraditional colors and sizes. I’m seeing more and more of their bold styles across campus and I anticipate ordering a pair myself very soon.

Choker neck shirts As chokers have gained popularity, shirts have begun to come with matching chokers — either physically attached to the shirt or separate. Regardless, they will definitely add a chic element to any outfit.

Celebritease : Jenners attract attention at Coachella

Left: Gomez and The Weeknd show off their relationship at Coachella. Right: Kylie flaunts purple hair.

By Mackenzie Cutruzzula Columnist You may be too busy bingewatching “13 Reasons Why,” but you should take a moment to remember that the real world is still happening around you. For our favorite celebrities, however, real life may seem pretty unrealistic.

Coachella started on Friday, April 14, and will continue until Sunday, April 23. Each year, the California music festival draws in thousands of people, including some of the biggest names in Hollywood. While Beyoncé intended

to be this year’s headliner, her pregnancy put an end to that idea.

But no worries — Lady Gaga, who is fresh off her Super Bowl halftime performance, will take her place.

Kendall Jenner headed to the festival in a sparkly top and fedora, but was spotted looking unhappy at her first appearance since her Pepsi commercial faced extreme backlash. Her sister, Kylie — wearing her signature bright wigs — also made a statement at Coachella. Amid rumors that she and her longtime boyfriend, Tyga, had broken up,

she was spotted hanging out with Travis Scott.

Selena Gomez and The Weeknd used the festival as a time to cozy up. Gomez posted a selfie with her man on Instagram and the two were spotted by paparazzi showing excessive public displays of affection. The Weeknd, however, did leave Gomez alone for a surprise performance alongside hip-hop artist, Nav. In other news, country star Sam Hunt got married on Saturday, April 15, according to PEOPLE. The “Body Like A Backroad” singer had an intimate wedding in

his Georgia hometown.

“We are both kind of introverted people for the most part, so we don’t like celebrating ourselves too much,” Hunt told CBS regarding his wedding plans. “If there ever is a time to do it, it is now, and it is more to celebrate the union of marriage than it is each other. I am excited about doing that.”

The two have kept their lives very private aside from Hunt’s album “Montevallo,” which was inspired by the time the two spent broken up. In his latest single “Drinkin Too Much,” Hunt

Twitter

addresses his new wife, Hannah Lee Fowler, and apologizes for making her private life public.

Meanwhile, Meghan Markle is struggling to keep her life private as she dates one of the most recognizable royals in the world, Prince Harry. The prince traveled to her hometown in Toronto to spend Easter weekend with her family.

“Despite the distance, the media attention and everything else, there’s a real ease to their relationship,” a source recently told PEOPLE. “It just works. They are deeply happy.”

April 19, 2017 The Signal page 27

Fun Stuff Spring has you like...

page 28 The Signal April 19, 2017

Fun StufF Match that flower!

Draw a line between the word and the picture it corresponds with.

Hibiscus

Dahlia

Dogwood

Plumeria

April 19, 2017 The Signal page 29

Fun Stuff

page 30 The Signal April 19, 2017

Sports

Lacrosse

No. 1 Lions manhandle Scarlet Raptors and Seagulls

Left: Bak scores her first career goal. Right: Harvey gets an assist.

By Miguel Gonzalez Sports Editor

The No. 1 ranked Lions annihilated Rutgers University-Camden, 17-0, on April 11 and beat the No. 11 Salisbury University Seagulls, 6-3, on Saturday, April 15.

The Rutgers-Camden Scarlet Raptors were no match against the Lions, as 12 different Lions scored throughout their match. Sophomore midfielder Kathleen Jaeger and freshman midfielder Kristin Biché led the explosive Lions offense with three goals apiece. At the seventh minute, senior defender LeeAnn Bak shot her first goal after snatching a pass from freshman attacker Kasey Donoghue.

Photos courtesy of Sports Information Desk

The Lions defense was equally impressive, as the Scarlet Raptors were held to one shot during the entire game. The Lions also caused a whooping 19 turnovers against the Scarlet Raptors.

“We have to set the bar high as the No. 1 team in the country,” said Brooke Lionetti, a sophomore defender. “Our defense needs to get better and tougher, so we can win close games in the postseason.”

Later on Saturday, the Lions extended their winning streak to five games after defeating Salisbury University, 6-3.

Both teams held each other scoreless until freshman midfielder Allie Gorman scored in the 22nd minute off a pass from sophomore midfielder Erin Harvey. In

the next play, junior midfielder/defender Jaclyn Douglas intercepted a pass from Seagulls junior attacker Dana King.

Gorman scored again in the 26th minute on a free position attempt. At the end of first half, the Seagulls snuck in a last minute goal when Seagulls senior midfielder Gabbi Nieves scored off a feed from sophomore attacker Lindsey Wagner.

During the second half, the Lions and Seagulls were netting in goals back and forth until the Lions pulled away a 6-3 victory.

In less than a minute, Wagner struck again and tied the match at 2. After the Seagulls fouled, senior attacker Mia Blackman put the Lions ahead and scored on a free position attempt. In the next Lions

possession, Jaeger nearly landed a shot on goal before it was intercepted by Seagulls senior defender Kieran Kelleher.

In the 38th minute, Blackman scored again on another free position attempt to give the Lions a 4-2 lead. She has now scored 20 goals this season. After, the Seagulls countered when Seagulls sophomore attacker Courtney Feagan netted in a goal with an assist from junior attacker Alissa Talbert. As the Lions hung onto a 4-3 lead, freshman midfielder Alexandria Fitzpatrick scored twice.

The Lions now carry a 9-1 record as the season winds down to four remaining conference matches. On Thursday, April 20, the Lions will play against Ramapo College at Lions Stadium at 7 p.m.

Cheap Seats

Out-of-ring taunting damages anti-bullying initiative

By Michael Battista Staff Writer

WWE is an industry built on storytelling and athletics. Fans come to watch performers commit incredible feats of strength while playing characters of differing archetypes. These characters take part in stories involving two simple character types: the bad guy and the good guy. However, one wrestler might be taking his role as a villain too far.

John “Bradshaw” Layfield, better known as JBL, has been with the company for more than 20 years as a performer, backstage personality and commentator. He is known for running his mouth, being cocky, supporting heel wrestlers and a plethora of other things that firmly cement him as a bad guy.

Recently, Forbes and Sports Illustrated have alleged JBL’s history of real-life backstage bullying.

Earlier this year, Mauro Ranallo, a noted mixed martial arts play-by-play specialist and smackdown commentator, won the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s “Best Television Announcer” award and retweeted the announcement.

JBL reportedly took offense to this. Traditionally, WWE employees do not acknowledge wrestling awards that come from outside of the company. On WWE programing, he was heard bashing

Ranallo more than usual. But sources within the industry and close to Ranallo, including his close friend and podcast partner Bas Rutten, insinuate the bullying continued offscreen.

Ranallo then began missing shows, starting with the March 14 episode of Smackdown Live, with WWE announcing it was due to snow. Ranallo then excused his subsequent absences and said he was dealing with sickness before the topic was dropped entirely.

Later in the month, Ranallo tweeted and thanked fans for supporting him during his long-term bipolar disorder and depression.

“I’m deeply touched by your tweets of support,” he said in a tweet from March 24. “My doctor wants me to stay off social media for now, but I wanted to thank you.”

JBL denies bullying Ranallo, but previous history isn’t putting him in the best light.

On June 12, 2005, WWE put on a pay-per-view called “ECW One Night Stand,” which was a tribute show to former wrestling organization Extreme Championship Wrestling. Many older wrestlers had issues with the ECW talent, including JBL. During the show’s closing moments, a large, scripted brawl took place. JBL was seen targeting wrestler Brian Heffron, then known as The Blue Meanie, and delivering stiff punches into his skull, leaving him bloody and

wobbling in the ring.

After the incident, Heffron posted about the incident on his Myspace page, saying, “It’s no secret that Bradshaw never liked me from my first day in the WWE to my last.”

Another incident in 2008 saw JBL getting punched in the face during a WWE tour of Iraq for U.S. soldiers. According to reports from Bleacher Report and Rolling Stone’s Jason Solomon, thencommentator Joey Styles was reportedly fed up with Bradshaw’s harassment during the trip and took matters into his own hands.

During a radio interview with Right After Wrestling in 2010, JBL himself mentioned that he hazed new wrestlers during his tenure with the company.

“A lot of people want to talk about me and my hazing,” JBL said. “Yes, I did. I make no apologies about it whatsoever. When I started, guys were hazed, and for good reason. They wanted to know that in a riot, which we had a few back in the day, were you going to be on the side of the boys or the fans?”

He went on to say that today’s WWE does not have a hazing culture. However, he wouldn’t apologize for what he did, saying it helped new wrestlers be initiated into the group.

School cliques, companies or sports teams shouldn’t have bullying or any sort of malicious acts

be a stepping stone for acceptance.

As far as I can tell, JBL has never been disciplined for any of his actions at any point.

WWE as a company created and promoted an anti-bullying initiative called “Be a Star,” which encourages “positive methods of social interaction and encourages people to treat others as equals and with respect,” according to the company’s website. If JBL is truly involved with the bullying culture WWE has, then they need to take action.

Instead, the situation may be taking a worse turn as the April 14 issue of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that WWE is initializing settlement talks with Ranallo and his representatives to stay silent on the issue. While no settlement has been confirmed at this time, JBL’s antics go against everything WWE’s campaign stands for. Ranallo’s contract expires in mid-August this year and it seems highly unlikely that WWE fans will ever hear him call wrestling matches again.

Layfield is a long-time WWE commentator.

AP Photo

April 19, 2017 The Signal page 31

Lions breeze through Chester Quarry Classic Track and Field

Left: Osterhus finishes fourth in the 400-meter dash. Right: Celestin races to third in the 100-meter dash.

By Nicole DeStefano Staff Writer

The Lions track and field teams traveled to Widener University on Saturday, April 15, for the Chester Quarry Classic.

Sophomores Thomas Livecchi and Jack Wood highlighted the 800-meter dash. Livecchi came across the line in 1:55.56 to take sixth place, followed by Wood in eighth. Wood clocked in with a time of 1:55.92.

In the 400-meter dash, sophomore Nathan Osterhus secured fourth place with a time of 50.34.

Senior Zakaria Rochdi placed ninth with a time of 51.74. Meanwhile, freshman Daniel Pflueger

crossed the line in fourth place in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking in at 56.44.

Senior Jake Lindacher placed second in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.08 and ran a 11.25 in the 100-meter dash, placing fourth. The duo of sophomore Luke Prothero and senior Brandon Mazzarella competed in the 1500-meter run. Prothero finished in 3:58.92 and Mazzarella in 4:03.07.

The Lions took second place in both the 4x100 meter and 4x400 meter relays. The 4x100 meter relay team, which comprises Lindacher, Pflueger, Osterhus and Junior Tristan Gibson, ran a time of 42.43.

The 4x400 meter relay team

finished in 3:19.10 with Livecchi, Nathan Osterhus, Rochdi and sophomore Noah Osterhus.

In the field events, freshman John Otters cleared a height of 3.75 meters in the pole vault to place seventh overall. Freshman Justin Brown came in eighth with a distance of 6.34 meters and ninth in the triple jump at 12.49 meters.

The Lady Lions had two firstplace finishes from freshmen Samantha Gorman and Katie LaCapria. In the 400-meter dash, Gorman clocked in at 57.43 and LaCapria finished in 2:12.38 in the 800-meter dash. Junior Danielle Celestin also found success in the sprint races.

She had two top-five finishes in

both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash. For the 100-meter, she clocked in at 12.72 for third place.

She then returned with a fifthplace finish in the 200-meter, with a time of 26.16.

In the 400-meter hurdles, junior Jenna Ellenbacher placed second, with a time of 1:02.86. In the 100-meter hurdles, freshman Kristen Hall took fourth place with a time of 15.96. In the distance events senior Laura Straub placed eighth in a time of 4:53.92 in the 1500-meter race.

Nicole Tampone, Christine Woods, Hannah Fay and Alyssa Buccino comprise the Lady Lions 4x400-meter relay freshmen team, which took second

Photos courtesy of Sports Information Desk

with a time of 3:56.16.

Woods also competed in the field events and placed top five in the triple and high jump. She cleared 1.45 meters for fifth place in high jump and leaped 10.90 meters in the triple jump for fourth place.

In the pole vault, senior Tracy Prentice placed third, clearing a height of 3.21 meters. Sophomore Danielle Cozzarelli placed fourth in the long jump with 5.03 meters.

The Lions will compete at the Princeton Multi Meet on Wednesday, April 19, and Thursday, April 20, at Princeton University. They will return to Princeton on Friday, April 21, for the Larry Ellis Invitational.

Softball

Softball struggles against fierce pitching and hitting

Roadrunners and Scarlet Raptors silence Lions offense

By Maximillian C. Burgos Sports Assistant The Lions had a rough week, losing all four of their conference games in two doubleheaders. The Lions were swept at home on April 11 against the No. 6 Rowan University Roadrunners, 3-1 and 12-1. The team then endured two more losses at Ramapo College, 3-0 and 8-2, on Saturday, April 15.

Junior pitcher Sam Platt took three tough losses to her pitching record. The Lions also suffered one shutout, scrapping together runs in the other games.

After being swept last week by William Paterson University, Platt was pumped to get back on the field at home against Rowan University.

“We are excited to get back out in the NJACs on Tuesday and start a new week,” Platt said. “It is awesome that even after tough losses from the weekend, we are able to get back out there already on Tuesday on our home turf and start off on a good note.”

Platt’s optimism was not enough to help the Lions prevent a sweep at home against Rowan University.

Platt managed to keep the Profs to three runs in the first game, but the Lions offense could only manage one run against the fierce pitching of the Profs.

Profs freshman pitcher Jesse DeDomenico limited the Lions to only four hits. Junior infielder/catcher Danielle Carey scored the Lions lone run. After that, the Lions offense could do little to stop the Profs from winning the game, 3-1.

In the second game, the Lions had a rough outing, giving up six runs and 10 hits in the third and fifth innings. Meanwhile, Profs freshman pitcher Lauren Shannon shunned the Lions, giving up only one hit.

Platt loses three competitive matches.

She currently holds an undefeated 13-0 record.

The game ended early, handing the Lions a tough mercy rule 12-1 loss on their home field.

At Ramapo College, the Roadrunners steamed rolled Lions in two crushing losses.

In the first game, Platt held the Roadrunners to three runs, but the Lions offense could not stop the Roadrunners from running away with the victory.

The Lions remained scoreless for the first time this entire season, managing eight hits, but no runs. Meanwhile, the Roadrunners snuck in three runs.

Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk

In the second game, the Lions showed a breath of life in the sixth and seventh innings, scoring two runs on six hits. However, their efforts were too late. The Roadrunners ran away with the score, winning 8-2.

Over the four-game losing streak, the Lions fell to 1113 on the season. With four conference doubleheaders remaining, the Lions will need to rally in order to qualify for the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament.

The Lions return home to face Kean University on the College’s senior day on Saturday, April 22, starting at 1 p.m. at Dr. June Walker field.

Signal

Sports

Red-hot baseball team scorches five straight wins

By Caleigh Carlson Correspondent

Sunny and 81 degrees, the only clouds that remained were the ones hanging over the Farmingdale State College Rams as the Lions defeated them, 15-2, on April 11 in George Ackerman Park.

The Lions then hammered Stockton University, beating them 3-1 and 5-0 on Thursday, April 13, and Friday, April 14.

The team concluded the week with two wins in a doubleheader at Montclair State University on Saturday, April 15, to improve to 20-6 overall.

The Lions had a wildly successful day against the Rams. They swatted 18 hits, including seven for extra bases, as they continued their campaign for the New Jersey Athletic Conference title.

Freshman pitcher Max Guidice pitched an outstanding game, giving up only two runs in seven solid innings, earning his first collegiate win. Sophomore outfielder Matt Giacose had three doubles, while junior infielder Zachary Shindler was just a homer short of a cycle, driving in three runs along the way.

While the fans baked in the warm sun, their ears became accustomed to the constant pings of Lions bats that echoed throughout the field. The seven-run first inning foreshadowed the rest of the game, as the Lions ripped five hits and forced the Rams to change pitchers twice.

In the fifth, Giacose doubled to left center, advancing to third on a wild pitch.

Freshman outfielder Thomas Persichetti then tripled to left center for an RBI, bringing Giacose to home plate. Afterwards, Schindler tripled to center field, allowing

Persichetti to score and gave the Lions a 10-0 lead over the Rams.

The Lions tacked on four more in the seventh and one in the eighth. In the seventh, sophomore infielder Ryan Fischer had an RBI single to left field, driving in sophomore infielder Danny Borup. Shindler then singled to left center, advancing Fischer to second and allowing freshman outfielder Donovan Stallworth to score.

Meanwhile, junior utility player Austin Lindsay singled to left center and Fischer ran home, giving the Lions a 13-2 lead. Finishing off the eventful seventh inning, freshman catcher David Cardona lined a single to right field and Shindler crossed home plate, making the score 14-2.

Freshman pitcher Nickolas Keltofiannias came to the mound to pitch two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out a pair. Giacose secured the last Lions run, scoring on Stallworth’s hit to right field. It was a game full of explosive offense and smart defensive plays.

“Our pitcher, Max, did a great job on seven innings,” head coach Dean Glus said.

“We hit the ball very well today, but we also had about six or seven double plays. We combined good hitting, good pitching and good defense and with that you’re going to win games like this.”

Aside from being an overall successful game for the Lions, freshman utility player Lloyd Padmore, Cardona and Stallworth also collected their first collegiate hits in a Lions uniform.

“Actually, today we had four guys with their first college hits,” Glus said.

“So, it’s a big day. We also had the Harold Eickhoff Star Athlete award go to (senior infielder) Alex Christian, so

Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk

Walley strikes out five in route to his first career win. that’s something we talked about postgame. Overall, the guys fought hard in terms of making their adjustments in game, and we made great pitches.”

The Harold Eickhoff Star Athlete award is given annually to the College’s top senior male scholar-athlete.

The following Thursday, the Lions narrowly defeated the Ospreys, 3-1, at Galloway, N.J. Junior pitcher Brandon Zachary led the victory, striking out 10 batters. The next day, the Lions blanked the Ospreys at George Ackerman Park, 5-0. Freshman pitcher Michael Walley grabbed his first win as a Lion and struck out five ospreys. Meanwhile, senior catcher CJ Gearhart collected

three hits.

At Montclair State University the team, snatched two conference wins against the Red Hawks, 9-3 and 10-4, on Saturday. The Lions are currently 20-6 and first place in the NJAC. So far this season, six Lions have recorded 20 or more hits. Junior pitcher Matt Curry leads the Lions pitching staff with five wins followed by Fischer with four.

The Lions will be traveling down to Glassboro, N.J., for a match against Rowan University on Thursday, April 20. The next home games for the Lions will be on Friday, April 21, against the Profs at 3:30 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, April 22, against New Jersey City University at 11:30 a.m.

Dicheck, Stanley record milestone wins in shutout

Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk

Dicheck has a combined coaching record of 400-142

By Miguel Gonzalez Sports Editor

The men’s tennis team reached two milestones this week. Head coach Scott Dicheck recorded his 400th coaching victory during the Lions 9-0 sweep against Muhlenberg College on Wednesday, April 12. In the following

Lions Lineup April 19, 2017

I n s i d e

matchup at Ursinus College, senior Mike Stanley captured his 100th victory during the Lions 9-0 win on Thursday, April 13.

Meanwhile, the women’s team defeated a Division I opponent in crosstown rival Rider University, 6-1, on April 11. The Lady Lions then dropped a close home loss against New York

Lacrosse page 30

University on Thursday.

The Lions delivered Dicheck’s 400th win with dominance, sweeping all singles and doubles against the Mules at home. Dicheck’s 400 wins consist of 172 from the men and 228 from the women. Dicheck earned his first coaching victory against then Salisbury State University on March 14, 2001, when the Lions defeated the Seagulls, 4-3.

“I’m proud of what this team has accomplished,” head coach Scott Dicheck said. “The men’s team has two 100-game winners and lots of memorable experiences. We need to cap the season on a high note, so we can qualify for an at-large bid for NCAAs.” At Ursinus College, the Lions blanked the Bears, 9-0. In doubles, senior duo Jack August and Mike Stanley handily defeated Bears duo senior Chanton Phan and junior Peter Shields.

In singles, Stanley achieved his 100th win against Bears

Track and Field page 31

freshman Devin Paulison, beating him in 6-0 and 6-2 sets.

At the same time, the Lady Lions clawed through the Rider University Broncs. In doubles, the Lions dropped one match when Broncs sophomore Vanessa Canda and freshman Cyd Melendez slipped past juniors Maddy Stoner and Danna Tsay.

The team was dominant in singles, conceding only one loss on its way to a 6-1 win. Junior Brittany Reedman fought hard against Melendez in the second set until Melendez secured the match point.

The Lady Lions then endured a narrow loss against the New York University Violet at the Tennis Complex. In doubles, the Violet freshmen Rupa Ganesh and Judy Kam handily defeated sophomore Sneha Rangu and freshman Audrey Chen, 8-4.

Both the Violets and Lions were back and forth during the singles competition. After Rangu won the first match against Violets sophomore Floyera

Shiyanova, the Lions dropped two consecutive matches.

Junior Anna Prestera gave the Lions 4-3 lead after she squashed Violets freshman Nikki Ong. The Lions could not sustain their lead as the Violets won the next two matches to win the day, 5-4.

The teams will competing in their last regular season games this week. The men’s tennis team will be on the road against Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday, April 19.

The men conclude the season at the Tennis Complex when they compete against St. Lawrence University on Saturday, April 22, at 11 a.m.

The women’s team travel to Easton, Pa., for a matchup with Lafayette College on Wednesday, April 19. The lady Lions will host St. Lawrence University on Saturday, April 22, at 1 p.m. They then square off against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Sunday, April 23 at noon.

Softball page 31