The Tower- May 2019

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@KeanTower

Greek org honors Lamotta

Editor-in-chief says good-bye

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NJCPA General Excellence Award

MAY | 2019 WWW.KUTOWER.COM

TH E I N DEPEN D EN T VOI C E O F KE AN U N IV E R S IT Y

The Tower is awarded General Excellence Wins as a top NJ newspaper for 4th year The Tower, Kean’s independent student newspaper, has been recognized as one of the top three college newspapers in New Jersey, public or private, for the fourth consecutive year. In addition, Tower students won three individual awards in categories representing News Writing, Feature Writing, and Opinion Writing.

of The Tower being one of the top college papers in New Jersey.”

Rosario said the Tower takes great care to provide a diverse newspaper with a variety of stories. The Tower is part of the academic journalism option in the School of Communication, Media & Journalism.

“While most schools have better funded programs, we are lucky to have a team that makes up for that lack of money in their effort, their support of each other and with their curiosity,” Rosario said. “I would love to see some investment in the journalism program from the university. It’s done so much for me. I would like to see that continue and Photo by Jennifer Veiga flourish.”

Award Winners Salimah McCullough, Rafaela Teixiera, and Joshua Rosario In News Writing, Rafaela Teixeira, a senior majoring in CommunicationJournalism, was awarded third place for her piece headlined “Second hold placed on student accounts,” about a new policy to register for classes.

The New Jersey Collegiate Press Association Salimah McCullough, a junior awarded The Tower second place for 2018-19 Communication-Journalism major, received in the state for General Excellence, a category third place in Feature Writing for her story judged by professional journalists for its titled “Kean food pantry continues to make a overall coverage including writing quality, local difference,” which reported on the little-known appeal, copy editing, style, effectiveness, and campus food pantry started by Dr. Norma readability. Joshua Rosario, a senior majoring Bowe. in Communication-Journalism, is editor-inAnd Joe Hamilton, a senior majoring in chief of The Tower. He accepted the award at a Communication Studies and a volunteer at The ceremony on April 13.

Tower, received third place in Opinion Writing First place went to Rider University’s, Rider for his article titled “A War We Can’t Win,” News, and third place went to The Equinox, which argued that America needs to take a new the student newspaper of Fairleigh Dickinson approach in the war against drugs.

The Tower is an independent, student news University. Both are private universities. organization produced during the school year “Winning the award is great,” said Joshua in a journalism practicum led by faculty advisers Rosario, 2018-19 editor-in-chief of The Tower.

Pat Winters Lauro and Lois DeSocio.

“I’m happy to be able to continue the tradition

“I’m happy to be able to continue the tradition of The Tower being one of the top college papers in New Jersey,” said Joshua Rosario, 2018-19 editor-in-chief of The Tower.

University Instagram deletes post after negative responses

By Salimah McCullough

The comments section was loaded with posts complaining about the dorm A post on the Kean University official conditions, faculty and staff cuts and lack of Instagram account advertising a newly on-campus parking, to name a few. renovated and im“I scoffed at the proved Miron Student announcement of the Center was taken down upcoming renovations by the university after because, in light of the it drew numerous university firing a huge negative responses. amount of professors The post on April for no good reason, 9 showed an artist’s I find it ridiculous rendering of a newlythat the university renovated MSC and is so pompous to said the improvements proudly post about will include a larger spending money in Greek Lounge, refurbunnecessary areas,” ished restrooms and an said Chloe Senatore, a Asian food station in sophomore majoring in the Food Court. both English Writing However, the exciteand Communication. ment wasn’t shared by “The fact that Kean all of Kean’s Instagram chooses to post about followers.

Shortly renovations while after the post hit they’re letting go some the Instagram feed of the most positively of 12,700 followers, influential professors Photo by anonymous it was flooded with is beyond ridiculous.”

Instagram comments section comments.

The comments received likes and “Kean should prioradditional comments showing agreement. itize its budget on student progress or at One comment that brought a lot of least student convenience,” said Morgan student attention and agreement was Petzold, a Fine Arts major. “Something like a about the condition of the older dorms and parking deck or full-time advisors.” continued on page 8

Nearly half of General Education lecturers fired

Photo by Joshua Rosario

Five of the 10 GE lecturers laid off

By Joshua Rosario Ten of Kean University’s 21 General Education lecturers who advise and oversee about half of the freshmen class as well as teach will be let go this summer and were not given a reason.

The group of GE lecturers let go consist of all four of the GE lecturers in English, two of the GE math lecturers, three lecturers who teach research and technology and one who teaches GE-1000-3000. GE lecturers advise and teach all incoming freshmen, undeclared majors and transfer students.

Heather Connors and Straubel Cetoute, lecturers for three years and Kean University alumni said they believe the School of General Studies was targeted because they publicly criticized a controversial move to open office space, which they thought could jeopardize federal FERPA rules.

“If I’m talking to you about [how] you’re failing the course, guess who hears you?” said Connors.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) grants students certain rights, privileges and protections relative to individually identifiable student education rec­ords maintained by Kean University.

“We’re not going to comment on individual personnel recommendations,” said University Spokesperson Margaret McCorry. “Each lecturer contract is reviewed carefully and equitably to determine whether it will be renewed for the maximum educational benefit of our students.”

The majority of the people terminated in GE are either women and/or people of color, according to several people who pointed it out. All three of the male AfricanAmerican lecturers in GE received notices.

New Jersey Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-27th district) issued a letter on April 18 to President Dawood Farahi and the Board of Trustees on behalf of the lecturers.

“I write to respectfully request reconsideration of what I believe to be an ill advised decision to not renew the contracts of a significant number of your professional staff and lecturers,” said Jasey in the letter. “I find it concerning that virtually all of the nonrenewals which have already taken place are women and people of color.”

Based on numbers from the university, a total of 13 lecturers were not reappointed, including the 10 GE lecturers.

“To the best of my knowledge all of them got very strong reviews from their immediate supervisors and were recommended to be retained by their supervisors and their dean,” said Kean Federation of Teachers President James Castiglione.

Additionally, four professional staff with multi-year contracts have been let go as well, Castiglione said. All four (who are not in GE) are Latina.

“A total of 130 Kean USA lecturers are seeking reappointment. The President is

recommending reappointment of 117, or 90 percent, to the Board of Trustees,” said McCorry.

The GE lecturers first raised the problems of moving from second-floor offices to a large open space on the first floor of the Center of Academic Success room 111 a year ago as soon as they heard about it. They met with Dr. Suzanne Bousquet, associate provost.

“This is really the first time as a department we spoke back and said this isn’t going to work for our students, having discussions with them about grades, having discussions with them about things that are happening in their personal lives, this isn’t going to be conducive to grading, this isn’t going to be conducive to prepping,” said Connors.

Later, they also met with College of Liberal Arts Dean Jonathan Mercantini.

After nothing changed, several GE lecturers became more involved with the KFT about the issue and speaking up at its meetings.

In October 2018, The Tower published a front-page story about the issue. Then at a prescheduled mandatory luncheon with Farahi and Dr. Jeffrey Toney, Kean’s chief academic officer, on Oct. 26, 2018 they voiced their concerns directly.

“The big thing is, and this is what’s important, is the president had asked, ‘so how do you like the new space?”’ Connors said of the lunch with Farahi. “One of the lecturers, [and] I won’t name that person, initially said we don’t like it and followed up with the problems.”

Connors stated she spoke out next and then soon others followed, leading to a 40-minute discussion. Every person who participated in this conversation was not reappointed, they said.

“With all the things we spoke about,” said Cetoute, “all the president took out of this was, ‘Oh, so you guys need your office back?”’ “He even asked, ‘if you…never had an office before, would you have the same sentiments [about] the open space and the cubicles?”’

On Dec. 17, the lecturers received a letter from Toney personalized to each and stating “In our efforts to continue our investment in General Education, it’s faculty and our students, I am happy to announce that any lecturer returning to us in the Fall of 2019 will have their salary increased.”

Connors said she had excellent evaluations by students, and also had done a lot of service for the university.

“Why would [Farahi] let me be a part of building a textbook for the English department? Why would you approve my travel for a national conference?” said Connors.

Neither Connors nor Cetoute had any disciplinary issues and both had fulfilled all of Kean’s faculty requirements, they said.

The university had just approved travel funds for Connors and Cetoute was already offered overload pay for extra teaching duties for next fall. Duties like those are only

“I find it concerning that virtually all of the nonrenewals ...are women and people of color.”

- Assemblywoman Mila Jasey

continued on page 3

2 THE TOWER

May, 2019

Top-rated professors according to RateMyProfessors.com

By Kelly Contreras Professors Jea Basubas and Matthew Iannucci are the top two professors at Kean University rated by students according to ratemyprofessors.com.

Every semester, there are students registering for their following courses and for many, their main concern would be: who is the professor?

During the school year, common questions students will ask each other are “Who did you have for this course?” or “Has anyone taken this professor before? How are they?”

Ratemyprofessors.com is a website commonly used by students all around the country and it allows them to rate and comment on how well or poor they believe a professor was. Similar to Yelp, except that the postings are anonymous and it is not monitored.

This site provides a rating scale from the lowest being 1, “Profs get Fs too” to the highest being 5, “A real gem.” Also, a separate rating scale for how difficult the professor’s class will be going from a 1, being “show up and pass” to a 5 being “hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Professor Basubas is an adjunct professor for the Special Education and Literacy Department. She is rated by the students as the number one top professor for Kean University.

She has been rated by 97 students averaging a 5.0 rating for “a real gem,” a perfect 1.0 rating for how easy the course is, and a score of 100 percent for students who would take a course with her as the professor again.

“This professor is one of a kind! Nobody teaches reading like Ms. B!” said anonymously

by one of the students on ratemyprofessors. com.

Basubas did not plan to be a college professor. She was originally teaching third grade and Pre-Kindergarten.

Photo provided by Jea Basubas

Jea Basubas, the first top-rated professor as rated by students

do as a start of each class, and she has activities such as Kahoot which allows the students to use their smartphones in class for educational purposes.

Before becoming a full-time lecturer at

Photo provided by Matthew Iannucci

Matthew Iannucci, the second top-rated professor as rated by students

“Professor? More like Brofessor…

Wish I failed so that I could take it again.”

Her teaching styles involve hands-on activities, keeping the students active with a “morning jumpstart” which is what they will

Kean University, she was an adjunct for Kean University, Berkeley College, and Union County College.

“I am planning on pursuing a doctorate one day. I would love to be a chairperson and work my way up to be a dean too!” said Basubas.

Professor Iannucci is a part-time history professor but has been a full-time 8th-grade Social Studies teacher for the last 14 years at North Plainfield Middle School.

Iannucci has been rated by 42 students averaging a 5.0 rating for “a real gem,” a 1.6 rating for how easy the course is, and a score of 100 percent for students who would take a course with him as the professor again.

“Professor? More like Brofessor … Wish I failed so that I could take it again,” said by an anonymous student on ratemyprofessors. com.

Iannucci referred to this comment and mentioned how he would put it on a t-shirt.

His teaching style is to make history interesting by somehow making it relatable or funny which comes easy to him because of how much he loves it.

He became a professor because he stayed in touch with his past professors at Kean University and once he had been teaching for a few years, he contacted Dr. Gronewold, who was the Head of the History Department at the time, and was able to apply as an adjunct professor.

“I owed everything to Dr. Gronewold. She made me into a historian, put me on a proper career path, took a chance on me as a young professor and introduced me to my wife.

Needless to say, I love Kean University!” said Iannucci.

Students continue to not only rely on ratemyprofessors.com but to provide additional comments and ratings whether good or bad about the professors.

Two slates campaign for University Senate

By David Janes Two opposing slates of professors and administrators are running this spring for control of the University Senate, the deliberative body that discusses major issues affecting students and faculty.

Although the two slates are low-key and courteous to each other, they do differ in philosophy.

In general, one slate wants to continue Kean’s current direction. The other slate was endorsed by the Kean Federation of Teachers, which represents full-time faculty and professional staff in labor negotiations and is urging for change.

According to Kean’s website, the Senate formulates policies and makes recommendations on “faculty affairs, curriculum, instruction, student affairs, finances and other matters relevant to the welfare of Kean University.”

Ten professors are competing on each slate for ten, threeyear seats. Voting by private electronic ballot began April 8 and ends April 29.

Sucheta Ahlawat, Tom Connors, Dr. Emily Filardo, Dr. Matthew Halper, Julie Harris, Dr. Connie Hassett-Walker, Walter Mack, Pablo Pintado-Casas, Maria del Carmen Rodriguez and Dr. Lyn E. Schraer-Joiner have the support of the KFT. Dr. Gilda Del Risco, Jennifer Gardner, Dr. Rafael Inoa, Patrick J. Ippolito, Craig Konyk, Dr. J. Jenny Li, Holly Logue, Dr. Claire M. Mulry, Maximina Rivera, and Bridget White represent the opposing slate.

The KFT-endorsed group is campaigning on the need to restore dignity to the university community, as well as academic integrity, good governance, and a student-centered university. This slate is promoting: - ​shared governance, working for greater collegiality and morale on campus, ​- ​re-establishing the Senate’s primary role in the curriculum process ​- ​opposing current efforts to bypass the faculty and Senate in curriculum matters.

The results of the University Senate election were released at press time.

The following chart identifies the 10 candidates elected to the Senate and the vote count for each. Eight of the ten candidates were endorsed by the Kean Federation of Teachers.

According to its flier, the other slate is running: “to provide broader representation, sincere, respectful and fair deliberation to work collaboratively to meet the needs of our students and Kean University.”

“We believe reasoned debate, and thoughtful consideration of facts before rushing to judgment, decision or action is

the best way to create sound policies and a just, thriving community,” said Senate Chairperson Mulry.

Dr. Mulry said she doesn’t believe members of the Senate need to take sides. They plan to handle issues of importance with discussion, debate, and innovative solutions and provide a voice for students, faculty, staff, and alumni. continued on page 8

Students and faculty reactions to Notre Dame burning

By Lena Zhu On April 15, at around 12:50 p.m., the roof of the infamous Notre Dame Cathedral

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Notre Dame Cathedral roof burning on April 15

in Paris started to burn. Two major religious relics, the Crown of Thorns and the Tunic of Saint Louis, were saved among the fire. Three of France’s top billionaire families, Arnault (who own Louis Vuitton), BettencourtMeyers (who own L’Oreal), and Pinault family (who owns Keurig), have donated to the rebuilding of the cathedral, totaling a whopping $700 million, in less than 24 hours.

Many students and faculty at Kean were saddened when they heard the news of the cathedral burning, but some students provided another viewpoint. Mary Clare King, a sophomore studying Journalism, was saddened by the fire of the historical monument, but believed that some of the money donated in less than 24 hours could have been used elsewhere.

“I think that the money donated towards Notre Dame could’ve been used to help other worldwide issues like pollution and global warming. A small percentage of what one [family] donated could have fixed the Flint water problem,” King said. “I’m not saying that it’s not important, but that there are

other issues that could have been resolved with ⅓ of the money donated towards the rebuilding.”

Many accounts on social media, like Twitter, have noted that three Louisiana black churches were burning down at the same time, but did not receive enough or the same amount of coverage as the cathedral.

Leo Reitman, a sophomore studying Sustainability Sciences, believes that the lack of coverage on the churches is a social justice issue. “ Yes, I believe this is a social justice issue.

Notre Dame is a church predominantly for White Parisians (as well as Whites throughout the world),” Reitman writes in an email. “ I believe that racism plays a part in the lack of coverage and concern, as well as financial support to repair the churches.”

However, donations to these black churches saw a major uptick after the Notre Dame burning nearly two days later, according to the New York Times.

Dr. Sara Compion, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, believes that it

is the infamous status of Notre Dame that makes the tragedy have worldwide coverage.

“I think that [Notre Dame] is such a cultural symbol that is recognizable worldwide and so the impact is more meaningful for people because more know about it,” Compion states. “With all societies you will have a house or worship that will have importance to the people of that faith. All cultures have symbols that embody our collective spirits and identity and I think that buildings like Notre Dame has become a global cultural icon.”

Such buildings and feats like the Taj Mahal or the Pyramids in Egypt are “recognized as belonging to the cultural humanity.” Compion feels for the marvelous buildings that people associate and identify themselves with that do get destroyed, as those also should muster up grief.

“But this is one of those few in the world that everybody identifies with or knows something about it. So when [people] post their pictures, it’s a sign of solidarity and mourning,” Compion said.

May, 2019

THE TOWER 3

Kean Greeks gather to support Anthony Lamotta

By Shannon Sheehan

At the start of the semester, Kean University Senior Anthony Lamotta was diagnosed with stage four metastatic melanoma. This was announced to the community at this semester’s Meet the Greeks, the largest recruitment event for greeks at Kean, as Lamotta is a brother of the fraternity Sigma Beta Tau. Since the announcement of his cancer, the other Greek organizations began to come together to plan events to support Lamotta and those also suffering from melanoma.

They wanted to think of a way to honor Lamotta’s dedication to the greek community, as he was very involved and even held the position of secretary in his fraternity until his diagnosis due to not being able to dedicate enough time because of his treatments.

Fraternity Lambda Delta Chi reached out to several different Greek organizations, as well as Love Your Melon, which is an organization that is dedicated to helping children with cancer, to collaborate on an event called “Lamotta’s Dinner” which transpired this past April on the 17..

It transpired in the Miron Student Center Room 315 from 8:30-10 p.m. where greeks and non-greeks alike gathered to honor Lamotta.

A committee was formed to plan the event including members from Nu Theta Chi, Omega Sigma Psi, Theta Phi Alpha and Love Your Melon who were recognized for their efforts at the start of the event.

Following the recognition, speeches from various students were presented to the crowd addressing Lamotta and his strength

through these trying times.

First up was Tori Volpe, the President of Love Your Melon, who gave facts about the type of cancer that Lamotta has.

She informed the crowd that over 200,000 U.S. cases of melanoma are diagnosed each year, showing the crowd just how much this disease impacts people all over the nation. She then gifted Lamotta with a shirt with ΣΒΤ stitched on the front for his organization in the colors that represent skin cancer, silver and black.

Athena Xipolias, Lamotta’s girlfriend, then took the podium, first thanking everyone for their endless support. She spoke on how kind and loving Lamotta is to everyone around him, and how the support from the Kean community has positively impacted him and his family during this time.

The brothers of Sigma Beta Tau then addressed the crowd and Lamotta.

They became emotional as they recounted all of the good memories they have made together since joining the same fraternity and becoming involved at Kean. They spoke on the meaning of brotherhood and how they have been supporting Lamotta and will continue to support him until he wins this battle.

The event concluded with the announcement of how much was raised that night, which was $198, not counting the donations sent via Venmo or Cash App. Roshorn Shivers, President of Lambda Delta Chi concluded the night by saying, “Looking out and seeing the different organizations that are out here tonight really shows that when a Greek is going through something, such as Lamotta, Kean Greeks come out and we show up.”

Photo by Shannon Sheehan

The brothers of Sigma Beta Tau addressing Anthony Lamotta at the Lamotta Dinner

Senior Kean student and brother of Sigma Beta Tau had a dinner dedicated to him to support his melanoma treatment

Photo by Shannon Sheehan

Athena Xipolias, the girlfriend of Anthony Lamotta, giving thanks to the audience for their attendance.

The two newest residence halls produce frequent fire alarms

By Petruce Jean-Charles Kean University’s Freshman Residence Hall and the Upper-Class Residence Hall had the greatest number of fire alarm incidents on the Union campus over the last five years, but most were accidental, according to the Annual Campus Safety Report.

residence halls. The Freshman and UpperClass Residence Hall are fairly new compared to the other halls, having been constructed in the past five years.

According to the Annual Campus Safety Report, cooking issues was the number one reason for initiating fire alarms with 28 out of 106 fire alarm incidents documented.

extinguishers, evacuation plans and placards, and fire drills each calendar year.

The Office of Fire Safety conduct inspections of buildings with the Division of Fire Safety Inspectors.

Len Dolan, director of Fire Safety at Kean University attributed the general number of fire alarm issues to accidental alarms.

“These fire drills aren’t random. I try to hold it within the 10 days, but sometimes there are issues of bad timing,” Dolan said.

“It usually takes five to eight people to check each residence hall...I always try to find the best time to do it.”

Dolan mentioned by law that universities have to have smoke detectors in various areas

Photo by Kean University

Fire Safety provided at Kean University

According to the Annual Campus Safety Report, cooking issues were the number one reason for initiating fire alarms with 28 out of 106 fire alarm incidents documented.

The Freshman Residence Hall had 34 total fire alarm cases, while the UpperClass Residence Hall had 31 total incidents compared to the other residence halls.

The total number of fire alarms in residence halls was 318, between Spring 2014 and Fall 2016.

Aside from the Freshman and Upper-Class Residence Halls, there are over five other

Freshmen were also recorded as having the most fire alarm incidents under “Other” indicating that it could have been a serious issue. 10 cases were found in the Freshman Residence Hall, with the same hall having over 34 total occurrences.

Every residence hall has a monitoring fire alarm set up on-site, a partial and full sprinkler system, smoke detection, fire

“There are a lot of cause for the fire alarms to go off...generally speaking accidental alarms are most common,” Dolan said. “Some of these causes are shower steam, hairdryers or something as simple as making popcorn.”

According to Dolan, by New Jersey state laws, universities have to have two fire drills a semester. One 10 days after the semester starts and one after dark.

of the residence halls.

“We have smoke detectors in corners around the hall and even near bathrooms... most occurrences are because of the steam in showers,” Dolan said. “In fact, the Freshman Residence Hall and the Upper-Class Residence Hall have more cases of steam issues because of how it’s set up...rather than the other residence halls.”

“This ridiculous abuse currently being committed by the administration should be exterminated with consideration to whether President Dawood Farahi should be allowed to continue in his position when he so clearly does not have the students best interests at the forefront of his mind when conducting his duties,” said Kean student Morgan Nees.

The KFT is trying to overturn the layoffs and will hold a walkout and rally on May 6 outside Kean Hall in advance of the university’s Board of Trustees meeting.

“We believe the student voice will be a powerful contributor to overturning these illegitimate terminations of lecturers and professional staff,” said Castiglione.

According to Kean University, a lecturer is a non-tenure track full-time employee who teaches and provides student and learning

support services. Ten-month lecturers teach 30 credits per year; twelve-month lecturers teach 39 credits per year. This position is renewed on an annual basis.

“I actually cried two times,” said Nazira Goldware, a marketing major after finding out her favorite professors were let go.

The university does not consider them for tenure and requires them to produce lengthy folders every year in order to be considered for reappointment. Kean has been rapidly increasing its lecturer appointments while reducing the number of tenured faculty at the Union campus.

“I am really angry with the university because it seems like they don’t really care,” said Andrew Chang, supply chain management major.

Nearly half of General Education lecturers fired continued from cover

given to faculty that Kean’s administration decides is in good standing.

Two students contacted The Tower with concerns.

“This makes me feel angry, to be quite honest,” said Gianna Lepanto, a freshman majoring in English Studies. “It feels like these layoffs are coming out of nowhere, that while the school invests time and money in the construction of new buildings they’re not making it a priority to invest time and money into these professors who have students’ best interests in mind and work with students, especially new students, on a day to day basis.”

Some of the lecturers not reappointed have decided to announce to students through email they will not be returning.

One lecturer posted his frustration on

Facebook after announcing they will not be returning.

“No reason given either, other than our names simply would not be put forward to the BOT, in boldface, Times New Roman.

Like we ain’t shit,” said the lecturer in reference to being let go. “This [is] arguably being done in guise of what is in the best interest of the students of course, and while it would have been nice to be a part of what is in the best interest of students, I damn sure do not want any parts of it if it isn’t.”

On Dec. 17, the university sent an email to the KFT expressing concern about being at “grave risk” of losing talented faculty, specifically mentioning General Education lecturers, to other job opportunities. The email also discussed a salary increase for the lecturers in the fall.

4 THE TOWER

May, 2019

Women, War, and Peace: Peace Unveiled

By Wynter Aiken War and peace have dominated the 21st century and women are right in the middle of it.

The Holocaust Resource Center, Women & Gender Studies, and Interdisciplinary Studies co-presented the film screening and discussion Film photo of Women, War, and Peace: Peace Unveiled on Apr. 16 as part of Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month to Photo by Wynter Aiken highlight the resilience 2 volunteers with Consuelo Bonillas and Sarah Coykendall of Afghan women within conflict zones.

“Peace Unveiled,” is the third installment in “Women, War and Peace,” a five-part series on PBS created and filmed by Abigail Disney and Gini Reticker. of Health Education wanted viewers Students were shown Afghan women’s efforts to improve their to think about how women’s efforts local communities and society in Afghanistan, demonstrating for equality is the same. No matter their individual strength, hardships, that could lead to life or the country-if a change needs to be death decisions. These women fight for women’s rights, they are made, take action. putting their lives in danger to be heard at the negotiating table.

“It’s great to show another part of “In connection to the Holocaust and Genocide organization the world that we don’t take the time here at Kean, the themes presented in the film opened the to learn about and about women discussion on awareness and deeply critical thinking into the who love their country and want depths of genocide and human rights.” said Sarah Coykendall, better rights for themselves, for their Assistant Managing Director of the Holocaust Resource Center. daughters and for those who speak The themes of determination, selflessness, and compassion up on laws and policies that they are cross-disciplinary and illustrate the valor of those fighting want to be changed,” said Bonillas. for what’s right in the face of opposition. Like in the U.S, The women of Afghanistan profiled in “Peace Unveiled” women fight their way to equality and Dr. Consuelo Bonillas have given their lives, health, safety, security and their dignity

“Women fight their way to peace and equality”

Is vaping the new nicotine addiction?

By Chelsey Jaipersaud Twenty-three-year-old Dylan was a senior in high school, smoking cigarettes almost everyday and unaware of the damage it could cause until he saw a commercial of a young boy playing catch with his Dad. Realizing the importance of a healthy future he quit cigarettes and now vapes.

Vaping has grown in popularity within the past 3 years among many teenagers and young adults as an alternative to smoking.

In many cases, vaping has been said to be used for stress relief and is not considered detrimental, but lack of knowledge about the usage of the product might lead to injurious effects.

Cigarettes were proved cancerous due to their disturbing list of toxic chemicals such as benzene, which is found in gasoline, arsenic, which is used in rat poison and nicotine, which is addictive.

Juul, the leading vape on the market is a device that consists of a mouthpiece, a battery, and a cartridge for containing e-juice or flavoring. A typical Juul pod contains flavoring, nicotine, vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol.

nicotine is roughly equal to the amount of nicotine in a pack of cigarettes or about 200 puffs.”

It is important to note that as a consumer of a Juul pod, you have the option to add or subtract nicotine in your product. The decision to vape is personal and depends on what influences their decision.

“I mainly do it as a stress relief and it is not something I depend on,” said South Brunswick high school student Lexi Olsen.

Dimitrios Patakos of HubCity Smokes in New Brunswick, New Jersey says when choosing between smoke in your lungs or vape in your lungs why not choose “the lesser evil”. Smoking cigarettes did not benefit his “addictive personality”, but having the option to vape has bettered his life.

That past relationship with cigarettes has left people more reliant on their Juul and does leave them susceptible to becoming addicted, but today anything can be addictive and equally dangerous. Along with addiction comes health problems, including harm towards your brain development and lungs.

However, in many instances finding a “healthy balance and tempering down of

in the struggle for freedom, peace, and equality. Activist and philanthropist Abigail Disney captures on film their fierce desire to do something, not just to better the status of women, but to change the future of their country. The words spoken by the diplomats fail to translate into protection for women’s rights.

Photo by Wynter Aiken The film showed the difference women’s leadership is making in those small places such as a young man in Kandahar who’s pictured bursting with pride as he speaks of his mother, who became a delegate to the peace talks. A position that could become a death sentence for women if found out.

“Hillary Clinton, who was U.S. Secretary of State at the time, spoke of her opposition to the Afghan representatives that she would never accept a peace deal that was pushed through at the expense of women. She took a stance against male ruling opinion because she believed in the women who were fighting for peace.” Bonillas continued.

The film represented Afghan women’s pride and determination at wanting to be heard. Peace and tranquility Photo by Wynter Aiken don’t come easy in times of turmoil but with motivation, the law’s can eventually be changed. With enough courage, motivation and unity, Afghan women will see their peace be unveiled.

The challenges of eating vegan on campus

By Anastasia Zhelezova Picture yourself in the shoes of someone who made the choice to give up all animal products, meaning no meat, no dairy, and no eggs. What would you eat?

Photo by Anastasia Zhelezova

Homemade avocado toast

“Being on campus you just snack on whatever you can or eat something fast.”

– Melissa Gomez

Photo by Anastasia Zhelezova

Vaping pens and liquids

The real concern that has many people on the defense about vaping is whether the... nicotine can be just as harmful as cigarettes.

Nicotine may be a part of our daily diets more than we think. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, traces of nicotine have been found in many vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant.

The real concern that has many people on the defense about vaping is whether the small percentage of nicotine can be just as harmful as cigarettes.

According to Truth Initiative, a nonprofit public health organization dedicated to spreading the truth about tobacco, in one standard Juul cartridge “the amount of

nicotine can alter the effect it may have on our body” said Patakos. It is vital to look into to what you put in your body and knowing when to take a break.

Vaping has the potential to be a viable alternative to smoking, but both shop owners and buyers must be educated as to what they’re doing. Emphasis should be put on nicotine and having a structured system.

If there is no way to regulate it or allow the product to work for you in a safe manner then maybe it is best to “ban it all,” said Patakos.

Photo by Anastasia Zhelezova

Vegan cheese quesadilla at Van Gogh Cafe

Vegetable soup with cashews Photo by Chelsey Jaipersaud

shopping for and preparing plant-based meals burdensome. Entering a supermarket like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or even Shoprite, is easy when trying to find both the meat and dairy alternatives and then making a home

The answer contains many options, however, those options are oftentimes limited due to the world that we currently live in. Unless you’re standing specifically in a cafe or restaurant that is designed for vegans and/or vegetarians, then the choice of what food or even drink you can get is limited.

Whether you’re doing this because of your health, the planet, or as a protest against the suffering of animals, the truth of the matter is that the world couldn’t care less.

“I chose to become vegetarian for ethical reasons. And once I did more research [and] I realized it could help the environment, I felt more reason to do it,” said Ashley Aucapina, junior, graphic design major. “Once I found out that the meat and dairy industry was inhumane and horrible for the environment, I was able to maintain that lifestyle for four years.”

However, this was until Aucapina discovered how difficult life on campus was as a vegetarian and therefore she couldn’t do it anymore.

“It was hard to try to cook on campus and it was also expensive to buy what I needed every week,” said Aucapina.

Although there are over hundreds of meat and dairy alternatives, people still find the act of

cooked meal, but try going to a restaurant, or even your local Starbucks and it can be rather shocking to realize that there are very few or even in some cases, no plant-based options.

Most never think about this because why would you have to if wherever you go, there is always an option available to you, yet for some there isn’t and vegans are fed up. (not literally) However, with all of the new research, many have switched to a vegan or vegetarian diet for their health, the environment and some for ethical reasons, like Aucapina for example, yet quit because of how much of a reach it was and is in general.

“Being on campus you just snack on whatever you can or eat something fast. There aren’t a lot of options for those who are vegan or vegetarian,” said Melissa Gomez, junior majoring in public relations.

Although Gomez stated she is not a vegan nor a vegetarian, she couldn’t help but notice the lack of options there are for those who are.

That being said, most people are familiar with the term vegetarian, but just to clarify, it means no chicken, fish, pork, etc. but eggs and dairy are fine.

With its growing popularity, more people are becoming aware of what it means to be vegan, yet there are some who are not, so if you are wondering what it means to be vegan, now you know the options for eating out are usually little to none.

May, 2019

Social Dancing with the Afro-Latin Dance Project

By Valencia Stevenson

The Afro-Latin Dance Project is unlike any other dance club at Kean University because it strives for social dancing, meaning they

From student to Spotify artist

By Zoe Strozewski After seeing his cousin’s Irish band play a live show during his junior year of high

original music after developing his songwriting and performing skills over the course of a couple years.

“Ever since I started out with playing,

going back and forth to New York or another place every weekend.

“The terminology behind social dancing is that it’s more of a class-based meaning like

Photo by Valencia Stevenson

Group Photo of April 17 Dance Class

people can come and go whenever they can,” said Angelina Pizzutiello, secretary of the club. “Like they miss a day and they’re not penalized for it. Or if there’s a specific style that they like and that we’ve been doing, they can come to that one,” “It’s classes where everybody can learn from each other,” continued Pizzutiello. continued on page 8

Indian Holi festival helps bring in spring

By Breanna Palzer

Kean University’s Indian Cultural Club recently celebrated the Indian tradition known as Holi. Also referred to as the “Festival of Colors,” Holi is a celebration that marks the beginning of spring.

The celebration, which consisted of food, music, and the throwing of colorful powders at one another allowed students of different races and ages to come out and celebrate.

Those who were not members of the Indian Cultural Club were also encouraged to attend and take part in the festivities as well.

“My friends from ‘The Tower’ [newspaper] do a great job of distributing info and said it would be a fun time,” said junior, Katelyn

can celebrate the holiday with their friends besides just their family.

“I celebrate Holi off campus too, with my family. We celebrate in March though, that’s usually [when you’re] supposed to celebrate it,” said sophomore, Chane Patel.

The throwing of colors took place in the middle of the basketball court at Kean University. There were many colors to choose from such as pink, purple, blue and green, along with others.

The Indian Culture Club had a DJ playing music while the event took place; he played a mix of electronic music as well as traditional Indian music.

“The music is my favorite part,” said Ayushi

Photo by Breanna Palzer

Students throwing colored powder

Piorkowski.

Many students agreed that their favorite part of the event was the beautiful colors but some had other favorites.

“I like everything! I love the food and the music, but I especially like the colored powder throwing the most,” said computer science major, Ayushi Patel.

Students liked that they could experience the holiday of another culture and some were even inspired to attend other events.

“I love that it is a great opportunity for the university to come together,” said Piorkowski. “I love being able to learn about different cultures from my friends.”

Students also enjoy the fact that they

Photo by Courtesy of Zach Gerken

Zach Gerken performs live at various venues when home

“The whole point is community,” said Leslie. are not performance based but instead, focus more on getting to know other students.

Afro-Latin Dance Project President Kristine Leslie said that those she works with on the e-board met each other by social dancing and decided to bring it to campus to share it with other people. Leslie also said that it would help students instead of them

THE TOWER 5

Patel. “I love being able to throw colors in the air and dance.”

There were two separate teams that lined up on each side of the basketball court.

Once the DJ said it was time, everyone ran towards each other, throwing the pigmented powder at one another.

Once the colored smoked cleared, everyone was seen to be covered from head to toe in an array of colored powders. Following the throwing of the colors, traditional Indian food was served.

“I have never attended Holi outside of school or in general, but this opportunity has inspired me to seek out other culturally diverse events on campus and attend them,” said Piorkowski.

“I have never attended Holi outside of school or in general, but this opportunity has inspired me to seek out other culturally diverse events on campus and attend them,” said Piorkowski.

school, Zach Gerken decided to become a musician. On March 29, that decision became reality as he officially released his very first single.

The single, titled “Shadows,” was dispensed on all streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeart Radio and Streaming Australia. Despite the expanse of his release, Gerken is planning on venturing even further and releasing a five song EP titled “Torn” in July.

Gerken is a sophomore, physical education major from Buffalo, New York.

Outside of his classes, he spends his time playing for Kean’s men’s volleyball team, working as part of the event staff in the recreation and intramural department and playing music, both original and covers.

He is self-taught in all categories of his musical abilities, from the instruments he plays to the program he uses to edit and produce songs on his laptop.

“I taught myself how to play all the instruments I know and how to produce music as well. It’s kind of like trial and error.

You see what works and what doesn’t,” Gerken said.

Before leaving Buffalo to attend Kean, he was part of a band called “Round Tree,” which he joined via an invitation from a friend.

“This one kid texted me and was like, ‘Hey do you want to play sometime?’ I said yes and then it just took off from there,” Gerken said.

The band reached a level of local fame in his school and began booking gigs. Through these experiences, Gerken was able to gain an appreciation for the feel of live performances.

“There’s a sense of adrenaline when you play live. It elevates your performance to the next level,” Gerken said. “I’ve always felt like I play better when I play for a crowd rather than in my room alone.”

It was also around this time that Gerken started exploring the Youtube frontier, posting covers of songs pulled from a variety of genres, from country to classic rock to pop. Today, he has over 40 videos available for viewing on his channel.

Gerken was inspired to start releasing

I’ve written stuff. I was just waiting until I got good at it to release stuff that I liked, that I thought was good enough to share,” Gerken said.

Gerken considers his original work as part of the softer, indie rock genre with emotiondriven lyrics. Some of his larger influences include John Mayer, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and the Milk Carton Kids along with other classic rock and blues artists.

He made his dorm room his creative space and stage, penning songs, recording them and editing them at the wooden desk provided by the school. After finishing “Shadows,” he was determined to find a way to make the song available to the mass public.

“I got in contact with the distribution service and I sent in my song.

Then I just had to pay the distribution fee and they put it up on all the platforms,” Gerken said.

According to Gerken, public reception to his release was overwhelmingly supportive and affirmative.

“It’s been all positive really. I haven’t gotten anyone who said they didn’t like it,” Gerken said.

Because he’s turned his dorm room into a makeshift studio, his three roommates have been able to bear witness to his progress and evolution as a musician. Gerken has even featured his roomates, sophomores Jon Meyer, Andrew Lukasiak and Seth Russell, as backup vocalists and performers on some of his Youtube covers.

“I think he’s really good and has gotten better since I’ve been his roommate starting last year,” Meyer said. “Not only can he play guitar, but he can also sing and produce music.”

After finishing his undergraduate degree, Gerken plans on returning home and obtaining a graduate athletic administration degree so he can eventually pursue a career as an athletic director. However, he also has every intention to keep music a primary component of his life, with a focus on playing shows and going on tour at least once in the future.

“Playing music is just a form of appreciation for that music that I loved all my life,” Gerken said. “It lets me say things that I couldn’t say via normal conversation.”

“Playing music is just a form of appreciation for that music that I loved all my life,” Gerken said.

“It lets me say things that I couldn’t say via normal conversation.”

Photo by Courtesy of Zach Gerken

He released his first single, “Shadows,” March 29

6 THE TOWER

May, 2019

A Day in the Life of an Uncomfortable Interview

By Nicole Diefenbacher **Names have been changed for this story** As a graduating senior of Kean University, I have been rigorously applying to jobs. I have spent countless hours on LinkedIn applying to anything ranging from a journalism job to a job in marketing and promotions.

In my search, I found a posting for a promotions assistant job at a place we will call “ABC Promotions”. I thought, “great! I’m a promotions assistant already, I would love to do it on a bigger level in New York City!”

So I applied and a few days later, I got a response asking me to come in to the city for an interview. I was ecstatic! So I traveled into the city on a Monday and went to an interview at “ABC Promotions”.

This whole interview was just an entirely new experience for me and I just wanted to write about it in order to urge fellow seniors and anyone else applying for a job to DO YOUR RESEARCH! It is so important to do your research on any and all companies you apply to. If it sounds too good to be true, trust your gut because it probably is.

I got a great vibe from the office immediately. It was a shared space with waiting area that had a couch and a few tables with a modern design. On the TV in the corner, they were playing an episode of “Friends” that I had seen a billion times before. It was the one where Phoebe meets her dad for the first time.

I waited about 15 minutes before my name was called by a blonde woman who looked like she had just walked off the runway. She was wearing a cream colored dress that had what looked like a splash design of red on it.

She introduced herself as “Melissa”.

We chatted for a bit and went over my resume, like every other interview I have had. She said that if they had an interest in me, they would call me that night and I would come back tomorrow for a follow up interview. Around 5 P.M., I got a call asking me to come back.

I came back the next day excited to see what they had planned. When I got there, Melissa introduced me to a guy named Carter. Carter was what Melissa described as her “right hand man”. She told me he was taking me out on one of their campaigns as part of an “experiential day” Carter took me on the subway while simultaneously throwing facts about this company and marketing my way as I wrote them down in what I can only describe as a frantic feeling. He told me the campaign he was working on was for the “Nature Conservancy” We got off the subway in Queens and found our way to a Dunkin Donuts. This is what really threw me; I sat outside this Dunkin for FOUR HOURS as Carter went back and forth between stopping people on the street asking them “You drink water, don’t you?” and giving me “tasks” like asking “what’s the difference between a leader and

a boss?” and “name three times in your life when you had to deal with negative people and how you did it?”

About an hour in I wanted to leave, but that day was only the second time I had ever taken the subway in my life and I wasn’t too sure what train to get on. Anyway, right near the end of this “experiential day”, Carter explained the way the pay works in the company, and this is when I really felt like it was a scheme.

There were four levels. At the bottom level you earned $300 to $600 a week. But here’s the kicker, you can move up to the next level in less than six days. After that, you make $600 to $1200 a week. Then, as long as you keep helping the campaign and bringing in clients, you’ll move to the next level and make $1200 to $2000 a week. Finally you make it to the top level and make $2000 to $3000 a week. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?

After he explained the pay and the hours that this job would entail, I was sent to brave the subway and find my way back to Manhattan. Thankfully, he told me which train to hop on and I made it back. I don’t know if it was the fact that it was only my third time ever on the subway, but the entire way back I had this weird, uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I got back to the office where I filled out a form about my experience with Carter while I waited to speak with Melissa. After about 15 minutes, she called me into her office.

She went over the form I filled out and asked me how my experience was. I explained to her that I was not sure if I was the right candidate for the job, as I have never had any experience in sales, mind you, the job I applied for was in promotions and not sales, but I digress.

“You seem like a hard worker,” said Melissa. “And Carter said you were nothing but positive and upbeat while you were out there and you seem very quick and eager to learn. And if we were to take you on, you would be taught everything you need to know.”

We spoke a little while longer and then she told me that if they were interested they would be in touch later that night. I shook her hand and left, still with that uneasy feeling that I had back on the subway.

I called my dad immediately. He has always been my voice of reason and I just genuinely did not feel right after being here for five hours.

The first thing I said to him after explaining how my day went was “I don’t think it’s for me and I wouldn’t be upset if they said no to me.”

He followed up by saying “If you don’t feel right about it, don’t take it. This is the second job interview you’ve been on. You’re not gonna find the perfect job on your first, fifth, maybe even tenth try. You just gotta keep looking until you find the one for you.”

I agreed with him and made it to the train, continued on page 9

Department of Communication Kean University Center for Academic Success 1000 Morris Avenue Union, NJ 07083 Telephone: (908) 737-0470; Fax: (908) 737-0465 Email: thetower@kean.edu; www.kutower.com

The Tower is an independent, laboratory newspaper of Kean University’s journalism option in the communication major program. It is published monthly through the regular academic year and supported by advertising and the Department of Communication. The Tower is not responsible for claims made by its advertisers. The Tower is a public forum and is free from censorship and advance approval of content by the university administration. The Tower staff is responsible for its content.

EDITOR IN CHIEF: JOSHUA ROSARIO NEWS EDITOR: LENA ZHU FEATURES EDITOR: KIARA MAYS SPORTS EDITOR: CRAIG EPSTEIN ONLINE EDITOR: RAFAELA TEIXEIRA ONLINE EDITOR: PETRUCE JEAN-CHARLES SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: SALIMAH MCCULLOUGH ASSOCIATE EDITOR: KELLY CONTRERAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR: W YNTER AIKEN COPY EDITOR: ALEX WISNIEWSKI WRITERS NICOLE DIEFENBACHER TASHA DOWBACHUK VALENCIA STEVENSON GARDNER ZOE STROZEWSKI DANIELLE JUNIO DAVID JANES BREANNA PALZER STEVEN MERRILL

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OPINION PIECES AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Tower welcomes guest columns and letters to the editor from any source.

Such material should be submitted to thetower@kean.edu or left at The Tower’s offices. To verify sources of written material, submissions must include the writer’s name and contact information. Students should include their class (sophomore, graduate, etc.) and major. Faculty and staff should include campus title or position. On request, names may be withheld from publication if The Tower staff determines there is a legitimate reason to do so, but no anonymous letters will be accepted for publication. The Tower reserves the right to edit, and refuse publication of any submission.

Game of Thrones final season: how will it all end?

By Valerie Sanabria

seen the Night King and his army.

The first episode of the eighth and Eight years ago, HBO released its now final season of Game of Thrones was most popular show, “Game of Thrones” released on April 14. Although there are based on the book series, “A Song of Ice many theories on the internet about and Fire” by George R. R. Martin. As the how viewers think the show will end, show nears its final episode on May 19, some people such as Christopher Del fans are speculating how it will all end.

Prete a senior at Kean University, don Besides magic, dragons, twin lovers not like to look up theories because he and ice zombies, the show is full of wants to be totally surprised. unpredictable events that leaves viewers The HBO show is diverse and things at the edge of their seats. that people don’t expect to happen Photo by Valerie Sanabria Game of Thrones takes place in usually happen.

Game of Thrones Seasons 1-7 Westeros, a fictional continent with “It’s popular because it’s so seven kingdoms conquered by the unpredictable,” said Del Prete. “And Targaryen, the family of “Fire and Blood.” every behind the scenes element makes Photo by Valerie Sanabria In the first season, besides learning it a great show as well.” that Robert Baratheon claimed the iron The King in the North, The Night King, & the Mother of Dragons The first episode of season eight, throne and that the Targaryen “Mad which was almost an hour long, “was King” was assassinated, the audience not what everyone was expecting” also learned that all the Targaryen were as Noah Dobson, a communications, killed except Daenerys and Viserys who media and film student at Kean said. were exiled from Westeros and live in Dobson believes that no one will Essos, a continent far from the land of survive and that the Night King will kill the seven kingdoms. everyone in Westeros.

Throughout the seven seasons, the Del Prete knows nobody is safe in the viewers learned about the incestuous show and although he has no official relationship between Cersei and Jaime theory about how the show will end, he Lannister, the death of the lord of the does believe Jaimie is going to kill his Photo by Valerie Sanabria House Stark of Winterfell, the birth twin sister and lover, Cersei. of three dragons with whom Daenerys Game of Thrones characters Marylane Linen, a junior at Kean, thinks plans to get back the seven kingdoms, the show is good because the viewers the end of season seven, the wall is destroyed after the Night and the biggest threat in Game of Thrones, the Night King. can easily see themselves in the characters.

King captures a dragon and with the army of ice zombies The Night King and his army of white walkers are the [Linen quote] destroys it. biggest threat to the seven kingdoms, more so than the fight Some fans and viewers of the show spend a great amount John Snow, the “King of the North” who during all the about who will sit on the iron throne and conquer Westeros. of time analyzing the past seasons and trailers of the new seasons was known as the “Bastard of Winterfell” wants to The Stark of Winterfell are the ones closer to the wall that one, trying to guess how the show will end, but proven by the separates the white walkers from the seven kingdoms but at unite forces with all the houses in Westeros because he has last seven seasons, nobody knows what will happen.

“It’s popular because it’s so unpredictable,” said Del Prete.

“And every behind the scenes element makes it a great show as well.”

May, 2019

THE TOWER 7

The Guide to Internships

By Alexander Valdes It’s no surprise that Kean University has a multitude of ways for students to find internships. Even though access to internships is relatively simple, some still have issues acquiring one.

At Kean University, there are places where students can speak to specialists who work to help with internships, whether it be helping students create their resumes, work on portfolio’s such as one’s on LinkedIn, or you can try your hand at going about internships on your own by visiting student bulletins such as the one in the Communications department that is filled to the brim with internship possibilities.

Professors at Kean University such as Prof. Jeremiah Sullivan make it their goal to aid students in their search for internships and help them with whatever worry or concern

they may have. Students typically are afraid to go through with internships, whether it be out of fear of moving forward with their lives or a feeling of not being ready.

“First thing is time. I think that time is a very important thing when it comes to internships... I think time and confidence are two very powerful things that kinda play off each other for students” said Sullivan Time and confidence do, indeed, play a factor in the acquisition of internships for many students. Some may have odd school hours or a part time job that eats up any time they have to seek out an internship for the career of their choice.

Students may even feel like they aren’t ready and that fear then dictates whether or not they strive for it.

“I think students should use our career center as kind of one part of their approach and whatever else the University

“Networking is going to be extremely important going forward in their academic and professional career, networking can begin as simply as asking your friend, talking to your professors, going and creating a linkedin profile, it doesn’t have to be professional to a CEO’s standards, your profile won’t be Bill Gates profile”

Photo by Alexander Valdes

Lots of internship opportunities up on the board

Photo by Alexander Valdes

Office of friendly professor who knows his stuff about internships!

Photo by Alexander Valdes

The office built to help you succeed

can offer them, talking to professors, things like that,” Sullivan said. “Going online and starting to really introduce themselves and their own personal brand is important, so tools like LinkedIn are really powerful for that, and a third thing students can do is go out there and post their resumes on internship sites.”

All of the methods that Sullivan suggested are designed for college students to succeed. What all these methods have in common, though, is one thing: the ability and desire for the student to go out and strive for that internship to further one’s own goals and career.

“I think the difficulty some students will find is that a lot of competitive or robust internship programs really require, ironically enough, some sort of experience, a really high GPA that shows commitment to the major the student has.” said Laureen Delanc, managing assistant director of internships for career services. “I think the other difficulty is actually knowing where to start looking for internships.”

It is rather confusing how most internships require students to have experience when the point of the internship is to offer students those experiences in the career of their choosing. It almost seems counterproductive.

“Networking is going to be extremely important going forward in their academic and professional career.

Networking can begin as simply as asking your friend, talking to your professors, going and creating a Linkedin profile... it doesn’t have to be professional to a CEO’s standards. Your profile won’t be Bill Gates’ profile” said Delance.

Students who have already gone through internship opportunities look to help out their fellow Kean students.

They look to provide insight, not as an advisor, not as a professor, but as another individual who took that first step to achieve something.

“Well I kinda got lucky because I sort of made myself known for what I want to do as a filmmaker and I kind of just shoved that down people’s throats,” said Kean student Noah Silkolski. “My mom was connected to someone who was connected to someone who connected with another person who knew a filmmaker to do a small project for their company coming up, so it was kinda like that. I just put myself out there and people started to know me as “the filmmaker” and as soon as someone needed a filmmaker, they looked to me.”

Career and Internship Fair allows students to network with nearly 70 companies

By Zoe Strozewski Nearly 70 companies were present at the biannual Career and Internship Fair, organized and hosted by Kean’s Career Services.

Tables lined the room and were staffed by representatives from attending companies, including Amazon, FBI and Geico, looking to take down student contact information and hire from Kean’s community. Job and internship opportunities at the fair varied from full-time or part-time, paid to unpaid and spoke for an assortment of vocational areas.

Sophomore Michelle Froehlich, a criminal justice major, said she decided to attend the fair in order to scope out possible internship opportunities for the summer.

“I’ve been interested in getting an internship for a long time because I think it would look really good on a resume,” Froehlich said. “I figured it couldn’t hurt to at least see what opportunities are here.”

Froehlich was pleased to see the variety of both general and major-specific hiring opportunities present at the fair.

“I didn’t realize that I could find a job or internship so close to the career I want to go into,” Froehlich said. “I was actually really

interested in NJ Courts because the people were so nice to talk to and I could get actual experience in criminal justice instead of just working at a place like Dairy Queen over the summer.”

Dorian Lee Perez, a sales and marketing manager tabling for the Elizabeth Destination Marketing Organization, believes that students can benefit from obtaining internships due to their ability to provide a legitimate background in their

“Helping develop talent is really important for a company so we can grab it one day.”

desired fields.

“I personally think that students can benefit from an internship to get the real hands-on experience they need in order to be successful in whatever career they want...

It’s just another stepping stone in building a resume,” Perez said.

Perez also believes that the companies themselves benefit in the hiring of students as well, as they can then play a role in cultivating the skills they look for in job candidates.

“Companies usually benefit because there’s development opportunities for both the person who’s hiring them and the student...Helping develop talent is really important for a company so we can grab it one day,” Perez said.

Interracial love on campus

By Tasha Dowbachuk

Kean University, known for its diverse student body, encourages unity among everyone by way of the various cultures and customs represented by each individual on campus. For some, celebration rests in the romantic love shared between one another of differing racial and cultural backgrounds.

Attitudes towards interethnic or interracial dating among college students are relatively positive among millennials.

According to Pew Research Center, 93 percent of people within the age range of 18 to 29 years old, responded to the survey “expressing their support for interracial marriage within their families.” Overall, the level of acceptance in this generation is “greater than in other generations.”

In 2013, about one in eight of new marriages in the U.S. were between spouses of different races according to the Pew Research Center. From a historical standpoint, the United States has come a long way since the legalization of interracial marriage in 1967.

There can be some downfalls when it comes to interracial dating, however, which include: the fetishization, racial bias, and the history of stereotypes that have become embedded in our society regarding interracial love in general. A study published online by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that “bias against interracial couples is associated with disgust that in turn leads interracial couples to be dehumanized.”

Interracial couples experience the good,

a stronger sense of the bad and the ugly when it comes to social commentary, social commentary which tolerance, strength and oftentimes comes from within their inner love between each other. circle. Tori Honore and Drew Kawalek, “We don’t have problems juniors at Kean University, have been dating discussing racial issues but for a year and four months and claim that it’s the hate from the world they are “constantly laughing” and enjoying that makes me think, why every step of their relationship.

When asked what they favor about one another, Kawalek claims that Honore accepts him for who he is, while she “feels safe and secure around him.”

In the early stages of their relationship, Honore spoke on the Photo by Jeffrey Kawalek Photo by Petar Milosevic via Creative Commons Tori Honore and Drew Kawalek celebrating his birthday discomfort of being Love padlocks on the Butchers’ Bridge in Ljubljana, Slovenia stared at while simply spending time with her boyfriend in social settings.

“I would get real uncomfortable because I could see families or other people looking at us,” said Honore. “I used to get hate messages can’t people just see that we’re happy, just the In the words of philosopher Matshona on Tumblr about our relationship saying way we are,” said Honore.

Dhliwayo, love is blind despite the that, I’m betraying the [black] community While Honore may have a different world’s attempt to give it eyes. While or I’m just a black girl he dated in college.” opinion, Kawalek believes that people tend our world becomes more progressive and The two agree that after overcoming the to stare at interracial couples because of knowledgeable, it will become filled with “side-eyes” and other opinions about their relationship, they have both developed “their beauty.” love instead of hate.

“We don’t have problems discussing racial issues but it’s the hate from the world that makes me think, why can’t people just see that we’re happy, just the way we are,” said Honore.

8 THE TOWER

May, 2019

Social Dancing with the Afro-Latin Dance Project

continued from page 5

Photo by Valencia Stevenson

E-board with Pablo Valle

“Either you’re advanced and been doing this for a while or you just starting out, everyone can do it.”

The club encourages all levels of dancing and it is not just about the e-board teaching the choreography. They opened it up for whoever wants to share whatever style of dancing.

There is no audition to join as well. Nonstudents can participate and those from other schools are more than welcome if they like doing this activity.

Andres Ramirez, vice president of the club, said that he used to have his own dance studio and wanted to make it into a club while he was at Kean. He would ask friends on social media if anyone would like to join and many approved of the idea. So with Pizzutiello and Leslie, they decided to create it.

Photo by Valencia Stevenson

Pablo Valle teaching the class

The e-board used to do this activity in the real world in local towns and noticed the kind of dynamic groups that are here at Kean and thought it would be convenient for them to start a group that the public wants.

They have been talking about creating this group since last fall semester when they were directing choreography in different areas. Pizzutiello said that the idea process took about four months.Ramirez said that they just want everyone to be active and take advantage of what they have here.

“The whole point is community,” said Leslie.

On April 17 at the D’Angola Gymnasium, the e-board brought a Kean Alumni, Pablo Valle, to teach “New York Style Salsa.” He taught students on basic footwork and partner work. Valle started salsa dancing three years ago and began dancing at Kean

with Mister Martinez’s dance classes.

“Once I took his classes, I think I found out my passion for salsa. I didn’t know how to dance at all. I couldn’t move, my hips weren’t moving at all. But at the end of the day, salsa [became] another one of my passions and right away I started to fall more in love with the music than with dance,” said Valle.

Pizzutiello said that things are going a lot faster than they thought and they did not expect to start co-hosting events with people. There are people reaching out to them instead of them reaching out which surprised them.

“It got to a point where people are now comfortable and asking to teach a class instead of just the three of us instructing,” said Ramirez.

The hardest part about the group is finding them. Ramirez said the map for Kean is the

hardest and there are a lot of people that are outside of Kean that want to join.

Some goals for the club for next semester is to be involved with Latin Patio Night because they either want to perform or promote for the event. The overall goal is to try to have their social events or dance parties reach up to 100 guests and more.

They want to be as involved as possible.

The dance project is very active on social media and encourages students to follow their Instagram, afrolatindance_kean.

“The social dancing, the parties I feel like that is what is going to build us up. If we get success from that, it’ll be every semester and people will remember like ‘hey, do you remember this club that did this party?’,” said Ramirez. “The whole point is everyone is active.”

University Instagram deletes post after negative responses continued from cover

concerns about mold.

“Since this is a predominantly commuter school they have made it more than clear that living conditions for dormers are not a priority or a concern at all,” said JoeAnnah Jean Jacques, a junior majoring in Therapeutic Recreation and Biology.

“Behind all these flashy buildings, you have

mistreated and ignored students. It’s disrespectful at this point.”

According to Margaret McCorry, a spokesperson for Kean, the university is active on social media to engage with students and others in respectful dialogue and they “expect reactions to posts to contain both accolades and

concerns.”

“In this case, University Relations made the rare decision to remove the post in question on that particular platform only because it contained profanity and other inappropriate comments,” said McCorry. “As with all of our posts, we reviewed the feedback and shared it with University leaders to review and act on as appropriate.”

Some students were even angrier that their comments were deleted.

“Kean deleting the post due to students commenting their true feelings blatantly showcases how the university is choosing to disrespect the voices of

its students as well as suppress what the needs of the students are,” said Senatore. “I have never commented on a Kean University post before this one so the fact that it was deleted is very disheartening because now I know that the university really doesn’t care about what I have to say.”

One Kean junior studying Education told The Tower that she had to remain anonymous to speak her true thoughts.

“One of the things our school is known for is its education program and we have some of the best education professors, but they don’t have the proper resources to give us our world-class education,”

she said. “We need updated technology in CAS, Hennings and Hutchinson. We need advisors that aren’t professors to make sure we are headed towards the right direction and we need classrooms that aren’t falling apart.”

According to an article on the university-sponsored Kean News page, posted on April 8, the renovations are expected to be finished by Jan. 2020 and will be designed to improve the facility for students.

Photos by Salimah McCullough

Instagram comments section under now deleted post

Two slates campaign continued from page 2

“This group, if elected will create a forum for the discussion of important issues, seek information and facts to inform, advise on University policies, uphold curricular standards and collaborate with all parties and constituencies to meet the needs of all,” she said.

The KFT-supported slate contends that the administration has curtailed open

dialogue, reasoned debate and discussion by making changes via edict.

“The Kean Administration has made extraordinary efforts to control the Senate and undermine the balance of power that is essential to any deliberative body,” said Dr. Halper. “Class size, course scheduling and room allocation, course cancelation policy, parking difficulty, timely passage from class

to class, student support, and program support. These are recurring themes we hear from our students, and many of these issues can be impacted by the Senate.”

Dr. Hassett-Walker said their Senate slate has been talking with lots of people on campus and they see low morale, fear and discouragement among faculty. The nonreappointments of 13 lecturers and three

professional staff without giving any reason has outraged many, she said.

“I’ve been at the university for twelve years and I’ve actually never seen [lower] morale where it is now,” she said.

At press time, the results were not available.

May, 2019

THE TOWER 9

Departing Editor-In-Chief prepares to take on life beyond college

By Craig Epstein Set to graduate in the coming weeks, The Tower’s Editor-In-Chief Joshua Rosario looks to finish his time at college in much the same manner as it started: hungry and determined to succeed.

“Josh is the kind of student who makes teaching worthwhile,” said Professor Pat Winters Lauro, journalism program director and faculty adviser for The Tower. “He understands what it is to be a journalist and values its special place in our democracy.”

Lauro enjoyed the time that she got to spend with Rosario and will miss him both as an editor and a friend. One of the things that stood out to her over the course of his time at The Tower was the fact that he was able to orchestrate an award-winning newspaper while also maintaining a constant adoration from his peers.

“He was a great reporter, a wonderful editor and a lot of fun,” Lauro said.

“The staff adores him yet he still was able to get them to do the work needed to create an award-winning newspaper. I will miss him immensely.”

Rosario’s time as both a student and a reporter at Kean helped shape him into the type of person that he is today. Covering many different types of news events was not easy for the Somerset native, but he made sure to put everything he had into his work both in terms of time and thought.

“My time working at The Tower has been difficult in the best ways,” Rosario said. “Covering the stories I’ve covered haven’t been simple, but they were always an exciting process.”

It wasn’t until Rosario came to Kean that he realized what he wanted to do with his life. Now years later, with a blend of nerves and excitement he is ready to begin the next chapter of his life.

“I really didn’t know what I wanted out of life until coming to Kean,” Rosario said. “While graduating is exciting and scary at the same time, I finally do know.”

Looking to one day become a political reporter for The New York Times, Rosario hopes to work his way up in order to reach his goal and is considering going for his master’s degree along the way as well.

“I would love to become a political reporter for The New York Times some day,” Rosario said. “I don’t know how I will get there exactly but I can start my professional experience as a reporter and maybe in a few years get my masters.”

Professor Lois DeSocio, Tower co-adviser, has had firsthand experience in getting to see Rosario grow from reporter to Editor-In-Chief. She is amazed just by how much effort he puts into learning his craft and how he tries to improve with each story in which he takes on.

“I’ve had the privilege of watching Josh bloom, first as his professor for Introductory Journalism and presently as his co-advisor/professor for The Tower,” DeSocio said. “His budding interest in journalism, innate investigative instincts, and steadfast determination to understand the craft and the basic tenets of journalism has earned him the top post as Editor-In-Chief of The Tower.”

She feels that both his knowledge and leadership assisted in propelling The Tower to be awarded second place in General Excellence from the NJ Collegiate Press Association, the fourth consecutive year The Tower has ranked among the top three college newspapers in the state. DeSocio will cherish the time that the two got to spend together and looks forward to seeing what kind of challenges he focuses on next.

“Through his writing, reporting and leadership, Josh has helped take The Tower to its fourth year of NJCPA awards,” DeSocio said. “I will miss him as a student and as a colleague, but I look forward to seeing what he does next.”

Approaching his work as a leader both in and out of the classroom, Rosario has earned the admiration and respect from many of his peers at The Tower as well.

“My time working with Josh at The Tower has been amazing to say the least,” Online Editor Rafaela Teixeira said. “He has made every hard moment easier just by being supportive and caring about his staff. He has helped me grow as a writer and continuously helps me grow as a leader.”

As a fellow 2019 graduate, Teixeira has grown over the course of her time at Kean right beside Rosario. She is inspired by the amount of hard work and dedication that he is willing to put into his craft.

“Josh has definitely grown as a leader and I’m glad I’ve witnessed it,” Teixeira said. “I’ve seen him take on the role of Editor-In-Chief with full force and the amount of sacrifice he put in is really inspiring.”

Rosario and Teixeira enjoy getting to spend time with one another and discussing a variety of topics. Whether they relate to school, work, or just life in general, the two can typically be found in The Tower’s newsroom speaking alongside other fellow reporters.

“Josh became a very close friend and confidante for me,” Teixeira said. “I trust him fully with my writing and any life issues which is probably why I’m always hanging out at the newsroom because I look forward to having long talks with him and our peers.”

When it comes to life beyond Kean, Teixeira feels confident that Rosario’s future will be bright and filled with success. She believes that due to the manner in which he earned his degree, there is nothing that can stand in his way from becoming the professional that he wishes to be.

“Josh’s future is extremely bright and I really hope he knows that in moments where he feels like it isn’t, it definitely is,” Teixeira said. “Josh shouldn’t worry about where he’ll end up because the way he came back to school and decided to change the course of his life and fell into journalism is amazing. I’m not worried for him, he will do great things.”

While there are many things that Rosario will remember fondly about his time with The Tower, the one that he claims he will miss the most is the people that he had the pleasure of getting to know both on a personal and professional level.

“The people I’ve met at The Tower have all been fantastic and unforgettable,” Rosario said. “The Tower newsroom has become a central hangout for reporters and any time a bunch of us are in there it’s a blast. I’ll never forget the laughs I will tell you that.”

Photo provided by Joshua Rosario

Joshua Rosario hugging his niece

Photo provided by Joshua Rosario

Attending Kean’s Distinguished Lecture Series, Joshua Rosario listening to Watergate reporter Bob Woodward

“Josh is the kind of student who makes teaching worthwhile”

Photo provided by Joshua Rosario

Joshua Rosario sitting alongside other members of his family

A Day in the Life of an Uncomfortable Interview continued from page 6

where I texted my friends in our group chat and explained my day and how it just was not feeling right to me.

“That sounds like an multilevel marketing scheme,” said Bob. “Those are some major red flags.”

My friend Jess told me I should hear them out and if they immediately offer me the job, it is not a good sign When I got back to my room, I did a bit more research into this company. I looked back at the original job posting and clicked on Melissa’s profile. The icing on top of this horrible cake of a day was that she went from head bartender of some club to CEO of this company I interviewed at in just one month.

At this point, I was upset because I know that I am not a dumb person and I just felt dumb for not realizing that this company was a scheme. I felt like I had gotten played and I should

have known better.

My friends were really nice about it and said that at least now I know what I don’t want in a job, which was true, I was just really still upset about the whole situation.

Around 7:45 P.M., I got a call from Carter.

“So Nicole,” he said. “You’re not really as qualified as some of our other applicants, but what do you think makes you stand out as an individual?”

“Well, I am hardworking and learn things very quickly,” I responded, thinking of Jess’s advice.

“Okay, great!” he said. “You’re hired!”

I responded by asking for some time to think about it. I was honestly so annoyed at them and at myself for not realizing that it was a scheme. He called me back 10 minutes later asking for a decision, to which I replied that I was not interested.

10 THE TOWER

May, 2019

Kean men’s volleyball falls short of ultimate goal

SPORTS

By Steven Merrill The Kean men’s volleyball team had a successful season on paper but is disappointed with the way in which it ended.

After winning the conference and reaching the NCAA Tournament for seven straight years, this season marks the first time under Head Coach Charlie Ginex that the program failed to do so.

However, the program feels it still has a lot of positives to take away from the 2019 season.

Junior Ian Capp racked up many awards individually while also leading the team. He was Photo by Larry Levanti Photo by Larry Levanti Photo by Larry Levanti named second-team All-America by the American Junior libero Jonathan Meyer makes a dig Senior middle blocker Kamil Garbowski Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and Junior setter Ian Capp plays the ball during a volley spiking the ball for the second straight season, was named the Continental Volleyball Conference Player and Setter of the Year while landing on first team all-conference. In 10 conference matches, Capp totaled 184 assists, 60 kills, 43 digs, 31 aces, and eight blocks.

On March 1, Capp became the program’s alltime aces leader with 201 and has a chance to separate himself from previous record holder conference. Juniors Dylan Flor and Jake Milnazik earned they were still able to be recognized nationally throughout Jacob Kauffman. Capp is also the second player in second and third team honors for the conference as well. the year. The Cougars were ranked as high as the third program history to reach 2,000 career assists. He also “That recognition is great and I am proud knowing how best team in the country and defeated two programs earned four New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the hard they worked,” said Ginex. they never had beaten before. They also knocked off four Week awards this season.

Garbowski is the second player to be named first-team nationally ranked teams, including #2 Stevens Institute “I don’t really look into (accolades) too much because All-America in the program’s history while Capp is the of Technology. when my team plays well, they make me look good,” third player to make an All-America team twice in their “We beat a lot of good teams, but we just couldn’t beat Capp said. “Obviously, it’s nice to be recognized by the career. them when it mattered,” Capp said. conference and on the national level, but it’s not that hard “After years of watching great middles play, this year With a record of 22-7 and 10-1 in the CVC, even to get accolades when you’re on such a great team.” was the year that I was able to put all of my hard work though it was a disappointing season in their eyes, the Kamil Garbowski finished off his career by earning into use and I wouldn’t want any other group of guys to team believes it sets up for more success next season. first-team All-America by the AVCA. The 6-foot-5 middle be on the court with,” Garbowski said. “This season as a “Even though we came up short at the end of the blocker had 54 kills, 13 blocks, and 10 digs in nine CVC team we’ve accomplished many feats in program history.” season I expect that next year’s team should not be matches. The senior played in 91 career matches, racking Although the team didn’t reach the NCAA tournament, reckoned with,” said Garbowski. up 195 sets and 358 kills while also earning first team all-

“Even though we came up short at the end of the season I expect that next year’s team should not be reckoned with”

Mindfulness can bring balance to our busy lives

By Professor Tara Bogota & Dr. Josh Palgi Mindfulness is maintaining a moment by moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and surrounding environment thought a gentle nurturing lens. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founding father of secular mindfulness, described this skill as ‘being alive and knowing it’. When we are practicing mindfulness our thoughts tune into what we are sensing in the present moment rather than rehearsing the past or imagining the future.

Though it has its roots in Buddhist meditation, a secular practice of mindfulness has entered the American mainstream in recent years, in par though the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn and his mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) program, which he launched at the University of Massachusetts school in 1979.

Since that time, many studies have documented the benefits of mindfulness which has inspired programs to adapt the MBSR model for schools, prisons, hospitals, veterans centers and beyond.

Just like playing an instrument or learning a new skill, mindfulness takes practice. Once incorporated into one’s life the benefits are numerous and in fact, many physical and psychological issues today are being treated with mindfulness practices.

There are many ways to practice mindfulness. Some of the most common techniques are ■■ Mindful breathing – One of the simplest exercises is mindful breathing. Simply spend a few minutes focusing your awareness on the movement of your thoughts and your breath in and out, without trying to change them in any way.

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Body scan – While seated or lying down, gradually focus your attention on one body part at a time, noticing any physical sensations without judging or reacting to them.

A typical body scan might start with the soles of the feet and then progressively move awareness to the knees, hips, back, belly, chest, neck, and head.

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Mindful eating – This exercise involves eating very slowly and deliberately while paying attention to the sensations of holding the item, smelling, tasting, chewing, and swallowing it.

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Loving kindness meditation – An exercise in which you direct positive thoughts and wishes first to yourself, then to your close family and friends, then to more distant acquaintances, and finally to all humanity.

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Mindful movement – While walking or moving, pay close attention to your breathing, your body movements, and your surroundings. You can also practice mindfulness while doing familiar exercises, such as yoga, focusing on the physical sensations as you enter and hold each pose.

Living in this busy, hyper connected world we live in it is all too easy to lose ourselves

in autopilot for much of the day. Ever drive your car to a destination and not really remember anything about the trip?

Or sat down at the TV with a bag of chips and then suddenly notice nothing is left in the bag? Most of us have! We are often so distracted or absorbed in our wandering mind mode that we are simply not fully in the moment. So what’s the harm in living life with our head in the clouds you ask? Research shows that the more our minds wander, the less happy we are. We also become vulnerable to anxiety, stress, depression and reactivity.

From a scientific standpoint, mindfulness through the practice of meditation has been found to reduce stress through lengthening our telomeres, which are the protective caps on the body’s chromosomes that shorten and lengthen in response to Photo by Creative Commons our psychology and environment. Based on Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn’s research, scientists now link shortened telomere length with an increased risk of health problems.

Besides stress reduction here are some other benefits of mindfulness practices: ■■ Improves mood – Mindfulness training may reduce depression and anxiety.

One study found that mindfulness training was as effective as antidepressant medications in preventing a depression relapse.

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Improves confidence and emotional resilience

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Improves coping with pain –People with chronic pain who practice mindfulness meditation report less severe pain and pain-related distress. They are also more active in spite of their pain.

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Improves brain functions – Practicing mindfulness helps build your ability to pay attention and focus. Over time, this training can sharpen memory and improve mental performance.

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Helps with weight management – Some mindfulness techniques have been shown to reduce overeating and obesity.

Attention to mindfulness is now a significant focus for people seeking an improved life. The popularity of these practices has grown enormously as more holistic approach to health and wellness are being embraced in the west.

What is even better is that a mindfulness practice can be done anywhere, anytime and you do not need to buy anything. It does require practice and patience. Consistency and commitment is key to reaping the benefits of mindfulness even if it is just a few minutes daily. When we can live our lives from a place of awareness and with clarity and calm not only can we improve the relationship with ourselves and others but also the world around us.

Professor Tara Bogota & Dr. Josh Palgi are in the School of Health and Human Performance

Everything ends and it’s always sad EIC says goodbye to The Tower

By Joshua Rosario I spent my early 20’s coasting through life behind the counter of a supermarket intoxicated on my own misery. When I came here at 26 years old, I was trying to catch up and find a standard of life expected for someone my age with only mapquest to find my way.

I didn’t know what I wanted from my education. I didn’t know what I was doing with myself. I was like a kid with a lost dog, putting up signs that said “ Have you seen my future?”

I got lucky one day and stumbled into a intro to journalism class taught by Professor Lois DeSocio. She gave me something I never got from most classes. She was able to create this interest and fascination I couldn’t find in anything else. After her class that semester, I changed my major and by her suggestion I looked into The Tower.

As DeSocio inspired me to be a journalist, it was Prof. Pat Lauro who inspired me to

want to be a great journalist. Lauro turned my interest and fascination into love and passion for journalism.

I owe these two professors everything. I will never be able to pay them back for what they have given me throughout my time here at Kean. I hope I can make them proud as I pursue my career. Thank you for everything.

I am thankful for all the editor in chiefs before me and how I have learned from their leadership styles. I couldn’t have had the success I have had without Rose Marie Kitchen, Sara Ridgeway, and Rebecca Panico.

Thank you! Especially, for the check-in text to see how I was doing.

Thank you to my editorial staff! You guys are the greatest team I have had the opportunity to work with ever. You are more than colleagues, you are my friends. I will miss seeing you all the time and I will just miss you. Thank you for your efforts, the laughs, and the vent sessions. Please never lose touch. You are some of the best people I know and I am better for knowing you.

To the entire staff, I hope you all continue to keep The Tower as the success we were able to create together. Working at The Tower is hard, but I promise you it is all worth it. I hope you find the same joy and build the same wonderful friendships I did at The Tower. Good luck and thank you.

To the incoming editor in chief and my friend, Craig Epstein, I know you will do nothing but great things running The Tower.

If you need anything I am only one call away.

Even if you just need to vent.

There’s not a moment I have spent here that I would change. I have never worked harder than ever before and have never been so passionate. I will always remember my time at Kean University and The Tower as a pleasurable life changing experience. One that will shape me for years to come.

No matter what the future has planned for me, I just hope I can make everyone proud.

Thank you! Thank you for helping me reach a place where I can finally feel like I am not just drifting along. Thank you for giving me a chance to prove I am more than I ever thought I was. Thank you for giving me the hope I didn’t have for myself.

This moment is bittersweet and I hate to say goodbye. Thank you to all those who read The Tower. You have brought me great joy. Those who have reached out and have discussed the articles we have done at The Tower have really touched my soul.

To quote my favorite sci-fi character, The Doctor, “Everything ends and it’s always sad, but everything begins again, too. And that’s always happy. Be happy.”

Thank you to all those who read The Tower.