The Signal: Spring '16 No. 6

Breaking news, blogs and more at TCNJSignal.net.

Vol. XLIV, No. 6

March 2, 2016

Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885

New ‘tradition’ begins on campus Amnesty policy closely detailed

By Sydney Shaw Managing Editor

it’s called Traditions is (that) we want to try to make this a new tradition that everyone was able to come in and mingle and feel comfortable here.”

Traditions has both sit-down dining and a pick-up window for those on the go, according to Mendes.

“There is going to be a takeout window, so if a student does not have the time to

Imagine this: several freshmen decide to spend the night partying in a Travers Hall dorm room. It is just after midnight when they realize that one of their friends has had a bit too much to drink. Eventually, she starts vomiting and it becomes apparent that she needs medical attention. Her friends are worried for her safety, but don’t want to get into trouble themselves. After all, every student present is under the legal drinking age.

What should they do?

For a freshman health and exercise science major named James, this was not a hypothetical moral dilemma. It was a real decision he was faced with on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 31.

To remove hesitation to call for medical assistance in the event of an emergency related to alcohol, many colleges have a “Good Samaritan Policy” in place. Also known as “amnesty,” it is a life-saving measure designed to encourage students to call for help by removing the possibility of punishment for doing so, even if the caller and the student in danger are both under the legal drinking age.

see TRADITIONS page 9

see AMNESTY page 3

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

The College’s newest dining facility opens to students, faculty and staff on Monday, Feb. 29.

By Ellie Schuckman News Editor

Just this past week, a new, highly-anticipated dining facility opened on campus for students, faculty and visitors of the College to enjoy — Traditions.

Replacing the Rathskeller, Traditions officially opened on Monday, Feb. 29, to a crowd curious about the new facility.

“I love how fast and polite everyone is

and the food is delicious,” junior secondary education and history dual major Mallory Cohen said.

From the first talks of renovations to the Brower Student Center, creating a new, inclusive dining facility was always a priority.

“This is really the space for the students, the staff and the faculty on campus,” General Manager of Dining Services Patrice Mendes said. “One of the reasons

CAPS services Police brutality discussed in open forum here to help student body

By Elise Schoening Features Editor

Nestled in the hallway of Eickhoff Hall is room 107 — home to the office for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

Many students at the College who are in possession of a meal plan will pass by this office at least three times day — on their way to breakfast, lunch and dinner.

However, most students don’t stop to take advantage of the counseling services offered just outside the dining hall.

Perhaps many students don’t know that the office is even there or if they do, are ashamed to admit to their mental health Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor struggles and seek help.

Onofri presents information about police cases involving deadly force.

Whatever the reason, the CAPS office only sees roughly 12 percent of the student By Michael Battista students had a chance to discuss the issue body each year, according to Program Di- Sports Editor in an open forum on Wednesday, Feb. 24, rector Mark Forest. in the Education Building.

On a campus that has seen an alarming The topic of polices’ use of force is one Acting Mercer County Prosecutor and that has sparked intense debates around the former College adjunct professor Angelo J. see CAPS page 4 country in recent months. At the College, Onofri led the presentation and discussion.

INDEX: Nation & World / Page 11 Editorial / Page 12 HackTCNJ Follow us at...

Students code for 24 hours in competition The Signal See Features page 17 @tcnjsignal

Opinions / Page 13

Features / Page 17

The hour-long event covered police cases in which deadly force was used, as well as the process by which they are investigated.

“It’s been in the headlines nationally for quite some time now and I would say it’s a big social issue,” senior criminology major Andrew Tesori said. “And obviously social issues are big on college campuses.”

Onofri believes that the recent national events are not the only reason police force is gathering more attention.

“I think there (are) other factors,” he said. “I do think that some of the more recent cases that were captured on video started saying to people, ‘Hey, were the police lying to us to begin with?’ But I also think that a lot of it has to do with increased technology.

“Also, you have a lot of the television programs that are using these cutting edge technologies,” he added. “And because of that, I think that people are demanding more from police officers and they’re holding them to a higher expectation than I would say happened a few years ago.”

Over the past few years, the news has been dominated by stories of police shootings and have been met with occasionally see POLICE page 7

Arts & Entertainment / Page 19

Sports / Page 28

Murder Mystery ACT puts on dinner and a show

Basketball Lions fall in NJAC final, cap historic season

See A&E page 20

See Sports page 28

page 2 The Signal March 2, 2016

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Amnesty / Some question College’s current policy

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Students in the towers experience effects of the College’s amnesty policy.

continued from page 1

According to Director of Residential Education Tina Tormey, there are two separate amnesty policies that can apply at the College — Lions 911 Lifeline Legislation, which is how campus administrators handle incidents involving alcohol or drugs, and NJ 911 Lifeline Legislation, which is how Campus Police handles the criminal side of an alcohol- or drug-related incident.

Lions 911 Lifeline Legislation reads, “The College’s highest priority is the physical and mental health, safety and well-being of individual students and the campus community. Therefore, no student seeking medical attention by contacting either College or local authorities for intoxication (nor a student who seeks medical attention on behalf of the affected student) will be formally charged for the unlawful use or possession of alcohol.”

Once they realized their friend was in danger, James and his friends called TCNJ EMS for help.

“I had known of the Good Samaritan law, but I didn’t know how the school would handle it,” James said.

Once TCNJ EMS arrived, he said that Travers Hall Residence Director Nailah Brown and patrolling community advisors (CAs) came to the room. James’s friend was transported to the hospital for medical attention. “(Brown) saw empty containers,” James said. “She didn’t know that we had helped call EMS, but we told the other CAs that were with her that we did.”

Another section from the College’s Student Conduct page reads: “Those who call for help or need such help will not be subject to charges otherwise triggered by violation of laws dealing with underage drinking.”

Although James and his friends were not subjected to criminal charges, he said they were still documented, or “doc’ed,” by Brown and the CAs who came to his door.

“If a student is ill due to alcohol or drugs, we respond as we would in any other case involving alcohol or drugs,” Tormey said. “We document the case so

we have it on record and so that we can refer to it when we meet with the students involved. We want there to be some kind of follow up to check that there are no lingering health issues from the incident.”

James said that his amnesty meeting was with Christine Nye, the College’s assistant director of First Year Experience. “(She) said that the doc wouldn’t go on our records, but that we needed to go to ADEP (Alcohol and other Drug Education Program) still,” James said.

ADEP at the College stresses personal responsibility and an understanding of the consequences of using alcohol and other drugs, according to the program’s website.

“Students qualifying under the amnesty policy may be referred to the Alcohol and other Drug Education Program (ADEP) for an evaluation and/or additional education,” the College’s amnesty policy reads. “Such referrals or assignments will be kept on file and failure to successfully complete such may result in disciplinary action through the formal student conduct process.”

For some students, a referral to ADEP might seem like a punishment, meanwhile, the purpose of amnesty is to reduce consequences for students in order to encourage them to call for help.

“I hope students look at their time (in ADEP) as an opportunity to reflect and learn from their situation, not as a punishment,” said Joe Hadge, assistant director of ADEP. Hadge said that ADEP is free and totally confidential for students who utilize the program. He went on to explain the process of assisting students who are referred to him after an alcohol-related incident.

“My first question for a student is ‘What’s your biggest problem right now?’”

Hadge said. “Sometimes, they were arrested, they haven’t told their parents yet and they’re afraid of losing housing privileges.

It’s all about listening and figuring out the best plan for them.”

Hadge said that students in ADEP, and students at the College in general, can use eCheckup To Go, a brief selfassessment on the ADEP website that provides them with information about

their personal alcohol use and risks.

“It is a chance for them to safely and non-judgementally be able to reflect on their alcohol use,” Hadge said. “And when in doubt, always call for help.”

The College’s amnesty policy goes on to read, “…the effort to seek help for the affected student may be a mitigating factor in sanctioning. Affected students may be required to complete an evaluation or other education programs, but will not face disciplinary charges or sanctions as prescribed through the student conduct process.”

Some students might find the wording confusing. While the first sentence outlines that a student’s effort to seek help for someone else may be a “mitigating factor in sanctioning,” the second sentence explicitly states that a student will “not face… sanctions” from the College.

So, which is it?

According to Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), an international nonprofit advocacy and education organization, a comprehensive Good Samaritan Policy should include “a clearly worded, easily accessible, effectively enforced policy which is well known among the student body, campus administration and campus public safety officers.”

Nye said that the College’s amnesty policy is well-known among campus administrators.

“It’s important to have a sober friend around to make decisions for you when you can’t.”

—Tina Tormey

director of residential education

“The professional staff with Residential Education are trained in regards to the College’s Amnesty Policy,” she said. “However, our protocol for response to an alcohol- or drug-related incident is the same regardless of whether it does or does not fall under the College’s Amnesty Policy or 911 Lifeline Legislation… 911 Lifeline Legislation applies to criminal conduct and has slightly different definitions and different people responsible for determining (those definitions).”

According to Tormey, determining whether or not an incident falls under the College’s amnesty policy is simple.

“We just ask, ‘Did someone seek help for that person because they feared for that person’s safety?’” she said.

Tormey clarified that a student who is underage and under the influence of alcohol or drugs would not fall under amnesty

if someone calls to report them for noise or hygiene complaints. It only applies to students whose health or safety is at risk To qualify for amnesty in the eyes of campus administrators, help can be sought from CAs, Campus Police and TCNJ EMS, among other safety outlets. The criminal amnesty policy handled by Campus Police has similar qualifications, according to John Collins, the College’s chief of police.

“The law provides immunity from criminal prosecution for both the caller and the victim when medical attention is needed due to excessive drinking, provided certain conditions are met,” Collins said. “Those conditions are that one of the underage persons with the victim calls 911, that they stay with the victim until help arrives and that they cooperate with the responding medical personnel and/or police.”

Collins clarified that students are not restricted to just dialing 911 to qualify for amnesty — they can also dial Campus Police’s number (609-771-2345) from any phone, as well as the extension 2345 from any campus phone, to request help.

“The fact of the matter is they are trying to get help for someone in need, so we consider that eligible for immunity, regardless of the actual phone number that was used to request help, provided the other conditions were met,” Collins said. “The same should apply if a student called a CA and asked them to get medical help.”

Collins said that the College’s amnesty policy is rarely utilized by students.

“We haven’t been tracking amnesty situations,” he said, “but generally speaking, there haven’t been too many of them.”

James is grateful, though, that he was able to use amnesty to get help for his friend. “(Nye) was very appreciative that we helped our friend and said hopefully, if it happened again, we would do the same thing and call (for help),” James said. “But she said that if we were to get doc’d again, they could take this incident into consideration,” Regardless of whether or not the College amends its amnesty policy to be more transparent, James hopes that students will always put a friend’s safety first.

“Everyone fears the unknown to some extent,” he said. “If students were aware that there isn’t really a serious consequence for helping a friend, I believe that there will be more calls and hopefully more lives saved.”

Tormey stressed that in the future, students should make an effort to have at least one sober friend with them when they choose to use alcohol or drugs.

“It’s important to have a sober friend around to make decisions for you when you can’t,” she said. “It doesn’t just apply to designated drivers. If you surpass the point where you can’t make a good decision for yourself, you need someone around who can, even if you’re just drinking in a dorm room.”

Spring Career Fair opens job opportunities for students

By Kevin Walsh Jr. Correspondent

The College’s Student Recreation Center was full of life on Friday, Feb. 26, as the biannual Career Fair swept through and attracted a large number of students looking for career, internship and networking opportunities.

Dressed business casual from head to toe, students in attendance were able to speak with representatives from various businesses around the area, expressing interest in possibly working for their companies.

“There are a lot of companies here that really offer a diversified number of options for every major,” freshman finance major Jonathan Kane said.

Different businesses at the Career Fair, which ran from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., each had tables set up with their company’s name, logo and information packets describing the different internships and career options they each had to offer.

Among the slew of companies in attendance were New Jersey 101.5, Target, MetLife, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Ferguson Enterprises, Johnson & Johnson and New Jersey Manufacturers.

This “great networking opportunity,” as junior civil engineering major Nicholas Ng said, includes businesses that suit every major.

Upon entering the Career Fair, representatives from the Career Center had students show their student IDs and sign in, ensuring that there were no non-College attendees trying to take advantage of the different business opportunities reserved for the College’s students.

Considering the variety of businesses that showed interest in recruiting students from the College, it was not too difficult for those in attendance to find a particular company that they were heavily interested in.

“There are a lot of businesses here and I found about five or six that really interest me,” senior marketing major Kevin Carmelengo said.

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Students speak with potential employers at the fair.

page 4 The Signal March 2, 2016

CAPS / Resources underutilized by student body continued from page 1

number of deaths by suicide in recent years, such a low rate of mental health treatment is worrisome.

“Too many students aren’t comfortable seeking counseling services and I’m here to tell them how wrong they are,” said sophomore technology/pre-engineering education major Gregory Dolan, who currently works as a peer educator for the CAPS program.

Dolan said that he went to the CAPS office last semester to receive counseling services.

“If you’re a student who needs help, never be afraid to ask for it,” Dolan said.

“It is life-changing, and I owe my all to the CAPS staff at TCNJ.” What many may not know about the counseling services offered at the College is that they are completely free and open to all currently-enrolled students.

Tasked with treating all these students, however, is a surprisingly small staff. The College’s CAPS program has seven fulltime licensed clinicians and a part-time psychiatrist, according to Forest.

“If you’re a student who needs help, never be afraid to ask for it. It is life-changing, and I owe my all to the CAPS staff at TCNJ.” — Gregory Dolan

sophomore technology/pre-engineering education major In addition to the professionals on staff, CAPS also works with the College’s graduate counseling program. These graduate students are able to put their education to use and treat some of the younger students in need of counseling. In such cases, the graduate students always work under the

direct supervision of a licensed counseling professional, Forest said.

“Our goal at CAPS is to provide the best services to the most students that we can,” he said. “All students who request services at CAPS are either offered services directly at CAPS or are referred to local community providers or the TCNJ Clinic depending on their needs. We have not had a waiting list at CAPS for the past couple of years.”

According to Forest, there is no specified number of counseling sessions offered to students. Everyone that comes to their office is evaluated and a unique plan of action is developed to cater to their specific needs.

The CAPS professionals are trained to address a variety of mental health issues, ranging from depression to anxiety to eating disorders. While the CAPS office offers both group and individual counseling sessions for these issues, Forest explained that group counseling is the preferred treatment method because it allows the center to aid more students at a time and provides students with direct support from their peers.

In many cases, students get more out of the group dynamic than they would in an individual counseling setting, Forest said.

“Many people experience mental health difficulties, but few speak openly about them to people they don’t know well,” according to the American Psychological Association’s website. “Oftentimes, you may feel like you are the only one struggling — but you’re not.

It can be a relief to hear others discuss what they’re going through and realize you’re not alone.”

CAPS has integrated this philosophy into its program and currently offers 17 group counseling sessions that focus on the wide variety of mental health issues prevalent on college campuses.

Senior psychology major Gianella Todaro has visited the CAPS office on a weekly basis for the past three years and encourages her peers to do the same.

“My experience with CAPS’s group counseling services has been wonderful,”

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

CAPS resources are located in Eickhoff Hall.

Todaro said. “Knowing that once a week I have a safe space where I can go to share personal struggles has helped me through my years at TCNJ... It’s really nice to share things I’ve been struggling with and feel supported and understood.”

According to Forest, there are no restrictions on group counseling so students like Todaro are able to participate in several sessions during their time at the College.

When a student’s needs do not align with any of the group sessions available, CAPS will offer individual counseling sessions to the student instead. Due to limited resources, CAPS is only able to offer brief individual counseling. Therefore, students seeking a more long-term and individual treatment are often referred to other counseling services in the local area, Forest said.

Because CAPS cannot directly treat every student at the College, the program has designated peer educators to spread the message of mental health to rest of the student body.

While the professionally-trained CAPS counselors are hard at work in the office, the peer educators are out and about on campus, working to raise awareness for mental health issues and the resources

available to any and all struggling students on campus.

Senior psychology major Victoria Michels became a peer educator her freshman year and is now finishing her third year in the program. Mental health and the rising suicide rate among college students are personal issues.

“Losing a friend and teammate to suicide freshman year solidified my choice that I wanted to be a mental health advocate on campus,” Michels said. She and the other peer educators put on a number of workshops and events throughout the year to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and provide their peers with the help they need but may be afraid to ask for.

“It is our hope that through these events, students can recognize that the TCNJ community is a safe place to speak about mental health and that there are infinite resources available to them,” Michels said.

The CAPS office in Eickhoff Hall may not seem like much from the outside, but it’s clear that the small team of professionals and students working just on the other side of the door are doing their best to care for as many students as possible.

FSP class encourages unity through gospel music

Left: Students, staff, faculty and local community members sing gospel music. Right: People come together to sing “Total Praise.”

By Megan Kelly Correspondent All across the nation, college campuses have been making strides to promote unity among students and faculty of all different genders and races, and the College is no exception.

Protests, panels and presentations have been taking form across the states, but Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Program Specialist Todd McCrary decided to use a different medium to bring students together in harmony — music.

All were welcomed to join the students of McCrary’s class, the Evolution of African American Gospel Music First Seminar Program (FSP), in singing Richard Smallwood’s “Total Praise” on Thursday, Feb. 24, in the Library Auditorium from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

The event was inspired by previous events on campus calling for equality, McCrary said. He had seen students standing on the steps of Green Hall last semester during a unity rally and later participated in the event.

“I just thought that was so beautiful,” McCrary said. “I think there’s a need to continue to have things like that to show unity and diversity.”

Smallwood is a well-known gospel singer and was accompanied by Music Director Bryant Pugh. He played the keyboard along with the group, helping each voice find the correct notes while giving advice in between running through the song.

“Oh, I love this,” Pugh said. “It gives (attendees) the chance the be educated about the song and about who Richard Smallwood is.

It’s just a great experience… I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”

The group began singing along to a YouTube video that displayed the lyrics to “Total Praise,” practicing the song in its entirety. According to McCrary, there were no prior rehearsals. He said he chose to have students join together and sing because he feels that music brings people together.

“I think music has a connection with everyone, no matter what the song… What I thought was we could at least show unity through song and I think

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

that’s an easy thing to do,” McCrary said.

This particular song is special to McCrary, which is why he chose it in the first place.

“It didn’t have to be a gospel song, but this was one that I find my peace and solitude with and I wanted to share that with others,” McCrary said.

Students of all different groups showed up to belt out the song, from members of the outside community to faculty members.

McCrary had reached out to faculty members to invite them to sing with the students.

Cable contract in the works for College

March 2, 2016 The Signal page 5

On-campus cable changes to Philo TV.

By Tom Ballard Opinions Editor

If you are tired of the cable on campus, you might be pleased to find out that the way you watch cable TV on campus is about to change, according to an email recently released to the College community on Thursday, Feb. 25.

According to Sean Stallings, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, there will be a new cable service on campus that is set to be implemented in the next couple of weeks. The new service will differ greatly from the one currently provided by the College’s current contract with Comcast.

“The new (cable service) that we will offer is a product called Philo TV,” Stallings said. “(The College will) be able to offer students portable television on (their) phones, tablets, computers — we (will) be able to offer (students)... DVR (digital video recorder) capabilities, high-definition and premium cable channels, such as HBO and Cinemax, as well as expanded cable (to include channels like) Spike TV and Food Network.”

According to the email, the new service will include eight “over the air” channels and 62 satellite channels, most of which will be provided in high definition, along with two channels especially for the College that will be provided in standard definition.

Stallings said that the first set of changes in cable comes as the College transitions from a traditional cable service and builds the infrastructure to become compatible with the new internet-based service.

“There was some infrastructure stuff (the College) had to do, and that is what’s being installed now,” Stallings said. “Satellite dishes, and what’s called ‘racks’ are being installed on the campus — that (is what) will receive the signal, decode it (and send the signal) out.”

Stallings said that there are two main

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

phases that residential students at the College will go through in the transition to receive the new cable service on campus.

In the first phase, Stallings said that students will be able to access the new cable on any portable or internet compatible devices, such as smartphones, tablets and computers.

According to Stallings, students will be given a website to go to and log in using their College username and password. The system will then authenticate the user to make sure that they are a residential student at the College. The new services, according to Stallings, will only be available on students’ devices while they are on campus.

“If you’re sitting out on Alumni Grove, you can open up your phone or your tablet or something, and (if) you want to record a show, you’ll be able to do that. And it’s your own DVR. You can, eventually, not in this first launch, but eventually, you will have HBO GO capabilities, which is HBO that you can basically take with you (on the go) and, in that instance, you will be able to use that at an offcampus location,” Stallings said.

During this phase, cable will not be available for televisions connected to a coaxial cable in dorm rooms, and would instead have to be connected by an HDMI cable to a computer or a Roku box — a digital media player device that is able to stream videos online via Wi-Fi or an ethernet cable, Stallings said.

After the initial services are provided to residential students, the College will enter into the second phase of the project, which would include restoring cable service to televisions connected by a coaxial cable.

“There is existing equipment that we have to (determine)... if it can receive the satellite signals,” Stallings said. “We’ve been bringing in an old signal over old wires for a long time, and now we’re bringing in high-definition service over, in a new format, and essentially what we’ll like

to do is just plug (the new equipment) in once we cut the old one.”

Stallings said that while the College is optimistic that the second phrase transition with the new wires will run smoothly, he noted that there is a chance that it might require additional time to restore cable service to televisions connected by coaxial cables, depending on how compatible the old and new equipment are.

“These wires are too old,” Stallings said. “So because of the timing, I set the priority that we have to get students something, and we also know from other reports that almost all of our students have smartphones, and we believe all of them have computers, and so, no one should really be shut-out of this format.”

Residence halls that do not have Wi-Fi — the townhouses and Travers and Wolfe halls — will still be able to receive cable during the first phase by using a computer connected by an ethernet cable to the internet, according to Stallings. “(Students) will have to plug (their devices) into the wall… through the ethernet, so they wouldn’t be able to do it on their phones using the Wi-Fi signal,” Stallings said.

Under the new cable services, academic buildings will lose connection to cable, according to Stallings. After reaching out to Academic Affairs, Stallings said that it was found that cable is not frequently used in the academic buildings, and professors would still be able to access cable if a residential student in the class signed into their account.

According to Stallings, the new cable services — with its additional channels and viewing outlets — will come at no additional cost to residential students. Stallings said that as the College’s three-year contract with Comcast came to an end, they then offered a new five-year contract to the College, which offered the same service currently being provided to students with an increase in the rate of roughly 50 percent, or $100,000.

“I couldn’t justify paying that much more for what we already get, and that’s what ultimately led to us asking the questions about, ‘Are students evening using (cable)?’” Stallings said, referring to a survey sent out to residential students last semester that asked them to discuss their on-campus cable use. “We did learn that there’s still a contingent of students who are watching television... They are watching (television) traditionally, (with programs like) live shows, sporting, basketball, football, college football (and) the Oscars, etc… So we didn’t feel that we could completely go dark and students will

be OK with that.”

Stallings said that the new services provided to students will actually cost the College less than the current one. He also noted that the investment that the College has placed in building the new infrastructure will help the College save money over time.

Stallings said that the new service provided the quickest way to give a better quality cable service without increasing pricing for room and board. According to Stallings, the new contract will be with Campus Televideo, a television programing service that specializes in providing programing to college residence halls, and will provide the services that Philo TV provides.

He said that when public institutions, like the College, do large contracts, they are required to go through a bidding process in the state of New Jersey in which private companies would bid to do the contract. Stallings said that since another public state college, William Paterson University, has a contract with Philo TV, the College was able to use that contract as a way to expedite the process.

“This is… the only thing we could do given the timing that we have,” Stallings said. “It would have taken probably months to a year to actually (go through the bidding process and replace the equipment) and I didn’t feel comfortable saying to students, ‘You’re going to be in the dark for an undetermined amount of time,’ so this was our only option because… there was an existing state contract that we could jump on.”

Some students expressed support for the new changes but also admit that online video streaming websites have traditionally kept them from watching cable television on campus.

“I haven’t really looked into it,” freshman biology major Alyssa Webster said of the program. “I’m more into Netflix… but since it’s (coming at no additional cost) I may want to look into it.”

Stallings said that the department of Residential Education and Housing will prepare residential students and provide them with resources in order to help them transition into the new service.

Door hangers and signs on napkin dispensers in Eickhoff Hall along information provided to community advisors (CAs) on campus will soon provide additional information to students in regards to the new services, according to the email.

If students experience any problems with the new cable services, they can contact Philo TV for support in troubleshooting cable connection problems.

Sluggish student slumbers during questioning

By Ellie Schuckman News Editor • On Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 4:40 p.m., Campus Police met with a student who reported stolen objects. The student told police that at 3:30 p.m. the same day, he placed his sweatshirt, keys and wallet into a cubby in the College’s Fitness Center and then proceeded to use the facility, according to police. At 4 p.m., the student returned to retrieve his belongings but found them missing. He stated to police that he asked Fitness Center staff if the items were turned in, but garnered negative results. At 6:50 p.m., officers called the Fitness Center and spoke with the staff to ask if the items had been turned in. The staffer then checked the lost and found, but stated the items were not turned in, according to police. Campus Police noted that there are no cameras in the area of the cubbies. According to police, the next day, the items were found in the bathroom of the Fitness Center.

Everything was accounted for except the student’s sweatshirt, police said.

• Campus Police were dispatched to Travers Hall on Sunday,

Feb. 21, at 12:16 a.m. on a report of the odor of marijuana.

Upon arrival, officers met with a CA who stated that an odor was detected from a room in Travers Hall. While walking up to Travers Hall, officers noted a strong odor of burnt marijuana.

Campus Police knocked on a door in Travers Hall, received permission to enter the room and observed a small amount of a green vegetative substance believed to be marijuana on the top of a dresser, according to police. Officers asked if it belonged to one of the individuals in the room and one of the students said it did. The other student said that some of the marijuana was his as well. According to police, the marijuana was in an open, accessible area to both accused and both stated it was their property. At 1:34 a.m., officers arrested the two individuals. At 1:50 a.m., prostaff determined both would be allowed to remain in their residence hall and the two were escorted back to Travers. The students were also issued a summons, police said.

a report of an intoxicated individual. Upon arrival, officers stated that they witnessed three individuals walking along the sidewalk and at least one had difficulty maintaining balance. Campus Police approached the individual who identified himself and told police he was visiting a friend and they had gone to an off-campus party. Officers noted a strong odor of alcohol emanating from his breath as he spoke. He stated that he had five to seven beers and two to three shots while on campus and then at the party. The other two individuals gave similar information about the alcohol consumed, according to police. One student had difficulty standing up, continuously lost balance and fell asleep multiple times while being questioned, police said. At this time, the accused were escorted into a hallway entrance of the Administrative Services Building to be evaluated by TCNJ EMS. They were then issued a summons for underage drinking, according to police.

• At 2 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21, Campus Police responded to a call on the Metzger Drive rear entrance to Lot 8 about

Anyone with information can contact Campus Police at 609-771-2345.

page 6 The Signal March 2, 2016

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March 2, 2016 The Signal page 7

SFB hesitates to fund a few upcoming events

David Colby / Staff Photographer

Members discuss funding for Haitian Student Association’s event.

By Roderick Macicoh Staff Writer During its weekly meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 24, the Student Finance Board (SFB) approved funding for several upcoming events, but also exercised a great deal of caution when it came to other proposed events.

The College’s Swing Dance Club was the first to present a proposal. Representatives requested funding for the club’s Masquerade Ball to feature a live performance by Chelsea Reed and the Fairweather Five.

As stated in the Swing Dance Club’s proposal, the event is “intended to involve TCNJ students in the fun and exciting activity of swing dancing, while also providing a fun and inviting atmosphere for non-dancers.”

The board unanimously voted to fully fund the event in the amount of $1,498.13 in order to cover the price of the band, decorations and refreshments. The event is scheduled to take place on Friday, April 22, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Allen Hall Main Lounge.

The Haitian Student Association then requested funding for the band booking fee and decorations for its event, Ambiance, after these requests were tabled during last week’s meeting.

According to the request form, the band is essential for the authenticity of the event, as “music has always been the one binding aspect of the Haitian culture and has allowed (that culture) to persevere in hard times. It is in our music that one will find our history and a sense of who we are as a people… Music and the Haitian experience are intertwined (and) to remove the band is to diminish from the learning and the culture.”

When the time came to vote, the requested $7,047.68, which will pay for the band and decorations, was granted. The event is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, March 5, from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. in the Decker Social Space.

Members of Chabad then requested funding for a Passover Seder, co-sponsored by Hillel and the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity.

This event is designed “to engage the campus community in a traditional Jewish experience as well as provide and educational event that will expose students to a culture other than their own,” according to the request form. Specifically, “Students will get to see what a traditional Passover Seder looks like, tastes like and sounds like, through a vast array of songs, foods and prayers.”

Operations Director Tom Barr suggested that the board table the event so that Chabad could break down the expenses further. The SFB manual states that “any requests for food in an amount over $250.00 should include at least two quotes,” and the board decided that Chabad’s request for $2,200 worth of food was not enumerated clearly enough. Executive Director Brandon Klein agreed, as did the majority of the board.

Consequently, the event was tabled.

Friendship and Unity for Special Education (FUSE) requested funding for an event called “‘Oh, You Needed Me to Pay Attention?’ Classroom Perspective from a Deceptively Remarkable Student,” an appearance by guest speaker David Finch.

Finch, the author of “The Journal of Best Practices,” a New York Times bestseller, was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome as an adult in 2008. The event is designed to allow “education majors, professors or people interested in working with students with disabilities to hear from an adult diagnosed with Asperger’s about his experiences in the classroom,” according to the request form.

Finch requested $4,690 for his visit (an amount he implied was negotiable), to cover the cost of his flight, hotel, car rental and $4,000 appearance fee.

The School of Education had come to FUSE with the idea for the event, already having set the time and place. FUSE had agreed to co-sponsor, because without the

involvement of a student organization, there would have been no chance of securing Student Activity Fee (SAF) funding.

The board decided that because the idea for the event was first conceived by the School of Education, and not by FUSE itself, it could not be funded. Doing so could have set a potentially expensive precedent of funding out-of-classroom experiences.

The board voted to table the request until FUSE found less expensive options for a guest speaker, so the visit would be a FUSE event rather than a School of Education event.

The Mixed Signals proposed its annual Rather Outrageous Comedy Kickout (ROCK). According to the request form, the event is intended “to provide a free comedy event for the student body and local community through which they will be able to watch alumni improv troupes as well as improvisational comedy on a professional level. This not only serves as entertainment, but also as a celebration of the art of improv comedy and support of a local troupe.”

In total, the group requested $4,350.

Because The Mixed Signals had not submitted a base budget and was therefore not assigned an SFB liaison, the group is currently not recognized by the board. This meant that All College Theater would have to fund the event with The Mixed Signals as a co-sponsor.

On these grounds, Klein requested that the event be tabled, and it was. When The Mixed Signals turns in the proper paperwork, it will be allowed to apply for its own funding.

PRISM requested funding for “History of Transgender Identities and Social Movements from the Late 19th through early 21st Centuries,” presented by Susan Stryker.

“Stryker is an associate professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and director of the Institute of LGBT Studies at the University of Arizona,” according to the request form. In all, the organization requested $2,000.

In a situation similar to the preceding

FUSE proposal, PRISM had no part in the planning of the event, and the board saw the Women’s and Gender Studies Department as using PRISM to secure funding.

The board discussed the issue at length, and the board seemed to agree with Barr when he said “the core concept is that PRISM should be coming up with their own event.”

The board voted on a motion to zero fund, which passed.

At this point in the meeting, the board had rejected funding (either by tabling or zero funding) for four events and granted funding to only two. Due to this unusual paucity of funds granted, Klein addressed the board to assure the members that they were wise to exercise such caution.

“It’s our due diligence to make sure the funds are distributed in the best interest of the students, and not allocated irresponsibly,” he said.

The final order of business was the proposal of the Alternative Break Club’s (ABC) Mardi Gras Masquerade, co-sponsored by the Swing Dance Club. ABC is a volunteer service organization that travels to New Orleans during summer, winter and spring breaks to help in the Hurricane Katrina recovery. The event is intended to “bring New Orleans culture to (the College), treating students to authentic Cajun meals, music and dancing… (but also to) help show that New Orleans and the surrounding areas are still greatly affected by Katrina,” according to the request form.

The board passed a motion to fund every component of the proposal, with the exception of $404 for CustomInk T-shirts that ABC had requested, as they were deemed an unnecessary expense by the board. By this motion, $5,696.89, which will pay for tableware, food and decorations, was granted.

The event is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, April 6, at 8 p.m. in the Brower Student Center. *Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.

SFB funds most of ABC’s Mardi Gras Masquerade.

David Colby / Staff Photographer

Police / America’s distrust for law enforcement grows continued from page 1 violent backlash from outraged citizens. Onofri explained that New Jersey has been working on this issue for some time.

“New Jersey has been on the forefront of this issue,” he said. Onofri added that the State Legislature has passed two directives in the past 11 years that expand how police shootings are investigated.

The process, as explained by Onofri in his presentation, was drafted and developed in collaboration with multiple law enforcement agencies and community leaders, including the New Jersey State Police and the NAACP. The process follows principles such as having comprehensive, rigorous, impartial investigations and having mandatory reviews of all actual and potential conflicts of interest, according to Onofri’s presentation.

Depending on who is involved with the shooting, the cases are reviewed under one of two designators.

Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS) handles any use of force by a municipal police office while Shooting Response Team (SRT) deals with any incidents concerning

a county level or state level officer.

Onofri stressed the fact that with these systems in place, each case is now reviewed independently — away from the police department where the officer is from — in order to prevent any kind of conflict of interest.

The future of police investigations was also discussed in regard to the prospect and implication of body cameras for officers, in order to garner more information about incidents that take place.

Freshman criminology major Sophia Grigolo thinks advancements like these should be talked about far more often.

“I didn’t know that a lot of departments in the county are (going to) get body-worn cameras,” she said. “I think that’s something that should be public knowledge because of all the issues recently.”

Onofri said that while police continue to make progressive changes, getting back the support of the public is another task completely.

“Statewide, you are seeing (distrust) with juries,” Onofri said. “Years ago, the best case you could have was one with a police officer. Officer credibility is being

tested. The judges (have) to make sure that there are no biases for or against the officer.”

Some factors that seem to attribute to this are the recent issues dealing with the police violence and what Onofri calls the “CSI effect.” This is a public effect in which television shows, such as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” or “NCIS,” exaggerate the portrayal of forensic science, leading to a public that wants scientific evidence in cases, including fingerprints, DNA and surveillance footage.

Grigolo, who comes from a family of police officers, thinks that she would side with the police if the case is in their favor.

“I think a lot of it is case by case, but I do tend to lean toward the cop’s side of things,” she said. “But that’s not to say that if they’re in the wrong I still think that they’re right... I definitely understand their side because a lot of times, the public doesn’t understand the heat of the moment and the issues that cops face is protecting their own lives and protecting civilians around them. I think I have somewhat an understanding of that.”

page 8 The Signal March 2, 2016

Board of Trustees meets to discuss College’s changes

Five-year plan, active alumni support options proposed

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

The board is presented with a strategic plan about upcoming changes.

By Tom Ballard Opinions Editor Following a closed session meeting, the College’s Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, Feb. 23, for a public meeting to discuss various topics, including changes to the College’s urban education program and the presentation of the draft of the College’s next five-year strategic plan.

The board unanimously voted to approve a plan that will put into place a fiveyear Bachelor of Science (BS) and Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program in urban education. As of now, urban education is only an option that can be added onto the elementary and early childhood education major.

“This is a conversion,” Trustee Eleanor V. Horne said. “It does not result in any major changes in faculty or courses.”

According to the resolution, the new program will equip urban education students with a “specific and strong” social justice focus along with including the addition of an English as a Second Language (ESL) certification.

The resolution states that candidates in this program will receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees with the integration of study in urban education along with experience and certification to teach ESL, a section of teaching that the resolution said is to be a “teacher shortage area.”

According to a 2011 report from the Migration Policy Institute — an independent think tank dedicated to the study of the movement of people worldwide — cited in the resolution, New Jersey ranks sixth among states with the highest number of residents who have limited English proficiency.

“While the state of New Jersey likes to boast overall high academic achievement, one needs only to begin to sort the data by county or district to see the huge disparities in resources, school quality and academic achievement,” the resolution said. “For these reasons, a focus on providing high quality teachers in these contexts is needed.”

The resolution also stated that expanding the program to a fifth year is “financially beneficial” to both the College and students.

“A fifth year adds revenue to the College,” the resolution said. “In the case of the urban education program, that revenue includes both on-campus coursework and in some cases, ESL courses taken both as part of the off-site global programs. For the students, they finish with both a master’s degree and an additional certification. Those degrees and qualifications translate into a higher starting salary.”

The urban education program at the College began with just one student in 2009 and now has approximately 70 students, with one to 17 incoming freshmen joining the program for each of the last three years, according to the resolution.

Also unveiled at the meeting was the draft of the College’s Strategic Plan for 2016 through 2021. President R. Barbara Gitenstein, Provost Jacqueline Taylor and psychology Associate Professor Shaun Wiley presented the plan.

The new strategic plan, entitled “TCNJ 2021: Bolder, Better, Brighter,” plans on continuing to transform the College from “a respected regional institution with limited academic offerings” to “a nationally recognized institution with comprehensive academic offerings and students leadership opportunities,” according to the presentation.

The plan, which will try to set the direction that the College will move in during the course of the next five years, has five main priorities. These priorities include attracting and retaining students in a diverse and inclusive environment; enhancing the College’s “Signature Experiences,” which include community engaged learning and global engagement; continuing to promote the College on the national level; building and increasing accessibility to technical and physical infrastructure on campus and achieving an obtainable financial model for the College which includes a goal of increasing enrollment by 500 students overall.

“We determined early on, and I charged the SPARC (Strategic Planning and Resource Committee), consulted them and have been as transparent as possible,” Gitenstein said, discussing how the committee worked with members of the College’s shared governance.

“Every single group has been involved in providing a voice to their perspective on the direction of the future.”

According to Wiley, the process of putting together the new strategic plan has been ongoing throughout the past year and the committee has reached out for a diverse group of input for the plan.

“This is the culmination of (about a) year-long endeavor,” Wiley said. “I’m really proud of how inclusive our process was. Over the past year… we’ve spent a lot of time going out to talk with the campus community. Multiple times we’ve gone to Student Government, Faculty Senate and Staff Senate to review certain parts of the Strategic Plan (including the) mission statement, values (and) priorities… this is something that the campus has been broadly involved in.”

Members of the board showed fondness

for the plan and said that they look forward to viewing the final proposal.

“It was a wonderful presentation,” Trustee Rosie Hymerling said. “I, as a board member, really appreciate the thought… (and) passion.”

Earlier at the meeting, John Krimmel, an associate professor of criminology and president of the College’s chapter of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), addressed the board with two petitions concerning compensation for professors and adjunct professors at the College. One petition was signed by 326 faculty members while the other was signed by 63 adjunct professors, according to Krimmel.

Krimmel then handed the petitions over to Trustee Jorge A. Caballero, the chairman of the board.

“I understand the issue, but just to level set, as all (of the College’s faculty) are employees of the state, not of the College, and (they) therefore should be negotiating with the state and not the College… but we understand the issue and we appreciate your time,” Caballero said to Krimmel.

According to Gitenstein, budget season in the state for the next fiscal year has begun and there is a chance that the College might see its funding from the state decrease.

“This is the culmination of (about a) year-long endeavor...

I’m really proud of how inclusive our process was.”

—Shaun Wiley

associate professor

“It is the governor’s budget that starts the conversation,” Gitenstein said. “What he has presented, in regards to higher education, is flat funding for institutions.

However, we have to look carefully at that budget… (we need to look at) if, in fact, modifications to the medical health benefits plan is accepted. That is supposedly to save $250 million for the state… in other words, if that plan does not go through, there will be a cut (in the College’s funding).”

Gitenstein said that the College has seen a minor increase in Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) funding, a state program that gives financial aid to full-time undergraduate

students that have financial hardships, according to the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA), which Gitenstein said was “very good news indeed.”

But Gitenstein also said that the College has seen a cut in Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) funding, a program which supplies financial support to students who demonstrate an “educationally and economically disadvantaged background,” according to the Office of the State’s Secretary of Higher Education.

The board also heard an update on campus construction projects that cost at least $1 million. During the update, Trustee Robert A. Altman, secretary of the board, said that there has been recent obstacles that have hindered the building of the new STEM Building.

“Primarily, as I understand it, apparently as we’ve been digging, we’ve come across things we didn’t expect to find and those require additional steps and additional time and additional money,” he said. “Some of the unforeseen things that were in the way… included utilities that we did not expect to find there,” Altman said, also joking that a farm house was found while digging the building’s foundation.

Altman said that construction on campus has been progressing generally well and Campus Town has been successful in filling its commercial and residential spaces. However, he said that maintenance of utilities on campus may cause problems in the future.

“Given the age of our campus and the consultant report we reviewed last year, the likelihood of something bad happening (in terms of maintenance) is higher than (we) would like it to be,” Altman said.

Members of the board also discussed seeking ways to form a more active group of alumni from the College and encouraging them to help fundraise for the school as a whole.

“It’s wonderful to have alumni come together and have a good time,” Horne said. “But there are other things that we need them to do (such as fundraising).”

According to Gitenstein, in compliance with recently passed state legislation, she will be attaching a list of crime statistics to the agendas of the Board of Trustee meetings.

According to the statistics in the report from Nov. 1, 2015, to Jan. 31, 2015, 56 crimes and other emergencies were reported at the College, including 15 thefts and 13 incidences of underage alcohol consumption.

The next Board of Trustees meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 26, and will discuss the issue of tuition at the College, according to Caballero.

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Obstacles faced regarding recent construction projects are detailed.

March 2, 2016 The Signal page 9

Student Government approves new club

Lion’s Den construction set to begin mid-April

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

TEDxTCNJ representatives await SG’s formal recognition.

By Alyssa Sanford Web Editor

The Student Government (SG) general body meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 24, opened with a presentation from TEDxTCNJ, a club “designed to help communities, organizations and individuals spark conversations and connections through local TED Talk experiences,” according to SG’s Governmental Affairs (GA) committee.

On May 3, 2015, TEDxTCNJ held a day-long conference with 13 speakers, eight of whom were students and professors at the College. The club sought formal SG recognition in order to obtain funding from the Student Finance Board (SFB) and to book space for events on campus.

According to TEDxTCNJ’s representatives, TED is an international organization that allows private institutions, like colleges and corporations, to hold smaller conferences with TEDx branding. Essentially, TEDxTCNJ must apply for a license to hold a TEDx conference at the College and each step of the application must be

approved by the official TED organization.

Licensing through TED is free, according to TEDxTCNJ representatives.

Last year, TEDxTCNJ relied on the College’s Office of Leadership Director Avani Rana and Brower Student Center Manager Seth Zolin to provide funding and space for the conference in May, but representatives said that this is not an option anymore.

With formal SG recognition, TEDxTCNJ representatives would be able to secure funding for their annual TEDx conference in the spring, as well as host viewing parties for TEDx talks that would be followed by “Socratic discussions” about the talks, representatives said.

The cost of a TEDx conference was about $2,000 last spring, club representatives said.

General body members approved the club with no prior debate.

Executive Vice President Javier Nicasio then introduced a resolution, R-S201601, which Vice President of Academic Affairs Darshak Vekaria brought to the attention of general body members on

Wednesday, Feb. 10.

The resolution, which will be passed along to the College’s Provost Jacqueline Taylor, “(concerns) the matter of the budget and apportionment toward the library,” according to the resolution.

Nicasio explained that the resolution is “basically talking about the budget for extending library hours during finals week.” Because SG can no longer use Student Activity Fee (SAF) funding due to the program’s academic nature, the general body is issuing a “formal recommendation” to the provost to include the cost of keeping the library open in future budgets.

General body members cited statistics that indicated “a sharp decline (in library patronage) in the hours past 3:30 a.m.”

According to the resolution, “TCNJ SG recommends that the library open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 4 a.m., with extended study being accessible till 7:30 a.m. for the duration of the finals period,” which would effectively keep the library open for 24 hours a day, even though the main library floors would close after 4 a.m. Students could still work in the Library Cafe after that point.

President Casey Dowling and Nicasio then discussed upcoming changes to the Brower Student Center, according to Zolin and Dining Services Director Karen Roth.

According to Nicasio, “(renovations to) the Lion’s Den is projected to be completed in the fall,” and the addition to the Brower Student Center will likely be completed this summer.

Dowling revealed that the Lion’s Den will close around Monday, April 18, per her conversation with Roth.

Roth will give a presentation to the general body after spring break about “what they’re looking for with the Lion’s Den,” Dowling said.

“We’re going to give (Roth and Dining Services) feedback on the Lion’s Den… What we like about it, what we don’t like, food offerings, things that we want to see

there (in the future),” Dowling said.

Vice President of Community Relations Brittany Angiolini then announced that Youth Outreach Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 2, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Student Trustee Kevin Kim updated the general body on the internal lobbying committee, which is doing “a million different things” around campus.

“Since we’re doing a lot of research and requesting things like longer hours (at the library), the main problem is the funding for it,” Kim said. “We’re actually going to start doing a lot of research into looking for grants (and) looking for scholarships (to get funding for these initiatives).”

Adviser Liz Bapasola spoke about a potential “emergency hire” of a new program assistant in the Office of Student Activities within the next few weeks.

The recent retirement of the former Director of Student Activities Tim Asher, was “a big loss,” said Bapasola, who acknowledged that with all of the upcoming spring semester programming, a new staff member at the Office of Student Activities will be essential to making those programs run smoothly.

The program assistant will likely work at the College starting “around spring break time,” and stay on through the summer, Bapasola said.

Senior class President Emily Montagna announced that the class council is finalizing its Senior Week budget. Registration for Senior Week is set to open around Friday, March 11.

“We pretty much have everything set in stone,” Montagna said.

The junior class council is hosting TCNJ’s Got Talent in Kendall Hall on Wednesday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Sophomore class president Kelsey Capestro announced a “date auction” fundraiser on Wednesday, March 23, with more information to come.

The class council will also present to SFB next week to obtain funding for Springback, which will be held on Saturday, April 16, from noon to 5 p.m.

Traditions / Rat’s replacement roars with opening continued from page 1

sit and get served, they can get things (to go),” she said.

Accepting both meal plan points and coveted meal equivalency, Mendes hopes the new facility will allow students another option when it comes to campus dining.

“One of the elements that we wanted to make sure we did was include everybody, and to include the students, you really have to be able to order meal equiv so it makes it easier for them to experience,” Mendes said.

“The pricing is very reasonable, but it will be even more reasonable if you are able to use your meal equiv.”

In similar fashion to the Rat, Traditions has a bar and will soon have live shows for entertainment.

“The entertainment part was always part of (the plans),” Mendes said. “There still will be entertainment, there still will be things going on. Hopefully they’ll compliment and we can enhance whatever the student center’s plans (are).”

Celebrity chef Carl Ruiz, the youngest Cuban executive chef honored with three stars from the New York Times, is consulting on the project, according to Unit Marketing Coordinator Vince McNeil, Jr. Ruiz has opened restaurants around the world and has appeared on Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games,” where 16 contestants from Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” played against each other.

Ruiz helped to develop the menu and recipes and also helped train kitchen staff before the grand opening.

“When Sodexo first made their proposal for the restaurant, we were looking for a celebrity to partner with

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Mendes hopes Traditions will become a gathering place for students, faculty and staff. to make this dining experience a little bit more upscale (and) a little bit more away from the traditional college fair that we have had in the past,” Mendes said.

She also noted that she hopes Traditions will be a place for students and faculty alike.

“We’re hoping this is going to be a gathering place

for students and faculty together so that they’re here at the same time,” Mendes said. “We’re hoping... (that) having meal equiv, being in the student center and having a little bit more of a modern feel to (the restaurant)... will entice students and faculty and staff to come and enjoy the space together.”

page 10 The Signal March 2, 2016

College beats admissions application record School intends to get more applicants each year

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

The Admissions office has the largest number of applications.

By Janelle Fleming Correspondent This year, the College received a record number of 11,818 admission applications for the class of 2020, according to Admissions Counselor Angelica Rocco.

“When I heard the news that (the College) broke our application record, I was just so happy to be a part of the Admissions staff during such an exciting time

and grateful for the work that everyone on campus put into making this happen,’’ Rocco said.

An increase from the 11,257 applications received for the 2015-2016 year, 1,099 of them were from out-of-state applicants.

In addition to breaking the admissions record, the College was recently ranked third of the Best Regional Universities in the North and first among public colleges by U.S. News & World

Report. The school also received the first campus-wide award for undergraduate research accomplishment from the Washington, D.C.-based Council on Undergraduate Research in October 2015.

Although there is an increase in the number of applicants each year, Rocco said that the College is still not considered one of the largest universities in the New Jersey-New York area.

“I think that we pride ourselves... on our medium size, since it combines the best of what a large university and a small college have to offer students,” Rocco said. “We’re hoping to continue to be considered one of the best colleges and universities in the (New Jersey-New York) area, but not necessarily the largest.”

The breaking of the record may not have been possible without the hard work from the staff of the Office of Admissions and countless other offices on campus, Rocco said.

“The Admissions staff plans a lot of recruitment travel throughout the year, with each member of our counseling staff making between 50 and 100 visits to high schools and college fairs during the fall semester alone,” Rocco said.

The College offers many events for prospective students, including Lions Day Open Houses, Overnight Hosting Programs and information sessions.

“I think that the individual, personalized connections that prospective students were able to make with members of the (College) community played a huge role in their decisions to apply to (the College),” Rocco said. “Every student has a

different reason that they ultimately decide to apply to (the College).”

Although this is just one of many accomplishments, the Admissions office already has plans for breaking the record again next year, Rocco said.

“I was just so happy to be a part of the Admissions staff during such an exciting time and grateful for the work that everyone on campus put into making this happen.”

— Angelica Rocco admissions counselor

“The Office of Admissions plans to break the record again for the 20172018 school year by continuing and improving upon the recruitment methods already in place and by keeping our prospective students in-the-loop about the exciting evolution that our campus in undergoing right now, including Campus Town, (Brower) Student Center renovations and our new STEM building,” Rocco said.

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March 2, 2016 The Signal page 11

Nation & W rld

Uber driver goes on fatal shooting spree

By Catherine Herbert Staff Writer

On the evening of Saturday, Feb. 20, six people were shot and killed while two others were injured by an Uber driver in Kalamazoo, Mich. The driver, Jason B. Dalton, has been identified as the sole perpetrator of the murderous rampage, according to the New York Times.

The most puzzling piece of this case is the apparent lack of motive behind Dalton’s actions. The timeline of the night is bizarre and disjointed, to say the least. Beginning at approximately 6 p.m., Dalton began his attacks, targeting a woman he shot multiple times outside of her apartment complex.

His next victims were a father and son who were looking for cars outside of a dealership about four hours after the first attack.

Directly after the second attack, he allegedly shot five people outside of a Cracker Barrel restaurant, killing four and leaving the fifth, a 14-year-old girl, in critical condition, CBS News reported.

Local authorities are struggling to find any connection between the victims in

relation to each other and Dalton himself, as the complete lack of cohesion and direction of the attacks point to them being completely random in nature.

“This is your worst nightmare, where you have somebody just driving around, randomly killing people,” Kalamazoo Sheriff Paul Matyas said, according to CBS News.

Adding another perplexing dimension to the case is looking at the man behind these vicious crimes: Dalton, 45, is a husband and father of two, described by neighbors as polite and someone who kept to himself.

The only troubling thing neighbors had to say about him was the fact that he sometimes would randomly shoot his gun in his backyard. He had previously worked at an insurance company with no criminal record and passed Uber’s mandatory background check, the New York Times reported.

One of Dalton’s passengers, Matt Mellen, who was picked up mere hours before the rampage began, was interviewed after the media frenzy and reported that after answering a phone call, Dalton began to drive completely erratically — he allegedly ran multiple stop signs, drove across lawns and

Dalton is in custody after a string of random murders between trips.

sped the whole way with an eerily-calm demeanor as Mellen grew increasingly terrified. According to CNN, once Dalton finally came to any kind of stop, Mellen jumped out of the car to run away, call the police and report him to Uber.

Dalton was reported to have picked up other passengers before the shootings started, and potentially even between the shootings. It was also revealed that an hour after the shootings occurred, Dalton had planned to pick up a couple from a bar. The potential passengers, completely unaware

AP Photo

of the shootings and Dalton’s connection to them, cancelled the ride when their plans changed, according to the New York Times.

According to CNN, Dalton was arrested and taken into custody two hours after his shooting spree. ABC News reported that he was charged with “six counts of murder, two counts of assault with intent to commit murder and eight charges of using firearm during the commission of a felony.”

Dalton is expected back in court on Wednesday, March 3, NBC reported.

India changes its view on contraception

Women wait in line to be sterilized.

AP Photo

By Camellia Carbonaro Staff Writer

For decades, the government of India has used female sterilization as its primary mode of contraception to correct the country’s overpopulation problem. However, this year, the government is working toward modernizing its system by introducing an injectable contraceptive for women under the national family planning program, free-of-charge.

“The government of India funds about 4 million tubal ligations each year,” (in which the fallopian tubes are cut and tied off), the New York Times reported. This is more than any other country. Thirty-seven percent of all married women in India are reported to have received tubectomies.

Even though birth rates have fallen in recent decades,

India’s population growth is still among the world’s fastest. At its current rate, India is expected to surpass China in population by 2021. The country fears that any incoming generation will strain the country’s land supplies and add to the underemployed workforce, BBC reported. Its government has long advocated for citizens to opt for sterilization in an effort to control the population levels. Yet this burden rests mostly within the female demographic because vasectomies are still not socially accepted, despite it being a much less risky and invasive procedure. While tubal ligations are a straightforward process, if not done by a skilled professional and under the right hygienic conditions, damage or infections to the organs can occur.

Monetary incentives are offered to women who agree to have the procedure done. They can expect to make 680 rupees ($10), which is almost a week’s income in rural India, Bloomberg reported. Many national and state governments even reward sterilized employees with bonuses and promotions. However, many husbands are known to coerce their wives into the procedures in order to reap the monetary benefits.

Most of the tubectomies are performed in government-run sterilization camps, sometimes by underqualified surgeons and without proper post-surgical care, according to Reuters.

The women who opt for these camps are oftentimes from poor, low-caste families with little to no education. While they are required to give their informed consent, it is common

for them to have a misinformed understanding of the procedure. Many do not realize the dangers involved.

Two years ago, an incident occurred at a mass-sterilization camp in the state of Chhattisgarh. The Washington Post reported that the performing doctor, R.K. Gupta, had performed 83 surgeries in a span of six hours in order to meet the quota demands that the local authorities had mandated. In doing so, he had spent mere minutes with each patient and subsequently paid poor attention to the medicines and hygienic conditions offered. Preliminary findings reported problems such as the failure to sterilize surgical instruments, drug contamination by a poisonous chemical compound (zinc phosphate) and the use of rusty equipment. Consequently, 15 women died, in addition to the 70 women who had been hospitalized thereafter in critical condition.

In spite of this tragic event, the number of women who underwent sterilization increased by 36 percent within that very year.

While some may consider the choice to offer better birth control methods as obvious, the advent of injectables is already being met with opposition. Ironically, much of the opposition is coming from women’s activist groups who are under the belief that the new contraceptives are unsafe and are only being pushed to feed the Western pharmaceutical companies’ pockets. In spite of growing evidence of the drugs’ safety, the level of distrust for them continues to exist.

New Italian bill for civil unions ignores adoption

By Jennifer Goetz Nation & World Editor

It’s taken months, but according to the New York Times, Italy’s Senate approved the first-ever law accepting civil unions on Thursday, Feb. 25. However, there was no mention of same-sex couples’ legal rights to adopt any children.

The bill, which passed 173 to 71, originally included the “stepchild” clause, but it faced strong opposition from center-right parties and by the Catholic Church, according to the New York Times. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi agreed to eradicate this clause to ensure that the bill would pass.

The Guardian reported that Interior Minister Angelo Alfano was strictly against the stepchild provision, but ultimately backed the bill after it was taken out. Some parties in the Senate would not have voted to pass the bill if the stepchild

clause was included, according to the Associated Press.

Even if one of the parents had the children biologically, the other partner couldn’t adopt them.

“Between ‘everything never’ and ‘nothing today,’ it’s better to do a little piece now,” Renzi said about family law reforms in a radio interview with the Associated Press. He expects that this bill is the first step to real change for same-sex couples in Italy. According to the Guardian, this was the first significant win for gay rights in Italy’s history.

The bill is now set to go to the lower house in Parliament where it will be either passed or denied in upcoming weeks, even though the outcome appears to be favorable, according to the New York Times.

According to BBC, Italy is currently the only country in Western Europe with no civil partnerships or gay marriage. Last year, the European Court of Human rights decided

A couple celebrates the first significant win for gay rights in Italy. that Italy had violated same-sex couples human rights by not allowing them to have legal protection. Thousands of people came out to march in cities across the country last year to support same sex couple rights.

Even though many believe this bill is a step in the right direction, not everyone shares this optimistic outlook. As president of Italy’s Rainbow Families, which is an LGBT parent’s association, Marilena Grassadonia told the New York Times during a phone interview

AP Photo

that this is “a useless and empty law — they can scrap it.” Grassadonia went on to speak for her organization, “as parents, we challenge anyone to accept a law that hurts our dignity and our children.”

Aside from recognizing the civil union of same-sex couples, the New York Times reported that it also gives civil rights to unmarried couples. These civil unions are expected to have the same rights married couples have.

page 12 The Signal March 2, 2016

Editorial

Dispelling the idea that some majors are ‘useless’

“What is your major?”

Depending on your course of studies, this one question could elicit a wide spectrum of emotions. A sudden burst of pride would likely follow for any prospective engineering students. Business students might crack a casual smile while trying to downplay their aspirations of bossing around other people’s parents. For anyone that has constantly found their own majors on every “Worst Paying Majors of 2016” list, this question might fill the air with a sense of unnecessary awkwardness. Be it art, communications, drama or English, major shaming is a real problem facing many liberal arts majors around the country.

Having faced my fair share of skeptical friends and relatives, I understand the struggle of constantly defending my life choices. Although salary and employment opportunities are genuine concerns, the notion that one should steer clear of their life’s passion is absurd. With the right mentality and some hard work, anyone can turn a “useless” major into a fulfilling career. Creative minds shouldn’t be trapped in an office. After all, what’s the point of earning a six-figure salary if your entire life an endless cycle of trying to “get by” until the weekend?

The motto “follow your dreams” now has an added disclaimer: “only if you’re dreaming about STEM.” Otherwise, society has placed an expectation that only “safe” majors — like business and education — are financially viable.

That isn’t a knock on business or education majors. Teachers and businesspeople are vital contributors to society. However, I fear this pressure to conform has the potential to stifle the creativity of an entire generation.

Imagine if Bob Woodward — the Washington Post reporter who helped uncover the Watergate scandal — studied buisness in place of English.

Having the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist cooped up in a sea of cubicles would likely have massive implications on our nation’s history.

For me, working through a good story brings out a sense of accomplishment that no desk job could ever replace. A major in journalism may require a solid portfolio and strong internships, but shouldn’t any worthwhile career require some effort?

If you’re concerned with your major in the humanities, arts or social sciences, consider the wise words of the late professor Randy Pausch: “The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”

Bumbling through college with a liberal arts degree is a great way to find yourself as another unemployment statistic. It’s people like that who give your major a bad reputation. Having a plan and making the right connections is important to proving the doubters wrong.

For anyone else: If you’ve ever faked a smile and said, “That’s nice, but how will you ever get a job?” after an English major shared their ambitions with you, then you are part of the problem. After all, judging someone for committing to their dreams is a good way to end up in their best-selling autobiography.

— Connor Smith Social Media Editor

AP Photo

Many incoming college students are encouraged to major in the STEM field in lieu of pursuing an education in a more creative, liberal arts field.

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“I hope students look at their time (in ADEP) as an opportunity to reflect and learn from their situation, not as a punishment.”

— Joe Hadge, assistant director of ADEP

“I think that people are demanding more from police officers and they’re holding them to a higher expectation than I would say happened a few years ago.”

— Angelo J. Onofri, acting Mercer County prosecutor and former College adjunct professor

“I think that we pride ourselves... on our medium size, since it combines the best of what a large university and a small college have to offer students.”

— Angelica Rocco, admissions counselor

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

Opinions expressed in signed editorials and letters to the editor are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Signal.

March 2, 2016 The Signal page 13

Opinions FBI has no right to intrude on people’s privacy

By Paul Mulholland If you’ve ever heard someone say, “We must find a balance between security and privacy,” they have yet to make their real point, but they are already lying to you.

This phrase, or one like it, is almost invariably followed with a list of restrictions on property and privacy rights and justifications for them.

What does the first statement really mean? It seems as if the speaker is implying that security and privacy are contradictory. In other words, the more private our lives are, the less safe we are. Why not have zero privacy then? Will that not maximize our security? I cannot possibly emphasize this enough: privacy keeps you safe. It protects you from criminals, foreign agents and unaccountable intelligence services. The right to privacy is an auxiliary right — and an important one. Privacy enables you to exercise your other rights. Your protection from arbitrary searches is critical to your security and autonomy as a human being. You cannot live freely without it.

If there is a “balance” to be struck, then the nightmare of George Orwell’s “1984” would be the pinnacle of public safety. But of course, it wasn’t. The government of Oceania routinely abused its people. If you are not safe from the government, then you are not safe at all.

All of this fits into the context of the recent Apple vs. the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) showdown.

An iPhone belonging to Syed Farook, one of the alleged murderers in the San Bernardino shooting in which 14 Americans died, is now in the possession of the FBI. The FBI can just guess every single four-digit passcode combination to get into the phone until they get it right, a technique known as “brute-forcing.” However, most iPhone users know that if you guess wrong too many times, you are prevented from guessing at all for a rapidly increasing amount of time, and 10 consecutive wrong guesses will lead to a complete wipe of all information on the phone.

According to The Economist, the FBI wants Apple to write a software update that will disable these two features on Farook’s phone, which is technically owned by his government employer, the San Bernardino Health Department (SBHD). The FBI cannot update the software

AP Photo

Cook finds his company battling with the FBI.

In wake of the San Bernardino shooting, the FBI pressures Apple to help with its investigation. itself because iPhones will only accept software updates that are signed with a special encryption key that is unique to Apple. So, the FBI obtained a court order to force Apple to write the necessary software and implant it into the phone so that they can access its information.

According to The New Yorker, the FBI is using the All Writs Act of 1789. The act allows Federal Courts to give orders that are in accordance with existing law, but when actual law pertaining to the issue is lacking, they can compel entities such as Apple to cooperate. Apple claims in its legal brief to the Ninth Circuit Court that this places an unreasonable burden on the company. Apple also claims that the FBI is attacking its First Amendment rights by forcing employees to speak, because software code is speech (as determined in the court case Bernstein v. U.S.).

I can see how some might say that Apple should write the software for the FBI. After all, Farook, the murderer in question, killed 14 people. The SBHD, as the technical owners of the phone, asked the FBI to search it. On top of all that, Apple has been ordered by a court to help the FBI. But it is the convenience of this case that should make one suspicious. It seems as if James Comey, the director of the FBI, is taking a case that the public will sympathize with. He could have sent the phone to the hackers at the National Security Agency to see if they could decrypt the phone themselves, but he has yet to do that. It seems likely then that he is just putting a toe into the judicial waters to see what he can actually get away with. As Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, said in an interview with ABC on Wednesday, Feb. 24, “This case is about the future.”

The FBI wants a strong legal precedent that it can point to in the future to compel Apple or other tech companies, like Google, to effectively become an arm of the state. It is doing so by appealing to fear, even though the FBI is too afraid to hold proper public hearings before Congress with representatives from Apple being present.

The FBI claims that it only wants this software for this one particular phone. The problem is that the update they are asking for would work on any phone.

Indeed, many state and local police departments are already requesting the software for lesser criminal cases.

If the FBI wins this fight, expect this software to become widespread. But why worry about that? The first problem is that you cannot write software only for the “good guys.”

If the software were to get out, then any criminal could use it to take information from any private citizen with an iPhone. So we see that the interests of law enforcement and those of public safety are actually juxtaposed here.

Apple can’t delete the software after they have opened Farook’s phone. They will have to keep it on hand for the next law enforcement request, or at the request of a judge or defense lawyer who would want to examine cell phones to see if it is admissible evidence. Nor can the government be trusted to hold onto it, because the government is

AP Photo

comically inept at keeping its data safe. Encryption keeps American businesses and individuals safe from cyber crime, our government and foreign governments. We should not throw that protection away to crack one phone.

There is also good reason to believe that there is no information on Farook’s phone worth having. Typically, when the government seeks intelligence warrants, they do so in private. But this time, they have made their intentions public, with the FBI tweeting about the conflict and James Comey blogging about it on Lawfare, a blog that discusses current legal debates. Anyone connected to Farook has had weeks now to hide and to delete their own information. On top of this, Farook physically destroyed two phones and a laptop of his, leaving only this one iPhone intact. Comey is trying to see what he can get away with and he hopes to end up with a legal precedent. This iPhone is unlikely to yield actionable intelligence and the FBI knows it.

Why should we be so concerned about such a precedent?

For one thing, it will turn Apple into an arm of U.S. intelligence, effectively destroying its ability to function in other countries because it can no longer guarantee the safety of its products, since they have an obligation to sell their customers protected products.

According to The Economist, the Department of Justice claims that Apple is only resisting the order so that they can sell more phones to civil libertarians. It seems strange to imagine people buying unnecessary Apple devices just to make a point. But this comment also shows the government’s naked contempt for personal privacy and private enterprise. They are not revealing anything useful when they say Apple exists to make money, but the Department of Justice did reveal just how little it thinks of its citizens and corporations.

We should also be afraid of this ability of the government to compel third parties to assist it in enforcing the laws using the All Writs Act. Bear in mind that Apple does not own the phone. They are being told to assist the government in breaking into someone else’s phone. But where does that end? Apple’s legal brief provides some examples: Could the government force a pharmaceutical company to produce lethal drugs to effect a legal deathwarrant? Could they force a journalist to write false news stories to lure out a fugitive? We’d better hope not. The FBI is suggesting that all Americans should be slaves to the police.

In addition to being hopelessly incompetent, the FBI simply cannot be trusted. Ever since its inception, the FBI has effectively functioned as a private police force for the sitting president. There is nothing inherently noble about FBI agents. If you allow for abusable power, those in power will abuse it. The FBI is simply annoyed that there are autonomous civilian groups that are willing to stand up to them. The FBI does not give a damn about the law — they only care about their position of power in society.

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page 14 The Signal March 2, 2016

Students share opinions around campus Should young people vote?

Is gun control needed?

“To a certain degree, yes. It’s good to make sure that guns don’t end up in the wrong hands...

(But) at the same time, people kill people.”

“It’s imperative to vote in the upcoming elections... If we don’t vote, we don’t get a say (in government).”

Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor

Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor

Amaria McMiller, junior management major.

Lorena Limato, sophomore music education major.

“I think it’s really important because (millennials) make up a really big portion of the population.”

“I believe that we should not have gun control... We need it for our protection, but I don’t find it (as a solution).”

Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor

Kevin Koch, sophomore applied mathematics major.

Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor

Angela Philipsheck, junior deaf education and history double major.

The Signal asks...

How is the quality of food on campus?

Lorena: “I think it’s pretty good... I transferred from a community college (and the food is better here).”

Angela: “It tastes all right... It probably could be better.”

Amaria: “I actually don’t eat here. I like to make my salads and stuff at home... The most I get (on) campus is a (cup of) coffee.”

Kevin: “I think some days it’s good and some days it’s disappointing.”

Rob Birnbohm / Cartoonist

When Sodexo is unable to satisfy students’ splurging, they often turn to the Ewing community to be rescued.

March 2, 2016 The Signal page 15

Proposed Iowa law sparks gun control stir

By Jake Mulick As of Wednesday, Feb. 24, lawmakers in the Iowa House of Representatives have passed a law to be sent to the Senate that allows children ages 14 or younger to be allowed to possess and operate a pistol or revolver, according to the Huffington Post.

The law allows young children to operate and fire a weapon as long as they are under the supervision of a parent. Supervision, under this law’s terms, entails “another person who maintains visual and verbal contact at all times with the supervised person.”

Proponents of this law claim that the younger individual learns how to use a gun, the safer they are because they will have more experience with a firearm. Those lobbying the bill claim that a plethora of Iowans already practice shooting with their children, unbeknownst of the existing law prohibiting it. The idea that it also is in their constitutional rights to educate and prepare their children for gun ownership and operation is the central proponent of this bill. Sources at the National Rifle Association reiterate these sentiments time and time again whilst defending the legislature on their website.

Critics, such as Iowa state Rep. Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D) have come out against the bill in multiple interviews including those appearing in CNN and the Huffington Post, claiming it is nonsensical to have “militias of toddlers.” Last August, a nine year old was taken out to a gun range

with her family to practice firing high-powered machine guns and rifles. During her practice, she was overwhelmed by the recoil of the machine gun and accidently shot her instructor in the head, killing him instantaneously. This instance has been referenced myriad times in order to emphasize the negative ramifications of what happens when a child is overpowered by a fire arm.

With the overwhelming increase of gun violence, specifically in schools across the United States, this law has sparked an incredible amount of controversy.

This law is a perfect example of why guns are such a controversial issue in the United States. It is pretty universally accepted that bad people use guns to kill innocent people. People have used guns to plan and execute mass murders in multiple public places in the U.S., from movie theatres in Colorado to elementary schools in Connecticut, causing uproar from both Democrats and Republicans.

Democrats are attempting to pass legislation this legislative session that will make it more difficult for people to obtain guns, following the logic that if fewer people have guns, there will be fewer guns available to shoot people with.

Republicans disagree, claiming that when more people that have guns, they will be able to use those guns in order to protect themselves against gun violence.

The difficulty is what rights concerning guns are guaranteed to Americans by the constitution.

The Second Amendment promises that “A well regulated

AP Photo

Gun control is a difficult subject in terms of safety and the protection of rights.

militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

The restrictions that Democrats are attempting to place on obtaining guns is argued to be unconstitutional by the opposite side of the aisle because it makes it more difficult for Americans to practice their constitutional right. The question then centers around whether or not the current climate of school shootings and various crises surrounding guns is worth the restrictions placed on the constitutional right of owning guns.

According to a Washington Times article from Oct. 1, 2015, there have been 142 school mass shootings since the Columbine shooting on April 20, 1999. Already in 2016, according to Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, an independent organization dedicated

to reducing gun violence in America, there have been eight school shootings only a month and a half into the new year. The frequency with which multiple students are murdered while attempting to go to class and receive an education is alarming and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

On the other hand, it is hard to interpret what the Founding Fathers meant when they put the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights. It would be inappropriate to infer that the founding fathers had no idea what they were doing when they made this addition to the constitution, but I don’t think that they could have imagined these travesties including firearms occurring in the modern-day United States. It is hard to compare modern-day society with the 1700s, but maybe there was some wisdom in their decision making. They did write

a document that accounts for the foundation of the country we all live in today, after all.

As time passes we will be able to see how the government of Iowa feels about the legality of gun ownership. We will see who the people of the Hawkeye State feel should own guns and whether or not certain restrictions, such as age, should be implemented when purchasing firearms.

I would be personally astounded if this legislature passed. It seems nonsensical to ever have a child fire a weapon, unless they were being attacked in some sort scenario that could only occur in a Quentin Tarantino movie. The risk it puts not only on the child, but also the parents, instructors and anybody else involved around this tiny person is too much for this law to ever be considered a semi logical decision.

Young people should vote in upcoming elections

AP Photo

It is critical that younger people vote in the upcoming primary elections.

By Laura Rivera-Cabrera

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, millennials — or people born between 1982 and 2000 — make up roughly 83.1 million of the country’s population, outnumbering the baby boomers by almost 10 million people and making up over one-quarter of the United States’s population. Because a large body of millennials are college students and are typically seen as more culturally diverse than any other groups of voters, we are faced with important issues in this year’s election that could drastically affect their futures as adults. It is crucial that citizens vote in this year’s primary and general elections so that our needs are met and our voices are heard.

As college students, we must consider the price of receiving an education — especially when one of the largest sources of debt in the U.S. is college loans, according to the White House. This issue does not stop here, though. Not only are recent college graduates faced with debt, but many face difficulty with finding

employment in an economy where jobs are scarce, as revealed by the Huffington Post in June 2015.

As members of a very diverse community, we should be concerned with issues such as racial and income equality, immigration and LGBT and women’s rights. In a world where much disparity is experienced among immigrants and minority groups — including African and Asian Americans, Latinos, women and members of the LGBT community — we must ask ourselves if these groups deserve the same rights as everyone else.

Do immigrants, legal and illegal, deserve health care under the Affordable Care Act? What can we do to change our legal system that abuses countless minorities every day? What rights do we grant women over their bodies? Should the LGBT community have the right to create families of their own? As humans and citizens of the world, what is our responsibility over our environment? With climate change being a huge issue and hundreds of species being endangered,

what needs to be done to preserve our earth and the creatures that live in it?

We must consider the issues that we face every day and ask ourselves which candidate represents our values and beliefs about human rights, the cost of an education, employment and our environment. As young people, we are responsible for shaping our futures and securing our world to ensure that we will live healthy, successful lives. Voting is an important and vital right because we are given power to make a difference in our communities, and it is something that cannot be taken for granted.

As Americans, we are afforded a right that many other countries lack — the right to vote. Unfortunately, because many citizens do not exercise that right, many of our needs are not met. The Institute for College Access and Success reported that

in New Jersey, almost 70 percent of college students graduate with debt weighing in at an average of roughly $28,000. The Population Reference Bureau has affirmed that the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the entire world. Women and the LGBT community continue to fight the battle against prejudice and injustice. We must question the state of our nation and think about how we will address these issues and create change.

The New Jersey primary elections are on Tuesday, June 7. Registration to vote is offered on campus at various times and dates, however, it is also very easy to register to vote on your own. If you are unable to vote in your hometown on election day, absentee ballots are available online to give students the opportunity to vote away from home. Visit vote.usa.gov and get started on being a voice.

AP Photo

Young voters will have the opportunity to choose the next president.

page 16 The Signal March 2, 2016

March 2, 2016 The Signal page 17

Features

Hackers gather for 24-hour competition

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

Students spend the day writing code for prizes.

By Elizabeth Zakaim Staff Writer

A group of students sat around a table trying to develop a voice command option for Google’s virtual reality headset. Some planned on working on the project for 24 hours straight. They refused to give up until they had completed the task at hand.

This is just one example of the technological progress showcased at the College’s annual hackathon, HackTCNJ. “HackTCNJ is a 24-hour event where students from colleges around the area come to create their own software projects, then present them to judges at the end to win prizes,” said senior computer science major

Brandon Gottlob, who helped organize the event. “It’s less of a competitive event and more a time where people can socialize, collaborate and learn about programming and computing.”

The hackathon took place this past weekend in various rooms throughout the Education Building. Hackers took their places on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 27, and continued until the next morning on Sunday, Feb. 28.

Junior computer science major Graham Roberts is part of the team that worked on virtual reality (VR) during the hackathon.

“VR works by projecting two images to each eye, enhanced by a plastic lens in the cardboard so it surrounds your field of vision,” Roberts said. “I wanted

to use VR from the get-go and I figured an easy way to do that is with something simple, like a notepad. Then I wanted to make the notes generated hands-free, using voice commands.”

At the center of the table was a Google cardboard virtual reality viewer. A person could insert a mobile device into the viewer, which was attached to a hat. The person wearing the viewer could then see a panoramic shot of any scene he or she wished.

Akshaya Dinesh is a sophomore in high school who heard about the hackathon through Facebook and helped out with the virtual reality for the day.

Even though she is still in high school, Akshaya is already skilled with computer science and says she plans to major in the discipline while in college. Members of her group were confident in their hacking abilities and hoped to win a small prize at the end of the day, such as a free keyboard or headphone set.

The hackathon is sponsored by various technological companies, such as Linode, which provided free web servers for all hackers present at the event.

Community advocate for Linode, Mark Korsak, attended the event and worked as a mentor for students during their creative process.

According to Korsak, this year’s judges were looking for the best first-time hacker who

was able to develop an innovative product that would serve the greater good. The prizes up for grabs included a Playstation 4 and a starter kit for Arduino computer hardware.

Some students were in it for the friendly competition and prizes, whereas others came out to enjoy the time to work on private assignments and socialize with others.

“I have heard of the hackathon before, but I never really considered going because I thought it was more for computer science majors,” junior interactive multimedia major Jamie Fonzino said.

“I thought it would involve really intense coding, a skill that I am still in the process of learning, but

my friend told me that the whole event was really laid back and that anyone could just show up to hang out and have a good time.”

Whether or not they were there to win a prize, everyone at HackTCNJ had a good time. The event maintained an energizing and infectious atmosphere and the best part of the day was the overall experience, according to those who attended the event.

“The best part is how relaxed of an environment it is,” Roberts said. “Every other time I’m coding, it’s either a personal project that I work really slowly on or a frantic homework assignment.

The hackathon is a laid back place for me to write meaningful code quickly.”

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

One team works on bringing a virtual reality project to life.

Black History Month ends with ‘Legacy Ball’

By Gianna Melillo Correspondent

Complete with a cocktail hour and black tie attire, the College’s Black Student Union (BSU) knows how to celebrate the culmination of Black History Month in style. Members gathered on Saturday, Feb. 27, in the Decker Social Space for their annual Legacy Ball. The event celebrated “35 years of excellence” with a live band, a sit-down dinner, speeches and an air of accomplishment and festivity.

To kick off the night, senior communication studies major and BSU President David Brown announced that the goal of Black History Month was to “remind the global community of the great historical accomplishments of black people.”

He added that BSU wishes to “show the TCNJ community what black culture is all about.”

Three honorees were acknowledged that night for their contributions to the College community. The first was Patrice Coleman-Boatwright, who served as the advisor for BSU for over 20 years and is a former higher education administrator. She also worked as the associate vice president of Community Relations and Special Campus events for the College and served on the College president’s cabinet in addition to other positions on campus.

Her husband, James Boatwright, was

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Students enjoy an upscale meal at the ball while a live band performs. also honored at the event. Boatwright headed the New Opportunities at Hofstra University (NOAH) and worked to help underrepresented groups of university students with financial disabilities. The program earned recognition from the New York State Department of Education following the success of several NOAH’s participants. In 1986, Boatwright became the director of the Educational Opportunity Fund Program (EOF) at the College and laid the foundation for the program’s successful legacy.

Last but not least, the union celebrated the hard work of James E. Chambers, Sr., who currently serves as the liaison to the schools of Engineering and Science at

the College. He formerly worked as the director of the College Bound Program, along with serving as an academic advisor for the EOF program. Chambers also served as an adjunct professor of English at the College, as well as at Mercer County Community College.

A performance of the Black National Anthem followed the ceremony, which brought about a smattering of applause.

The night took off with a mix of photographs, dancing, speeches and comradery.

Lauren Dorvil, a sophomore psychology major and the vice president of Historical Affairs for BSU, helped organize this commemorative event, which held a high turnout of roughly 180 people.

“I think it’s been a tremendous Black History Month,” Dorvil said over the music and chatter. “I am humbled and grateful for the amount of diversity at all of the events we put on this month. It’s great to see students of all different backgrounds come out.”

With a goal in mind to reach out to the entire campus community throughout the month, it was clear that the union’s efforts paid off as a mix of old and young members of the College community from various backgrounds attended the ball.

Senior biology major Hailey Marr heard about the event through word of mouth. When asked about the previous events held during Black History Month, Marr said, “I went to one or two and thought they were interesting — I figured I might as well go to the rest.”

Marr also remarked on how successfully the evening came together.

“Trying to plan something to this caliber, I think they did a fabulous job,” Marr said. “There was definitely a lot of commitment and work that was put into it.”

An atmosphere of class and a genuine sense of accomplishment and contentment persisted throughout the night.

“This is my second year on the (executive board),” Dorvil said. “I had a vision of a ball. I wanted to do something special and memorable for 35 years and I didn’t want to wait until 50.”

page 18 The Signal March 2, 2016

: April ‘98

Campus Style

Keg party turns deadly

caught in that now!

JK: Where does your ensemble inspiration come from?

RB: I love Pinterest. I have a board for outfit inspiration called “My Dream Closet.”

Even though some of the pieces are pricey, they tend to be minimalist, so it’s easy to buy similar items and still create the look.

Elise Schoening / Features Editor

An off-campus party becomes the scene of armed robbery and murder.

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

In April 1998, a party hosted at a house in Trenton, N.J., where College students and members of Theta Chi fraternity lived, ended in armed robbery and the fatal shooting of one man. While investigating the murder, police said they may charge the fraternity with throwing an illegal party. Administrators of the College debated the role of the College in intervening in the off-campus incident.

A campus fraternity could be charged with violating alcohol laws after an attempted robbery resulted in the death of a neighborhood teen at a Trenton house where Theta Chi fraternity members live, police said.

Trenton Deputy Police Chief Joe Constance said that the police will be pressing chargers against Theta Chi and the landlord of the house. “It was an illegal party.

It was in violation of ABC laws. Once the murder is solved, we will concentrate on charging those we see fit,” he said.

Constance said that there were about 30 people at the house at the height of the party.

Sue Long, the college’s director of Public Information, said the College cannot charge Theta Chi with any wrongdoing. “We have no authority of off-campus incidents. It’s between police and students,” she said.

Dr. Jesse Rosenblum, acting associate vice president for College Relations, said, “I have no idea if there is a problem or not.

If the students say there is a problem, I believe them but it’s their problem.”

Mary-Elaine Perry, director of Community Development Services, said that the College does not believe in fraternity houses. “Our philosophy is to try to build community. People living in fraternity houses on campus goes against that grain,” she said.

According to Perry, the College does not have a large Greek population. “We set high standards of behavior,” she said.

“Some students do not want to keep those standards so they move off campus.”

Perry said that although she thinks what happened was a tragedy, she does not think that changing the college housing policy for fraternities would have prevented such an incident from happening.

Perry does not single out the Greeks on campus for violating college policy or engaging in questionable behavior. “There are other groups of people who live in similar circumstances who do similar things. I will not single out the Greeks,” she said.

The brothers of Phi Kappa Tau are also concerned with the unsafe conditions of where they are forced to live.

An employee of a halfway house and drug rehabilitation center across the stress said, “This is not a safe neighborhood for suburban kids on their own.”

The shooting took place on Friday, April 17, at approximately 3:55 a.m. at a house inhabited by Theta Chi members, located on the 700 block of West State Street in centralwest Trenton.

Celebritease

AP Photo

It took 21 years, but Leonardo DiCaprio did the unthinkable — he won an Oscar. “The Revenant” star took home the coveted award Sunday, Feb. 28, and used his time on stage to address climate change. Lady Gaga gave a stellar performance of “Till It Happens to You” and was joined by survivors of sexual assault on stage, bringing the entire audience to

By Jordan Koziol Columnist

Name: Rachel Benin Major: Finance Year: Senior JK: What are you wearing?

RB: A Free People cropped black turtleneck, 7 For All Mankind dark wash jeans, Vince Camuto over-the-knee grey suede boots and a vintage oversized black coat.

JK: How would you describe your style?

RB: I try to combine two influences — classy/put-together with a modern twist.

JK: What is something unique that you have in your wardrobe?

RB: I have a brown shearling and suede moto jacket. It has a removable fur collar, so I can take the jacket from casual to nighttime simply by removing it. It’s versatile and so warm!

JK: How has your style evolved since coming to the College?

RB: When I was a freshman, I feel like I didn’t really have a sense of style. I would always wear jeans with a top, with no rhyme or reason. Embarrassingly enough, I would still bring out my velour Juicy zipup from time to time — I would never be

JK: Best place to buy professional apparel?

RB: The Limited. They are known for quality and style. They also have 40 to 50 percent off sales all the time. A few seasons ago, they featured a line based off of Oliva Pope’s style. It was amazing.

JK: Is Olivia Pope a style icon of yours?

RB: Yes! So much that I recently purchased a Ted Baker wool wrap coat. She is known for looks that are professional and classy with an old Hollywood-vibe. I love her!

JK: Favorite accessory?

RB: Diamond studs. They’re timeless. You can wear them during the day with a nice outfit, or you can make them elegant for a night-time event.

JK: What is one trend you are excited to rock this spring?

RB: Not necessarily a trend, but I’m really looking forward to wearing skirts and dresses. They are so easy and I love that springtime outfits don’t require as many layers. It’s less to think about!

JK: What is one trend that you don’t understand at all?

RB: Sometimes I don’t understand athleisure. I think it works for models like Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, but when girls wear a normal outfit with sneakers, I think it looks mismatched.

:Leo finally lands an Oscar

DiCaprio takes home his first Oscar for his role in ‘The Revenant.’

By Mackenzie Cutruzzula Columnist

Photo courtesy of Jordan Koziol

Benin takes fashion to a new level.

JK: Do you prefer retail shopping or online shopping?

RB: Retail, because you can actually try things on. I hate waiting for something in the mail and then being disappointed. In the store, you can’t be disappointed because you tried it on and it’s more satisfying!

tears. On a lighter note, Jacob Tremblay from the film “Room” was excited to be old enough to watch the awards through to the end, cheering on his co-star, Brie Larson, as she won for best actress in a leading role. Kate Winslet proved that she is the ultimate best friend when she excitedly watched DiCaprio win his award and the internet went nuts.

Chris Rock hosted the event, taking on the subject of cultural diversity with humor as well as bringing up some more

serious points, such as the lack of diversity being a problem since the onset of the Academy Awards. In the awards’ 88th year, Rock noted that even the most liberal writers that get nominated might have trouble when it comes to casting.

Rock referenced that his favorite actor is actually Paul Giamatti, who appeared in “12 Years a Slave” and “Straight Outta Compton,” showing that he has, in Rock’s opinion, a great range.

With DiCaprio surprising everyone, what ever happened to predictability?

Well, predictability made a huge comeback as “Fuller House” premiered on Netflix on Friday, Feb. 26. The cheesy revival of “Full House” is predictable and essentially a parody of itself, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a hit and worth the watch. The 13-episode reboot features lots of hugging and flashbacks to keep every millennial obsessed with the ’90s tuned in. I’m still rooting for D.J. Tanner-Fuller to end up with her high school sweetheart Steve, but that could be because he was my first-ever childhood crush.

In more nostalgic news, Britney Spears added her two cents into the ageold feud of #TeamBackstreetBoys or

#TeamNSYNC. Despite a romantic history with a certain NSYNCer, Spears posted a photo to Instagram Friday, Feb. 26, with Backstreet Boys’s own A.J. McLean. Spears confessed in her caption that she has always been a big fan of the band. I think I speak for everyone when I say that if the queen of the early 2000s picks a side, we should all agree with her.

Although, that’s because I have always been on team Backstreet Boys — Nick Carter, call me.

In other revival news, the full cast of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” has been set. There was some backlash after it was announced in December that Noma Dumezweni, a black actress, would be taking on the role of Hermione Granger.

Now, the rest of the ensemble has been finalized and the names of all the actors involved have been revealed, although it has not been specified which of the child actors will play which characters. The cast is set at 42 actors — enough to rival a full Broadway musical. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” will premiere at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End on Sunday, July 31. If you can’t catch a flight to London this summer, the script will be published as a book.

March 2, 2016 The Signal page 19

Arts & Entertainment

‘Company:’ A musical with a modern twist

‘Company’ explores the complexities of relationships.

By Erin Cooper Staff Writer A party’s not a party without social media. How else would you send out the invites and show everyone the pictures afterward? This weekend, the College’s Lyric Theatre didn’t shy away from throwing a very special multimedia birthday party with sparkling song and dance for the 35th birthday of Bobby, the principal character in “Company.” Yes, Facebook was involved.

The great musical comedy is based on the book by George Furth, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

On Friday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 27, Kendall Hall’s Main Stage was stacked with platforms in the shapes of giant iPhones, with three screens suspended above. This was a minimal but thoroughly modern set, complete with movable blocks painted with app icons and emoticons.

“Company” is the story of a single man named Bobby who scrutinizes his choices and his relationships as his large group of friends, all married, celebrate his birthday. In a series of connected vignettes, Bobby learns his friends’ secrets, deals with their dramatics and considers his own commitments, both current and possible. The characters’ interactions range from hilarious to cynical to touching.

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

The talented ensemble cast worked and sang together smoothly to pull off a series of quick, seamless transitions.

Alan Kelly, a student from Westminster Choir College, who guest starred in the production, played Bobby. The lead role necessitated his near-constant presence on stage, but he never flagged, his voice ringing consistent and clear to the end. His acting had a wry charm that made it plausible that his company was in such high demand.

The show’s funniest number was “Getting Married Today,” in which senior vocal education major Kaitlin Dunn, in the role of Amy, agonized over the day of her wedding, earning laughs from the audience as she sparkled in her bright wedding dress.

Junior vocal education major Lauren Critelli brought her beautiful soprano voice to “Another Hundred People” in the quirky role of Marta. The backdrop of the poignant song was footage of the streets of New York City played on the screens behind her.

Following the intermission, “Side By Side By Side” was a rousing number featuring Bobby in action with all the husbands and wives. As the most well-choreographed number of the evening, it featured ballet twirls from Bobby and the couples in a dance line — stopping to snap selfies every so often.

A powerful presence on stage was junior

vocal education major Nicole Myers, who played Joanne. Myers didn’t shy away from the big role, impressively belting out her lines in “The Ladies Who Lunch,” calling out for another vodka stinger and reminding the audience that “everybody dies.” At the climax, vodka sloshed from her glass and splashed the stage.

One of the challenges of staging “Company,” a play about dating and relationships from 1970, is making it relevant to audiences in 2016. Director Jennifer Little, an adjunct professor responsible for Lyric Theatre and staged musical productions, had the idea for facing that challenge by incorporating social media, with the screens hanging above the minimal set displaying texts and Facebook pictures. It was an effective device. The inclusion of technology highlights the themes of disconnection and missed connections. Whenever the couples’ recurring musical motif repeated, the screen became crowded with insistent texts from them.

The cast was initially dubious about the idea of changing the play. The renowned Sondheim is not someone to alter lightly.

“I think all of his arrangements have been just amazing. It never gets old,” Myers said of the composer. “At first we were like, ‘How dare you ruin Sondheim?’”

Soon enough, though, Myers and the rest of the actors warmed to the idea.

“I love the inclusion of social media in our production of ‘Company’,” said junior music education major Amanda Mason, who played the role of Susan. “It brings to light that fact that as social media continues to evolve, relationships are becoming even more complicated than they were in 1970, when ‘Company’ was written.”

Little contacted Sondheim to consult him about her additions and found him generous and supportive.

“It was a really wonderful experience to talk with him (kind of like a big Christmas present), as I have been one of his admirers for years,” Little said.

The play was modern in other ways as well — the diverse cast included interracial couples.

“It doesn’t matter what race you are because it’s 2016,” Myers said.

The production initially included lesbian characters, but the publisher, Music Theatre International, which holds the rights to the play, refused to allow the change, according to both Myers and Little. The production continued with a shift in casting.

The technology in our lives may distance us from each other, but it didn’t cloud the music or dim the passion of the performers this weekend.

“I would most like people to know that a lot of hard work went into this production and it is truly a labor of love,” Mason said.

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Social media is added to bring the musical to the 21st century.

Comedy teaches audience ‘How to Be Single’

By Danielle Silvia Correspondent

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, the film “How to Be Single” premiered

on Friday, Feb. 12, to a sea of eager moviegoers. After taking a trip to the theater with my friends, I can say the movie was probably one of the best, most memorable films I have seen.

Johnson and Wilson bring the laughs in ‘Single.’

AP Photo

The movie stars “50 Shades of Gray” starlet Dakota Johnson as the female protagonist, Alice.

The film begins in a familiar setting for many college students — a communal bathroom where Alice sports flip flops and a shower caddy. When her towel slips off, the boy next door, Josh (Nicholas Braun), comes to the rescue and the two become an item.

Fast forward four years, as Alice feels that the couple should break up and try being single in order to discover new lives for themselves. They go their separate ways and encounter many extravagant characters along the way. One of my favorites is Rebel Wilson, who plays Johnson’s partner in crime, Robin. She teaches Alice about the single lifestyle and partying, with a somewhat risky twist.

The movie is filled with ups

and downs, especially when Alice and Josh go through their new relationships. Until the end of the movie, I could not sit still because I was wondering if they would end up back together or not and how they would cope with either outcome. Alice in particular learns a lot about herself through other characters, such as her sister (Leslie Mann), Robin and a local bartender named Tom (Anders Holm). The situations that these characters experience together help shape Alice’s choices and, as a result, her fate.

Something that prominently distinguishes “How to Be Single” from other romantic comedies is the various range of emotions that were nicely balanced throughout the film. There were times of hysterical laughter (many times due to Wilson’s

character), as well as sadness, joy and confusion. All of these emotions, when exemplified in different contexts, scream real life to the audience. Life is not always peaches and cream, and therefore, there aren’t always happy endings. This movie played with this theme multiple times.

The movie’s title, “How to Be Single,” also implies more than just being in a relationship during Valentine’s Day. The movie focuses on what it is like to be young and single for many women and men today, as well as for those in other situations. For instance, how to be a single dad or how to be single for most of your life. A major driving point of this film is being content with your choices, whether it is to be single or in a relationship, and “How to Be Single” definitely has fun with this idea.

page 20 The Signal March 2, 2016

ACT offers mischievous murder mystery musical

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

Left: The wacky performances leave the audience in stitches. Right: Beau Aranosian brings his character to life on the stage.

By Alyssa Gautieri Staff Writer A fictional crew from an amateur theater took the stage with intentions of putting on a creative and quirky version of Stephen Schwartz’s “Wicked: The Musical,” which they called “Wiccan.” This motley crew of actors is also known for their other, rippedoff play productions, including “The Llama King,” “The Wizard of Bras” and “Larry Poppins.” However, after a murder was committed on stage, the production came to a halt and turned into an unforgettable murder mystery.

On Friday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 27, the Lion’s Den food court was brought to life by All College Theater (ACT), Lion’s Late Night and a local Italian eatery, Palermo’s I, for the College’s annual murder mystery dinner and show.

The production sold out both nights nearly 10 minutes after doors opened. According to lead actress and freshman women’s and gender studies major Molly Knapp, who played Winnifred, no one expected the show to sell out so quickly.

“I was thrilled with how our opening night went,” Knapp said after Friday evening’s performance.

In the murder mystery, when the town’s mayor, Chad (who also took on the role of The Wizard, portrayed by senior political science major Sam Waxenbaum), was shot during rehearsal two days before opening night, the crew went back and forth blaming each

other for the murder.

Saffron, played by senior graphic design major Alyssa Hess, along with the other characters, interrogated the audience members about whether or not they killed Chad. The student-actors were dedicated to their roles and refused to break character.

“Um, hi, I’m sorry to bother you,” Hess said as she approached a table of students.

“But did you kill Chad?”

According to Hess, the production is halfscripted and the other half is the actors trying to make things up as they go along.

“I’m in an improv group (the College’s The Mixed Signals), so for me, I feel comfortable (improvising),” she said.

Junior communication studies major Brooke Buonauro and junior journalism major Jonathan Edmondson took on the roles of writers and directors for “Wiccan.”

“We find it flattering (when the cast improvs) because we feel like we wrote characters that have so much to offer for the actors,” Buonauro said.

With 11 actors on stage at once, the cast performed a lot of background acting to try to make the performance more realistic for the audience. The actors were able to add their own personal spin on the character they portrayed.

“It was awesome to work with (Jonathan and Brooke), figuring out their vision and taking it that step further,” Knapp said.

According to Hess, the interrogation scene, during which the cast fields questions from the live audience, was entirely improvised by

the cast.

“You have to trust that you know your character and how they would deal with things,” Hess said.

Despite Knapp’s abundance of acting experience, she had little experience with improvisation. For her, staying in character served as more of a challenge. “(Alyssa will) just whisper little asides to me and it makes me break (character) every time,” Knapp said about the interrogation scene. “The whole cast is hilarious.”

Each night, there are different clues leading the audience to believe that the murderer may be any one of a host of characters, however, at the end of the show, the murderer is always the same.

“I got accused a bunch of times by audience members and it’s really funny,” Hess said. “I just play along.”

Buonauro and Edmondson shared what it was like to write the script together and work with the cast. “(The cast was) really eager and willing to try new things,” Edmondson said. “They brought the show alive in so many ways.”

Of the 11 main cast members, seven of them were freshmen. Aside from the main staff, there was also a list of eight extras, who each took on specific characters while integrating also the audience.

During one scene in particular, the main cast invited extras on stage to audition for a role in “Wiccan,” which allowed the extras a chance to improv and bring a unconventional element to the show.

“The idea (of being an extra in ‘Wiccan’) appeals to me because it is a lot more involved and thematic than a conventional show,” said senior interactive multimedia major Vincent Giacalone, who performed as an extra. “It’s a show that spreads out beyond the stage.”

Flyers that pictured the “Wicked” logo remade into “Wiccan” have been spread around campus for weeks. But why “Wicked?” The storyline of the original musical had little to do with the murder mystery that was performed.

“We wanted to play with the idea of a show that they couldn’t put on in this theater because it is still running on Broadway” Buonauro said. “So we thought, why not choose the most popular, iconic show right now?”

Edmondson and Buonauro, both involved in TCNJ Musical Theater and ACT, have participated in the College’s murder mysteries since their freshman year.

“Even people that aren’t theatre people, they still know ‘Wicked’ and probably some of the songs,” Edmondson said.

According to the duo, scripting came easily.

“We are best friends so it was really easy to work together,” Buonauro said.

The chemistry between the cast and the writers was visibly seen by the audience.

With improv, it is essential that the cast and writers have a connection and are able to play off of each other’s ideas.

“I feel blessed to have gotten the opportunity to work with a group of such incredible performers and people,” Knapp said.

Alt rockers perform stripped-down acoustic sets

By Emily Laskey Correspondent

Not every concert leaves an audience with an “electric feeling (to) take home,” but that is just what indie rock band Vinyl Theatre provided for students at the College. The Milwaukee-based band, composed of frontman and guitarist Keegan Calmes, synthesizer Chris Senner and drummer Nick Cesarz, visited the Decker Social Space on Friday, Feb. 26, to perform a rare acoustic set featuring some of their popular hits — allowing for both longterm and new fans to get a taste of the softer, more intimate side of the rising rock band.

The Philadelphia indie rock group, Cold Fronts, founded by lead singer and guitarist Craig Almquist, opened the show with a laidback performance that set the tone of the evening — alternative rock-gone-acoustic.

Almquist’s comfortable charm and the band’s intricate usage of a xylophone and double bass in its humorously-inspired songs made

for an overall relaxed and interesting set. Cold Fronts provided a complimentary segue into Vinyl Theatre’s performance.

Set by ever-changing multicolor lights, the stage lit up for Vinyl Theatre and cast a colorful light on the already-vibrant show of the seasoned rock band.

Electric synth accents and steady box-drum rhythms in Vinyl Theatre’s slowed-down set — provided by Senner and Cesarz —

added a subtle pop element into the group’s performance.

While the band bears similarities to alternative giants such as Two Door Cinema Club and Twenty One Pilots, frontman Calmes set Vinyl Theatre apart with his effortless engagement with the songs and the audience, exuding passion and connection through the band’s widerknown hits like “Breaking Up My Bones” and “Shine On.”

Calmes demonstrated a powerful vocal command that delivered the band’s complex lyrics in an engaging way.

The band’s audience, made up of new and old fans alike, was able to vibe with the band’s seamless transition between songs with seldom interruption. The group’s talent, as individuals as well as the collective band, is cause for Vinyl Theatre’s rising popularity among the indie rock scene, especially

Dana Gorab / Staff Photographer

Cold Fronts’s performance includes acoustic guitar and double bass.

over the past year when the group toured with fellow indie rockers Twenty One Pilots.

“It’s like we were more of an opening act before, and now we’re the headliner,” Calmes said.

Their inventive sound, dubbed

by Calmes as “ever-evolving,” has been on the climb since the band’s formation in 2012.

Their 2014 debut album, “Electrogram,” peaked at 35 on Billboard’s “Top Heatseekers” and the band only hopes for greater success with its upcoming sophomore album, which is set for release later this year.

“It’s an evolution,” Cesarz said.

“We never want to sound like anybody else, so all we ever do is experiment with new sounds.”

The band gave students at the College a glimpse of what is to come on its upcoming album with the song “My Fault,” which foreshadowed a more electronic feel in Vinyl Theatre’s new music.

Vinyl Theatre is sure to only reap more and more success and fans as their unique sound further changes and evolves.

Kanye returns with mixed reviews

West’s latest release showcases the evolution of his sound.

By Sean Reis Production Manager

When looking at the paintings of Pablo Picasso, one might say the abstract and distorted art is beautiful. It is equally likely, though, that one might say the paintings feel poorly produced and rushed due to their lack of form.

For many, listening to the latest album

by Kanye West brings about synonymous opinions — it is either abstract, raw art or poorly produced music in the sense that it was rapidly thrown together.

Released on Sunday, Feb. 14, West’s seventh studio album, “The Life of Pablo,” allegedly pays homage to the great Cubist artist Picasso, although this notion has yet to be confirmed by Yeezy.

AP Photo

Nevertheless, it sparks quite an obscene question: Does West think he is the Picasso of rap music? It is a question as ridiculous as West’s life and I do not know the answer, nor do I know how I feel about the album.

After listening to “The Life of Pablo” for the first time, I was disappointed. I thought the album was not mastered to West’s skill level. After listening to the album for the second time, however, I began to actually enjoy the album as another left turn from the artist. Nonetheless, after listening even further, I landed at my current conclusion — I do not know how I feel about the album in its entirety, because I honestly love one track and then hate the next.

The opening track, “Ultralight Beam,”

is one of my least favorite songs from the album because it feels like the worst parts of West’s 2013 release, “Yeezus,” all over again. West is not the God he thinks he is and if it wasn’t for Chance The Rapper’s verse, “Ultralight Beam” would be my least favorite track on the album.

Like West satirically raps, “I miss the old Kanye / I hate the new Kanye” (Track Nine: “I Love Kanye”), I also miss the old Kanye and hate the new, extremely egotistical Kanye he has become.

To state it simply, “Ultralight Beam” did not feel like the old West music I listened to growing up, but then again, few tracks from “The Life of Pablo” did.

“FML” is one of the tracks that has the essence of the rapper’s old music.

The track would fit perfectly on West’s 2010 LP “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” arguably his best studio album. With vocals from The Weeknd, “FML” has potential to be the biggest hit off the album.

Meanwhile, other tracks, like “Feedback” and “Freestyle 4,” seem out of place. “Famous,” featuring Rihanna, is better than most, but by far the best track from “The Life of Pablo” is “No More Parties In LA,” featuring Kendrick Lamar. Unlike “Ultralight Beam,” though, Lamar doesn’t carry the track with his verses like Chance did. All six minutes of this song are on another level.

Unfortunately, “The Life of Pablo” in its entirety is not on another level. Overall, I truly cannot tell you how I felt about the album, but when nearly half the tracks left me disappointed, it is clear “The Life of Pablo” did not live up to usual Kanye West expectations.

Performance art sparks debate

Wafaa Bilal presents powerful works

By Kristen Solis Correspondent

Performance artist Wafaa Bilal spoke to students about his politically-driven art that is both physically and emotionally intense on Friday, Feb. 26, in Mayo Concert Hall as part of the College’s Brown Bag series. All of Bilal’s work is inspired by his personal experiences and blurs the lines between comfort zones and conflict zones.

In 1990, Bilal, who was born in Iraq, refused to participate in Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and was subsequently forced to flee the country.

From there, he lived in a refugee camp for two years while teaching children art before arriving to the United States so he could continue his work as an artist.

Bilal always tries to use his art to reach people who do not normally attend galleries or museums and to engage them in a dialogue that brings them discomfort. Bilal said he often does this by using the Internet so that people can get involved directly.

In 2008, Bilal did exactly this with his piece “Domestic Tension” in Chicago, where he lived in a gallery for a month. At any given moment, someone from the Internet who was watching remotely through a live video

feed could shoot Bilal with a paintball gun less than 20 feet away. There was never a true moment of peace, as he was harassed by incessant fire.

Not only were people able to control the gun through the Internet, but Bilal also included a chatroom to talk to people about why they were shooting him. In one small room, he created what he called “a miniature conflict zone” inside a comfort zone.

“Domestic Tension” was created as a response to the invasion of Iraq and to the loss of his brother from an air launch missile in his hometown in 2004.

“I was never able to admit my loss,” Bilal said.

Later in 2008, he started another controversial interactive piece called “Dog or Iraqi?” in which people online could vote between Bilal or a dog named Buddy to be waterboarded.

Though PETA expressed unhappiness with the piece, Buddy had nothing to fear because Bilal was overwhelmingly picked to be waterboarded.

When he showed the video of himself getting waterboarded, there was complete and utter silence from the audience.

The tension was palpable in the hall as students watched as his body twitched.

After a moment, Bilal said, “I can say waterboarding is not simulated drowning — it

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Bilal is famous for his piece, ‘Domestic Tension.’

is drowning.”

In 2010, in response to the untold stories of thousands of dead Iraqis, he created another intimate piece, “...And Counting,” using his body as a canvas. Bilal got a tattoo of a borderless Iraq on his back, featuring the casualties of both Americans and Iraqis in the war. The Americans are represented by permanent, red ink, while invisible, white ink that can only be seen under black light was used for each dot representing a fallen Iraqi. As he was tattooed, he had people recite the names of those who died. This performance piece highlighted the double standard of war and how innocent

Iraqi deaths often go unheard of in American media.

From 2010 to 2011, Bilal implanted a camera into the back of his head, a piece he called “3rd I.” It was a reaction to the constant surveillance of the Middle East.

“I think it’s about the privilege we have,” Bilal said in response to the demanding nature of his art. “ It’s a loyal obligation to continue the work as long as there is conflict.”

Bilal’s extreme performance art is meant to bring to light the subjects that citizens tend to ignore due to the discomfort it brings.

“Art is supposed to inform, to agitate,” Bilal said.

March 2, 2016 The Signal page 21

This week, Nick Landolfi, WTSR assistant music director, highlights some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.

Band: Basement Album: “Promise Everything” Hailing From: Suffolk, England Genre: Melodic Emo Punk Label: Run For Cover Records Basement is back! For those who don’t know what I am talking about, “Promise Everything” is the third studio album from U.K.’s Basement, which just so happens to be the first album after the band’s mysterious hiatus. However, their separation was apparently fruitful as they created a great album from it. “Promise Everything” delivers. It is a perfect balance of fresh tunes and Basement’s true-to-form sound. The album starts off on a great note with “Brother’s Keeper,” a quick little pop punky song with some wholesome crunch for good measure. Overall, the album delivers a strong punk sound that doesn’t reach into catchy pop sounds, which are all too easy to fall victim too.

Must Hear: “Brother’s Keeper,” “Lose Your Grip,” “Aquasun” and “Oversized”

Band: Photo Ops Album: “Vacation” Hailing From: Nashville, Tenn.

Genre: Synthy Folk Label: Bad Friends Records Photo Ops is the musical moniker of Terry Price, a solo artist who is opening up on a huge note with “Vacation.” Obvious influences can be heard on this album such as Real Estate, Vampire Weekend, Surfer Blood and bands of the like. Price masterfully crafts his sound using a variety of instruments that pull together like an orchestra, even though he is a solo musician and plays all of the music himself.

His lyrics and vocals sit at the forefront of Photo Ops, and for good reason. For an album with themes such as sickness, death and mental illness, Price delivers a beautifully bright and optimistic sound to which you can jam. This synthy, folky beach goth album is definitely something new on the horizon.

Must Hear: “I’d Be Dead,” “You Could Be Great,” “Memories that Glow” and “Maybe We’ll Change”

page 22 The Signal March 2, 2016

Fun Stuff

R.I.P. Leonardo DiCaprrio Memes (1994 - 2016)

Courtesy of The Onion

Nonetheless, congrats to Leo for the win.

Here is a real photograph of him thanking the bear from “The Revenant” at The Oscar’s.

BUT DID LEO ACTUALLY WIN...

March 2, 2016 The Signal page 23

Sports Wrestling

College battles in Eastern Regional Tournament Four Lions pin down bids to Championship

By Connor Smith Social Media Editor

With the success of 18-3 dual match record in the rearview mirror, the wrestling team traveled to Washington and Lee University to compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III (D-III) Eastern Regional Championship — which took place on Saturday, Feb. 27, and Sunday, Feb. 28.

The College earned one first-place finish and three second-place finishes, securing the Lions four NCAA National Championship qualifiers and second place overall team honors out of 18 schools.

“I wanted the guys to wrestle hard and to have fun,” head coach Joe Galante said.

“If we do those things, then the accolades and placements take care of themselves.”

The tournament began on Saturday, where the Lions’s talent was on full display. Sophomore James Goldschmidt (133) and senior Steven Schneider (149) both earned opening round technical falls.

Sophomore Ryan Budzek (141) began the tournament with a major decision (13-1) and a decision (2-0) to propel himself into Sunday’s semifinals. Budzek is currently ranked No. 6 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) D-III poll.

Looking to add “two-time All-American” to his list of accolades, senior Antonio Mancella (157) proved to be as reliable as ever,

winning both decisions on the opening day.

“I expected myself to place and proceed onward onto nationals,” Mancella said. “It’s what our coaching staff and team have been training and improving all season to do and I think most of us went out expecting the same thing because that is the way we trained.”

Ranked No. 4 by the NWCA, junior Nick Herring punched his ticket to the semifinals with a major decision and a technical fall of his own.

In total, five Lions proceeded to the semifinals of the winners’ bracket. With an automatic bid to the NCAA D-III Championships at stake, all wrestlers understood the magnitude of their upcoming bouts.

Sunday’s action yielded mixed results for the Lions. Having dealt with his fair share of injuries and adversity this season, Budzek was prepared to fight for his bid to Nationals. In a bout that included blood time, Budzek managed to carve out a second-place finish, setting him up for his own run at nationals.

“He wanted to continue to compete,” Galante said. “There’s just something in him that’s tough and mean.”

Senior Doug Hamann (174) won his quarterfinals bout in a rematch with Phil Woods of Stevens Institute of Technology. Although he barely escaped Woods with a tight 3-2 decision in November, Hamann’s growth was visible by bringing home a 10-5 decision in the semifinals.

“Doug Hamann beat his opponents really bad on Saturday,” Galante said.

“He woke up and had a great match against a tough opponent.”

Hamann did not escape his bout unscathed, as he was forced to sit out the finals with an injury — settling for second place at 174. Hamann is expected to be ready to go at the nationals, according to Galante.

Mancella worked for a 15-8 decision in the semifinals, setting up a First-Place match with Logan Meister of Ferrum College. With his bid to nationals already secured, Mancella lost his final bout by a 7-3 decision.

Junior Dan Wojtaszek and Schneider were sent to the consolation bracket by wrestlers from Stevens. The local rivals managed to earn top team honors at the competition, setting the stage for a clash in the upcoming National Championships.

By battling through the consolation ladder, both wrestlers were able to earn a shot at third place. Unfortunately for the Lions, neither third-place match went their way, cutting both wrestlers’ seasons short.

“Stevens wrestles tough, and kudos to them,” Mancella said. “In the weights where we ran into them, I’m sure there is a sense of rivalry, but that comes with the nature of the sport.”

Although Stevens had its fair share of reasons to celebrate, Herring proved the Lions won’t go down without a fight. In his

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

The Lions battle hard for second.

first-place match with the Stevens Ducks’s Colin Navickas, Herring brought home the gold with an intense 6-3 decision.

“I think there was disappointment, but that is to be expected when you train for months on end for a goal and you come up short,” Mancella said. “Naturally, a couple guys were bummed out and that is perfectly OK to be, in my opinion. All in all, I believe everyone was happy for those who qualified.”

With four Lions placing and a second overall team finish, the Lions will have a week off to prepare for the NCAA D-III Championships on Friday, March 11, and Saturday, March 12, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse makes a comeback in second half

Photos courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Left: Senior Cortney Natalicchio scores twice in the win on Saturday. Right: The Lions are ready to compete this season.

By George Tatoris Sports Assistant

After a shaky first half, the lacrosse team beat the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia, 8-3, in its opener on Saturday, Feb. 27. The teams met in neutral territory at Montclair State University’s Sprague Field.

SUNY took advantage as the Lions struggled to find their footing in the first half, scoring three goals while the College could only manage one.

“In the beginning of the game, I think we were a little nervous,” sophomore defender Elizabeth Morrison said. “It was our first time playing full-field with that

lineup and it took a little bit of time to get used to.”

The Lions’s only goal in the first half came from junior attack Mia Blackman in the last 10 minutes.

Fredonia led, 3-1, but those would be the only three goals scored by the Blue Devils that day.

As the Lions got comfortable in the second half, they pummeled Fredonia, ending the game with an 8-3 victory for the College.

“At halftime, Coach (Sharon) Pfluger told us what we needed to work on and what was working,” Morrison said. “There was also a lot of talk between teammates trying to help each other be more successful. Most importantly, I think we brought up our intensity and

started to get more comfortable on the field.”

The Lions made a swift comeback. Morrison was the first Lion to score in the second half and senior forward Cortney Natalicchio tied up the game nine minutes into the half.

Sophomore midfielder Amanda Muller put the Lions ahead with a goal at 19:52. Afterward, nothing the Blue Devils did was enough to stop the team from scoring.

Blackman led the Lions offense after adding two goals to the scoreboard while Natalicchio was second in goals with two total.

With just over 30 seconds left, sophomore attack Emily Kratz scored the eighth and final goal for

the Lions off an assist from senior midfielder Megan Devlin.

“It was the first game of the season and we had to get some of the jitters out of our system,” Natalicchio said “Once that happened, we really started to play as a team and that’s how we shut them out in the second half.”

The Blue Devils were not able to score for 49 minutes out of the entire hour and 51 minutes of play, partly thanks to freshman goaltender Miranda Chrone, who kicked off her college career with an impressive three saves.

The Lions outshot Fredonia, 29-9, in the game and 18-2 in the second half.

Both the Lions and the Blue

Devils were shut out of the final four in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Tournament last year and are both nationally ranked by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) this year — the Lions are fifth and Fredonia is 15th in the polls.

Overall, this weekend was a victory, but the early stumbles of the team in this opener indicate there is still room to grow.

“As a team, we are happy with the outcome, but still have a lot of things to improve on,” Morrison said. “After playing (on Saturday), we can start to make those changes, but overall, it was a good start to the season.”

page 24 The Signal March 2, 2016 Tennis

Men’s tennis deconstructs the Engineers

Lions bridge gap in a come-from-behind win

By Connor Smith Social Media Editor

The men’s tennis team hosted Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on Saturday, Feb. 28, in a six-hour marathon that was ultimately decided in the final singles match of the day.

The Lions (2-1) managed to deconstruct the Rensselaer Engineers’s 4-1 lead by rallying to win the final four singles competitions and securing a 5-4 victory.

“We were well prepared,” head coach Scott Dicheck said. “All three doubles matches could have gone either way. It was just a back and forth day.”

The Engineers’s blueprint for success relied on their high-caliber doubles pairs, which included the nationally-ranked duo of McKinley Grimes and Sherman Uyeno.

On court one, seniors Pierce Cooper and Billy Buchbinder were tasked with facing off against Grimes and Uyeno. Grimes established himself from the start, unleashing a lightening-quick serve that was often difficult to return. As their energy waned, both pairs vented some frustration with their own play.

The intensity between both teams met its peak with the score tied at eight. The Rensselaer duo escaped the tiebreaker with a victory, in large part due to Grimes’s consistently tricky serves. Although they expressed an obvious sense of frustration, Cooper and Buchbinder accepted their defeat with class and respect for their opponents.

Juniors Mike Stanley and Jack August kept the Lions alive in doubles with a razor-thin 9-7 victory on court two. Unfortunately for the team, another 9-7 score went in favor of RPI on court three, handing the

College an early 2-1 deficit heading into the singles competition.

“Obviously, we were disappointed being down, 2-1,” Dicheck said. “We knew we’d keep fighting. We knew it was going to be that kind of battle.”

Singles competition looked dire for the Lions, as Cooper fell to Grimes again in their third set. Court two yielded a two-set defeat for the Lions, increasing RPI’s lead to 4-1.

“We needed to win the last four,” Dicheck said. “The guys on the court knew what was going on, so they kept asking.”

August’s singles matchup on court three seemed grim after he dropped the first set, 1-6. As the magnitude of his matchup began to unfold, August managed to win a set of his own to force a third set. This burst of momentum proved effective enough, as August handed Sherman a loss of his own in the final set.

As his doubles partner rallied from behind, Stanley earned a three set victory, bringing the overall score to 4-3, in favor of RPI. The fate of the entire match rested on freshman Omar Bokhari and sophomore Chris D’Agostino. Although Bokhari is still a freshman, this wasn’t the first time his singles match had the potential to lose his team the match. With the Lions down, 4-3, Bokhari won his matchup in two sets to keep the Lions alive against Chestnut Hill.

“Omar was ready,” Dicheck said. “He was in the same situation against Chestnut Hill and came out with a win. I think that helped him.”

With players on both teams camped in the stands to give their teammates much-needed

Connor Smith / Social Media Editor

The men’s tennis team battles back against the Engineers. support, Bokhari managed to pull out a two set victory (6-4, 6-3), while battling the intense emotional playstyle of his opponent.

Although the Lions had overcome a 4-1 deficit, they weren’t out of the woods yet. All eyes were on D’Agostino’s singles competition, as the Lions desperately wanted to avenge losses to RPI from the previous two years.

“I haven’t been playing my best recently,” D’Agostino said. “I was definitely feeling nervous.”

After he won the first set, D’Agostino found himself down, 2-0, to start the third set. A taxing deuce had the potential to shift the momentum in favor of RPI. “I wasn’t gonna let one game lose me the match,” D’Agostino said. “I could have been annoyed that I had the chance to take the lead. I just stuck with it.”

D’Agostino collected himself, rallied and he eventually swiped the lead in the set. With the score locked at 6-5, he managed game, set and match, erupting the Student Recreation Center into a frenzy of celebration.

After sticking with the College for over six hours, fans were rewarded with a victory.

“The support from my teammates was great,” Dicheck said. “There were more than teammates. There were family members, too.”

The Lions (2-1) will look forward to their first road match of the season, as they face-off against Haverford College on Saturday, Mar. 5.

With a renewed sense of confidence, D’Agostino is ready to see what the future holds for him and his team.

“It’ll be a tough match (against Haverford),” he said. “But we’re a resilient group.

I’m sure we’ll win.”

Cheap Seats

Major League Soccer season on the horizon

AP Photo

Major League Soccer is ready for its 21st season.

By Rohan Ahluwalia Staff Writer

Entering its 21st season, Major League Soccer (MLS) has finally reached the age where it can legally drink in the United States.

The league, which was launched in 1995, has endured an interesting 21 years, from being in danger of dissolving in the early 21st century to signing world superstar David Beckham in 2007 and now, having 20 teams with four more on the way.

The league will kick off the season on Sunday, March 6, with the first match taking place between the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC. MLS, unlike other soccer leagues around the world, follows

the American sports model. The 20 teams are divided into two conferences of 10 teams each. At the end of the regular season, the top six teams in each conference qualify for the MLS Playoffs, in which standings are based on who gained the most points throughout the season. Each team earns three points for a victory, one point for a draw and zero points for defeat.

Coming into the 2016 season, a lot has changed. The offseason saw the departure of United States international player Omar Gonzalez, as well as Seattle Sounders fan favorite Obafemi Martins, to teams abroad. Despite these departures, the league signed upcoming American international

Jordan Morris, Albanian international Shkëlzen Gashi and former Chelsea player Ashley Cole.

The reigning champions from 2015, the Portland Timbers, have seen some significant turnover.

Known for their harsh-sounding supporters, the Timbers qualified for the playoffs with relative ease and imposed themselves well in the final, taking a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew. The team has changed a bit since its triumph, with several players, such as Will Johnson, Maxi Urutti and Jorge Villafana, moving on to greener pastures.

However, the team has kept its spine intact with last season’s top-scorer, Fernando Adi, and fan favorites Diego Valleri and Liam Ridgewell extending their contracts. There are strong signs that the team could potentially put up a solid title defense.

Other than the Timbers, the Western Conference in MLS is looking as strong as ever. The league’s superstar team, the LA Galaxy, has strengthened after being eliminated early in the playoffs last season. The signings of Cole, as well as Jelle van Damme and Nigel De Jong, can help solidify an already strong team. Seattle Sounders could also put on a challenge, despite losing its main striker from last season. Like the Timbers, the Sounders squad has retained its star players and will rely on United States captain Clint Dempsey to push the team this season.

Sporting Kansas City is another team that looks to be strong, despite its lack of roster movement. The team’s biggest move was last season’s newcomer of the year, Krisztián Németh, leaving for Qatar. Finally, FC Dallas will be the favorite to end mid-table in its conference after the team retained its young core from the previous season.

The Eastern Conference will also see the Columbus Crew look to avenge its runners-up position last season. Craig Berhalter’s side does not have any “big-name” players, but they possess cohesive chemistry throughout, as shown last season. The team’s only main loss was defender Emanuel Pogatetz, but the team has buffered with MLS veterans Connor Casey and Corey Ashe, as well as Ola Kamara, an international from Norway.

One of the main rivals for the Crew will be the Red Bulls, the Supporters Shield champion from last season. The team, which was tipped to fail last season, defied the odds and won the Eastern Conference. The club’s biggest loss was American hotshot Matt Miazga to English Premier League side Chelsea. However, the team was quick to replace him with Ghanian international Gideon Baah.

The Red Bulls also hope for more production from 2015 mid-season signing Gonzalo Verón. The Argentinean showed flashes of quality last season, but this season, he

will have a full pre-season under his belt.

Along with those two, the Montreal Impact will be an unpredictable entity this season. The Impact, which relied heavily on Didier Drogba last season, had to fight hard to retain its star man for 2016. The amount of effort he gives the team will be telling for how the Impact will perform during the season. Toronto FC will also be a force, with MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco returning and the Canadian side addressing its weaknesses over the offseason, mainly in its defense.

Last season’s expansion teams, New York City FC and Orlando City SC, will look to make the playoffs for the first time, but neither side has been active this offseason. Orlando signed Antonio Nocerino to help in their defense and they have retained the Rookie of the Year Cyle Larin, but the club will still be reliant on Ricardo Kaká to help Larin. New York City FC’s only difference this season will be having its two marquee men, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard, for a full season, but the team has failed to address its holes in defense.

Overall, expectations will increase for certain sides while others will see fans disgruntled from the start. The quality on the field has increased with every season and there’s no doubt the 2016 season will be no different.

4 6

LIONS

March 2, 2016 The Signal page 25

AROUND THE

DORM 5 3

Sydney Shaw “The Ref”

Chelsea LoCascio News Editor

Matt Bowker Staff Writer

Connor Smith

Social Media Editor

In this week’s edition of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Sydney Shaw, asks our panel of experts three questions: Will Villanova make progress in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) March Madness? Who will impress at the National Football League (NFL) scouting combine and which Canadian National Hockey League (NHL) team can make the playoffs?

1. Will the top-ranked Villanova Wildcats season end again in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament?

Chelsea: If the team did get past its first weekend, then it would be “March Madness.” Since the Wildcats have yet to accomplish that feat since 2009, I say they have a slim chance. I like to root for the underdog, but I can’t support the Wildcats — the team doesn’t win when it matters most. The team has an impressive knack for winning streaks, but also one for choking under pressure.

While the team may be first now, it doesn’t have enough of a substantial lead over the Kansas Jayhawks to prove it is worthy of winning. The Wildcats have to get their heads in the game (yes, that was a “High School Musical” reference) if they want to get past the first weekend. Villanova’s only chance of advancing is some fancy footwork and spontaneous singing solos that might just distract the opponents long enough for the team to shoot the winning basket.

Matt: Villanova is not a championship team.

AP Photo

However, the team is good enough to end its streak and make it past the first few rounds.

Villanova plays well against bad teams, but also plays badly against good teams. All of the team’s losses have come against ranked opponents, with three of those losses coming

against top-10 teams, while the other 21 wins have come against unranked teams. With this year’s tournament shaping up to be the tightest in years, it would not shock me to see Nova make a deep run. What sets this year’s team apart from the past disappointments is

the emergence of junior guard Josh Hart. For once, Nova, which typically plays a teamoriented style of play, has one true player that can put the team on his back when needed.

For that reason, Hart can lead the Wildcats to at least a couple of tourney wins.

Connor: Currently No. 1 overall in the Associated Press Division I rankings, Villanova is on pace for another Final Four run.

Assuming Villanova steamrolls its final two unranked opponents, only a Big East Championship rematch with No. 5 Xavier will stand in the team’s way of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Historically, a No. 1 seed has never lost in the first round of March Madness. Coach Jay Wright is experienced enough to keep his players hungry, rather than complacent. It also helps when your coach’s spouse is actually named Patricia Reilly (Try getting the image of Pat Reilly with a wig out of your head now). The Wildcats are at the front of a hyper-competitive pack. I trust the team will be ready for anything a low-seed throws at them.

Chelsea gets 3 points for a HSM reference (and for being realistic). Matt gets 2 points for noting Hart’s contributions and Connor gets 2 points for his glowing optimism.

AP Photo

2. With the NFL scouting combine kicking off, which rookie stands out among the rest?

Chelsea: Florida State University’s Jalen Ramsey doesn’t just stand out — he leaps

above the rest. As a long jump champion and track star at Florida, he is sure to be a frontrunner during the combine. Those skills will definitely aid him as a defensive back, as he will hurdle over his opponents. Each of the

NFL’s mock drafts include Ramsey in their top-five picks and the team’s first choice for cornerback. Ramsey is a good player for several reasons, including the fact that he’s quick on his feet and able to cross the field faster than Forrest Gump. You would definitely be intimidated if Ramsey, with his athletic build and confidence, was coming at you. Although he still needs to work on his reaction time and put on some more muscle mass to up his intimidation factor, he is a solid pick.

Matt: With no clear-cut top player or quarterback in this year’s draft, the players to watch at this year’s combine are two that are not participating. University of California-Los Angeles’s Myles Jack and University of Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith, both linebackers, suffered season-ending injuries in 2015 and are looking to prove their health. Both have incredible talent and teams will use the combine‘s medical testing to determine the health of both players in order to weigh the risk in taking a player so

high in the draft with a serious injury. If either has shown positive signs of recovery at the combine, some team will surely use an early first-round pick on them.

Connor: Experts are writing off Derrick Henry due to his body type. It seems absurd that a running back that shredded through the top defenses in college football isn’t even ranked No. 1 at his position. His combine performance has cemented the fact that Henry is immensely talented. At 247 pounds, Henry outpaced all running backs with a 4.54 second 40-yard dash. Power running backs can see long-term success in the NFL. Marshawn Lynch proved that in his final years with the Seattle Seahawks. He is beginning to show parallels to Tim Tebow — they both won a Heisman Trophy and a National Championship before being cast aside. The difference is Henry has few mechanical flaws — he’s immensely talented and might even get lucky if he falls towards the higher-performing teams.

Connor gets 3 points because Henry is a tank. Chelsea gets 2 points for track puns and a Forrest Gump nod (and noting speed) and Matt gets 1 point for picking two injured players.

3. Which Canadian NHL team has the best chances of making it to the playoffs?

Chelsea: Like Robin Scherbatsky from “How I Met your Mother,” I would have liked to see the Vancouver Canucks at the playoffs this year. Since that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, I have to go with the Ottawa Senators, eh. With a 29-26 record and currently the most points overall for the Canadian teams, I feel that the Senators have the best chance.

In a close second is the Montréal Canadiens — and these two teams are neck and neck.

Though both teams have a slight shot at the playoffs, both are struggling hard to surpass the Americans. Oh Canada, good luck trying to keep up with the Washington Capitals or the Dallas Stars. Whatever happens, I will be on the edge of my seat (and eating a Tim Horton’s Maple Dip doughnut) anxiously waiting to see which Canadian team comes “oot” on top.

Matt: Realistically, no Canadian teams will, for the first time since 1979, make the playoffs, eh. Montreal looked like a sure-fire playoff team until Carey Price, arguably the best goalie in the NHL, was injured early in the year, eh. After getting off to the hottest start

in the league, the team is five points out of a wildcard spot and can’t seriously be thinking a-boot the postseason. They’ll be drinking Molson’s and mainlining maple syrup into their veins at home this spring. Sorry, eh.

Connor: The Senators have 66 points compared to Vancouver’s mere 60. Montreal is also in the playoff hunt with 65 points. Despite that clearly representative information on all three teams, I’m picking Vancouver as the best bet to make the playoffs. Conferences favor the Canucks, a team with only two others between it and a playoff berth. According to Sport Club Stats, which uses thousands of simulations based on strength of schedule, Vancouver has an 8.1 percent chance versus Ottawa’s 5.6 percent. Vancouver will have a better chance at the playoffs because it has more opportunities and less competition. The Eastern Conference Canadian teams must beat out five equally-competitive teams, meaning a lot more must happen for one of them to make the playoffs. It’s usually not wise to bet on the worst performing team, but I’m confident in Vancouver’s chances versus its counterparts.

Chelsea gets 3 points for being realistic again. Matt gets 2 points for including too many “ehs” (and counting out Montreal) and Connor gets 2 points for not including an “eh.”

Chelsea wins Around the Dorm 8-7-5.

AP Photo

page 26 The Signal March 2, 2016

Travel to . . .

NEW YORK CITY This Summer!

HIS 165-02: The History of New York City

A sample listing of day trip visits include:

Combines classroom instruction with unique on-site learning opportunities in New York City!

Students will learn about how New York has shaped American history, as well as the city’s role as the cultural center of the United States, from art, to literature, to jazz, to punk rock.

Trips to the City will also occur at various sites.

• • • •

Class schedule: Maymester: May 23- June 10, MTWTh 1:00pm-4:15pm Class will meet in NYC at Penn Station from 6/6 – 6/9.

For more information & application: http://summer.tcnj.edu/history-ofnew-york-city/

Want to be on the other side of this paper?

NYC Transit museum NYC Tenement Museum NYC Panorama Walking tour/punk rock discussion

Office of Summer & Winter Programs summer@tcnj.edu

WE HAVE A NUMBER OF POSITIONS AVAILABLE!

We’re looking for: Writers—Be the one who brings the story to the campus.

Photographers—Capture the events and bring the story to life.

Assistants—Join our staff and help make this paper happen.

Contact us: signal@tcnj.edu Located in room 204 in Forcina Hall Meetings every Sunday at 5:30 p.m.

March 2, 2016 The Signal page 27 Cheap Seats

‘MLB Top 100’ are not the ones to watch runs batted in (RBIs), while only playing half of the season.

Gonzalez hit 40 HRs last year — what more do you want from the guy?

Underrated Relievers Of any position in baseball, the reliever (R) is perhaps the most underappreciated. These five men are unmatched in their ability to work through an inning:

AP Photo

Crawford’s name should not be on the ‘Top 100’ list.

By Matthew Ajaj Staff Writer

Over the past week, the Major League Baseball Network (MLBN) released its “Top 100 Right Now” list, in which the channel ranked the best players in Major League Baseball (MLB), supposedly based on “player performance over the past several seasons with an emphasis on 2015 and projected 2016 performance,” according to MLB.com.

Since the station is primarily owned by the MLB itself, it is quite evident that the league has done some meddling in hopes to get fans excited and gain viewership. Much of the list is downright absurd and misinformative of the reality of today’s player talent and the only way to know the truth is to hear the criticism.

Not Fit for the List?

The MLBN really missed the bag with these four players who apparently were not good enough to make the “Top 100” list: • Noah Syndergaard – New York Mets, starting pitcher (S) • Starlin Castro – New York Yankees, second baseman • Maikel Franco – Philadelphia Phillies, third basemen (3B) • Carlos Gonzalez – Colorado Rockies, outfielder (OF) Syndergaard, a 2015 rookie, pitched 150 innings in his first season while posting a solid 3.24 earned run average (ERA) and his progress throughout the season will certainly carry over to 2016.

Castro, 25, already has six major league seasons and three All-Star appearances under his belt. Fellow youngster Franco smacked the ball around for a .280 batting average (BA), 14 home runs (HRs) and 15

98. Aroldis Chapman – Cincinnati Reds, R 97. Andrew Miller – New York Yankees, R 90. Craig Kimbrel – Boston Red Sox, R 63. Dellin Betances – New York Yankees, R 46. Wade Davis – Kansas City Royals, R Miller, Kimbrel and Betances can sling a fastball in the triple digits, while Chapman has hurled the top 100 fastest pitches ever thrown in MLB history, according to MLB. com — no joke.

One would be hard-pressed to find more consistent contributors to their teams’ successes on a near-daily basis. There is a reason the Kansas City Royals, who boast the best bullpen in baseball (including headliner Wade Davis), have made two World Series appearances in a row.

Underappreciated Aces MLB knows that fans would rather see scoring, not shutouts, so the league clearly skewed this list to increase the notoriety

of their electrifying hitters at the cost of undermining the game’s elite pitchers:

93. Jose Fernandez – Miami Marlins, S 92. Stephen Strasburg – Washington Nationals, S 71. Gerrit Cole – Pittsburgh Pirates, S 66. Chris Archer – Tampa Bay Rays, S 57. Sonny Gray – Oakland Athletics, S 40. Madison Bumgarner – San Francisco Giants, S 37. Jacob deGrom – New York Mets, S 36. Matt Harvey – New York Mets, S 16. Zack Greinke – Arizona Diamondbacks, S If Fernandez and Strasburg can actually stay on the field, they have the potential to be top five pitchers.

Cole, Archer and Gray are already dominant, but still somehow rank below the likes of slightly aboveaverage hitters, such as Detroit Tiger Justin Upton and Seattle Mariner Kyle Seager. Even though Bumgarner, 2014 World Series MVP, has had an ERA below 3.00 for three years in a row and despite deGrom’s and Harvey’s lights-out pitching that carried the Mets to the 2015 World Series, none of these fine players found their way into the top 30.

While these starting pitchers only play about once a week, when they do take the mound, they have the most profound impact of any player on the field on that given day. They are now getting paid like top-level

Track

players and it would be foolish not to recognize their importance.

Great Expectations While Lacking Experience According to the MLBN, “youth” is a synonym for “great.”

It’s no doubt these three players have bright futures ahead of them, but this is the “Top 100 Right Now,” not “Right Soon:” 68. George Springer – Houston Astros, right fielder 44. Randal Grichuk – St. Louis Cardinals, OF 13. Carlos Correa – Houston Astros, SS Springer has merely mustered a .256 BA and has struck out 223 times in 180 games played. Grichuk and Correa have not even played a full season’s worth of games and even their small sample-sized numbers are barely worthy of “Top 100” recognition, let alone being ranked 44th and 13th, respectively. But the list’s biggest sin of them all is without a doubt...

Sheer Absurdity 33. Brandon Crawford – San Francisco Giants, short stop A career .246 hitter, Crawford is just an above average shortstop and has absolutely no business being anywhere near the Edwin Encarnacions, Starling Martes and deGroms of the world, let alone ahead of them. Forget jumping the shark — the MLBN really jumped the Giant on this one.

Men’s Basketball

Track / Records bested NJAC / Strong outing

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Mazzarella helps relay team win. continued from page 28

of 4:16:83.

Senior Jonathan Stouber led the pack in the 5,000-meter race with a first-place time of 15:11.35.

“I think the team did a very good job

at NJACs,” Stouber said. “We knew it was going to be a tough battle to win, but everyone stayed positive and went out there and ran, threw and jumped with everything they had” The jumping events were highlighted by sophomore Andrew McNutt. He landed 13.92 meters from the stripe in the triple jump to finish in second place. He also finished eighth in the long jump.

A portion of the team achieved personal bests when they returned to the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex four days later to compete at the Fastrack Last Chance Meet on Saturday, Feb. 27.

Spriggs improved her time in the 400meter race to a season-best time of 57.73.

The men’s 4x800-meter relay team shattered the College’s record by three seconds with a time of 7:46.27. The relay consisted of Mazzarella, Lynch, freshman Jack Wood and Osterhus.

“I thought this was one of the most complete team performances at a conference meet since I’ve been coaching at TCNJ,” head coach Justin Lindsey said.

“Building a balanced team is how you win team titles on a consistent basis… The experience upperclassmen have will help the freshmen adjust to collegiate competition and in return the freshmen develop confidence through the support of the upperclassmen. This creates a universal support system needed to compete at the highest level. This also creates a family environment because everyone is on the same page going after a common goal.”

Lions falter in the finals continued from page 28 come out to two really hot starts.”

According to the same interview, when asked about the team’s opponent on Saturday, Goldsmith said, “Stockton is the team to beat in the league. They’ve been the team to beat in the league the last three years. They have the experience. We have to take care of the ball, execute early and defend. It’s going to be a battle.”

Goldsmith’s team did get off to a great start and hung in the game during the entire 40 minutes. Trailing by only two with under a minute to go, there was no denying

that the Lions gave the 21-6 Stockton team all they could handle. While they could not sink the last-minute shots they needed, the team should be very proud of themselves for the finest season the program has seen in 20 years.

More importantly, the team will return 16 of its 17 players, including senior forward Bobby Brackett, who did not play all year due to an injury.

For a team who started with a new head coach and had its best player injured before the regular season, the Lions played incredibly well and exceeded all sorts of expectations.

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

The team holds off NJCU to make it to the NJAC finals.

Signal

Sports

The Lions fall to Stockton in NJAC finals

Photos courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Left: The Lions give it their all, but fall short against Stockton. Right: Goldsmith is proud of his team’s performance.

By Otto Gomez Staff Writer The Lions continued their hot shooting streak against No. 1 seeded New Jersey City University (NJCU) on Wednesday, Feb. 24, as the team was able to surpass the Gothic Knights, 92-82, on their way to the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) final against No. 2 Stockton University on Saturday, Feb. 27. A win in the final would have been the first NJAC

title for the College since 1988, but the win streak would end there as Stockton was able to fight off the Lions and come out victorious after a close 60-53 victory.

Fresh off from an NJAC All First-Team selection, sophomore guard Eric Murdock, Jr. continued his successful season by producing his best career game as he went 1322 from the floor for 36 points.

Fortunately for the Lions, it wasn’t just their star player who shot extremely well. The team carried its

momentum from the previous win into this game as the Lions hit 10 of their first 12 shots, (7-7 on threepointers) giving them a 27-8 lead just seven minutes into the game.

While the Gothic Knights fought back and cut down the lead to six with 13 minutes to go, the Lions put the game away, as Murdock hit a pair of free throws and freshman forward Jordan Glover hit yet another three pointer. Glover has been on fire from the outside this season, hitting 15 of his last

19. Junior guard Eric Klacik contributed 20 points and sophomore forward Ryan McDowell also had a strong showing in 21 minutes, racking up four points, six boards and an assist.

The Lions were able to keep their composure the entire game, hitting 25 of the 33 free throws during a highly officiated game that ended with 56 fouls called. The win secured a final game for the Lions against a team that they split the season series with.

“We’ve been shooting the ball really well, obviously, the last couple games,” head coach Matt Goldsmith said in a TCNJ Athletics interview. “I think the biggest piece to it has been execution-wise, I think the guys are starting to see the intricacies of the offense a little bit better. Murdock has been doing an incredible job of controlling and running the point for us, he’s had two great games. We’ve see NJAC page 27

Track team values teammate unity for success

By Nicole DeStefano Correspondent

To the men’s and women’s track teams, one thing is just as important as hard work — unity. The Lions track teams displayed both in a second-place finish to Rowan University at the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Indoor Championships on Monday, Feb. 22.

“Our team is a very supportive group of girls and that’s one of the things that makes our team so special,” freshman Kathleen Jaeger said. “We have a partner, or buddy, and before every meet, we give them a little gift and a note motivating them for the day. It’s something so small that encourages each other and really lets each other know that they have the whole support of the team behind them.”

Jaeger contributed big when she clocked a 2:16.93 in the 800-meter, a first-place victory that added 10 points to the women’s total of 171.

Jaeger was not the only freshman to step up Monday night for the women. Freshman Erin Holzbaur took second place in the mile with a time of 5:10.96 and in the

Lions’ Lineup March 2, 2016

I n s i d e

Photo couresy of the Sports Information Desk

The women’s team dominates in its events during the meet.

3,000-meter race with a time of 10:34.16.

The Lions proved to be dominant in the 5,000-meter race. Seniors Marissa Lerit and Carly Martz and freshman Natalie Cooper swept first, second and third, respectively.

The women also swept the 3,000-meter race with freshman Madeleine Tattory (10:47.10)

and Lerit (10:48.34) both following Holzbaur for second and third place, respectively.

The success for the Lady Lions did not end with the distance events. Senior Joy Spriggs sprinted to a second place finish with a time of 58.95 in the 400-meter race.

She also placed sixth in the 200-meter race.

Senior Courtney Paciulli brought success for the team in the field events. She hit the sand with a second-place performance of 10.85 meters in the triple jump and placed within the top eight for the long jump.

Paciulli contributed a total of 14 points for the Lions that night.

“I was extremely proud of my team after NJACs,” Jaeger said. “Being in that type of competitive environment really brings out the team pride, so it was exciting being able to watch and cheer on my teammates while they competed and excelled in their events.”

On the men’s side, they dominated the distance events of the meet. Freshman Noah Osterhus posted an impressive second place finish in the 800-meter race with a time of 1:56:62, contributing to the team’s total of 130 points. The trio of sophomore Daniel Lynch (1:56.80), freshman Jack Wood (1:56.96) and freshman Thomas Livecchi (1:58.45) placed fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.

In the one-mile race, junior Brandon Mazzarella took third with a time see TRACK page 27

46 53 Around the Dorm page 25

Tennis page 24

Lacrosse page 23

Wrestling Page 23