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Peck ‘found a way’ into students’ hearts
Vol. XLVII, No. 6
October 4, 2017
Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885
By Michelle Lampariello News Editor
A sold-out crowd greeted “Drake & Josh” star Josh Peck, as students wondered which of his iconic catchphrases the child actor-turned movie and YouTube star would drop, from “Hug me brotha!” to “The cooliest!” But when Peck walked on stage to greet the audience, he led with one more tailored to students at the College. “Allow me to start by saying ‘Fuck Rider,’ am I right?” Peck said. Before Peck could be met with deafening cheers as he began his lecture, a line of shivering students stretched from the main entrance of Kendall Hall to the library on Saturday, Sept. 30. While about 830 students were granted the chance to see Peck, over a hundred were turned away due to the unexpected demand of College Union Board’s annual Fall Lecture. “I got on line at 6:50 (p.m.) and waited online until 7:50 (p.m.) before they turned us away, so I waited an hour for nothing,” said Melissa Weiss, a sophomore elementary education and mathematics double major. “I probably should’ve shown
Peck recites iconic ‘Drake & Josh’ lines for the audience.
up earlier if I wanted to get in, so it’s definitely on me for missing the show, but I was still disappointed.” For students who were fortunate enough to get a seat in the theater, Peck provided a night of laughter
and nostalgia, accompanied by moderator Max Falvey, a junior communication studies major and CUB live event coordinator. Before Falvey began to interview him, Peck noticed a peculiar
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
figure in the audience: a large Oprah cutout poster. Crafted by sophomore civil engineering major Jacob Hardin, the Oprah poster was comprised of a laminated image of talk show host
Oprah Winfrey attached to a piece of posterboard Hardin found in the trash of Eickhoff Hall. Hardin hoped to catch Peck’s attention with the cutout by referencing Peck’s “Drake & Josh” character Josh Nichols’ love for Oprah. “I went online to find a life-size cutout, but it was like $70 and too expensive for a college student,” Hardin explained to The Signal. “So I started a GoFundMe, and my friend gave me five bucks to make this.” Peck, amused by Hardin’s creation, signed the cutout and even invited Hardin on stage so that they could simultaneously kiss the cutout on the cheek. During the lecture, Peck balanced discussion of his current YouTube vlog work and recent marriage to cinematographer Paige O’Brien with sharing memories of “Drake & Josh” and other childhood favorites of the audience. Over the summer, Peck began producing weekly vlogs on YouTube as a way to reach fans in a different setting opposed to television and movies. “I think the best part is that you see LECTURE page 7
Learning Day ACT presents ‘Secret in the Wings’ Community speakers discuss injustices
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Cast members play different roles throughout scenes. By Danielle Silvia Social Media Editor
All College Theater debuted its first show of the semester, “Secret in the Wings” on Sept. 27. The show ran until Saturday, Sept. 30, in the
INDEX:
Don Evans Black Box Theater in Kendall Hall. The show, though at times confusing with its twist of various themes, featured 12 cast members, who each played a different role from scene to scene. The show opens up with a
Nation & World / page 8
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Editorial / page 9
young girl reading a book. The main character, Kira, was played by Kira Cohen, a junior psychology and elementary education double major. Kira’s parents explain that they are going out to dinner and are leaving her with a sitter, Mr. Cruz, for the night. Mr. Cruz — played by student Lenin Cruz, a sophomore computer science major — is revealed to be an ogre with a long green tail. Kira is clearly distraught by this, but her parents fail to acknowledge her cries. Mr. Cruz begins to tell stories to young Kira that come to life in front of her own very eyes. He tells four tales, “Three Blind Queens,” “Allerleira,” “The Princess Who Wouldn’t Laugh” and “Silent for Seven Years.” Each of these classic European fairy tales have dark themes that range from incest to abuse. Each fairytale finishes at the climax, normally a disaster, to be resolved at the end of the show. For example, the “Three Blind Queens” ended with a chaotic war and two mothers, who were played by Franz and Colleran, resorted to eating their children out of desperation.
Opinions / page 11
within healthcare system By Emmy Liederman Staff Writer
A patient with a mouth full of rotting teeth walked through the doors of St. Vincent’s Hospital, a student-run, free clinic in Galveston, Texas. The patient needed her teeth pulled, but dentures cost thousands of dollars, which she could not afford. The patient was at a standstill. In a seminar entitled “Who We Are: Humanism in an Age of Uncertainty,” Dr. Rachel Pearson, the author of the College’s freshman summer reading book “No Apparent Distress,” shared personal experiences in the medical field, as well as poetry and historical references, as part of the College’s Community Learning Day on Sept. 27. Pearson shared the story of the dental patient to encourage her audience to make a change in their generation. “Looking into her mouth, I could see a lifetime of poverty, of neglect and of injustice,” Pearson said. “She asked how she would eat without dentures and I did not have an answer. There were times when my work made me feel helpless.” Pearson used an excerpt from renaissance poet John Donne to frame her speech — “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.” Pearson spoke of the need to ease the suffering of disenfranchised groups, even when it seems as if one is an outsider. “We suffer too much under the notion that identity is everything,” she said. “Who we are at the most fundamental level
see ACT page 17 Features / page 13
see HEALTH page 7 Arts & Entertainment / page 17
Sports / page 24
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See Features page 13
See A&E page 18
See Sports page 24