The Signal: fall '11, No. 13 by TCNJ Signal

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The College of New Jersey Student Newspaper since 1885

December 7, 2011

No. 13

Vol. CXXXV.

Cromwell shutdown complicates housing By Emily Brill and Laura Herzog News Editors

Cromwell Hall renovations will begin immediately after school ends in May, and the building will remain closed for more than a year, opening again for the Fall 2013 semester, according to Interim Director of Housing Ryan Farnkopf. The main reason for the renovation is the building’s aging plumbing system, which Farnkopf said needs to be addressed “immediately.” The building projects will also include the roof, a few

other mechanical systems and an asbestos removal project, as well as a building “face lift,” according to Farnkopf and an official email sent by Vice President of Student Affairs Jim Norfleet to students on Nov. 22. According to Norfleet’s email, the asbestos insulation in the building’s concrete walls — which he called “standard” for 1966, when Cromwell was originally constructed — poses no harm to current building occupants. According to the National Cancer Institute’s website, asbestos fibers only pose harm to human health when disturbed. A renovation project, however, would disturb the asbes-

tos fibers, releasing them into the air. The asbestos abatement project is therefore scheduled to be completed by July, before renovation begins. With the news of Cromwell’s closure, housing has become a greater concern for upperclassmen, who already were placed on the waiting list in record numbers after the housing lottery last spring due to a larger-than-normal freshman class. The freshmen that would have been placed in Cromwell in the next year — all of whom are guaranteed on-campus housing see CROMWELL page 7

Graduates pursue public service Loud ceremony outside Towers stirs controversy By Jane Howell Correspondent

Many students enter college with the hopes of earning a degree and then finding a job or continuing on to graduate school. Recently however, more and more students are considering public service and volunteering as a viable post-graduate option. An increasing number of students at the College have been applying to programs like Teach For America and the Peace Corps. These programs provide options for individuals hoping to broaden their horizons while helping communities that are less fortunate. Each program requires about two years of service, during which volunteers are completely immersed in their new communities. Teach For America aims to close the education achievement gap that exists in America by sending accepted volunteers to low-income communities with low academic success. For two years, Teach for America participants join the staff of local schools from grades K through 12, teaching a variety of subjects. During their time at the school, participants are paid a teacher’s salary and benefits. “It’s by far the hardest job I’ve ever had, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said 2011 graduate Marisa González, who is

By Laura Herzog News Editor

I was teaching a little girl who came to kindergarten without going to pre-school and she didn’t know her colors, shapes or letters .”

They were no longer pledges. They were celebrating becoming official sisters in Chi Upsilon Sorority, Inc. with the “coming out” tradition typically performed by many Latino-oriented, multicultural and traditionally black sororities and fraternities in front of the link connecting Travers and Wolfe Halls at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20. However, certain students in Travers and Wolfe — apparently confused by the loud songs, poems, skits and stepping that accompany the tradition — berated the performers, according to several individuals present at the event. Besides shouting rude and racist comments, some students blared music from iPod speakers and shined laser pointers from their windows, attendees said. About 30 family, friends and other

see SERVICE page 5

see SHOW page 7

Photo courtesy of Aramis Rojas

2011 graduate Marisa González teaches in Texas with Teach for America. currently teaching kindergarten in Fort Worth, Texas. Although there are a lot of challenges associated with the experience, González said, “It’s all worth it when you see students grow.

Since Fiocco’s death, few safety measures have changed By Brendan McGrath Arts & Entertainment Assistant

Vicki Wang / Staff Photographer

Students must sign into dorms between the hours of 8 p.m. and 2 a.m.

Campus safety and security measures have come under scrutiny in the midst of a lawsuit over the death of College freshman John Fiocco Jr. in 2006. The College has maintained many of its security policies and practices in residential buildings since the incident, and changes have been largely limited to the ID card and swipe access systems. At the time of Fiocco’s death in spring 2006, the College required students to swipe into dorms between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m. Outside of these hours, swipe access was not necessary to enter the dorms, according to Stacy Schuster, executive direc-

Showing their ‘Goods’

tor of college relations. Swipe access is now activated 24 hours a day. The desks that now sit at the entrances of the dorms between the hours of 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. (3 a.m. on weekends) are situated just as they were in 2006, and the hours are the same. The process of getting past them, however, is not. In 2006, residents proved they lived in a building by displaying their room key to the desk assistants whenever they entered at night. The keys had a dorm-specific code imprinted on them, according to Schuster. Now, residents must present their ID cards instead, and since 2008 they have been stickered on the back, with different colors representing each of the dorms. Aside from these changes, the

Teacher of the Year

Author Ben Loory headlined a College history professor wins NJSAA award. day of student performances. See A&E page 19

See Features page 16

College’s dormitory security measures have generally remained the same. The buildings themselves have also undergone little apparent change in security. Elevator access is now, just as it was in 2006, cut off from the bottom floors of Travers, Wolfe and Eickhoff after 8 p.m. Also, the trash chutes on each floor are the same size that they were in 2006. Though the College would not disclose all of its specific policies for security reasons, police patrol and guest sign-in procedures are also nearly the same today as five years ago. Campus Police perform regular patrols of the campus, and according to the procedural history and statement of facts from the Fiocco lawsuit, this is consistent with their 2006 practices.

The only major change disclosed regarding police procedures came in 2008, when civilian security guards employed by Campus Police Services took on residence halls as their main responsibility. The security guards of been have been tasked with patrolling in and around the residence halls, particularly during night hours. This change has allowed police officers to focus on crime prevention, according to Schuster and the College’s website. Signing in guests today consists of the same process as it did in 2006. All guests are required to sign in at 8 p.m., even if they are already in the building, and they must provide a photo ID in exchange for a guest pass. Additionally, just as in 2006, residents who sign guests in assume responsibility for their actions.

Win some, lose some Women’s basketball splits two games last week. See Sports page 23

INSIDE Nation & World Editorial Opinions Fun Stuff Features Arts & Entertainment Sports

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page 2 The Signal December 7, 2011

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December 7, 2011 The Signal page 3

Communications group sets national records By Laura Herzog News Editor

While Facebook buzzed with student posts about the College’s recent No. 1 U.S. News and World Report ranking, the College’s communication studies department has been bussing with its own “No. 1” achievement. On Oct. 31, the department was told by The National Communication Association — the largest organization of communication scholars in the U.S. — that it had fostered more presidents and vice presidents of the national communications honor society than any other College chapter. The NCA also confirmed that the chapter’s students had received more Stephen A. Smith “best individual and group paper in the nation honors” than students at any other college in the nation, said professor and advisor John Pollock, who had asked the NCA about the College chapter’s national status, prompting the letter. “I made an inquiry about three months ago to confirm my impressions because I wished for NCA to verify a claim I made on our department brochure materials that we have set national records,” Pollock said. “To me, this letter represents an external affirmation of what I have known for many years. Our students are the best of the best among all undergraduate institutions in communication studies.” In order to confirm the College chapter’s record, Pollock said he even helped the NCA staff reconstruct many of the NCA’s records that had been destroyed in a fire in 2008, which they then confirmed with others who have long participated in NCA activities. “The College of New Jersey’s chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the official honor society of the communication discipline, is the most highly represented and awarded chapter on the national level since NCA took over management of the honor society in 1995,” said Brad Mello, associate director for educational initiatives at NCA, in a letter issued on Oct. 31.

Photos courtesy of Kathleen Ward and John Pollock

The College’s communications honor society has set national records. According to Pollock, who has advised the College’s communication studies honor society chapter since 1994, students from the College have won the national presidency of the honor society eight times and the national vice presidency six times. Kathleen Ward, senior communications studies and public health major and president of the communications studies honor society, was elected national co-president at the NCA Annual Convention in New Orleans, La., which took place Nov. 17-19. College students in the chapter have also earned five Stephen A. Smith annual awards for best paper in the nation, Pollock said. Pollock, he has co-authored over 100 papers with students, and the papers have had a range of diverse topics — from comparing cross-national leading newspaper coverage of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Anglophone Africa, to comparing multi-city coverage in the U.S. of genetically-modified food, same-sex marriage, medicating children, “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, Latino immigration, charter schools and childhood obesity. “Whatever our reputation at TCNJ, leading graduate students agree with that affirmation of our students’ leadership.

Our students have been accepted into the leading graduate and professional programs at the nation’s leading graduate/professional institutions,” Pollock said. These institutions include Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Maryland, Penn State University, Columbia University and New York University. Students have attended for a variety of pursuits, including law, public administration, public relations and public health, which Pollock called a “major strength” in the department. Alumni winners of the Stephen A. Smith award have gone on to Ph.D. programs and internships in the National Cancer Institute and other organizations, said Pollock. Sean O’Grady ‘04, for example, produced in his own national TV program on Saturdays on MSG-TV. Pollock and Ward said they believe the many awards are due to the facultystudent relationship in the department, as well as a faculty emphasis on editing student drafts. “The main thing that the communications studies department here is proud of is that it’s a leader in student-faculty engagement … I think (the awards) go back to the student-faculty engagement. The professors are very supportive of students. (Pollock)

really encourages students to submit their papers, sends us emails telling us about the conferences and telling us to submit our papers. All the professors edit, and throughout the semester (Pollock) is a main editor of papers,” Ward said. “I routinely ask that students in my classes put their papers through three drafts,” Pollock said. “One of the reasons our students compete so well with students at other institutions is that our third drafts are competing with student first drafts from other schools … What the communication studies department emphasizes that few others may, whether at TCNJ or elsewhere in the United States, is student engagement in every aspect of the paper research and writing process.” Pollock noted that students are not just research assistants, but “‘junior colleagues’ … complete authors and co-authors, deeply engaged in every phase of research.” “I hope that this recognition from NCA will help our students realize that they can indeed reach for the stars because they are clearly capable of doing the best research and writing the best undergraduate papers in the nation. I also hope that this recognition will help remind our faculty about the extraordinary potential our students have for reaching the very highest levels of professional creativity,” Pollock said. Senior communication studies major and honor society member Domenick Wissel agreed. “The communication studies department has garnered so much positive attention recently, and it is very well deserved. The faculty is incredibly passionate about the field, and I have had many courses in which the assigned readings came from books written by the professors. The students are extremely hard-working, so it is great to see the department recognized as a substantial contributor to the College’s excellent reputation,” he said.

Professor explores history behind ‘The Help’ By Tom Ciccone Nation and World Editor

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Deborah Gray White gave a detailed presentation on the history of female AfricanAmerican domestic workers, their impact on the Civil Rights Movement and the validity of their portrayal in the recent movie depiction of Kathryn Stockett’s bestselling novel, “The Help,” last Wednesday in the Mildred and Earnest E. Mayo Concert Hall. White, a Board of Governors professor of history at Rutgers University and author of several books on African-American women’s history, detailed the many strengths of Stockett’s book and the subsequent movie adaptation, while also noting its shortcomings. “Frankly, I like the novel and enjoy the movie,” said White. “But we expect it to represent all of our needs and expectations … (and) to eradicate all of the negative stereotypes against us.” White commented on the lack of political background shown in “The Help,” such as the tyrannical violence of the KKK, the racist community actions made by the White Citizens Union and the sexual harassment that African-Americans faced on a daily basis while working domestic jobs. “It is impossible for us to be just entertained by ‘The Help.’ We need to be able to learn from it,” White said. “Because I am a historian, I would have told audiences of how black women were sexually harassed in white homes.” White contradicted some of her qualms about “The Help,” however, giving credit to the book’s plot centering on the White Citizens Union outlawing female AfricanAmerican domestic workers from using the same bathrooms as their employers. The argument made by the WCU was that domestic workers were disease carriers for syphilis. “In the South people believed that black women were spreading diseases from black communities to white homes,” White said. She detailed the history of such injustices posed on domestic workers, where citizen proposals were submitted to have AfricanAmerican women’s homes and bodies inspected by health officials. Moving away from “The Help,” White also focused on the lesser-known truths behind the history of the civil rights movement, particularly African-American women’s significant involvement in the bus boycotts. White mentioned Rosa Parks and the false assumption that Parks was an average citizen, when in reality she had been involved in protest of the Jim Crowe laws long before the historic day she refused to give her bus seat to a Caucasian. “Girls were in fact the secret soldiers of the civil rights movement,” White said, whose own mother worked domestic jobs for over 30 years, gave a more personal account of how

African-American women were held back from advancing in society because of the color of their skin. “Racism kept her from doing anything different,” said White. “Their work did not define them … It was clearly not the sum total of who they were.” White was explicit in noting how the issue of minorities working domestic jobs still exists in today’s society. “Go to the Upper West Side of Manhattan and look at who’s pushing the baby carriages. They may be more immigrants now but they are, make no mistake, women of color,” she said. White’s presentation, “The Personal is Political But Not Entertainment: A Discussion about ‘The Help’” was sponsored by the Black Student Union, SFB, Office of the Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Liberal Learning Program, the women’s and gender studies department, the department of African-American studies, Academic Affairs and the Office of Human Resources.

page 4 The Signal December 7, 2011

SG to examine safety, other issues at retreat December 7, 2011 The Signal page 5

By Kelly Johnson Copy Editor

Top rankings aside, students have certain qualms with the College that Student Government wants and plans to improve. SG members considered ideas to improve the College in its meeting in the Library Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 30. Stacy Zawel of TSI Consultants attended the meeting and directed the workshop. SG was broken up into 10 small groups and each group was instructed to answer four questions pertaining to the strengths of the College, its weaknesses, critical issues that should be addressed in three to five years and priorities that should be long-term goals. Upon completing the questions, the general body reconvened to take a look at their answers, and it was obvious that the groups felt the same about numerous issues. Almost all of the groups identified some of the College’s strengths as academic programs, dining, Welcome Week and its reputation in the tri-state area.

Weaknesses found a theme in upper-classmen housing, parking, school spirit, national reputation, advising and the strained relationship with the Ewing community. The aforementioned weaknesses were considered problems that should be considered priorities by the groups, which was evident in their answers. According to Zawel, all of the groups’ answers will be consolidated into a summary report at the end of January, followed by a two-day retreat and strategic planning session to write up the three to five year plan in mid-February. This is meant to “get a broad representation of the situation at the College” and represent student perspective, Zawel said. SG also announced the upcoming event, “Decoding Off-Campus Living.” Students, particularly sophomores and juniors interested in living off-campus will be informed about important information that they should know. An officer will attend to identify neighborhoods that students should avoid, lawyers will speak about signing contracts and renter’s rights and a student landlord will also attend to discuss the logistics of renting. The event will be held on Dec. 7 from 8-10 p.m. in the Brower Student Center 202W.

Vice President of Equity and Diversity Adam Fisher also announced the “I Am Medium Project” where the diversity of the student body will be represented and displayed in the student center. Students are encouraged to participate and express themselves through race, gender, political or sexual affiliation, or through any other means they feel appropriate.

a part of closing the achievement gap,” Solebo said. Teach for America is unique in that participants have a direct influence in children’s lives. “I’m most looking forward to the opportunity to make an impact in my kids’ lives and put them on the right track,” Dwyer said. “I want them to be excited about going to school.” Teach For America can be a good fit for graduates hoping to make a difference in children’s lives as well as help the larger mission of closing the achievement gap within America. Interested students are encouraged to read the stories on teachforamerica.org. The Peace Corps differs from Teach For America because the volunteers travel further than across the country; the Corps has volunteers in over 130 countries around the globe. Volunteers work on projects ranging from health awareness and education to agriculture development. The organization can be a great fit for graduates hoping to make a difference in a developing nation. “Peace Corps wasn’t precisely something I always wanted to do, but living abroad was,” said Matthew Clemente, 2008 graduate. He volunteered building latrines for 32 households as well as promoting health topics like hand washing, malaria prevention and sexual education in Mali. “When you start to know people on such a close level, the people really connect with you,” he said. “When I gave goodbyes, a 60-year-old man started to cry when I shook his left hand. In Malian culture, this is a way of saying you must see each other again to correct this and shake with your right hand.”

Shannon McCray-Darko, a 2006 graduate, volunteered in Mozambique. “My Peace Corps experience was a great advantage to finding a job. I worked in a drug treatment clinic and part of my job is to do HIV counseling and testing, so the extra HIV-related projects I did in Mozambique was a boost to my résumé,” she said. Due to health reasons, McCray-Darko’s service was shortened to just over a year, but she still recommends the Corps any chance she gets. “For people who want to walk the road less traveled, stretch themselves mentally and emotionally, take time to explore their interest, and challenge their world views and help people improve their lives along the way, you can’t beat what the Peace Corps is offering.” After their service, many volunteers find full-time careers. According to the Peace Corps’ website, “through serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer, you can gain fluency in a foreign language, international experience and cross-cultural understanding, attributes that are highly sought-after assets in today’s global economy.” The Corps offer many resources to help place volunteers in careers as well as resources that help volunteers readjust to American society. Those hoping to learn more about the Peace Corps and its application process are encouraged to look at the website peacecorps.gov. Although many students have pictured a post-graduate life in an office or graduate school, volunteer service can be a great alternative. Volunteers in both Teach for America and the Peace Corps have reported experiences that stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Tom O’Dell / Photo Editor

SG members split up into groups to identify problems that need to be fixed at the College.

Service / Alumni reach goals in Teach for America, Peace Corps

Photo courtesy of Marisa González

Alumni pursue public service after graduation.

continued from page 1

González was not an education major here at the College, but she said the skills she learned in the business school are still applicable to the classroom: “It’s working with problem sets and data — what is working for the kids and what is not working.” Senior political science majors Olaniyi Solebo and Corey Dwyer were recently accepted to the program as well. After reading up on the subject of education inequality and the education gap, both felt compelled to apply. “Law school became the backup plan after I learned about the massive movement led by Teach For America. I want to be

SFB asks whether ‘Elf’ promotes class unity By Andrew Miller Staff Writer

After tabling ink’s request two weeks ago, the Student Finance Board granted $6,315 to fund its annual event to bring authors Ben Marcus and Laura Kasischke to the College on Feb. 21 and April 10. “Marcus is a big name in innovative fiction, and Kasischke appeals to a more general audience,” said Samantha Zimbler, junior English major and ink president. SFB raised the issue of whether the cost to bring the authors to the College was worth the amount of people who would attend the event, which Zimbler estimated to be around 50. SFB Executive Director Alexa Kaminsky, senior accounting major, resolved the issue by stating, “We have to make sure everyone is represented equally here, and ink is underrepresented on campus. We want each student to see the benefits of their Student Activity Fund fee.” SFB granted Chabad and Hillel $4,975 to fund its yearly Hanukkah Party. Elliot Crane, junior biomedical engineering major, began by summarizing the success of the event in the past: “A lot of people — Jews and non-Jews — always come.” “The event gives students a taste of

culture,” he said. Liz Kamel, criminology and women’s and gender studies double major and sophomore representative, questioned whether people would come during finals week. However, Warren Samlin, SFB’s administrative director and finance and political science major, defended the event, which will take place on Dec. 14. “They do a great job with this event. They always run out of food,” Samlin said. The sophomore class presented its idea for a Class of 2014 dinner and movie night and requested $2,081.90. The event was also approved and planned for Dec. 11. Like ink, their request was also tabled two weeks ago. “We made a few changes to the event,” said Jill Turner, sophomore special education and math/science/technology double major and treasurer of the sophomore class. “It will now be held in Decker Lounge, not the 1855 Room, for many sophomores live in Decker. And, we will show the movie, ‘Elf.’” The presenters said that trivia games would be played during the intermission in the movie “to promote class unity.”

While some SFB members said they did not see how this event promoted class unity, Rachel Leva, an international business major and freshman representative, said she liked the event because “compared to the freshman class trip to NYC, there are no restrictions on who can go to the dinner and movie.” The majority of the board agreed with Leva, and fully funded the event. SFB also allocated $600 to TCNJ Taiko. This organization is bringing TAIKOPROJECT, a professional taiko group, to the College. TAIKOPROJECT will teach the techniques of Japanese percussion. President of Taiko and senior math and secondary education double major, Alissa Abad explained, “Everyone will be invited to come, and TAIKOPROJECT will also teach the history of Taiko, and the traditions behind it.” Kelsey Norton, senior accounting major and the financial director said, “I’d be interested in seeing what the event is all about.” Student Government received $450 to buy the movie rights to “MOOZ-lum,” a film that follows the life of a Muslim that comes to the U.S. to go to college. SG will possess the

movie rights permanently. “The film points out the struggles of adapting to U.S. life,” said Adam Fisher, sophomore graphic design major and SG vice president of Equity and Diversity. “The film will promote diversity, and it is open to all so that everyone can see how the college experience differs for international students.” “I love the concept of the event, but I don’t think that it is planned well,” Samlin said. “The event takes place right before finals.” SFB motioned to fully fund the event, stipulating that it be moved to the spring semester. SG also requested, and received, $195.50 for “Photos with Roscoe,” an event that will take place during Finals Fest and will mirror “pictures with Santa.” “This event will increase school spirit,” junior business major Kyle Magliaro said. “We will print the pictures on the spot to give students instant gratification.” The photographer will be able to print 75 pictures. After ironing out some details, SFB voted to fully fund the event. SFB denied Ed@TCNJ’s request to fund food for a Signal staff reunion on Dec. 4, saying that only English majors would be attending.

page 6 The Signal December 7, 2011

TCNJ Holiday brings you a horse and carriage ride, an iceless skating rink, make your own stuffed animals, photo snow globes, crafts from various student organizations, and various ethnic food and favorite holiday treats!

saf funded

December 7, 2011 The Signal page 7

Cromwell / Students may be put in hotels

continued from page 1

by College policy — will instead have to placed in residences typically reserved for upperclassmen, said Farnkopf. This means that there will be approximately 300 fewer beds available for rising juniors and seniors in the upcoming lottery and room selection process this spring, he noted. Farnkopf was unsure of where students in the first-year honors seminar, who traditionally live in Cromwell, will be housed for 2013, but said that Residential Education will likely meet with Academic Affairs to discuss this in the late spring. The College also has not yet determined which traditionally upperclassmen residences will shift to become residences next year for freshmen and sophomores, who are also guaranteed housing, but some moves have been made to accommodate upperclassmen, said Executive Director of College Relations Stacy Schuster. Local hotels are one option being considered, she said. “The College has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking a hotel (or hotels) within a 10 mile radius of the College that would provide housing accommodations to between 150 to 300 upperclass students,” Schuster said in an email. Student reactions were mixed. Senior music major Allie Eichvalds said she’d have lived in a hotel if given the opportunity. “I would say, ‘Why not?’” Eichvalds said. “As long as they’d provide bussing.” According to a Trenton Times article, the College would provide bussing to and from campus for hotel residents. Not all students were thrilled with this option, though. “I don’t know if I’d like the whole bussing thing,” said Gerard Tyrrell, freshman political science major, who expressed hesitance at living “on-campus” at an off-campus location. “It doesn’t sound horrible, but it’s not something I’d fully embrace.” While Cromwell’s closure will pose an inconvenience for students in the upcoming housing lottery, freshman students living in the renovated building in 2013 can look forward to an enhanced residential experience, said Farnkopf. The residential rooms will receive new bathroom fixtures, including a new toilet, sink, shower, counter and cabinets, as well as new overhead lighting, furniture and paint, he said. Furthermore, the main lounge, floor lounges and laundry rooms will be remodeled to increase their usablity as student-centered spaces by offering formal and informal places for students to organize events, gather as small groups, or study individually, he added. “For example, we learned from previous construction projects that residents tend to prefer laundry rooms that incorporate study spaces,” said Farnkopf in an email. According to Farnkopf, during the renovation’s design

Ashley Long / Photo Assistant

Cromwell renovations will begin toward the end of May 2012, ending by the fall 2013 semester. Plumbing and asbestos removal are some of the main improvements that will be made. phase, a new building layout with traditional double occupancy rooms with communal floor bathrooms — rather than the three-room suite and bathroom configuration currently unique to Cromwell — was considered but later set aside after being deemed “too costly.” “This plan … would likely have decreased the building’s capacity, resulting in less available beds on campus,” said Farnkopf. In his official email, Norfleet noted that an attempt to renovate without a one-year shut down of the building is not a feasible alternative. “All asbestos must be removed prior to the renovation, separate from any other construction work, and with special air monitoring procedures,” he said. “Alternatives to a year shut-down do not provide sufficient time to complete the asbestos abatement and renovation.” In his email, Norfleet noted that the College has been experiencing a housing shortage for the past 12 years, which has necessitated the lottery. However, he assured students that expanding housing options for students is “central” to the recent decision to advance the Campus Town project, which may add as many as 400 beds for upperclassmen as early as fall 2013.

While Norfleet’s email was the first official message to the campus community about Cromwell’s closure, Farnkopf noted that students had ways to learn about the project before, which was advertised “typical of any construction project.” He said that the renovation is listed on the Campus Planning website, offering the community general information about the design team and project scope. Additionally, the renovations are listed in the College’s Campus Master Plan, approved by the Board of Trustees in March 2008. However, this plan called for renovations in 2015, said Farnkopf, explaining that concerns about the building’s infrastructure required the renovation schedule to be moved up. Finally, the Board of Trustees selected the architect in a December 2010 public meeting, he said. According to Farnkopf, the College will be holding a series of information sessions to answer any questions students may have regarding the room selection process in the following semester. Before the end of this semester, Residential Education will advertise next year’s building configuration, lottery dates and times.

Show / Audience at ceremony upset by ‘ignorant’ comments continued from page 1

respectful students who gathered in front of the performers were reportedly angered by the display on the otherwise celebratory occasion. “(The coming out show) is essentially just a testament to your journey and what you’ve learned along the way and why it was important to pledge to that fraternity or sorority,” said fifth-year women’s and gender studies major Lynette Barnes, who participated in a coming out show for her sorority in spring 2011. She noted that she believed the T/W link was chosen for the tradition because of its central location on campus. According to Barnes and other students, this is hardly the first time that other students have reacted negatively to a coming out show, which usually takes place only once a semester and lasts 25 minutes to one hour. “Go away!”, “What are you doing?” and “Shut the fuck up!” are remarks that have been made throughout the years, and sometimes students have even used the word “nigger,” according to Barnes, who did not attend the most recent event but who has reportedly attended about 10 different coming out shows at the College. Alleged incidences of racism on campus besides the actions of certain students at coming out ceremonies have convinced several students, including Barnes, who is also president of the Black Student Union, that an open forum on racism next spring would be beneficial for all students.

“It’s disrespectful, because they’ve What she felt were racist undertones conworked so hard learning about themselves cerned her, Denis said. and their (organization’s) history, and then “The other sororities and fraternities are people all of a sudden start yelling ‘Go dominantly white … I’m sure that if another away,’ ‘Shut up,” said sophomore sociol- fraternity or sorority that wasn’t that group ogy and political science major Irene Denis, of people was doing that, they wouldn’t have who noted that some students, not know- acted that way,” she said. ing what the ceremony was, described it According to Denis, who is not in a on Twitter followed by Greek organization, “#TCNJProblems.” she and others were “We can’t do anything One student addressed alerted to the Nov. 20 but let people know that event through Facethis on Twitter, saying “racist remarks.. igno- it’s not okay.” book and various postrance..and disrespect ers and flyer around at a tcnj (coming out campus. However, she — Lynette Barnes, admitted understandshow)..#tcnjproblems.” According to Denis, fifth-year women’s and ing why people would the yelling component of able to overlook this gender studies major be the ceremony is “not loud information. enough for the entire cam“There’s a lot of pus to hear, but it’s loud enough for the entire segregation. If you’re not friends with girls crowd to hear.” in (that sorority), you wouldn’t get that invite However, she encouraged students who online. So I think it’s not necessarily their are studying in the towers to ask what was fault, but they can ask about it,” she said. going on before resorting to shouting and The ceremony is also known as a “proonline commentary. bate,” said Barnes. However, she added that “Instead of yelling stuff out and posting the term is less–used because it carries the on Twitter and Facebook ‘What is going negative connotation of hazing which many on?’, come ask ‘what is this, what is go- fraternities and sororities, including Barnes’, ing on?’ Even if you’re not going to ask, if do not take part in. you’re not going to come down, then don’t “When we’re celebrating this beautiful do those things,” said Denis. “We’re regular part of our college life, and then you hear people, we’re not going to shun you, we’re students shout these racist and obnoxious not going to attack you. Be like ‘Hey guys, comments … it just drives the rift even more is this going to be over soon? I have a test to between students of color and non-students study for.’ Simple questions.” of color, Greeks and non-Greeks,” said

Barnes. While she emphasized that not all students engage in this disrespectful behavior and that she has attended some ceremonies without any negative responses, Barnes said that she has witnessed enough negative behavior to feel that she, and other students on campus, should say something. This is why she is participating in the planning on the forum on racism, said Barnes. She said she has also seen graffiti using the “n-word” on campus, and feels that too often students of color who comprise more than 9 percent of campus say nothing in order to “be the bigger person.” “We’re all students, we’re all the same. We can’t do anything but let people know that it’s not okay. Even if we ourselves don’t use that kind of language, we’re supporting a culture that’s not okay – the lack of respect for people who are different,” she said. “It’s not about being racist or overly sensitive. It’s something the College can do something about. It’s our lack of interaction not even on a student level, but on a personal level.” Nonetheless, many students remain uninformed. When random students were asked informally about a “probate,” many had not heard of the term. “I understand not knowing, but it’s not knowing and continuing the cycle of ignorance,” said Denis. Like Barnes, she said that was not angry, but just wanted students to be informed. “If it’s bothering you so much, why are you not finding out what it is?”

page 8 The Signal December 7, 2011

5th Annual Student Leadership Awards The Vice President for Student Affairs invites students to apply for the 2012 Student Leadership Awards Scholarships The scholarship application process will be conducted during the remainder of the Fall 2011 semester. The Student Leadership Awards also contain leadership and programming awards for individual students and student groups. The application process for these awards will be conducted during the Spring 2012 semester. All award recipients, including scholarships, will be announced at the Student Leadership Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 18, 2012 in the Brower Student Center Atrium.

Scholarship Awards Bessie Cutter Perlman ‘25 Scholarship Award

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Harold W. Eickhoﬀ Outstanding First Year Student Award ��

Elizabeth Allen 1869 Scholarship

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Dorothy Taylor Haas ‘32 Award

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John Wandishin ‘79 Scholarship

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Memorial Scholarship

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William M. Klepper Scholarship ��

Annie F. Stout 1879 and Kate Stout 1882 Scholarship ��

Harold W. and Rosa Lee Eickhoﬀ Fund ��

Wade Watkins ‘84 Scholarship

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Individual Award Guidelines 1. Individual applicants must have a minimum Grade Point Average of 2.50 (unless an alternative GPA is specified),be in good college standing at the time of application, and be in good college standing at the time of the award ceremony. Good college standing shall be defined as without a student conduct status of pending termination of housing, removal from housing, pending suspension, suspension, or expulsion. The following awards have a special GPA requirement that must be met: Bessie Cutter Perlman ‘25 Scholarship Award (2.0 GPA), Harold Eickhoff First Year Student Award (3.0 GPA), Dorthy Taylor Haas ’32 Fund (3.0 GPA), William M. Klepper Scholarship (3.0 GPA) 2. Individual undergraduate applicants must be full-time students at the time of application and be, at the time of the award, enrolled in a minimum of 3 course units per semester. Individual graduate applicants must be enrolled in a graduate degree-seeking program, or a post-baccalaureate or post-masters certificate program. Graduate students must be enrolled in a minimum of 1 course unit at the time of application, and a minimum of 1 course unit at the time of the award. 3. Class standing is defined as: First Year Students are defined as having earned between 0.00–7.75 earned course units; sophomores . are defined as having between 8.00–15.75 earned course units; juniors will have earned 16.0-23.75 earned course units; and seniors are defined as any student with 24.0+ earned course units. 4. Several scholarships and awards are financial need-based. Individual student eligibility for awards and scholarships will be determined by information previously submitted to the Office of Student Financial Assistance. Students who receive financial assistance and are applying for a scholarship or award should work with the Office of Student Financial Assistance to determine how this may affect their financial aid package.

Apply Here: www.tcnjstudentactivities.com

Nation & World

December 7, 2011 The Signal page 9

Obama defends American faith amid GOP critique WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mitt Romney accuses President Barack Obama of considering America “just another nation.” To other GOP politicians running for the White House, Obama has apologized for the United States and is presiding over the nationʼs decline. Now comes the counteroffensive. The president of the United States is defending his faith in America, confronting GOP efforts to undercut his leadership and raise questions about his patriotism as he seeks re-election. In the battle over “American exceptionalism,” Obama used a recent trip to Asia to highlight Americaʼs role as the strongest and most inﬂuential nation on earth. In this election season, responding to the Republican critique is essential for Obama, the only incumbent ever compelled to show a birth certiﬁcate to defend his legitimacy. “Sometimes the pundits and the newspapers and the TV commentators love to talk about how America is slipping and America is in decline,” Obama said Wednesday at a New York fundraiser. “Thatʼs not what you feel when youʼre in Asia. Theyʼre looking to us for leadership. They know that America is great not just because weʼre powerful, but also because we have a set of values that the world admires.” “We donʼt just think about whatʼs good for us, but weʼre also thinking about whatʼs good for the world,” he said. “Thatʼs what makes us special. Thatʼs what makes us exceptional.” Republicans have seized on “American exceptionalism,” a belief among many in the nation that the U.S. is special among global powers, and tried to portray Obama as expressing ambivalence about the promise of his own country.

The message resounds with party activists who still admire President Ronald Reagan, who memorialized America as that “Shining City on a Hill” during the 1980s. “We have a president right now who thinks Americaʼs just another nation. America is an exceptional nation,” Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, said during a GOP debate in Las Vegas last month. Even his campaign slogan—“Believe in America”— suggests that the current president doesnʼt. Others have tried to use it to their advantage.Texas Gov. Rick Perry, in an interview with Fox Newsʼ Bill OʼReilly last month, said Obama had “traveled around the country making excuses for America, apologizing for America, saying that America is not an exemplary country.” Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich criticized Obama after 16 Latin American and Caribbean nations ﬁled “friend of the court” briefs in a Justice Department lawsuit against a tough new immigration law in South Carolina, home to an important GOP primary. “It makes you wonder what country does President Obama think he is president of,” Gingrich said. Obama has given detractors ample material for their attacks. At a San Francisco fundraiser in October, the president talked about the importance of investing in education, new roads and bridges and other ways to build the economy. “We used to have the best stuff. Anybody been to Beijing Airport lately?” Obama said, asking what has changed. “Well, weʼve lost our ambition, our imagination, and our willingness to do the things that built the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam.” Republicans picked up on the comments, accusing Obama of

News Bits

Facing bankruptcy, the U.S. Postal Service is pushing ahead with unprecedented cuts to first-class mail next spring that will slow delivery and, for the first time in 40 years, will eliminate the chance for stamped letters to arrive the next day. The estimated $3 billion in reductions are part of a wide-ranging effort by the cashstrapped Postal Service to quickly trim costs. After a year of tough negotiations, Germany has agreed to pay pensions to about 16,000 Holocaust victims worldwide— mostly survivors who were once starving children in Nazi ghettos, or were forced to live in hiding for fear of death. Europeʼs government-debt crisis, which has dragged on for more than two years, is entering a pivotal week as leaders across the continent converge to prevent a collapse of the euro and a global financial panic that could result. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has order an “extensive and thorough review” of a foreign exchange program hat has been used by U.S. businesses as a source of cheap labor and exploited by criminals to import women in the sex industry. Courtesy of the Associated Press

AP Photo

Obama used a recent trip to Asia to highlight Americaʼs role as the most inﬂuential nation on Earth. calling Americans unambitious. During a meeting with business executives in Honolulu last month, Obama was asked about impediments to investment in the U.S. He said many foreign investors see opportunity here, “but weʼve been a little bit lazy, I think over the last couple of decades.” The “lazy” comments were quickly turned into an attack ad from Perry. During a 2009 news conference, Obama was asked whether he subscribed to the concept of American exceptionalism. He said he believed in American exceptionalism, “just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.” The president said he was “enormously proud of my country” and highlighted the nationʼs “core set of values enshrined in our Constitution” that ensure democracy, free speech and equality. Words that voters are likely to hear more of during the next year. A Gallup poll in December 2010 found

that 80 percent of Americans thought the U.S. had a unique character that made it the greatest country in the world. The survey found that 91 percent of Republicans agreed with the statement. In the same poll, 34 percent of Republicans said Obama believed the U.S. was the greatest country in the world, while 83 percent of Democrats said he did. The American exceptionalism argument has traditionally signaled U.S. strength overseas and the promotion of American values such as freedom of speech and religion. But with Obamaʼs rise, it has taken on a new meaning. At a time of economic discord, it builds on the notion that Americaʼs weakened economy could hurt its standing across the globe. It offers a critique of Obamaʼs foreign policy credentials, even as troops begin heading home from Iraq and the U.S. role in Afghanistan is transitioning. It also represents a subtle way to question Obamaʼs patriotism, the seeds of which reside in the “birther” movement that questioned the legitimacy of Obamaʼs presidency. Suspicions over Obamaʼs citizenship eventually prompted the White House to produce the presidentʼs longform birth certiﬁcate showing he was born in Hawaii. Yet Democrats donʼt see this as a debilitating issue for the president, but more a matter of fodder in the Republican primary. Obama, they say, can draw upon it to show optimism in the country. “Obama is powerful proof of American exceptionalism, that this country has certain set of ideals,” said Democratic consultant Bob Shrum. “His election and his presidency is a testament to the character of the country.”

Assisted suicide—Canada revisits an old debate

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Confined to a wheelchair, in constant pain and unable to bathe without help, a 63-year-old grandmother has forced the issue of assisted suicide into Canadian courts for the third time in two decades. Gloria Taylor has Lou Gehrigʼs disease, a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological afﬂiction. “It is my life and my body and it should be my choice as to when and how I die,” she said before going to the British Columbia Supreme Court last Thursday to challenge Canadaʼs ban on assisted suicide, a crime carrying a sentence of up to 14 years in prison. It has been nearly 20 years since another Lou Gehrigʼs disease sufferer, Sue Rodriguez, gripped Canadian hearts with her court battle for the right to assisted suicide. She lost her appeal but took her own life with the help of an anonymous doctor in 1994, aged 44. In 1993, a Saskatchewan farmer, Robert Latimer, put his quadriplegic daughter Tracey in his pickup truck, attached an exhaust hose and watched her die. He said the 12year-old functioned at the level of a three-year-old, living in pain, unable to walk, talk or feed herself. Convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, after numerous appeals Latimerʼs conviction was upheld and he began serving his sentence in 2001. He was paroled a year ago.

AP Photo

Taylor, who has Lou Gehrigʼs disease, seeks the right to doctor-assisted suicide. In the latest case now unfolding, Taylorʼs lead lawyer, civil liberties defender Joe Arvay, argued to the court that assisted suicides were taking place despite the ban, a practice he likened to the illegal “backalley abortions” of the past. Taylor and her family wonʼt testify, but she sat in the courthouse in her wheelchair. She has told reporters she canʼt even wash herself unaided or perform basic household chores. She called it “an assault not only on my privacy, but on my dignity and self-esteem.” She frequently uses a respirator. “I fear that I will eventually suffocate and die struggling for air like a fish out of water,” she said.

Opponents argue that allowing assisted deaths could lead to abuses of the elderly and infirm. Dr. Will Johnston of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition of Canada fears people could be pushed toward death when their lives are no longer convenient for others. Advocates draw support from the Royal Society of Canada, the countryʼs senior scholarly body. Its panel of professors and specialists in medical ethics and health law said in a report issued Nov. 15 that assisted death in Canada should be regulated and monitored rather than criminalized. “A significant majority of the Canadian population appears to support a more permissive legislative framework for voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide,” the report said. It said assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington and Montana, while in England and Wales the policy does not stipulate that every case must be prosecuted. Johnston called the report “a euthanasia manifesto disguised as an impartial report.” Sheila Tucker, a lawyer with the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, says the issue is back on the agenda because with the passage of time various jurisdictions have gained working experience with the legalities of assisted dying.

page 10 The Signal December 7, 2011

Leadership Lock Up 2012 Get Ready to Think Outside the Box! Reasons to Attend: �� Network with other student leaders �� Relatable and relevant workshops �� Move in a day early before the spring semester begins �� Enjoy a complimentary catered dinner �� And best of all, it’s FREE

Date: Sunday, January 15th, 2012

Keynote Speaker Steve Whitby

Time: 1:00pm-8:00pm Location: Brower Student Center

Check Us Out: LDP’s Leadership Lock Up on Facebook Or TCNJLDP.weebly.com This event is Run and Sponsored by: This Event is SAF Funded

December 7, 2011 The Signal page 11

Editorial Dear campus: Remember to relax! Sniffles and sore throats aren’t the only things currently circulating campus. While the common cold spreads rapidly when people are packed together, there’s an equally contagious issue afflicting the student body — otherwise known as end-of-the-semester stress. Over the past week I’ve noticed that almost everyone is on-edge as they attempt to juggle numerous assignments. Last weekend though I realized that while it may seem like every exam is of utmost importance, it’s also necessary to put things into perspective. Thinking of the big picture can really help ease assignment-related anxiety. In the bookstore I ran into several alumni who visited campus and decided to pick up some school-spirited gear. Then on Sunday, I encountered a slew of former students Lindsey Hardifer / Staff Photographer at a Signal staff reunion. Approximately 30 alums reunited to talk about where they Going to the gym is a productive way to prevent procrastinating. Take a study break that gets your creative juices flowing. are now, while offering advice to current students Reflecting on their college experiences, none of them said, Quotes of the Week “Oh, wow. I’m so mad about that time I got a B- on my bio “His students exam.” If anything, the recurring regret I’ve heard from gradunot only become I work out. How do you ates is: “I wish I enjoyed myself more.” better historians, deal with finals? Five years from now — and probably even in five months — chances are you won’t remember the grades you got on but also better the majority of the assignments you’re stressing over now. • Study ’til I can’t study no more. citizens.” Thinking long-term can make you realize that you will sur• Hit up the gym. vive college, and one exam is not the end of the world. • Spend time with friends. — senior history major I’m not trying to downplay the importance of grades — • Stay organized with a to-do list. Nicole Valdez speaking they do matter, of course. I just think people’s sanity ranks • I freak out. of professor Robert superior in the big scheme of things. Try your best, but don’t McGreevey being beat yourself up over it. We know how Red Foo would answer, but would rather hear from you! named Teacher of the When worrying about how I would in one of my classes, Year for NJ studies and practically panicking at the thought of getting below a B, Cast your vote @ tcnjsignal.net a friend shared some rhyming advice: “C’s get degrees.” As bad as it sounds, she had a point. Last week’s results Not doing your best in once class really isn’t the end of the How did you meet most of your current friends? “It’s by far the world, especially if it’s because you’re focusing on things that you’re more passionate about. Spending a little extra time to • My freshman floor. 53% hardest job I’ve make a great project for your major or a subject you really en• A club/campus organization. 40% ever had, but I joy is sometimes more important. • Classes … we can study together. 7% wouldn’t trade it While you should study as much as you can, you also • They’re really just my friends from high school. 0% shouldn’t spread yourself too thin. I’m condoning failing • Through my part-time job. 0% for the world.” your finals, but here are some suggestions if you’re feeling overwhelmed: — 2011 graduate

The Weekly Poll:

1. Elle Woods once said, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.” Though I hope none of you are homicidal, “Legally Blonde” had a point — hitting the gym or going for a jog around the loop can really clear your head. 2. Take a study break to catch up with friends. Everyone’s so focused on their own work that time with friends takes the backburner. Venting and laughing can do wonders. 3. Get in the holiday spirit. I’ve heard so many people say, “It doesn’t feel like Christmastime.” Believe it or not, the holidays are only a few weeks away. Why not take the opportunity to do some shopping or decorate your dorm room? 4. Add “make a to-do list” to your to-do list. Knowing what you have to do can help you stay on track and increase your odds of actually accomplishing tasks. 5. While you may turn to energy drinks, or something slightly stronger, to ease exam anxiety, I’ve found another beneficial beverage: chocolate milk. Unless your lactose intolerant, this elementary school throwback always manages to make me happy. Plus, some extra calcium in your system can’t hurt.

— Jamie Primeau, 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 and Sports editors and the Business Manager, unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed in signed editorials and letters to the editor are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Signal.

Marisa González, who now works for Teach for America in Texas tcnjsignal.net Telephone:

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Julia Corbett Production Manager Tom Ciccone Nation & World Editor Juliana Fidler Melissa Easaw Copy Editors Kevin Lee Sports Assistant Kelly Johnson News Assistant/Copy Editor Brendan McGrath A&E Assistant Annie Montero Features Assistant Janika Berridge Ashley Long Matthew Mance Photo Assistants Emilie Lounsberry Advisor Business Staff Dan Lisi Business/Ad Manager Natalie Schiavi Business Assitant

“It’s really dope that music can bring people from all walks of life together.” — rapper XV , a performer at the College Union Boar’s Hip-Hop Showcase event

Corrections The letter to the editor printed in the Nov. 16 issue was incorrectly signed Monika Potocki when it was actually written by multiple members of TCNJ Students for Life. The letter reflected the views of the group and not necessarily those of Potocki. We regret the error.

page 12 The Signal December 7, 2011

Santa is watching...

So be good and write for The Signal!

http://static.howstuffworks.com

December 7, 2011 The Signal page 13

Opinions The Signal Finding inspiration in others’ passion says ... By Gary Kehoe

which to me seemed to work like a pinball machine. He spoke for two hours. For me, the English major, wondering “What the huhfuck is this guy talking about”? Or for the physics majors whom I like to believe were wondering the same thing? Nope. I watched Jive Poetic move mountains with his voice, indifferent to whether the mountains were moved. I watched this man transform life experience into art and belt it into a Rathskeller of maybe 15 or 20 people. He left a day job for that. Passion. I’ve seen professional musicians cross state lines to join student performers in concerts whose audiences could not fill the first 10 rows. I’ve spoken with alumni who made the same trek to hear something they wrote years ago. Passion. I and everyone else have walked past a man on a street corner mastering an old instrument he probably found. Passion. I’ve heard myself complain of being bored. “What the huh-fuck am I talking about?” Though I will most likely still put marshmallows in my ears, I am grateful to the hand-bell choir for inspiring me to write this. My resolution: Seek passion. There is a gift being offered to you in that church or on that street corner or on that stage which is more rewarding than any you could box or bag.

Sitting amongst a quarter-full audience Stop: running I see 13 students swinging bells back outside, playing and forth, conducting a serene rendition Christmas music, of the “Westminster Chimes.” One of the marshmallows I brought falls out stressing over things of my ears and I can suddenly hear the It isn’t quite what I am used that seem to matter performance. to, nor what I would seek out, but since the marshmallow has rolled under the too much. in front of me I have no choice but Caution: studying seat to listen. I get to thinking. Is the sound for your finals, made for me? No. Seeing the musicians so absorbed in their art, overcrowded I think again that perhaps it isn’t being done for anyone else either. They are library, midnight not concerned about who sees or hears C-store trips, their music but are fulfilled by the mere Junior music major Michael Ippolito off the theatre walls, o v e r c a f f e i n a t e d reverberations the vibrations they feel in their chests. witnessing this is a gift being offered students, cold Nagging hand-bell choir, were it not for right under your nose. my article in The Signal you wouldn’t It’s like going to a beautiful cathedral as weather. even have known I was there — but thank an atheist to admire the architecture. Was the gift. the place built for you? No. Does it care if Go: study for youI for was not aware the extent to which you are present? Certainly not (especially finals, take time to talent and passion are readily available if you leave without dropping a five campus. I see it on the Crew team and in the altar box), yet the church is still relax, enjoy the last on I see it in Bliss Hall because I share those sublime and it offers you something —a few weeks of the pursuits. It was not until I began covering fulfillment in being a privileged audience events for The Signal, however, that I to the passion which the spectacle is semester, recognized the abundance of passion content with having all to itself. from my own. I’ve sat in a small classroom and get ready different I continue to learn that an appreciation watched a professor who travelled for a long for others’ passion is as valuable as having from India rave about black holes and (and much- passion of one’s own. The privilege of multiplexes, at peace in his own head needed) Letter to the editor An equal rights poem winter To whom it may concern, College, just do SOMETHING. By Rolanda Raymond break. I was told there were two other Photo courtesy of Gary Kehoe

Policies

The Signal is published weekly during the academic year and is financed by the Student Activities Fee (SAF) and advertising revenue. Any student may submit articles to The Signal. Publication of submitted articles is at the discretion of the editors. The letters section is an open forum for opinions. Submissions that announce events or advertise in any way will not be printed. All letters should be sent via e-mail to signal@tcnj.edu. Handwritten letters should be sent to The Signal, c/o The Brower Student Center, The College of New Jersey, PO Box 7718 Ewing, N.J. 08628 or placed in our mailbox in the Student Life Office. Letters must be received by the Friday before publication and should not exceed 300 words. The Signal reserves the right to edit letters for space and clarity. All letters must be signed, with a phone number and address of the author. Requests to withhold the author’s name will be honored only if there is a legitimate reason. All materials submitted become the sole property of The Signal. The editors reserve the right to edit or withhold all articles, letters & photographs. The Signal willingly corrects factual mistakes. If you think we have made an error, please contact The Signal at (609) 7712424, write to the address listed

On Friday, Nov. 18 my car was stolen from the parking garage of TCNJ. All the doors were locked, and windows closed. While the police officers with whom I filed the report with were sympathetic and understanding, that’s about where the civility stopped. Through no fault of the College, my insurance did not cover the theft. I did not carry a comprehensive policy on my 1994 Honda Accord, and so my insurance company offered no assistance, but I was hoping the college I pay thousands of dollars to attend would at least make an effort to help. However, after speaking with the Campus Police department, the parking office and various school administrators, I realized this would not be the case. The College of New Jersey has done nothing. No apology, no refund of parking pass, no phone call or email, no compensation of any kind in any way. I realize that it is impossible for the College to be crime-free, but it is possible for them to have some sort of decency, and they should start working on that. Install cameras, have police officers do more than write tickets, put a gate on every garage, have an officer at the entrances to the

thefts besides mine just this month. What will it take for something to change? To make matters worse, after Thanksgiving, I was informed the appeal I had filed for a parking ticket I received had been declined. My car had broken down, and so from Wednesday night to Friday morning I had parked in Lot 6 with my girlfriend’s car. In this time I received a ticket. I pay over $300 to park on TCNJ’s campus, so I figured they would understand this one instance where I did not have a decal. I filed an appeal, stating the reason for my “lack of a valid decal” but apparently my reason wasn’t good enough. And just to cap it all off, I was left with no choice but to purchase a used car. When I went to the parking office to get my new decal (which I was assured would be no problem) I was charged $8 for the replacement sticker. So, just to clarify: $314 Parking Pass, $50 Parking ticket (Issued in the two days I used a different car), $8 fee for the replacement decal and a stolen vehicle Well done, TCNJ. Thanks for all the help. Sincerely, Ryan O’Donnell

Does something really grind your gears? Write an opinion and email it to orlichf1@tcnj.edu

It is well-known that women have gone through plights to be on equal status with men; however, it is still not achieved. There are still prejudices and discriminatory acts against women in many areas such as work and school. We all have much to learn on equality and tolerance, but something small can make the biggest effect. How hard is it to erase centuries of unforgettable history Of fighting and struggling to tell an untold story An invisible band around our mouths That stifles words of wisdom, our only option to shout Yet it’s heard as barely a whisper, suffocated under an illusion That all is fair, thus operating with the false conclusion Of “thank God almighty we are free at last” But privilege, oppression, power, are not things of the past The presence of inequality has become so cunning So clever and overt that it’s actually quite daunting The scariest of all is what lies underneath What’s on my exterior may not represent what’s beneath Causing us to wonder the reasons by others action Painfully fighting or ignoring the obvious temptation To ask, is it because I’m black… a woman...an immigrant? Playing close attention to find subtle hints Let it be known that there needs to tolerance Or is it known and individuals choose reticence? Nurturing, caring, gentle, inferior to a male Is that your definition of a female? Strong, aggressive, tough, able to fend Are those abilities reserved for men? Am I abnormal for wanting to be competitive? Unable to use the opportunity to freely live In a society where I am not passed over Because of happenings I have no control over E pluribus unum, our supposed motto But is that what we really follow

page 14 The Signal December 7, 2011

Fun Stuff

Letter from the Editor (See what I did there?)

Dear dedicated Signal reader, First, let me just say that I would totally shout you out by name if I were allowed to. But instead, here’s the obligatory “you know who you are.” You know who you are. Now that that’s out of the way, down to business. Last week, I laid down the challenge to Signal readers to send in 20 pictures of people with the “Kick Me” sign pictured in Fun Stuff to the paper. In exchange, I offered an entire paper full of Fun Stuff. Unfortunately, I wrote a check my ass couldn’t cash. I’m not the first person in history to do this. I seem to remember Arnold from “Hey Arnold” doing it once. Ben Affleck does it every time he stars in a movie. LeBron told the world the Heat would win seven championships. The fact of the matter is, I’m not important enough to make that happen. Sad, I know, but true. This was a case of me underestimating the readers of this fine paper. I will, however, offer this: First, an apology to the fine reader who sent all of the photos to the left of this letter in. I genuinely hope that none of those people knew the signs were there (and that maybe they got kicked once or twice? I know, I’m terrible). Second, a guarantee to continue to put out the Funnest damn Stuff there ever was week to week.

Sudoku Easy

Sincerely, Alex Wolfe Sports Editor Resident Fun Stuff Maker Person

(Back by popular demand)

Hard

Caption contest!

So, Fun Stuff. Pretty cool section, huh? But we want your opinions, ideas, angry rants! E-mail wolfea1@tcnj.edu or signal@tcnj.edu with any of the above.

Damn, that cat’s so scary and cute at the same time! And yeah, we’re rocking a cat theme here at The Signal this week.

Best caption gets it published with their name on the first Fun Stuff of Spring semester. I can do that one for real. E-mail signal@tcnj.edu. I’ll even pose for a picture with the winner and put that in the paper too. Fo’ real.

December 7, 2011The Signal page 15 Yeah, that’s a narwhal. So what? Want to fight about it?!

Two Scullduggeries??? Aww hell yeah! First, The Signal would like to thank Jack Scully for his very funny comics.

... Secondly, here’s some kittens.

Urban Dictionary Word Match You learn something new every day. Today, you will learn 10. __ The act of being so angry at someone that you find Words Definitions 1. Procrasturbating 2. Rebecca Black 3. Vajazzle 4. Fuckit List 5. Yao Ming 6. Critical ass 7. Keanu Reeves 8. Tiger’s wife mad 9. Nouveau douche 10. Alaskan pipeline

This here section be rated “ARRRR!”

__To give the female genitals a sparkly makeover with crystals so as to enhance their appearance. __ A person with a little bit of money who thinks that their small bankroll gives them the right to discard manners and class. __ An increment of measure equal to 7 feet 5 inches or approximately 2.27 meters. __ The stage in fat accumulation when fabric can no longer contain the enormity of one’s buttocks. __ A selected person, a chosen one.

the item they cherish most and beat them with it.

__ The act of pooping into a condom, freezing the rubber overnight, then inserting it into ones anus. __Accomplished musical artist renowned for her skills in reciting the days of the week while having lots of FUN FUN FUN. Her life has been characterized by a series of difficult decisions, such as picking a seat on the way to school. __Using masturbation to otherwise occupy yourself while pressing matters await. __ A list of people, male or female, you want to have sexual intercourse with before you die.

page 16 The Signal December 7, 2011

Features

Professor on quest for answers, finds award By Catherine Michaelsen Correspondent

When he’s not teaching history at the College, Associate Professor Robert McGreevey enjoys reading, watching films, traveling, biking and exploring with his 6-year-old son. But it’s his passion for history and his ability to foster similar enthusiasm in his students that earned McGreevey the title of Teacher of the Year from the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance. After reading papers written by students in McGreevey’s spring 2011 seminar on 20th century Trenton, NJSAA members and Celia Chazelle, the College’s history department chair, nominated McGreevey for his implementation of N.J. history in the classroom. “I’m honored. I should share the award with my students, all of whom did great work,” McGreevey said. He also wished he could share it with Wendy Nardi, archivist of the Trentoniana Collection at the Trenton Public Library. Nardi “really opened the door to her archives for us,” he said. Nardi directed McGreevey to an unprocessed collection of documents from the Trenton Committee for Unity, a group of Jewish and African-American activists that sought to confront racism and anti-semitism in Trenton during the 1940s and ’50s. McGreevey’s seminar group of 15 students gathered in Trenton’s library to explore and organize the collection while developing original, archive-based projects. “We learned to do the work of real historians,” said Nicole Valdez, senior history major. “I felt a profound sense of ownership over my work because I was analyzing primary documents that had never been written about before.” McGreevey developed the idea for a hands-on, research-based class while teaching at Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University, where he experimented with a course

Photo courtesy of Robert McGreevey

Professor Robert McGreevey receives the Teacher of the Year award from Maxine Lurie, a committee member of the NJSAA. on 20th century Nashville. “It was such a success that I wanted to try something like that as soon as I got here,” he said. Since starting at the College in 2009, McGreevey taught late 19th and early 20th century American history, specializing in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. He is also interested in connections between America and the world and the history of cities. McGreevey’s enthusiasm for Trenton’s history has left a lasting impact on his students. Trevor McLaughlin, senior history and secondary education double major, learned to look at Trenton from a global perspective. “(McGreevey) showed us how the city of Trenton served as a microcosm of larger events, including white flight and desegregation occurring in many other Northern

urban centers,” McLaughlin said. Another student, Autumn Dilley, developed an interest in local history while taking the course. “It was because of this seminar actually that I decided to pursue an internship at the Trentoniana Archive Collection last summer,” the senior history and music double major said. In addition to earning Dilley an internship, the experience inspired her to pursue a master’s degree in library science with a focus on archival work. McGreevey was similarly influenced by his history professors during his undergraduate years at Swarthmore College. “I just had such respect for what they did,” he explained. After earning a BA in history, McGreevey taught high school for three years before pursuing his MA and Ph.D. in American history at Brandeis University. “After working a few years, it was very clear in my mind that I wanted to be a professor,” he said. “Some people feel a lot of pressure to jump right into grad school, but sometimes a career for a year or two can be really clarifying.” McGreevey found his commitment to historical research and creative teaching at the College to be a great balance. “I love TCNJ. Part of what stood out to me when I was interviewing was my colleagues, who are wonderful teacher-scholars,” he said. “Then when I came and saw the students that really sealed the deal because we have wonderful, bright students.” According to Valdez, McGreevey definitely deserved the Teacher of the Year award. “(McGreevey) challenges his students to think critically about the historical events and institutions that have shaped local history, helping them to gain a deeper understanding of the complexity and diversity of their own community and the origins of contemporary social issues,” she said. “In this way, his students not only become better historians, but also better citizens.”

At first taste of salsa, spice is just right Heroes come to

Katie Occhipinti / Columnist

Chips and salsa are a solid start to a zesty meal at Tortuga’s. By Katie Occhipinti Columnist There’s no need for bread and butter when you can have chips and salsa — salsa so good that you may find yourself abandoning the chips and eating it with a fork. At Tortuga’s Mexican Village, warm chips and homemade salsa hit the table before you even have a chance to take your coat off. Tortuga’s is located at 41 Leigh St. in Princeton, right outside the hustle and bustle of the main street. A 20-minute ride from campus is not far to travel for the most authentic Mexican food around. When you dine here everyone is a “señor” or “señorita.” The food at Tortuga’s makes OnThe-Border look like McDonald’s. Zagat Survey — the trusted source to help consumers make informed decisions about restaurants — put them on its list of best buys. Prices are fair and portions are generous. Ordering off the lunch menu will run you about $10-12 and

dinner entrées range anywhere from $12 to $20. Expect to see a crowd of Princeton hipsters and intellectuals, or co-workers finally getting a chance to loosen their ties. Their entremesas (appetizers) include traditional favorites such as nachos, quesadillas and guacamole, which very well could be “the best guacamole north of the border,” as they claim. Some other classics are their chili and their taco salad. It is hard to go for Mexican food and not order a taco, so don’t fight the urge as it won’t steer you wrong. The “you pick” menu style allows you to pick two or three of your favorite type of tortilla (corn or flour, hard shell or soft shell), then choose a meat, cheese or vegetable filling. Top it off with a mild red sauce, a spicy green sauce or a chocolate nut sauce. The

best part is that every entrée comes with Mexican rice and refried beans. If you want to further customize your meal, hopefully you or the person you are dining with has a decent hold on the Spanish language because the staff is just as authentic as the food. The Carolina blue walls are tastefully decorated with authentic Mexican paraphernalia, a sombrero and ceramic turtles. Windows with clay-colored curtains let in the perfect amount of natural light and windowsills are decorated with live plants. Below the dull roar of happy eaters are the sounds of Mexican Mariachi music. There are a few things to know before you go, however. They only take cash or check, and if you want a cold beer or tequila with your taco, you have to bring your own. Once you eat here though, you will want to go back with everyone you know.

life for freshmen

Tom O’Dell / Photo Editor

Students visiting from Urban Promise High School of Camden, N.J., shared stories of heroes and hardships with a group of College freshmen last Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the Spiritual Center. Katie Occhipinti / Columnist

‘You pick’ what you want at Tortuga’s Mexican Village in Princeton, but you better bring cash and maybe some alcohol.

Read the full article about the event online at tcnjsignal.net

December 7, 2011 The Signal page 17

Teen moms: not what you see on TV A seasonal look at Greek fashion By Katie O’Dell Staff Writer

So how does one balance the demands of school and parenting? “There are a lot of nights filled with caffeine, and many days where my time flies by and I don’t underFor most college students, pregnant teenagers belong stand where an hour went,” Sarah said. to the realm of after-school television or hit teen movies. Her day begins with making her son breakfast at 7 However, for Sarah, a College senior asked that her last a.m. and doesn’t end until the early hours of the mornname and major not be printed, and 2010 graduate Jillian ing — a lifestyle she calls “both hectic and wonderRickett, these scenarios are much more personal than the ful.” She relies on her mother or fiancée to drop her latest episode of “Teen Mom.” son off at daycare, then picks him up herself after at“I hate it when people ask me if my life is similar to tending class. Sarah evenings are devoted to her son, those types of shows,” Sarah said. “I hear on shows like and it’s not until after 9 p.m., when her son has fallen ‘Teen Mom’ all the time that teen moms don’t finish col- asleep and her fiancée has departed for his night job, lege and they never end up in lasting relationships. This that she can begin her homework. annoys me to no end because Rickett dealt with similar once the media puts statements “There is such a negative con- experiences in her time at like this out there, it becomes the notation attached to young par- the College. answer society knows.” “There would be nights when ents that I didn’t want that to (my daughter) would not sleep, That’s not to say that being a young mother has been easy. be what people saw when they and regardless I had to wake Sarah used words like “scary” up and go to class each day,” looked at me.” and “lonely” to describe her Rickett recalled, who became —Sarah, pregnant while a sophomore at experience becoming pregnant at 18. senior College student the College. She continued her “Most of my friends didn’t studies while raising her daughknow really how to handle the ter, Kylie, now 3. situation,” she said, noting that the experience made it “I was sleep-deprived half of the time and stressed out possible to see “who truly loved and supported” her. over money and babysitters, and even my part time job Even with help from the baby’s father, whom she plans began to take a toll on me,” she said. to marry in June, Sarah felt the social pressure of being a Rickett’s situation was complicated when her mother young parent. informed her — “in the kindest way possible,” she insist“There is such a negative connotation attached to ed — that she would not be allowed to raise her daughter young parents that I didn’t want that to be what people in her home. With two years remaining before she could saw when they looked at me,” she said. “I work so in- finish her degree, Rickett moved in with Kylie’s father credibly hard all the time to do better, to be better.” and his family. “He was great throughout my pregnancy, but once Kylie was born, he began to withdraw himself from our small family. When Kylie was 4 months old I found out that he was cheating on me,” she said, explaining how her former boyfriend moved out-of-state and declined to have any contact with his daughter for nearly a year. In spite of this, she was forced to remain in his parents’ home for months until she was able to find another place to live. “I wanted what was best for my daughter, and that is what pushed me through,” Rickett said. Now 25 and a full-time teacher, Rickett said she is “thankful every day” for the recent changes in her life, which have included a fiancée (not Kylie’s father) and the prospect of pursuing a images.wikia.com graduate degree in school psychology. Fozzie doesn’t need any new maSarah insisted on the importance of overcoming these challenges to improve life, the way Rickett has. terial, but Features could always “I think it’s safe to assume that people can beat the use new ideas for columns. Have stereotypes that are constantly shown on TV,” Sarah one? Email Brendan McGrath at agreed. “I want people to know that they need to chalmcgrat28@tcnj.edu! lenge themselves to not judge what’s on the surface of someone’s life.”

Campus Style By Carly Koziol Columnist It’s that of year again where finding the perfect outfit to wear for your holiday bash is equally as hard as finding the perfect gift. Between finals, moving out and last minute Christmas shopping, buying a festive outfit is usually the last on your list. The generic holiday styles usually consist of: 1. The girl in an LBD who borrowed it from her friend … who conveniently wore it at last year’s annual bash. 2. The sequined blob who’s craving attention. 3. An ugly Christmas sweater that’s passed off as a joke but makes the person look like they gained 10 lbs. Don’t contribute to the holiday fashion crisis! Here are a few style suggestions to consider:

Janika Berridge / Photo Assistant

Sororities and fraternities alike took to the Library Auditorium stage on Tuesday, Nov. 29, showing off their best styles for the first annual ‘Greek Seasons Fashion Show.’ Mu Sigma Upsilon hosted this event, asking that the participants use their organizations’ official colors to create stylish outfits that suit each season.

Dressing for the holidays

• Limit the sparkles. Sequins and sparkles are a fun way to dress up for affairs, but the solid sparkly dress is overplayed. Choose a sequined skirt, a shiny top, or a crystal-embellished clutch to highlight one area of your outfit. Let your personality shine, not your entire body.

avoided on grounds of breaking an outdated rule. In order to spice up the monochromatic outfit, add a fur vest or accent with metallics. • Try a maxi skirt. This article crosses the femininity of a skirt with the conservatism of dress pants. Choose a bright gem tone and make the skirt your statement piece — meaning don’t over-accessorize.

• Fur is fabulous! Whether faux or real, a touch of fur adds a luxurious essence. When traveling to a holiday party, bundle up with a fur coat, shawl or scarf. Your entrance is sure to be marvelous. • Wear an all-white ensemble. According to Time Magazine, the rule banning white after Labor Day has unknown origins. Theories range from white as a heat deflector during the winter making it harder to stay warm to white as a symbol reserved for the elite. Winter white appears crisp and sophisticated; the look should not be

amulu.com

Gala Gonzalez of fashion blog Inside Am-Lul’s Closet wears a TopShop faux fur coat.

• Experiment with a new beauty look. Whether it’s a bold lip, a multi-colored smoky eye or an elegant up-do, the holidays are a perfect opportunity to try out something you wouldn’t be able to pass off on a daily basis. Swipe on Chanel’s Le Vernis nail polish or a Yves Saint Laurent inspired purple lip. Campus Style is looking for an assistant writer! Interested? Submit a relevant writing sample to koziol5@tcnj.edu.

page 18 The Signal December 7, 2011

WINTER SESSION! REGISTER TODAY! SOME SEATS STILL OPEN FOR THE FOLLOWING: AT TCNJ JANUARY 3 -13: ECO 101 / PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS ECO 102 / PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS FIN 239 / PERSONAL FINANCE LIT 200 / INTRODUCTION TO POETRY

TCNJ/PA January 3 -13: LIT 374 / AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1800

Visit: www.tcnj.edu/intersession

The Signal wishes you good luck on your ямБnals and a wonderful break! clipartspace.com

December 7, 2011 The Signal page 19

Arts & Entertainment Underground artists take top floor By Thalia Ortiz Staff Writer Students packed the house to see a night of musical performances at the “Hip-Hop Showcase” on Wednesday, Nov. 30 in the Brower Student Center. The event, sponsored by the College Union Board, brought together performers from all over campus as well as major hip-hop artists like K. Flay, XV and Grieves. K. Flay was first up and played several songs during her set, including “Less Than Zero” from her mixtape “I Stopped Caring in ’96,” which will be released in April. The artist had a very distinct style as a hip-hop performer where her songs were infused with electronic beats accompanied by her original raps.

Matthew Mance / Photo Assistant

Student rappers and professional hip-hop artists take 202 in the first ever Hip-Hop Showcase.

XV and Grieves also performed several of their songs at the showcase. During his performance, XV explained that he has been able to collaborate with many artists such as Wiz Khalifa and Mike Posner. “It’s really dope that music can bring so many people from all walks of life together” XV said. Grieves closed the showcase with songs like “Get Down,” and “Bloody Poetry” from the LP album “Together/Apart.” With numerous instruments that could be heard in the background of his performance (like a trumpet and steady percussion) Grieves’ songs evoked traces of both soul and punk, producing music that was a unique twist on conventional hip-hop. In between sets, student rappers were given a microphone for one minute and were expected to create a freestyle rap during a one-on-one battle. The individual who successfully made it though three rap battles by the end of the night won a $100 cash prize. The audience was asked to cheer on their favorite rapper and whichever contender gained the crowd’s approval was able move on to the next round while the other rapper was eliminated. While many of the freestylers attempted to prove themselves victorious, a student rapper by the name of Icy Hot was crowned the winner in the third round of the contest. Before the hip-hop music began, the College’s Black Out step team put together a performance. The group performed their routine through a series of energetic step combinations that livened up the crowd. At one point, the team even switched pace by performing an original rap to the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song. Overall, the showcase successfully displayed a wide variety of music pertinent to current trends in hip-hop. The refreshing performances were definitely a sight to see and hear.

Julie Novak / Staff Photographer

Shut up, read this, and watch this play! ¡No moleste, calle y pague, señora! (Shut Up, Don’t Bother Me, and Pay on Your Way Out, Lady!), sponsored by the Department of World Languages and Cultures, School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Center for Global Engagement, took place in the Library Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 30. A Spanish class performed the play, which deals with sexism during General Francisco Franco’s rule.

Wright reads poem ‘L’infinito’ Established

writer shows his literary ‘Goods’ at Rat

By Ivy Hollander Staff Writer Students of English and Italian gathered in the Business Building Lounge on Thursday, Dec. 1 to hear Simna Wright, professor of Italian, examine the poem “L’infinito” by Italian poet, essayist, philosopher and philologist Giacomo Leopardi. Wright began her close reading by offering the audience a glimpse of Leopardi’s sheltered, yet intellectual adolescence. Leopardi was born in 1798 to an aristocratic, though impoverished family. Until the age of 24, he never left his home of Recanati, Italy due to exceedingly conservative parents. Although isolated from society, Leopardi showed signs of immense intellectual strength, reading every volume in his father’s library. “He read systematically and voraciously,” said Wright. By the time he was 17, he wrote two treaties — one on astronomy and the other on the “errors of the ancients.” Through his studies, Leopardi became incredibly influential. “He was one of the most important figures of the 19th century,” Wright said. Continuing the presentation, Wright introduced the historical and cultural context of Leopardi’s life and work. He studied during the dawn of the Romantic period, at the close of the Enlightenment. Consequently, Leopardi’s poetry was a response to the time period — a way to express his ideas and the debates of the era. Wright went on to read “L’infinito,” written in 1819, in Italian and then later in English, saying “it was very difficult to find an English version” that was in any way comparable to the original poem. Even so, Wright discussed the poem in English, explaining how “Leopardi takes few elements of a landscape and

By Jen Lombardi Correspondent

Janika Berridge / Photo Assistant

Italian professor Simona Wright, offers interpretation of “L’infinito” by Giacomo Leopardi.

makes them extremely significant. Leopardi was interested in nature, particularly how human beings were detached from their environment. His inclusion of the narrative voice in “L’infinito” shows the poem’s separation from nature. As Wright said, Leopardi understood that the Romantics could never be like the ancients, “who felt a unison with nature.” Proceeding with her discussion, Wright made the close reading an interactive experience, asking the audience questions about the interpretation of “L’infinito.” Much time was spent analyzing the binary of the imagination and reality, which is a central theme of the poem. According to Wright, the Romantics were in search of the infinite and the absolute, which was manifested in the imagination. In Leopardi’s poem, “the imagined reality is the indefinite,” Wright said. “The reading was entertaining and informative,” said junior English and secondary education double major Gabby Salvemini. “I could listen to (Wright) speak all day.”

The Rathskeller moonlighted as a coffeehouse this past weekend as ink hosted The Goods — a showcase of the College’s talent culminating with contemporary shortfiction writer Ben Loory, on Saturday, Dec. 3. A series of 24 student musicians, poets and writers preceded Loory was preceded to the stage however, and kept the creative juices flowing from noon until night in this all-day celebration of the arts. Headliner Loory was welcomed with applause and excitement. The 40-year-old author and Harvard grad, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker, took the stage armed with his book, “Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day.” A compilation of fictional accounts that include everything from Big Foot to a man that finds a snake in his throat, “Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day,” highlights ink’s motto — “Dare to create.” Loory shared eight short stories from his book, including such fan-favorites as, “The Duck,” which tells the tale of a duck who falls in unrequited love with a rock and, “The Knife Act,” a story about two friends who spontaneously decide to play catch with knives. While the absurdity of Loory’s tales left the audience in laughter, each story also presented heart-warming morals ranging from the bonds of friendship to the power of confidence and the importance of acceptance. Jacob Cafaro, sophomore history major, captured the hopefulness that coats Loory’s stories in a short quesion-and-answer session after the reading when he asked, “Do you believe in miracles?” Loory smiled and answered, “Yes, absolutely.” Yet, while Loory’s numerous fables always come full circle, the author admitted

that when he begins a story, “I never have any idea at all” where it will go or what it will be about. As a room packed with English majors and writers listened closely, Loory disclosed his creative process, paralleling story writing to “an investigation, a discovery.” “There’s always a story,” Loory said, “I firmly believe that any first line you can write, that’s a story. All you have to do is follow the premise to the end.” So, what’s the secret to Loory’s success? Travel the open road with simply a pen and paper, no GPS, no map, and just get in the car and see where it takes you. “Before I became a writer, I had ideas of things that I wanted to say and I would stress over what things meant and I couldn’t write anything,” Loory said. “Then I said, ‘Fuck it.’” It wasn’t until that point that Loory was able to make his start as a screenwriter and then become a successful author of short-fiction.

Photo Courtesy of Alicia Cuomo

Performer Lou Klein, senior statistics and sociology double major, plays with his band A Major Triad.

page 20 The Signal December 7, 2011

Be part of the 99%

And write for The Signal next semester!

http://roarmag.org

December 7, 2011 The Signal page 21

Musicians make memorable melodies Chamber Music Recital By Gary Kehoe Correspondent Five sharply-dressed musicians entered the stage of Mildred and Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall on Wednesday night. After a confident bow, a night of splendid performance commenced. Though recent music department performances have featured soloist ability, the Chamber Music Recital was all about harmony. The night featured an eclectic display of fine small ensemble pieces with impressive numbers from a Brass Quintet, Saxophone Quartet, Wind Octet, Horn Ensemble and Handbell Choir. The recital opened with an impressively self-conducted brass quintet. Sounding trumpets lead the group through a gradual three-movement build in a piece by Arthur Frackenpohl The Saxophone Quartet nailed a smooth “Tocatta in F” and later a peppy “Yo!” by Andre Cimiotti, featuring the quick scale-work

of senior marketing major Zach Sollitto. A special highlight of the night was the handbell Choir’s serene rendition of “Ave Maria.” Despite the time, effort, and natural talent on display, the audience was short of what the musicians deserved. “It’s unfortunate,” said Michael Ippolito, junior music major with a saxophone concentration, who offered a performer’s perspective. “Even for big concerts the audience relies on the number of parents who can make it. You find out about upcoming events on the back of a program. There has to be a better way to advertise.” Ippolito is one of countless music students who commit themselves to great performance regardless of audience. “It would be nice, however,” he added, “if more people could see and hear what we’re doing every day.” Those who were in attendance certainly appreciated the dedication. College Chorale By Ryan Rousseau Correspondent An afternoon of musical revelry titled “Swingin’ with the Choirs of TCNJ” was put

on by the various vocal groups of the College on Sunday Dec. 4, funded by the department of music. Starting off the event was TCNJ College Chorale, which performed the songs “Dinga-Ding,” “They Say It’s Wonderful,” “La Muerte del Ángel,” “Somewhere” and “Blue Skies”. College Chorale is a course designed for “the musically advanced choral student,” according to the department of music, and is open to all majors pending an audition. The all-female TCNJ Women’s Ensemble was next and performed timeless classics as “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music, the spiritual “This Little Light of Mine” and “Rock-A-Bye Baby.” Concluding the afternoon’s festivities came the largest of the groups, TCNJ College Choir. Many of the pieces performed featured student instrumental accompanists, such as freshman music education major, David McNally on bass in both “Route 66” and “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.” “I think it went really smoothly considering how many transitions we had to do and the number of soloists,” said sophomore history and secondary education double major Emily Davis, a soprano in the group. Amid the final thunderous applause, the audience praised the talent of the day’s performers. The lights came back on and as the crowd poured out into the lobby, one couldn’t help but admire the proud and accomplished faces of all the singers as they came out to thank their supporters.

and execution of a percussion piece could be. Under director William Trigg, the night introduced the unique, contemporary field of percussion ensemble. The performance began ominously. Musicians sat scattered throughout the audience ringing bells. As the ringing got louder, they began to form a procession onto the stage to stand by their instruments. The piece continued to compile instruments and volume, building to a furious crescendo. Although the night aimed to show that percussion was more than just “banging on stuff,” Trigg explained that many of the sounds were discovered by simply listening. Pieces ranged from placid and imaginative to brash and aggressive. The stage was adorned with snare drums, gongs and even car-brake “drums.” One would say the ensemble featured everything but a kitchen sink — at least until sophomore music education major Cory Nickerson began playing wash tubs. “I always equate a percussion ensemble to a live sculpture,” Trigg said. “The set is always changing. It’s visually as well as audibly stimulating.” Senior music major Marc Chait received a special introduction before taking center stage to conduct a choice piece. With Friday night’s Percussion Ensemble, the music department proved mastery of both the contemporary and the classic. In the study and mastery of music performance, there is still a place for that basic instinct to go “Animal.”

Percussion Ensemble By Gary Kehoe Correspondent

Vicki Wang / Staff Photographer

Student musicians and vocalists perform what they have been working on all semester long for the College community.

Those who came to Mayo Concert Hall last Friday night expecting to see an assortment of Dale Dobacks senselessly beating drum sets to “Boats n’ Hoes” were very disappointed. The TCNJ Percussion Ensemble proved how intricate and enjoyable the composition

Captivating time travel and lies By Nick Elliot Signal Book Critic

Already an international bestseller, Felix J. Palma’s time traveling novel, “The Map of Time,” arrives stateside with this thoroughly imaginative first entry in a planned trilogy. Set in Victorian London, the novel is written in three parts. The first follows the lovesick and affluent Andrew Harrington on a quest to go back in time to prevent his lover’s murder by Jack the Ripper. In the second part, Claire Haggerty is swept into a love affair with Captain Shackleton, a hero from the future who saves the world from destruction in the year 2000. Inspector Garrett is at a loss to solve a murder mystery in which each victim is found with a gaping hole in their chest, a wound inexplicable in Victorian technology, in the final part. A fictional H. G. Wells is one of the novel’s primary characters. He is sought out as an expert in time travel after the publication of “The Time Machine.” Palma weaves an entertaining, genre-bending tale that fully immerses the reader in a different time and place. The novel is fairly complex in terms of plot, but in general Palma does an excellent job of managing the story and maintaining its excitement. Non-science fiction readers often feel like they need a “Time Travel for Dummies” guide to follow the specifics of the phenomenon. Here, Palma does a commendable job explaining the subject while keeping the narrative interesting. If anything, the novel runs a bit long and would benefit from a more compact plot. Nevertheless, “The Map of Time” holds the reader captive in a feat of storytelling.

“Lying” I would normally take pleasure in recommending Sam Harris’s new book, “Lying,” to anyone reading this review, but to do so would ignore what is substantial in this text.

Want more A&E? Visit tcnjsignal.net!

A new band shows its Wise side Wise Blood “These Wings”

“The Map of Time”

By Chris Delaney Signal Book Critic

Tim Lee / Staff Photographer

felixjpalma.es; samharris.org

New novels from respected authors provide interesting takes on time and relationships. Sam Harris contends that “lying, even about the smallest matters, needlessly damages personal relationships and public trust.” He believes that ewhite lies or withholding information can negatively impact others in ways we normally wouldn’t consider. Eliminating such superficial lies and allowing ourselves to be subject to a more truthful reality could benefit mankind. And in defending this contention, Harris repeatedly points out information which most people genuinely know but are reluctant to admit to themselves. Harris brings an interesting take on lying which inspires one to ruminate on one’s own lies. This short book, which is more of an essay, is available on Amazon for $2 and is definitely worth the price; however, it lacks the bite and normal worldview-altering prose of his other works. If you are already a fan of this neuroscientist’s work, it might be worth the read, if only because it is so short. If you have never read anything by Harris, I recommend first looking into his earlier works such as “Letter to a Christian Nation,” “The Moral Landscape” or “The End of Faith.” “Lying” does not do justice to Harris’s usual standard of work.

LIT CORNER

By Shannon Junior WTSR Assistant Music Director The 21-year-old Pittsburgh native, Chris Laufman, is the heart and soul of Wise Blood. His goal for this EP was to incorporate many songs into one short album, just as multiple instruments blend to create a single song. This 17-minute dose of abstract beats combines elements of progressive rock, electronica and even classic 80s rock, but the best part of this album is undoubtedly the lyricism and vocals. Laufman has an awesomely eerie voice, and he is able to inject humor into his words about life and love. Although Wise Blood is relatively new to the music world, Laufman has been quickly recognized; he appeared at CMJ 2011 and in the New York Times, was featured as one week’s Popcast. With a unique sound such as this, Wise Blood is looking ahead to even more double-takes from listeners, especially with future releases. Focus Tracks: “Darlin’ You’re Sweet,” “I’m Losing my Mind,” “Nosferatu, Penthouse Suites”

page 22 The Signal December 7, 2011

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TCNJ 5K MEMORIAL FUND FUN-RUN When: December 11, 2011 Registration: 10:00am-11:30am (Sun Dial Lawn) *$5 minimum donation to participate in run/walk or *

Race begins at Noon by Lions Stadium and ends on the track! You can also make your gift online at: www.tcnj.edu/give Remember to note in the section that you would like your gift to support:

TCNJ Club Sport Memorial Fund Memorial Code: FY12SCLUB

Help celebrate the lives and memories of 3 former Club Sport Athletes whom have passed away: Kathleen “Walshie” Walsh (Women’s Club Soccer), Jason “Control” Cairns (Men’s Rugby), & Ken “Flamer” Johnsen (Men’s Rugby) All monies collected will go towards the Memorial Fund in order to recognize two current student-club sport athletes on campus that display characteristics such as good character, sense of humor, academic excellence and good sportsmanship.

Sponsored by TCNJ CLUB SPORTS PROGRAM Email dsimpson@tcnj.edu or rheat1@tcnj.edu for more details.

December 7, 2011 The Signal page 23 Women’s Basketball

Women’s basketball drops Profs 69-55 By Kevin Lee Sports Assistant

Ashley Long / Staff Photographer

Imhof had 10 rebounds vs. Rowan.

Lions Profs Lions Pioneers

69 55 53 71

The women’s basketball team finished last week by splitting a pair of games. To begin the week, the Lions defeated Rowan University, but fell to fourth-ranked William Paterson to close the week. Last week’s slate of games left the Lions with a 4-3 record for the season. “I thought that we played pretty well against Rowan,” head coach Dawn Henderson said. “We also played pretty well against Paterson for about 30 minutes. The difference in the two games can almost be pointed directly to our turnovers.” The Lions used a late 15-1 run late in the second half to give themselves a 69-55 victory. They had extremely balanced scoring,

Field Hockey

having five different players score in double digits. Senior forward Hannah Tait led all scorers with 15 points. “I think that we have a lot of different weapons on this team,” said Henderson. “If everyone is doing their job on offense, we should have balanced scoring. Tait, Imhof and DeTulio are three of those explosive weapons that we have and they have been a big part of our success thus far.” The Lions excelled in all aspects of the game, having one of their best games statistically. The team dominated the boards, outrebounding the Profs by a margin of 13. Senior guard Jessica Imhof led the Lions with 10 rebounds. The Lions also made seven fewer turnovers and committed four more steals, playing efficient basketball. Ending the week, the College took on fourth-ranked William Paterson. The Lions played a sound 30 minutes of basketball leading the Pioneers 45-37, but could not hold on

late in the game — ultimately losing by a score of 71-53. Turnovers were a key blemish in the Lions’ execution. The Lions committed 26 turnovers, resulting in a low offensive output. On the defensive end, the Lions could not keep the Pioneers off the boards, getting outrebounded 41-34. The Lions, however, received great bench production, in which the bench contributed 20 points compared eight points from the Pioneers’. Imhof led the Lions with 12 points, and nailing two 3-pointers, continuing her impressive season. The Lions are back home this week to begin a four game home-stand, giving them a great opportunity to improve their record. “Our goal for this week will be to go 3-0,” said Henderson. “We would like to defend our home court, and the three teams we are playing are tough opponents, but hopefully playing at home will push us to that goal.”

Men’s Basketball

Big Win / Team starts strong continued from page 28

Ashley Long / Staff Photographer

Senior defender Alex Okuniewicz added another piece of hardware to her collection this past week after the field hockey team won the Division III National Championship, winning the 2011 Longstreth/ National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III National Player of the Year. She was third on the team with 33 points this year, and led the air-tight Lions D that took the team to the championship.

that’s what helps the team win, so I’ve got to keep doing that,” Ettin said. “I mean, hustle plays count a lot. We get extra baskets, we force turnovers, we get in the other team’s head and let them know we’re not soft and we’re not going to quit playing.” This new mentality has led to the team’s first winning record since the 2009-10 season. “It feels great, and to win two home games back-to-back, it feels great,” Matlock said. Matlock has stepped in and taken a lot of the time at point guard as a freshman, filling the stat sheet in different ways. He had seven points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds against the Rangers. “(I just) calm down, and make that one pass, and the offense kind of does itself,” Matlock said. Matlock is still a young player, but faith from the coaching staff has put him in a major role to begin the season. “We understand that he’s a freshman, but he’s been around and he’s doing an excellent job right now,” Williams said. “He’s a competitor, he’s extremely tough and he has a nice feel for the game.” While it was hard to pick out the best individual performance against Drew, the best play of the game was loud and clear — an

alley-oop pass to Cancillieri on a beautiful back door play. “Coach set up a little back door for me, (to) get the crowd into it, and, fortunately, it worked,” Cancillieri said. “We work on that (play), and I think that’s the luxury of having an athlete like (Cancillieri),” Williams said. “We haven’t had that luxury in the last couple years to have an athlete with that kind of athletic ability to call a play (like an alley-oop).” The win against Drew gave the team a two-game winning streak after a tight win over Rowan on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 74-70. While the team has been out-rebounded in every contest this year, they’ve kept it a lot closer than it was last year. “That’s an area that we still have to improve as we go into the NJAC, because their teams are still bigger and stronger and things along those lines,” Williams said. “But it’s nice to see that there’s some positive results coming off of their energy in regards to rebounding the basketball.” Even with a two-game win streak, the team is not satisfied. “It’s my first year here, so it’s kind of a new culture this year than it was last year here,” Ettin said. “It feels good and we’ve just got to keep pushing it. We’re not happy with two, no way.”

Cheap Seats

As the Eagles struggle, one man is to blame

AP Photo

Andy Reid might be on the way out of Philly. By Nate Currie Correspondent

Though a self-confessed Eagles fan, I’ll admit that Andy Reid needs to go. Why? The Eagles are in shambles and though Philadelphia fans can put up with a lot, (I’ve watched the Flyers,

Phillies and Eagles since the late 1990s and believe me, a lot means a lot) the one thing that irks them is an underperforming team. In order to understand what went wrong, let’s wade through the team’s wreckage and look at some history. The Eagles last won a title more than a half-century ago. They lost both Super Bowl games they made it to (1980 and 2004). So, for the team to enter the 2011 season with a powerhouse roster that offered them a glimpse of potential Bowl glory, and enter December with a 4-8-0 record with four games to play is close to the last straw — even for the most diehard fans. As for the actual team’s capabilities, let’s look at last Sunday’s Patriots game. The Eagles were 4-of-13 on third down. They were a mere 2-of-4 in the red zone and committed 10 penalties for 60 yards. They failed to pressure Brady and allowed him to control the game from the pocket. Twice during the game fans chanted “Fire Andy.” Apparently Reid didn’t hear them, but he later agreed that with the way the team played, he “understands.” So, what’s going to happen to Philly’s beloved boys in green?

A few veterans note that the players are to blame. They, after all, make the plays not Reid. Yet it’s hard to believe that all the players feel that way. Look, for instance, at the recent butting of heads between Reid and DeSean Jackson. He was benched by Reid during the Arizona game because he missed a special-teams meeting. He sat again during the Patriots game after it looked like he purposely missed a catch that may have resulted in a bruise or two. According to Reid, he wanted to give other guys an opportunity to play. Jackson graciously admitted he wasn’t having his best streak. At the end of the day Jackson may be OK, but will the team? They’ve proven to be inconsistent and can’t seem to win at home. It’s almost inconceivable to think that they can win their last four games and break even. Now, it seems, they’re playing for pride alone, and is that enough of a motivator to win games? The rest of the season looks hairy. The team’s future looks hairier. Reid’s future looks downright furry.

page 24 The Signal December 7 2011

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December 7, 2011 The Signal page 25

4 6

LIONS

AROUND THE

DORM 5 3

Chris Molicki “The Ref”

Alex Wolfe Sports Editor

Brandon Gould Staff Writer

Bryan Bellanca Correspondent

In the Fall Around the Dorm championship, the “Ref,” Chris Molicki, challenges Sports Editor Alex Wolfe, Staff Writer Brandon Gould and Correspondent Bryan Bellanca to answer questions about who will come out on top in the NFC East, the early favorites to take the Finals in the post-lockout NBA and how Alabama v. LSU II will shake out in the NCAA Championship.

AP Photo

1. It looks to now be a two-team race in the NFC East. With two games left to play against each other, do you think the Cowboys or the Giants will win the division, and will the loser of the division get a wild card? AW: I think the Cowboys will end up taking the division. That’s not to say that I think the ’Boys are a particularly good team this year, but just the best of a surprisingly bad bunch. Normally the NFC East is one of the strongest divisions in football, but this year all of the teams have fallen pretty flat. The Eagles sucked (surprise), the Redskins sucked (no surprise) and the Giants started off hot but have gone on a lengthy losing streak recently. That leaves the Cowboys, who have been pretty good, and despite not having a stellar record, have definitely outplayed their division counterparts. Also, take this into account: The Cowboys have the Eagles and the Bucs in addition to their two match-ups with New York in their last four games. New York has the Redskins and the Jets. Although it wouldn’t have been the case at the beginning of the year, right now the ’Boys’ schedule is looking pretty easy compared to the Giants’. As far as the wild card, I give it almost no chance that the East loser takes it. Those spots should be the NFC South and Norths’ to fight over this year. BG: After what I saw last week, I think the Dallas Cowboys are going to come out of this division on top. The Cowboys were able to escape what could have been an ugly loss to the Miami Dolphins, while the New York Football Giants got destroyed by the New Orleans Saints. It looked like the Giants just flat out gave up at one point in that game. They’ve been hit hard by injuries all season and have been able to get by, but how much more can they take? Without Ahmad Bradshaw in the backfield, the Giants are not getting the workload they need out of their running backs and that is starting to impact Eli Manning. The Cowboys are by no means a great team, but they have been winning close games and Tony Romo has been playing well. I don’t like either team in terms of a Super Bowl pick, but I think the Cowboys are the better option to take the NFC East. BB: Both teams competing for the NFC East title have not had that great of seasons when you look at who each team has beaten. Only one of each of the Cowboys and Giants victories have come against teams with winning records. With that being said, I believe the Cowboys will end up winning the NFC East, based on the fact that they play three teams with records under .500 the remainder of the season

while the Giants only play one team with an under .500 record. I also do not believe that the Giants will make the playoffs because the incredibly hard schedule that they have to face has taken a toll on them and it was evident from their play against the Saints that their defense has just checked out as they have the 28th ranked defense and their ability to win is based on their defense. The Cowboys on the other hand have been playing solid football lately and have moved their defense up to the 12th ranked overall defense in the NFL. Plus, with the emergence of DeMarco Murray, it takes the pressure off of Tony Romo and gives the Cowboys a run game that will be big as the December weather sets in. CM: Brandon gets 3 points for pointing out that Tony Romo has been playing well. Bryan gets 2 points for saying how the Cowboys defense has improved. Alex gets 1 point for saying the Cowboys have an easier schedule. 2. The NBA is back! Who are your favorites to come out of each conference, and who do you think will win the Finals? AW: This is so tough since free agency hasn’t started yet, but here it goes: I think the favorite in the West this year has to be the Thunder. Kevin Durant is quickly becoming one of the top three or so best players in the league and he’s only going to get better. Oh, and there’s that guy Westbrook on that team too, who is pretty much a slightly poorer man’s Derrick Rose. James Harden also seems poised for a breakout season, and if he does, the Thunder could have a deadly Big Three. Speaking of, as much as I hate to say it as a Knicks fan, the Heat probably have the best chance to come out of the East. However, the East will be really competitive this year, and I don’t think it will be easy. But there’s no denying that the Heat’s Big Three plus a mid-level exception player would be pretty deadly. In Thunder v. Heat, Durantula v. LeBron, I would go Thunder, mostly because of the same mid-level exception point that I brought up with the Heat. I think the Thunder is a deep team that only stands to get deeper with the pending free agency, and has a bunch of young players ready to explode. BG: I think it’s hard to judge at this point because we don’t know where the free agents will end up, what trades will be made or who has been using the lockout to work out and who has been sitting at home playing “Call of Duty.” However, if I had to pick now, I’d say the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat. If he isn’t already, Kevin Durant will become the best player in the league this season. His game is just so impressive and I think his supporting cast is good enough to get the Thunder past some of the other teams.

Then there’s the Miami Heat and the Big Three. There is no team in the league who plays better when hitting on all cylinders than the Miami Heat. They made it all the way to the Finals in year one basically riding three players. If they add guys who can actually play beside them, watch out. BB: Right now my favorites to come out of each conference are the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Looking ahead to the season, due to the lockout and the shortened training camp, the 66-game schedules the teams will play in a shorter time will allow younger teams to have an advantage because younger players will be able to handle the stress on the body that a compressed schedule will have. Also, teams that do not have a lot of turnover from the previous season will benefit, sort of like how the Packers benefited in football. The Thunder and Bulls have two of the best young superstars in the NBA, and both teams have a solid starting lineup and a good bench unlike a lot of the other top teams in each conference. The Bulls were a shooting guard away last year and I believe that will be their top priority when the free agency begins. The Thunder’s acquisition of Perkins at last years trade deadline will pay huge dividends this year as I believe they have the most complete starting five in the NBA and that is why I think the Thunder will win the NBA championship. CM: Alex gets 3 points for talking about how deep the Thunder is. Bryan gets 2 for saying the younger teams will have an advantage. Brandon gets 1 point for saying how the Heat made it to the finals with no supporting cast. 3. Alabama and LSU are on a crash course for a rematch for the National Championship. Do you think the game will be similar to the last one? And who will win? AW: I think it’s still going to go LSU’s way. For the sake of the fans of college football, I hope it doesn’t go like the last game, and I think there’s reason to believe it won’t. Second games between teams (especially in college football where they typically only face each other once a year) almost never go the same as the first time. I’m thinking it still won’t be a high-scoring affair, but it could have scores that break 20. The reason I pick LSU is because I have more faith in their quarterbacks than ’Bama’s quarterback. Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson present a deadly QB platoon, and I think that Les Miles will think of some more creative ways to use them, as well as the team’s three (three!) 500-plus yard rushers to the team’s advantage. I say 24-20 LSU in a (hopefully) more entertaining game, because of LSU’s offensive and defensive depth. BG: I think the game will have more scoring than the first time around — I mean it has to, right? These two defenses have not gotten any

AP Photo

worse, but I think the offenses will be ready to improve upon their hideous performance from the Game of the Century: Part One. LSU is now riding on the arms and legs of Jordan Jefferson, who is much more dangerous than Jarrett Lee. The Tigers’ backfield just gained yet another weapon in freshman Kenny Hilliard, who torched Arkansas. Alabama on the other hand will benefit from experience and rest from injuries. A.J. McCarron was terrible against LSU, plain and simple, but I think he’ll be ready this time around. The Crimson Tide will also benefit from having the combination of running back Eddie Lacy and wide receiver Marquise Maze at 100 percent in this one, which will help give a boost to the offense alongside Heisman hopeful Trent Richardson. Alabama, 20. LSU, 16. BB: I think the BCS National Championship game will be identical to the first time LSU and Alabama played each other this season. Alabama has the first-ranked defense in college football in terms of yards and points per game, and LSU has the second-ranked defense in terms of yards and points per game. So there is no reason to suspect that two teams that have prided themselves on their ability to play defense all season long will not continue to do so. This game will come down to what team can score a touchdown, and to do that someone on either team is going to need to step up. I believe Alabama is going to win this rematch because they have the best offensive player on the field in terms of Trent Richardson, and if their kicker could make a kick they would have won the first game. Richardson only had 89 yards in the first game, but since that game has averaged 168 yards a game. I believe Richardson combined with the more consistent quarterback play Alabama has, since LSU goes between two quarterbacks every game, will give Alabama the advantage in this game. CM: Brandon gets 3 points for talking about how both teams have improved and gotten healthier. Alex gets 2 points for talking about the LSU rushing attack. Bryan gets 1 point for saying Trent Richardson will be the x-factor.

Brandon wins the AtD championship, 7 - 6 - 5.

Winner’s Circle “Roll Tide.” - Brandon

AP Photo

page 26 The Signal December 7 2011

Catch Up or Get Ahead During 2010-11 Winter Sessions* at Mercer County Community College Register now to reserve your seat!

For students seeking to complete a class in six weeks online or in three weeks on campus this winter, Mercer County Community College offers two accelerated sessions during its traditional mid-winter break.

2010-11 Winter Sessions

Length

Starts

Ends

Registration Deadlines in-person online

Virtual College (online) distance learning

6 weeks

12/19/11

1/27/12

12/19/11

On-Campus classes

3 weeks

1/3/12

1/20/12

1/3/12

12/19/11 1/3/12

�� permission from their home college.

Get Academic Solutions at Mercer

Mercer’s new Winter Session includes over 40 courses from across the college curriculum.

SCAN ME! View classes and enroll at www.mccc.edu/winter WINTER SESSION

Questions? Admissions or registration assistance: (609) 570-3795 or email admiss@mccc.edu

Dining Hours for the Last Day of the Fall 2011 Semester:

TUESDAY, 12-20: The Atrium at Eickhoff– 7:30am-8:00pm BSC Food Court– 7:30am-5pm Library Café– 7:30am-7:00pm The C-Store– 10:00am-5:00pm The 1855 Room–11:30am-2pm Fair Grounds– Closed Kineticart– 8:30am-2:30pm The Rat– Closed TDubs – Closed Dining Hours for the Beginning of the Spring 2012 Semester: MONDAY, 1-16: The Atrium at Eickhoff– 4:00pm-9:00pm TDubs – 6:00pm– 1:00am BSC Food Court– 7:00am-8pm Library Café– 7:30am-1:00am The C-Store– 12:00pm-1:30am All other dining facilities are closed. TUESDAY, 1-17: The Atrium at Eickhoff– 7:30am-9:00pm TDubs – 6:00pm– 1:00am BSC Food Court– 7:00am-8pm Library Café– 7:30am-1:00am The C-Store– 10:00am-1:30am The 1855 Room–11:30am-2pm The Rat– 11:00am– 10:00pm Fair Grounds– 7:30am-2:30pm Kineticart– 8:30am-5:30pm COMMUNITY REMINDERS:

Don’t forget to take all valuables such as passports, computers, jewelry, money, medication , etc. They should be taken home during the break because no one will be allowed to reenter the residence halls at any time during the break.

24-HOUR QUIET HOURS BEGIN AT 11:00 PM–FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2011

Please contact your Residential Education staff if you have any questions.

Residential Education and Housing

Winter Break Closing A Notice for TCNJ Residential Students

December 2011

Dear Resident:

All residence halls will close for winter break on Tuesday, December 20 at 8:00 PM. All residents must vacate the residence halls by this time and no exceptions can be made. Residents are expected to vacate the halls 24 hours after their last exam or by the closing date; which ever comes �irst. The residence halls will re-open at 10:00 AM on Monday, January 16, 2012

Please remember that the Housing Of�ice must approve all residents who wish to not remain in housing during any point in the academic year. If you are moving out and it has not been con�irmed by our of�ice, please contact us immediately. Students moving out of their fall assignment need to follow the instructions that will be sent via e-mail in the coming days. If you have a new room assignment for the spring, you will receive an email with further instructions in the coming days. This email will detail any possibility of being able to move your belongings into your new spring assignment. However, please do not leave any items in your fall assignment as these will be discarded to get the room ready for a new resident. NO STUDENTS MAY REMAIN IN THE RESIDENCE HALLS DURING THIS BREAK PERIOD

BEFORE YOU LEAVE PLEASE COMPLETE THIS CHECK LIST: Please be sure to complete the EBI survey that your student staff member gave to you by December 9.

Unplug all electrical appliances. Place all unplugged cords on top of the appliance.

All refrigerators should be emptied, defrosted, cleaned and unplugged at least two days prior to leaving. *Refrigerators in Townhouses, Apartments and the College Houses do not need to be unplugged but should be cleaned and all perishables removed and temperature set at the lowest setting. Please be advised that staff will be unplugging any refrigerators left plugged in for all other locations.

Close and lock all windows. All blinds should be left open unless you live in a ground �loor room. Please close the blinds if you live on the ground �loor.

Remove all trash from your room and dispose of properly in trash room(s) and/or dumpster. Remember to recycle!

Remove all holiday decorations.

Turn off all of your lights and lock your room door.

If you have pets, please take them home. Residential Education Staff will not be responsible for the care of any pets left behind. Sign out via the closing checklist on your door.

Please check with your student staff member for any speci�ic closing expectations within your community

December 7, 2011 The Signal page 27

LIONS ROUNDUP This Week’s Fantasy Football Picks Kevin Lee (546) Alex Wolfe (535) Brandon Gould (489) Adeel Abbasi (623)

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receiver

Sleeper

Tim Tebow

Ray Rice

Larry Fitzgerald

Malcolm Floyd

Tom Brady

Marshawn Lynch

Roddy White

Percy Harvin

Matthew Stafford

LeSean McCoy

Calvin Johnson

Heath Miller

Mark Sanchez

Ryan Mathews

Larry Fitzgerald

Robert Meachem

Men’s Basketball

Lion of the Week

Matthew Rista

Basketball Sophomore Matthew Rista had a strong game against Rowan University, scoring 12 points and nailing two 3-pointers. His efforts and clutch shooting enabled the Lions to pick up a huge 74-70 come-from-behind victory. For the season, Rista is averaging 9.0 points per game, which is second for the 2-2 Lions. —Kevin Lee, Sports Assistant

This Week In Sports Men’s Basketball Dec. 8 vs. Eastern University, 8 p.m. Dec. 10

Women’s Basketball

@ Delaware Valley College, 2 p.m. Women’s Basketball Dec. 8

vs. Moravian College, 6 p.m.

Trivia Question

Answer to Last Issue’s Trivia Question: 50 touchdowns LSU and Alabama have both been picked to play in the BCS national championship game. This is the sixth year in a row in which an SEC team has made it to the game and the first time in which two SEC opponents are facing each other. Since these two teams are in the same conference, it means that they have both played each other during the regular season. Who won the first matchup between the two teams, and what was the score?

AP Photo

Dec. 10 vs. Stevens Institute of Technology, 1 p.m.

Ashley Long / Staff Photographer

Signal

Sports

Wrestling places high at Invitational Denver wins dramatic match against No. 1 wrestler By Peter Fiorilla Staff Writer

Lions Monarchs

31 16

The wrestling team put on a pair of clinics last week, rolling past King’s College and earning third place at the New Standard Invitational during the College’s last meets of 2011. The 24th-ranked Lions (2-1) extended their winning streak to two games with the 31-16 victory at King’s College (1-3) on Wednesday, Nov. 30. “Our team wrestled well,” head coach Joe Galante said. “We were focused, we wrestled hard and we did what we needed to do.” The Lions dominated from the onset. After four bouts the College held a comfortable 22-0 lead, and after six they clinched the victory at 28-3. Freshman P.J. Schmidt (125-pound weight class), senior Dan Herr (133) and senior Zach Zotollo (165) earned pindowns, senior Brian Bollete (141) came back from a 5-0 deficit to win 17-9, and senior Chris Lombardi (149) won by forfeit. Mike Denver (184) added to the victory with a win by decision. Three days later the Lions competed at the New Standard Invitational in York, Pa., in their last meet until Jan. 7, 2012, and a handful of top performances elevated the team

to third place in the field of 11. “We always want to improve, (but) we were impressive,” Galante said. “We deserved third place … We wrestled well.” Denver, the No. 2-ranked 184-pound wrestler in Division III, won his weight class by pinning the No. 1-ranked wrestler — York College’s previously undefeated Alex Martocello — 29 seconds into overtime of the final round.

Courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Senior Mike Denver won his weight class vs. King’s.

It was Denver’s 16th straight win for the Lions, and his third in four tries against Martocello over the past two seasons. “Mike competes hard and he trains even harder,” Galante said. “It’s a nice win for him, but he’s beaten (Martocello) before and he’ll beat him again if he wrestles with intensity.” John Darling (157) also went 5-0 to win his weight class, albeit less dramatically. Darling beat his first four opponents by a combined score of 41-4 and built a 6-0 lead in the final round, but then won by injury default. Several other Lions made deep runs in the tournament and every point was crucial. The College’s final score of 85.5 was equaled by York College. No. 10-ranked Herr reached the final of the 133-pound weight class, Schmidt finished third in the 125-pound weight class, Zotollo won five times to earn third in the 165-pound weight class and junior Anthony Damico (149) was fourth in his weight class with a 3-2 record. The Lions pulled into third late in the tournament to end 2011 on a high note. “We had a great championship round. We were tied with (fifth-place) Johnson and Wales R.I. going into the final around and moved into third,” Galante said. “It was a great way to end the year.”

Lions on a two-game streak Swimming takes top marks Men’s basketball rolls by Drew By Alex Wolfe Sports Editor

Lions Profs Lions Rangers

74 70 95 72

While 3-2 might not seem like the most impressive record to some, it’s a huge deal to a Lions team that hasn’t seen the winning side of a record sheet in over a year. This is the case for the now-3-2 men’s basketball team, who broke the .500 plane with a huge 95-72 blowout over Drew University on Monday. “I think we’re moving in the right direction, and I’m excited more so for the players,” head coach Kelly Williams said. “They’re

Ashley Long / Staff Photographer

Matlock has been a spark plug.

Lions’ Lineup December 7, 2011

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having an opportunity to have some success, and they really did a great job of committing in the offseason and the preseason. It’s great for them to see some rewards, and obviously, with a young team, it’s given us some confidence early on which we didn’t have last year when we lost a couple of tough games early.” The Lions had four scorers in double digits and 15 different players put points on the board — unprecedented in any level of basketball. The depth has been there all season for the Lions, who have a quickly-gelling mix of upperclassmen leaders and underclassmen playmakers. “I think we’re utilizing our strength, and our strength right now is our depth,” Williams said. “We probably could start any one of our 16 guys, 17 guys on our roster. So it’s just nice to have a little more depth and luxury, and that’s our game plan, to utilize our depth.” Freshman forward/center Kyle Cancillieri had another standout game — scoring 15 points, grabbing a huge 14 boards and dishing out four assists to go with a steal and a block. The rebounds are a welcome sight to a team that has struggled in the past on the glass and lost their leading rebounder from last season. “Lately we’ve been getting dominated on the boards, so I knew someone had to step up, someone’s got to get up and get some rebounds,” Cancillieri said. “I was just trying to get some rebounds for the team.” Cancillieri, sophomore forward Sky Ettin and freshman guard Emmanuel Matlock have been a force hustling for the team this year, grabbing rebounds and getting after the ball on every possession. “We have to get energy somehow, and

By Greg Aaron Correspondent

Continuing on their path to perfection, both the College’s men’s and women’s swim teams improved their records to 5-0, after successfully hosting the TCNJ Invitational this past weekend. The men finished with a total of 1,300 points — more than enough to top the second place U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (641 points) and The University of Bridgeport, which finished in third place with a total of 654 points. On the women’s side of the invitational, the College’s squad set the pace by compiling 1,218 points, followed by C.W. Post (666 points) and Randolph Macon College (559.5 points). A number of school records and NCAA B-Cut times were posted by both the men and women Lions. Sophomore Stephen Tarnowski broke three school records during the three-day event, eclipsing it with a first-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke on Sunday posting a time of 1:51.50. This record was previously held by Mike Heaney, who set the mark in 1999. Additionally, Tarnowski clocked in at 3:58.03 in the 400-individual medley (IM), making him an NCAA automatic qualifier and setting a new school record at the same time. Tarnowski’s final high mark came on the first day of the event, when he surpassed Liam Gallagher’s 2008 College record time of 1:52.78 in the 200-IM, finishing at 1:51.62. Tom O’Dell / Photo Editor Both swim teams are undefeated. see BIG WIN page 23

In the 1650-freestyle event, junior Michael Caputo made his own contributions, placing first with an NCAA provisional time of 16:06.21. A trio of men’s swimmers filled out the top three spots in the 200-breaststroke. Junior Evan Paulan won the event with a time of 2:08.11, followed by sophomores Matthew Knoth (2:10.11) and Matt Morgan (2:11.04). The four-man relay team of junior Adam Schneider, sophomores Stephen Gibson and Phillip Hawley and senior Ryan Clark placed second in the 400-freestyle relay. Their time of 3:04.36 made the NCAA B-Cut and should give them a good chance of competing in the NCAA Championships in March. As for the women, freshman Brennah Ross shattered the school record in the 200-yard butterfly. She posted a time of 2:07.53, which bested the 2006 mark set by Ava Kiss. Sophomore Ashley Conroy came in first in the 100-yard backstroke. “I am really happy with how I performed this weekend,” Conroy said. “Winning the event (100-yard backstroke) was a bonus.” “I want to be faster than I was this morning in the preliminaries (2:24.10),” junior Kayleigh Shangle said before competing in the 200-breast stroke finals. Shangle not only accomplished that feat by coming in at 2:21.25, but also placed first in the event overall. Just as the men were successful in competing in the 400-freestyle relay, the women also fared well. The team of Ross, Shangle and seniors Laura Pierce and Melissa Hessler came in first place with an NCAA B-Cut time of 3:32.72. After regrouping and enjoying the holidays, both the men and women will return to action in a tri-meet at West Chester University on Saturday, Jan. 13. Johns Hopkins University will also be competing in the event.

46 53 Around the Dorm page 25

Lions split two page 23

Okuniewicz wins POY page 23

Cheap Seats page 23