The Tower October 2021

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Jaqueline Town’s Legacy at Kean University

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

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE: The Spotted Lanternfly

By Davaughnia Wilson The Spotted Lanternfly infestation has sparked investigative research and experiment across the state of New Jersey, including the biology department at Kean University.

The research is being conducted by the assistant professor for integrative biology in the biology department, Dr. Brenna Levine, and a group of student interns to understand

how the Spotted Lanternflies are spreading by sequencing their DNA. “As you can see, they are everywhere,” said Dr. Levine. “So it is incumbent upon us as scientists to understand a bit about how they are dispersing and how they are behaving to see if there is information that we can provide to management agencies.”

Dr. Levine is a molecular ecologist that uses genetic tools and markers to understand how the wild population of animals is interacting,

“These bugs don't sting, they don't bite, they're perfectly safe to handle. So anyone who wants to get involved in this study can do exactly what we are doing and bring those samples to us.”

Photo by Professor Edgley

Bag filled with spotted lanternflies

Photo By Davaughnia Wilson

WANTED: Dead or Alive

What Would You Do? With Kean P.U.L.S.E.

By Mallory Helmes They say kindness is contagious but does it truly spread quickly?

On September 14, Kean Programming for Unique and Lively Student Experience (P.U.L.S.E), a student-run event planning organization, decided to put this saying to the test.

When Maria Irvin, a junior studying communications in media and film and vice president of KeanTV, was walking back to her car to leave for the day, she noticed a group

of students drop a bunch of papers on the ground.

She immediately ran over to help and was surprised to learn that they had dropped their papers on purpose. The students told her that they were celebrating “Act of Kindness Day” and rewarded her for her kindness with a notepad, marker, and a phone wallet with the Kean University logo on it.

Irvin took her rewards and walked away, consumed with confusion and happiness.

“I felt like I was on the show What Would You Do? And I was just waiting for John

“They say kindness is contagious but does it truly spread quickly?”

Photo by Fabiana Soto-Gallego

Student in MSC helps Kean P.U.L.S.E students pick up fallen papers

Quiñones to come out and ask me all about what had just happened,” said Irvin.

Ironically enough Fabiana Soto-Gallego, member and coordinator for Kean P.U.L.S.Es’ Global Cultural Civic National Events (GCCN), and Katherine Pujols member and assistant coordinator for GCCN, said that John Quiñones was a part of the inspiration for this social experiment.

“We were searching ideas for events and we found out about Kindness Day and we were like let’s build off of that and then I remembered that guy, John Quiñones, who’s always like ‘What would you do?’ and I was like we can be John Quiñones and so that’s kind of how the idea built into this like, what would you do in this situation event,” said Soto-Gallego.

According to Soto-Gallego, it was decided that if a student continued on page 6

behaving, and evolving.

She specializes in invasive species, those that have been brought to an area where they are not supposed to be, and in this case, the spotted lanternfly.

The Spotted Lanternfly is a major agricultural pest. They cost vineyards and farms a lot of money as they feed on agriculture and kill them. They fester on plants leaving a sap and

kills them from the inside out.

According to the Spotted Lanternfly home page under the Department of Agriculture on nj.gov, “spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula, is an invasive planthopper native to China, India, and Vietnam; it is also established in South Korea, Japan, and the U.S.” The Spotted Lanternfly was discovered continued on page 7

Back on Campus: Something to Celebrate or Something to Be Concerned About?

By Chelsey Jaipersaud No more waking up five minutes before class starts to log onto our Zoom meeting from bed. No more staying in pajamas all day. No more frequent drives to Starbucks or making full meals in the middle of class. And no more staying in the comfort of our own homes.

We’re now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Waking up early, deciding on an outfit, commuting in traffic, spending money on gas, and running late to class.

Fresh sneakers, new clothes, a backpack filled with notebooks that aren’t bent at the edge, new colorful pens for note taking, and let’s not forget the most important thing, a clean mask.

Kean students are back on campus and pressing play on what has been paused since the start of the pandemic. As students refocus and get back “on the grind” after an eventful year and a half there are many mixed feelings stirring.

“There was definitely some anxiety and I did have some readjustment issues going back and living on campus,” Kean student Tanvi Tandan said.

According to EmblemHealth’s official website under health and wellness, a lack of in person communication became the norm and with the increased technology use and strict safety guidelines, this isolation became the breeding ground for social anxiety.

For many students, the

“I think a lot of the anxiety came from people not wanting to leave their comfort zone,” Psychology professor Charles Brown said.

Photo by Kean University Website

Students in class

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October, 2021

Cougar Connections Helps Support Students Basic Needs

By Isaiah Joseph New Kean social work department helps connect students to helpful services inside and out of campus.

Every semester you are introduced to new people, experiences, relationships, and connections to help you tackle the obstacles you face as students, so you can walk on stage with a diploma in your hand.

Sometimes these obstacles are great

graduation a lot easier by providing inside and outside services to support students in need of housing, food, clothing, mental health and family crisis etc.

Not everyone has it the best while attending school. Many students go through these struggles when their basic needs aren’t met.

According to The Socioeconomic Status Indicator, “more than a 1/3 of students in the United States lack enough to eat and

Photo by Kean University Social Works

Ericka Charles, Director of Cougar Connections Center of Social Work

Scam Emails Targeting Kean Students

By Andrey Nalbantov Kean University students have been on the receiving end of a series of scam emails sent that began this past Spring and has continued into the Fall '21 semester.

The perpetrators disguise their emails as if they are being officially sent out by Kean's Office of Computer & Information Services (OCIS). The emails are made to look like official university documents to make students believe that they are important matters and should be taken care of immediately.

The main purpose of scam emails everywhere is for hackers to obtain personal information such as login credentials, credit card information, and potentially bank account details.

By clicking the link often provided with phishing emails, students are asked to enter their login credentials to verify account information. Once that information is used in the fake website, the account names and passwords fall into the hands of hackers.

To spot scam emails, there are a couple of things a Kean student should look for. As a starter are the links provided inside. For example, “tinyurl.com” or “bit.ly”.

According to Kathryn Zawodniak, a Desktop Support Student Technician from OCIS, no official entity from Kean would use those because they have their own website.

Another red flag for potential scam mail is the email address used.

“Addresses that look right at a glance but aren’t when you look closely,” said Zawodniak.

Such as name.kean.edu@gmail.com instead of name@kean.edu.

Photo by Kean’s Twitter

OCIS’s logo

Photo by Andrey Nalbantov

An example of a scam email

“You've probably never heard of a "Kean ID" expiring – because it doesn't,” Zawodniak said.

“Cougar Connections is a safe place to secure basic needs for all students and to ensure all students belong.”

Photo by Kean University website

Kean map showing where the OCIS office is

Photo by Kean University Social Works

Different types of services they connect students with

enough to stop you in your tracks and this game we call life finally gets the upper hand on us. Students who go through this don't have to fight this problem alone.

Cougar Connection, a new department at Kean, is here to help you make the path to

stable housing.”

When it comes to your lack of nutrition it can have an effect on your mental health and disrupt your way of learning. Students develop these food insecurities when they continued on page 6

Students also should look out for poorly edited messages filled with factually incorrect information. In some cases, the fake emails sent out would not make any sense, like the expiration of an account for example.

“You've probably never heard of a "Kean ID" expiring – because it doesn't,” said Zawodniak.

An example of a recent scam email attempting information theft was the conspicuous “Restriction placed on your Cash App” on Sep 8. The scammers were pretending as mentioned earlier to be OCIS Support.

The email included a link where Kean students would gain “access” back to their Cash App accounts. This fake email was sent out to faculty too. Some students who do not even have a Cash App account also received this same exact email because usually scams are sent to large numbers of people at the

same time.

Here comes the question: What should a student do if they have opened a link and inserted their information in a potentially fraudulent website? As a starter, you should immediately contact OCIS and report the issue.

“We often take proactive measures to disable accounts that may have been compromised,” said Zawodniak.

Additionally, the affected student should immediately change their password and remove any unfamiliar devices that might have been signed into their account. An extra measure that can be considered is changing the passwords of other accounts in possession of the same student in case the passwords are the same. continued on page 6

Back on Campus: Something to Celebrate or Something to Be Concerned About? continued from Cover

most communication they encountered was at work Rashaad Couloote are just happy to be back and had a or during remote sessions. smooth transition back to in-person classes.

Those who already struggle with anxiety and social “It is nice to see a lot of people in person. I’ve exposure are now taking steps backwards rather adjusted back into the swing of things almost than forwards. The pandemic left a door open for immediately so the change from remote to in person students to go back to their comfort zones and avoid wasn’t rough for me,” Couloote said. socialization as a whole.

Being back at school may actually be helping the “I think a lot of the anxiety came from people not mental health of some students and keeping them wanting to leave their comfort zone,” Psychology motivated for what is to come. In person classes are professor Charles Brown said. allowing students to get back on track and find ways Brown further explained that because people got to rebuild their social skills. so comfortable with their lives during the pandemic, “Sure there is stress of commuting and parking, they almost don’t want to leave behind that lifestyle but I feel as if I’m able to use class as an escape and and the comfort that comes from it. being involved with different clubs and organizations According to the Centers for Disease Control and allows me to be with different people and simply have Prevention, loneliness was associated with higher fun with life,” said Supply Chain major, Michael Rado. rates of anxiety. For some students their anxiety and Photo by Kean University Website Being face to face with people has a bigger impact Students with masks on campus stress levels being back on campus have heightened. than seeing someone through a screen. Going back School environments typically provide a multitude to in person classes may be an opportunity for students to nearly 300,000 cases, meaning the risk of contracting covid of opportunities for social exposure, especially for those who get more involved.

Students have been at home for nearly 18 was greater, almost everything was shut down, and they had no struggle with making friends or interacting with people. Due months and because of that, they now might take advantage of choice but to stay home. to the pandemic students were forced into a box with limited campus clubs and activities.

“Socialization is a big part of our lives because of the society interaction with close friends and loved ones.

“I think that it’s a big plus getting back onto campus, getting we live in, we live in a society where we do a lot of things The CDC tracked the number of covid cases from 2020 and us all back to a place where we can communicate face to face,” together,” Brown said. into 2021. Just this past week there were 106,794 new cases.

During the time where most students were remote, there were On a more positive note, some students such as Biology major Brown said.

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Author and poet Elizabeth Acevedo celebrates The Poet X at Kean’s Common Read

By L.K. Mata Cuevas Dominican-American writer and author, Elizabeth Acevedo, visited Kean University as part of Hispanic Heritage Month and Kean’s Common Read where all first year students read the same book. This year’s book was Acevedo’s The Poet X. Acevedo, a poet, New York Times bestselling author and first woman of color to win the UK’s famous Carnegie Medal, participated in a series of activities on Sept. 29 that

accompanied her in a 45-minute Q & A session at the Miron Center’s Little Theatre.

“Good afternoon, I am super-hyped to be here!” Acevedo said. “This is my first in-person event since February of 2020, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but Kean.”

Acevedo’s excitement was equally shared and expressed by the students, who started the session asking her about personal motives and why to add entries from her own diaries into her narrative while writing The Poet X. “Using some of my own journal helped me

Photo by Kean News

Poet X poster

included a reading from her famous book at Wilkin Theatre. But first, faculty and students

kind of calibrate what was the language I was using when I was 15, 16?” she said. “What

was the feeling that I had? What was the way I thought about my mother, about my body, about the world?”

Of course, she made sure the students understood that, even though she found inspiration in her own experiences, the story was not necessary about her.

“People often imagine that this is autobiographical and they’re like – oh, she just uses a different name, like it’s the same person,” she asserted.

“But I wish I was Xiomara when I was a young person. To me she is an alterego of all the bravery I wish I had possessed.”

Such transparent answers and jokes about “how personal and spicy” they were getting with their questions left the audience in awe during that moment of her visit.

Valerie Allen, an English K-12 TSD (teaching students with disabilities) major, couldn’t hide her excitement about having the chance to be there Photo by L.K. Mata and meet her after being exposed Acevedo at Miron’s Theater to her literature by a professor’s and animated. recommendation.

Finally, a reception was held at the Human “What I learned about Elizabeth Acevedo is Rights Institute for Acevedo. Students didn’t that she is just dynamic,” Allen said. “From all hesitate to follow and hoped to get some of that I’ve learned so far, nothing was going to their books signed, some pictures and perhaps stop me from coming here today.” The junior exchange some words with her. and twice honor student said. “I wanted to As was the case for Special education major, hear her up close and personal and get some Jainin Plasencia, who was all smiles after wisdom from her.”

After the intimate session, Acevedo moved getting her to sing her book and meet her to Wilkins Theater, with capacity for a larger closely for a couple of minutes. group of students. The reading was held for “I think her writing it’s been life changing almost an hour and half and by 4.30p.m for me,” Plasencia said. “So, being able to see students were leaving the place, visibly thrilled

continued on page 6

I Relive The Storm When Heavy Rain Falls

By Davaughnia Wilson The first day of school was like no other this year as Tropical Storm Ida charged through causing floods, unexpected traffic, uprooted trees, devastation, fright, and canceled classes.

Students, faculty, and staff were caught in the storm, and most of them had to either drive home or spend the night on campus either with a friend or alone in Bartlett Hall, a residence hall on campus.

Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency Wednesday night as Tropical Storm Ida battered the state, causing flooding and power outages.

While students were concerned about their own safety, some were more concerned about the safety of their loved ones.

DeSean Carter, a commuter student majoring in Business Management explained that he was more concerned about the safety of his dad that had to drive home to Rahway from Elizabeth.

“The last thing I wanted was for him to be stuck somewhere in traffic in the middle of the night, or for him to be in his car submerged in water,” said Carter. “I was just concerned about him making it home safely, I knew I would be fine, I just didn’t know his state.”

Brianna Crenshaw, a Junior majoring in Forensic Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice, explained that she works on campus and after her shift ended at 8 pm, she was stranded in her car because H u tc h i n s o n’s parking lot was flooded.

“I was extremely anxious as it had been my first flood that I’ve ever really encountered,” said Crenshaw. “I was concerned about my safety and my car because the water was rising so quickly and the rain was not supposed to stop anytime soon.”

Crenshaw said that her car was parked on a high slope and her position allowed her to see other cars trying to make it out of the parking lot.

“It was almost as if the storm a few weeks ago gave me PTSD.”

“Some made it through but most turned around once they realized the water was too high. As the night went on the water kept rising and moving towards the outskirts of the parking lot,” said Crenshaw.

After receiving several flash flood warnings on her cellphone, she was concerned about going home but she didn’t think much of it until the heavy rains and floods started.

An email sent that night by university relations read, “All classes are canceled tonight, effective immediately, due to flooding on campus.

Photo by Brianna Crenshaw In addition, all day and Uprooted Tree by the Center for Academic Success evening classes will be canceled tomorrow, sent later that night titled, ‘Shelter available Thursday, September 2 due to cleanup efforts. at Bartlett Hall for those unable to leave Foodservice will be available for residential campus.’ That email stated, “Faculty, staff, students.” and students currently at Kean who cannot Crenshaw was relieved when an email was continued on page 7

Jacqueline Town’s Legacy at Kean University

By Dorian Alerte Mrs. Jacqueline Towns was a mother, wife, and friend to many, and now her legacy will live on at Kean University. It was announced on June 21, 2021 that the Kean University

East Campus basketball court would be newly resurfaced and would honor the late Mrs. Towns with her name on the court. NBA AllStar Karl-Anthony Towns and his father Karl Towns Sr. visited the campus on June 21, 2021 to see the newly renovated basketball court and to meet with Kean president Dr. Lamont Repollet and Athletics Director Kelly Williams. The Edison, New

vision of what we wanted that East Campus to represent, but more important, we wanted to find time to honor his late mother who passed away to COVID.” When the COVID-19 pandemic began, one of the most notable names of people that battled the virus was Jacqueline Towns. In an Instagram post on March 25, 2020, Towns updated his followers on the condition of

ways to honor his late mother, through Instagram posts and by reserving a seat with a jersey that donned her name.

Not only was the court dedicated to the late Mrs. Towns, a women’s empowerment series was created to identify some of the

“To see their reaction in regards of how they just were so proud to see the mom’s name, was something that I’ll never forget.”

Photo by Kean University

Karl Towns Sr. (Left) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Right) pictured with the name of Jacqueline Towns

Jersey natives were blown away with the way that the basketball court looked.

“Karl and his family could have picked any university in the country, and they picked Kean University,” Williams said.

“Based upon our meeting with them, we were able to lay out a

his mother and posted it with the caption “WE CAN BEAT THIS, BUT THIS IS SERIOUS AND WE NEED TO TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION.” Due to complications with the virus, Mrs. Towns passed away in April 2020.

Karl, his family, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have found different

Photo by Kean University

Jacqueline Towns Court

continued on page 7

4 THE TOWER

October, 2021

Students Revive Spanish Heritage Event at Kean University

By Rosney Herrera

everything from Espanol to rock to Salsa.

As noted by the director of the Latin Pop “Music is the medicine of the soul”, was performances, some of the most popular the description on the 4th episode of the Latin Pop records have remained steadfast Hispanic Heritage Month 2021. The Latin through natural disasters, famine, war, and American culture is usually incorporated in military dictatorships and are still felt today a ceremony, whether small or big. The music even in the face of passing trends.

The Salsa performance came second. This is one of the most popular and best-known genres of Hispanic music. The Salsa performances were breathtaking, and it was amazing to watch as the young men and women moved gracefully with the music like their bodies had not a single bone. That was the beauty of it: the dancers and the singers doing their thing as if they could read each other’s minds as they performed.

The Salsa performance was closed with a touch of Cuban contemporary Salsa, known as timba. The music involves a fast tempo and a robust AfroCuban effect whose work usually takes a more traditional rhumba structure. It started slowly but later picked the typical Salsa rhythm having a call-response vocal.

For this final event, the Bachata, the performers staged Photo by Kean University a great performance of Borracho Via Kean University’s Instagram Page de Amor,” Calderon’s first song, produced in 1962. They blended aspects of son with bolero, the Pan-Latin of Hispanics is laden with history, passion, American style, and its jocular singing legend, oppression, country, love, and many traditions.

The performance was so good other themes. the audience asked the students to do it Music was the focus of the 4th episode of again.

However, rather than the traditional the Hispanic Heritage Month 2021, held at maracas and nylon-stringed Spanish guitars, the Latin Patio at the Miron Student Center the students used guitars and electric steel (MSC) Patio, on September 21, 2021, at 6 strings common with bands like Aventura p.m. Sponsored by Kean PULSE, the event and Monchy Alexandra. featured performances of certain popular, The music was brought to a close with the longstanding genres of traditional Hispanic performance of Merengue, another music music, including Latin Pop, Salsa, and genre believed to have originated from the Bachata.

Dominican Republic and whose history goes The Latin Pop performance was first on the as far back as the 19th Century. While this list, and it involved several students (some was not part of the program, it was “one of not Hispanic) giving a thrilling performance the liveliest performances of the day,” said adorning the Puerto Rican flag. The students Ms. Ethel Eady Thomas, ESL professor. performed a set laden with Spanish and The 4th edition of the Hispanic Heritage English songs, skillfully showing how Month 2021 could not end without games. thorough Latin music has been taking center The attendees were treated to an assortment stage globally.

Latin Pop is always changing, borrowing of fun games.

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“Music is the language of the soul.”

EDITOR IN CHIEF: CINDY LAZO NEWS EDITOR: CHELSEY JAIPERSAUD FEATURES EDITOR: DAVAUGHNIA WILSON SPORTS EDITOR: DORIAN ARLERTE ONLINE EDITOR/ SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: LENNY K. MATA SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: MALLORY HELMES REPORTERS ANDREY NALBANTOV

ROSNEY HERRERA

CHRISTIAN GRULLÓN

RUBEN NIVEVES

HARMONY SANCHEZ

TYRA WATTS

HECTOR MORALES

VICTORIA CIFELLI

ISAIAH JOSEPH

JALEN GAYNOR

MICHAEL LABELLA

JULIA STRUGALA

ROBERT GREENE

ANTHONY REYNA

OPINION PIECES AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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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.

New Happenings in Greek Life

By Harmony Sanchez Kean’s Greek Senate recently hosted their annual Greek Conference on September 11th.

After feeling somewhat overlooked by Kean, many members of the Greek community took the opportunity to voice their concerns about the lack of support from administration at

expressed at the conference that the administration does not support or promote Greek Life and instead promotes other areas of involvement.

“Greek Life at Kean University needs to be shown to our students in different aspects of the University.” said Tatiana Diaz, Vice President of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin

“Promotion and advertisement for our Greek students through other non-Greek organizations and departments is needed.”

Diaz said. “Our leadership and services can be utilized in our many departments just like other clubs.”

Since the conference, plenty of changes are in the works for Greek Life. According to the

“Meet the Greeks was a successful event.

Harwood was filled with many students and saw what Greek Life has to offer.” Said Diaz.

Numerous Greek Life members and students on campus were excited to experience Greek life again. Harwood Arena was filled with prospective interests, students, and faculty.

“Greek Life at Kean University needs to be shown to our students in different aspects of the University.” said Tatiana Diaz, Vice President of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.

Photo by Harmony Sanchez

Greeks at Open House

this year’s conference.

“Some concerns brought up at the Greek Conference were the lack of utilization of Greeks for University events such as Open house and not advertising Greek life as much as other groups at Kean University such as athletics, clubs, and student groups.” Greek Senate Vice President of Multicultural Affairs and Community Service Natalia Muñoz said.

Many members of Greek organizations

Sorority, Inc. Numerous members of Greek organizations hold multiple different leadership positions on campus within many departments and organizations such as Residential Student Services, the Center for Leadership and Service, and Kean’s Leadership Institute.

However, Greek Members who work on campus are not allowed to wear their Greek Letter Paraphernalia in the office.

Division of Student Affairs at Kean, Greek life will be incorporated into Kean’s Open house for prospective new students.

“Student affairs has started to incorporate Greek Life a little more by inviting Greek Senate to table at an open house. This helped prospective students learn about the different Greek letter organizations and what Greek Life has to offer.” Muñoz said.

This past Thursday, September 23rd, Greek Senate hosted their semi-annual Meet the Greeks at Harwood Arena. Enthusiasm filled the air as Members from each Greek Organization showed off their pride with performances including strolling, saluting, and stepping on stage.

Kean University’s Greek Senate hosts the event to showcase Greek Life organizations and to help fundraise for Kean Dance Marathon, an annual fundraiser held by Kean for the Children’s Specialized Hospital.

“Meet the Greeks went really well! It was great to see the Greek Community united once again after a year and a half of being remote” Muñoz said.

At the most recent Open House this past Saturday September 25th, members from Greek Organizations Delta Phi Epsilon (Sorority), Nu Sigma Phi (Fraternity), Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated, Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity, Inc, and Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. were in attendance.

In efforts to continue supporting Greek Life, Student Affairs will also be adding a railing around the Greek Rock Garden near the new soccer field, as well as a mural will be showcased in the Cougar’s Den. Additionally, Student affairs is also adding Greek Letter flags to the light poles on Cougar Walk, and new banners for each Greek organization in the Miron Student Center Atrium.

October, 2021

THE TOWER 5

Homecoming Is Back With Plenty of Activities

By Jalen Gaynor Homecoming is officially returning for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Kean’s festive event is returning in full force with games, prizes, and many other fun activities from Oct 11-15.

“Yes, we will have a Homecoming Weekend but not only weekend, we have the whole week full of different activities and events for students to participate in,” said Jason Pleitez, Executive Board President of Student Organization. “We know that students are excited to be back in person and that they also missed out on a lot in the past 3 semesters during the COVID-19 pandemic. They want to experience different events and that is why we want to go all out in our programming events.”

Homecoming activities will take place over the course of a week and include carnival games, food, and a musical act that will be announced at a later date.

During spirit week, students will also be encouraged to dress up in different attire including their class colors, movie or tv show characters, and as twins with friends.

Sept. 1 marked not just the beginning of the Fall 2021 semester, but the transition back to in-person classes after a year’s worth of virtual classes that began back in March 2020.

“Being Student Government President has been a valuable experience that I am excited to carry on for the academic year. This is a unique year since this is our return back to campus since the beginning of the pandemic.

The past few weeks, I have been able to connect with students I haven’t encountered for over a year and a half in addition to meeting the sophomore class who was virtual for an entire year as well as our new freshman class,” Pleitez said.

Many students can relate to Pleitez’s comments, as many have been unable to interact with several of their classmates over the past year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pleitez understands that he plays an important role in helping the university to regain some sense of normalcy.

“All of us are coming back to some sense

“We have the whole week full with different activities and events for students to participate in,” Jason Pleitez said.

Photo by Cougarsbyte

Executive Board President of Student Organization Jason Pleitez

Photo taken from Jason Pleitez campaign Instagram page @jp.prez

Jason Pleitez and President Lamont Repollet, Ed.D.

of normalcy on campus. Just like we had to adjust to the virtual environment, we now have to adjust with this new norm. I am excited to play this important role during the first semester back on campus because this is our time to rebuild. With all the events that took place this past year and a half around the world, we need to be unified more now than ever,” Pleitez said.

Pleitez was open, but hopeful about how difficult it has been for himself and the rest of the staff and students to adjust to the new

Photo by Kean University Official Website

Kean University Mascot

normal with the protocols put in place by the university.

“It has been difficult to adjust, as it has been for me personally. But we are grateful for the science and vaccines which have allowed us to return to some sense of normalcy. The university has kept safety as their number one priority as they rely on state and federal officials to determine university protocols,” Pleitez said.

There are many events being planned for the semester that may cause excitement.

Pleitez reassured that Vice-President of Programming, Yessica Jimenez is currently working on upcoming events for the academic year.

With the return of on-campus events, there might be students who feel hesitant as the pandemic is on-going, but Pleitez says that he has been active on social media and uses an Instagram account to stay connected with students.

What’s new at Kean University?

By Tyra Watts This semester marks the return of staff and students on campus for the first time since the shut down in March 2020 and Kean University has made efforts to enhance the learning environment for students.

The campus has been going through a tough transition due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it did not stop them from making changes to ensure safety for staff and students.

There have been many updates to existing buildings, as well as entirely new buildings such as Hynes Hall, home of the College of Business and Public Management.

Hynes Hall, located behind the Shoppes at Vermella, is named after Jim Hynes, Kean 1963 alumni, and his wife, Carole.

Chen Meng Ph.D., a new faculty member at Kean in the Economics department, had a lot to say about Hynes Hall.

“Generally speaking, I really like it here,” said Meng. “Before I came to this job, I worked at Boston University. The environment is new and clean, so I think those two places are comparable.”

Meng stated that the facilities in the classroom are easy to use and things are going quite smoothly. It is easy for her to reach

out to other faculty members and easy for students to meet their professors during office hours.

On the main campus, the George Hennings Research wing has been added to the Dorothy and George Hennings College of Science, Mathematics, and Technology. The research wing is named after the late George Hennings, who was a science professor at Kean.

As for the campus, there have been some major yet efficient updates to help with the health and safety of its staff and students. In every classroom, there is a sanitation station for everyone to use. It consists of a paper towel dispenser and disinfectant spray. There is also Plexiglass installed in each classroom for instructors.

In campus buildings, there are temperature check spots for staff and students to use and Brita Hydration Stations as an alternative for water fountains that are no longer in service.

Overall, Kean University is doing what it can do to get the campus back into its normal state.

Even though there is a long way to go in terms of the pandemic, it is only the beginning for Kean University and its students and faculty.

“Generally speaking, I really like it here,” Meng said.

Photo by Tyra Watts

Hynes Hall Building

Photo by Tyra Watts

George Hennings Research Lab Room

Photo by Tyra Watts

Cougars Care Temperature Check station in CAS building

Photo by Tyra Watts

Brita Hydration station in CAS building

6 THE TOWER

October, 2021

What Would You Do? With Kean P.U.L.S.E. continued from Cover

Photo by Maria Irvin

Irvin’s rewards

would help a P.U.L.S.E member, then they would be deemed as kind and receive rewards like phone chargers and face masks.

If students did not help, they would move on and attempt the test again. They also decided to give out rewards to students who they saw or heard doing something kind that day.

Soto-Gallego and Pujols, while excited about this social experiment, admitted to being nervous about how this experiment would be received by students.

“We were definitely nervous just because you never really know how the students are going to react to an event. There’s always someone who might get offended or something might go wrong so there are a lot of angles that go into it...so it was like either this event is going to go really well or it’s going to flop and just not happen,” said Soto-Gallego.

Luckily for the organization though most of their results led to the actions of students being kind and helping them when they dropped their papers. They also felt like the experiment was successful in yielding the most honest results because most students were unaware of the social experiment that they were conducting.

When asked about their best and worst reactions the two students immediately turned to each other giving each other a look that signified that they both had the same answers in mind.

The students said the best reaction of the day happened in the Miron Student Center (MSC) near Auntie Anne's and SmashBurger.

They explained that a woman had her hands full with a variety of things while also speaking on the phone. It was then that Pujols fell dropping her papers everywhere and the woman with her hands already full immediately bent down to help Pujols with picking up

the papers while also dropping some of the things that she was holding in her hands.

“It was just an immediate getting down, picking everything up and helping Kat out,” said Soto-Gallego.

“And then we ended up giving her the prize and all of that and she had said that we made her day and she was just like smiling from ear to ear just by the fact that we had given her something and she hugged us and she thanked us. That was the best reaction that we got.”

The worst reaction occurred when they were walking by the clock tower on campus. Soto-Gallego explained that she had genuinely fallen on the ground during this encounter, sending her papers flying everywhere, when a group of four girls heading straight towards her broke off into two pairs each and walked completely around her ignoring her altogether.

“It was literally like the parting of the sea like I was literally in the middle and they just went around,” said Soto-Gallego.

One of her co-workers was so shocked by the actions of the girls that she ran up to them to explain the social experiment that they were conducting and how they should have helped. The girls “were like yeah, no, and continued to walk away,” said Soto-Gallego.

Some bad reactions, though, weren't enough to deter the two students and they said their organization definitely wanted to do more social experiments like this one in the future. Their end goals were to get students involved and spread awareness about being kind to others; a goal that definitely made it into the net.

“I think there’s definitely kind people on campus. I think the more we celebrate that, the more it’s going to spread,” said Soto-Gallego.

Author and poet Elizabeth Acevedo celebrates The Poet X at Kean’s Common Read continued from page 3

her and talk to her about how much her works have meant to me was really an amazing experience. I’m so glad I got to go to this event.

Even though Acevedo and The Poet X have been widely acclaimed because of the way it reaches young adults and the power of its prose in regard to nowadays social issues, that hasn’t stopped a more conservative or religious side of society to speak against.

In late 2020, Charlotte Observer reported that a couple from North Carolina sued their son’s school, Lake Norman Charter School in Huntersville, asking federal courts to remove Acevedo’s laureate book from the school’s reading list.

The parents alleged that Xiomara’s reflections about religion were an assault on Christianity and a violation of the First Amendment.

However, the academic staff at Kean University consider the reading of this book as an opportunity for the students to think about others’ circumstances. In a statement for Kean News, Kean President Lamont O. Repollet explained that the “shared reading experience will open a dialogue and help build community on campus.”

Tamara Hart, a General Education professor, said that beyond its importance for inclusiveness, equality and diversity, it is also important for students to see more of the reality of their lives in what they read.

“It’s important to read work from writers who are contemporary and currently active in the world of literature,

who are talking about issues that are important and timely in our current socio-political climate.” Professor Hart said.

Acevedo recognized the glories of winning and accepting awards changes everything. She defends her work and characters like Xiomara by growing and evolving with her audience, regardless of the success her book has achieved and how it can be perceived.

“I don’t want to make what people want me to make… so, I got to disappoint a lot of people because I’m making things that I hope people didn’t even know they wanted,” the author continued. “I don’t ever want to write for the market or what I’m being told people want.”

In a statement made, exclusively for The Tower, Acevedo talked about the reason why it is expected women of color to behave and contain or modify their thoughts and ideas.

“I think the way that intersectionality it’s particularly treated it in the United Stated, that if you are a woman, and a woman of color, or poor or queer, you have all these intersections kind of working against you; in terms of how power puts other people on a pedestal or will give other people opportunities. Acevedo said and continued. “So, I think a lot of the silence it’s being learned because we’ve just been told that in every category, we’re inferior.”

Perhaps, that is what Elizabeth Acevedo is changing with her prose, stories, and books. How minority groups are represented in literature and what could it be if given the opportunity to grow out of prejudiced portraits.

Cougar Connections Helps Support Students Basic Needs continued from page 2

only go to campus events to find food or force themselves to skip a meal in order to save money.

Housing struggles include students that don't have enough money to pay for housing on or off campus and having to spend nights and weekends in their vehicle.

In order for students to overcome these struggles they will have to rely on a support system that can help them get through it.

Through Cougar Connections, students are introduced to the answers for all of these issues that they go through.

Erika Charles serves as the director of social work for the Cougar Connection center of social work.

She has a history of social work ranging from service in the mental health and K-12 educational settings and prior to joining Kean University.

Charles provided mental health services to at-risk populations at Rutgers Health, formerly The University of Behavioral Healthcare in residential programming, crisis intervention and stabilization, and school-based youth services.

She explains and talks about why her department is essential to student success and how it is able to help the students on campus fulfill their basic needs.

“Being able to support students when they are in need of help is why we are here.”

Charles said.

When asked about the methods she used she explains in a very passionate and heartfelt tone about the rundown of her role and how she helps around campus.

Photo by @acevedowrites

Headshot

Kean’s Students View on Texas’ Ban on Abortion

By Harmony Sanchez

Charles tells us that her job here at Kean is to ensure a safe environment/place where students can feel welcomed and focused on the path of graduation.

But she didn’t say only her department was able to do that but says the connections and relationships she built with other departments on campus and even other organizations outside of it. For example a partnership with the NJ community food bank in Hillside to help provide food for students who are qualified for snap benefits.

She also talks about how she works with other departments on campus to assist students with medical issues and mental health by connecting them to other services that can support them more effectively.

“It takes a village to raise a child,” Charles said after that it is ok for students to ask for help.

Cougar Connections is a safe place to secure basic needs for all students and to ensure all students belong.

If students have any questions or want further information they can contact the Cougar Connections support team at cougarconnections@kean.edu or by phone: 908-737-0530. They are located on the second floor of the CAS building offices 224-228. “Cougars Climb Higher”

On the first day of classes here on Sept. 1, a new Texas Abortion Ban went into law some 1,800 miles away from Kean University.

Introduced earlier in March of 2021 as the Texas Heartbeat Act, the bill was signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in May of 2021, according to news outlet CNN. The law restricts abortion providers in the state of Texas from carrying out their services after six weeks of pregnancy, with the only exception being a medical emergency.

Furthermore, the new law will not be enforced by the Texas Government. Instead, citizens of the state can sue accused abortion providers to enforce the law. If their case is deemed successful, the plaintiff will receive $10,000 from the accused.

“Rape is a crime and Texas will work tirelessly that we will eliminate all rapist from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and protecting them and getting them off the streets” Texas Governor Greg Abbot emphasized in response.

Many against the bill argue that women who have been sexually assaulted or raped may suffer from the new law.

“The Texas abortion ban is opening the door to a series of unsafe abortions.”

Communications Major, Junior Delia Latini, said. “Eventually, people willing to help safely conduct abortions may be reluctant as they could be sued.”

Since the bills passed, Women’s Rights Activists and protesters from around the world have been drawn into action.

“If men have a choice on what they can do with their bodies, why can’t women have a choice?” Kean’s Senior Shelsea Araujo, said.

“Women fought for rights a long time ago just to move backwards in 2021.”

Some activists feel the bill’s passing is taking a step backwards from pivotal moments in Women’s Rights History, like Roe V. Wade “Overall, the law is putting people who are seeking out an abortion at risk and something needs to change to keep people safe” Latini continues.

However, the Texas Government seems to have other plans. Lawmakers are hoping to pass a bill that would restrict medical abortions, currently legal in Texas up to ten weeks of pregnancy.

Either way, the outcome in Texas remains to be seen.

Scam Emails Targeting Kean Students continued from page 2

How can students know if their accounts have been compromised? This can be divided into three steps.

A student should check their “Sent” tab to see if there have been any conspicuous emails sent from their email. Secondly, they should check if there are any new logged devices in

their accounts. And lastly, they should look out for any unusual name changes.

Scam emails will continue being a potential threat and Kean University students and faculty are not exempt. Knowing how to look out and protect themselves from one should be an important aspect to keep in mind.

October, 2021

THE TOWER 7

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE: The Spotted Lanternfly continued from Cover

in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 2014.

Since then, the Lanternflies have spread throughout the East Coast, infesting states such as Delaware, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, as well as West Virginia and Ohio.

In 2018 the Spotted Lanternfly was confirmed to be in New Jersey. Though it is not harmful to humans or animals, the Spotted Lanternfly is detrimental to agriculture and vegetation.

According to a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture in a NJ Advance Media, September 2021 article on nj.com, ‘These 13 N.J. counties are under spotted lanternfly quarantine. What you need to know,’ “the Spotted Lanternfly’s ability to travel and then lay egg masses at new locations has allowed it to spread over these last few years, causing increases in populations and therefore making it more visible.”

Dr. Levine explained that it is extremely important to capture the Spotted Lanternflies because, for scientists to make good inferences about the genetic connectivity of populations, it is necessary to know what population the bugs belong to.

She stated that she is working with a group of student interns to collect samples from all over. She has students collecting from vineyards and different farms and vendors across the state.

“I have collaborators at Fairleigh Dickinson and Stockton that are collecting. Just widespread collection throughout New Jersey, and we are going to see if we can understand a bit about the genetic connectivity of different populations of spotted lanternflies in the state,” said Dr. Levine.

Professor Allison Edgley partnered with Dr. Levine to collect the spotted lanternflies on campus by taking her Environmental Ethics Class on a bug hunt on Sep. 21, 2021, in which they collected a total of 190 Spotted Lanternflies.

“I gave them nets, I brought in little plastic baseball bats, I also had an electric flyswatter,” said Professor Edgley.

She added that she gave them boards that had a little map of Kean to make small dots to record where they caught the spotted lanternflies.

“That's how we kind of kept track of it.

Everyone had Baggies, gloves, hand sanitizing wipes, collection cards from the biology professor, info sheets so that way if anyone asked them what they were doing, they could

are working together to sequence the DNA of these different populations to better understand the spotted lanternflies and how they are spreading.

Photo by Davaughnia Wilson

Dr. Brenna Levine’s office door. Drop your samples here.

show them,” said Professor Edgley.

Dr. Levine stated that her favorite tool is the hand, “I know my students and I have gotten pretty good at just grabbing them, and then we just stuff them into zip lock bags.”

She urges everyone to get involved by catching the Spotted Lanternflies and putting them in a ziplock bag. Attach a piece of paper with the location, as exact as you can be, and the date they were captured.

Put the samples in the freezer and contact Dr. Levine at brlevine@kean.edu to arrange pickup.

“These bugs don't sting, they don't bite, they're perfectly safe to handle. So anyone who wants to get involved in this study can do exactly what we are doing and bring those samples to us,” said Dr. Levine.

Spotted Lanternflies found in one area might be indistinguishable from another in another area. Dr. Levine and her team

She explained that it is unknown how connected the different populations are, and as such, she can only assume that samples provided from different locations are from different populations of spotted lanternflies.

“When we sequence the DNA, and we use software to analyze that DNA, we can relate the genetic signatures that we're seeing to the location those individuals were captured, and that will really allow us to kind of overlay the landscape and geography onto the same locations,” said Dr. Levine.

The lack of a natural predator is the primary reason the Spotted Lanternflies have survived this long, explained Dr. Levine.

When a species is introduced to a novel environment in which it didn’t evolve, it is expected to survive for a very long time simply because it did not evolve with any predators.

Another reason is that the Spotted

Lanternflies have a wide variety of food sources, one being the Ailanthus Tree, the Tree of Heaven.

“It is a really important really popular ornamental and it's one that a lot of people have in their backyards,” said Dr. Levine. “We have them on campus. For example, over at Liberty Hall, there is a big adult ailanthus tree. A huge tree that you can see the bark is absolutely covered.”

Dr. Levine explained that the Spotted Lanternflies should die off as we approach winter. The adults will die, but before they do, they will lay eggs which is how they overwinter. Then in the spring, the juveniles will start to emerge.

“It's really important if people see those eggs, which you can Google pictures of what these masses look like, you scrape them off of trees and surfaces that you see them and crush what you're seeing,” said Dr. Levine.

Professor Edgley explained that she has a personal vendetta against the Spotted Lanternflies as they infested a tree in her backyard that resulted in it being cut down and removed from her yard by her landscapers.

She first reported the infestation to Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. She then found a post on Facebook, “See it Report it. Submit picture to SLFplantindustry@ag.nj.gov. She was also informed of the Spotted Lanternfly hotline 1-833-223-2840, which spells ‘badbugs0’, 1833BADBUGS0” She explained that spreading awareness of the problem is the best way to persuade the campus community to participate in capturing the bugs.

Dr. Levine explained that she and her team are hoping to attack a small portion of the giant Spotted Lanternfly problem which will hopefully assist other scientists by adding to the mountain of information being generated.

“We don't want the Spotted Lanternfly here for a variety of reasons. The first one is that it is invasive, so it is not supposed to be here, and I consider it our duty as stewards of our environment to take that step. We somehow introduced it, and we need to fix that,” said Dr. Levine.

I Relive The Storm When Heavy Rain Falls continued from page 3

Photo by Kean University’s Instagram

Classes Cancelled Due to Flooding

leave the Union campus due to flooding may take shelter in Bartlett Hall for whatever period of time is necessary, including overnight.”

She explained that she was nervous about staying in her car during a flood.

“I was afraid my car would end up getting flooded like the others,” she explained. “I was also glad because I wouldn’t have to be by myself anymore; I stayed with a friend.”

Carter had to remain on campus and he spent the night with a friend in Cougar Hall. The walk to Cougar Hall was rather treacherous as he had to wade through giant puddles that had risen up his leg.

Some however weren’t as lucky. Christian Grullon, a senior majoring in Communication was stranded at work in Menlo Park Mall and had to sleep on a chair in the food court.

Grullon explained that the majority of the mall workers had left and it was so unfortunate that he was doing the closing shift.

“By the time I closed, I couldn't get out of the mall. I take route one to get back to Carteret where I live and the roads were blocked off,” said Grullon. “They weren't even letting cars through, so I literally had no way of getting out and I ended up spending the night at the mall.”

His dad had called him to check in on him and

advised him to not risk driving home. He informed him that the roads were completely flooded and that it wasn’t safe to drive as he will not be able to see clearly or how deep the water actually is.

Grullon explained that he was very angry that the mall owners did not have storm emergency protocols in place that would allow workers to leave early.

“I was angry. I feel like they really didn't put our safety first,” said Grullon. “I got multiple notifications of the flash flood warnings and yet the mall still didn't close early. I left the mall the next day at 8 in the morning.”

Tropical Storm Ida left a sense of fear in students.

Grullon says that he now gets nervous when it rains because he is not sure if it will be heavy or not.

Carter explained that he is more aware of the intensity of the rain but in the back of his mind, he is preparing himself for a repeat of the storm.

After heavy rains fell on Thursday Sep. 23, 2021, Crenshaw explained that she was very nervous.

“It was almost as if the storm a few weeks ago gave me PTSD. As soon as it started to rain, I left work as quickly as possible to make sure I made it home before it started to flood,” said Crenshaw. “I heard a few highways had already started to flood and that made me panic. I am now very attentive to the weather conditions, way more than I was before the last storm.”

Jacqueline Town’s Legacy at Kean University continued from page 3

areas that Mrs. Towns would have had a passion for. This series will help in creating new opportunities for the women studentathletes and highlighting women at the University.

“We also acknowledge the fact that we are highlighting and bringing in the 1986-1987 women’s basketball team into the Hall of Fame, which I think, is the very first time that any women’s team has been recognized at the Hall of Fame in Kean,” Williams said. “There’s going to be a series of events highlighting women’s achievements and giving women opportunities, that will also lead to career fares for women, especially as it relates to athletics and it’s going to continue to go throughout the entire year.”

The reaction of the court was positive overall by social media, Kean students, and the Towns family.

In an Instagram and Twitter post on

Photo by Dorian Alerte

Jacqueline Towns Court

the same day of their visit, Towns posted the pictures of the court with Mrs. Towns’ name and captioned, “For Jackie. Jacqueline Towns Court. Thank you @KeanUniversity for helping her legacy live on.”

“To see his reaction and everyone’s reaction to the post and just the support it was getting, it did my heart good just to know that this is the reason why we wanted to be partnered up with them because it was more than just her name, it was the fact that we had a vision,” Williams said. “We wanted to make sure that her name and their family’s name is represented throughout because she was just such a special person and to see their reaction in person, it’s priceless. To see their reaction in regards of how they just were so proud to see the mom’s name, was something that I’ll never forget.”

October, 2021

SPORTS

8 THE TOWER

Despite slow start, Kean football confident to turn season around

By Ruben Nieves Football is back at Kean, and fans are back to attending games. It is the first time fans have been allowed at games since 2019. Despite a slow start to the season, the team is hopeful they can turn it around ahead of conference play.

“We got great kids, they are all really doing a great job,” Garrett said. “We have to continue getting better and we will get better.”

With the positives, Garrett still sees some ways the team can improve their play within all three phases of the game.

“On offense we need to sustain drives and be able to move the football,” Garrett said. “Defensively we need to limit the big play and take away the big play touchdown and it will lead

Photo by Dante Capozzoli

The defense lined up to get a stop

Photo by Kean Athletic

Head Coach Dan Garrett

likes the new uniforms for his team.

“I think we got swag, the swag meter went up,” Garrett said.

“We have three different combinations. We can use the mixing and matching. We get more creative and they are sharp.”

Their uniforms consist of Carolina tops, a white top and navy top to mix with the white pants, navy pants, and Carolina pants.

Capozzoli, like Coach Garrett, was fired up after finding out about the new uniforms.

“It was such an awesome surprise” Capozzoli said.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say how blessed we are to receive such support from the president and the AD”.

As they look Photo by Dante Capozzoli forward to the

Capozzoli looking to make the play

“One game changes everything, you get this win heading into next week, you want to springboard that win into conference play”

With fans attending games, Dante Capozzoli, a fifth year linebacker, describes having fans back as a great environment.

“There’s nothing like running out onto the field with all of the fans cheering for us,” Capozzoli said. “It really motivates the whole team.”

After missing out last season, Garrett said everyone is excited to be back playing the game.

“It’s phenomenal,” Garrett said. “The expectations coming back were to hopefully get back to normal; there’s been adjustments for coaches and players because there was eighteen months where there was nothing normal.”

While not the beginning they wanted, Coach Garrett sees some positives in the way the team has been playing.

to more wins.”

Capozzoli, who currently has 23 tackles on the season, also would like to see the defense improve.

“We need to eliminate the big plays,” Capozzoli said. “We are a very fundamentally sound defense but the big plays have been killing us lately.”

Capozzoli still loves how the team looks to improve during practice.

“I love how the team comes to practice every day ready to work,” Capozzoli said. “Another very big positive is everyone buying into the program from the freshman and transfers, all the way up to the seniors.”

This season, the team received new uniforms and Garrett

rest of the season, Garrett believes his team can turn their season around.

“One game changes everything, you get this win heading into next week, you want to springboard that win into conference play” Garrett said.

Capozzoli also expects the team to turn their season around.

“I expect us to take one week at a time and get to 1-0 every week,” Capozzoli said.

Capozzoli hopes to end this season with an NJAC championship.

“An NJAC championship has been the goal since I first stepped foot on this campus,” Capozzoli said.

Rookie’s Success

By Hector Morales Taylor Micheaux, a freshman from Texas, was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week for Kean University Women’s Volleyball team for the week of September 20. Micheaux totaled 21 digs, 15 kills, three aces and two blocks, earning her the award.

Digs are when a player prevents the ball from hitting the ground on their side of the net after an opponent has

Micheaux, the freshman out of Clements High School in Houston, is studying Biology Health Professions in her first year at Kean University. The Houston native felt motivated after winning the award and hopes to find a good path going forward.

“I was very excited and surprised and I couldn’t wait to tell my family back home.” Micheaux said. “Keeping a positive

“I was very excited and surprised and I couldn’t wait to tell my family back home.”

Photo by Kean Athletics

spiked or served the ball towards them. Kills are when a player spikes the ball and couldn’t be returned by the opposing team. Aces are when a player serves the ball and the opposing team is unable to pass it. Blocks are whenever a player blocks the ball into the opposition's court leading directly to a point or side out.

mentally, asking a lot of questions, and getting advice from people really helps me lead to my success.”

The rookie outside hitter will look to help bring this team towards success as they hope to bring back the NJAC title this season for the first time since 2018.

Taylor Micheaux

Kean University Shows Off New Athletic Attire “Ultimately, I wanted our student-athletes who were away from their teammates for almost a year to be excited about returning back to camps and look good and feel good.”

By Robert Greene Kean has added new athletic uniforms for their sports programs.

The University released a minute-long advertisement on their social media of new uniforms for their athletics on Sep. 10.

The ad was a video consisting of Fall sports members displaying a message from Kean Cougar athletes.

“You should always go for greatness,” was mentioned in the beginning of the video. “Because anything else is a waste of time.”

It then shifted to a message from a few different athletes themselves.

“It takes hard work, early mornings and mental discipline. It’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. We don’t step down, we climb higher, we win. We are Kean Cougars.”

President Repollet wanted to display an appreciation for student-athletes who had to experience challenges from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Kean Athletics began to have discussions surrounding new team uniforms as a thank you and welcome back to all programs.

“We usually have a four-year rotation for uniforms for each team, so we were able to have the coaches involved in some of the designs and many of them really like the Nike cut and fit, which was the determining factor,” Athletics Director, Kelly Williams said.

The idea was mainly about making students happy.

“Ultimately, I wanted our student-athletes who were away from their teammates for almost a year to be excited about returning back to camps and look good and feel good,” Willaims said.

Photo by Kean News

Kean athletes received new uniforms this semester