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THE MONTCLARION The Student Voice of Montclair State University Since 1928
Vol.
89
Issue 9 November 5, 2009
The Montclarion.org
Three Fires in Six Weeks Cause Concern for Freeman Residents Amanda Balbi Assistant Feature Editor
Within six weeks, three fires have been reported at Freeman Hall, all on the sixth floor, the latest being early Monday morning. After a trash can was set afire in a utility room, about 300 students had to evacuate in the middle of the night for the
Transgender Student Assaulted by Three Unknown Men Gerald Flores Assistant News Editor
“I believe everything happens for a reason,” Travis Overstreet said as he sat down on top of a recycling can in the hallways of the Student Center. Overstreet, a sophomore biology major, is a transgender student who was the victim of an apparent hate crime last month outside of the Clove Road apartments. Overstreet hopes that his experience can help raise awareness to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning community throughout campus. Overstreet recalled using the Clove Road apartments’ laundry room on Oct. 21, at approximately 2 p.m. He claims he heard three men making biased remarks about the LGBT Center and LGBTQ community outside of the building. “I heard one of them say, ‘I hope all the fags on this campus die,’” said Overstreet, then proceeded to confront the three men sitting at a picnic table. He said that after the intimidation, one of the men called him a “dyke” Assault Continued on Page 8
third time this semester. Sophomore Ana Dentz said that she is worried about another fire occurring in Freeman, and hopes the university has things under control. Overnight guards were placed on various levels of Freeman hall late Tuesday night to hopefully prevent a fourth fire from Freeman Continued on Page 7
Jillian Keats | The Montclarion
Three fires have been reported at Freeman Hall, all on the sixth floor. Police officers were seen stationed in the building Tuesday night.
CHRISTIE WINS REPUBLICAN PLANS ON FIXING EDUCATION TO HELP STUDENTS RECEIVE BETTER JOBS
09
University Begins H1N1 Vaccination Clinics Next Week Kulsoom Rizvi News Editor
GUBERNATORIAL COVERAGE Chris Christie's said that his higher education plan will provide quality education and at the same time prepare and encourage New Jersey's young and unemployed students to lay roots in the state.
Chris Christie (R) - 1,108,778
49% Kelly Jones Assistant News Editor
Chris Christie's higher education plan will attempt to give students and workers the skills and opportunities needed to be competitive in emerging industries. "It's all interrelated,"
Fernando Uribe, a political science professor, said. "We have to take care of wasteful spending first; then Christie can allocate additional spending to higher education." After a tight race between More Coverage Continued on Page 4
Jon Corzine (D) - 1,002,560
45% Chris Daggett (I) - 124,500
5%
Senior Allison Andresini missed a whole week of school after being tested positive for the H1N1 virus two weeks ago. “It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. By the time my test results came in, I was half over it,” she said. “Students should definitely be worried, but it is not the end of the world. Just take care of yourself.” Vaccination will begin next Monday at 10 a.m. at Montclair to only the targeted groups considered at high risk for H1N1 influenza, according to University Health Center Director Donna Barry. Barry added that when the demands for the vaccine by the specific groups have been met, the campus community will be notified, and the vaccine will be available to the general public. Due to the limited availability of the vaccine, the clinics will only be opened to the campus community, where a valid MSU State ID will be required. “Only students and emVaccine Continued on Page 4
Holocaust Survivor Ends His Silence Michael Volpe Staff Writer
On the morning of Sept. 4, 1939, 12-year-old Maurice Siidmarc’s hometown of Bedzin, Poland, was taken over by German soldiers. The soldiers ignited fires that spread across the entire town, wiping out blocks of houses and
INSIDE
finally destroying the Great Synagogue. “This was the biggest disaster. I remember seeing flames going up in the sky; they burned the entire area. The old market, all the way up town, at least ten streets. The fire was enormous. You couldn’t try to picture it,” Siidmarc said. Jews were not allowed out
news Changing a Life Begins With a Single Step
pg. 6
of their houses, but Siidmarc remembered there being a small window in the attic where he could see the fire, hear the noises and flames going up in the sky, yelling and shooting from a distance and he saw a man with his clothes burned down, his body yellowish. “You looked out and saw a skeleton of houses; nothing else
but crying and tears until I finally got to kiss the Torah. The entire prayer shawl was wet from tears. We lived a night of hell.” After 50 years of silence, 82-year-old Siidmarc spoke to an audience of over 75 people last Thursday about the horrific events he and millions of others lived and shared until the end of
World War II in 1945. “I started seeing what was happening with youth and everything else, and the schools and I thought of my father and I said, ‘you have to tell the world how much worse it could be.’ ” Siidmarc said. Siidmarc, spoke at MSU as
feature
a&e
opinion
Organic Foods: What's all the Fuss?
pg. 9
MSU Symphony Orchestra Season Begins
pg. 13
Siidmarc Continued on Page 8
Freeman Burnouts: We Didn't Start the Fire
pg. 16