The Signal: Fall '12, No. 13

Politics Forum: Propaganda in Rome

Dan Herr wins title Most Outstanding Wrestler

see News page 3

See Sports page 32

Vol. CXXXVII, No. 13

December 5, 2012

Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885

Getting to know Gitenstein Dr Pepper grants $100,000 Student shoots and scores

Photo courtesy of R. Barbara Gitenstein

President R. Barbara Gitenstein.

By Jamie Primeau Editor-in-Chief

It is estimated that over 50 percent of college students change their major at least once, according to an MSNBC.com article.

On average, students switch their majors two to three times.

These statistics have proven true for R.

Barbara Gitenstein, who started out studying music at Duke University, went through a series of majors, and ultimately decided on English.

Today Gitenstein serves as the first female president of The College of New Jersey, but retains her collegiate love of literature (Emily Dickinson poetry is her favorite) and music (she’s an opera fan).

She has been at the College for 13 years and has seen the school progress, but still strives for improvement.

“I’ve never been interested in being a leader of a place that was broken,” Gitenstein said. “I like to work at places that are doing very well, but have the opportunity to be even better.”

Noting the ways the College has grown since she began in ’99, she said, “We’ve seen some wonderful improvement in the academic rigor of the institution, and the quality of the students, and the increasing enhancement of the fabulous faculty we’re attracting.”

Education has always been a huge part of Gitenstein’s life. Each institution she attended has provided her with mentors and see GITENSTEIN page 15

Housing options for next year

By Jamie Primeau Editor-in-Chief

Housing anticipates that the application process for the 2012-2013 academic year will begin this week, likely by Friday, Dec. 7, according to Bryan Dunphy-Culp, assistant director of Housing.

The housing application is free and only takes a few minutes to complete, Dunphy-Culp said.

In the past, the application process usually began after winter break, lasted one week and featured a $100 deposit. This year’s will extend from early December through January because the Housing department wants students to begin considering the option of living on-campus.

“This will hopefully allow students to talk it over with their families or whoever else helps them make that decision and then apply leisurely over break or as they come back,” said Ryan Farnkopf, director of Housing.

The announcement of time slots and the room selection process are likely to remain close to their usual time of mid-February or March before spring break, Dunphy-Culp said.

Cromwell Hall will reopen for 2012-2013 after undergoing renovations this year, according to Dunphy-Culp, which will create 300 on-campus beds. This allows more beds for upperclassmen, because freshmen and sophomores have guaranteed housing.

“The rationale of the decision to put Cromwell into the sophomore cohort, rather than returning it to a first-year building, was really primarily because we know that rising sophomores tend to be interested in suite-style living,” Farnkopf said. “It also works better with our FSP program. It allows us to keep them much neater together.”

The bulk of the Cromwell renovations were interior, including redoing the plumbing system and replacing fixtures in the bathrooms — showers, toilets, sinks, floor tiles and paint. It will also have wireless Internet, Farnkopf said.

“It’ll still be the same basic building, but newer and cleaner,” Farnkopf said.

“The architect is putting some effort into sprucing up the common spaces and making them a little bit more student-focused. There’s going to be some pocket lounges that are designed out of old closets.”

Freshmen will likely be living in Travers, Wolfe, Norsworthy, Allen, Ely and Brewster Halls. Sophomores are expected to live in Cromwell, Decker, New Residence and Centennial Halls, along with parts of Eickhoff Hall. Upperclassmen are expected to live in all townhouses, the apartments and the remainder of Eickhoff.

Farnkopf said this may change depending on how many students apply for housing.

The hotels will not be used for the 2012-13 school year. It was “a way to mitigate the unmet demand from closing Cromwell,” which is not the case this year.

INDEX: Nation & World / Page 5 The Signal @TCNJsignal

Opinions / Page 7

Photo courtesy of Dr Pepper

Navid Radfar (right) accepts his scholarship from Dr Pepper.

By Natalie Kouba News Editor Navid Radfar, sophomore biology major at the College, stumbled upon a Dr Pepper scholarship ad on Facebook during the summer, so with nothing else to do, he decided to go buy a Dr Pepper and make a video to submit for the scholarship.

The Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway gave students the opportunity to win a $100,000 scholarship at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. during halftime of the ACC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 1. All applicants had to submit a video explaining why they deserved the scholarship.

In November, Radfar was on his way to the Brower Student Center for meal equiv when he got the call that changed his life.

“I got a call from a doctor’s office and I thought it was health services, because I owe them $5,” Radfar said about when he first got the call. But once he realized it was Dr Pepper calling to let him know they selected him to be a semi-finalist, “I was like ‘Oh my god, get out of here.’”

The scholarship, Radfar explained, will go toward paying for college and, eventually, medical school. Radfar knows

that his hopes of becoming a neurosurgeon could bring him deep in debt. But his inspiration for that career path came from a personal experience.

When Radfar was in fifth grade, his father suffered a heart attack and went into a coma. A heart surgeon saved his father’s life after working for many hours.

“My life probably would have been completely different if he had not saved my father,” Radfar said. “I kind of want to do that for other people as well.”

Radfar received support and advice from fellow College students and professors.

“The TCNJ community was very supportive. Everyone was willing to help me.

Everyone wanted to see me succeed, which was great,” Radfar explained.

Two semi-finalists would compete on the field during halftime to see who could throw more balls into a hole cut out of a large soda can in a given amount of time.

Howard Nelson, a business professor, advised Radfar to use the chest-pass, since past winners have also used this strategy.

The night before Radfar flew out to North Carolina for the competition, he see DR PEPPER page 2

Mugging and assault still a mystery

By Brandon Gould News Editor

As the fall semester comes to a close, there are still no updates in an assault and a mugging that involved College students at locations off campus, according to Ewing Police.

“There is nothing further to report at this time regarding the two investigations” Lt. Rocco Marruca said.

On the morning of Saturday, Sept. 1, a 23-year-old man was found near the Spiritual Center on campus. The man was attacked and struck by a vehicle, suffering a broken femur while attempting to leave an off-campus party the night before, according to Ewing Police.

Later in the semester, a male student reported being robbed by four black males in hoodies on the corner of Browning Avenue and Somerset Street on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 16, according to an emergency alert sent out to the College community.

Visit tcnjsignal.net for more

Editorial / Page 9

Arts & Entertainment / Page 11

Features / Page 15

Sports / Page 32

Let’s talk about sex WILL hosts week of discussions

Assistant Provost Candidates Read up on who is in the running for the new position

Brown Bag Speaker discusses gender and dance

See Features page 15

See News page 2

See A&E page 12

Late-night saboteurs CIE candidate speaks

page 2 The Signal December 5, 2012

Pop mirror off car, signs stolen

By Jamie Primeau Editor-in-Chief

A male student appeared heavily intoxicated when Campus Police arrived in his dorm room at 1:25 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29 in Wolfe Hall. According to reports, he consumed large amounts of vodka at an offcampus location. An odor of alcohol emanated from his breath. Lions’ EMS arrived and assumed patient care. He was transported to Capital Health Systems at Hopewell for further treatment.

He was issued a summons for underage drinking. ...

A student reported a theft from Phelps Hall on Friday, Nov. 30 at 3:30 p.m. after realizing an unknown person entered her room sometime after Monday, Nov. 17 and removed $231.08.

Nothing further has been reported. ...

Police received a report of criminal mischief at 1:55 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2 after a Pennington Road resident heard a group walk up his driveway. A voice yelled, “Do

it!” and the man saw a male “pop the mirror off” of a car, reports said.

When police arrived, they noticed damage to the vehicle’s driver’s side mirror. Males matching the description provided by the resident were found, but the resident could not confidently identify anyone. Nothing further has been reported. ...

Signs belonging to the Center for the Arts, which were located outside of the Music Building, were reported stolen, according to police. A woman reported the theft at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2. The two 12-by-18-inch white and blue signs had been located in the outside area adjacent to the building. These signs were unsecured and had gone missing sometime after 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30.

Two other signs, secured to the music building with a bike chain, were defaced. The laminated front portion of the signs, which read “Center for the Arts The Nutcracker” were ripped off their plastic frame. Nothing further has been reported.

By Brianna O’Connor Correspondent

The second candidate for Assistant Provost for the Center of Institutional Effectiveness addressed the campus on Monday, Dec. 3 in an open forum held in the Library Auditorium.

Ann Marie Senior spoke to the campus community in a presentation called “Monitoring Institutional Effectiveness: Reflection on the Performance Standards Project.”

“This project was one that was near and dear to us because it got the college excited about assessment,” Senior said. “It was a simple project that had a big impact.”

According to their website, the CIE has a two-fold mission to provide data through assessment and analysis to inform resource allocation, and to promote a culture of assessment and continuous improvement at the College.

The project was conducted at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, where Senior currently serves as the director of the Office of Institutional Research and Quality Assurance.

Senior previously worked at both Rider University and the University of Michigan.

The “Performance Standards” project’s goal was to see if Thomas Edison State

College, which serves adult students over the age of 21, was adequately serving students in an efficient and timely manner.

“Assessment has benefits that people don’t realize, and until you point that out, it seems more punitive,” Senior said. “Assessment is not meant to be specific to a person or program. It is meant to demonstrate how well our college is graduating students.”

Senior noted that assessment is an integral part of ensuring that an institution’s services and products adequately meet certain standards, or “benchmarks of success,” in terms of student needs.

Assessment also functions to indicate where changes can be made in order to improve student services and products.

“We didn’t just stop and say ‘this is broken.’ We said ‘this is broken and this is how we are going to fix it,’” she said.

When asked about faculty resistance to assessment, Senior was positive about the effects and outcomes of self-directed measurements of achievement.

“Assessment is a team effort. We were communicating with each other to ensure we were doing what needed to be done,” Senior said. “And overall we do all of this not just to improve our workflow, but to improve our services to our students.”

NYU professor speaks about identity politics

By Leah Depalo Correspondent

A New York University professor visited the College this past Thursday, Nov. 29 and spoke to students about white identity politics and its effect on the presidential voting process in America.

In the lecture entitled “White Identity Politics in the Obama Era,” Eric Knowles, an assistant professor of psychology at NYU, spoke to students about his study of white identity politics and how white group identity has created an era of post-racialism in America.

“Identity politics is the formation of political beliefs based off in-group alliances intended to further the interest of that group,” Knowles said. As explained in his lecture, identity politics has the power to shape the decision-making process of voters when voting for political candidates.

In order for Knowles to theorize his notion of white identity politics, he first had to conduct a study to prove if people associated themselves with “white identity,”

since very little research was previously conducted on the matter. Knowles then went on to explain his notion of the “White Identity Blind Spot,” which explains how, in the field of social psychology, the study of white identity is drastically understudied when compared to the study of African American or Asian American identity.

“The white race is hegemonic, meaning that they represent the norm or default in society numerically, politically and are considered to be socially dominant,” Knowles said. “Due to the fact that the white race is hegemonic, membership of ‘white identity’ is usually transparent,” and is challenging to study.

In order to collect valid data, Knowles conducted his research by both explicit and implicit means. Explicitly, Knowles used an identity questionnaire. Implicitly, he used a “White Identity Centrality Implicit Association Test,” which unconsciously measures white identity characteristics of the subject being tested.

“The implicit test measures an automatic association between themselves and being white,” Knowles said.

When asked by Professor Hughes of the psychology

department if he preferred the explicit or implicit measure, Knowles said, “Though both tests are valid, I prefer the implicit measure because interpretation of subject answers is not necessary.”

Results of Knowles tests were quite conclusive in supporting that white identity does exist, and that this identity does influence voting opinion. According to Knowles’s study, Americans with high white identity tend to vote for Obama in order to justify a post-racialist America. By voting for Obama and creating a post-racialist era in America, those with high white identity seek to justify that racism in America is no longer an issue.

After the lecture, senior psychology major Sara DiGiacomantonio, reflected on Knowles’s findings.

“Currently I am enrolled in a developmental seminar about racism and prejudice views in young children, and the same results of our implicit and explicit findings reflect Knowles results,” DiGiacomantonio said. “It is really interesting to see how beliefs and children can carry through to adult beliefs and affect the psychology of social politics.”

Application of analytical chemistry Dr Pepper / Student

By Sara Torres Correspondent

The College’s chemistry department held a presentation on crystal engineering as a part of its fall seminar series on Wednesday, Nov. 28.

The seminar, “A Material Chemist’s View of Crystal Deposition Disease,” was presented by Jennifer A. Swift, a chemistry professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The seminar, attended by both students and staff, focused on an application of analytical chemistry, an area of science concerned with qualitative and quantitative examination of the chemical components of matter.

The presentation traced ways in which analytical chemistry could be used to research the formation of kidney stones and gout. It was also shown how examining molecular crystals can be applied in cases of crystal deposition disease. This disease causes pain, swelling and sometimes redness in joints.

Methods discussed throughout the presentation included optical microscopy, X-ray crystallography and in situ atomic force microscopy.

Swift said that her objective for

the seminar was to present different applications of techniques in analytical chemistry using methods that students have some familiarity with, as well as introducing new methods.

A PowerPoint presentation covered topics such as uric acid precipitation, chemical force microscopy, adhesion trends and crystal growth mechanisms.

Swift discussed the technology of atomic force microscopy, which can give a topographical map of crystal molecules.

“We can watch in real time shots of what happens to that surface as its growing,” Swift said.

Kartik Rai, junior chemistry major, said he thought it was interesting how Swift showed how analytical chemistry can be applied to the research of disease.

“She was able to present a lot of information, and her research was pretty impressive and interesting,” Rai said.

Swift’s research has real-world applications that span the spectrum from kidney stones to explosives.

The professor taught courses in organic chemistry and food chemistry at Georgetown this semester. Her work with molecular crystals has applications to the medical,

wins big scholarship continued from page 1

Lianna Lazur / Staff Photographer

Jennifer Swift lectures on Crystal Deposition Disease.

pharmaceutical and food-product industries. One course she taught focuses on examining the explosive components in rockets.

Her students are exposed to areas of chemistry and material science including X-ray crystallography physical characterization methods, atomic force microscopy, organic synthesis and computational modeling.

and his friends set up a mock competition in their dorm room to help him practice.

They cut a two-foot diameter hole in a piece of cardboard, which was hung from the ceiling. With only three balls available for practice, his friends stood behind the cardboard, catching the balls and returning them to Radfar while timing him.

“We pretty much mimicked what we saw on TV,” Radfar explained.

Although Radfar admitted he does not drink soda often, Dr Pepper is the one soda he likes, now probably more than ever. “Who knew drinking a soda would get you $100,000?” Radfar said.

Out of 5,500 videos received, 20 were selected and then narrowed down to five semi-finalists.

Out of the five contestants there from the preliminary round, he tied for first place.

Radfar lost the tiebreaker, but won when it mattered.

“I was on cloud 9.

I jumped up, I yelled, I screamed,” Radfar recalled when he realized he won the toss. “I was probably the happiest kid in that stadium of 70,000 people.”

It was also a relief for him that his parents would not have to pay his whole tuition.

Radfar said he could not use his phone because he kept receiving text messages and phone calls of friends and family congratulating him. His Facebook page has been swarmed with posts and he even got over 400 “likes” on the photo of him holding his big Dr Pepper check.

This scholarship helped Radfar’s dreams become a reality. “When I submitted this video, I didn’t think I was going to get it, and I got it.

Now I have college paid, and if I get into medical school, I know I can become a doctor and change the world.”

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 3

Ancient Roman propaganda Professor speaks at politics forum

Discrimination in Europe

By Brian Kempf Staff Writer

The College’s Center for Civic Engagement concluded the year-long series titled “Envisioning Europe” last Thursday, Nov. 29, in the quaint Business Building Lounge.

The presentation was led by history professor Rita Chin from the University of Michigan. Chin received her Ph.D. in history from the University of California Berkeley in 1999 and has been researching the migration of Muslims into Europe ever since.

“I’ve always been very interested in how Germans deal with people different than themselves,” Chin said.

Her fascination with learning about the immigration of peoples into Europe began when she noticed that, while Germany vowed to never again subjugate a race or culture as they did during the Holocaust, their treatment of Muslim immigrants, specifically women, was less than equal.

Many European cultures view the Muslim culture as that of a patriarchal domination.

The Muslim women, who traditionally wear headscarves covering their hair, ears and neck, are seen as subordinate to their husbands as well as other males. Some believe the headscarves to be symbols of submission and female subjugation.

This causes problems for Muslim immigrants, especially into Germany, since many Germans view the Muslim culture as more oppressive than their own and therefore to successfully integrate Muslims into their country, their traditional values would need to be given up.

Political leaders of Germany, as well as other European countries such as France and the Netherlands, feel compelled to distinguish their

The image is indelible: Outgoing President George W. Bush in a press conference, dodging sneakers thrown by a sole, angry journalist. Bush refused to accept defeat and dodged the footware, but it was too late — the former president had just received one of the humiliating signs of disrespect in the Middle East.

But these images aren’t new.

Archaeologists have discovered ancient statues of Barbarians being — quite literally — stepped on by the Romans. Millennia ago, letting someone see the bottom of your shoe or foot was a sign of disrespect. This past Thursday, Lee Ann Riccardi, associate professor of art and art history, gave a lecture discussing how the ancient Romans used visual propaganda to further their cause against their enemies.

“Images have power,” Riccardi explained, as she showed a picture of Mike Dukakis in his tank and a wild-eyed Charles Manson. She continued, “Even now. Images create power in a way that nothing else really can.”

However, these images were less frequent in ancient times compared to contemporary times. Today, an average media-consumer may see Barack Obama’s picture once a day. But in ancient Roman times, the only image one would see of their ruler would be in the form of statues or minted coins, often presenting a triumphalist image to evoke a reaction.

When an odd-shaped head was excavated in the Athenian Agora, Riccardi was called in to investigate. The head was not symmetrical, with different sides of face treated differently and out of proportion. The head was determined to be part of a statue of a barbarian, though part of a larger work. Riccardi then revealed her “intention to catalogue and document Roman emperors with

Amy Sachs / Staff Photographer

Lee Ann Riccardi talks about the influence Roman statues had.

barbarians at their feet, along with the implications for power, gender and class.” Ultimately, what is being studied is the power relationships between those who don’t share a culture’s values and those that do, along with the relationships between subjects and rulers.

Initially in art pieces, Roman emperors were always shown separate from those they conquered. However, this gradually changed to the emperors offering clemency, and then to a Roman horseman trampling a Judean woman. These images were precursors to the Roman invasion of Judaea. This propaganda was meant to showcase that, while being victorious in war was glorious, it had to be a foreign war, not a civil one.

As the Roman empire started to unravel, it became necessary to propagate these images of strength to the citizens. Jen Dyer, sophomore English and classical studies double major, noted that what she liked most about classical studies was that “we’re not just looking at (artifacts) as timeless museum pieces, and we’re tying them in today.” She added, “It’s just not detached. The images that (Riccardi) showed us were more universal and less time-specific,” with regard to the wartime propaganda of the time of the Romans, compared to the shoe that George W. Bush once dodged.

34 clubs almost derecognized

By Natalie Kouba News Editor

Christina Kopka, Student Government president and senior Spanish and marketing double major, opened the SG meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 28, with a reminder that students can still donate points for the Here for Home Hurricane Sandy relief effort. She announced that Here for Home is hoping to raise at least $1,855 from the point campaign. This specific number was chosen to be symbolic of the year the College was founded. All points donated will be used for cleaning supplies, such as gloves and work materials for volunteers.

The deadline for student organizations to register was Friday, Nov. 30, Devin Dimming, junior history and secondary education major, announced.

“There were an alarming number of club that did not register this year,” Dimmig said. Originally, there were 34 on-campus clubs that did not register, but at the meeting on Wednesday, Dimmig said that the number went down. If organizations did not register by that date, SG would have to derecognize them. The Engineering Honor Society, Bonner Volunteers, Her Campus TCNJ and Russian Club were just a few from the long list of unregistered organizations Dimmig read.

The annual TCNJ Holiday, featuring a carriage ride, food and festive activities, will take place this Thursday, Dec. 6 from 7 to 11 p.m. in the Brower Student Center.

The junior and sophomore class senators announced class bonding and fundraising activities for the rest of the semester.

Mr. 2014 will be this Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Brower Student Center Room 202. Tickets for the event can be purchased on the day of the event in the Library Café or at the door for $3. According to the Facebook event page, a portion of the proceeds will go to a charity of the winner’s choice.

The class of 2015 representative, Brian Garsh, a chemistry and secondary education double major, announced that the sophomore class trip to New York City will be held on Sunday, Dec. 9. The trip was fully funded and will be free for students who wish to participate. An email will go out this week stating where students can sign up. A $10 deposit is required to hold a spot on the trip, but will be returned on the day of the trip.

By Samantha Serra Correspondent

Amy Sachs / Staff Photographer

Rita Chin talks about discrimination against Muslims in Europe.

“sexual democracy” from the Muslim traditions and culture. They believe that since wearing headscarves represents female subjugation, their democracy represents sexual freedoms of marriage, divorce and homosexuality.

Chin discussed how these negative conceptions about Muslim culture affect their integration into European countries and society.

People use the Muslim culture as a way to explain their fundamental differences from European culture which creates a larger gap between the two and a “new racism,” according to Chin.

“To me, the thing that would be best would be to breakout of this political discourse of us against them,” Chin said. To take steps forward in both integrating and understanding Muslim culture in Europe, Chin believes that people should stop thinking with an “us against them” mindset and instead try to coexist with both cultures.

$190,600 for spring concert

By Julie Kayzerman Staff Writer

The Student Finance Board met on Wednesday, Nov. 28, to discuss funding for the College Union Board’s 2013 spring concert and other requests.

SFB motioned to fund CUB with a total of $190,600 to go toward hosting the spring concert at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, N.J. CUB is hoping to feature Ke$ha headlining with the Neon Trees as the opener.

“The problem with TCNJ’s concerts is that we don’t have a venue big enough for a big name,” said Milana Lazareva, the Operations Director of SFB. in favor of hosting the concert at the off-campus location.

Having the concert at the Sun National Bank Center would provide CUB with the ability to get big names for the spring concert, such as Ke$ha.

If Ke$ha cannot be booked, CUB is also looking into FloRida, Kid Cudi and many other popular artists. CUB will also use the funds to provide busing for on-campus students.

Members of SFB were concerned about students partying and driving to the concert.

They agreed, however, that the buses would be a good solution to that. They also had concerns that having general admission at the concert would lead to chaos and fights in the arena that holds over 8,000 people, but eventually agreed that general admission would be the best for the student body.

“The ushers are more than

capable of handling the chaos,” said Brian Hurler, the administrative director of SFB is also an employee of the Sun National Bank Center.

Having the spring concert at the Bank Center will give students the options to purchase more than one ticket for outside guests. It will also provide the option to open it up to other New Jersey college students, TCNJ alumni, faculty and staff.

SFB added $2,000 for insurance to CUB’s original request for $188,600 and removed NeYo and Outasight off of the lineup list for possible back-up artists in the event that CUB cannot book Ke$ha and the Neon Trees.

M e m bers of SFB were concerned that the headliner and openers would be too different to hold a successful concert.

However, Executive Director Lindsay Klein disagreed and said, “I think what we want to do is hit all student aspects.”

Senior representative, Joe Lacerda, agreed stating that, “I think it’s actually kind of a good thing that there’s a variety.”

In the event that CUB cannot book a name big enough to have the spring concert at the Sun National Bank Center, SFB motioned to fully fund CUB with $212,516 to hold the concert in the Recreational Center.

In the event of the concert being held at the Recreational Center, CUB will try to book Kid Cudi

and the Neon Trees.

SFB also motioned to fully fund the Sophomore Class Council with $4,800 to be used towards transportation for the Sophomore Class Holiday Trip to New York City.

The Sophomore Class Council presented their itinerary to SFB and their suggestions for student activities in the city.

“I think that these are events that people will go to and don’t really cost that much,” Klein said.

Following, the Leadership Development Program presented their request for funds for the 9th Annual Leadership Lock-Up. SFB motioned to fund the event for $5,219.26.

The event will take place in the Brower Student Center on Jan. 20. It will be Dr. Seuss -themed and the keynote speaker will be Sam Davidson.

The event will be catered

by Mamma Flora’s and will offer the College’s student leaders the opportunity to improve their leadership skills through several activities and workshops.

LDP presenter Ali Lubin said, “It’s a really fun theme that we think will attract a lot of people.” *Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee that these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.

page 4 The Signal December 5, 2012

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 5

Nation & W rld Around the World: PALESTINE

Status upgraded in U.N.

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (AP) —

The Palestinian president returned triumphantly to the West Bank on Sunday, receiving a boisterous welcome from thousands of cheering supporters at a rally celebrating his people’s new acceptance to the United Nations.

But Palestinian officials acknowledged they were undecided on what to do with their newfound status, and were waiting for upcoming Israeli elections and new ideas from President Barack Obama before deciding how to proceed.

Outside the headquarters of President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, some 5,000 people thronged a square, hoisted Palestinian flags and cheered their leader’s return from New York.

“We now have a state,” Abbas said to wild applause. “The world has said loudly, ‘Yes to the state of Palestine.’”

The United Nations General Assembly last week overwhelmingly endorsed an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, territories Israel captured in the 1967 war.

The move to upgrade the Palestinians to a nonmember observer state does not change much on the ground, but it carries deep potential significance. The vote amounted to an international endorsement of the Palestinian position on future border arrangements with Israel and an overwhelming condemnation of Israeli settlements in the areas claimed

Capital city report

N.J. Congress: New Jersey’s State Senate passed a bill Thursday, Nov. 29, to raise the minimum wage in March. The bill would hike minimum wage on March 1 by $1.25 an hour to $8.50.

AP Photo

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during celebrations over successful bid to win U.N. statehood recognition in West Bank. by the Palestinians.

Israel remains in control in parts of the West Bank and considers east Jerusalem, the Palestinians’ hoped-for capital, an integral part of its capital.

Israel also continues to restrict access to Gaza. Israel withdrew seven years ago from the coastal strip, and it is now ruled by Hamas Islamic militants who regularly fire rockets at Israel.

Israel, backed by the U.S., campaigned strongly against the statehood measure, accusing the Palestinians of trying to bypass direct peace negotiations, which it said were the only viable path to a Palestinian state.

The Israeli lobbying efforts

failed miserably. Just eight other countries voted with Israel, and even its closest allies in Europe, including Germany, Italy, France and Britain, either abstained or voted with the Palestinians.

The following day, Israel said it would start drawing up plans to build thousands of settlement homes, including the first-ever development on a crucial corridor east of Jerusalem.

Although the project is likely years away, if it happens at all, the announcement struck a defiant tone.

Building in the area, known as E1, would sever the link between the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and cut off the northern part of the West Bank form its southern flank.

Quick Bits

Superstorm Sandy Financial Aftermath: Unless shore towns from Rhode Island to New Jersey get a big influx of aid from the state and federal governments, which are themselves strapped for cash, they will have no choice but to raise taxes on homes and businesses that survived to make up for the loss.

N.J. Governor’s Office: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy are joining forces in a regional effort to land nearly $83 billion in federal aid to recover from Superstorm Sandy.

Gov. Christie’s handling of Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath has the New Jersey governor riding a wave of popularity.

All information from AP

States split on Medcaid for poor

Around the World: • Egypt’s highest court joined a judicial rebellion against President Mohammed Morsi on Sunday by declaring an open-ended strike on the day it was supposed to rule on the legitimacy of two key assemblies controlled by allies of the Islamist leader.

• The new leadership body in Syria has little traction with the rebels inside Syria, many of whom have evolved during 20 months of conflict from civilian protesters into hardline, Islamist fighters.

Science: • The amount of heat-trapping pollution the world spewed rose again last year by 3 percent. So scientists say it’s now unlikely that global warming can be limited to a couple of degrees, which is an international goal.

Government Action during ‘The Fiscal Cliff’: • Last week, the White House delivered to Capitol Hill its opening plan: $1.6 trillion in higher taxes over a decade, hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending, a possible extension of the temporary Social Security payroll tax cut and enhancing the president’s power to raise the national debt limit.

The Aftermath of Sandy: • Uncounted numbers of families have returned to coastal homes that are contaminated with mold which can aggravate allergies and leave people perpetually wheezing.

All information from AP

AP Photo

Healthcare advocates attend talk about Medicare on Nov. 15, 2012.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s health care brinksmanship, with hundreds of billions of dollars and the well-being of millions of people at stake.

President Barack Obama’s health care law expands Medicaid, the federal-state health program for low-income people, but cost-wary states must decide whether to take the deal. Turn it down, and governors risk coming off as callous toward their neediest residents.

Not to mention the likely secondguessing for walking away from a pot of federal dollars estimated at nearly $1 trillion nationally over a decade.

Conservative opponents of the health care law are leaning on lawmakers to turn down the Medicaid money. Hospitals, doctors’ groups, advocates for the poor, and some business associations are pressing them to accept it.

“Here’s the big thing: The state does not want to expand Medicaid and get stuck with the bill,” said Dr. Bill Hazel, Virginia’s health secretary. “Our legisla-

tors do not like to raise taxes to pay for a benefit someone else has promised. The concerns we have ... are around federal solvency and the ability of the federal government to meet its commitment.”

Medicaid covers nearly 60 million low-income and disabled people but differs significantly from state to state.

Under the health care law, Medicaid would be expanded on Jan. 1, 2014, to cover people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line, or about $15,400 a year for an individual.

The federal government would pay the full cost of the first three years of the expansion, gradually phasing down to a 90 percent share.

The Supreme Court said states can turn down the Medicaid expansion. But if a state does so, many of its poorest residents would have no other way to get health insurance.

The subsidized private coverage also available under Obama’s law is only for people making more than the poverty level, $11,170 for an individual. For the poor, Medicaid is the only option.

A recent economic analysis by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation and the Urban Institute found that states will receive more than $9 from Washington for every $1 they spend to expand Medicaid, and a few will actually come out ahead, partly by spending less on charity care.

States are commissioning their own studies. So far, eight states have said they will turn down the expansion, while 13 states plus the District of Columbia have indicated they will accept it.

page 6 The Signal December 5, 2012

TCNJ’s Leadership Development Program Presents:

Leadership Lock-Up 2013 An opportunity to: • Network with other student leaders • See relatable and relevant workshops • Move in a day early for the Spring 2013 semester • Enjoy a dinner catered by Mamma Flora’s And best of all… it’s FREE! th

Date: Sunday, January 20 , 2013 Time: 1pm-8pm Location: Brower Student Center Speaker: Sam Davidson

Check us out!

Facebook: LDP's Leadership Lock-Up 2013 Web: tcnjldp.weebly.com, Email: LDP@tcnj.edu

This event is run and sponsored by This event is SAF funded

Register now to reserve your seat!

Catch Up or Get Ahead During 2012-13 Winter Sessions* at Mercer County Community College Registration Deadlines 2012-13 Winter Sessions

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MercerOnline distance learning

6 weeks

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3 weeks

Ends

12/26/12 1/18/13

in-person

online

12/17/12

12/16/12

12/21/12

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*Visiting students wishing to take course(s) at Mercer must supply an unofficial transcript and/or written permission from their home college.

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.

Mercer’s 2012-13 Winter Session includes over 40 courses from across the college curriculum.

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

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 7

Opinions The Signal says ...

Stop: pushing the country over the fiscal cliff, spoiling ‘The Walking Dead’ for everyone on Facebook Caution: believing the preachers are always right, locking Israel and Palestine in a closet together Go: prepare for Kate Middleton’s royal birth viewing, laugh at Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Harry Styles, pass your final exams

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) 771-2424, write to the address listed above or e-mail us at signal@tcnj.edu.

The preachers are all right

Tom Kozlowski / Opinions Assistant

Local prophet happily insists that we know nothing and are doomed — at least that’s better than grad school.

By Tom Kozlowski Opinions Assistant

Despite the logic of protesting students, campus preachers were found this week to be totally and unequivocally right about every word they’ve ever said. Fortunately, this will cut down on time students spend fact-checking them on outdated issues like science, evolution, philosophy and recipes for vegetarian cooking.

The preachers, local messengers of the Divine Being coming to bury us in fire and brimstone, have suspected this for quite some time. In fact, their strength has grown because of it.

Religiously appearing twice a week, the preachers have stormed their post outside the Brower Student Center in biblical proportions, carrying with them only warm tidings and the promise of eternal damnation. Students need this, too; in a collegiate breeding ground of paganism and meal equiv, you can never be condemned quite enough. I know I can’t. So, as the idea grew that whatever shouted suddenly became truth, these middle-aged dudes became prophets.

“Why waste your money at a school that teaches you useless

Signal Spotlight

“Chemistry — just no.”

-Tara O’Reily, freshman, biology major

knowledge and bury yourself in debt?” one angel of animosity asked me. Instantly, I knew he was right. What was preparing to enter the job market and securing a future for my children when I could yell at hungover students instead? I dropped out immediately and have since been reading the Old Testament from a box in the street.

Unfortunately, not everyone was as receptive. When being told they were “sinners from birth” and are “going to Hell,” a group of docile do-gooders decided there was no point to following society’s rules any longer. Instead, they rioted across campus, looting a pair of off-brand jeans from a stunned preacher and stealing other student’s plates at the Wok station.

Worst of all, some biology major tried to voice an objection, pitiful and smart like, during a daily sermon. Luckily, the lacrosse team was nearby to club him down with their sin sticks — just getting “Adam and even” with the science dweebs, one preacher remarked. He then handed out parchment of religious texts to replace existing textbooks.

The preachers were also able to disband all clubs with anti-Jesus initiatives, such as the College Democrats, Prism, Library Pillow Fighting and all other religious organizations. They did absolve the frat houses, however. Said one preacher, “Hey, somebody has to turn water into wine.”

But these are only minor adjustments to campus life, aside from the all-knowing preachers taking over the administration and renamining us The Church of New Jersey. Students can now take comfort knowing that, while being singled out and criticized for the things they’re not, they actually are. After all, the preachers said it.

“It was hard being told my sexual orientation was wrong,” said one Prism attendee. “But one look at Saint Ryan Gosling, and the preachers showed me the light and abs of the lord.”

We could learn a thing or two from these noble, soapboxing Trentonites. Really, we should take these missionaries lying down; humility, manners and their devotion to demonizing students on a weekly basis are only a few of the valuable lessons here. Not getting a haircut, as the Old Testament says, is still absolutely right. Our well-groomed preachers said that best.

As winter approaches, though, our omniscient, angry ministers may return to hibernation, getting their voices back for the coming spring semester. But at least we know the truth now, and only when hell freezes over will our friendly, neighborhood deliverers ever be wrong.

Which final is bound to crush your spirits this semester?

“Themes in Biology” -Deanna Nagda, freshman, biology major

“Chemistry” -Amanda Kilcher, freshman, biology major

“Calc B” -Daniel King, freshman, chemistry major

JUST PUT HIM IN — AND PUT YOUR OPINIONS IN THE SIGNAL EMAIL FITZPA28@TCNJ.EDU

page 8 The Signal December 5, 2012

TCNJ Faculty-led Study Abroad May 2013 ITALY: Rome of the Caesars, Rome of the Popes

GERMANY: Science in Early 20th Century Germany

EU: Doing Business in Europe CENTRAL EUROPE: Holocaust Study Tour

AUSTRALIA: Sustainable Engineering in the Built Environment

Apply Now! Deadline: 02.15.2013 To apply: http://www.cge.pages.tcnj.edu

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 9

Editorial

How to make the most of winter break

“Winter break is a great time to not only catch up on much needed sleep after the stress of finals, but also to take advantage of the time to do all the thing you don’t have time for during the semester. Brush up your résumé, indulge in non-Eick food, read that New York Times bestseller everyone has been raving about, or head up to NYC AP Photo to visit the Rockefeller Christmas tree. After the end of the This winter break, be sure to catch up on sleep, prepare for the upcoming semester, it’s great to unwind and spend time with family, semester and spend time doing the things you love. friends and a few of your favorite pastimes.”

— Natalie Kouba, News Editor “After catching up on sleep, spend time to do other things you love. Read a book, watch a movie, go to the gym — anything you like to do but don’t necessarily have the time for in the middle of a hectic semester. Don’t entirely forget about school, though. Look into possible internships, order your books ahead of time and mentally prepare yourself for the next semester.”

— Amy Reynolds, Features Editor “Sleep. Eat. Be merry. Take the time to relax and reboot for next semester. We have over a month to forget about most of the stress that we deal with as students. Most people probably do this anyway, but I think it’s important to really value it. Take advantage of this great opportunity to slow down and enjoy the pleasures of home.”

The Weekly Poll: What are your plans for winter break?

• Absolutely nothing but sleeping.

• Catching up on books, TV shows and movies.

• Working to pay off holiday debt.

• Counting down the days ‘til I can come back to school.

cast your vote @ tcnjsignal.net !

Previous poll’s results

How do you feel about fantasy sports?

• I have absolutely no interest in them. 80% • It makes pro sports so much more interesting to me. 10% • I don’t have any issue with them, I just don’t know enough to do well. 10% • They ruin the real thing. 0%

— Brendan McGrath, Managing Editor tcnjsignal.net

“Winter break is perfect for relaxing after a long semester and final exams. It’s a much-needed time to see family and friends from home, all while not worrying about school work. This year’s break is even longer than usual! While you could take the relaxing route, which I recommend, you could also use winter break as a time to do an internship, spend a January term abroad or volunteer. Regardless, enjoy your break and celebrate that you successfully survived the first half of the school year!”

— Jamie Primeau, Editor-in-Chief

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.

Telephone:

Production Rm - (609) 771-2424 Business Office - (609) 771-2499 Fax: (609) 771-3433 Email: signal@tcnj.edu Ad Email: signalad@tcnj.edu

Editorial Staff Jamie Primeau Editor-in-Chief primeau2@tcnj.edu Brendan McGrath Managing Editor mcgrat28@tcnj.edu Brandon Gould Natalie Kouba News Editors gould9@tcnj.edu, kouban1@tcnj.edu Chris Molicki Sports Editor molickc1@tcnj.edu Amy Reynolds Features Editor reynola1@tcnj.edu Tom Ciccone Arts & Entertainment Editor ciccont2@tcnj.edu Shaun Fitzpatrick Opinions Editor fitzpa28@tcnj.edu Ashley Long Photo Editor longa1@tcnj.edu

Quotes of the Week “Images create power in a way that nothing else really can.”

— associate professor of art and art history Lee Ann Riccardi

“Staying active in the brain is the same as staying active in the body.”

— health columnist Samantha Sorin

Mailing Address:

The Signal c/o Brower Student Center The College of New Jersey P.O. Box 7718 Ewing, NJ 08628-0718

Thalia Ortiz Production Manager Chris Rightmire Nation & World Editor Stephanie Petit Social Media Editor Peter Fiorilla Sports Assistant Tom Kozlowski Opinions Assistant Sydnee Weinbaum Features Assistant Betsy Blumenthal Arts & Entertainment Assistant Julia Corbett Juliana Fidler Copy Editors Janika Berridge Matthew Mance Vicki Wang Photo Assistants Emilie Lounsberry Advisor Business Staff Dan Lisi Business/Ad Manager

“Don’t be discouraged if you have to start out not exactly where you dreamed.”

— President of TCNJ R. Barbara Gitenstein

“We hope that we can duplicate that same energy and attention to detail for an entire game and the rest of the season.”

— men’s basketball coach Kelly Williams

page 10 The Signal December 5, 2012

Dining Hours for the Last Day of the Fall 2012 Semester: TUESDAY, 12-18: The Atrium– 7:30am-8pm BSC Food Court– 7:30am-5pm Library Café– 7:30am-7pm The C-Store– 10am-5pm The 1855 Room–11:30am-2pm Fair Grounds– Closed Kineticart– 8:30am-2:30pm The Rat– Closed TDubs – Closed Education Café– 9am-7pm Dining Hours for the Beginning of the Spring 2013 Semester: MONDAY, 1-21: The Atrium – 4pm-9pm TDubs – 6pm– 1am BSC Food Court– 7am-8pm Library Café– 7:30am-1am The C-Store– 12pm-1:30am All other dining facilities are closed.

TUESDAY, 1-22: The Atrium – 7:30am-9pm TDubs – 6pm– 1am BSC Food Court– 7am-8pm Library Café– 7:30am-1am The C-Store– 10am-1:30am The 1855 Room–11:30am-2pm The Rat– 11am– 10pm Fair Grounds– 7:30am-2:30pm Kineticart– 8:30am-5:30pm Education Café– 9am-7pm COMMUNITY REMINDERS:

Residential Education and Housing

Winter Break Closing A Notice for TCNJ Residential Students

December 2012

Dear Resident:

All residence halls will close for winter break on Tuesday, December 18 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 first. The residence halls will re-open at 10:00 AM on Monday, January 21, 2013.

Please remember that Residential Education & Housing must approve all residents who wish to leave housing during any point in the academic year. If you are moving out and it has not been confirmed by our office, 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 shortly. 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 THE BREAK PERIOD BEFORE YOU LEAVE PLEASE COMPLETE THIS CHECK LIST: 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, 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 floor room. Please close the blinds if you live on the ground floor.

Don’t forget to take all valuables such as passports, computers, jewelry, money, medication , etc.

They should be taken home because no one will be allowed to enter the residence halls at any time during the break.

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

24-HOUR QUIET HOURS BEGIN AT 11:00 PM on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2012

If you have pets, please take them home. Residential Education Staff will not be responsible for the care of any pets left behind.

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

Please check with your student staff member for any specific closing expectations within your community

Remove all holiday decorations.

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

Sign out via the closing checklist on your door.

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 11

Arts & Entertainment

Acclaimed poet brings creative flair

Photo By Brian Kempf

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet C.K. Williams shares his literary work during INK’s event.

By Katie Dougherty Staff Writer

The College was honored to have critically acclaimed poet and Pulitzer Prize winner, C.K. Williams, recite a reading as part of INK’s Visiting Writers Series on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 29.

Almost all of the seats were filled with the excited bodies of students and various faculty members inside the library auditorium. The small space was so crowded that many had to resort to standing or sitting on the ground

just to be in the presence of the famous poet.

Professor Michael Robertson of the English department formally introduced Williams. Robertson composed a colorful speech comparing Williams to Shakespeare, which set the stage for the event, figuratively and literally.

The introduction served as a creatively constructed overview for those not familiar with Williams’s work.

Once Williams graced the podium, he said, “Shakespeare is one of those poets that poets never mention.” Williams’s comment triggered handfuls of chuckles from the audience due to the probable, yet ironic, truth of his words.

The first poem Williams read was titled “My Mother’s Lips,” and describes how he became inspired to write poetry as a child. The poem, taken from his 1983 collection “Tar,” reminded Williams of actor James Franco who is an aspiring poet.

Williams said that Franco’s favorite book of poetry is “Tar.” Franco decided to create a film based on poems within Williams’s collection. Franco himself will be one of the actors playing a young Williams along with Henry Hopper, who is the son of the late Dennis Hopper.

“The Neighbor” was the next poem Williams read aloud, which details the story of a first love.

The poem was published in The New Yorker about 50 years ago and Williams informed the audience that he received a letter from a woman claiming that she was the individual being described in the poem. Williams joked, “But my wife wouldn’t let me open the letter,” and the

audience erupted with laughter in return.

Ashlee Cain, sophomore creative writing major, was one of the students from the writing communities class involved in the organization of the event.

When asked about what aspect of Williams’s poetic style she enjoyed most, she said, “I love how his poetry is so uncensored, dark and biting.”

The specific qualities Cain mentioned certainly shined through Williams’s reading “Back” and “Bianca Burning,” both of which are two of his more risqué poems.

Williams also took the time to read his poem “The Singing,” from his 2003 collection of the same name. The poem depicts the strange encounter between the narrator, possibly Williams, and a mysterious young man.

Through his overall articulate diction, yet unpretentious syntax, one can imagine having a casual hot cup of coffee with Williams when experiencing his poetry.

Amy Chen, sophomore English major with a concentration in women’s and gender studies, is also an admirer of Williams’s work.

When it comes to emulating a particular aspect of Williams’s technique in her own poetry, she said, “Like him, I would love to be able to create a happy medium between prose and poetry.” Although Williams states that his poetry is not exactly prose, he asserts that he incorporates the rhythmical movement of prose in his writings.

The reading concluded with a reception and a long line en route towards a book signing by Williams: a true poetic rock star.

Wind ensemble creates symphonic melodies

By Courtney Wirths Staff Writer

Excitement danced to the inviting song of dozens of instruments playing different tunes. The performers of the College’s wind ensemble fit in one last warm-up before the lights were lowered in the Mildred & Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall on Nov. 29.

The College’s music department presented “Awakenings,” conducted by David Vickerman. The conductor entered onto the stage from two double doors and took his position at the center of the stage.

The first piece, “Resonances I,” began with horns that bellowed down from the balconies surrounding the hall. The piece also uniquely made use of the band members’ voices to create different sounds among the instruments.

“I knew when I stepped into this concert hall that I wanted to do Resonance I,” Vickerman said. “The space was designed for it.”

“Emblems” was the second piece performed. The music slid from powerful sounds to playful pitter-patters that teased each other from across the stage. If one listened carefully, it was possible to hear a small quotation of “Amazing Grace.”

Vickerman called the next piece “a beautiful statement on simplicity,” with “rich harmonic texture.”

“As the scent of spring rain…” used chimes and soft sounds that created the identical feelings that an afternoon rain would. Before the ensemble broke for a short intermission, they closed the first half of the performance with “Moving Parts,” written

by David Aulenbach.

“I fell in love with his work, and wanted to feature work by a N.J. Composer,” Vickerman said.

The ensemble used unusual instruments to create the sounds for “Moving Parts.”

The members, especially in the percussion area, moved from instrument to instrument.

After the intermission, the ensemble played

“Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story.

The audience grinned when they heard the familiar sounds of snaps before a rumble in the alley.

There were also bits of the song “Somewhere,” which gave the audience images of Tony and Maria singing at their balconies.

“These pieces show what the ensemble is capable of,” Vickerman said.

The final piece of the evening was “Aurora Awakes.” Vickerman said the piece was “refreshing.” First, the instruments played softly until the sounds grew to a point that vibrated the pen in my hand.

After the performance, students from the College and family members of the ensemble gathered in the front of the concert hall.

“The performance was really great. It’s really nice because we are all in the same major,” said Chelsea Hogendorn, sophomore music and education double major.

IJ Tumaluan, senior biology major, was at the performance to see his friend.

“I am really proud,” Tumaluan said following the performance “It’s hard to describe the feeling.”

Vicki Wang / Staff Photographer

The wind ensemble leads a praiseworthy performance in their last concert of the semester.

Titanic ship sinks, ACT’s ‘Murdership’ does not

By Ashley Schreyer Correspondent The lights flicker, a scream shatters the darkness and millionaire Walter Donald Douglas falls to a not-sograceful death.

This was the scene painted last Friday and Saturday nights aboard the All College Theatre’s “Murdership: Titanic,” held in the Brower Student Center.

The show began with a buffet style dinner catered

by Mamma Flora’s in Ewing. Attendees waited in line for their meals while actors roamed about the room in character, gossiping with each other and the audience.

“I hope you have a great time aboard the Titanic.

Unsinkable ship they say!” a peasant cast member yelled to the audience before the show began.

When everyone was seated, the show began with the captain, played by Kayla Riddleberger, and her sidekick “Pappy,” played by Dan Loverro, welcoming everyone aboard. The ship’s first annual grand ball was exclusively attended by first-class passengers.

Pappy checked several guests into the ballroom, including Walter Donald Douglas, the inventor of Quaker

Oats, played by Jon Dowler. A minor incident occurs when the kitchen’s chefs find rats in the soup, but the captain shakes it off with little concern.

Suddenly, the lights go out when the ship hits an iceberg and it is discovered that Walter Donald Douglas is dead.

Detective Wallace Scherer, played by Zach Dzierzgowski, arrives on the scene and informs everyone that Douglas has been murdered with rat poison. A frantic investigation to find the killer before the ship sinks ensues.

Detective Scherer questions every guest of the ball and then opens up the questioning to audience members.

As the ship is about to sink, fifth class passenger Seamus O’Dwyer is revealed to be the murderer. Afterward, water engulfs the passengers and they float into the crowd, ending the performance.

“I loved the performance and the actors are hilarious.

Pappy and the detective were by far my favorite,” Katie Seaman, sophomore open options major said.

Brad Heisler, senior communication studies major and writer, director and producer of the show, was pleased with the overall performance.

“I thought it went very well,” Heisler said after the show.

During the intermission, audience members were

Vicki Wang / Staff Photographer

All College Theatre invites students aboard a dramatic and hilarious mystery ship.

instructed to guess their murderer and state why, and only one audience member guessed correctly at the Friday night show. However, the two complimentary tickets to ACT’s “An Evening of Shorts” on Feb. 22 and 23 were issued to the person with the funniest response.

page 12 The Signal December 5, 2012

Brown Bag breaks down gender roles

By Nicole Ferrito Staff Writer

Speaking on the topic of gender stereotypes that exist in our society today and the role it plays in the performance and ballet industry were history professor Cynthia Paces and owner of Renaissance Dance in Ewing, Bernd Burgmaier.

Vicki Wang / Photo Assistant

Burgmaier talks about breaking perfomance gender barriers.

Burgmaier, who has been a ballet dancer almost all his life, provided insight on his experience as a male in a stereotypical female gender role.

When asked how he first realized he wanted to pursue dance, Burgmaier explained that he knew from a young age.

However, because he grew up in a small village in Germany, it was perceived as “odd” that a boy wanted to practice ballet.

He recalled waiting to speak to his first dance teacher with his mother.

When they only saw girls exit the studio, his mother leaned over to him and said, “We can still leave, it’s just girls.”

But Burgmaier explained to the audience how it did not bother him that it was thought of as a female sport and said, “For me, it’s the joy of dancing.”

After rigorous ballet training, he was one of 35 dancers chosen for an international dance team out of the 600 dancers from all over Europe.

Burgmaier went on to explain one of

the first things he learned from ballet discipline. His teachers were strict and he would leave classes bruised from the intensity of practice.

The girls, he said, practiced the “sensitive, fragile side of it,” while the boys practiced “the athletic side of it.”

After six years of dancing and performing, Burgmaier decided he needed a break from the disciplined world of ballet and joined a modern dance program in Munich, Germany.

“It was very freeing,” he said, “I could go to class without being afraid.”

Burgmaier’s switch to modern dance led him to taking a class in New York at Merce Cunningham.

He described the difference between the two types of dance, referring to modern dance as “very physical, no emotion.”

Later, Burgmaier joined the Les Ballets Trockadero, a group of men from New York who perform ballet dances, which are meant to be comical.

He explained that the purpose of the spoof performances was for “men to dance as a man in a woman’s costume.”

The message behind the Trock’s performances could be related to a statement made by Judith Butler, an author on gender roles, explained Paces.

Butler discusses the difference between the biology of gender and the culture of gender. She said, “There is no gender identity behind the expression of gender.”

Burgmaier, himself, took on the role of female, performing a famous solo, “The Dying Swan,” originally performed by German ballerina, Anna Pavalova.

Overall, Pace’s interview with Burgmaier allowed for an open discussion on gender roles in ballet and depicted the masculine side of dancing that is typically not seen.

In reaction to Burgmaier’s performance, Jen D’Elia, freshman arts and communication studies open options major, said, “In his performance he was perceived as a girl, but people seemed to enjoy it.”

An evening of hardcore heaven at the Rat

By Matthew Monroy Correspondent The Rathskeller erupted this weekend as a noise-filled set list tore up the stage with two equally energetic acts on Friday, Nov. 30.

Hailing from Boston, Mass., the five-man indie/ emo/punk band Transit and supporting act Coming Clean, took the stage and performed their hardcore hearts out to the audience, which consisted of die-hard fans who knew every word.

As miniature mosh-pits, stage diving and crowd surfing formed, lead singer Joe Boynton stirred them on, performing tracks such as “Please Head North,” “Stays the Same” and “Over Your Head” to the audience’s delight.

Coming Clean lead singer Brandon Rosenberg, who spoke softly and shyly between his roaring vocal performances, did an apt job introducing Transit.

During his performance, Rosenberg advised patrons to support Transit more than his own group. Boynton seemed appreciative, sharing the microphone with Rosenberg during select vocals, while Rosenberg crowd surfed inches away from Boynton’s face.

One part coffee house performance and two parts

underground punk concert, the emotional energy emanating from the stage complimented the usually calm café atmosphere quite well.

The sounds satisfied the music junkie and the casual listener alike.

Sophomore journalism major Kris Alvarez was riveted when he learned of Transit’s performance on campus.

“Transit has always been one of my favorite bands.

When I found out they were playing here, I almost collapsed at the knees,” he said.

The audience of the show was far from homogenous, ranging from quiet and mildmannered students to major punk fans, both of which seemed to genuinely enjoy the act.

Alex Matteson, senior mechanical engineering major, spoke highly of the performance, recalling a show of theirs in Long Island, he said, “They were just as good then.”

The high-energy kineticism of hard rock concerts is not something one usually expects to find in a small oncampus restaurant, but Transit and Coming Clean did just that. Their drums and guitars poured unto the audience a sound that would be equally at home in any popular music venue.

Friday night served as an opportunity for the punkrocker in everyone to enjoy a little flavor of the emotion

No crying for talented Babies Babies Our House on the Hill

By Matt Jannetti WTSR Assistant Music Director

Vicki Wang / Photo Assistant

Bands Transit and Coming Clean play a wide range of music from the undergournd punk scene.

Choirs celebrate Stravinsky

pastemagazine.com

Sometimes, it’s the hardest to do the simplest things, but the Babies are really good at making it look easy. They don’t have any gimmicks, and they don’t have any experimental instrumentation that makes them incredibly unique.

What The Babies do have is incredibly straight forward indie rock music, with a slight summer-y twist. Even though they come across like a more male vocal centric Jenny and Johnny, the Babies have a ton of talent.

Songs like “Mess Me Around” and “Slow Walking” are the perfect songs to display their strong points. They are upbeat and jangly, with a little bit of rough around of the edges singing that gives the band a slight lo-fi, garage rock influence.

But The Babies also have some surprising variety to them. Slower songs, like “Mean,” break up the fast paced album and sound really good with a modern Dylan-esque drawl and some smooth brass thrown in for good measure.

The Babies are a fairly new band that has displayed quite a bit of talent and it’s a bit surprising that they can can use it so effectively so early in their career.

We can only hope that The Babies can continue to improve as they move forward in their career. If they continue their upward trajectory, there’s no telling where they’ll end up.

and power found in this genre lamentations of love lost and stewing sadness being released in fervent cries for help, for malice, or simply for a return to the way things used to be.

Boynton’s lyrics ring true for this sentiment, even for an audience as small as that of The Rat, professing passionately into his microphone, “I hope you find your way back home.”

It exemplified the feeling of what turned out to be a successfully entertaining show.

Vicki Wang / Photo Assistant

The choirs perform in honor of a famous composer.

By Gabriella Cameron Correspondent

Lights illuminated the Mildred and Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall, the conductor rose to his platform and the accompanist settled at the Steinway & Sons piano as the College Choir, performed their winter concert on Sunday, Dec. 3.

The College Choirs

performed in celebration of famous composer, Stravinsky.

“I hope you are moved, as we are by Stravinsky’s mass,” said Director John P. Leonard.

The event combined Slovak folksongs and Russian peasant songs that were influenced by the sounds of Stravinsky.

Performances were done by the college choir, women’s ensemble and the chorale, as well as individual singers and assistant student directors.

Senior Elizabeth Flynn was the student assistant director for the song, Bogoroditse Devo.

“I was first introduced to the piece in high school and loved it, so I jumped right on it,” Flynn said.

The choirs have been preparing for the concert for two months.

“We have been rehearsing since October and I am not used to being a soprano, but was very excited, especially for my solo,” said freshman

choir member Rachel Fikslin.

Senior Vianna Fagel, a singer from the women’s ensemble, loved the Stravinsky theme because it was “a combination of varied songs, the old and the new.”

During the beginning of the song “To the Mothers of Brazil: Salve Regina,” the female singers aligned the stairs of the stage.

As the song progressed, the singers descended the stairs. Once everyone filled the stage, their voices grew louder and strong enough to fill the entire room.

Director Ryan J. Tibbetts said the event was meant to serve as “a unifying idea, or link, that celebrates the poetry and rhythm of Stravinsky.”

After the concert, the singers and musicians gathered in the lobby with friends and family to celebrate a compelling production by the College Choirs.

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 13

Students showcase talents at the recital series

By Stephanie Pilipshen Correspondent

Audience members anticipated with excitement the performances of students at the College’s recital series on Wednesday, Nov. 28 in the Mildred & Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall.

Priscilla Allman and Iris Chiu on violin and Laura Henry on piano, started the series off powerfully with Maurice Moszkowski’s, “Suite in G Minor, Op. 71.”

Mezzo-soprano Victoria Carroll made a memorable performance.

The piano, played by James Lubrano, paired beautifully with Carroll’s voice as she sang “Jabberwocky” from Five Lewis Carroll Poems by John Duke.

The audience chuckled as Carroll used body gestures,

such as leaning on the piano and rolling up her sleeves, to bring “Jabberwocky” to life.

“She was very entertaining and I liked how she was dramatic with it. Her performance was very good,” said Kellie Olear, freshman physics major.

The series took a turn when Genna Conti stepped on stage.

On the timpani, or kettledrums, Conti created deep booms during “Sonata for Timpani,” by John Beck, that was fastpaced and filled the concert hall.

To finish off the series, Olivia Porada’s strong soprano voice glided through the chords of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Zeffiretti Lusinghieri” from Idomeneo.

At the end of the recital, applause flooded the concert hall like the beautiful notes that had just filled it.

In the lobby, the students were surrounded by families and friends that congratulated them and complimented

Ashley Long / Photo Editor

Skillful violin performances in the recital series make for a beautifully entertaining afternoon. their performances.

“It was an event worth attending,” Olear said. “I definitely want to come again to see the students perform and how they have improved.”

Holiday ‘Nutcracker’ Percussion ensemble in harmony Play takes center stage

By Tom Ciccone Arts & Entertainment Editor Students, parents and families eagerly took their seats in anticipation of a performance of Roxey Ballet’s 18th Annual production of “The Nutcracker,” which was held on the College’s Kendall Hall Main Stage on Saturday, Dec. 1.

The play opened with Clara, played

by Zoë Braverman and Sophia Tom, who dreams of a prince that comes to dance with her. Her brother Fritz, played by Toshi Amagasu, starts to taunt her. Fritz calls out to a gigantic rat to help him, at which point Clara runs away.

Clara, still in her dream world, finds her family, the Stahlbaums, hosting friends for a Christmas party.

It’s at this magical party that Clara receives a nutcracker, played by Carmella McCormack, as a gift from her Godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, played by Tim Blaikie. In a jealous fit, Fritz breaks the Nutcracker.

Searching for her Nutcracker after the rest of the families and guests depart, Clara crosses paths with the infamous Rat King, played by Seyong Kim. During an epic battle scene, the nutcracker comes to life and kills the Rat King, saving Clara.

Suddenly, the nutcracker turns into Herr Drosselmeyer’s handsome nephew, a young prince. Clara and her prince then journey to the snow

palace, where a host of dancing and song commences. Clara soon awakens from her dream to find that it is Christmas morning.

Roxey Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” was a fantastic display of song and dance. Throughout the performance, you could hear the audiences enthrallment with the performer’s characters, as they put on a rendition of this classic play with great professionalism and character.

This year’s production featured a host of professional performers, which had a real positive impact on the quality of the choreography. The production was of high quality and is worth the ticket price if you’re interested in witnessing the classic magic of the “Nutcracker” next year.

Janika Berridge / Photo Assistant

The Roxey Ballet company holds its annual production of the ‘Nutcracker.’

Creative INK Performance

Janika Berridge / Photo Assistant

The College’s INK club hosts ‘The Goods on Saturday, Dec. 1 in the Rathskeller, where students perform music, poetry and selected readings. The day-long event culminated in a guest appearance from noted poet and freelance writer, Ada Limon.

Ashley Long / Photo Editor

Students at the College produce an ensemble of music using various percussion instruments.

By Tom Ciccone Arts & Entertainment Editor

Excited students and spectators filed into their seats in the College’s Mildred & Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall on Friday, Nov. 30, anxious to see Director William Trigg and his percussion ensemble light up the concert hall stage with a night of great music.

The College’s percussion ensemble performed pieces using only rhythmic instrumentation. In the first three songs of the set, the ensemble played through three pieces starting with “Batu-Calu” by Frédéric Macarez.

The band then jumped to a more

interesting piece, “Deep Space Nine,” by W.A. Trigg. The percussion ensemble used such a wide array of percussion instruments in its ensemble cast, that the harmonic elements usually provided by horns and string sections weren’t missed in the wellbalanced group dynamic.

The ensemble also featured many percussion instruments known for creating more melodic musical textures, like the xylophone, vibes and timpani.

The group then jumped into their own version of Chris Crockerell’s “Sushi Funk,” which featured a medley of instrumental winds and turns before resuming its original motif.

Following intermission, the ensemble resumed the performance with “Rekommended” a piece composed by one of the College’s own graduates, Adnan Zunic.

Next came “Marching Season,” an aggressively fast-tempo piece by Grecian composer Yanni.

The night’s show was ended in holiday style with Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve” (Sarajevo 12/24). Arranged

by Stefani Pfoutz, graduate of the College, the ensemble was able to capture the sheer force and energy that Trans-Siberian Orchestra have become popularly known for.

It was amazing to see so many different percussion instruments working in such great musical union and harmony. The Ensemble out did themselves this year with a very interesting set list and fantastic musicianship from the students.

Clark takes worthy risks

By Tom Ciccone Arts & Entertainment Editor Most people haven’t heard of Austin, Texas blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr., yet his major label debut, Blak and Blu, is worth the attention.

Clark has a keen sense for eclecticism, which seems like a somewhat risky philosophy to hold onto with such an important release in his career.

Despite ignoring the conventional rules for putting out a strong LP, Clark delivers a brilliant record sprawling with genres both old and new.

With the big band party blues of the opening track “Ain’t Messing Around,” the Hendrix-esque guitar freakout of “When My Train Pulls In” and the R&B electronic twist of the title track, Clark makes it very clear from the first three cuts that he intends to cover a lot of ground in his major label debut.

This could be seen as a fault to critics who dislike a songwriter like Clark — a “purist” of classic genres (check out the rock’n’roll swing on “Travis Country”), yet there is a subtle coherency to Clark’s LP of many flavors.

Stand out tracks like “Bright Lights” and “Glitter Ain’t Gold” give Blak and Blu some artistic vision.

Fans of The Black Keys and other modern bands that allude frequently to a classic rock motif will find some gems to download off of Blak and Blu. Clark even sounds a lot like Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, although Clark’s guitar playing is admittedly on a whole other level, even though “When My Train Pulls In” lacks real depth in the lengthiness of its solo.

The brilliancy of Clark is that he can reach out to many different musical crowds with this release.

“The Life” even features his

rackcd.com

Gary Clark Jr. comes out with new album.

own brand of hip-hop.

“Third Stone from the Sun” is a standout point on the album, possibly one of the most original covers you’ll hear that jams right into “If You Love Me Like You Say.” There are more interesting moments to explore on this release, and if you’re a fan of hip-hop, blues, rock or even R&B, you’ll likely find something to enjoy about this artist.

page 14 The Signal December 5, 2012

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December 5, 2012 The Signal page 15

Features

Gitenstein / Problem solver continued from page 1

in state institutions.

“When I came to The College of New Jersey, the state was affected the way she leads the College today. supporting our general operations at about 60 percent. It’s now For high school, President Gitenstein attended an all-girls about 27 percent. That’s a big drop,” she said. boarding school.

Gitenstein is thrilled that the Building Our Future Bond Act, “(Boarding schools) certainly make you mature very which passed on Election Day, will provide much-needed supquickly,” she said. “You meet people from all sorts of dif- port for New Jersey institutions of higher education. ferent backgrounds and I think that helped me develop “The strong support from the legislature and the Governor leadership skills as well as the ability to understand that as well as business and union leadership was remarkable,” she people come from different places.” said. “I am truly gratified by the support from the citizens of This allowed her to gain self-confidence and observe the state and look forward to TCNJ’s opportunity to be able to women in positions of power. confirm their confidence that this investment will make a posiAfter boarding school, she received her undergraduate de- tive difference for the state and our students.” gree from Duke University. Reflecting on her Duke experiTying into other issues affecting the College, Gitenstein ence, Gitenstein said, “I don’t think I knew it at the time, but it’s commented on conflict between Ewing residents and students clear to me when I look back now that residing off-campus.

I always knew that I belonged in a colShe began by saying, “There is lege environment. I think the work is “I don’t think I knew it at often a problem between instituvery exciting and it’s very important.” the time, but it’s clear to me tions of higher education and the Gitenstein then went to graduate when I look back now that I township in which they are situschool at the University of North always knew that I belonged ated. But I think it’s to everyone’s Carolina at Chapel Hill, where in a college environment.” benefit to try and figure out how to she earned a Ph.D. in English and negotiate that.”

American Literature.

—R. Barbara Gitenstein, “There are some of our stuIt was during her time at UNC President of TCNJ dents who are irresponsible, but Chapel Hill that she had the opportuthe vast majority of our students nity to work with American scholars, are responsible and I am offendincluding C. Hugh Hulman, who became one of her mentors. ed when the implication is that those who misbehave Other influential figures in Gitenstein’s life include the represent the student body,” she said. “I think that’s unheadmistress at her boarding school and her “very feisty fair. I think it’s an overgeneralization.” and very bright” grandmother. Her grandma “knew how to She also explained that some community members may not make decisions and press the envelope and get things done. want to accept the fact that they live in a college town and stuShe had a great sense of humor.” dents will not necessarily be asleep or quiet at 10 p.m.

Similarly, Gitenstein knows how to get things done.

“My children didn’t when they were that age, so I certainly Since the summer, Gitenstein has written pieces for don’t expect the students to do that,” she said.

The Huffington Post with the goal of creating a conAnother unrealistic expectation Gitenstein commented on versation about the challenges of higher education, in- is the idea that students may graduate and automatically find cluding the focus on price. their dream job. “Don’t be discouraged if you have to start out “Frankly, price is not the problem. Cost is the problem,” not exactly where you dreamed,” she said.

Gitenstein said.

Expanding upon this advice, she said, “Students need to reExplaining the distinction, cost is the cost of the degree, not alize it’s not just this economy, but in general, you might have per year, she said. Some schools may be cheaper annually but to start out not where you imagined and then challenge yourself require more years to graduate, thus making them more costly. over the next several years to move ahead. That’s what hapAnother issue in higher education is the “disinvestment” pened to me and I turned out OK.”

‘Git’ to know the President Hometown: Florala, Ala — a small town located on the border of Florida and Alabama.

Any pets? No. We used to have cats.

Favorite color: Blue Hidden talents: I’m a singer.

Favorite campus location: The Library Favorite read: Emily Dickinson poetry Favorite food: Chocolate — dark chocolate!

Favorite TV show: I loved “West Wing” Fun facts: I love New York City — you can walk through 100 countries if you walk the length of the island. Hearing all these different languages, all the cuisine, dress. It’s wonderful.

AP Photo

Talk sexy to me: College redefines sex

By Sydnee Weinbaum Features Assistant

This past week, Women in Learning and Leadership hosted Redefining Sex Week, where speakers, panels, movies and games were all provided to educate and entertain students. The week was co-sponsored by VOX, the Women’s Center, Prism, the women’s and gender studies department and Triota. Throughout the week, many events were held where students could learn and discuss various topics that, to some, may seem too taboo to talk about.

On Monday, Nov. 26, a student panel discussed the hook-up culture in the Women’s Center. As an ice breaker, students had to name their favorite term for sex. Terms such as “smoosh,” “sideways tango,” to “screw” and “boom boom” were said, instantly creating a more relaxed atmosphere. Many people spoke during the panel, discussing their own experiences and questioning some topics.

The panel started off by determining what “hook-up” means to some. According to the panel, a hook-up is a way for “ambitious young women to dip into relationships without disrupting her self-development or school work.” The panel discussed how the term “hook-up” is ambiguous in what it really means and many talked about instances when they were unsure of how to classify the term. Whether the hook-up culture is empowering for women was also discussed.

Students felt that the hook-up culture was male driven, especially with fraternity parties. Also, hooking up provides the space

between dating.

It was also discussed how hooking up is more acceptable at larger schools and how some here at the College do not feel comfortable discussing it with their friends. One student said that she felt she was being policed by her friends after she told of a hook-up.

“I really enjoyed hearing people talk about something that normally isn’t dinner table conversation and having strong opinions on those topics as well,” said junior special education and women’s and gender studies double major Bre Maughan.

Also on Monday was a lecture by Jennifer Miller from Planned Parenthood discussing how to talk to doctors about sex. A sex trivia game night completed the day.

On Tuesday, Nov. 27, Nelson Rodriguez lead a discussion in the Library Auditorium. Rodriguez discussed the Gay for Pay industry. According to Rodriguez, “Gay

Lianna Lazur / Staff Photographer

Students explore their sexuality during the College’s Redefining Sex Week.

for Pay describes male/female actors, pornographic stars or sex workers who selfidentify as heterosexual,” but star in homosexual films. He showed three clips, two from the “Tyra Banks Show” and one from the trailer of the film “The Fluffer,” an “interesting fiction-type film that takes up this issue for Gay for Pay,” according to Rodriguez. He discussed whether these Gay for Pay actors were accepted into the gay community. On the “Tyra Banks Show,” it was heavily debated.

“It was an interesting presentation because you realize the similarities between straight and gay relationships,” said Valerie Gold, sophomore business major and member of WILL. Sophomore women’s and gender studies and elementary education double major Mark Fagan also added, “It was informative and interesting to see that there is a great acceptance for Gay for Pay people being part of the gay community. I wouldn’t have thought that originally.”

Also on Tuesday was the SAF-funded discussion with sexologist Jill McDevitt on “How to Feel Sexy Naked.” Many attended this event and learned that sexy comes in all different shapes and sizes. An activity was held where students had to strongly agree, agree, remain neutral, disagree or strongly disagree about features about themselves.

These included whether they wished they had a flatter stomach, worried about their thighs or ever had a bad hair day. The activity allowed the students to realize that everyone has insecurities about themselves.

In addition, McDevitt showed students pictures of women of all ages posing naked, not in a derogatory way, but in a very simplistic way. Also, by the end of the presentation, students had to write down what they found sexy about themselves, as well as what they found sexy about the person sitting two chairs away from them. This proved to be a very emotional activity as some revealed what they find sexy about their friends. The activity was designed so that everyone could see that everyone is sexy in their own way and one should not be jealous of others or put others down.

McDevitt told the audience that she “stopped judging other women once I stopped using other women as oppression. I started to feel better about myself.”

Sophomore interdisciplinary business major Samantha Kaplan said, “I thought it was really interesting, especially about the desexualization of nudity. It’s something that you assume is extremely scandalous. Looking at the pictures in a different light shows how much power the media has on people.”

Other activities for this week included a discussion on whether porn is empowering, exploring LGBTQ relationships, a screening of the movie “Trans,” and talks about healthy relationships and sexual violence.

Sophomore WILL member and women’s and gender studies and sociology double major Sara Von Bartheld said, “I thought that this week was awesome because it had fun events and it encouraged healthy female sexuality. It definitely got its point across and a lot of people went out to it.”

page 16 The Signal December 5, 2012

Metro Grill is a little pricey, but worth it

By Amy Reynolds Features Editor This past weekend, my family came up to the College for a little visit. So, of course we wanted to go somewhere really good to eat. Although I had never eaten there before, I had heard good reviews about Metro Grill and decided to try it and test it out for myself.

Just a five-minute drive from campus, Metro Grill offers fine cuisine ranging from authentic Italian dishes to chicken and veal.

I decided to play it safe by ordering the angel hair pomodoro; however, my brother and mom ordered the shrimp parmesan while my dad ordered the chicken marsala.

All of the pastas and entrées come with a small side salad and bread with olive oil.

And although it’s hard to go wrong with a salad, the balsamic vinaigrette house dressing was delicious and the salad was topped with the perfect amount of tomatoes and cucumbers.

Also, I’d like to add that the tomatoes were actual tomatoes cut up into small bits, not those gross cherry tomatoes.

There weren’t, however, any croutons, which was a little disappointing.

Once our entrées arrived and I saw how delicious the shrimp parmesan looked, I convinced my mom to share it

with me. And I am so glad she did.

Although the angel hair pomodoro was good, it wasn’t all that exciting of a meal. The shrimp parmesan, on the other hand, was probably one of the most delicious Italian meals I’ve had in a while.

The shrimp were prepared perfectly and it was topped with the just-right amount of cheese.

My dad, however, was a bit more critical of his meal. He said that the chicken marsala was good, but it came with an extra side of pasta that did not match the marsala sauce. Therefore, throughout the entire dinner, he complained about the extra food (who complains about extra food?) and said that, because of the mismatched sauces, he prefers the chicken marsala at Olive Garden.

Due to the fact that the restaurant is located in a shopping center, I was initially surprised at how fancy the place was inside. However, I may have also expected Metro Grill to be more casual than it actually was because there’s a Metro Diner near my hometown, so maybe I thought it would be more like that.

The restaurant is small and cozy, but it wasn’t very crowded and we felt that we had to whisper the whole time because of how quiet the restaurant was.

In addition, the meals were much

Turn-around expected for European economy

By Courtney Wirths Columnist

York Times.

• Arabica-coffee prices fell 35 percent in 2012, making it one of the year’s worst performing commodities. The decline is expected to continue because of large supplies of coffee anticipated this year and in 2013, according to Barron’s Magazine.

• Unemployment in the Euro zone rose to a new high in October.

The head of the Central Bank of Europe expects, however, a turnaround in the European economy in the second half of 2013, according to the New

• The largest Powerball in history was split between two winners in Arizona and Missouri, according to the N.J. Lottery.

• The United States Government has temporarily banned the company British Petroleum (BP) from acquiring any new government contracts because of the company’s lack of business integrity, according to the New York Times.

• Declines in U.S. and European economies are expected to lead to additional falls in cocoa prices. The U.S. and Europe are the world’s largest consumers of chocolate, according to Barron’s Magazine.

• More viewers watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade on NBC this year than any year since 2001. An average of 22.4 million people watched NBC during the time of the parade, according to the New York Times.

• A global survey of 13 countries found that the average income needed to be “happy” was $160,000 a year, according to CNBC News.

AP Photo

Cocoa prices are expected to fall due to economic decline.

• An additional 10 New Jersey businesses were accused of illegal price gouging during the state of emergency caused by Hurricane Sandy. Seven of the businesses were hotels, according to the Office of the Governor.

Amy Reynolds / Features Editor

The food at Metro Grill is tasty, but might be a bit expensive for the average college student. more expensive than I had anticipated.

In fact, each of our meals ranged from $15 to $22, a little too expensive for your average college student. So, unless you’re going out to dinner with your family who is willing to pay or you’re celebrating a special occasion, I’d choose a cheaper option. There were, however, sandwich options that were about $10 each.

Overall though, Metro Grill provided a very delicious meal and it was a great place to spend time with my family.

Overall Rating: (4 out of 5)

Metro Grill Where: 172 Scotch Rd., Ewing, N.J. 08628 Number: (609)882-2800 Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Fri. 11 a.m. - midnight Sat. 3 p.m. - midnight Sun. 3 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Price Range: $9 - $27 Website: metrogrillewing.com

Campus Style

By Victoria Moorhouse Columnist There are definitely fashion perks to being a girl. There’s an entire Victoria’s Secret line named after one of our favorite colors, dresses and skirts are always encouraged and we can wear lace, frills and tulle without looking like a ballerina princess (most of the time). While I have tried out the romantic girly trend and usually find it quite beautiful, I have to admit, it’s not exactly my cup of tea.

For those that can embrace the uberfeminine ensemble, kudos to you.

Lucky for me, one of the year’s popular trends is a little edgier. I’m talking about studs and spikes. These little embellishments have made their home on bags, shoes, shirt collars and even jewelry. Before you shoo this trend away (like my mother did), take a minute to appreciate what it can do for your closet.

Studs and spikes are stereotypically associated with a hardcore rocker-image, but this year stores and designers are lightening up the otherwise daring decoration.

If you take a trip to Urban Outfitters, you’ll find studded rings, bracelets and the occasional bodycon dress. Free People (and pretty much any other fashion-forward store) sells adorable loafers and boots with studs and spikes adoring the heels. Because I just can’t enough of these little angels, I picked up a pair of studded loafers from Forever21 and an army green button-up with spiked shoulders from Zara.

To get the trend right without going way overboard with the edginess, remember to always keep it simple. It’s really about playing with balance. Studs

and spikes are definitely a bold move, so try to find studded or spiked articles of clothing that still have a girly and classic qualities — think silky shirts with Peter Pan collars or chambray button-ups.

You know that phrase, “You can’t have too much of a good thing?” When it comes to these embellishments, you can. I firmly believe that studs and spikes should not be paired together and trends should never be taken to an extreme.

Pick only one of the two.

Remember to sport this style with confidence. Be forewarned, there will be people that find this trend outrageous and trust me, they will probably let you know. But if you stick with the tips above and wear a smile, your critics may soon be asking to borrow your studded treasure.

Victoria Moorhouse / Columnist

Studs are one of the hottest trends of the season.

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 17

Meditation helps fight finals stress

By Samantha Sorin Columnist

Samantha Sorin / Columnist

Pictured above: the perfect way to prepare for final exams.

Stressed about finals? Try sitting and meditating.

Although this doesn’t sound as appealing as drinking or sitting in front of the television to relax, there are actually many benefits to simply sitting in silence.

An article in Psychiatry Research presented a study that found that people who meditated for a mere 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an important area in the brain for learning and memory. So although you may think you are wasting time by just sitting around and not doing any homework, think again. Meditating actually helps with learning all those pesky flashcards you prepared.

Additionally, the findings concluded that there was a reduction of gray matter in the amygdala, an area of the brain associated with anxiety and stress. Not convinced? A control group that did not practice meditation saw no such changes, as seen in MRI brain scans taken before and after the study.

However, this is not the only study to

find these changes in the brain. A UCLA study suggests that meditation can actually make your brain stronger. By focusing on your breathing, an emotion or a specific thought, you are training your mind not to wander. You know the saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it?” Staying active in the brain is the same as staying active in the body. By working the brain, you remain healthy and will be able to stay sharper longer, as it helps to prevent white-matter atrophy, which leads to loss of memory and intellectual function.

Finals week leaves you sleep deprived and on the verge of getting sick. Lucky for you, meditation is said to boost the immune system and provide energy, as well as help you sleep a little easier at night.

So before you crack open that textbook (which, let’s face it, has been collecting dust since the beginning of the semester when you picked it up from the bookstore), try sitting and concentrating on one thing — be it the sound of your inhales and exhales, a prayer, a thought or your mood at this present moment. To open the mind to the projects, essays and exams that consume finals week, try closing the eyes first.

Lohan punches woman, no one is surprised

By Johnanthony Alaimo Columnist One time, I got punched in the face

by Lindsay Lohan. It was awesome. Do you see where this is going already?

Lindsay is once again in the spotlight.

The prison spotlight that is.

Our favorite celebrity has decided that she missed the feeling of cold steel around her wrists and chose to give the police another go, for old time’s sake. It has been reported that LiLo punched a woman in the face at a bar called Avenue in NYC, which prompted her arrest.

Apparently, gurl thinks she’s Cinderella Man. The story goes like this. Lindsay got it in her head that she will get down and dirty with Max from The Wanted, who were playing a show at Madison Square Garden. But, because she’s Lindsay Lohan, they did not let her backstage. I mean, they couldn’t invite her backstage, SHE WAS ON PROBATION. So naturally, Lindsay just followed the band to a bar when their concert was over. At this point, Lindsay probably

AP Photo

Surprisingly, searching for ‘Lindsay Lohan punching someone’ didn’t yield results. would have settled for hooking up with Joey Fatone, but she was still intent on her goal. So when she got a little tipsy and saw Max flirting with a lady who

probably didn’t smell like grease, Lindsay got a little angry and all hell broke loose. This just has not been this gal’s week. I know “Liz and Dick” didn’t go exactly as planned, but that doesn’t mean she should try a career in ultimate fighting. *sigh* If only she landed as many jobs as she does punches. Obviously, Lindsay can kiss her probation goodbye. So much for a rejuvenation of her career. First it’s Lifetime, next it’s lifetime in jail. Good move.

In other news, Britney Spears and Will.I.Am’s music collaboration finally has a music video, so now not only can our ears bleed, but our eyes too.

The music video basically shows Britney and Will.I.Am being cloned repeatedly. Copycats. Dolly the Sheep did that before it was cool. The song and video are nothing new, but of course I’m a sucker for anything Britney related, so I like it. I guess. I mean, Britney was seen holding two flaming disco balls. I think

it’s illegal for me NOT to like that. Of course, my favorite part in the song is when Britney says, “It’s Britney, bitch,” which makes me happy because she remembers her name.

Finally in this wrap-up, let’s get a little political. Mitt Romney and President Obama met for a delicious lunch for the first time since Election Day. Unfortunately, Obama did not take Romney to Dave & Buster’s, which I’m sure got Romney upset. But they had chili in the White House.

YUM. There’s nothing like a good bowl of chili to quell complicated geopolitical rivalries! It always helps me when I find myself in similar situations. The two talked about American leadership and hoped they could work together. I’m sure Obama smirked and said, “Yeah, work together. Work together showing you the door!” He’s a real funny guy. Regardless, I hope Romney enjoyed his visit. And stole the leftovers.

The College Union Board does not fail to amaze

By Sara Stammer Columnist

One of the major powerhouse organizations on campus, the College Union Board, never fails to amaze.

Bringing a diverse variety of events and activities to campus, CUB works tirelessly to never disappoint.

After attending the SAF-funded Abracadabra Nooner on Thursday, Nov. 29, students were able to walk away with stuffed rabbits, magic tricks and decorateyour-own magic hats, crystal balls and wands. In addition, students were thoroughly entertained by the magician at the event.

“CUB is one of those great underappreciated clubs at TCNJ, especially when you consider nooners,” said Megan Young, sophomore psychology major.

“When you’re stressed out from classes, the nooners give you a nice 10-minute break from work and exams. I’m glad we have the nice distraction.”

At their most recent SAF-funded nooner, students were able to make their own NYC ornament, get their picture taken in Times Square, eat a soft pretzel and have their picture drawn by a caricature artist.

Planned for later this week, CUB and Student Government are hosting their SAF-funded event, TCNJ Holiday: Snow Place Like Home, a holiday experience

anyone can enjoy. Teaming up with other on-campus organizations such as the Trentones, the Treblemakers and TMT, CUB and SG have arranged for live caroling performances, with other organizations hosting crafts.

There will also be a hot chocolate and egg nog bar and options to take your picture inside a giant inflatable snow globe and skate on an iceless skating rink.

As many students who were on campus last year will remember, the horse-drawn carriage will be back.

Brad Newman, sophomore communication studies major, said that he joined CUB because he wanted to be involved in the events happening on campus.

“The people are very welcoming and they offer great opportunities to help create and staff events, which offers more great opportunities to work behind the scenes as an event planner and meet the talent that comes to TCNJ,” he said.

In addition to nooners, CUB plans offcampus bus trips to places such as Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston. Many of the shows and bands that can be found in the Rathskeller are CUB-sponsored. The new releases that are shown including “Ted,” “The Amazing Spiderman” and more are also CUB events.

Interested in joining CUB? Stop by one of their weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. in the Brower Student Center, room 202 East.

Vicki Wang / Photo Assistant

CUB brings bands, like Tigers Jaw (pictured above), to the Rathskeller almost weekly, in addition to nooners and comedy acts.

page 18 The Signal December 5, 2012

Graduate Studies

TCNJ | Prepare Well

A graduate experience that points you in the right direction.

Register for our Graduate Open House!

January 17th

Find out more! www.tcnj.edu/tcnjgrad Or call 609.771.2300

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 19

page 20 The Signal December 5, 2012

TCNJ Faculty-led Study Abroad

2013

Summer in Madrid June 28 to August 2, 2013

Dead li 02.22 ne: .2013

Study in Madrid, one of the world’s most cosmopolitan

and vibrant cities. Travel through Spanish art, architecture and history in guided tours to historic sites. Visit some of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the world: Toledo, Segovia and Avila – designed as World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO. Live in the international dormitory, Casa do Brasil, located on the Universidad Complutense campus.

Experience the real Spanish lifestyle by meeting native students eager to converse and socialize with Americans.

Apply online!

Go to: http://www.tcnj.edu/summer-in-madrid

In order to qualify for admission to the program, students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5. All students in the program must register for one course and may choose from the following options: • SPA • SPA • SPA • SPA

203 Intermediate Oral Proficiency (1 unit) 216 Current Events (1 unit) 219 Medical Spanish (1 unit) 302 Advanced Oral Proficiency (1 unit)

The program also includes numerous cultural events at no additional cost to participants.

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 21

College struggles at home, but topples Kean Men’s Basketball

Lions are road warriors in first win of the season

Lauren Del Turco / Staff Photographer

Fredriech brings the ball up for the Lions, who notched their first win of the season.

By Chris Molicki Sports Editor

When a team loses its first two home games in a week, it’s a hard thing to bounce back from. Someone forgot to tell that to the Lions, who dropped home games to Centenary College and Richard Stockton College before knocking off Kean University on the road for their first win.

The Lions (1-4) were fueled by a monster performance from sophomore guard Alex Fox who poured in 31 points, 21 of them coming in the second half. Shooting 10 of 14 from the field, Fox was the most efficient scorer on the floor. He also tallied five rebounds and four assists.

“Alex has been battling some injuries in the pre-season and

is just starting to get healthier,” head coach Kelly Williams said.

“I thought it was time to use some of his experience and energy in the starting line up and it was nice to see that he responded.”

The College’s defense was ferocious in the first half, holding the Cougars to only 20 points. They had an 18-point lead with 6:51 left to play, and despite a late Kean run, held on to win 63-53.

“On Saturday, we did an excellent job communicating on the defensive end,” Williams said. “We hope that we can duplicate that same energy and attention detail for an entire game and the rest of the season.”

Junior forward Skyelar Ettin was second in scoring for the College with 16 points. Junior forward Joe Kane also pitched in with seven points and seven

big rebounds.

The play of sophomore guard Jayson Johnson was something Williams was certainly happy about. Despite an off shooting night, Johnson had an all-around solid game in other areas with six points, nine rebounds and five assists.

“Jayson Johnson did an excellent job controlling the tempo of the game,” Williams said.

In their home opener, the Lions saw another late run fall short against Centenary College in an 87-78 defeat.

The game was close early on, but seven straight Cyclone points made it seem like the College was in for another offensive slump. However, Johnson connected on two layups in a row, while Ettin nailed a jumper to get the Lions right back in it.

Ettin finished with a career-best 26 points on the day.

The back-and-forth struggle continued until Centenary began to take control with a 64-47 lead late in the second half, and eventually held a 20-point lead with three minutes to go.

One player who wouldn’t go quietly was junior guard Matt Rista, who scored 14 points in the final three minutes of the game to spur the Lions on a 15-2 run and bring them within five of the Cyclones. Unfortunately, time was not on the College’s side, and good freethrow shooting by Centenary sealed the game. Rista totaled 19 points.

What was maddening about the loss was that the Lions forced an impressive 29 turnovers, while only turning the ball over eight times. The battle on the glass was where they lost it, being outrebounded 49-35.

Centenary’s Andy Charles was

an absolute monster, tallying 24 points and 21 rebounds. The College truly had no answer for his play.

“Rebounding seems to always be an area of concern for us every year,” Williams said.

“We have to continue to work on rebounding everyday in practice and hope it translates to success on game day. With so many injuries and size disadvantages, we have to team rebound and position ourselves better when the ball is in the air.”

In the home game against Richard Stockton, the College was overpowered and ran into a team on fire. The Ospreys shot 59.3 percent from the field, including sinking half of their shots from downtown, to coast to an 81-53 win.

The Lions never really stood a chance as another stagnant first half led to a 47-25 deficit at the break. This hole, however, was one that the College was unable to dig themselves out of to make it a close game. For Richard Stockton, Rameel Johnson and Darnell McCargo led the way with 17 and 14 points, respectively. Carlton Whitehead produced an eyepopping stat line of seven points, eight rebounds and six assists, creeping towards what could have been a triple-double.

What was encouraging was seeing Fox make an immediate impact in his first game in the starting lineup. Fox led the team in scoring, rebounding and steals with 16, six and three.

This performance led to his outburst against Kean that should keep him starting for good. Ettin continued his strong play with 13 points and four rebounds, while sophomore Johnson netted 10 points of his own.

Rista, the Lions’ best player

of the season so far, had an off game, contributing only four points and making only one of his eight shots. He did make his presence felt on the boards by pulling down five rebounds, but the College struggled again on the glass, being outrebounded by a margin of 34-21.

The College will look to build off of its winning ways at home on Wednesday against Rutgers-Camden University.

Soon, they’ll have a stretch of games over winter break that will help them learn more about themselves as a team.

“The players have been really working hard, so it was nice for them to be rewarded with a conference road win,” Williams said. “We hope that we continue to build on our play from Saturday’s game.”

Lauren Del Turco / Staff Photographer

Basketball shoots well against Kean.

The MIRE

MIRE / Radio program set to start revolution continued from page 32

Lauren Del Turco / Staff Photographer

Games will be available on smart devices.

In addition, Glock’s desire for helping others in the field of journalism goes beyond The MIRE. He wrote a blog for “One of the things I understand about doing things on Montgomery Athletics called Glock’s Blogs, and uses it now the radio is that you want to have a product that people to get students at Montgomery who are interested in journalcan get updates for and have ism to cover sports and “get bylines.” real time information,” Glock He wants students to have active clips said. “But if the broadcast isn’t experience for when they want to “Eventually I said, ‘There’s got and listenable, people aren’t going do internships, even if that is in the disto be a better way to do this.’ tant future for high school students. to listen regardless.”

There has yet to be a profit For this basketball season at the ColParents were telling me that made in The MIRE. Until lege, The MIRE will be covering both they were hitting the refresh men’s and women’s basketball games Glock can make money from advertising, it will continue button and just waiting for an on Wednesdays for the double headers. to be Glock doing the playwill be starting 30 minutes prior to the update. There had to be a bet- Itfirst by-play and asking others that game of the double headers. ter way to do it live.” he knows who are good and This is the first step in what Glock have the time to do it. Glock hopes to be something special for the truly wants to expand, and he College’s athletics. Enabling people to – Keith Glock, listen to the games in an easy, enjoyable knows the key to doing that is to get advertisers.

TCNJ Professor and efficient way is the ultimate goal, “I have a bunch of local and one that certainly seems attainable. businesses that I know TCNJ “We want to have fun doing this and students frequent, so if you listen to The MIRE during broadcast basketball games to people that might not always games, you’re going to get some access to some deals have a chance to be at the game,” Glock said. “Parents and stuto local eateries and local places that I know TCNJ dents, we get them to stay connected because we know how students shop,” Glock said. “That’s all coming.” busy they are in their lives being parents and students.”

page 22 The Signal December 5, 2012

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 23

Lions net two wins in different fashion Women’s Basketball

By Chrissy Onorato Staff Writer

The second full week of women’s basketball play was a remarkable one for the Lions. With two games this past week, the College collected two wins, one of which gave them a leg up on their opponents in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

The Lions (3-2) came out strong in the first game of the week against Richard Stockton College — an NJAC matchup — with a nail-biting 58-57 win. The game came down to the final few seconds.

Starting quickly with a 10-2 lead in the first five minutes, the College went back and forth with the Ospreys and hit five of their last six shots in the fleeting minutes of the first half.

Junior guard Kelly Roddy had an incredible game with a career high 13 points, while junior guard Tiffany DeTulio came just short of that with 12 points. Senior center/forward Candace Vigo also had a strong finish with seven points and eight rebounds.

The Lions were trailing in the second half of the game, but the College’s offense wasn’t letting them get too far ahead. They finally grabbed the lead when sophomore forward Jessica Goldbach knocked down a three-point shot and junior guard Colleen Duffy secured the Lions their first lead of the game.

Despite this stellar play, the Ospreys came back and were ahead of the Lions going into the final two minutes

Courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

The women survived a nail-biter with Stockton.

of play. With the work of Vigo and Duffy, the Lions took a 58-55 lead with 57 seconds remaining. Despite one more shot from the Ospreys, the Lions pulled off a tight win.

Stockton had called for a shot clock violation during the final seconds and got the ball back, but the shot missed.

Even more satisfying was the fact that this was an NJAC win, boosting the Lions to a 1-1 record in the Conference and a 2-2 record for regular season play.

The next game of the week also came as a win for the Lions, this one a little less nail-biting, but nevertheless exciting and satisfying. Taking on Kean University, the College soared past the Cougars with a 68-41 win.

Coming out with a 2-0 lead, the Lions relinquished this for a short period of time, but were in control for the rest of the half and ultimately the game. Their largest lead came with 2:33 on the clock with a score of 34-18 when Vigo shot from the foul line.

At the end of the first half, the College led 37-23 with sophomore guard Kelly Coughlin getting her third three-pointer of the game and leading the team with 11 points, while Roddy came next with eight.

The second half of the game consisted of more Lion domination, never letting the Cougars overtake the lead. With a final score of 68-41, Coughlin had tied her career-high of 15 points while Vigo got a season-high 14 points. Roddy was also an unstoppable force with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.

The team continues to feel good about the beginning of the season.

“With the mix of new and old players, we are still continuing to mesh,” Goldbach said. “We are still in the beginning of the season and are feeling good about our team, but have to continue to work hard everyday.”

The Lions will take on Rutgers-Camden University at home on Wednesday, Dec. 5, and then travel to Ramapo College on Saturday, Dec. 8.

Cheap Seats

All hail Mister Stern, emperor of the NBA

By Mike Herold Staff Writer

Ladies and Gentleman of the NBA world, I have gathered you here today to speak of our great and undying leader, Master — I mean Mister, slip of the tongue there — David Stern. You see, there have been some rumblings out there recently that he isn’t all-wonderful and all-knowing, and I would like to tell you that they are all wrong.

Clearly, I am here mostly to address the recent acts of insubordination — I mean, the recent controversy regarding the San Antonio Spurs.

Now, I know that the Spurs’ players

are older and prone to injury and that resting their stars for the final game of a grueling road trip may sound like a reasonable course of action.

I also know that there are no set rules against this type of obscene and unacceptable behavior, but Master — Mister — Stern has assured me that there are precedents for the $250,000 fine he punished those scoundrels with. I mean, he righteously reprimanded the Spurs organization. I was not able to find any specifics examples, but I didn’t look into the secret “How to Fine Mark Cuban 365 Different Ways a Year” folder that Master — Mister — Stern keeps under his desk.

That’s probably where they are.

Personally, I think this issue should now be laid to rest. The wicked have received their just reward, and the Emperor — I mean Commissioner — was kind and generous enough to not directly punish the Spurs’ head coach, Gregg Popovich, or the players who dared to cross the Almighty Stern.

Is it hot in here? Is anyone else feeling warm? Maybe we could turn up the AC a little, really get some air circulating in this room.

Well, moving along here, there

have also been some other blatant acts of blasphemy recently. I mean, silly rumors, obviously. For example, Rajon Rondo and the Celtics have been complaining about his two-game suspension for getting into a push-fight with the Nets’ Kris Humphries.

Rondo should feel grateful that the Merciful Emperor — commissioner — gave him so lenient a slap on the wrist for daring to engage Attention Grabber No. 6. Oops, sorry, another slip of the tongue there, I obviously mean Hump.

Listen, people, here’s my point.

Our Majestic Ruler — I mean commissioner — Stern is never wrong.

He never makes mistakes, overreacts for publicity or does anything else that could possibly be anything but perfect.

He is also not a dictator, I have no idea where those rumors came from.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go take a long vacation now. Please remark in your press releases that I have been loyal to Master — mister — Stern for many years.

In conclusion, the NBA stands

by David Stern’s decision to fine the San Antonio Spurs $250,000 for legally resting their players during a road trip. Thank you.

Swimming & Diving

Swimming performs at the top of its game

College achieves personal bests in host invitational

Chandler Hart-McGonigle / Staff Photographer

The swimmers dive in on a mission.

By Andrew Grossman Staff Writer

This past weekend was definitely memorable for the men’s and women’s

swimming squads as they competed at the three-day TCNJ Invitational. Not only did both teams win, but school records were broken as several individuals beat their personal best times.

“It is a mid-year meet so we did have a couple days to rest,” Jennifer Harnett (women’s head coach) said. “We were expecting our in-season best times, but not necessarily our life-best times. So as far as that goes, my expectations have been far exceeded.”

This was shown as the women finished with a team total of 985.5 points, beating the second place squad from Long Island University Post by 53. The leaders for the College were seniors Kayleigh Shangle and Jenny Zavoda, junior Ashley Conroy and sophomores Brennah Ross and Nicole Muha.

Conroy started off strong on the first day, breaking her own school record in the 100-yard backstroke. Less than 24 hours later, she broke that record once again with the time of 56.91. Zavoda also raced well on Friday, winning the

500-yard freestyle event in 5:11.97.

However, she was not yet finished and later that weekend won the 200-yard freestyle event with a time of 1:56.29.

As for the 100-yard breastroke, Shangle took first place with a finish of 1:04.99. Behind her in third place was Muha, who finished with a personal best of 1:06.50. Ross also had a lifetime best in the 400-yard IM, finishing second with a time of 4:35.43. These three times were all good enough to qualify for NCAAs in March.

As for the men’s team, they too dominated the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the University of Bridgeport.

The Lions never trailed and had a final score of 1,319 points. Behind them in second place were the Purple Knights with a total of 857 points.

Head Men’s Coach Brian Bishop was pleased overall with his team’s performance. By the beginning of the second day, the Lions knew they were in control.

“We’ve done pretty well so far,” Bishop said. “Coming in we just wanted to (cut our

times down to qualify for NCAAs),” which is exactly what they did.

Several of the men finished with impressive times. Senior Mike Caputo first got the ball rolling, winning the 500-yard free with a time of 4:35.48 and the 1650-yard free with a finish of 16:03.35.

“As a team, the majority of our guys got their best times,” Caputo said. “For me, I also wanted to get some best times for the NCAA cuts.”

As for the 800-yard freestyle relay team, Caputo, senior Evan Paulan, junior Stephan Tarnowski and sophomore Brian Perez all joined up to place first in the event with a time of 6:55.81. In the 200-yard butterfly event, sophomores Matthew VanBiervliet and Dennis Hall-App finished well in second and third place, respectively.

The men’s squad has much to look forward to as they head to Southern Connecticut University next Saturday, Dec.8. The women’s squad will also be joining them there at 2 p.m. as both look to improve upon this weekend’s impressive performance.

page 24 The Signal December 5, 2012

Where are you going?

Deadline to Apply: February 2013 TCNJ Faculty-led Study Abroad Programs Maymester | Summer 2013

May 2013 (February 15, 2012, Deadline) Australia – Sustainable Engineering in the Built Environment Central Europe – Holocaust Study Tour Ecuador – Natural History of the Galapagos European Union – Doing Business in Europe Italy – Gendered History of Food** Germany – Science in the Early 20th Century Rome – Rome of the Caesars, Rome of the Popes Silk Road – Uzbekistan & Tajikistan

Summer 2013 (February 22, 2013 Deadline) England – Literary Landscapes in England (Harlaxton) England – Magic of Archival Research in Cornwall London – Exploring London through the World of Art & Chemistry Madrid – Summer Study at the Cumplutense Tanzania – Gender Politics of Development **Wait-list only

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 25

Fun Stuff

page 26 The Signal December 5, 2012

6th Annual Student Leadership Awards The Vice President for Student Affairs invites students to apply for the 2013 Student Leadership Awards Scholarships Annie F. Stout 1879 & Kate Stout 1882 Scholarship Graduate student in need of financial assistance

Bessie Cutter Perlman ‘25 Scholarship Award Sophomore, Junior, or Senior with a 2.0 GPA, registered with the Office of Differing Abilities, and shows commitment to community service

Dorothy Taylor Haas ‘32 Award Graduating Senior with a 3.0 GPA who demonstrates leadership skills and commitment to the college

Elizabeth Allen 1869 Scholarship Award to a Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior which is based on financial assistance, scholarship, and commitment to education

Harold W. Eickhoff Outstanding First Year Student Award Freshman with a 3.0 GPA, who shows commitment to service, diversity, community, and excellence

Harold W. & Rosa Lee Eickhoff Fund Junior or Senior with a GPA of 2.5

John Wandishin ‘79 Scholarship Sophomore, Junior, or Senior who shows commitment to leadership, scholarship, and service to the TCNJ community

Memorial Scholarship Undergraduate award based on academic merit and financial need

For guidelines and to apply visit: www.tcnjstudentactivities.com Deadline: Friday, December 21 at 11:55 pm

Lions Fantasy World Nothin’ But Net Is it just me, or does anyone else find most fights

that happen in pro sports games funny? This came up last week when the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo got into what would best be described as a kerfuffle with the Nets’ Kris Humphries (you know, the guy who’s famous for being married to a reality TV star for like a week). Now, it wasn’t funny because they were fighting, because fighting is never funny. What was laughable about the fight, and most sports fights, was the way the two “fought.” Because players are always conscious of penalties that can ensue from their brawls, they tend to be a bit more conservative while battling it out than, say, your typical five-year-old. So what pro sports players call “fighting” could be more accurately described as “Grabbing each other’s arms and ducking our heads while we glare angrily and wait for people to pull us apart.” Now sure, sometimes the fights can get more serious (I think we all remember the Malice at the Palace ... and if you don’t, Google it, definitely worth the trouble), but typically every sports clash ends much the same as Rondo and Hump’s did — with the two players dragged to their benches by much shorter, much older bald guys (The player-holder-backers are almost without exception bald guys. I don’t know why).

Now, two things contributed to make this fight more entertaining than your usual NBA dustup. The first was when the Nets’ Gerald Wallace decided to just about launch a flying tackle at Kevin Garnett for apparently no reason, and Garnett swatting him away like an elephant would a pesky baby cheetah. But the second made the fight truly priceless. Right in the middle of things, Rondo and Humphries went for the usual locked-arms grappling position, but something went wrong, and Humphries ended up pulling Rondo’s jersey over his head. The end result was Humphries backing away furiously as Rondo, now with his jersey completely over his head like a kid scaring his younger sibling by acting like the Headless Horseman, charged blindly toward him.

Not even the game’s announcers could really hold back from chuckling at that one.

Of course, Rondo’s part in the fight — sorry, kerfuffle — ended up getting him tossed from that game and suspended for his next two, ruining last week in fantasy for anyone who’s got him on their team.

So what lesson can sports fans learn from all this?

Well, outside of always checking YouTube for the latest pro sports brawl, the lesson seems to be to never join a fantasy league without a bench, because you never know what might happen.

Or it could just be a reminder to always wear an undershirt playing sports. Tough Call.

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 27

By Mike Herold Fantasy Guy

League Standings Place Team Name Team Owner Points Top Performer (Season) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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

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

6544 6393 8351 6311 6156 5994 5505 5502 5276 4942 4368 3840

Kevin Durant (1239) Russell Westbrook (1084) Anderson Varejao (1027) Jrue Holiday (945) James Harden (848) Dwight Howard (937) Joakim Noah (820) Chris Paul (958) LeBron James (1040) Greg Monroe (917) Al Jefferson (891) Serge Ibaka (718)

Top Performer (Past Week) Kevin Durant (241) Russell Westbrook (258) Anderson Varejao (314) Kevin Love (188) David West (198) Carmelo Anthony (231) LaMarcus Aldridge (202) Chris Paul (184) Nikola Pekovic (148) Deron Williams (195) Al Jefferson (190) Serge Ibaka (141)

*All Standings are accurate as of 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5

Moves Made This Week: Team McG:

Dropped Landry Fields Added Metta World Peace

Team Molloy:

Dropped Mario Chalmers; Added Tiago Splitter

Team Allen:

Dropped Al-Farouq Aminu Dropped Jose Calderon Added Ricky Rubio Added Larry Sanders

AP Photo

Good Moves, or Bad? Team McG definitely made the right move: Fields has been injured and Ron-Ron World Peace has been playing pretty well right now. He was probably the best player available fantasy-wise.

Team Molloy kind of took a step sideways: While Chalmers doesn’t put up big numbers, neither does Splitter. A better choice might have been to grab Louis Williams, since he’s more likely to have one or two big, explosive games than Splitter.

Team Allen made a move more for the future than anything else, grabbing Rubio before he comes back from injury. Since he looks to be coming back soon, it was probably a safe bet. All his other moves (he made six this past week, shown here is the sum total of players transferred) seem based more on getting as many players playing per night as possible. Nothing wrong with that!

IHereMay Be Wrong, But... are the moves I would make in Fantasy Basketball this week: Add: Chandler Parsons, among all the big signings and moves in Houston this season, has been putting up some crazy numbers so far and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. He isn’t exactly a household name, so he could be a great pick-up for someone looking for improvement. And, in smaller leagues, if anyone doesn’t have Anderson Varejao yet, you might want to change that. He’s currently averaging 15 points and 15 rebounds a game, yet almost no one is talking about him. Might even be worth a trade. He’s a good player on a bad team.

Be Cautious Of: Anyone who plays on the Spurs. Gregg Popovich probably cares less about fantasy sports than he does about what color suit Craig Sager is wearing on any given night, and as a result he could rest his players at any time. Great for real-life basketball, lousy for fantasy owners. If you’ve got Spurs stars on your team, you should always be ready to make a last-second benching, because Pop certainly is. On the flip side, if you’ve got second-string Spurs players like Matt Bonner or DeJuan Blair, you could get some pleasant surprises.

Drop: Brook Lopez has a foot injury and a history of getting injured. He hasn’t been stellar in fantasy this season anyway, and with such a good team around him they might not rush him back from the injury as quickly as they might have with a lousy cast. Also, Jeremy Lin doesn’t seem to be recapturing Linsanity, so the smart move might be to see what you can get for him in a trade with someone who thinks he still might explode.

Look Out For: Last week, Rajon Rondo was suspended. He didn’t think he should have been. Therefore, we should see chip-on-his-shoulder Rondo this week. Chipon-his-shoulder Rondo typically does triple-doubly things. Also, John Wall should be coming back from injury pretty soon, so you should expect not only to see some solid numbers from him, but also some improved numbers from other Wizards like Nene, who hasn’t looked so bad post-injury himself.

AP Photo

page 28 The Signal December 5, 2012

TCNJ Faculty-led Study Abroad

LIT 370

Summer 2013

Study in England this Summer!

Deadli ne: 02.22.2 013

Harlaxton & Cornwall Literary Landscapes in England (Harlaxton) Live in a castle, follow the footsteps of Harry Potter and Anne Boleyn, bring literature and history to life! Program includes a weekend in Scotland, two nights in London, tours of Tudor English castles, dungeons, and a river cruise down the Thames. One independent travel weekend––visit Paris, Ireland, or the White Cliffs of Dover.

For more info & to apply: http://www.tcnj.edu/harlaxton

Magic of Archival Research in Cornwall Travel back in time to the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, have a class in Merlin’s Cave, walk in medieval Druid forests, and conduct archival research in the Museum of Witchcraft. You will live in an English bed and breakfast, eat delicious full Cornish breakfasts, and visit some of the most beautiful sites in the world.

For more info & to apply: http://www.tcnj.edu/cornwall

4 6

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 29

LIONS

AROUND THE

DORM 5 3

Greg Oriolo “The Ref”

Chris Molicki Sports Editor

Peter Fiorilla Sports Assistant

Kevin Lee Staff Writer

In the championship of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Greg Oriolo, challenges sports editor Chris Molicki, sports assistant Peter Fiorilla and staff writer Kevin Lee to answer questions about the most impressive teams in college basketball so far, who’s the top challenge for the Heat in the East, and who should be the NFL MVP. programs can churn out NBA players and still remain in the NCAA’s elite the next year. This year, Syracuse is that team. Duke impresses me for who they have beaten. They’ve beaten No. 3 Kentucky, No. 2 Louisville and No. 4 Ohio State to remain 6-0 at this point in the season. Coming into the season, I did not think Duke would be nearly this good. Coach K has gotten the most out of his players once again, having six players average 10 or more points. Duke has a shot to be the No. 1 one team in the nation when the rankings come out next week.

AP Photo

1. Through the first month of the men’s NCAA basketball season, which two teams have impressed you the most and why?

CM: College basketball’s two most impressive teams so far are the Duke Blue Devils and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. As a Duke hater, I can’t deny that they’ve been great. They’ve already beaten Ohio St., Kentucky and Louisville, three of the nation’s top teams and favorites in their respective conferences. Mason Plumlee has broken out into a monster, averaging nearly 20 points and 11 rebounds per game. However, the two biggest players have been Rasheed Sulaimon and Quin Cook. Sulaimon, a freshman, is averaging 12.7 points per game, an amazing number for a rookie, while Cook’s ability to run the offense against some truly brutal defenses has been invaluable. As for Minnesota, they were a team in turmoil last year, losing seven of their final nine regular season games. Rodney Williams Jr., Andre Hollins, Austin Hollins and Joe Coleman have all made huge improvements, but senior Trevor Mbakwe has been the key. After multiple injuries and a run-in with the law earlier this fall, Mbwake vowed he would pay for his scholarship if the Gophers did not make the NCAA tournament. He has backed up his words by being a true leader in Minnesota’s 7-1 start.

PF: They aren’t the glamorous teams anyone prioritizes watching, but San Diego State and Colorado have quietly impressed this far into the season. The Aztecs opened the year with a blowout loss against Syracuse, but have since showcased their airtight defense by allowing only 53.2 points a game (12th in the NCAA as of Friday) and are picking up 44.6 rebounds per game (7th). The schedule has been so-so and San Diego State needs more efficient offensive threats like Jamaal Franklin, but defense wins elimination games and I am going to keep an eye on the Aztecs heading into March. Over in the Pac-12, the Colorado Buffaloes have won in a variety of ways — blowouts over mediocre squads and tight victories against Baylor and Texas Southern — coming off a not-so-great 2011-12 season that saw them finish 23-11 overall and get destroyed by the Baylor team they just got revenge on.

The Buffaloes have not put up eye-popping statistics anywhere on the court but are solid on both ends, and with 6-plus consecutive wins right off the bat, it will be hard to ignore them going forward.

KL: Syracuse and Duke have impressed me the most. Syracuse is sixth in the nation, but what impresses me most is that they are able to do this after losing Dion Waiters, Fab Melo and Kris Joseph to last year’s NBA draft. If you thought last year’s team was good, this year’s team might be even better with different players. It just amazes me how some

Peter gets 3 for his analysis of teams not in the national headlines. Chris gets 2 for his on-point analysis of Duke. Kevin gets 1 for pointing out how the draft really does hurt most teams, but not the Orange this year.

2. In the NBA’s Eastern Conference, which team do you feel will give the Heat the toughest time on their quest to the NBA finals?

CM: As much as it pains me to say, right now, the Brooklyn Nets, not the New York Knicks, look like the Heat’s biggest competition. I thought that the Nets would be very average this year, but I was wrong. They’ve already proven themselves with wins over the Celtics, Knicks and Clippers. Everyone said they would score a lot and play no defense, but it turns out they’ve allowed the fewest points in the NBA. And that high-powered offense?

No one is averaging 20 points per game. With players like Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez, you know they’ll all be averaging over 20 by the season’s end. What’s most surprising is how well this team has come together so far. With a batch of new players, the Nets actually have a pretty decent bench with Jerry Stackhouse, Andray Blatche, Reggie Evans, C. J. Watson and MarShon Brooks. I really do like the Knicks’ chances of contending and when Amar’e returns, my answer to this question may be different, but because of age and an unsustainable start, I’m just not sure they’ll be as big of a pest to the Heat as the Nets.

AP Photo

PF: The only Eastern Conference squad I give a one-in-a-million chance at dethroning the Miami Heat is the Brooklyn Nets.

It will take physicality and a varied offense, the kind the Nets showed while beating up on Boston and provoking Rajon Rondo into a multi-game suspension last week, to challenge a team as potentially great on defense as the Heat. There will be mismatches, but there are too many weapons on the Nets to be able to handle for an entire series. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson are the obvious threats, but Brook Lopez is on fire. In less than 30 minutes a game, Lopez has a team-

high 18.5 points while shooting 53.5 percent.

That’s incredibly efficient. The Celtics pushed Miami to seven games last year, but their window for a title has passed at this point, and I do not expect the Knicks to extend their early form into the postseason. For me, bringing Amar’e Stoudemire back into the fold will raise more questions than answers — will Woodson bench Stoudemire for potentially playoffs-killing defense, can the Knicks be efficient with Carmelo and Stoudemire both on the floor, and so on. If Miami is to be upset in the 2012-13 Eastern Conference playoffs, it will be by the Brooklyn Nets.

KL: The Eastern Conference is pretty weak in general, but I think the Brooklyn Nets have a shot at beating the Heat. The Nets have one of the best starting fives in the league. Many of the doubts about team chemistry coming into the season are gone. The thing I like about the Nets is that they have players who know their roles. Deron Williams and Brook Lopez are the two go-to players for offense with Joe Johnson playing a very comfortable role as the third option. Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries are great on defense and get a majority of the boards. The other team that has a shot to beat the Heat in the playoffs is the Knicks. Although Amar’e is talented, the Knicks may go through a transitional phase with his return. The Nets match up very well against the Heat.

be given to the rest of that Bronco team, and Foster as well.

PF: The NFL MVP will realistically be awarded to a passing maestro like Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers, but I would like to see a player who has sacked those two a combined 4.5 times this season get it — defensive tackle J.J. Watt of the (nearly) unstoppable Houston Texans. Watt’s stat line is impressive. As of Saturday, he leads the AFC in sacks with 14.5, is second in passes defended with 13 and has pitched in 54 tackles along with two fumble recoveries. In other words, he is easily the best defensive player on one of the best defenses around. Even when Houston has let up a lot of points, Watt has kept the team alive with big performances. During a recent two-game stretch where the Texans allowed 68 points against Jacksonville and Detroit, Watt produced four sacks and 11 tackles to allow his team to eek out close victories. A defensive player might not ever win the MVP again considering how quarterbacks’ stats balloon on a yearly basis, but Watt deserves consideration for the award thanks to his diverse defensive skill set that has the Texans in great position for a playoff run heading into December.

Chris gets 3 for talking about the Nets defense and depth. Peter gets 2 for describing the Nets overall offensive ability. Kevin gets 1 for his analysis of the Nets starting five.

3. Through the three-quarters mark of the NFL season, which player do you feel deserves the MVP award?

CM: I’m sure everyone will be picking a quarterback here, but I’m going to go the uncharacteristic route. The MVP this season is Houston running back Arian Foster. The dude is money near the goal-line with all 12 of his touchdowns coming in the red zone, where he leads the league in carries. However, what I think distinguishes Foster from the other candidates is something quarterbacks do — make their teammates better. Matt Schaub is an above average quarterback at best, yet he’s been able to pass the ball very well in a passing league. Why is that? Because Schaub is the best in the NFL in play-action passing and that comes directly from Foster’s production. In reality, Foster is the force behind the running and passing attack of the NFL’s best team. The majority of quarterbacks have all put up stinkers this year, but Foster has at least 90 yards or a touchdown in every game.

His only competition is Peyton Manning, but let’s face it, Tim Tebow won a playoff game for Denver last year. I think credit needs to

AP Photo

KL: Peyton Manning has been nothing short of spectacular in his return to the NFL at the age of 36. We know about Manning’s QB rating and touchdown passes, but Manning’s passing percentage is an absurd 67.7 percent.

That’s probably higher than when Mark Sanchez throws the ball in warm-ups. He’s led a resurgent Broncos team and they basically have the division wrapped up in a bow. Manning’s numbers should only improve in the remaining four games, facing the easier part of his schedule. It’s Manning’s to lose having every credential needed for an MVP. He’s simply one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Kevin gets 3 for picking Peyton, who has the most likely shot since QBs are favored.

Chris gets 2 for Foster’s overall importance to the team. Peter gets 1 for Watt who may win defensive player of the year due to his overall ability and stats.

Chris wins the Around the Dorm championship, 7 - 6 - 5.

page 30 The Signal December 5, 2012

TCNJ Faculty-led Study Abroad

Explore London Through the World of Art & Chemistry Summer 2013

Dead line: 02.22 .2013

FulďŹ ll the following requirements: Global and Liberal Learning: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts (AFA 203) or Natural Science (non-laboratory) (CHE 103) All while enjoying one of the most exciting cities in Europe!

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For more info & to apply: http://www.tcnj.edu/summer-in-london Faculty leaders: Prof. Elizabeth Mackie and Prof. Lynn Bradley

December 5, 2012 The Signal page 31

lions

roundup

Charts `N Things

STUDENT ATHLETE OF

Win percentage at home since 2008

THE WEEK

Packer Hall’s a fortress

120

Home win percentages since 2008

100

Ashley Conroy

80

Swimming

60

Broke her own record twice in two days

40 20 0

Swimming (M) Swimming (W) 1 2

Wrestling 3

Ashley Conroy, junior backstroke and freestyler for the women’s swimming and diving team, broke her own school record in the 100-yard backstroke twice last week at The College of New Jersey Invitational.

Conroy completed a leg of Friday’s 400 medley relay in 57.65 to beat the old record while saving the best for Saturday, when she won the 100-yard backstroke in just 56.91 and earned an NCAA provisional qualifier in the process.

Conroy holds four Lions records overall.

Basketball (M) 4 (W) Basketball 5

Men’s swimming and diving: 20-0 Women’s swimming and diving: 19-1 Wrestling: 18-3 Women’s basketball: 32-14 Men’s basketball: 23-21 Total: 112-38 75% win percentage

Other places,on not so much Win Road percentages road since win percentages since 2008208

This semester in sports

100 90 80 70 60

Swimming and Diving Dec. 8 @ Southern Connecticut University, 2 p.m.

50 40 30 20 10 0

Swimming (W) 1 (M) Swimming 2

Wrestling 3

Basketball 4 (W) Basketball 5 (M)

Men’s swimming and diving: 19-3 Women’s swimming and diving: 17-3 Wrestling: 14-6-1 Women’s basketball: 25-22 Men’s basketball: 10-45 Total: 85-79-1 52% win percentage All statistics accurate as of Friday, Nov. 30

Predictions from the staff (now with more season results!)

Points:

W-L:

Awards:

5.0

34-23

Most fortunate

Brandon Gould

3.0

29-28

Least interested

Brendan McGrath

2.5

31-26

Most arrogant

Peter Fiorilla

2.0

26-31

Most excellent

Andrew Grossman

1.5

18-19

Most tennis-y

Jamie Primeau

.5

12-25

Good effort

Chris Molicki

Men’s Basketball Dec. 5 vs. Rutgers-Camden, 8 p.m.

Dec. 8 @ Ramapo College, 3 p.m.

Dec. 12 vs. Rowan University, 8 p.m.

Dec. 15 @ Drew University, 2 p.m.

Women’s Basketball Dec. 5 vs. Rutgers-Camden, 6 p.m.

Dec. 8 @ Ramapo College, 1 p.m.

Dec. 12 vs. Rowan University, 6 p.m.

Dec. 15 @ Stevens Institute of Tech., 1 p.m.

An emotional Molicki celebrates the victory.

For his performance in The Signal’s Fall 2012 edition of “Predictions from the staff,” sports editor Chris Molicki wins:

Track and Field Dec. 9 @ New Year Invitational (Princeton University), time TBA

One $5 Starbucks Gift Card!

Signal Trivia

This team has the best game-winning percentage in NBA Finals history.

(Hint: It’s not the Miami Heat.)

Last Issue’s Signal Trivia Answer:

Eli Manning’s 200th touchdown as a Giant, scored in a blowout win over Green Bay, moved him past former great Phil Simms for the team record. Simms was in the media recently for entering the universally despised “Is Eli elite?” debate and answering no, but will best be remembered for winning Super AP Photo Bowl XXI while throwing 22-for-25 with a passer rating of 150.9.

Signal

Sports

Lions are kings of the wrestling jungle

Team knocks off Monarchs and places well in York Being named Outstanding Wrestler among the group of kids at the tournament is a huge honor. Last year, Mike Denver (eventual Division III champion for the Lions) won it and I aspire to follow in his footsteps.”

Senior John Darling (No. 4, 165) earned three wins by decision before an 8-0 major decision in the final and sealed his second consecutive title at the New Standard Invitational. Meanwhile, junior Brian Broderick (184) comfortably outscored his first three opponents 31-1 before pinning the other finalist in just 26 seconds.

Kevin Churchill (125) and PJ Schmidt (141) also placed to help the 21st-ranked Lions finish the day a handful of points behind No. 8 Ithaca and 15 above No. 20 York, Pa., a successful result that showed the team’s intense style of wrestling.

“Our team’s formula for success is simple — be mean, be focused and attack,” Herr said. “When you break your opponent’s will, the match is over.”

Earlier in the week, the Lions (2-0) stayed perfect in dual meet action by beating the slumping Monarchs of King’s College, who had been on a nine-game losing streak entering the match and have now lost the last seven meetings between the two teams by a combined score of 232-68.

A pair of successful bouts right off the bat gave the College a temporary 6-0 lead, as DiCarlo came away with a 1611 decision and freshman Steven Churchill (133) doubled the advantage with his first competitive collegiate win.

The Monarchs quickly canceled out the College’s headway with decisions of their own in the 141-pound and 149-pound weight classes, but a rally by the Lions brought control back to the home team.

Courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Herr comes up big in his match.

By Peter Fiorilla Sports Assistant

Wrestling grinded out its annual victory over King’s College last Tuesday before earning second place at the New Standard Invitational in York, Pa., where three Lions won their weight classes and senior Dan Herr (No. 3 at 133 pounds) was named Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Herr won a pair of pins in the first two rounds and drew upon his experiences to take two tight bouts, including a dramatic 2-1 decision over No. 5 Nathaniel Giorgio in the final, for a tournament title he narrowly missed out on twice in the past two years.

“The difference in this tournament was experience and composure,” Herr said. “In a tight match, keeping yourself focused and on task is extremely important.

Mancella pinned his opponent at 1:18, Darling and junior Zach Zotollo (175) tacked on wins by decision, Broderick earned a technical fall and Dan Brill (197) continued his good form with a win by a major decision that relegated the Monarchs’ triumph at 285 pounds to being consolatory.

The Lions will next be training during the break to prepare for the more grueling spring schedule, where the NCAAs await.

“The plan for winter break hasn’t changed in the five years I have been here,” Herr said. “Train harder than everyone else in the country. Our goals have already been established and now it’s time to carry out the plan and really focus in. The men on the team who buy in and leave everything they have on the mat and in the wrestling room will be successful.”

Courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Wrestling is starting the season off right.

Alumnus creates radio station on the go

College professor is ready to broadcast the Lions

By Chris Molicki Sports Editor In this day and age, social media has taken over our lives. Lost are the days when people listen to the radio or even go to sporting events. It’s simply much more convenient to check your smart phone and get on with your life.

A sports writing professor at the College, Keith Glock, is integrating the two in order to make the process even easier.

Glock is the founder of The MIRE, which stands for Montgomery Internet Radio Experience, a program that broadcasts sporting events at Montgomery High School in N.J., where Glock is the guidance counselor, and will now be broadcasting basketball games for the College.

It began when Glock was operating a blog while doing the PA system for Montgomery basketball games. He blogged for parents who were out of town and wanted to follow the games, but found it to be difficult and inefficient.

“Eventually I said, ‘There’s got to be a better way to do this,’” Glock said. “Parents were telling me they were there hitting the refresh button and just waiting for an update.

Lions’ Lineup December 5, 2012

I n s i d e

Lauren Del Turco / Staff Photographer

It’s difficult for parents to make it to all of the games.

There had to be a better way to do it live.”

As a solution, Glock decided to make The MIRE, but still felt like it could be improved because of the decline in radio usage and rise in computer and smart phone usage. Therefore, Glock has made The MIRE accessible for any PC or smart device.

“Who even has a radio anymore?”

Glock questioned jokingly. “We feel like we’re more accessible given that you can access us on any PC or smart device that you have.”

Glock graduated from the College in 2003 with a degree in journalism. His senior year, he won the College’s journalism award at graduation. Between 2000-2006, he was a sports reporter for The Trenton Times, where he covered the Philadelphia Phillies.

He founded The MIRE in 2009, and after doing two seasons of basketball at Montgomery he branched out to the school’s football games. He will also be broadcasting Montgomery basketball this season, but is excited to expand to the College.

“I wanted to get involved with The College of New Jersey because I realized that

ever since I was a student there, this is the kind of thing that TSR covers occasionally but not consistently,” Glock said. “I thought it was a logical spot because there’s nothing going on at TCNJ in broadcasting these games that’s accessible.”

Glock has a background in radio and does all of the play-by-play for The MIRE. Broadcast journalism is something he truly loves to do, which certainly makes The MIRE a better product.

“It’s fun for me. It’s something that I’ve always really enjoyed and probably wish I did a little more of in college. It kind of comes naturally to me,” Glock said. “Let me do something I really enjoy and if I’m going to put in extra time doing something, let me make it something that’s fun and this certainly is something that’s fun for me.”

However, Glock also realizes the importance in his product in terms of the actual broadcasting aspect. Regardless of convenience, he wants to make, The MIRE as entertaining as it can be to not only attract listeners, but also to keep them tuning in. see MIRE page 21

46 53 Around the Dorm page 29

Men’s Basketball wins page 21

Women’s Basketball cruises page 23

Swimming dominates page 23