‘Save the Music’
Why, Hello … Hellogoodbye fronted the Welcome Back concert. See Arts & Entertainment, page 15
tcnjsignal.net
Students and faculty voice anger over the cancellation of music ensembles. See News, page 2
The College of New Jersey Student Newspaper since 1885
January 27, 2010
No. 2.
Vol. CXXXII.
Tucker Max offers words of ‘wisdom’
By Bobby Olivier Editor-in-Chief
Moments before being introduced to the Kendall Hall main stage on Jan. 20, New York Times best-selling author and film producer Tucker Max turned to the nearby College Union Board (CUB) officials and said, “If you smell that … yeah, that was me.” Yes, Max more or less farted in the faces of the organization paying him $25,000 to speak to a sold-out auditorium. This instance of Max’s trademark vulgarity
“No one around says ‘go follow your dreams or take the path less traveled.’ My life does not exist for me to work at a shitty job I hate.” —Tucker Max and obscenity was not an exact microcosm of the performance to come, as Max delved into his experiences as a writer and how he came to sell more than one million copies of “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.” As anticipated, however, a few fresh stories coupled with his general leases on life were more than off-color. The more popular of his new stories, set to appear in his new book, “Assholes Finish First,” detailed Max’s encounter with a diabetic New York City model who, after giving him fellatio in Granmercy Park, was discovered to
Tim Lee / Photo Editor
Tucker Max entertained with both his brand of obscene stories and serious advice on following dreams.
be, as Max described it, “trying to use my come to regulate her blood sugar.” Max also told a story of a night in Mexico, detailing his failed attempt to individually out-drink each of a group of six Midwestern sorority girls. Although known for his wild college tales, Max
discussed his life choices not as being humorous and disgusting, but as part of an underlying message relevant to the College student population. “Underneath the specifics of the stories, the book is about living the life that you want to live, not the life others push onto you,” he said. “It’s about being the person you want to be, not the person other people want you to be, and it’s about enjoying the time you have.” Max said he enjoyed writing as a child, and wrote a controversial column while attending the University of Chicago. He said he hated Duke University Law School and spent his time creating a Web site that would eventually contain much of his book’s content. He also described how reading “Fight Club” by Chuck Palahniuk changed his life, and said it is impossible to fully understand until “you have worked at a job you fucking hate, after school and you have nothing on the horizon.” For all of his bashing of law school and the corporate world, the College was not immune to Max’s sharp tongue. Early in his talk, Max addressed the controversy surrounding his presence at the College. “I heard there was a little controversy about me coming to campus,” Max said. “I heard that you guys voted twice for me to come here? And my biggest competition was Ace of fucking Cakes?”
HSA calls for aid to Haiti By Juliana Fidler News Assistant
Photo courtesy of the Alternative Break Club
Members of the Alternative Break Club (ABC) spent four days of their winter break in New Orleans.
Helping others is as easy as ‘ABC’ By Amanda Pini Staff Writer Instead of staying home and hanging out with friends, 40 students from the College’s Alternative Break Club (ABC) departed on Jan. 3 for a service trip to New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city four years ago, service trips such as the one set up by ABC have begun to rehabilitate the area. “It was eye-opening to see that New Orleans still needs help despite it not being in the national news,” Sunita Yadavalli, ABC’s treasurer and one of
see MAX page 14
the trip organizers, said. “Everyone was able to work on individual houses and learned much regarding construction.” The trip was not the first for the group as 26 students traveled to New Orleans during last year’s spring break, only six months after ABC was formed. According to a press release, a rise in interest from the College’s population allowed the group to schedule both winter and spring trips this year. ABC worked with the nationwide non-profit disaster relief group, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and see BREAK page 2
In an effort to aid victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti, the Haitian Students Association (HSA) is holding a drive for those affected by the devastation, which registered at 7.0 on the Richter scale. The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is co-sponsoring the drive. For the next two weeks, HSA will collect “everything from clothes to bottled water, medical supplies, over-thecounter medication and canned food,” said Natasha Celius, junior nursing major and chairperson of community service for HSA. The drop-off location is the Hausdoerffer Hall Office, which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight. The items are being stored in Celius’ apartment, and the Salvation Army will bring a truck to pick up the donated supplies, she said. The drive started before the spring semester began. “At first … it was just that we didn’t know what to do in such a big situation,” Celius said. Publicity for the drive began on Facebook and continued with e-mail. “We sent an e-mail to all organizations under Student Activities,” Celius said. “We want it to be something that includes the entire campus.” The organizations received an additional e-mail inviting them to a
meeting, which occurred when students returned to school. Ninety-one students attended the meeting, according to Celius. Celius, a Bonner Scholar, is also working with the other Bonner Scholars and Director Pat Donohue to involve all of the students as well as the faculty on campus. HSA plans to continue its relief efforts following the drive. “The drive is just the beginning to raise thousands of dollars,” Celius said. “For me, it’s such a big tragedy that happened, and it’s easy to feel helpless in such a big situation, but we are surrounded by people who can donate.” The earthquake has personally affected members of HSA. “Some people are waiting to hear from their parents, aunts, uncles and cousins,” Celius said. Some students lost family members, and others heard that their families had lost their homes, she said. HSA is in its fifth year at the College. It was started because “there is a large population of Haitian students, and not too many people know much about Haiti,” Celius said. The organization hosts programs aimed at educating the College community about current events in Haiti. One such program is Global Awareness Week, which offers information about Haiti as well as other countries. HSA will host a candlelight vigil on Tuesday Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. between Brower Student Center and the Social Sciences Building for victims of the earthquake.
First loss in five Women’s basketball lose first in five games.
Study abroad made easier Students awarded Gilman International Scholarship.
Soloists boast tunes Musicians showcase solo talent in the Rat.
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