The College’s “Forgotten Corner”
Junior Jen Garavente scores 100th goal See Sports page 23
see News page 7
Vol. CXXXVIII, No. 14
May 1, 2013
Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885
Paige Aiello: student, athlete and leader
Search goes out, her success and vitality in mind By Jamie Primeau Former EIC Tuesday marks three weeks since Paige Aiello was reported missing. She was last seen by her father on Tuesday, April 9 in their Hillsborough home at 1 p.m. Security footage shows Aiello exiting the New York Penn Station at 4 p.m. that day, according to reports. Her belongings were discovered later that night on the walkway of the George Washington Bridge. Although there are no updates regarding the investigation, messages of hope continue to be spread through online posts, tweets and peach ribbons. Since peach is Aiello’s favorite color, members of the community wear it to show support and encourage others to keep praying. Aiello is a senior communication studies major at the College. She is a member of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society. Not only is Aiello a strong student, but she is also a talented athlete. She is a captain of the women’s tennis team, which she has been part of since her freshman year. During the 2011-12 season, Aiello earned a pair of conference honors, being named All-NJAC First Team in singles and doubles, according to the TCNJ Athletics website. She led the team with 25 wins in doubles action that season, including an 18-1 record in dual meets. “Paige is an awesome athlete and I loved playing doubles with her during my time on the team. It was always
so much fun,” senior Lauren Balsamo said. “She’s always so positive and such a supportive teammate. I know I can speak for the entire tennis team when I say she is a true role model on and off the court.” Aiello and Balsamo are not only teammates, but they are also great friends. “Paige is one the most kind and loving people I know,” Balsamo said. “I am so proud to call her a best friend because she is just one of those people who makes you want to be happy and smile. She is such a smart, caring and beautiful girl. Anyone who has met her knows how big her heart is and wonderful of person she is.” Over the past few weeks, volunteer groups traveled to New York City to search for Aiello. Since she was last seen at Penn Station, groups passed out flyers featuring Aiello’s photo and information. However, these on-foot volunteer searches have been temporarily suspended to allow law enforcement to follow any leads without interference. The Aiello family shared a statement on the “Find Paige Aiello” Facebook page, saying, “Our family would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has offered kindness and has been involved in the search for our daughter and sister thus far. The outpouring of support has truly been overwhelming and through that we remain committed to bringing Paige home.” Anyone with information about Paige Aiello’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Hillsborough Police Department (908-369-4323) or the anonymous tip line (908-447-5135).
Paige Aiello.
Photo courtesy of Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office
“We all really miss her and need her to come home. It just feels incomplete without her,” Balsamo said. “I couldn’t be more grateful for our friendship. We just have to stay positive and continue to pray for her safe return home.”
Updates come to College College combats waste Recycling for a change By Christopher Rightmire News Editor
Photo courtesy of Canvas by Instructure
Canvas replaces SOCS in the fall semester for the College. By Brendan McGrath Editor-in-Chief
Information Technology will bring a number of changes to the campus once the 2013-14 academic year begins in the fall. SOCS, email accounts, course evaluations and more will receive renovations or overhauls as the College takes steps to improve security and efficiency. SOCS will enter its final year next year as Canvas takes over as the primary online academic service. Professors will have the option to choose between the two, but at the end of the year SOCS is set to be shut down permanently, according to Jerry Waldron,
INDEX: Nation & World / Page 9 The Signal @TCNJsignal
Chief Information Officer for the College. The College will also look toward creating a mobile platform for PAWS. In addition to this, all email usernames on campus will be forced to change their passwords every 90 days beginning in October. This will affect students, staff, faculty and student organizations, both on the GoogleApps and Zimbra platforms, as well as in any other instance where users need to log their passwords. Users will receive an email instructing them to change their passwords two weeks before they are required to change it. see TECHNOLOGY page 5 Editorial / Page 11
It is a multi-billion dollar global industry, saves trillions of tons of resources annually, has an iconic logo and its virtues are sung aloud at elementary schools across the country every Earth Day. At the College, however, students, faculty and administrators still face the dilemma of how to prevent environmental waste. For instance, a main issue often faced is that custodians throw away the contents of recycling bins along with the trash. Often custodians are simply doing their jobs to prevent contaminants, or non-recyclable items, from costing the College in fines and waste, according to an EPA report and administrators at the College. “We get reports from concerned people that we have custodians throwing recycling away with the garbage, but usually when we trace it back they were just doing their job of throwing out contaminated recycling,” said Brian Webb, director of risk management, occupational safety and
Opinions / Page 13
Features / Page 14
environmental services at the College. The fact is, if contaminants reach recycling centers, they can cause a slew of problems for the College, waste haulers and recycling centers. “I’m really for recycling, but it isn’t always something at the front of my mind on a busy day,” sophomore chemistry major Taylor Horsefield said. “You aren’t thinking that a one second mistake of recycling a Naked bottle can cause such a big problem.” This is one example of how, despite the national impact of the 1987 Recycling Act, recycling efforts often suffer from a severe lack of awareness. To combat this, College administration has been refining tactics to help make recycling an instinctual habit for busy members of the College community. Educationally, the administration has been placing recycle information cards in freshman dorms to inform them what can and can’t be recycled.
see RECYCLING page 5
Arts & Entertainment / Page 19
Sports / Page 28
The Goods Students read original poetry, perform music
N.J. Labor Commissioner Wirths discusses working with Governor Christie
Drag Show Lip sync and dance show drowning in glitter
See A&E page 19
See News page 2
See Features page 14
page 2 The Signal May 1, 2013
No shirt, no service Hostess snacks are back Student wanders into room Times down after first quarter By Brendan McGrath Editor-in-Chief
to police.
By Courtney Wirths News Assistant
A male student, wearing only shorts and socks, wandered into a female student’s room in Decker Hall and passed out on her bed at approximately 4:40 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24, according to police reports. The female student, who had left her door unlocked, was unable to wake up the wandering student. She contacted her CA, and they contacted Lions’ EMS and Campus Police. Upon arrival of Lions’ EMS, the student remained unconscious, but was eventually woken up and admitted to consuming three or four beers. He was issued a summons for underage drinking and was forced to spend the night at home, according
A visiting police officer had his firearm, badge and police ID stolen from him on the afternoon of Saturday, April 27, according to the College’s email. There is nothing further to report at this time.
...
... A defibrillator was found floating in the creek by the Green Lane fields on Thursday, April 25 at about 8:20 a.m., according to police reports. The defibrillator was missing from the tennis courts. A student saw it floating in the creek and informed a member of Lions’ EMS, according to reports. The device, valued at $2,000, was waterlogged and severely damaged upon recovery.
• LivingSocial, a website that provides daily coupons and deals to members, was the victim of a computer hacker. Data from potentially 50 million users was compromised, according to the Wall Street Journal. • The New York Times Company reported a decline in income for the first quarter of this year. The company is struggling while it tries to balance advertising in both print and digital news, according to the New York Times. • David’s Bridal created a program called “My Event.” The app will work with Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to let brides create a mood board of all of the things they are looking for in their wedding, according to CNBC. • Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner returned to service
for the first time since its grounding three months ago. Ethiopian Airlines was the first company to fly the plane again, according to the Wall Street Journal. • Twinkies will return to the shelves in midJuly after Hostess almost completely wound down operations and sold off most of its assets. The new company, Hostess Brands LLC, looks to bring back most of its iconic snacks, according to CNBC. • Altria Group Inc., the maker of Marlboro, announced on Thursday, April 25 that it will begin production of electronic cigarettes. Sales of e-cigarettes totaled more than $500 million last year, according to the Wall Street Journal. • Due to a loophole in recent environmental regulations set by the Chinese government, emissions limits correlate to the weight of the vehicle. This led to a dramatic increase in the sales of SUVs, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Wirths talks employment Treaty of Compassion Working with the Governor
By Evan Cardin Correspondent New Jersey Commissioner of Labor, Harold Wirths, stopped by the College’s business department to speak with a group of eager young entrepreneurs on Wednesday, April 24. Despite the rough road he has had to endure since his appointment, Wirths’s message was clear: things are getting back on track in New Jersey. In 2010, Wirths was tapped by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to bring fresh entrepreneurial skills to the Department of Labor. He spoke frankly about the mess he was met with upon his arrival. “When I was brought in, we had just come off the worst recession since the Great Depression,” Wirths said. “Unemployment had reached 9.7 percent, and on any given day we were handing out about 250,000 unemployment checks.” On top of rising unemployment, Wirths found himself head of an agency that was being attacked almost daily by fraudsters. In his first week, the department was hit by an organized crime effort to siphon $2 million out of taxpayer funds. Since then, Wirths has made it a personal goal to stamp out fraud at the department. “I asked, ‘Why aren’t we using what the banks are using? We have 10 times the amount of money, why don’t we have the same fraud protection?’” Wirths said. With the installation of IP trackers, mining software and more, Wirths estimates he has stopped almost $232 million from leaving the Department of Labor. Wirths has also brought a philosophical change to the department. He is bringing training facilities and employers together so schools can begin teaching real job skills to their students. “From now on we’re taking our limited training dollars and training people for jobs we know are available,” Wirths said. “Instead of using a shotgun approach and trying to get everybody back to work, we’re doing targeted projects with small groups, and we’ve been very successful.” Wirths has spearheaded a technological revolution as well.
Nisha Agarwal / Staff Photographer
Commissioner Wirths speaks to business students.
“We have created a website called jobs4jersey.com,” Wirths said. “It scours about 2,400 different websites for job openings.” He’s extremely optimistic about the department’s refreshed online presence and has witnessed a huge surge in use from both applicants and employers. “There are almost 200,000 résumés up on jobs4jersey.com,” Wirths said. “More importantly, I’ve had 5,700 employers choose to stay in N. J. and use our website to fill their openings.” Wirths continues to cut waste and has many more ideas to implement. But through all the changes he has administered, he has never lost track of the bottom line. “I feel the best when I can put someone back to work,” Wirths said. “I don’t care if it’s at Walmart or Phizer, it’s great to see somebody get a job.”
By Kimberly Horner Correspondent
“What is compassion?” That was the question on everyone’s mind on Wednesday, April 24 when students and faculty gathered in the Library Auditorium for the “Forum on Compassion: Finding Common Ground in a Complex World.” The event, organized by The Open Circle, featured a screening of Karen Armstrong’s 2008 “Technology Entertainment Design Talk,” which was followed by a faculty-led discussion panel and a signing of the Treaty of Compassion. In the TED Talk, Armstrong explained how compassion can be found at the heart of Islam, Christianity and Judaism through the teachings of the Golden Rule. “Every single one of the major world religions has highlighted and has put at the core of their tradition what has become known as the Golden Rule,” said Armstrong, a scholar and former Roman Catholic sister. “Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you.” Following the screening, professors Mort Winston, Glory Thomas and Mark Woodford shared their unique perspectives on compassion based on their academic disciplines. Winston, a philosophy professor at
the College, deconstructed the flaws of the Golden Rule, arguing that it forces others to make assumptions about the needs of others. “I don’t think you should use the Golden Rule at all,” Winston said. Although he believes in compassion, Winston explained why Armstrong was wrong to link her compassion movement to the Golden Rule. Glory Thomas, professor of Buddhist religion, also found fault in Armstrong’s link to compassion and religion. She defines compassion as something that is shared by all people. “Compassion is not just a religious teaching, it is a human teaching,” Thomas said. “Commitment to alleviate another person’s suffering, that is compassion.” Taking a different approach, Mark Woodford, chair of Graduate Counseling Program, responded to Armstrong’s talk “through the lens of neuroscience.” Woodford explained that the neocortex and prefrontal cortex of the brain are responsible for the five functions that make human beings compassionate. Following a brief question and answer session with the professors, members of the Circle of Compassion introduced Armstrong’s Charter for Compassion, outlining principles of compassion. Students were then given the opportunity to sign the Treaty of Compassion.
Lianna Lazur / Photo Editor
Students listen to a forum about compassion and the Golden Rule.
May 1, 2013 The Signal page 3
Harris sheds his insights on sociology Princeton professor explains difference in races By Annabel Lau Staff Writer
Princeton sociology professor Angel Harris gave a presentation at the College on Monday, April 22 on the achievement gap between blacks and whites in the education system. According to national test scores, there is a four-year gap between black and whites by the time they graduate high school, with black seniors scoring as high as white eighth graders. Harris also cited different explanations for why the gap exists. Harris observed the effect of different measures of parental involvement in children’s educations, which he categorized as “punitive” and “non-punitive.” Blacks tend to use more punitive responses when their children perform poorly in school, which is associated with declines in achievement. Whites generally use non-punitive responses, which correlate to increases in achievement. Other explanations he gave were the existence of bias in standardized testing, access to resources and cultural influences. Harris found that the gap is smallest between white and black kindergarteners and widens with each grade. Blacks and whites are similar at birth in terms of cognitive ability.
It is only after they enter school that the gap is formed. “I found it particularly interesting when he talked about how the gap between the various groups actually widens once children enter the school system,” said Deborah Compte, Spanish professor and co-chair of the Department of World Languages & Cultures. “So we’re not doing the job that we think we should.” Harris showed that, in terms of achievement, there are two separate distributions for blacks and whites. It is important to note socioeconomic background — where an individual lies within his own distribution — when evaluating members of the two groups. “I found it interesting when (Harris said) smart white people are just considered smart, as opposed to smart black people, where that’s considered a success story,” sophomore psychology major Jonathan Michaels said. Harris noticed that many people tend to avoid the topic of race. It is only by talking about stereotypes that people can break them down, he believes. “We don’t need to have the race police there ... It’s okay. Your experiences in life have led you to this position,” Harris said. The observations may not always be correct, though, he noted. Finally, many hypothesize that blacks are teased for “acting white” if they perform well in school. Harris be-
Vicki Wang / Photo Assistant
Harris speaks about bias, among other things.
lieves that achievement may not be a factor in this mindset. In primarily black schools, students who do well are just that — smart black students. But in predominantly white schools, high-achieving black students are accused of trying to imitate their white peers. “Every time you come across a black person who people say they’re acting white, it’s not because of their grades or they’re doing well. Usually it’s because … I don’t know …they don’t have swagger when they walk,” Harris said.
Scottish professor lectures on Utilitarianism By Lucas Snarski Correspondent
Lianna Lazur / Photo Editor
Ashford discusses philosophy in her upcoming book.
Elizabeth Ashford visited the College from St. Andrew’s University in Scotland to discuss her take on the philosophy of utilitarianism. On Monday, April 22, Ashford addressed an audience in the Library Auditorium. Following her talk, Professor Winston of the College’s Philosophy Department commented on her points and discussed some of Ashford’s arguments with her. This was followed by a short question and answer period with audience involvement. The talk focused on individualistic utilitarianism, a variety of the philosophy Ashford is covering in an upcoming book she is currently working on. Ashford specializes in the structure of moral law and philosophy regarding freedom from poverty. Utilitarianism encourages actions and policies that maximize the welfare of the greatest number of people. Ashford gave
an in-depth explanation of her interpretation of individualistic utilitarianism and outlined its core tenets. Actions are judged by their outcome, not the intention behind them, according to Ashford. Human welfare is the only value of ultimate moral significance, and “each person’s well-being has equal moral weight,” Ashford said. According to Ashford, certain rights are inherent and cannot be violated even to promote greater general welfare. She dismissed the idea that utilitarianism does not support justice, morals or rights, and said that it actually requires support of human rights. These rights include the right to subsistence, the right not to be tortured, the right to painkilling medication and others — the loss of which would be considered an “unacceptable trade-off.” Ashford also briefly covered the views of historical utilitarians, such as Jeremy Benthem and Jan Narveson, and said where individualistic utilitarianism differs from their views.
Winston explained to the audience the three general approaches of philosophical thought and discussed various criticisms of utilitarianism. After several of his comments, a dialogue began between the two professors and they debated various points raised in the discussion. After about one hour, the audience began asking Ashford and Winston questions. Audience members wondered how Ashford’s personal beliefs went with the philosophy she was discussing, how philosophers can set minimum levels for welfare and how relative concepts like pain can be quantified into units. “I find a dialogue on ethics to be important because it raises significant questions on human rights,” freshman history and philosophy double major Steven Rodriguez said after the seminar. The discussion did raise significant questions to the audience on various matters of philosophy and Ashford adequately explained her interpretation of those questions.
Student Government presents awards to staff By Natalie Kouba News Editor
Student Government president Christina Kopka presented awards to three employees at the College at the SG meeting on Wednesday, April 24. Students were given the opportunity to nominate members of the College staff, faculty and administration to receive their respective awards for the year. Erica Kalinowski, coordinator of student services for the School of Business, Daryl Fair, a political science professor, and Debra Kelly, director of the career center, were awarded the 2013 Student Government Outstanding Staff, Faculty and Administrator awards, respectively. “I truly appreciated this. ‘It warmed my heart,’ is what I told people. And thank you for this, but the real pleasure is working with you and people like you,” Kelly said. Ewing councilman Kevin
Baxter visited and discussed the relationship between the College and the Ewing community and how a positive relationship can be fostered. He mentioned the success they have seen with the Town Gown meetings, which bring forth new ideas for improving the relations between College students and Ewing neighbors. “I understand you are students, but you also want to be community-minded, so to speak. Just make sure that you help your neighbor, you know. Pay it forward,” Baxter said. “And I believe if each one teaches one and each one helps one we will all be a better community.” A bill sponsored by the governmental affairs committee was presented and voted on at the meeting. The bill was proposed to help the freshman
class council and redesigned the way in which the freshman class council representatives would be appointed. The freshman class would select 10 class representatives to serve as the class council for six weeks. During this time, the 10 representatives would be guided by their advisor to help them with planning, fundraising and becoming familiar with SG. “Basically, what we’ve noticed over the years, and I think many people in this room would agree, is that the freshman class councils often struggle because a lot of times you are adjusting to college and at the same time you are taking on these huge responsibilities,” vice president of governmental affairs Devin Dimmig said. Some confusion arose during the discussion regarding how
the class officer positions would be elected. It was clarified that any student could run for one of the 10 class council representative spots. After the six weeks, the SG president will accept applications from the 10 representatives for the positions. Four representatives will be selected by the SG president for the spots of class president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, according to the bill. Although it was stated that this would just be a pilot program for now, SG debated the bill extensively. “As somebody who was on freshman class council my freshman year, it is extremely difficult when you are a freshman, not knowing what you are supposed to do within Student Government,” vice president for student services Annie Montero said. “I think this is one way we can address it having spent a lot of time talking
about possible solutions, this is probably the best one we have come up with.” “Frankly, I just don’t see the need for this bill,” senator of the school of humanities and social sciences Kenneth Murphy said. “People have sighted that freshmen have difficulty in programming early on, but in my four years here, each freshman class council has at least met expectations, if not exceeded them ... The freshman class is an autonomous unit, and part of choosing their leadership helps them create their own identity as a class … I believe that those first six weeks that they are in power, will be a dogfight. And I believe that they will be competing with each other rather than cooperating.” While it was noted that if the bill was voted down, revisions could be made and presented to SG again, the bill was passed with a 40 to 11 vote.
page 4 The Signal May 1, 2013
M&S Guitars takes home $12,000 - 1st Place Prize in the 2013 Mayo Business Plan Competition! more teams more money more excitement
2014
Truly an interdisciplinary challenge, the 2013 Mayo Business Plan Competition (MBPC) drew entries from 5 TCNJ Schools!
Established in 2011 by Professor Buddy Mayo and supported by Eric Szabo (‘97) of Annaly Capital Management, the MBPC increases student appreciation for the exciting yet difficult challenge of developing a viable business Next year’s Mayo Business Plan Competition idea. Finalist teams are chosen for their begins now! ability to articulate plans that address this challenge. TCNJ students from all disciplines are encouraged to form teams of 2-4 members (all TCNJ students) to begin The School of Business wishes to developing their business plan. Faculty, alumni and other thank our many judges, the Small business professionals can advise but each student team is Business Development Center, solely responsible for the quality of the business plan. Teams the School of Engineering, seeking to find advisors can contact Dean Keep. The 2014 MBPC and the staff and faculty timetable and rules will be posted on the School of Business website who helped make this by July 1, 2013. competition a success.
MBPC
Total Prize Money for 2014 Mayo Business Plan Competition = $30,000! Important Dates: • July 1 – MBPC timetable and rules posted on School of Business web. • Sept. 18 – Alumni Entrepreneur Panel discusses the basics of starting and running a small business (Business Lounge – 6 pm.) A sample business plan and outline form will be provided.
The MBPC recognizes excellence, initiative and zeal
Get ready to invest in yourself! Form a team and come to the School of Business Alumni Entrepreneur Panel to learn more about this exciting challenge. See: http://business.pages.tcnj.edu/ Questions? Contact Dean Keep: keep@tcnj.edu
excellence ● initiative ● zeal
!
May 1, 2013 The Signal page 5
Recycling / Efforts made to simplify saving continued from page 1
“We currently have single-stream recycling, but that is kind of a misnomer, because when people hear that word they think anything with a recycle sign can be recycled,” Webb said. “People have to be aware about placing what where. We don’t want Naked bottles or coffee cups going in the recycling and turning the whole thing into trash.” Logistically, the recycling cans themselves have also been a point of emphasis for on-campus improvement. The College is in the midst of a 10-year program for purchasing recycling receptacles. The end goal of the program is to have a recycling can next to every garbage can, according to Edward Grubor, director of Buildings and Grounds at the College.
Photo courtesy of tcnj.edu
Recycling right would save money.
“We started to put a lot of thought into the labels we use on the cans,” Gruber said. “It’s a delicate balance because if there is too much on the signs and containers, people can’t process all of that.” In addition to the environmental stake, the College also faces an extra financial burden if recycling habits are not corrected. “If a lot of contamination starts showing up at the recycling center, they can fine the hauler who can pass that fine along to us,” Webb said. Aside from monetary consequences, contaminants in the recycling stream can cause a county to lose 7,000 tons of recyclables in a year, according to the EPA’s 2006 King County MRF Assessment. “The thought is we want to focus on freshmen to get them while they’re young. Otherwise, if we put paper cards in every room, we’d be defeating the point of recycling,” Webb said. Despite the steps taken by the College to spread awareness, an exercise held by the Bonner Center last year challenged students to sort real trash and recycling into their respective categories, but even the students administering the exercise had difficulty with the task, according to Amanda Radosti, professional service specialist and environmental program specialist at the College. “There is so much information on what can be recycled and what can’t, the challenge becomes how to simplify it and distribute that message,” Webb said. Raising awareness for recycling would
not even be an issue if the waste management infrastructure was capable of sorting garbage and recycling on its own, but that currently isn’t a viable solution, according to Grubber. While the College may not be able to support the programs at this time, the College is open to the idea of a student group adopting a recycling program as long as they coordinated with the administration, according to Webb. “If we had a larger structure to support recycling then we could have crews dedicated to sorting recycling from trash,” Grubber said. “The end goal though would be to put all waste through a facility and have it sorted there. That would be the ultimate technology, but it isn’t currently commercially available.” Going beyond common consumer waste, the College has made a habit of incorporating recycling into its regular business practices. “When I first got here, we bought new mattresses and I saw all the old ones going down the street and I just thought, what a waste,” Grubber said. “If we have to purchase 1,000 mattresses, it’s easy to put it in the contract that the successful bidder has to provide some type of recycling … it’s just the responsible thing to do.” These recycling practices have extended to scrap metal, computers, grass clippings and even debris from Hurricane Sandy cleanup, according to Webb. “We’ve all incorporated practices like this into our everyday business,” Webb said. “We are responsible for everything from cradle to grave.”
Photo courtesy of tcnj.edu
The College looks to new programs to correct recycling habits.
Looking to the future, the College is working with Sodexo contractually to make sure there is a program in place to get into food recycling. While the actual sorting of the food would be up to Sodexo, the College would be able to haul the waste, according to Grubber. Another huge recycling initiative for the College is the third annual Reduce for Good Use. The program collects clothing, furniture, electronics, kitchenware and non-perishable food on a request basis and donates it to The Rescue Mission of Trenton. The event will be happening from Wednesday, May 8 to Friday, May 10. To donate an item call 609771-2548 any time between 12-8 p.m. and your donation will be picked up. Reduce for Good Use has the potential to save the College money, save resources and help out others in need.
Technology / New web functions coming to College soon continued from page 1 If the password is not changed that day, they will receive a reminder each day until they change it. At the end of the 90-day period, an account will lock its user out if the password is not changed. In this case, a user would need to go to the IT website to reset it. Every time users reset their password, the 90-day period will restart, according to Waldron. Once a password is used, however, it may not be used again for one year. The password is expected to require at least one uppercase letter, lowercase letter and number. Course evaluations also look like they are expected to change,
as the College tries to move toward a completely digital system, and away from the paper evaluation system that currently consumes upward of 100,000 sheets of paper each semester. The College is trying out the new system, which poses the same questions and comment boxes as the paper evaluation, in about 10 courses this semester, and will evaluate its effectiveness this summer. Printing on campus will now require GetIt points, as the College installs new print stations in labs and the Library. The system will allow students to send the print job to a queue, and then go to any printer in the area and select the job, swipe their ID, and print. Students
may also receive the option to print from their laptops. The College’s landline phone system will be overhauled as well, as many landlines will be removed from residential buildings, though they will remain available for students who need them. The College will work with Campus Police and Res Life to strategically enhance the emergency phone system in dorms. Verizon Wireless is exploring installing a cell tower closer to campus, as the closest tower is currently over a mile away, but there is nothing currently set. According to a recent survey by Student Government and IT, 64 percent of the student population uses Verizon as
AP Photo
Verizon Wireless explores a new cell tower on campus.
their wireless provider. AT&T and T-Mobile, who both have antennas on campus,
represent 22 and seven percent of the student population, according to the same survey.
With spring’s end, funding arises for the fall By Julie Kayzerman News Assistant
As the spring semester winds down, programming for the fall semester has wound up as the College Union Board was funded for two high volume requests by the Student Finance Board on Wednesday, April 24. CUB was funded for $67,810 to hold the Fall Concert in hopes of getting Grouplove and Mayday Parade to come to the College. The tickets will cost $10 each for students and the concert is set to be held in the Recreation Center. Other group choices for the concert include Panic! At the Disco, Icona Pop, Tegan and Sara and the Wonder Years. In addition, CUB was funded for $48,440 to be used toward the Fall Comedy Show in hopes of getting comedian, Aziz Ansari with John Mulaney or Mike Birbiglia. If those options don’t work out, CUB hopes to get one of their alternate options: Jay Pharaoh, B.J. Novak, Patton Oswalt or Fred Armisen.
Disagreement arose during a discussion in which members were not in favor of the increased ticket cost from $5 to $10 for students, assuming CUB gets their top choices. “I still think the talent justifies the adjusted cost,” freshman representative Tom Athan said. SFB funded the event by a split vote. In addition, SFB allocated $11,876.99 to the Leadership Development Program for their Fall Leadership Retreat. It will be free to all students and will hold workshops and campfire activities at Camp Green Lake. “This is one of those awesomely, cheesy events that I would want to go to,” junior representative Kevin Garoian said. The retreat is set to take place on Friday, Oct. 4 and Saturday, October 5. Following, Synergy Dance Co. was allocated $7,500 to bring the Philadanco Master Class and Performance to the College on Friday, Sept. 20. During discussion, members were concerned about hosting a “master class” for the College. “I think that ‘master’ (class) is kind of intimidating to people,” junior representative Samantha Hoffer said. “I
feel like it’s gonna be all Synergy.” However, operations director Milana Lazareva rebutted and said, “For a beginner dancer, it will be a really good opportunity to train with professional dancers.” Executive director Lindsay Klein agreed, adding that the campus is home to several other dance groups. SFB’s advisor Tim Asher also clarified that master classes used to be a regular part of the College’s “celebration of the arts” before financial issues. The event was passed with the stipulation to open up sign-ups for the master class to give every student equal opportunities of attending the 90-minute class of 30 people. It will be co-sponsored by the School of Arts and Communications, which is contributing $11,000 to the event. Finally, CUB was zero-funded for a bus trip to Myrtle Beach, as members thought it wouldn’t be worth the travel time and costs when there are closer beach points. *Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee that these events will take place. The approval only makes funds available.
page 6 The Signal May 1, 2013
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The Office of Development would like to recognize all students who have made a contribution to the College during the 2012-2013 fiscal year. The Lions Legacy Society and Student Giving Campaign are programs that encourage students to show their appreciation of the College and leave their own legacy. Kate Aebischer Michael Alberque William Allan Samirah Andrews Danielle Bellomo Jeremy Bongiovanni Gregory Burns Emily Campisano Michelle Casale* Patrick Chirchirillo Alyssa Choma Nicole Cinman Samantha Codner Caitlin Connolly James Cortiglia Lauren Coscia Timothy Curry Josephine D'Amico* Amberlyn Daniels James DeChavez* Karl Delossantos* Michele DeLuise* Monica DeMarco Beth Dempsey Alyssa DeSimone
Christine DeZerga Taylor Dickerson* Mark DiMatteo Brielle Doremus Brian Dorward* Jennifer Doughan* Roberto Duran Zachary Dzierzgowski Shannon Ehrola* Ashley Fabien Shaun Field* Shaun Fitzpatrick Lindsay Flanagan Kalvin Foo Matthew Fredrick Lea Fuscaldo Marie Gaydos* Theresa Genthe* Lisa Gonzalez* Brian Graham* Kyle Greulich* Matthew Gross* Allie Guarini Roberto Guiducci* Kaitlyn Gullickson
Charles Gutch William Hahn Keri Hamilton Olivia Harrington* Tara Heaney Nicole Herviou James Hettler Maura Hollern Daniel Homan Kimberly Horner Matthew Iannelli Darius Jackson Warren Jagger* Kevin Jang Eun Jeong Sean Johnstone* Bradley Joinson Katherine King Linda Kirk Keith Knutzen* Brian La Valle Alyssa Laird Dana Landesman Jenna Lanzaro Emily LaRosa*
Elizabeth Lefkowich Jakub Libucha* Emily Linder* Lucindo LoPiccolo* Mary Lotito* Sean Lu Joanna Lukasik Kevin Mackiw Kyle Magliaro* Michelle Marchese Jillian McCarthy Dylan McDivitt Shawn McDonald Lisa McKeegan* Frank Mendoza Carly Miller Joshua Min Erika Mohrmann* Christopher Molicki Kelly Muller* Patrick Myles* Tyler Nguyen Max Novelli* Alysha Obst Yoonah Oh
Jacquelyn O'Malley Ashley Opirhory* Jaclyn Palmerson Joanna Papadopoulos* Dave Patel Kimberly Paulussen* Cynthia Perez Michael Perez Josie Perez* Devon Pesce* Jason Pfund Ashley Polhemus Zachary Preschel Melissa Puschak Brett Ratner Thomas Riley Anthony Rodano Michael Rosen Julianna Ryan* Kerry Ryan* Michael Ryder* Ryan Sander Eric Santora Megan Sauerbaum Ketul Shah
Kristan Shanks* Stephen Shiffer Kasey Silva James Siracusa Sarah Smith Sarami Soler* Bryan Spears* Andrew Specian* Natalie Steele Frank Sung Elizabeth Swezey* Victoria Talbot Erica Toto Rebecca Turner Laura Turner* Amanda Turton* Goedele VanLandegem Cristian Velazquez Mendez Christopher Villaverde Jaclyn Villone* Tyler Vitone Jason Voss Olivia Whalen Jessica Wilczynski Stephanie Wizner Hilarey Wojtowicz Timothy Zaugg
Leave your mark! Visit http://community.tcnj.edu/studentgiving for more information. Students who have donated $10 or more have been inducted into the Lions Legacy Society* Gifts as of Wednesday, April 24th
May 1, 2013 The Signal page 7
Out of sight, out of mind Waste on campus The College’s ‘Forgotten Corner’ Staff works to educate By Jack Meyers Nation & World Editor
Brian Kempf / Features Assistant
Holman Hall, pictured above, has changed its function over the years. By Brian Kempf Features Assistant
In the northeast corner of campus lies a group of three buildings, far from the bustle of the Brower Student Center and liveliness of Alumni Grove. The students who pass through this cluster are few and far between. Benches are stripped from the walls, paving stones are crumbled, and massive brick edifices betray the near-empty interiors of the “Forgotten Quarter.” These buildings — Holman Hall, Roscoe West Hall and Forcina Hall — stand as a testament to an earlier time at the College. Now, falling into disuse and disrepair, they represent an opportunity to revitalize an often neglected part of campus. Holman Hall Holman Hall is perhaps the most notorious building in the “Forgotten Quarter.” It was reported by The Signal in November 2011 to have been built upon an Indian burial ground, lending to rumors that the building is haunted. In its previous life, it housed the art department as well as English classrooms. Along with computer sciences, the building houses several of the college’s organizations, such as the Bonner Center. Up until recently, Holman Hall had been abandoned. It was recently renovated, albeit modestly. In September 2012, NJ.com reported that a dozen employees had complained of dizziness and fainting spells after moving into the building. The College, as of early September, reported that no unhealthy conditions were found. The building itself is disconcerting; its architectural style is incongruous with the buildings surrounding it on Quimby’s Prairie. Standing at the end of its bare, stripped hallways, one can see that the building is so long and unwieldy that it has its own horizon line, bordered by exposed concrete, old lockers and endless rows of fluorescent light. Stepping into Holman Hall is a trip back in time — faded chalk art is scribbled on the outside walls, and more anachronistic artwork hangs in the lobby. Holman Hall is reportedly slated for demolition next spring, with the passing of the Building Our Future bond measure. President R. Barbara Gitenstein explained during a press conference on Wednesday Oct. 24 that a technology, engineering and health sciences building would be built in its place.
Roscoe L. West Hall Across from Holman Hall is Roscoe West Hall, the College’s former library. In two now unconnected sections, the newer part, built in 1974, holds career services and was recently renovated, having been abandoned following the construction of the New Library. The older part, built in 1934, and formerly the library, is sealed off and the hollow exemplar of the “Forgotten Quarter.” Unlike Forcina or Holman Halls, it is much closer to other buildings on campus. It stands in plain sight, with paint chipping off of the stately building, soaring columns and handsome bring façade. The upstairs rooms of the new section sit largely empty, though are used occasionally for lectures or meetings. The second floor also contains a room labeled “Sarnoff Collection,” which is planned to be a communication museum dedicated to former RCA chairman and NBC founder David Sarnoff. The rest of the rooms are locked and alarmed. The basement of the new section remains in a state of utter disarray, closed to the public but to the eye, filled with empty furniture, stripped carpets and fallen ceiling tiles. Forcina Hall Forcina Hall is the final building of the College’s “Forgotten Corner.” Formerly the Education Building, it recently received a refurbishment to its exterior. Like Holman Hall, it remains the site of a few school organizations, but is largely vacant. The first and second floors are open, though a trip to the second floor is particularly eerie. Crafts still hang on bulletin boards and outdated fliers for student activities and internship opportunities still hang on the walls. There are plans to renovate the third and fourth floors of Forcina, however, and convert them to offices once Holman Hall closes and the offices located there are displaced. While no college maintains a perfect aesthete, the College’s Forgotten Quarter remains a visible reminder of the College’s ever-changing plans. Its highly-visible location and purpose as a host for the outside community (which is served by organizations such as TCNJ Clinic, the Kidsbridge Museum and the Bonner Center) reflect poorly on the College when these areas are in such disrepair. The College continues to build new buildings, but it should not forget that current assets are disused, within a stone’s throw of Green Hall and the heart of the campus.
Between work, friends, food and everything else piling up on a student’s plate, saving the environment typically gets tossed in the trash. Last Monday, April 22, Sodexo’s marketing team at the College brought awareness to wastefulness by showing students how much food is wasted in one lunch hour at the Atrium at Eickhoff. During the “Earth Day Plate Scrap,” several staff members stood at a table by the dish receptacle, sweeping leftovers into transparent buckets which would be measured by weight later that day. “This year we had 50 pounds of waste,” said Caitlin Moskwa, unit marketing coordinator for Sodexo. “Our goal is to make them more conscious of what they take in this all-you-can-eat setting.” This was done in celebration of Earth Week, coordinated by WaterWatch. Throughout the week, campus-wide events took place to illuminate how students impact their surroundings on a daily basis. In 2007, students wasted a whopping total of 221 pounds over the span of two hours, according to Joanna Brunell, area marketing coordinator for the Sodexo at the College. With awareness campaigns across the campus and student’s weaning off of tray use in response, the solutions have already begun to set in. Moskwa and her team are not the only ones arguing the value of awareness. In fact, one College student
spends much of her time teaching others how to cut down on water and energy consumption and, ultimately, how to preserve nature. “By educating everyone where they make the most of their environmental mistakes, we can train people to be more mindful (elsewhere),” explained Tarika Mahal, leader of the sustainability ambassadors and site leader of the Bonner Center’s environment team. Mahal began the sustainability ambassadors this semester as “a grassroots movement that starts in the resident halls,” where she explained, “people still don’t know how to recycle” nor understand “the importance of taking shorter showers.” The diverse conglomeration of groups and initiatives on campus that have contributed to progress over the years include WaterWatch, which aims to “better the environment” via studentfocused activities, and PC3, President R. Barbara Gitenstein’s commitment to conserving energy and water. With a myriad of sources on how to cut down, one of Mahal’s goals is to “bridge the gap” between groups like WaterWatch and the Bonner Center, fusing the outside community with the student body. “By doing so, we would be able to tackle different issues, like re-vamping the library’s recycling system or make it a custom to use reusable bags in the C-store,” Mahal said. With new relations proposed, the College faces new opportunities to save itself and the environment.
Jack Meyers / Nation & World Editor
Staff piles waste to highlight students’ poor eating habits.
Jogging path could link the College to Rider By Brian Kempf Features Assistant
In a more ambitious time not too long ago, plans were made by the Lawrence Township Greenway Committee to connect the College with a bike path to Rider University and the Johnston Trolley Line trail located just over a mile east. Starting at the dam and bridge at Lake Sylvia, located across from Norsworthy and Decker Halls, students and the public would have access to a trail that winds through Ewing, Lawrenceville and to the recreational areas, which include numerous parks, as well as pedestrian and bike paths. While the right-of-ways and plans exist to complete the project, it seems to have quietly fallen off of the map. According to LawrenceGreenway.org,
Brian Kempf / Features Assistant
College’s property off Bull Run.
the official website of the Friends of Lawrence Greenway which advocates for a pedestrian and bike-friendly Lawrence Township, there are numerous complete trails in Mercer County, with two proposed connections to Ewing. Yet, the website has not been updated
in nearly two years, and there have not been further developments. The College has requested $1.1 million for a jogging trail by the end of the decade in its FY 2014 Capital Budget, though it is unclear whether this is at all related to the Greenway project. However, the implications for the College are great. Behind Lake Sylvia is a grassy strip of land extending from Ewingville Road to Green Lane. Without the strip being blocked off, Federal City Road would extend to Green Lane. Currently, this land is used as a rightof-way for a natural gas pipeline and utility wires, though what was originally designed as a right-of-way for an extension of Route 31 that would have been extended to New York. After backlash from locals, the project
was cancelled, and ownership of this land is undetermined, according to the friends of Lawrence of Greenway. The College owns a portion of the rightof-way that extends north to I-95, where the College also owns 103 acres of land between the freeway and Bull Run Road. Though the plans don’t yet include a path to this plot of land, the ownership of this right-of-way north of campus leaves the door open for access to further development in that area. The College has encouraged cycling by installing bicycle stands throughout campus, and a number of students commute to campus by bike. Completion of the bike paths by Lake Sylvia would foster recreational options, and may provide safe, environmentally friendly transportation to the surrounding neighborhoods.
page 8 The Signal May 1, 2013
May 1, 2013 The Signal page 9
Nation & W rld
Capriles questions results of Venezuela’s ‘joke’ election
By Cait Flynn Staff Writer
A schism between the pro-government and anti-socialist voices occurred after the presidential election in Venezuela last week, in which Nicolas Maduro, Hugo Chavez’s hand-picked successor, won by a slim margin. The pro-capitalist candidate, Henrique Capriles, who lost by less than two percent of the vote, is calling for a recount amidst accounts of numerous inconsistencies and voter intimidation, as reported by BBC. Since the election was so close,
Capriles demanded an audit of the results, to which Maduro complied. However, the National Electoral Council prohibited providing the notebooks containing the signatures and fingerprints for each vote. Capriles has called this a “joke,” saying, “If we don’t have access to those notebooks, we’re not going to take part in an audit that would be a joke on Venezuelans and a joke on the world,” according to Globovision. This is the first election in 13 years that former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wasn’t a candidate. Chavez’s beloved socialist
policies created a loyal constituency among the poorest areas of Venezuela. He died in March of this year after a long battle with cancer, but designated Maduro as his successor shortly before his death. Now that he passed, however, an opposition candidate has come closer to victory than any, since Chavez took office. Capriles lost by only about 233,000 votes to Maduro. In the 2012 election between Capriles and Chavez, Capriles lost by almost two million votes, according to BBC. Capriles has asked the Supreme Court of Venezuela to annul the
election and allow people to go to the polls again, voting for the third time in a year. According to BBC, the National Electoral Council has said they will investigate the legitimacy of the elections, but has stated that Maduro’s victory is “irreversible.” Post-election protests and riots have erupted across the country, with a total of nine people dying. Capriles has said flat out that Maduro has “stolen” the election, while Maduro blames Capriles for inciting the violence of the post-election protests. The people of Venezuela are just as at odds with each other as
AP Photo
Maduro succeeds Chavez.
the pro-capitalist voices are becoming more dominant and competitive against the socialist voices that have dominated the past 13 years.
9/11 debris found, sparks search for human remains
AP Photo
The New York City police examine debris from hijacked 9/11 aircraft.
NEW YORK (AP) — The rusted metal aircraft part believed to be from one of the hijacked jetliners that slammed into the World Trade Center in the Sept. 11 attacks came
New Jersey Report
Superstorm Sandy recovery
On Monday, April 29, Gov. Chris Christie said that President Barack Obama “has kept every promise he’s made” about helping the state recover from Superstorm Sandy. Obama’s housing secretary approved New Jersey’s plans to spend $1.83 billion in federal money to help the state rebuild and recover from the storm.
North Jersey girls plead “not guilty”
Two northern New Jersey girls accused of threatening to kill their seventh-grade classmates in a video posted online have pleaded not guilty to several counts of making terroristic threats. All information from AP
from a wing, not landing gear, police said Monday. The 5-foot piece is a trailing edge flap support structure, police said. It is located closer to the body of the plane and helps secure wing flaps that move in and out and aid in regulating plane speed. Investigators initially thought it was part of the landing gear because both pieces have similar-looking hydraulics. Boeing officials told police the part came from one of its 767 airliners, but it isn’t possible to determine which flight. Both hijacked planes that struck the towers, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were Boeing 767s. American and United had no comment. Workers discovered the part Wednesday on the ground in a sliver of space between a luxury loft rental building and a mosque that in 2010 prompted virulent national debate about Islam and freedom of speech in part because it’s near the trade center site. Other World Trade Center wreckage has been discovered at the buildings and around the area in years past. Police documented the debris with photos. The twisted
metal part — jammed in an 18-inch-wide, trash-laden passageway between the buildings — has cables and levers on it and is about 5 feet high, 17 inches wide and 4 feet long. The piece was found with ropes that aren’t believed be part of the plane. Police are trying to determine whether someone had tried to lower the piece off the roof at some point in the past, and the ropes snapped or the piece became stuck. There’s no indication that the part was planted in the space, said Paul Browne, chief spokesman for the New York Police Department. Of the nearly 3,000 victims of the trade center attacks, remains of about 1,000 were never recovered, and sifting the site for possible human remains was to begin Tuesday morning, said the chief medical examiner’s spokeswoman, Ellen Borakove. It’s not clear how long the process would take, she said. The area first will be tested as part of a standard health and safety evaluation for possible toxicity, she said. Police said the part would be moved to a more secure location likely later this week, where a determination will be made about where it will go permanently.
Around the World:
Syria
Prime minister escapes assassination DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s prime minister escaped an assassination attempt Monday when a bomb exploded near his convoy in Damascus, state media reported, in the latest attack to target a top government official. Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi was not hurt in the explosion in the capital’s western neighborhood of Mazzeh, state TV said. The TV showed video of heavily damaged cars and debris in the area as firefighters fought to extinguish a large blaze set off by the blast. A government official said two people were killed and 11 wounded, while the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group said the explosion killed at least five, including two of al-Halqi’s bodyguards and one of the drivers in his convoy. The government official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements to reporters. As evidence that the prime minister was unhurt, the state-run AlIkhbariya station said al-Halqi went into a regular weekly meeting with an economic committee just after the bombing. The station broadcast video of the prime minister sitting around a table in a room with several other officials. But in the recorded comments after the meeting, al-Halqi made no reference to the bombing, nor was he asked about it by reporters, leaving doubt as to whether the video was shot before
AP Photo
Two killed and 11 wounded during bomb explosion in Damascus, prime minister is left unharmed. or after the bombing. The state news agency quoted alHalqi as saying that the assassination attempt exposed how armed groups “are bankrupt” after the latest advances made by Syrian troops around the country. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday’s suicide attack. Such bombings have been a trademark of Islamic extremists fighting in the rebel ranks, raising concerns about their role in Syria’s civil war. Syria’s conflict started with largely peaceful anti-government protests in March 2011 but eventually turned into a civil war that has so far killed more than 70,000 people, according to the United Nations. State TV quoted Syria’s Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi as
saying that targeting al-Halqi, who is in charge of carrying out the political program to end Syria’s crisis, shows that some in the opposition “reject a political solution.” In January, al-Halqi formed a ministerial committee for dialogue with opposition groups. The dialogue is part of a peace plan, including a national reconciliation conference, that Assad outlined in a speech that month. The opposition insists it will not accept anything less than Assad’s departure, and no progress has been reported from the dialogue since it was announced. A Syrian government official told The Associated Press that an improvised explosive device was placed under a car that was parked in the area and was detonated as al-Halqi’s convoy passed.
page 10 The Signal May 1, 2013 Advertisement
Attention Students: As requested by SG, academic building operating hours will be extended during the exam period. Most academic buildings will be operating on this schedule:
Monday - Thursday: 6 am - 2 am Friday: 6 am - 11 pm Saturday: 9 am - 11 pm Sunday: 9 am - 2 am The exam hours will begin on Friday, April 26, and will be in effect until 8 pm on Friday, May 10. Keep in mind that the following buildings are not included in the extended exam schedule: AIMM, Armstrong, Kendall and Music.
May 1, 2013 The Signal page 11
Editorial
Signal seniors say ‘goodbye’
Spending entire Mondays in the basement of the Brower Student Center may sound like torture, but it’s definitely been one of the greatest parts of our time at the College. During our years on the staff, we have made friendships and memories we’ll never forget. From microwaving lions to venturing to the C-Store, it’s been quite the bonding experience. Each of us has had our own Signal journey. Shaun’s taken her talents from the Arts & Entertainment section, to England, and back to our shores as the editor of Opinions and Features. Her wit has inspired love and anger among many readers, as she’s never shied away from sharing her thoughts. As sharp as she is, Shaun’s got spunk, Seniors Shaun Fitzpatrick, Brendan McGrath and Jamie Primeau bid farewell to the and it always brightens her writing. College and The Signal newspaper staff. Jamie began writing as a freshman and it’s shaped her college experience ever since. By her sophomore year, she was running the Features section, and continued to share her sunny spirits and punchy puns with the Signal staff. Her creativity and hard work paid off as she rose to Editor-intcnjsignal.net Chief this past fall. The paper continues to enjoy “It’s a really Email: signal@tcnj.edu the benefits of her dedication. Mailing Address: intense sport, but Telephone: Brendan became Features Editor his junior year. you’re doing it for Production Room The Signal He quickly rose up the ladder, serving as Managing (609) 771-2424 c/o Brower Student Center the people in your Editor and currently as Editor-in-Chief. His busiBusiness Office The College of New Jersey boat, it isn’t just (609) 771-2499 P.O. Box 7718 ness mindset is a huge asset to the paper, and his Ad Email: Ewing, NJ 08628-0718 about you.” sarcasm has been equally appreciated (most of the signalad@tcnj.edu — senior and club time). Brendan is always seeking to improve the patreasurer Amy per, and his efforts really have made an impact. The Bachman, crew. Editorial Staff Signal wouldn’t have been the same without him. Being Signal editors has been a rewarding, exColleen Murphy Brendan McGrath Production Manager hausting, interesting, frustrating, yet entirely worthEditor-in-Chief “I don’t write Emma Colton mcgrat28@tcnj.edu while experience. Our time at TCNJ really would poems because Web Editor Amy Reynolds have been incomplete without it.
Quotes of the Week
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.
Managing Editor reynola1@tcnj.edu Christopher Rightmire Natalie Kouba News Editors rightmc1@tcnj.edu kouban1@tcnj.edu Chris Molicki Sports Editor molickc1@tcnj.edu Shuan Fitzpatrick Features Editor fitzpa28@tcnj.edu Thalia Ortiz Arts & Entertainment Editor ortizt1@tcnj.edu Tom Kozlowski Opinions Editor kozlowt1@tcnj.edu Lianna Lazur Photo Editor lazurl1@tcnj.edu Jack Meyers Nation & World Editor meyersj2@tcnj.edu Katie O’Dell Review Editor odell4@tcnj.edu
Peter Fiorilla Sports Assistant Brian Kempf Features Assistant Julie Kayzerman Courtney Wirths News Assistants Janika Berridge Vicki Wang Photo Assistants Mylin Batipps Andreia Bulhao Michael Oliva Angela De Santis Jamie Primeau Melisa Easaw Copy Editors Emilie Lounsberry Advisor Business Staff Dan Lisi Business/Ad Manager Emmett Slobodzian Matt Napoli Business Assistants
people are going to like them ... In the electronic age, poetry will become more necessary ... it creates silence in people.”
— poet, professor and musician Matthew Zapruder
“I feel the best when I can put someone back to work. I don’t care if it’s at Walmart or Phizer, it’s great to see somebody get a job.”
— New Jersey Commissioner of Labor Hal Wirths.
page 12 The Signal May 1, 2013
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May 1, 2013 The Signal page 13
Opinions
Something’s wrong with the world today
AP Photo
Through dark times, it is important to maintain perspective. By Dominico Siravo Class of 2012
After a year filled with tragic shootings and bombings, it is hard to not have distressing questions of “Why?” surface to the forefront of our thoughts.
“Why would someone do this? Why is humanity plagued by this need to cause harm? And why is it happening so frequently in modern times?” Or perhaps more tersely we will ask, as many are now doing through statuses and tweets, “What is wrong with the world today?” In this gloomy moment I think this is one question that can surprisingly give us a much needed glimmer of hope, as the answer seems to be “much less than most other times of human history.” What happened at the Boston Marathon was a revolting display of destruction, and the imperfect medium of writing fails to capture the true sorrow I feel for the victims and their loved ones. Yet the reason why the news of this incident is so jarring, and why we all can share in this sense of incredulity is that for most of us violence of this nature is completely absent from our everyday lives. In fact, there is an increasing amount of data which suggests that we are currently living in possibly the most peaceful period that our species has ever experienced.
In the book, “Better Nature of Our Angels,” by Harvard psychologist Stephen Pinker, the argument is made that by looking at historical statistics we can see a generally decreasing trend of violence as societies grew more modernized. The argument is too robust to be given a fair exegesis in this article, but some of Pinker’s findings are certainly worth mentioning. Before societies existed in organized countries, the average annual rate of death from warfare was 524 per 100,000 people. But if we add up all the deaths from organized violence for the entire twentieth century, including all the world wars and genocides, we only get an annual rate of 60 deaths per 100,000 people. The trend is similar with murders, dropping from 100 per 100,000 people in 14th century Europe to modern day Europe where only 1 in 100,000 people are victims of murders. The Human Security Report Project also suggests a similar decrease in violence, finding that the number of civil wars dropped by 75 percent from 1992 to 2005, and that international
conflict has been on an unprecedented decline since the mid-1970s. This trend in data is not going to make what happened in Boston any less devastating, nor should it. However this decline in violence is important to acknowledge when living in the age of a 24-hour news cycle. We are now exposed to tragedies at a faster rate than ever before, and when something particularly egregious takes place, like today, it is easy to lose our resolve in the face of the intense exposure that is given by the media. Yet if we periodically step back from the constant updates, we can focus on how these times of adversity remind us of how precious life truly is, and how we are now doing a better job than ever at preserving it. Keep the people of Boston and those who attended the marathon in your thoughts and prayers, but do not let the malicious actions of a few individuals warp your perception of how far we have come as a people, and how much good there is to look forward to as we progress into the future.
Gun argument redundant Guns and people Both sides want same thing By Luskie Richards Class of 2013
By Gary Bethea Class of 2012
Instead of uniting us in mutual sympathy and driving us to look for real policy answers, tragic mass shootings have us turning on each other. It’s time for that to change. Contrary to the beliefs of insightful Twitter enthusiasts, liberals certainly do not rejoice when children are murdered en masse. The suggestion seems to be that gun control advocates have an ulterior motive for regulating guns. But there’s no money to be made from goods not being produced and not being traded. Liberals occasionally see government regulations as necessary to serve the public good, but they have no motive for wanting rules and regulations as ends in themselves. The only possible motive for favoring gun control is for the sake of safety. Gun enthusiasts need to recognize that while they disagree that gun control is a viable solution to violent crime, supporters of gun control are coming from a place of concern and responsibility. And supporters of gun control need to understand the position of gun enthusiasts. Gun owners are, more often than not, good people. And more often than not, they would actually not be effected by
the sorts of regulations that their liberal “opponents” advocate. Gun owners are often concerned that their right to keep their firearms is being threatened. However, I have yet to see liberals support a policy of breaking into people’s houses and taking the guns they already own. Firearm enthusiasts worry that they will be unable to purchase more guns in the future. However, unless they are felons or mentally ill, it’s unlikely that anyone wants to stop them from buying guns, given that they’re willing to endure a short waiting period. The overwhelming majority of Americans agree that firearms should not be banned outright, but that criminals and the mentally ill should be unable to possess them. So what exactly are we fighting about? Anecdotally, it seems to me that many arguments are made of peripheral and senseless issues. A line of reasoning popular among militant gun-enthusiasts seems to be that guns are so easily purchased illegally, that what’s the point of regulating guns at all? As it happens, we know for a fact that most mass shootings are carried out with legally-obtained firearms. Does this mean that none of these shootings would have occurred if
legal guns couldn’t have been obtained? Of course not, but it certainly would have made it more difficult and expensive, and some attackers would have been discouraged. Wouldn’t even one less rampage mean something? While it’s now conventional “wisdom” that obtaining an illegal gun is easy, the truth is a little more complicated. Organized and semi-organized criminals have an easy time purchasing guns because they have access to extensive criminal networks. They purchase guns, but with help. An isolated mentally ill teenager might find it impossible to obtain an illegal weapon. Other silly arguments abound. Why are we having them? We agree that limited but strict regulations on firearms should be in place. We agree that this is not a panacea. We need more focus in this country on mental health services, we need an economy that allows the young to do meaningful and engaging work, and we need to do everything within reason to protect our children. We must strive to end gun violence, but we must also try to end the daily verbal violence that we try to inflict upon each other, and remember that we’re all in this together.
“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” We have all heard this admonition, and, in the argument about gun violence, it seems that this quote seeks to exonerate guns and place all the blame on people. It implies that we should focus on the people that shoot other people, and try to solve the problem of why they do such things, rather than focus on anything to do with the guns, themselves. It implies that various types of guns, capacity of ammunition clips, purchase methods and venues and how readily available guns are to anyone who wishes to buy one should be considered irrelevant by our legislators as they debate over new and existing gun laws. I submit that such an argument presents a false choice. Why is it people, not guns? Why can’t it be people AND guns. Think about a deranged individual with no gun handy, who might take out his aggressions with a baseball bat or a golf club, most likely with a low, or no, mortality rate. Now, think of that deranged individual having a gun within reach. No matter what, things are
likely to end up bloody, if not deadly. We know that there are mentally unstable people out there, and we know that they are not necessarily easily recognizable. They nurture hidden demons, while often appearing “normal” to the people around them. As a society, we must recognize the need to identify and attend to these individuals as best we can. Simultaneously, we should make sure that there is a process involved in purchasing an implement that is, let’s face it, designed for one purpose — to kill, and that any such devices that are designed specifically to kill people, such as assault rifles, are available only to the military and to law enforcement. The blame doesn’t go to guns OR people, but rather, to guns AND people.
AP Photo
People and guns should be held equally responsible.
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.
page 14 The Signal May 1, 2013
Features
Drag kings and queens strut for charity
Tom Kozlowski / Opinions Editor
Drag show divas get down and boogie for donations. By Tom Kozlowski Opinions Editor
What “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” lacked was a runway and baskets for donations. What the Brower Student Center had was all of “Rocky Horror’s” flare and the chance to bask student drag talent in charity. That’s because
on Thursday, April 25, the annual Drag Show, hosted by PRISM and the notorious Ms. Rosetta Stone, turned heels on the catwalk into support for LGBTQ support and awareness. At first glance, a roaring drag show outside the College Bookstore may have been off-putting to potential buyers. Shopping to crossdress may not have been their first intention, but drag is all in the entertainment of the show. Where else will you see your boys strut in skin-tight dresses and your women swagger like men? And where else will you see a welldressed and permed drag queen arrive on a throne of four shirtless servants? This was the arrival of the evening’s host senior Taylor Enoch, better known by his drag name Ms. Rosetta Stone. In a black dress and a “pair of hard tits,” Enoch introduced the room to drag culture and the show to come with “Let’s Have a Kiki,” sashaying alongside Michael Giordano and Adam Fisher. He also laid out the need for donations. While audience proceeds would dictate which act won by the end of the night, they would also be used to benefit the local Triad House. Seen as the big
yellow house down Pennington Road, the Triad House houses homeless in the LGBTQ community and works to counteract neglect and abuse committed against those of different sexual orientations. It’s also the only organization of its kind in New Jersey. In support of its mission, the Triad House drew cheers, cash and even flying cookies from the crowd. Specifically, those cookies were thrown to David Sanchez’s voluptuous “Davida,” a cabaret lipsync of Queen Latifah that would go on to earn over $180 and first place bragging rights. The more he stripped — shedding a sparkling gold dress down to a thin, black gown — the more he raised. But Davida’s fellow drag queens were just as successful at pleasing the crowd. Coming in second place with $88 raised, sophomore Jack Meyers’s “Sasha Stardust” shimmied his way to “Werqin Girl,” while freshman Jordan Stefanski’s persona “Taylor Hamm” towered over the crowd, near seven feet tall and $85 in his box. Twelve musical acts comprised the show, ranging from spontaneous audience dancing to a rendition of the Lonely Island’s
“Jizzed in my Pants.” Freshman Andrew Edelblum even received the greatest honor of the show: a surprise lap dance on stage from the “Express Girls,” Stefanski, sophomore Kari Gilbertson, and freshman Raya Brashear-Evans. All the while, Ms. Rosetta Stone helped educate the crowd on drag culture and terminology, including equal parts information and good-natured sass. “Drag isn’t just for men, it’s for everybody. Try it sometime!” Stone said. “Because just like Rupaul says, ‘If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?’” And even through the off-and-on technical difficulties, PRISM’s drag queen team managed to collect $750 for the Triad House by the end of the night. It signified profound support from audience members toward both the performers and the cause at large. “The Drag Show symbolizes the compassion in our community. The audience and performers were all diverse in sexual and gender identities, race and religion but they all came out for two things: to have a great time and to support a cause,” freshman English major Rachel Friedman said.
Strength is found after rape trauma By Emma Colton Web Editor
It was Jackie DeVore’s 19th birthday. Donned with a dollar store tiara, the sophomore left her Centennial dorm room to celebrate at an off-campus house. The ’01 alumna had no idea that what should have been a standard party was instead a traumatic event that changed the course of her life. That night, DeVore was raped. DeVore returned to campus on Tuesday, April 23 to speak at the Women in Learning and Leadership capstone activism project “TCNJ Unbreakable,” in Education Building room 115. The project was launched to raise awareness surrounding the issues of sexual assault and to assist victims’ healing processes. “In your darkest days, in your blackest of nights, how you come through it, into the light, really just shows you the strength that you never thought you had,” DeVore said. Though DeVore said it was a long road to find the light, she now beams with strength. She is a sex crimes prosecutor, licensed in both New York and New Jersey, an activist, a mother of one daughter and wife of a man described as “fiercely feminist.” Her sophomore year, however, was very dark. Her attacker was a floor-mate from freshman year. DeVore even described him as being a “friend” before the attack. Once
the party was winding down that night and people were leaving, her attacker proved to be anything but a friend. After he raped her, DeVore shared with the audience the words he spoke: “F--k. F--k. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” DeVore recounted that in the ’90s, when her rape occurred, the actually definition of “rape” was legally hazy. If a person wasn’t sexually assaulted in the stereotypically way — at gun-point by a stranger — it usually wasn’t deemed as rape. Instead of having an official legal trial, the College held an on-campus trial.
Liana Lazur / Photo Editor
Rape victim Jackie DeVore recounts her college sexual assault.
Eventually, the man was expelled from school, but he faced no further consequences. DeVore’s story showed the audience that regardless of whether an attacker is a friend or a stranger, rape is rape. The WILL project was launched not only to raise awareness surrounding sexual assault, but also to make clear the fact that if sex is not consensual, then it is rape. In addition to DeVore’s talk, the audience viewed a video of students sharing their definitions of the word “consent.” The main purpose of the awareness campaign was an art display in the Social Science Atrium from Monday, April 22 to Wednesday, April 24. Artistic photos of sexual assault victims holding posters with poignant quotes said by their attackers during the assaults were on easels throughout the Atrium. WILL fashioned the event after the national awareness campaign called “Project Unbreakable,” created by New York photographer Grace Brown. In the photos, the sexual assault survivors held quotes like “I didn’t rape you, you wanted it,” “I like your grimace” and “Please don’t send me to jail, I don’t want to go to jail.” They rawly exposed that rape is not a faceless or silent atrocity. TCNJ Unbreakable allowed the women impacted by sexual assault to express that they are not just victims, they are survivors. They have a voice and are able to educate others through their strength.
Packer Hall stairwell gets artsy upgrade By Emily Wisniewski Correspondent The main stairwell in Packer Hall is getting a sporty and artistic make-over. “Ride the Wave of Fitness For Life,” — the name of the mural project — is aimed to promote a healthy and active lifestyle to students at the College. Each step aside of the art mural represents one step to a healthier you and the placement of the mural is symbolic in that it is along the side of a staircase rather than next to the elevator. Carol Wells, creator of the project and program assistant at the health and wellness center, was inspired by a similar concept that was done for the Robert
Wood Johnson Hospital in Hamilton, N.J. Wells, a previous office manager at the College’s Art Department, has an extensive background in art as well as exercise science and fitness. These two interests helped her in the creation and planning of the new campus mural. Wells decided to reach out to the Art Student Association, and she provided them with all materials, supplies and funding for the project. ASA donated their time to work on the mural for the past month and a half. The mural is still a work in progress, but so far has been a great success with the help of the health and exercise science club and ASA, enabling them to work together to promote a healthier
lifestyle among students at the College. Sophie Kay, ASA president, Ryan and Kyle Czepie helped to lead the painting portion of the project with the support and assistance of Marielle Austin, HES Club president, Kirsten Clark, of the College’s Athletic Department and HES faculty workers. “Ride the Wave of Fitness For Life” is a beautiful addition to the dated building and depicts all campus sports, both men and women, along the walls up to the second floor of the building. Volunteers and faculty in the HES department will continue to add other additions to the “Ride the Wave” mural this summer. They hope to incorporate all campus sports and plan to include tennis and
Photo courtesy of the HES Department
The new mural is aimed to facilitate active lifestyles.
hockey players as well as volleyball scene. “Ride the Wave of Fitness for Life” mural is estimated to be completed by this upcoming fall semester.
May 1, 2013 The Signal page 15
Reese Witherspoon is legally intoxicated
By Johnanthony Alaimo Columnist
Here’s a headline you didn’t expect to see! “Eggs, milk, sack of potatoes, 10 boxes of hot pockets.” Whoops, accidentally copy-pasted my grocery list. Let’s try this again. “Reese Witherspoon arrested for disorderly conduct after traffic stop.” Shocking. I can’t believe it. How could you stoop so low Reese and copy Amanda Bynes? Can’t you have your own identity without infringing on one of our most beloved national products? Amanda has worked so, so hard on her mental breakdown. She doesn’t need you flying down an interstate topless. She’s got that base covered. In the police report, it states that a vehicle was spotted driving erratically on a road in Atlanta. When stopped,
Reese’s husband James Toth was behind the wheel and while the cops were doing a sobriety test on him, Reese went nuts. When she was being cuffed, she allegedly yelled, “Do you know who I am?” Well, yes, Ms. Witherspoon, we do know who you are. A DIRTY, ROTTEN COPYCAT! I rest my case. But open up the monkey court because we have a case of chimp abandonment. Remember when Justin Bieber left his monkey in Germany and promised he would come back to retrieve her? Well, turns out Justin is not coming back. Ever. Justin’s handlers have told German officials to just find a new home for Mally, as the monkey is called. Um, what? You can’t just leave a monkey behind, Justin! That’s like the Kardashians leaving behind Khloe! You are dealing with a living, breathing animal, not a toy. This is not a Furby, you twit! Karl Heinz Joachim, head of the center
where Mally is staying, said that this is actually for the best for Mally, as being on a world tour is no place for a primate. Mally needs to be swinging from the trees, not keeping an eye out for Selener. Oh, finally, a story not about Justin Bieber. Oops, sorry that was a typo and a lapse of sanity on my part because this is, in fact, another addition of Justin Bieber’s public meltdown. While in Stockholm, Sweden, Bieber’s tour bus was searched and a small amount of narcotics and a taser were found. No, no, no, Bieber! You were supposed to go Nordic, not narcotic. While the materials were confiscated, nobody is being charged with possession since the bus was empty at the time of the search. (I apologize for my column constantly featuring Bieber antics. I just can’t resist. God knows what this delinquent will do next. Probably next week he’ll be caught poaching.) Jessica Simpson Baby Watch!!!: Jessica has asked Jesus to take the pregnancy wheel.
AP Photo
Ms. Sweet Home Alabama isn’t all that sweet.
Fraternity gets down to business in San Diego By Courtney Wirths News Assistant The sales and marketing fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon, travelled to San Diego, Calif, earlier this April to compete in a series of business and chapter related competitions. Students from the College’s Zeta Zeta chapter brought home the award for the best chapter in the
competition’s Amethyst division. PSE is a business fraternity on campus. The organization is open to students of all majors that are looking for networking opportunities and have an interest in business. “To me, anybody can use skills that you use in business,” said sophomore marketing major and member of PSE Rachael Scott. “If you want to get a job, networking is
AP Photo
Pi Sigma Epsilon, the College’s sales and marketing fraternity, competes in business competitions.
very important. You need to be able to talk to somebody.” The College has had a chapter of PSE for five years, and there are currently 35 members. At the San Diego national competition, the chapter’s executive board presented their successes over the past two semesters, including their community service projects. What really set the College’s chapter apart was their volunteer work for the victims of Superstorm Sandy. “Right after Sandy hit, we immediately contacted someone so we could help out at the shores,” Scott said. “That was very special for us as a chapter because New Jersey was hit very hard both emotionally and physically.” In addition to the chapter competition, students had the option to compete in individual events.
Scott participated in a marketing case study as well as a sales competition. For the marketing case study, Scott’s team was given a day to develop a marketing campaign for Pepsi Max and present the campaign to judges the next morning. They unfortunately did not move on to the second level of this competition. “Participating in that was a really good experience because now we know what to expect and we realized that the financials are something that they really look for. They look for the long-term and short-term goals,” Scott said. The sales competition, the Pro-Am-Sellathon, simulated the experience of a sales person making a pitch to a company or buyer. Students are given a company to represent, a product to sell,
and then must pitch the product to the buyers and the judges. Scott said that she felt more prepared than many other chapters competing because of the hours of practice she had with professor and faculty advisor to PSE, Al Pelham. “I had never considered a career in sales, and after this competition I am reconsidering,” Scott said. Above all, Scott values the people she met while at the competition and the relationships she formed with students from all over the country. Scott described the students that participate in PSE as being hungry for success. “It is always good to put yourself in a room with people who are just as motivated as you are,” she said.
Use shade trees and ice cubes to beat summer heat
By Sorraya Brashear-Evans Columnist
As the semester winds down and the weather starts to warm up, there is more time to spend outdoors with family and friends. No more waking up early for class or staying up to all hours of the night writing papers. But that doesn’t mean to stop your already developed green living habits! With leaves, flowers and plants blooming and becoming more vibrant, there isn’t any better opportunity to help the environment. Here are some easy summertime green tips so you can get the most out of the months to come. 1. Give your dryer a break, hang laundry out to dry: Dryers use up a lot of energy. Point blank. The U.S. Department of Energy estimated that a normal household dryer uses more energy than any other appliance in the house. The hot temperatures and constant breeze are not only better for the environment, but also your clothing. Air-drying doesn’t wear out fibers or cause color fading. 2. Air conditioner vs. ice: That’s right, ice can cool down your house too. Situating a bowl of ice in front of a fan can cool down a room almost instantly and using a fraction of the energy needed to power an air conditioner, not to mention the added moisture in the air helps with temperature. 3. Walk or ride a bike: Nothing is worse than being
trapped in a car with a bunch of people on a hot summer day, especially if you’re condemned to a lengthy car ride. Try riding your bike or walking in order to make the most out of the gorgeous weather, plus it takes the strain off your wallet.
4. Grow your own shade: I can’t recall how many times I’d lie in my backyard and yearn for shade until I decided to grow my own. I started planting trees in my backyard at a very young age and now almost 15 years later I have created a nice sanctuary that keeps me out of the harmful rays of the sun. Before you leave the College for summer break, you might be wondering what to do with all of your unwanted furniture and clothing when moving off campus. Everyone should go and check out Bonner’s Reduce for Good Use campaign. Paula Figueroa-Vega, associate director of the Bonner program, has taken on the initiative to alleviate the problem of college students wasteful endof-semester behavior. She’s created a pick-up service that collects unwanted furniture pieces, including furniture, rugs, refrigerators, electronics, appliances, non-perishable foods, linens, clothes, shoes and coats. All proceeds benefit the Rescue Mission in Trenton and its many patrons. The Rescue Mission is a “local not-for-profit that services the homeless population,” according to the Bonner website. “The Rescue Mission of Trenton currently derives approximately 30 percent of its annual operating revenue from
AP Photo
Natural shade allows for a cool escape without wasting power and energy.
the salvage and resale of clothing, furniture and household items donated by the public,” the website states. “The bulk of the items sold at the Mission Store, located at 98 Carroll Street across from The Times, comes from donations from the public.” This opportunity is open to both on and off campus College students and everyone is encouraged to participate. Instead of throwing out that old microwave, why not make a difference in someone’s home? Any further questions should be directed to Paula Figueroa-Vega at pfiguero@tcnj.edu.
page 16 The Signal May 1, 2013
6th Annual Student Leadership Awards The Student Leadership Awards consist of approximately 20 scholarship, leadership, and programming awards highlighting student contributions to the TCNJ community. The Division of Student Affairs would like to congratulate our recipients and finalists, as well as recognize the more than 700 students who applied for the various awards. The Student Leadership Awards program was developed to honor our students, because they honor the College every day with their pursuit of knowledge, vision of an engaged campus community, and willingness to give their time and talents so freely.
Scholarship Awards
Leadership Awards
ELIZABETH ALLEN 1869 SCHOLARSHIP:
WHO'S WHO: ♦ Devin Dimmig ♦ Taylor Enoch ♦ Vianna Fagel
♦ Robyn Gold HAROLD W. EICKHOFF OUTSTANDING FIRST YEAR STUDENT AWARD:
♦ Jennifer Green ♦ Anne Montero ♦ Grace Moran
♦ Shap Bahary
♦ Hannah Wey ♦ Regina Zick
HAROLD & ROSA LEE EICKHOFF FUND:
EMERGING LEADER OF THE YEAR:
♦ Nicholas Lauda
♦ Rachel Chlebowski ♦ William Toth
BESSIE CUTTER PERLMAN '25 SCHOLARSHIP:
STUDENT ORGANIZATION PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR:
♦ Danielle Levine
♦ Katrina Notarmaso ♦ Karachi Ukaegbu
ANNIE F. STOUT & KATE STOUT SCHOLARSHIP:
♦ Elen Faris
♦ Joanna Papadopoulos
OUTSTANDING STUDENT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR:
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: ♦ Jennifer Doughan JOHN WANDISHIN ’79 SCHOLARSHIP: ♦ Danielle Bazer DOROTHY TAYLOR HAAS ‘32 AWARD: ♦ Jamie Primeau
♦ April Bullock PRESIDENT'S CUP AWARD: ♦ A-Z Seven Year Medical Society BLUE AND GOLD AWARD: ♦ Margaret Allen ♦ Max Bernstein ♦ Joe Dispoto ♦ Tyler Liberty ♦ Kyle Magliaro ♦ Melissa Markle ♦ Sarah Stefanelli ♦ Karachi Ukaegbu OUTSTANDING STUDENT LEADER OF THE YEAR: ♦ Theresa Genthe ♦ Christina Kopka
Programming Awards EXCELLENCE IN ADVOCACY: ♦ Delta Epsilon Psi - Delta Clinic EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE TO TRENTON: ♦ Student Government - Youth Outreach Day EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE TO TCNJ: ♦ Lions EMS - Lions EMS Program EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY: ♦ Student Government Drink Responsibly Campaign PROGRAMMING LEGACY AWARD: ♦ Alpha Phi Omega - Kid's Day Out
EXCELLENCE IN COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMMING: ♦ Alpha Phi Omega, Leadership Development Program, Sigma Sigma Sigma, & Dreams Kid’s Day Out ♦ Union Latina & the School of Social Sciences De Novo EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY: ♦ Union Latina - Gala de la Raza OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: ♦ Women in Learning & Leadership Redefining Sex Week OUTSTANDING PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: ♦ Zeta Tau Alpha - Pink Out Week
May 1, 2013 The Signal page 17
Pollen getting ‘nosey’
Campus Style By Carly Koziol Columnist Summer Style Guide The only thing standing between you and summer is finals week. In a matter of hours your car will be packed to the brim with the contents of your room as you drive home with the sunroof down and the wind in your hair. After unpacking you will be in full-blown summer mode … only to realize it’s still May. Starting summer break before the arrival of summer feels like a cruel joke. It will take a full month for the air to heat up to sufficient temperatures for bikini season. In order to get a summer quick fix, frolic in and out of stores and thrift shops hunting for seasonal attire. Here a six things to pick up for a chic summer: 1. Wide-legged pants Whether high-waisted, low-rise or midrise, they all look extraordinary. Since the outfit is bottom-heavy, balance the look with a tight top that shows off your shoulders. Another option is a crop top, but once again ensure it is a tighter fit so that your figure isn’t smothered in fabric.
By Ruchi Shah Columnist
winter outfit. Pick up various cotton pieces in a variety of tonal grays. Wear a light gray tank on top with a textured dark gray skirt for a bottom. Pair the look with a neon arm party and you’re set for a night out. 5. Wide-brimmed sun hat Every diva owns an oversized, floppy sun hat. If you’re too self-conscious to rock this attention-grabber at your local beach, pack it on vacation with you. At least one worker at the resort will mistake you for a celebrity. 6. Beach sweater Never shop in the cover-up section! Instead of wearing a formal cover-up, pick up an extra-large, lightweight sweater that’s long enough to skim your behind. If you hang around for sunset, you’ll be glad you have this to wrap up in as the air cools. The best part of summer style is the minimal amount of clothing needed to create style; don’t go overboard with the purchases! And cease fire on the accumulation of peplum. It went out of style once every girl wore it to formal.
2. Kimono jacket The combination of silk and florals can dress up any pair of shorts. When you fuse traditional culture with everyday wear, the end result is unexpectedly seamless. 3. White blouse Pair this loose-fitting, airy shirt with colored pants left over from spring. Be sure to go with a size or two up to create the casual, wispy feel. Wear it off the shoulder if it lacks buttons. 4. Mix-and-match grays This a play on the timeless all-black
That time of year is upon us again. Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping … and your nose is running, and your eyes are so itchy you’re fairly certain that you’re going to be scratching your cornea sooner than later. Say “aloha” to allergy season. Springtime allergies are triggered by pollen, miniscule grains released into the air by weeds, grasses and trees as a means of fertilization. When pollen enters the nose of an individual who is allergic, the immune system is sent into overdrive. Hence, the excessive amounts of sniffling and sneezing as the immune system releases antibodies to attack the pollen. These antibodies release chemicals called histamines into the blood that lead to the trademark symptoms mentioned above. However, you do not have to sit back in vain. There are multiple ways to relieve these exhausting symptoms. 1. Wash your hair before bed. This prevents pollen from becoming your unwelcome companion for the night. Oftentimes, pollen that has collected in your hair throughout the day rubs off on your pillow, leading to a night as equally torturous as the day you experienced. 2. Use the recirculate option in your car. Be sure to keep all your windows, including your sunroof, closed in your car; and opt to recirculate the air in your car, pollen may infiltrate your vehicle via the vents. Of course, the air conditioner and temperature control are at your disposal for your comfort, so there is no need to crank down those windows.
Photo from FashionSalde.com
A floral Kimono is a flirty transition jacket for the late spring weather.
3. Treat your house like your car. The same rules about windows that apply to your home apply to your car as well. Be sure to close all windows in order to prevent pollen from entering. It is a most unwelcome visitor, so take all necessary precautions to ensure that it
stays out. 4. Know your over-the-counter allergy medications. There are a variety of medications available over-the-counter to treat the symptoms of springtime allergies, including topical nasal sprays, inhaled corticosteroids, oral antihistamines, and decongestants. For mild allergies, oral antihistamines, nasal sprays and inhalants tend to be fairly effective. 5. Immunotherapy for allergies. Those individuals who suffer from more serious side-effects of allergies, should seek immunotherapy, commonly known as an allergy shot. This method works by exposing the immune system to slight amounts of the allergen. Greater doses are delivered over time, ultimately conditioning the body’s immune system not to aggressively respond to it. 6. Plan your day in conjunction with the pollen count. A pollen count is offered daily by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology’s National Allergy Bureau. You can easily sign up for it by going to aaaai.org/ global/nab-pollen-counts.aspx. In general, the pollen count tends to be the highest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. These methods are effective measures for combating the dreadful symptoms of allergies during this beautiful time of year. Remember, “aloha” means both “hello” and “goodbye.” So with that in mind, say “aloha” to allergies!
AP Photo
Pollen count is at a record high.
Chinese food favorite stays ‘Number 1’ garlic sauce. It’s spicy and includes tofu, which she loves. It comes served with a side of white rice. Of course, no order is complete without a fortune cookie! It’s my favorite part of the meal. Give No. 1 China a try and decide for yourself if it’s really the best. It can be a great study fuel to help you survive the rest of the semester! No. 1 China
Jamie Primeau / Former EIC
No. 1 China’s chicken and broccoli meal is a cheap and easy satisfier during the spring semester rush of finals and essays. By Jamie Primeau Former EIC If you’re going to order Chinese food — which is likely now that finals are almost here — I recommend choosing No. 1 China. Sure, categorizing itself as number one seems a bit egotistical, but it’s actually an accurate name. Even though I was initially skeptical about its superiority, I’ve found that No. 1 China trumps other Chinese restaurants in the area. Before talking about my most recent dining experience, I must confess that my roommate and I order No. 1 China far too frequently. It’s just so delicious and such a bargain that we can’t help it. For under $10, you get a filling meal that will likely lead to leftovers. (OK, who am I kidding? You’ll probably
wind up eating most of it in one sitting. But I won’t judge you, because that’s happened to me, too.) No. 1 China may not have the speediest delivery service, but it’s worth the wait. It tends to take around an hour, and if you’re lucky, sometimes it comes within a half hour. When I ordered it on Sunday, it took 50 minutes to arrive. Chicken and broccoli is my go-to meal. For an extra dollar, you can have it served with lo mein instead of rice, which I definitely recommend. The fried rice is also good, but the lo mein tastes so much better. I usually order it as a combination platter, which comes with a can of soda and an e g g roll. Personally I’m not a fan of soda or egg rolls, but I appreciate the gesture. My housemates, who eat the egg rolls, have said they’re pretty good. No. 1 China also has great options if you’re a vegetarian. My roommate always gets the mixed vegetables with
Where: 1429 Parkside Ave Ewing, NJ 08638 Contact: (609) 883-7775 Hours Mon. - Sun. : 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. Overall Rating (4. 5 out of 5)
page 18 The Signal May 1, 2013
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May 1, 2013 The Signal page 19
Arts & Entertainment
Zapruder, INK wax poetic for the Goods
Brian Kempf / Features Assistant
Zapruder headlines the all-day event. By Brian Kempf Features Assistant
Distinguished poet, professor and musician Matthew Zapruder admitted
during his performance on Saturday night to being a plagiarizer. Well, not quite. But as he was about to share his poem, “April Snow,” he shared a secret: “Sometimes I’ll take some language I see, use a razor blade and cut out any interesting phrases I see.” In the case of “April Snow,” they came from scientific articles. Zapruder was the headlining writer for The Goods, an all-day student arts festival held at the Rathskeller on Saturday, April 27. Presented by INK, the College’s creative writing organization, the event was chock-full of student music and poetry performances. During the six hours of performances, performers took the stage with all facets of creative material. While freshmen Rachel Friedman and Andrew Edelblum preformed verse and slam poetry, respectively, INK president Samantha Zimbler and secretary Carly DaSilva preformed their work toward the last half of the show. Elsewhere, student bands like the trio “Big Run” played folk-style covers of
Death Cab for Cutie and Bright Eyes. Just before Zapruder came on, the “mysterious” duo of Local Heroes played a two song set including a light-herated cover of the Lumineers’ “Hey Ho.” And, breaking from the conventional, there was even an act by the College’s own juggling club. By 7 p.m., the student setlist was over and Zapruder appeared. His time was divided between discussion and reading, and his work exists on a wide spectrum, touching upon subjects as diverse as Marcel Dushamp’s Readymades to psychoanalysis to dead cats he never met. He read works such as “Frankenstein Love,” which asked, “Will you be the one unable / to control your temper, sewed together / as you are from the past?” His poems are delightfully lucid, betrayed by the nonchalance with which he delivers his work. “The Prelude,” a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Wordsworth (whom he sheepishly admitted to have not been familiar with until recently), starts with, “Oh, this Diet Coke is really good.” But his seemingly
light-hearted language is deceiving. He paints images so vivid and sincere that they can be felt through all senses. Zapruder offers that the secret to writing great poetry is reading works of dead poets. Encouraging the audience to find their own favorite dead poet, he admitted that he feels very close to W.B. Yeats, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. “My life is full of dead poets,” Zapruder explained. “(They’re) probably the people I spend the most time with, besides my wife of course.” His question and answer session was an honest look at the man who crafts such language. When asked what poems he was proud of that do not receive recognition, he admitted that he doesn’t have that kind of relationship to his poems. “I don’t write poems because people are going to like them,” he says. When asked what his relationship is to fear in writing, he admits to a fear of silence, which is why we fill that silence with devices. “In the electronic age, poetry will become more necessary … it creates silence in people.”
people in motion while their upper body is replaced with images of iconic video game characters. Her work sought to illustrate how people liken themselves to these characters and live vicariously through them. “People accomplish things in game that they can’t do in real life,” Marotte said. Each figure took Pam an average of 25 hours to complete. Walking into the main exhibit, guests are greeted by a large portrait of seven historical buildings mixed together. Josh Sender’s art work, Contrived / Permanence, blends the architecture of buildings such as the Taj Mahal, the Church of Santiago in Spain and an Egyptian Obelisk. While working on the portrait, Sender found that these buildings began to cohesively blend together. “They all kind of look the same in the end, so it’s interesting how people find these things in it,” senior fine arts major Sender said. After college, Sender wants to work as a designer. When entering the Gallery, visitors
immediately hear the high screech of tiny motors. The spinning potted plants are placed in order to have their leaves scratch against each other. A microphone hung over head captures the sound. In his piece “Brush,” senior art and education double major Bryan Borut works to amplify the insignificant sounds that would otherwise go unnoticed. He seeks to exacerbate the sound for guests to listen to. The engineering of these motors was designed by Borut himself with ordinary household objects, such as a string of rubber bands he converted into a fan belt that helps to rotate the plants. “I just thought, why not slap a bunch of things together and see how it works. Ultimate DIY project,” Borut said. Artists will greet guests to discuss their work on Wednesday, May 1. The official opening reception for Thirteen will commence on Sunday, May 5 from noon to 3 p.m. They expect to have over 200 people in attendance.
One subject in the gallery connects potted plants with digital arts.
Creative digital art adorns senior gallery By Mike Nunes Staff Writer
The College’s Art Gallery began a twoweek series that displayed the pieces of work by graduating students on Wednesday, April 24. The Thirteen Art & Design Exhibition showcased the artwork of senior fine art, digital art and graphic design majors. These art works displayed a wide range of subjects, ranging from a microphone scrapping ink on a canvas to a portrait combining seven different kinds of historical buildings. Senior digital arts major Pam Marotte’s piece, “Virtual Persona,” combines her love of video games with digital art. Her inspiration came from the connection that people make with video game characters. “It’s about how people personify themselves in video game characters,” Marotte said of her art. Virtual Persona features images of five
Janika Berridge / Photo Assistant
Against odds and aliens, ‘Defiance’ dazzles By Sorraya Brashear- Evans Staff Writer Once “Battlestar Galactica” ended, there was a void for a decent sci-fi TV show. But finding the perfect balance of realistic special effects, a good cast and an engaging plotline proved to be a bit of a challenge. Flops like “Fox” and “Terra Nova” proved that you couldn’t just throw some special effects over a boring story and expect it keep viewers. Let’s face it: there have only been a handful of fascinating science fiction shows that have truly been hits. Syfy’s “Defiance” gives the geeky folk hope. Science fiction screenwriters Rockne S. O’Bannon, Kevin Murphy and Michael Taylor
have potentially hit the proverbial jackpot when it comes to hit shows this summer. Its story is pretty straightforward. Thirty-three years ago, eight alien races called Votans were brought to Earth on giant ships called Arks that ignited a huge war. This war went on until the time of Arkfall. All of the races then entered a treaty with each other, but lingering tensions kept relations fragile. Defiance is a protected town where aliens and humans live alongside one another as equals. Built on the remains of St. Louis, this is the only known place of harmony surrounded by regions known as the “bad lands.” The show’s protagonist is Nolan (Grant Bowler), a former Marine from a small battalion
known as the Defiant Few, who now wants nothing more than to travel to Antarctica. He’s accompanied by his adoptive daughter Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas), who is a member of the Irathient race but was rescued and raised as Nolan’s own child. Through a series of mishaps, Nolan finds himself the new sheriff of Defiance and convinces Irisa that it’s still a town worth fighting for. Although the two-hour season premiere seemed lengthy, everything seemed to come together nicely. I was pleasantly surprised to see myself still fascinated as a more complicated storyline unfolded in the second episode. The show accomplished its goal by captivating the hard-tosell attention of science fiction
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After a disappointing series of cancellations, ‘Defiance’ carries the torch for new sci-fi adventure shows.
fanatics while inspiring others who weren’t previously aware of the greatness it entails. Although it’s still early in the
game to place a definitive stamp on “Defiance,” it shows great promise for lasting success. Stay tuned for future episodes.
page 20 The Signal May 1, 2013
Big D brings ska and skanking to Rat By Ashley McKenna Correspondent As students anxiously awaited the last week of classes, members of the College community enjoyed one of the last shows of the year with the performance of the ska band from Boston, Big D and the Kids Table, at the Rathskellar on Friday, April 26. Big D and the Kids Table consists of lead singer and guitarist David McWane and bass guitarist Steven Foote. With Alex Stern on guitar, Derek Davis on drums, Paul Cuttler on trombone and Ryan O’Connor on tenor saxophone, the six performers brought the crowd to their feet, drawing out several genres, such as reggae, punk and rock. With about 100 people in attendance, the band encouraged the crowd to stand in front of the stage to sing and dance. As they began their repertoire at the College Union Board’s show, they made a statement with a clash of drums, guitars, saxophone and vocals. Their songs, such as “Wired,” and “LA.X” were performed with vigorous emotion. The lead singer sang out the lyrics from “The One:” “And if you keep that smile then you’ll find a way / And if you keep your sun out then
Janika Berridge / Photo Assistant
The six-man band mixes instrumental brass and brawn for a dancing crowd.
you’ll find a way.” “For the first time seeing them live, they were a lot better than I imagined,” said Ian Schneedbery, a community college student. “I would like to see them again.” Their powerful presence kept the audience engaged and entertained as they played more of their popular songs like “Shining On,” “Little Bitch” and “One Day.” A group of fans also congregated in the front of the stage, jamming and nodding their heads to the catchy rhythm. There was even a little bit of
crowd-surfing. “There was a lot of energy in the crowd,” sophomore biology major Kelly Griebert said. “I’ve never seen crowdsurfing at the Rat. I wouldn’t expect it.” Between songs, McWane thanked the students for coming out to the show and supporting the band. They also announced that they will be on Warped Tour this summer. Along with the announcement, McWane mentioned their records would be coming in just a short month and a half.
Fans were encouraged to donate to The One Fund, which helps the people affected by the tragic events that occurred during the Boston Marathon. After the show, fans had the opportunity to talk to band members as well as purchase merchandise. One fan, senior psychology major Rachel Tenenbaum, saw Big D and the Kids Table live before. “I saw them at Starland Ballroom,” Tenenbaum said. “It was great to see them here, though, in such a small, personal atmosphere.” Before the group hit stage, New Jersey ska/punk band Survay Says! opened the show with their exhilarating song “Where We Exist.” With their lively musical talent, they started off the night with a bang. The band is made up of five members, including brothers Henry Menzel (guitarist) and Dennis Menzel (lead singer). In between songs, they entertained the crowd with stories and stand-up comedy talent. They announced to the crowd that this is their 71st show in 2013. The vibrant stage presence and energetic variety of music of the opening band got the crowd clapping and cheering. By the time Big D and the Kids Table stepped on stage, the eager crowd was ready to hear their music.
New York Poet Laureate shares her work By Kaite Dougherty Staff Writer
The College’s creative writing organization, INK, presented renowned poet Marie Howe as part of INK’s Master Series on Thursday, April 25 in the Education Building. Many students and a few faculty members gathered for the event to witness and hear the enchanting words of the current New York State Poet Laureate at their very own college campus. This particular occasion enabled aspiring poets and literature lovers to hear Howe read some of her most expressive poetry aloud, while simultaneously learning about the writers who influenced her creative ambition. Alexa Logush, sophomore English and history double major, was
one of the students who helped organize the poetry event. “She’s very talented, especially in the way she takes mundane or simple events and turns them into something more,” Logush said, describing Howe’s writing style. Through Howe’s use of poetics, seemingly everyday occurrences such as parking a car or going on a walk are transformed into very significant and magical events. Carly DaSilva, sophomore English major and the lead organizer of the reading, introduced Howe with a beautiful and welcoming speech. DaSilva, who writes poetry herself, claimed that she was very much inspired by Howe’s writing style. “She’s a fabulous writer and I love her,” DaSilva said. When asked if she would
ever attempt to emulate Howe’s distinct writing style, DaSilva stated that she could never recreate Howe’s exact poetic ability. But she does believe that Howe is one of those poets whose style can subconsciously “seep” into one’s own writing. Howe’s work is just that powerful. DaSilva recited a couple of lines from her favorite Howe poem, “The Last Time,” during the introduction. Howe was deeply touched and was filled with modest gratitude as she approached the podium. “I left all my notes at home,” Howe said jokingly after realizing that she forgot to bring a few discussion points she jotted down. “But I know what I want to talk about.” Howe began the poetry reading by discussing many metaphysical
poets who influenced her writing including a German poet named Rainer Maria Rilke, the ever-celebrated Robert Frost and the late Jane Kenyon. “These are the poets who have nourished me,” Howe said. Howe then proceeded to read a few select poems from these inspirational writers. She read a Rainer Maria Rilke poem titled “Annunciation to Mary.” This poem presented a unique version of the ancient story about the Virgin Mary’s visit from the angel Gabriel. Howe also read some pieces by Jane Kenyan, who was also one of her closest friends. After reading Kenyan’s poem, “Bright Sun after Heavy Snow,” Howe noted how Kenyan was a master at establishing metaphorical meaning through the description of nature.
“Her consciousness is like a shuttle of light,” Howe said, regarding Kenyan’s perception within her poems. Howe ended the reading by reciting some of her own poems, including “The Cold Outside,” “The Gate,” “The Dream” and her well-known piece “What the Living Do.” All of the poems Howe read centered on her brother John, who passed away from the AIDS virus. Her deeply personal and emotionally-driven words pored over the audience like a soothe song. Howe’s relaxed and overall humble disposition made her all the more approachable for students and professors to chat with after the poetry reading. She autographed several copies of her poetry collections and thanked the audience for their time.
Student monologues show endless possibilities
Photo courtesy of Matt Lupino
MoCo winners Hayley Meibach, John Eldis and Brittany Rivera accept their awards after deliberation. By Mike Herold Staff Writer
What do you get when you give a group of creative and talented actors the chance to perform essentially anything they want
with no real limits? That was the question answered by All College Theatre and Alpha Psi Omega’s Monologue and Scene Competition (referred to as “MoCo” by the competitors) this past Sunday, April 28. In the event, several students performed whatever their hearts desired — be it serious and heartfelt readings or the raving lunacies of sorority girls gone wrong (yes, the letter you are thinking about). “MoCo is a great way for students who haven’t had the time to do real acting during the year, they can come in and just do something quick,” graduate student John Eldis said. Eldis placed second in the event for his self-written piece, “Regret.” That was certainly the case for the event’s overall winner. “This year I hadn’t really performed in anything,” junior civil engineering major Hayley Meibach said. Meibrach won for her reading of always_through’s “Symmetry.” “This was a chance for me to relax and do something creative and have fun. I’m really happy that we have something like this, where we can just come in for one day and do something,” she said.
While both Eldis and Meibach were recognized for their serious and emotional portrayals, respectively, the comedic element of performance wasn’t left emptyhanded in the judging. “The piece really spoke to me, I just really loved the voice it was in,” senior English and secondary education double major Brittany Rivera said. Rivera placed third for her reading of a monologue from Wade Bradford’s “Curse of the Pharoah’s Kiss.” For the competitors, the event was a change from their usual performances. “I’ve done comedic stuff in the past, but this was something really meaningful and poignant to me,” Eldis said. He also performed the reading of the sorority girl’s letter in the competition. “I don’t always get to show the more serious side of my acting, so that was a nice change.” “In musical theater it’s usually just punchline, punchline, punchline leading up to a song,” Rivera said. “I really just wanted to be myself and express myself through words as opposed to music.” Aside from the planned activities, the event showed how quickly and cleverly
students at the College can perform their crafts. During the judges’ long deliberations before declaring the winners, audience members were entertained by an impromptu performance by the College’s improvisation comedy troupe, The Mixed Signals, along with several short displays of scenes from the theater group’s performances from earlier in the year, all of which were unplanned. The event, organizers were quick to say, was not limited to those involved in the theater already. “We want people to be recognized for their appreciation and even unknown talent for theater,” president of Alpha Psi Omega and junior biology major Matt Luppino said. “We want to do things on maybe a smaller level for people who can’t commit to a whole play.” Students who want to show off their creative stuff may turn out to be glad they did. “It would be fun to get more people involved, people who aren’t even associated with ACT,” Eldis agreed. “I’m sure there are people out there who would enjoy doing this.”
Movie Festival rolls out red carpet May 1, 2013 The Signal page 21
By Tom Kozlowski Opinions Editor
It may lack the notoriety of Cannes, but the Campus Movie Festival allows aspiring student directors to display their talents before they make it to the international scene. This year, the competition saw up to 70 teams submit films for consideration, but only a select few were chosen to be screened on Tuesday, April 23 at the award ceremony. Given the task of making a movie in seven days, student groups created five-minute short films across campus and genres. The CMF, sponsored by the School of Arts & Communications, provided each group with a camera, a MacBook Pro and pre-installed software to edit their films together. The result was the screening of 16 contenders, chosen by a panel of student and faculty judges. Red carpet unfurled and faux-Oscar buzz in the air, the ceremony proceeded
with a viewing of each film in randomized order and audience interaction for trivia and prizes. No single genre dominated the evening. Comedies like “A Ticket to Paradise,” following a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-esque journey with a golden ticket, and “An American Bookshelf,” a puppet love story of books in the College library, drew raucous appeal from the crowd. Elsewhere, music videos like “Donde Esta Mi Gato?” and “Still Love You” took the visual approaches to filmmaking and tied them to dynamic, and Spanish, vocal performances. And no festival is without its intensive dramas. “Mother Warrior” depicted the daily struggles of a working class mother through spoken word and a sped-up handheld camera while “Focus” addressed campus addiction to ADHD medication. It was also adorned with colorful special effects, no easy task to complete in just a week.
“The competition pushed us to try and create a film that was not only visually powerful, but also communicated our story effectively within the five minute time limit,” sophomore “Focus” director and cinematographer Joshua Lewkowicz said. But ultimately, only several films could secure the CMF’s award adoration. Best Actor went to freshman Steven Munoz for his portrayal of the struggling, medicated artist in “Focus,” while Best Actress was given to Olivia Nakamura for her panicked performance in “Phobic.” For Best Comedy film, the Latin ballad “Donde Esta Mi Gato?” took home the gold. Conversely, “Living Life With No Regrets,” a documentary on local lives and their lack of lament, won the Best Drama award. Finally, the crowning of Best Picture went to Lewkowicz’s own “Focus,” accompanied by his sophomore special effects designer Andrew Kuserk.
With the festival’s conclusion, these winners will move on to compete in CMF Hollywood’s national competition. And for those who were unable to attend, all 16 films can now be viewed online at Campus Movie Festival’s TCNJ page. Although this year’s campus competition is over, its absence should not deter student filmmakers
from furthering their passions behind and in front of the camera. “Don’t stop making films. The best way to improve and learn about this trade is to practice and hone your skills. Campus Movie Fest was an incredible opportunity to learn and share experiences and talent with other people who love making films as much as we do,” Lewkowicz said.
AP Photo
Lewkowicz and Kuserk accept their Best Picture award.
With new album, Allison Weiss goes pop By Katie O’Dell Review Editor
AP Photo
Allison Weiss’s new album may take a pop-rock approach, but her lyrics remain poignantly open.
Allison Weiss showed up to her performance at the College on Saturday, April 20 armed with a slew of T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase, “Allison Weiss is okay, I guess.” The shirts might speak to the artist’s sense of humor, but her latest album, “Say What You Mean,” is a testament to her talent, and it’s on its way to proving that the selfdeprecating singer/songwriter is a heck of a lot better than her T-shirts might proclaim. Longtime listeners may be surprised to find her trademark indie vibe replaced by a more polished set of pop-rock tunes. Songs like “Hole in Your Heart” and “Making it Up” are amped up by a more muscular set of backing instrumentals than Weiss is used to
having, but her powerful yet unpretentious voice is well up to the challenge. The result is a radio-worthy set of tunes that veer from the electric guitar-backed dance tune “One Way Love” to mellower acoustic songs, like “Wait for Me,” without missing a beat. If the layered instrumentals and professional sound mark a bit of a departure for the former indie singer, Weiss’s lyrics are the perfect anchor to keep the album firmly rooted in relatable pop territory. The album feels like a late-night phone call from a friend — the appropriately named title track “Say What You Mean” thrums with the excitement of a heart hungry for love and a still-forming frontal lobe. She’s openly emotional, (there’s a convincing sob toward the end of “How to
Be Alone”) but her work is carried by a resolutely hopeful vibe that rarely stoops to whining. It’s telling that the album finishes with a song called “I’ll Be Okay,” a slow-paced, plaintive ballad that manages to convey a sense of post-breakup hopefulness even in the midst of unmitigated angst and heartache. “There’s something endearing about this empty room,” Weiss croons at the beginning of her album’s final ballad, and listeners will agree that there’s something equally endearing about Weiss’s raw emotions. “Say What You Mean” is packed with college-friendly anthems, and Weiss’s catchy, durable tunes may well become the soundtrack to more than a few youthful misadventures. Don’t trust those T-shirts, fans — this up-andcoming artist is nothing short of stellar.
Saunders strikes again ‘21’ & overrated 10 satirical short stories Chris Minitelli Staff Writer
By Katie O’Dell Review Editor
George Saunders is back with yet another collection of satirical stories that bite even while they tickle. “The Tenth of December: Stories” is another stellar Saunders masterpiece, with 10 stories whose premises range from the bizarre to the mundane, yet never fail to bring us back to the sometimes frightening landscape of our own internal thoughts. Bursting with Saunders’s ability to make the everyday seem strange and the strange seem wholly human, this collection is a remarkable achievement. He takes on social class, human emotion and 21st century morality with his trademark sense of humor, and the result is a collection of short stories that leaves us laughing even while we cringe. The stories are diverse in many aspects. Some take the form of journals or office memos and the settings range from an eerie sci-fi prison to
an awkward suburban fundraiser. Everywhere, though, are characters who are fallible and insecure, and it ultimately may be a murderer who becomes the greatest hero. Saunders is an expert at getting inside his characters’ heads, and his stories are more psychological than they are political or moral. The stories’ settings, plots and resolutions are secondary to their movement through the characters’ internal monologues, and readers will find the characters’ rationalizations at once familiar and absorbing. As his characters wrestle with their morals, Saunders takes a well-aimed shot at the human tendency to rationalize and fictionalize one’s problems. His characters are prone to imagining conversations with dead parents and thinking themselves better than they are, but what keeps the collection from feeling preachy or overdone is the overwhelming sensation that this author really understands how people think.
Saunders’s over-the-top style can feel a little heavy, but there’s no doubt that he’s a master, and “The Tenth of December” is a remarkably astute and enjoyable addition to Saunders’s works. It would be possible to finish this book quickly — the prose is fun and absorbing enough to breeze through — but it’s better savored slowly as a brilliant, funny, innovative look inside the thoughts that drive us all.
AP Photo
Saunders dashes Vonnegut with a rich atmosphere.
The story of coming of age and growing up is one that we can all relate to. The recent movie, “21 & Over,” addresses this topic in an outrageous and crazy manner. This movie follows two friends who visit another friend at college in order to celebrate his 21st birthday. Although his birthday is also the night before an important job interview, the three longtime friends decide to go out and celebrate anyway. Ultimately, the night turns into a mad dash to get back home before the interview. This movie seemed like a mix of “American Pie” and “The Hangover,” with similar humor and ridiculous situations. Throughout “21 & Over,” the characters face a multitude of outrageous circumstances, including vengeful sororities, angry male cheerleaders, breaking out of health services and jumping out of windows. While “21 & Over” definitely tries to include a ton of slapstick and outlandish comedy, its attempts did not always translate very well.
I thought that this movie certainly had its funny moments. However, most of the time it failed to be all that funny. For the most part, I felt that this movie had more of an awkward and random feel rather than a comedic one. The cast of “21 & Over” includes Miles Teller, Skylar Austin, Justin Chon and Sarah Wright. While the cast was average, each of the characters that these actors portrayed were pretty predictable and unoriginal as well. Although “21 & Over” was presented as a slapstick college comedy, it also tried to deal with a number of pretty serious issues. Throughout the film the characters deal with things such as extreme parental pressures, dropping out of college, coming of age, growing apart and losing friendships. Ultimately, “21 & Over” is a decent film that might be worth checking out if you are looking to watch a simple and mildly funny movie. It may try to deal with some serious issues and take a serious tone at certain points, but it ultimately keeps a comedic and light tone as the characters’ crazy nightlong adventures progress.
page 22 The Signal May 1, 2013 Crew
Rowing off to a better College career By Mike Herold Staff Writer People will do some amazing things in order to do what they love. This is especially true in the sports world, as most athletes need to maintain a high level of commitment and put in some long hours in order to stay competitive. Sitting perhaps at the top of this pyramid of sports dedication is a competition rarely discussed between Olympic Games: rowing. The College’s club crew team can count themselves among those who are truly dedicated to their craft. The team meets early each morning (not typical college early either, but four in the morning early) for practice, which is quite the start to the day. “We always get to see the sunrise over the boathouse,” said senior Emily Petra, the club’s president. “It’s very motivational.” The dedication doesn’t stop with the pre-sunrise practices, either. Since the team is a club sport, the members do their parts to keep the group going financially (the club does receive funding from the Student Finance Board and club sports). “We fundraise more than you can ever imagine,” said senior Amy Bachman, the
club’s treasurer. “(All said), crew has been a large component of my college career.” “It really helped me with time management,” Petras said. “When you have less free time you need to learn to do your work on time, especially since you have to get up early.” Their hard work has been paying off recently. The club competed in the Knecht Cup on the weekend of April 13th, a larger regatta (the term for rowing races), featuring teams from Bryn Mawr, Rutgers and Washington College. “Over the years we’ve gotten much stronger,” Petras said. “We used to race at smaller regattas, but now we compete in larger regattas because we can be competitive in them.” Competitive indeed. The women’s varsity four team, which includes Petras, Bachman, Brianne Verhoog, junior Emily Davis and coxswain sophomore Jillian Moran, won the grand final of the regatta’s Women’s Varsity Four-Division III races. The club’s Novice Women’s eight also took home gold. “We’re really excited about our win, there’s nothing like it,” Bachman said. “It’s exciting to see all that time and effort pay off.”
Photo courtesy of the crew team
The crew team is one of the College’s club sports, so the members fundraise ‘more than you can ever imagine’ to keep it going strong. The gold rewarded the team for all its hard work, including early mornings. “After all that fundraising and getting up early, (winning) was worth it,” Petras said. The club next plans to compete at the Dad Vail Regatta on the famous Boathouse Row on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11. They also hope to recruit some new members, encouraging all interested students, whether they have rowing experience or not, to join in on a sport guaranteed to whip your body into shape.
“It’s a lot of work,” Bachman said, “But everyone on the team is in really good shape, rowing is a full-body workout.” But perhaps the most intriguing part about joining a crew team isn’t the personal gain, but the true team spirit the sport requires. “You can’t go in crew for you, which is what I like about it,” Bachman said. “It’s a really intense sport, but you’re doing it for the people in your boat, it isn’t just about you.” Any interested students should contact tcnjcrew@gmail.com to learn more.
Baseball
Baseball backs into conference playoffs
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Edelman on the mound. By Andrew Grossman Staff Writer
Back in early March when the men’s baseball team began their season, they had one goal in mind: to make the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament. Flash forward to this week and the Lions found themselves in a position where they controlled their
own destiny. Fortunately, making the NJAC tournament is based on the year as a whole and not on the final week of the regular season. Despite struggling and losing four straight conference games to end the season, the Lions were able to build enough of a cushion early on as they sealed the sixth and final seed to qualify for the tournament. In the non-conference game against FDU-Florham on Tuesday, March 23, the men came out strong and built a 5-1 lead after the third inning. The Lions never let their foot off the gas as they stayed steady the entire game, winning 8-5. Leading the team was senior right fielder Michael Murphy who had three hits and drove in a run. In the following game against Rowan University on Thursday, April 25, the Lions were in a similar
situation after taking a 2-0 lead in the fifth. The outcome was different this time however, as Owl’s battled back in the final innings to win 4-2. “They were a good team and we just let them hang around,” Murphy said. “We had some opportunities to add to our lead, but we failed so they were in the game the whole time and when they got the lead, we couldn’t get back on top after that.” Upset, but not discouraged, the Lions were given a chance the next day to redeem themselves against the Owls at home during Senior Day. At first it appeared that the College would reverse their luck as Murphy had his 200th career hit, making him the 11th in program history to do so. Despite hanging tough at the beginning, an eight-run fifth inning
for Ramapo was too big to overcome as the Lions fell 14-5. We shot ourselves in the foot (in the fifth) because we made a couple of errors that led to a couple of runs,” Murphy said. “They are a good team so when they got the opportunity, they capitalized on it.” Heading into Saturday’s doubleheader against Richard Stockton College, there was a lot of pressure riding on the Lions. Just one game up against Rutgers UniversityCamden, the men knew that they were one victory away from making the tournament. “We were confident going into the games because we knew if we played our game then we could play with anybody,” Murphy said. “We knew what we needed to do and heading in we thought we were going to take at least one of those
games that day.” Much like the entire week, the Lions were competitive but fell short as they lost both games by the same score of 4-3. Fortunately for the men, Camden had lost earlier that day which allowed the Lions to clinch the final playoff spot. This Tuesday, April 30, the men will play Kean University — the top seed — in the first round of the NJAC tournament. In this doubleelimination competition, Murphy and the rest of the team knows that anything can happen. “We are excited for the tournament,” he said. “It isn’t the way we wanted to get in but getting in is an accomplishment because it is one of the toughest conferences in the nation so we are hoping to shock the world and we will see what happens.”
Lacrosse ends season hitting right notes Lacrosse
By Gabriel Allen Correspondent
The lacrosse team took its final two steps toward the postseason last week, as it defeated Stevens Institute of Technology 15-8 on Tuesday, April 23 and Cabrini College 19-5 on Thursday, April 25 to win its third and fourth straight games and finish the regular season 13-4. In the win against the Ducks, Lions’ sophomore Kendal Borup’s scored the game’s opening goal, which was the first of four on the day, before the Ducks scored back-to-back goals to take a 2-1 lead. “We didn’t panic and maintained our composure,” senior attacker Jillian Nealon said. It’s safe to say this woke up the ninthranked Lions, as Stevens’ lead lasted all of 36 seconds, and the College went on to score 11 consecutive goals in a row while shutting down the Ducks’ offense for over 23 minutes. “Stevens challenged us and we handled it well,” senior defender Becky Gilman said. Head coach Sharon Pfluger said the key to
the game was how well the Lions adjusted to the physicality of the game, but admitted they have some work to do going forward. “It was a high paced, physical game. Our girls adjusted well to that and that’s why we were able to maintain our momentum in the game,” head coach Sharon Pfluger said. “We need to work on our fundamentals like team defense and maintaining possession,” Pfluger said. “We need to build on today’s performance and finish the season strong. We still haven’t peaked yet.” The Lions’ aggressive offensive activity resulted in 10 free possession shots, while limiting the Ducks to three. At halftime the College held a comfortable 12-4 lead. “We did a solid job of maintaining possession and taking smart shots,” Nealon said. “We were passing really well in the first half and everything was clicking. We were feeding off of each other and off of the momentum.” This allowed the Lions to play it smart the rest of the way. “Lacrosse is a game of momentum,” Pfluger said. “So it’s important for the girls to
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Nealon helps the Lions go two for two in last week’s games.
learn how to slow the game down, be patient, be aware of the clock and take smart shots and make solid movements.” The second half was much closer as the Ducks outscored the Lions 4-3, but the game never got too close for comfort. “The run in the beginning was really important,” Gilman said. “We’ve had some
games where we started out slow and it came back to hurt us, and so getting off to a good start is always a goal for us.” Nealon and junior Jen Garavente each scored four goals and dished an assist, while junior Lauren Pigott added three goals. Yet despite the victory, the Lions remained hungry and focused on improving heading into the season finale against Cabrini. “There are still some things we can clean up,” Nealon said. “In the second half we made a few mistakes.” The Lions continued that momentum to close out the season with a similarly dominant win over the Cavaliers at Lions Stadium on Thursday, jumping out to a 10-0 lead and never looking back to score 19 goals for the fourth time this season. Garavente paced all players with five goals and junior goalie Kelsey Zinck made 10 saves for the team’s seventh home win in eight tries. The end of the season will leave the Lions inactive until Sunday, May 5, when they will find out the NCAA Tournament field.
May 1, 2013 The Signal page 23
Lions keep what is important in sight Lacrosse
Accolades, statistics are secondary to teamwork
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
The Lions are focused on ‘quality of (their) play rather than just the stats.’
By Steven Rosen Correspondent
For the College’s lacrosse team, impressive milestones often go unnoticed. Part of this is because of the talent that consistently comes through the program, always outshining or matching the remarkable numbers set by the players who came before them. But the main reason that so many of these great achievements are brushed off to the side is by requests of the girls, who would rather not focus on individual stats or milestones. Instead, they worry about what the
team as a whole is accomplishing. During the first half of the Lions’ 17-3 win over Neumann University on Thursday, April 18, junior attacker Jen Garavente scored her 100th career goal, a very impressive number. “Coming into the TCNJ lacrosse program my freshman year, my main goal was to be able to contribute to the team in some way,” Garavente said. “I never thought that I would have the opportunities to do what I’m doing in my career now and I am so thankful every day. Scoring 100 goals was something I accomplished in high school and I am really happy that I was able to do the same in college.” The most impressive part of Garavente’s achievement does not have to do anything with numbers though — it’s a part of Garavente’s game that is displayed by all 31 of her teammates. “Our team focuses more on the quality of our play rather than the stats,” Garavente said. “Stats are sometimes just numbers and don’t always define a team or the quality of a game in the best way. Playing our game with a high intensity and trying to get that win is what we focus on.” In the regular season the Lions have done just that, as they picked up their 12th win against Neumann and capped off the season with a 19-5 victory over Cabrini College last week. The team winning games is the biggest concern to Garavente, who is not worried about her own individual statistics, even as she is the middle of a season in which the junior is setting career high numbers across the board. Instead she has far more important things on her mind. “Our team’s goal is to win a National Championship,” Garavente said. “It’s what makes us work hard every day. But we need to focus on one game at a time and not
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Garavente breaks the centennial mark in career goals scored for the College this year.
lose sight of how important each day is. We just need to play our hearts out and leave everything on the field each game, and we will come out successful.” Garavente’s selfless attitude seems to be an overlying theme of the entire team. The Lions have generated 83 assists so far this season, and senior attacker Jillian Nealon leads the team with 30 of her own. “Teamwork is the key to success,” Garavente said. “You have to think what is best for the team at all times, and strive to do whatever that may be.” While the old saying may seem cliché, for the Lions, there really is no “I” in “TEAM.”
Tennis
Men’s tennis stumbles against mighty ducks
Women gain momentum heading into NCAA’s B y
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Cruz serves against Stevens.
Chris Molicki Sports Editor
There was one more match to go for the College’s men’s tennis team to achieve the illustrious perfect season. Unfortunately for them, they could not pull out the victory, dropping a heartbreaker to Stevens Institute of Technology, 6-3, giving them their first loss of the season in what will at the very least make them better. “Our team didn’t have its A-game,” senior T.J. Riley said. “Stevens is a great team, but we definitely came out slow. Going undefeated is tough and we did a great job this season.” The Lions (14-1) fell into a hole early after after losing all of the doubles matches. When singles play opened up, however, the team bounced back. Senior Jordan Cruz won an incredibly tight contest, squeaking out a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4) victory that saw him victorious in two tiebreakers. Freshman Pierce
Cooper continued his stellar play, winning his match 6-1, 6-0. Then junior Howard Telson won his first set 6-3, lost in his second set 1-6, and responded by whipping his opponent in the third set, 6-0. However, the College could not do anything more against the Ducks, as senior March Nichols, Riley and sophomore Jack August were unable to secure wins. “We need to regain focus,” Riley said. “It’s hard to have a perfect season ruined in the last match, so we need to get back into that winning mentality and play smart tennis.” As for the women, they won their final two games of the regular season, defeating SUNY New Paltz 5-4 and dropping SUNY Geneseo, 6-3. “We had a lot of hits to our lineup, but we managed to pull through and really support each other as a team,” freshman Jasmine Muniz-Cadorette said. “Ending with a win was certainly the best thing I could ask for. Because it was the senior match, I really wanted to do my absolute best to contributing to the team’s win.” The first match against SUNY New Paltz saw the two teams battling back and forth. Senior Allison Tierney won her match at an impressive 6-0, 6-2 mark. Freshman Jasmine Muniz-Cadorette, who has been a huge factor as a rookie, was nearly as effective, winning 6-2, 6-4. Finally, the Lions’ third and final singles winner, sophomore Alex Bologno, defeated her opponent by the score of 6-3, 6-2. “I really pushed myself the whole season to perform at my best because I knew that I was going to be playing some very good players,” Muniz-Cadorette said. “I think I performed as well as I did because of the
encouragement from the entire coaching staff, the support from my team and just the internal motivation I had to make my team proud.” Tierney teamed with sophomore Sarah Lippincott to win a crucial doubles match 8-4, while Bologno and junior Tara Criscuolo won by the slimmest of margins, 9-8 (7-4). On Saturday, April 27, the strong doubles play is what led the Lions to victory. The teams consisted of Bendijo/Tierney, Muniz-Cadorette/sophomore Emma Allen and Bologno/Criscuolo. Bendijo, Tierney and Bologno were the singles stars, with the two seniors winning their final regular season match. Bendijo picked up a 6-4, 6-4 win, while Tierney cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 W. Bologno was successful, winning by a score of 6-3, 6-0. “As the captains, both really lead the team and paved the way for the rest of
us,” Muniz-Cadorette said. “Just watching them compete really helped me to develop as a player. I was able to learn from more experienced players who were so willing to help us with both singles and doubles. On top of it all, Allie and Karisse are such amazing people. They were extremely supportive during every match, even if I was having an off day.” With the regular season over, the two teams are looking ahead to the postseason, specifically the NCAA Division III tournament. The field will be announced on Monday, May 6, and the Lions have high hopes for what they can accomplish. With the success that the College had both this season and historically, the sky is the limit. “Our goal is to prove ourselves as a team worth recognition,” Riley said. “As of now, big teams don’t really think of us as a threat and they should.”
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Lippincott wins a crucial match to help the Lions finish strong.
page 24 The Signal May 1, 2013
Fun Stuff
Which @stuffonmyrabbit picture is better?
Rabbit with a pancake
vs.
Rabbit with a banana
4 6
May 1, 2013 The Signal page 25
LIONS
AROUND THE
DORM 5 3
Peter Fiorilla “The Ref”
Andrew Grossman Staff Writer
Chris Molicki Sports Editor
Greg Oriolo Correspondent
In the Around the Dorm playoffs, the “Ref,” Peter Fiorilla, challenges staff writer Andrew Grossman, Sports Editor Chris Molicki and correspondent Greg Oriolo to answer questions about the winners and losers of the NFL Draft, Luis Suarez’s latest antics in the English Premier League, and which two NHL teams should make it out of the Eastern and Western conferences in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
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1. Who are your biggest winners and losers from the first round of the NFL Draft? AG: After drafting three picks in the first round, the Minnesota Vikings are the clear-cut winners. Many experts had defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd as a top-five talent, so to grab him at No. 23 was an absolute steal. He will make an immediate impact and should complement five-time pro-bowler Jared Allen. In the secondary, Xavier Rhodes is a big hitter who will also be a starter on day one. The Vikings were ranked 24th last season in most passing yards allowed, so both Floyd and Rhodes should help to solidify the defense. On offense, receiver Cordarrelle Patterson will play a huge role as the Vikings needed to find a replacement for Percy Harvin. Despite losing four draft picks to the Patriots, Minnesota still has five more picks available in the later rounds. The fact that Geno Smith was not taken in the first round was no surprise to me. What made the former West Virginia quarterback the loser is that the Bills decided to take E.J. Manuel instead. Statistically, Smith is a much more fundamentally sound quarterback, as he passed for 42 touchdowns to six interceptions. This is impressive considering Manuel only had 23 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Just by comparing the numbers, Smith’s touchdown to interception ratio was nearly three times better than Manuel’s. CM: Ironically enough, the biggest winner and loser of the first round of the 2013 NFL draft were picked one right after the other. The best value pick by far was Jarvis Jones at No. 17 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Georgia product is a fantastic outside rusher who was ranked as high as No. 2 overall in mock drafts just a few months ago. But some red flags and a spinal issue caused teams to shy away from him. The Steelers have the personnel to work with Jones’s issues and mold him into a Pro Bowler. In addition, this fills a need, as the aging Pittsburgh defense just lost outside linebacker James Harrison. The biggest loser picked right before the Steelers, and that’s the Buffalo Bills and their selection of E. J. Manuel. This pick didn’t make sense for several reasons, even though Buffalo is in the market for a QB. There were other better quarterbacks, including projected top-10 pick Geno Smith, who has better decision-making skills and is more consistent. Also, no other quarterback went, which showed there was no urgency and that Buffalo could have scooped up Manuel in the second round. They can make the case that they wanted to make sure they were getting “their guy,” but their guy was originally thought to be Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib, who played for new Bills coach Doug Marrone, and would fit well in his West Coast scheme. GO: In the first round, I feel that many teams
made very good picks, but there is no bigger winner than the Carolina Panthers. With the 14th pick, they were able to grab arguably the best defensive player in the draft, defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. Lotulelei was projected to be a top-three pick before he was diagnosed with a medical condition that could have ended his career before even playing in the league. Fortunately, the Panthers’ doctors said the disease will not hinder his ability. Desperate for a presence in the middle of the d-line, the Panthers’ defensive ends Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy will see more one on one protections with Star in the middle. This will also help the linebackers stop the run, especially Rookie of the Year Luke Kuechly at middle linebacker. The biggest loser was definitely the Buffalo Bills. Taking E.J. Manuel, who in my opinion was the fifth best quarterback in the draft, was an idiotic move. Knowing that the team wanted to take a quarterback, the Bills should have either drafted a receiver or lineman to help build the offense around and then take someone later. Andrew gets 3 points for mentioning the Vikings’ quantity and quality of picks. Greg gets 2 points for analyzing Lotulelei’s potential impact on Carolina. Chris gets 1 point for saying Jones is a great fit for Pittsburgh.
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2. Controversial Liverpool striker Luis Suarez ferociously bit an opponent’s arm in last week’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea. What should his punishment be, and would you want a player like Suarez on your team? AG: The 10-match ban against Suarez is simply not good enough. Suarez has a history of biting players during his playing days on Ajax Amsterdam, so after receiving a seven-match ban in 2010 for the same penalty, the punishment should be substantially increased because he has not learned. Had he played in the United States, he would not be tolerated because Suarez is too much of a liability when it comes to incidents like this. While Suarez may lead Liverpool in goals scored, they would be better without him. Currently, Liverpool is in a rebuilding stage, so it would be smart to perhaps trade him for a few younger players. If Suarez went to a team such as Real Madrid, he would be under the guidance José Mourinho who has a reputation for helping players with big egos. If Mourinho could control Suarez, then it would be a win-win situation for both teams. CM: To me, this sounds just like Mike Tyson. Suarez is a complete head case (and possibly a cannibal). I’d give Suarez an eight-match suspension, but after seeing the English Football Association give Suarez a 10-match ban, I’m starting to think I wasn’t harsh enough. Also, if he was on my team, I would want him out. The reason for this is there are two different kinds of problem players. The first is someone like
Mario Balotelli, who has caused his own share of problems and has been rather controversial, but is still coachable and somewhat normal. Then there are players like Suarez, who clearly physically harm others in the strangest of ways. Plus, this isn’t the first time Suarez has been involved in a ridiculous incident. Two years ago, Suarez was accused of making racial comments toward Patrice Evra in a match against Manchester United. Suarez was later banned for the incident, as reports came out that Suarez referred to Evra as a “negro” multiple times. Those kinds of incidents are unacceptable, and Suarez’s talent does not outweigh the trouble that comes with him. GO: Luis Suarez is currently banned 10 matches for his inexplicable action of biting a Chelsea defender. In my opinion, I feel that the 10-match ban is a perfect punishment for something like this. This length of time can severely affect Liverpool because 10 matches is a lot when it comes to the EPL season. His actions will now not only hurt his reputation and wallet, but his whole team as well. In my opinion, great talent in soccer is overshined by stupidity, especially in the United States because it is not as popular. For example, people do not know how great of players Suarez, Balotelli, Zidane and Carlos Teves are. They only know their off-field antics or controversial on-field decisions. If you ask me if I want those guys on my squad, I would say yes in a heartbeat. In a game that has limited scoring, having a guy that can produce consistently is essential to be successful, and with proper players and coaches in an organization, having a slightly unstable personality with unbelievable ability should not be a hindrance. Chris gets 3 points for comparing Suarez to a good head case in Mario Balotelli. Greg gets 2 points for having a strong stance on playing a player like Suarez because scoring is so rare. Andrew gets 1 point because Liverpool is not really “rebuilding.” 3. Who are your favorites to come out of each conference in the NHL playoffs? AG: Since Sidney Crosby is expected to be back for the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. The Penguins currently have the No. 1 offense in the NHL, and after adding all-star Crosby into the mix, Pittsburgh will be even tougher to defend. Last year during the postseason, their goalies struggled and were not rested. This season, Fleury will not be as burnt out as he has been switching off with Vokoun. In the Western Conference, it is hard to choose against the Chicago Blackhawks that have the second-best offense and top-ranked defense. They just won the President’s Trophy, which now guarantees them home field advantage throughout the playoffs. This was critical, as the Blackhawks are 17-3-3 at home. CM: The best way to tell is to find some trends in statistics and see who may follow that trend.
Hot goaltending is what a lot of people think will get you to the Stanley Cup, but goaltending in general is just as important. Two big stats to look at are goals against and goals against per 60 minutes of ice time. Last year, the Los Angeles Kings were second in the regular season in both of those stats, and they rode Jonathan Quick to a Stanley Cup. The year before, the Stanley Cup finalists, the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins, were both one-two in those categories. The two teams who could follow that pattern are the Chicago Blackhawks and the New York Rangers. Behind Corey Crawford, they finished first in goals against and second in GA60. Despite underachieving, the Rangers are playing better, Henrik Lundqvist has them in third in goals against and first in
AP Photo
GA60, and Rick Nash could be enough of an offensive spark to get them to the finals. In the end, I like Chicago and their +53 goal differential to win it all. GO: Like I have said countless times, the NHL playoffs are the hardest to predict out of any sport. Where team chemistry means more than anything, the teams going in hot into the playoffs, along with a consistent goalkeeper, usually fair well. Right now, I think Boston will make it out of the East. There is no team that has more depth and more motivation than the Bruins. Everyone is talking about the Penguins in this Conference, but I do not feel that they can beat the Bruins in a seven-game series. With players like Chara, Marchand, Bergeron and goalie Tuukka Rask anchoring the squad, expect Boston to play well throughout the playoffs and make it to the cup. In the West, all of the hype is around the Chicago Blackhawks. Ever since their hot start to start the season, they were deemed the favorites to win it all. Unfortunately, I feel that all of this built up pressure will end up being too much for the team, and the least talked about and arguably most consistent team, the Anaheim Ducks will come out of the West. Chris gets 3 points for using stats. Andrew gets 2 points for going with the safe picks, Pittsburgh and Chicago. Greg gets 1 point for predicting a Ducks upset in the West. Conference.
Chris wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5
page 26 The Signal May 1, 2013
Lions Fantasy World
Nothin’ But Net
You know, I had this column all written out last night. It was beautiful as it discussed in detail how fun a move it was for the Cleveland Cavaliers to re-hire Mike Brown as their new/old head coach. I was going to say something about how Brown was terrible in Lalaland, and how enormously silly it is that the Cavs are hiring him in what has been called a move to convince LeBron James to return home when he’s a free agent again … especially since he was FIRED to convince LeBron to stay on the team. But then this morning’s news hit, and that column went away. I couldn’t be happier. The news, in case you’ve missed it, is that Jason Collins has become the first active NBA player to come out of the closet. That’s right, there is now a gay professional basketball player. Now, I’m not going to weigh in on the arguments surrounding this, because I think it’s pretty stupid that there is an argument. (Studies have shown that announcing you’re gay has little to no bearing on whether or not you actually are. Who knew, right?) I am, however, going to give my reasons for why I want my favorite team to sign Collins immediately — and why you should, too. To start, Collins just came out alone before the four NFL guys who were supposed to come out together even had a chance. If you ask me, that shows some massive cajones, and I want those players on my team. Second, I think it will be hilarious when some intolerant fool of a player who is homophobic (you know they exist) has to defend Collins. How many points could the guy score on a player who doesn’t want to touch him? 40? 50? Could he beat Wilt’s record? I want to find out. Third, you also know that at some point some other intolerant jerk is going to attack Collins for who he is. Might be a writer, might be a coach, might be a player. One thing is for certain: when that does happen, it will bring his team together like never before. I predict that the final score of the next game against whoever it is that committed the act is somewhere in the ballpark of 146-18 (Collins’ team winning), with at least four technicals and two flagrants called on players on his team. Of course, the real reason I want my team to sign Collins is that he’s seven feet tall and good at basketball. At the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.
By Mike Herold Fantasy Guy
Through the Uprights
Hello there, and welcome to the new NFL-centric column! I’m still writing it (I’m not just the NBA guy, or that would be my title), but instead of focusing on fantasy basketball related matters, I’m going to be talking about fantasy football stuff. I know, I’m excited too. Of course, it’s too early for fantasy football (cue screams of “NO IT ISN’T,” by every football fanatic and ESPN), but it’s never too early to make fun of goofy things that happen in the world of football. Take, for example, the New York Jets. Now, they didn’t do what I was hoping they’d do and select Manti Te’o in the first round of the draft. Think about that one, it would have been fantastic. Instead, they drafted Geno Smith (a beautiful football player name, by the way) and cut Tim Tebow. Now, there are several hundred jokes I could make about that, which I’m sure everyone else will make in the coming days/weeks/ months. But the only thing I’ll really say is that I can’t wait for GenoMania to take over New York City while Tebowmania is revived in some other city. If the two can meet in the Super Bowl next season in New York, I may just cry from happiness. There are plenty of other random thoughts that I have from the draft (most pressing: is Barkevious Mingo more fun to say than Star Lotulelei? I think not) and the NFL in general, but I’ll get into those next semester when this column runs for real. Until then, have a great summer, and always remember, we’re still waiting for an NFL moment to top the Butt-Fumble.
AP Photos
I May Be Wrong, But...
Here are my predictions for the remainder of the NBA playoffs:
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Second Round While I think that the Bulls will put up a tough fight, the Heat will blow by them in five. More interesting will be the Knicks-Pacers series, which I think will come down to who can outlast and outdefend the opposition. In both cases, that’s Indiana, so I have them taking out the Knicks in six.
Second Round OK, so the Thunder lost Russell Westbrook. They still have Kevin Durant, and that will be enough for them to get by the Clippers (or Grizzlies) in seven games. Meanwhile, San Antonio is looking scary good again, and Steph Curry won’t be unbeatable forever. I think the Spurs will lose one game, but no more than that, and they’ll advance in five.
Eastern Conference Finals The Pacers are a good team. The Heat are a better team. There really isn’t much discussion to be had here: Miami takes it in six games.
Western Conference Finals There is exactly one team that I think can truly handle a forced-to-be-selfish Kevin Durant. That is, unfortunately for OKC, the Spurs. I think they will advance to the Finals in six games.
The Finals
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Heat in 6 Gregg Popovich is, in my opinion at least, hands-down the best coach in basketball. He will come up with a way to slow down Durant in the Western Finals. But even he can’t stop the Heat’s big three. The Spurs will put up a fight, and might even make things interesting, but in the end the result is going to be just as it was last season. If some players weren’t injured this might be different, but fortune has smiled all season on the team that probably would have won anyway.
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May 1, 2013 The Signal page 27
ports Week in Review NFL Draft Presence?
Jen Garavente’s performances each year
... and other Division III stories • Pierre Garcon did it. As did London Fletcher and Fred Jackson. These three NFL athletes were among the 16 since 1991 to play their college football at a Division III school. In the 2013 NFL draft, there were a few players who also made it to the professional level. Despite not getting drafted, these athletes will still be given the chance to to prove themselves with the idea that one day they will make the starting lineup. • Mount Union had the most success this year with players getting picked up. Wide receivers Jasper Collins and Chris Denton both received contracts from the Dolphins and Buccaneers, respectively while defender Charles Dieuseul signed with the Giants.
Junior Year
Assists
Sophomore Year
Goals
Freshman Year 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
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Women’s tennis doesn’t lose in NJAC
Follow us on Twitter for the latest on College sports, columns, features, general news and much more!
Other winning streaks across the country
UCONN Women’s Basketball
90
Two Current All-Americans on Roster
Team total: 204 Alex Spark 53 Jillian Nealon 35 Jen Garavente 34
*University of Virgina Tennis in ACC
106
Lauren Pigott 23 Erin Waller 20
* Active streak
Kendal Borup 11
148
*TCNJ Women’s Tennis
0
50
100
150
200
9 Sports Information Desk Lauren Karpovich Courtesy of the
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ST U D E N T AT H L E TE O F
The Horizon For
THE WEEK
Sports
Jen Garavente Lacrosse
Scored seven points in final home game of the season
Track & Field May 4 & 5 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships
Junior attacker Jen Garavente had a busy week in her final two home games of the regular season. In her first game against Stevens Institute of Technology on Tuesday, April 23 she scored four goals and earned an assist. Just two days later against Cabrini College, Garavente scored five goals and had a two assists. In her career here at the College, she has 112 goals, including 50 this season.
Softball April 30 vs. Richard Stockton, 4 p.m. (Double Header)
Sports Staff Champion is Crowned
Baseball April 30 @Kean Univrsity
Point leaders Peter Fiorilla 6 Amy 5 Reynolds Chris Molicki 4 Mike Herold
4
Brendan McGrath 2 Jamie Primeau 1 Andrew Grossman0
Lacrosse May 5 2013 NCAA Division III Tournament Field is announced Men’s & Women’s Tennis May 6 2013 NCAA Division III Tournament Field is announced
After the sports staff spent an entire semester making predictions on the winning team, the Signal has found their CHAMPION. Last week’s Signal Trivia Answer:
Cool Fact
The average life span of an MLB baseball is five to seven pitches.
AP Photo
A $1,000,000 bet on the Miami Heat beating the Milwaukee Bucks would only earn an individual $3,000. The odd makers were correct as Miami ended up sweeping the series 4-0 for the first time during the Big-3 Era.
Signal
Sports
Trust vaults Lions to the top of the field
Track excels at the 4x1, Gallagher qualifies at 5K By Julie Kayzerman News Assistant
The ECACs qualifying marks poured in on home territory as the men and women’s track and field teams took over 40 other programs at their final home meet of the season, the Lion’s Invitational, this past Saturday, April 27. Trust was a huge factor in the success of junior Erica Roberts, sophomore Michelle Cascio, senior Kim Shelus and
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Roberts helps the women’s team run the 4x100 relay in 50.1 seconds.
senior Jenna Lanzaro’s first place 4x100 meter relay that qualified for ECACs with a time of 50.01. “I was extremely happy about the relay this weekend,” Cascio said. “We do blind handoffs so it’s all about trusting your teammate to get the baton into your hand. We have great chemistry because we are all such great friends and I think that has a lot to do with the trust we have in each other to get the baton around the track.” Joining them at ECACs was the men’s 4x100 meter relay of senior Michael Spekhardt, freshman Jake Lindacher, junior Scott Lisa and senior Kyle Magliaro, who collectively ran a second place time of 42.71. “Qualifying for ECACs was big for us,” Lindacher said. “Coach Lindsey made it clear at the beginning of the season that we wanted to go far with this relay, so this just puts us one step closer to making it to nationals.” Another outstanding first place performance came on the men’s side during senior Andy Gallagher’s first college 5K, in which he clocked in at an ECAC qualifying time of 15:02.63. “I felt pretty focused and comfortable yesterday in the 5K,” Gallagher said. “It was my first 5K on the track in college, so I was excited to give it a go. I knew that I
could run near the front of that field, so I stayed around third to fifth place for most of the first two miles, making sure we were staying at about 4:50 pace per mile. Things separated a bit going into the final mile until I was in second behind one other runner. I made my move with three laps to go and took the lead, and really tried to bring it home in that last lap.” Going forward, Gallagher is looking to win the steeplechase event this weekend at NJACs and also score points for the team in the 5K. Junior Juan Giglio was another first place ECAC qualifier in the pole vault, clearing 4.65 meters to win the event. Back on the women’s side, Shelus and Cascio were also part of the 4x400 meter relay that ran a 4:00.01 ECAC cut to win the event, alongside sophomores Joy Spriggs and Katelyn Ary. Shelus continued to impress on the track running ECAC qualifiers in the both the 100 and 200 meter events. On the field, the high jump highlighted winner, junior Brigit Roemer, who cleared a height of 1.66 meters. This jump not only gave her the win amongst the Division III athletes, but also amongst the Division I athletes. The shot put also brought in points for the Lions as senior Mary Chismar came
back from injury to throw an 11.77 meter, ECAC qualifying mark. The ECACs will also be attended by freshman Brandon Rapp who completed the 400 meter race in 50.04, winning his heat to place ninth. As the Lions impressed on their home track this past Saturday, they are looking to continue the success at the upcoming NJACs in which the men look to defend their 16-year title and the women look to gain it back.
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
The men’s team wins two events, the 5,000 meters and pole vault.
Lions defend home ground to regain form
Softball fends off Knights, matches Pioneers By Chrissy Onorato Staff Writer
As the season is coming to a close, the Lions’ softball team is keeping up the pace and fighting to the finish. Coming off of a few losses the past couple of weeks, the team was back with vengeance and ready to take on all opponents this week. First up was Rutgers-Newark. On Tuesday, April 23, the Lions took on the Scarlet Knights at home and won both games of the doubleheader. Junior pitcher Alex Carisone was on the mound for the College and accomplished her first shutout of the season. The Lions put the first run on the board when senior center fielder Liz Huttner scored on a sacrifice fly by senior right fielder Michelle Casale in the first inning. As Carisone was able to keep the Scarlet Knights’ bats quiet, the Lions put up six more runs in the second inning. Freshman left fielder Christine
Lions’ Lineup May 1, 2013
I n s i d e
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
The Lions win three of four games to end the season.
Desiderio got things started with an RBI single as Huttner, Casale and freshman first baseman Deanna Utter also contributed to the runs. In the third inning, it was Huttner once again who brought the score to a solid 8-0 with a double that sent junior shortstop Lindsay Williams home. Carisone only allowed three hits and improved her season record to 5-2.
In the second game against Rutgers-Newark, it was the Scarlet Knights who put the first numbers on the board. Two runs scored off of Lions’ errors, and RutgersNewark was able to score five runs total in the second inning. The Lions were ready to go when their turn at the plate came. Senior second baseman Ashley Sogluizzo doubled to left in which two Lions were able to
score. The score was soon tied at 5-5 as the Lions were able to catch up. However, a homerun from their opponents put Rutgers back on top and they soon began to go back and forth for the rest of the game. In the fifth inning, the Lions climbed ahead even further when Casale doubled and sent two Lions across home plate, putting the score a little more out of reach for the Scarlet Knights. Freshman pitcher Ashtin Helmer was on the mound for the Lions, taking a little bit of a beating, but with the clutch offense from her teammates, the Lions were still able to pull off the win. This was Helmer’s 14th victory as a freshman. On Saturday, April 26, the Lions took on William Paterson University, in which they had to split the doubleheader. Because of this split, the College will now play in the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament game against Richard Stockton College this upcoming Tuesday. The Lions will
have home field advantage. In the first game against William Paterson, the Lions opened it up with a single from Casale. Williams then sent her home with a sacrifice fly, putting the Lions on the board first. The Pioneers tied it up in the second inning, but the Lions came back in the fourth. Utter walked and was sent home on Huttner’s fielder’s choice for the deciding run in a 2-1 win. Helmer was on the mound again for this game and allowed only three hits while striking out four. In the second game, the Lions fell short to the Pioneers in a 7-3 loss. Freshman catch Jamie Purcell and freshman left fielder Kristen Fitzsimmons shone for the College, but the Pioneers’ offense was just too strong. The Lions are confident in their chances against Stockton on Tuesday, April 30, having won both games they have played against them this past year.
46 53 Around the Dorm page 25
Lions talk numbers page 23
Tennis stumbles page 23
Lacrosse wins pair page 22