Congressman Rush Holt Visits the college
Men’s and Women’s tennis went undefeated last week
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Student dies on campus from ‘brain aneurysm’ Vol. CXXXVI, No. 13
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Traina, a junior studying sociology, was a resident of Townhouses West. By Signal Editorial Staff
Junior sociology major Paul Traina, 23, passed away at the College on April 10. Students were informed the same day by an email from President R. Barbara Gitenstein
sent at approximately 12:30 p.m. Campus Police responded to an emergency call regarding an unresponsive student Tuesday morning in Townhouses West at 9:40 a.m. and arrived at 9:42 a.m., according to the executive director of College
Relations, Stacy Schuster. An ambulance was called and medical personnel pronounced Traina died prior to their arrival, Schuster said. Traina was from Ramsey, N.J. According to Casey DeBlasio, a spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Traina passed away from a “brain aneurysm.” DeBlasio said medical examiners released the cause of death following the autopsy last week. “Please know that while there is no indication of foul play, we are working with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s office to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death,” Schuster said in a statement on behalf of the College. Schuster added that College personnel have been in contact with Traina’s family and friends and are providing support. “The College community is profoundly saddened by Paul’s death, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones,” Schuster said. Traina is survived by his parents, Paul and Teri, and his siblings Susan,
Tragic accident prompts petition SG president agrees with the effort’s aims By Laura Herzog Staff Writer
Spurred by the recent death of College junior Ryan Alley resulting from a car accident, over 1,000 students have signed a petition to establish a Safe Rides program at the College. The petition voices support for a Student Activities Fund allotment to provide intoxicated, tired or otherwise stranded students with the option to make a quick phone call for prepaid cab rides to off-campus locations. So far 523 students have signed an online petition, while at least another 500 have signed the same petition at a table in the Brower Student Center, according to the students campaigning for the program. In a statement that accompanied the online petition, which began circulating on Facebook on April 4, the petition’s author argued that the tragic incident “could have been avoided if a safe and accessible alternative form of transportation was available to the student body.” When asked why he created the petition, senior political science major Dom Siravo said that he wanted the administration to see that the student body would support a Safe Rides program. “I created the petition
April 18, 2012
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because I knew that many of my peers felt the same way that I did — that there is a need for a safe and reliable method of transportation available for students outside of scheduled school events,” said Siravo in an online exchange. Siravo is not alone in his initiative — junior marketing major Keith Knutzen helped with planning, while senior international studies major Gary Bethea is actively campaigning for the program and spoke with members of the administration as well as the Student Government. Bethea also wrote an opinion piece in The Signal that was published on March 26 to bring attention to the College’s “need” for a Safe Rides program. Both Bethea and Siravo belong to Phi Kappi Psi fraternity — the same fraternity as Michael Krassan, the only passenger in the car with Alley. Alley died on March 23 from injuries sustained after his car collided with a tree on the corner of Lower Ferry Road and Hillside Road on March 16 at 2:05 a.m., according to Ewing police reports, while senior political science and Russian major Krassan remains in critical condition. According to Bethea and Siravo, who were close with Krassan, before they chose to
INDEX: Nation & World / Page 7 Editorial / Page 9 Business Plans Battle! The Signal Freshmen dominated in serious business competition @TCNJsignal See Features page 13
drive, the two students had been dropped off at the student center after spending the evening at Havana, a bar in New Hope, Pa. that advertises in flyers on campus and provides a shuttle to transport students on and off campus. “I’ve spoken with SG leaders, who similarly want to take a ‘wait and see’ approach. (Student body president Olaniyi Solebo) doesn’t foresee a program being hammered out this year, if at all. Though he admitted that the need for this kind of program has been just under the surface in a lot of students minds’ and needs to come to a head,” Bethea said in an email. He said that he was surprised to learn that the coordinator of the College’s Alcohol and Drug Education Program (ADEP) had been unaware that there was a shuttle to Havana until after he read the March 26 opinion piece. “Someone in (the Student Activities Office) approved that advertisement and that shuttle to a bar without thinking to inform ADEP, whose job is to be in touch with bars that TCNJ students go to,” Bethea said. “That seems pretty reckless to me, and now a student is dead and another will never be the same person again.” see DRIVE page 5
Opinions / Page 11
Photo courtesy of the Traina family
Traina (above), 23, was found unresponsive on the morning of Tuesday, April 10. Frank and Jack. Counseling and Psychological Services are available to members of the community via telephone or in 107 Eickhoff Hall.
Mail room complaints
Vicki Wang / Staff Photographer
Students have reported of a number of missing and late packages. By Jacquia Scotton Staff Writer
It is common for students residing on campus to have items mailed to them. Whether it be birthday presents, magazine subscriptions or letters — 2000 Pennington Rd. has been the intended destination, though residents of Decker, Centennial, Wolfe and New Residence Halls have reported problems receiving their mail. Throughout the academic year, the College’s mailrooms have been hit with several complaints of lost packages. Last spring, Rachel Smith, a junior English and women’s and gender studies double major, had her mother mail her birth control pills to the College. “As most
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The Great Debate comes to the College Check out how student political groups debated a litany of social issues See News page 5
people know, you have to take birth control consistently at the same time every day,” Smith said. “My mother sent it out at the beginning of the week, and it was supposed to come in by Thursday or Friday, but it had not come. I was supposed to start the new pack of pills on Sunday and ended up missing that day, and on Monday, it still had not been delivered to (New Residence Hall).” In the end, Smith’s package was found. “I went to the mailroom and from what I could tell they have large bins with each building’s name on it and that’s how they sort the mail, but there was nothing addressed to me in the New Res bin,” she said. see MAIL page 3
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Synergy steps with energy Read about the dance company’s eclectic recital See A&E Page 17