The Tower | The Independent Voice of Kean University - November 2021 Issue

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TH E I N DEPEN D EN T VOI C E OF K E AN U N IV E R S IT Y

Dr. Lamont Repollet, Our First Black President

By Davaughnia Wilson

It was a momentous day at Kean University when a Kean Alumnus was formally installed as the 18th President, and the first Black leader in the university’s 166 year history.

“A moment of this magnitude really makes you introspective, and reflective about your past. I stand before you today profoundly humble and grateful and with a deep appreciation for each step of my journey,” said President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D. at his installation on Oct. 14.

Dr. Repollet was selected by the Kean Board of Trustees on May 11, 2020, and joined the university in July 2020 but his formal installation was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ceremony began with a marching band procession along Cougar Walk from Harwood

Arena to Wilkins Theatre, where the formal installation was held.

In attendance were 18 college presidents and various representatives across the state, New Jersey elected officials, community leaders, Kean administrators, students, faculty, and family and friends.

The university medallion was presented to President Repollet by Ada Morell, past Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Trustee member Matthew McDermott.

“Today we gather as colleagues, companions, stewards, leaders, faculty, students, family, and friends. To witness and to celebrate the installation of the 18th president of Kean University, Dr. Lamont O Repollet,” said Morell.

In his Inaugural address, President Repollet continued on page 7

When Mental Health is Put Behind Bars

By Chelsey Jaipersaud A thin and disheveled man named Henry, paranoid from a mental illness, was arrested and imprisoned for two years after refusing to leave the premises of a convenience store. It was an outburst that could have been avoided had he received proper treatment for his mental illness.

On October 7, President Lamont Repollet and Dr. Jonathan Mercantini, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Kean, joined a panel of public defenders, prosecutors, psychologists, and others in criminal justice to discuss the relationship between the criminal justice system and

individuals living with mental illness.

The ultimate goal of this partnership between Kean and the Lesniak Institute for American Leadership, a non-profit founded by former state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, is to establish a criminal justice system that includes courts designed to treat offenders who suffer from mental health issues.

“We want action, it is something I believe in firmly, as a pillar of my administration at Kean University: Equity in Action,” Dr. Repollet said.

The forum discussed the importance continued on page 8

Photo by Uyiosa Igori

President Repollet shares a moment with the marching band at his formal installation

First Day of Class in Ida Storm

By L.K. Mata Cuevas

I’ve always joked about how close I live to campus if not the closest commute then perhaps one of the closest. Having the university so near to what could potentially be my family’s home was a decisive factor when moving to the Parker Walk townhouse and apartment complex, at Riverside Drive in Elizabeth a few years ago.

Usually, when people ask me where I live, I always say that I live across the street.

Regardless, I ended up driving to Kean on my first day for what was supposed to be a celebratory return to in-person classes but instead transformed into the Ida Storm day.

On the night of September 1, I was driving home from a photography class when I soon

Photo by Lenny Mata

Houses with wood on and a no trespassing sign

continued on page 9

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November 2021

Kean Crowns Homecoming King & Queen

By Davaughnia Wilson After much anticipation, the Homecoming King and Queen were announced during the 2021 Homecoming football game halftime presentation. The Homecoming King and Queen are Kobe Robinson and Brianna Brion.

The Homecoming King candidate ran unopposed and was guaranteed a win, but the Queen candidates were scavenging for votes on Monday Oct. 11.

Homecoming Queen finalists were on a mission to get all the votes that they could to be crowned Queen on Saturday, October 16, while with only one male candidate running he was more relaxed in his campaigning.

The Office of Student Government kicked off Homecoming week with a tabling event held in the Miron Student Center (MSC) atrium dedicated to the Homecoming Court to socialize and encourage students to vote.

The event, held in the MSC, featured finalists Danya Abdou, Brianna Brion, and Haley Bryant.

Abdou, a communication major said, “it

“Even if people already voted you were still able to stop and have a conversation and introduce yourself real quick.”

Photo by Davaughnia Wilson

2021 Homecoming Queen nominees, from left Hayle Bryant, Jessica Fonseca, Danya Abdou, and Brianna Brion

was a great way to spread the word during one of the busiest times of the day. My overall goal was to share with students a little bit about myself and ask if they would support my campaign.”

Alyssa Edgar, the Graduate Intern for the Office of Student Government stated that the tabling event was provided

Photo by Kobe Robinson

during College Hour, a time when most students are free to generate more traffic.

Candidates had strict rules to follow, and if they broke them they risk being disqualified. They were not allowed to campaign at the entrance of the MSC, and they were not allowed to assist students to vote.

“I feel like that is a really good way for me personally to interact with people,”

Male Finalists for Homecoming King

said Bryant, a mathematical science major. “They could ask me questions about myself, whatever they wanted to know, and I would gladly answer. So I am glad that we got the chance to have that in-person connection.”

They all added their own unique touch to the event by displaying QR codes, continued on page 12

It Was Do or Die for Kean Dance Theatre at This Year’s Pep Rally

By Mallory Helmes It was a warm October night as Kean Dance Theatre made their way down the bleachers; blue poms in each hand, contradictory faces of excitement and nerves out on display.

They huddled together arms outstretched over the same dressed body as words of encouragement were spoken to put out the fire of nerves that were catching.

The noise of “Kean Dance Theatre” eventually floated over to them causing their linked bodies to detangle so they could run to the center of the football field, which Photo by Amy Abdou

“…You only get one shot at it, it’s do or die and you have to just leave it out there,”

Photo by Amy Abdou

Candid shot of Abdou

would be their stage for the evening.

Eventually each dancer followed the personalized directions to their own special locations, squatted down,

Group shot of KDT dancers during pep rally performance

with poms shaking, waiting for the familiar cue that allowed them to begin what they had been working on for the past five weeks. “…You only get one shot at it, it’s due or die and you have to just leave it out there,” said Danya Abdou senior studying communications with a health minor, Vice President of Kean Dance Theatre, and one the choreographers for Kean Dance Theatre’s pep rally dance. continued on page 10

3 THE TOWER

November 2021

Swae Lee Homecoming Kean Students Unhappy about Homecoming Guest Performer Concert Deemed a Huge Hit!

By Isaiah Joseph Homecoming week this year was much welcomed after 18 months of remote

award nominee, rap artist Swae Lee. Students that opposed Swae Lee as the performing artist believed that the artist

“Y’all could’ve gotten a Michael Jackson hologram.”

Photo by Kean student government

Swae Lee posing with student government president

learning, but you can’t please all the people all the time.

As everyone was enjoying the homecoming festivities, a specific event that was planned had students questioning if the school understands them: the reveal for this homecoming’s guest performer.

The reveal of the homecoming guest performer was announced on October 6th on the keanstudentgov Instagram profile feed which showed 5-times Grammy

isn’t as popular as he used to be back in 2016. After he dropped his hit single Black Beetles which tied with the famous trend we all are familiar with the “Mannequin Challenge.” Many said that after his small burst of fame, the artist has fallen off tremendously and is now seen more like a featured artist.

As seen under the student government’s comments section, some Kean students were not happy about the continued on page 11

By Julia Strugala On the week of October 1217, Kean University kicked off the first homecoming after Covid-19 with an exciting performance from singer/ rapper Swae Lee. The event took place in Wilkins Theatre on October 13 at 9pm.

A line wrapped around the theatre hours before the show.

Doors opened at 8pm and people flooded into the theatre, taking their assigned seats and getting ready for the show Opinions on the concert seemed to be split, with many students counting down the days until the performance took place while others had no interest in attending. Despite the variety of presumptions from the student body, the concert sold out the day of the show.

The show began with Steve Cochran, Manager of Kean Stage Theatre Management and Programming, thanking everyone for attending and sharing his enthusiasm that after two long years with Covid-19 affecting campus life, Kean is back to holding Homecoming concerts. He also congratulated Kean for having their first black President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D., in office as of May 11, 2020.

Jason Pleitez and Yessica

Photo by Julia Strugala

Swae Lee begins to sing “RIP Screw”, a song by Travis Scott that he is featured on

“This was a great time.

We haven’t had a concert in over two years. The energy is amazing. It’s Homecoming week, and I’m ecstatic we get to do this in person.” continued on page 11

Kean Esports Club - A Home For All Kean Gamers

By Andrey Nalbantov

Competitive as well as casual gamer students can unite and be part of Kean University’s esports club.

With so many Kean students coming back to campus, the esports club provides a great medium for many to relax in between classes, or potentially find a new “stage” to showcase their gaming abilities.

Kean students who take their gaming skills seriously and have high ambitions are

“Pretend like your mom is in the room” said Cartieri addressing the potential use of curse words. free to apply by filling out the “Competitive Student Form” on the Kean University Esports website. While casual gamers are welcome to attend meetings and watch the team perform, Kean Esports club Vice President Amy Yang said.

Other than completing the form, every student that desires to be a part of the club should complete a series of mandatory requirements.

“A student must attend two General Board Meetings(GBM) to be a member,

Photo by Andrey Nalbantov

More members of the club

continued on page 9

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November 2021

Starbucks on campus returns to in-person ordering

By Victoria Cifelli Starbucks returned to in-person ordering in October – the first on campus to do so – dropped the Kean Boost app and is also

campus.

Boost is available on the App Store for all mobile devices.

The app enables users to search and order food from the eateries on campus such as

“It has made it so much easier and a timesaver ordering from the app,” says Andrea Shaw, a student.

Photo by Kean University

Starbucks in the Nancy Thompson Library on campus

taking the Starbucks app for mobile food and drink orders.

In September, Kean introduced Boost, a mobile ordering app that replaced any in-person ordering of food and drink on

Photo by Kean University

Inside Miron Students Center at Smashburger, where students often get lunch

Jersey Mikes.

Users then choose the day, and time the order will be ready after you submit your order and pay for it, using a credit card, debit card, or other electronic forms of payment.

The app was put in place to help reduce the interaction between staff and students within the university, and limit the spread of COVID-19, according to information given to the students via kean.edu and Gourmet Dining, which has the food contract at Kean.

Students who go to Starbucks on campus said when the store used the Boost app, orders would get backed up, and many were not able to get their drinks and food before class. It appeared to them that employees were struggling to keep up with given time slots assigned to students.

Students used to be lined up for a while outside of Starbucks, waiting for their orders.

Now, with in-person and app orders, there are significantly fewer people waiting for their orders.

“It has made it so much easier and a timesaver ordering from the app”, student Andrea Shaw said of the Starbucks app.

Overall the boost app has mixed reviews, and seems to have affeced students’ daily lives; many eat lunch on campus.

“It makes ordering food less accessible,

due to the wait times.” Says Bittney Kennedy, a junior at Kean. “(I) Dislike it.

Things run smoother without the app.

Other students and I have also had trouble with our ID’s, so if our ID isn’t working, we can’t order food with it.”

Some students were surprised at first that they couldn’t order food in-person.

“I went to Cougar’s Den one day, and they didn’t let me place an order inside,” said student Tyler Tello. “It’s a good change, I just wish they gave us some notice.”

Some students did not know about the app before they came to school this fall.

“It probably makes it easier to order food for people that are in classes,” says Francisco Ruiz Diaz, a senior at Kean. “I heard about it through an on campus friend”.

Emily Esteves, a sophomore, said she doesn’t like it.

“It takes a lot longer to order food,” said Esteves. “It is okay using the app. It sucks when the place is open, but I can’t order online because the internet is down on campus and then I’m stuck not being able to order food.” n

Ears Perked as Fire Alarms Define One Week in October

By Rosney Herrera

Kean University has been fertile ground for a series of emergency “fire” alarms and medical emergencies during the week of Oct. 15-19, according to the Kean University Police blotter.

On the morning of Oct. 15, a fire alarm went off at Freshman Residence Hall, resulting in a few minutes of panic among the students. What triggered the fire alarm is still unknown and is under investigation, according to the report.

Three days later, occupants of Burch Hall were startled by the ringing of another fire alarm at around 11:20 in the morning. Investigations revealed that the fire alarm had been triggered by food burning in the microwave.

At around 7:15 in the evening that same day, another fire alarm went off at Cougar Hall. After three hours of investigation, it was discovered that this fire alarm had also been set off by burning food from a microwave.

Health emergencies were also rampant.

On the afternoon of Oct. 15, police received a welfare check call from Cougar

Hall. The call had been made by a person concerned for someone’s well being. The police said the person (presumed ill) was a visitor, and confirmed that everything was alright.

Another medical emergency happened at the Down’s Hall-Public Safety Headquarters that same evening, just before 6 p.m. The student, who was complaining of a severe headache, was rushed to Trinitas Hospital where he was found to have suffered a possible concussion.

Later that evening, a student at Wilkins Theater reported a possible missing child.

Apparently, she was trying to call the child, but the child was not picking up the phone and called the Kean University Police, who checked on the child and informed the guardian that everything was all right.

In another medical emergency, a student was struck in the head by a cabinet door at the Miron Student Center but, according to the police, the student refused to seek medical advice.

On Oct. 16, a student was rushed to Trinitas Hospital from the Alumni Stadium after being found intoxicated and vomiting. The police have not said if the person was an alumnus or a current student at Kean.

In other related news, police are calling on concerned persons to visit their premises and check a debit card that was lost and found in the Cafeteria at Upperclassmen Residence Hall on Oct.19.

Any claimant should be able to prove ownership of the debit card. n

“Don’t let your dreams go up in smoke – practice fire safety”

Photo by By Rosney Herrera is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Photo by By Jamie Weber, licensed under CC BY 2.0

“In case of emergency ” 01/18/2011

Photo by By Brian Russ, licensed under CC BY 2.0

“Kean police“ 04/16/2008, Kean University Union, NJ.

“Daily public Police blotter,” Kean University, Union NJ

November, 2021

THE TOWER 5

Navigating the Mask Mandate at Kean University

By Julia Strugala Covid has become a household topic over the past year and a half and our lives have completely changed in a way we would have never imagined.

For many people, this new lifestyle meant working and doing school from home, going drastically long periods of time without seeing friends and family, and turning the news on every morning to see the number of cases skyrocket.

Luckily, the vaccine has allowed us to return to in person classes, but at what cost? Students here at Kean University received an email on August 31, the day before classes began Mask Mandate in Effect at Kean on Wednesday, September 1.

Mackenzie Powell, an education major in her senior year at Kean University shared her experience with being a residence

assistant while the new safety precautions are in use. “As an RA, the mask mandate has been incredibly frustrating inside the residence halls. A lot of students feel that

masks as a preventative measure,” she goes on to say.

Makenzie is ongoing her third year of being a resident assistant and says residence life has gotten pretty close to normal as compared to last year and if a lot of students were to begin contracting covid, she is nervous the university will return back to square one of being remote.

A professor in the communications department also shared his experience inside the classroom with the mandate thus far. He says, “I personally have not had any difficulty with students refusing to wear a mask in my classes. I did have a student at the first of the semester who came to class with the mask pulled down below his/her chin. I simply wrote an email reminding the person that masks were more effective if they were covering the nose and mouth.

“As an RA, the mask mandate has been incredibly frustrating inside the residence halls.

A lot of students feel that since they are vaccinated, the mandate does not apply to them so myself and the other RAs feel like a broken record having to constantly ‘remind’ students to wear their masks” since they are vaccinated, the mandate does not apply to them so myself and the other RAs feel like a broken record having to constantly ‘remind’ students to wear their masks” “As a student myself, I too am frustrated that we need to wear masks but I honestly do feel more comfortable wearing it than not. It is important that we wear

Photo by Julia Strugala

Students place a mask on the statue of a man sitting on a bench near clock tower

The student complied completely by the next class”.

continued on page 16

Center of Advising, Persistence, and Success

By Victoria Cifelli

There are many ways students can reach out to their secondary advisors, and they can find their advisers on Kean’s website, on the page regarding the new program. Students are divided up by class level, and split up into two groups related to their last names.

Students are advised to meet with their adviser at least once a semester, and can reach out to their advisors via email or Kean Student Experience.

“There are three ways that you can meet with us. First, you can login to Kean Student Experience and schedule a 30 minute appointment with your CAPS Academic Adviser.

Photo by Victoria Cifelli Center for Academic Success Second, email your CAPS Academic Adviser directly to Academic Success, on the first floor in request an appointment. You can find room 111. The program also focuses on your adviser’s email address on Kean’s success and retention, and can support website, regarding the CAPS program. students with resources to help in times Lastly, you can scan our QLess QR Code of need. The office is open from 8 a.m. to and speak with a CAPS representative 8 a.m., Monday through Friday. live,” Ayala said. n

“CAPS was created to become the advising center so all students can receive consistent guidance as it relates to their academic pursuits.”

A new center for student advisement, called the Center for Advising, Persistence, and Success (CAPS), was opened up for students on campus, and they are now able to make appointments with their additional academic advisers.

Prior to this center opening up, students would have to make appointments with advisers set to their intended major. Now, they have to meet with their intended major’s adviser, as well as a CAPS adviser. One exception is if you are in a support program, such as PASSPORT or Educational Photo by Victoria Cifelli Opportunity Fund (EOF).

Students walking on Cougar Walk by the Center for Academic Success “CAPS was created to become as giving students information about the advising center so all students can receive consistent guidance campus resources. We also serve as a as it relates to their academic pursuits. support system if a student struggles We offer one on one academic advising, with their academic major,” Program assistance with declaring a major/minor, Director Sherlene Ayala said. outlining a path to graduation, as well The program is based in the Center for

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November 2021

DEI Office Welcomes Panel for Students of Color in the Workforce

By Christian Grullon In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the University’s Offices of Career Services & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion held a virtual panel, ‘Crucial Career Conversations...LATINX’, on Oct. 14. Led by Kean alumni and current students, the panel discussed the impact of internships on the LatinX community.

since graduating from the university.

Participants also learned about the panelists’ experiences as they gave their testimonies on their education and how career services helped them achieve their goals.

“It’s about speaking your story and making it known,” Kean alumni Carlo Murillo said.

“If you’re going to work at Kean

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

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EDITOR IN CHIEF: CINDY LAZO CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF: CHELSEY JAIPERSAUD FEATURES EDITOR: DAVAUGHNIA WILSON SPORTS EDITOR: DORIAN ARLERTE ONLINE EDITOR/ SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: LENNY K. MATA

Photo by Kean University Website

Hispanic Heritage Month 2021

While the meeting was targeted towards the Latin community, Casey said that all students were welcomed to attend. There were 5 panelists, and the speakers were 4 alumni and one student.

“This event was created after being encouraged by the Office Of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to create events that would support their mission,” said Paul J. Casey, assistant director of Internships.

“People will learn how impactful internships are for their career paths, also people will learn about our personal experiences and see how it’s relatable to them,” said Joelle Francico, Senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Management.

Each of the panelists introduced themselves and gave background information on their education at Kean and what they’ve been doing

University for an internship, you really need to know about the university.” Segio Granados, another Kean alumni, said.

During the meeting, the panelists had discussed internships and their own experiences with career services.

“Being able to get that opportunity has led me to going back to school to get a master degree in Public Administration and more importantly with a concentration in Health Administration,” Granados said.

The panel also discussed the importance of having a resume, which is an important part of someone’s qualification for any position in any field.

“When you’re working on your resume, always make sure you talk about where you’re going.” Kean alumni Jessica Barzilay said. n

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

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.

November, 2021

THE TOWER 7

Dr. Lamont Repollet, Our First Black President continued from Cover

Board of Trustees, stated that President Repollet is moving Kean University on a journey to excellence by setting a goal for the university to become an R2 Carnegie institution by 2025.

“Dr. Repollet is taking Kean University to new heights and honestly with only one year under his belt, I just can’t wait to see what he brings,” said Fastook.

expressed his thanks and gratitude to his family, to the Kean community and beyond for keeping him grounded and always reminding him of his roots.

“Standing before you as the 18th Leader of Kean University is an honor and privilege that I do not take lightly,” said President Repollet. “My journey to this moment has been filled with so many experiences and people that have helped shape who I am today.”

President Repollet thanked his parents for keeping him focused on school and stated that education saved his life.

“My parents gave me the greatest gift of all and that’s the love of learning,” said President Repollet.

His love for humanity and respect for others was shaped by his family and their journey.

He shared that growing up was Photo by Davaughnia Wilson hard and that after his parents KUCCDC’s baby Cougars left the military they remained unemployed due to the lack of a college degree.

During the invocation led by Rev. Dr. Persisting through his challenges and DeForest B. Soaries Jr., former New Jersey obstacles is what allowed him to be where Secretary of State, Fastook had a medical he is today. He attended seven schools in 13 emergency on stage. years. He was a principal, superintendent, According to Margaret McCory, commissioner of education in the State of Associate Vice President of University New Jersey, and now the 18th leader of Relations, “We are pleased to share that Kean University.

Steve Fastook, chair of the Board of “As I accept this appointment as Trustees, is doing great after experiencing president, I acknowledge, to who much is severe dehydration during last week’s given, much will be required, Luke 12:48,” Installation ceremony.” said President Repollet.

Fastook was rushed off the stage and When President Repollet joined the Rev. Soaries returned to share a prayer Kean community as a student and later, for Chair Fastook. After which, the past the Board of Trustees, he felt a sense of chair of the Board of Trustees Ada Morell belonging and is now determined to ensure assumed the role as master of ceremonies. that every student feels the same.

“President Repollet is extremely grateful He established the Division of Student to Kean University Police and the other Success and Retention to help students first responders who arrived quickly and persist to graduation, the Office of provided excellent care to Chairman Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to advance Fastook,” said McCory. equity across the university, and the Equity President Repollet was held in high and Action Presidential Post Doctoral regard by faculty, students and guests Fellowship to diversify the faculty and at his installation. He was described as a boost research at Kean. visionary leader, champion for student “Because this moment was deferred, you success, passionate, inspirational leader, a already have a sense of how I will lead this brother, a mentor, a father, a husband, and great university. You know me as a leader, a good friend. today I am opening myself up, to show Jason Pleitez, Executive Board President you who I am as a man,” said President of Student Organization, spoke on behalf Repollet. of the student body.

Steve Fastook, Chair of Kean University’s Pleitez explained that he has had the

privilege of working closely with President Repollet for almost two years and he has experienced the changes that President Repollet has bestowed upon the university.

“Under his leadership, there is a new life to our institution and in my opinion the beginning of the most influential era of Kean University yet,” said Pleitez.

President Repollet addressed the

Padmore, Analyst, JPMorgan Chase & Co., expounded on his love and appreciation for President Repollet.

He explained that to be a mentor is to be an advocate, a supporter, and a friend, not someone that only gives advice. He has watched President Repollet epitomize excellence in everything he does, but what he was most grateful for was President Repollets investments in him.

“He has surpassed the notion of just being my mentor as I looked to him as a father figure,” said Padmore.

Padmore refers to President Repollet as “Dr. Reps” and considers him family. He explained that Dr. Repollet took him under his wing and taught him different life lessons and values.

Padmore added that he didn’t always understand the lessons given to him by President Repollet, but they eventually became a lot clearer. President Photo by Davaughnia Wilson Repollet ensured that he was Marching Band equipped for the different stages of life and he was always present student body by saying, “my commitment and encouraging. to you is that we will foster an environment “As a member of his chosen family I am where you can learn, grow, take risks, committed to being a pillar and supporting make mistakes, regroup and keep climbing him in all of his endeavors,” said Padmore. higher.”

Also in attendance was guest speaker, Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver explained Craig Coughlin, Assembly Speaker for the the history of Kean University and its State of New Jersey; Brian Bridges, Ph.D., origins in Newark. Kean was originally Secretary of Higher Education; Senators housed on Broadway and was referred to as Joseph P. Cryan, District 20, Thomas H. Newark Normal School, a teacher’s college.

Kean, District 21, and Nicholas P. Scutari, Oliver explained that Kean has grown District 22; and Chris V. Rey, International over the years and she is impressed by the President, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. continued growth of the university and along with many more notable figures. the work President Repollet is doing on “I was very deliberate with who I asked campus. to speak today. Everyone you heard from “During his tenure in the department, played a critical role with how I got to be I recognized early on that he was a bright standing before you today. I am sharing star and represented the future leadership all the pieces of me, pieces of a man,” said of the State of New Jersey,” said Governor President Repollet.

Oliver.

President Repollet is determined to build She explained that what she is fulfilled trust, a supportive team and a culture at with on Kean’s campus is that before Kean. He hired more than 50 new faculty President Repollet is finished, Kean will be members and is aiming to support the the most diverse and inclusive institution faculty through the creation of a faculty in New Jersey. wellness center.

“Dr. Repollet has the passion, “With Dr. Repollet at the helm, I look enthusiasm, dedication, and the integrity forward to strengthening our partnership to move this institution as someone said with Kean University, to address the needs before, to a new height in the State of New of historically disadvantaged students and Jersey,” said Governor Oliver. ensure that earning a college degree in the Former student and a mentee of great state of New Jersey is a reality within President Repollet for over 10 years, Lloyd reach,” said Bridges. n

“As I accept this appointment as president, I acknowledge, to who much is given, much will be required, Luke 12:48,”

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November 2021

When Mental Health is Put Behind Bars continued from Cover

stories of those behind bars.

“The patients that I see are really in moments of crisis,” Montross said.

Montross explained that the patients she would see came in contact with the legal system, not out of criminal intent, but rather “untreated symptomatology” that is seen, for example, a person shouting inside a Starbucks or charging through TSA checkpoints because they have a delusional belief.

Their actions aren’t seen as normal nor

Those individuals with a mental illness wait to be evaluated and receive proper attention, sometimes the wait surpasses three months and by that time their mental state might have worsened.

“People are afraid of people with mental illness and so the tension is that public safety concern, that the only way we can protect the community from someone who is seriously mentally ill and committing violent crimes is to lock them up,” New Jersey State Public

system everyone needs to come together.

Nothing will change unless these individuals care enough to accomplish meaningful reform by working together.

The people sitting at the table that night are people who hold knowledge about the system and can help in finding balance between keeping individuals safe and ensuring that those incarcerated and suffering with a mental illness get the help they deserve.

“This is the beginning of a journey and

“We want action, it is something I believe in firmly, as a pillar of my administration at Kean University: Equity in Action,” Dr. Repollet said.

Photo by Chelsey Jaipersaud

Psychiatrist Christine Montross

of the decriminalization of mental illness in prisons, especially for those who were put in jail for nonviolent and misdemeanor crimes. Those individuals are enduring severe mental health issues for a crime that can not be weighed at the same amount.

“Yes there is a connection, one that is not often reported on the news, seen on popular television shows, or even spoken of in public, there is much more to the story,” Repollet said.

The panel was inspired by psychiatrist Christine Montross who spent years treating severely ill psychiatric patients and wrote a book titled Waiting For An Echo: The Madness of American Incarceration. The book gives readers a glimpse into incarceration through

safe in society, and therefore the police are called. When the police come in contact with mentally ill people they do not take them to facilities that will help the overall mental state of that patient.

“Officers would sometimes conduct what they call compassionate arrests,” Montross said, “They would see someone who is clearly mentally ill and distressed and they would say at least if he or she is in jail I know that they get 3 hots and a cot, I know that someone is giving them medication”.

Montross challenged this by saying that the police would never arrest someone to get them their chemotherapy or insulin for diabetes. This is something that is only done with people who are mentally ill.

Photo by Chelsey Jaipersaud

Speakers at the forum

Defender Joseph Krakora said.

It was agreed that this is a serious issue and in order to resolve what is currently happening within the criminal justice

with everyone’s help we are going to have a big success at the end of the journey,” Lesniak said. n

Join Kean Tower Instagram DM’s quote of the week contest “If you’re having a bad day, just remember that Pitbull has been there and done that.”

Drumroll please. The Tower’s keantower Instagram page is running a “Quote of the Week” contest for students. “If you’re having a bad day, just remember that Pitbull has been there and done that” is the quote selected for the month of October.

The contest is a way for Kean

University students to have their voice heard in an anonymous experience keantower Instagram DM’s, said Mallory Helmes, The Tower’s social media manager.

Each week starting on Monday and ending on Sunday, keantower DM’s will be open for your sayings. Tower

staff will select what they consider the best “quote” from that week and it will be posted on all of our social media platforms.

At the end of the month, one of the already-selected quotes will be chosen among all the rest to be featured in the print and digital replica edition of The

Tower. Students may submit anything they want: something campus-related or personal, a pop culture line, a quote from the news, their own work or a famous quote that they like. The ideas are limitless!

November, 2021

THE TOWER 9

First Day of Class in Ida Storm continued from Cover

understood the rain was something else and it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.

Yet, I never expected it was going to lead to flooding, displacement of whole families, and even death for some.

The NJ.gov website states that usually “the average annual precipitation ranges from 51 inches in north-central parts of the state,” which means 4.25 inches per month. Over a period of 24 hours, from Wednesday to Thursday, a total of 8.44 inches of rainfall was recorded, according to the National Weather Service.

For me, it was more than that and still feels like so much more, as it was for many of my neighbors.

I am not exactly sure when my car went from parked in the complex parking lot to floating in the parking lot. The rainwater came so fast, so unstoppable that it damaged virtually all of the first floors units. Upper-level neighbors had to start welcoming families into their homes to help them avoid putting their lives in danger.

After spending the night, alert and stressed to the rising water, we “woke up” to the news that the house we’ve been living

in for nearly four years was no longer our home. Damage in the sewage and air system had made it impossible to stay and the manager gave no estimated date to return to our homes.

In an interview for NJ.com, Elizabeth MayorChristian Bollwage explained that it was going to take a lot of time to repair.

“Those units will not be reoccupied for a long time – at least a year,” Photo by Lenny Mata

Letter about rent arrangements

“Those units will not be reoccupied for a long time – at least a year,” Bollwage is quoted as saying.

That very same day most of the people at the complex were placed by the city

of Elizabeth in local hotels, churches, or schools. These were options that my family and I did not have access to, between all the miscommunication and lack of information from our manager, we started spending our nights here and there, without really having a place to go.

Days in that situation went by without any news, not even a return call from the property management. One day, while driving to a friend’s house who had to allow me to spend the night, I found out that the front door to the inside of my house had been boarded up with plywood.

Without receiving any explanation, all of our belongings were trapped inside and no one knew when we would have access again.

From that point on, the emotional distress just grew fed further by letters saying we were still being responsible for paying rent.

“Yes. Your lease is still in effect.” reads the letter. “You are still required to pay for your rent.”

Lisa Matisca, a four-year tenant and neighbor, was incensed.

“They told us in a statement on a letter that we were still responsible for paying rent, regardless that all utilities were shut off and that we could not return to our apartments,” she said Now imagine paying rent for a place that

you are neither living in nor allowed to get into for your belongings? Even more, imagine that the only way you can get out of that evil contract is by abandoning all of your family’s material and emotional effects?

Imagine not having access to someone from the management company or a person of authority willing to discuss the terms. No one was providing information about what else to do.

What seemed just like a bizarre idea – pay rent but have nowhere to live – became a cruel reality for me, my family, and all of the people living in the townhouse and apartment complex. I can’t say whether other tenants are still sending their payments, but for me personally, it was something unfair, and I wasn’t willing to oblige for that.

Within very few weeks the once vibrant complex became a ghost town, all fencedup, with a police patrol, and strict orders of “no trespassing.” – a word that, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means “to enter the owner’s land or property without permission”.

On September 2, I woke up, still a Kean University student, yes. But also a displaced person as a consequence of the Ida storm. I can’t make jokes anymore about crossing the street, but I can’t help missing my corny joke, my things, and my home. n

Kean Esports Club - A Home For All Kean Gamers

continued from page 3

and try out for a competition every semester,” Yang said.

The club is equipped with numerous gaming computers and a collection of consoles from different companies such as PS4’s, Xbox Ones, and Nintendo Switches. The club is also working hard on acquiring both new (PS5, Xbox Series X) and classic consoles (PS2) too.

Kean Esports club focuses on various video games including Electronic Arts’ sports simulators “FIFA” and “Madden”, Riot Games’ “League of Legends” and “Valorant”, and Epic Games’ “Fortnite.”

While students who are listed as part of the club’s roster are allowed to use the establishment and its devices, casual gamers can use the free seating area provided to watch or use their gaming systems to play.

It is worth noting that most of the club board are female. And even though the gender ratio is 1:2 female to male, the club is a safe space for everyone regardless

of gender, race, and sexuality. This information can be very important for female students that are afraid to commit to a gaming-centered club, because of how toxic the gamers community can be to them, such as in the case with Blizzard.

Reminding how the high-profile video game developer was on the aim of multiple lawsuits resulting from the toxic work environment, and sexual harassment towards female employees.

Every representative of the club should follow certain rules during tournaments and meetings. While there are different games played at the club, the majority of the rules for them remain the same. On the top of the list are good sportsmanship and no quarrels between members.

According to the executive board President Victoria Cartieri, cursing is an inevitable part of the gaming process but members are advised to keep it to a minimum. “Pretend like your mom is in the room,” Cardieri said.

Photo by Andrey Nalbantov

Members of the club

Kean esports also provided numerous dates of matches between members of the club. The dates of the events can be viewed in the “Match Schedule” section on the official website of the club (https://www. keanesports.com/home). Participants in those events will have the chance to win rewards as well.

Now come the questions. Would the club attract the interest of students around campus? Would it live up to the standards set by other universities in the esports community?

For more information about Kean

Photo by Andrey Nalbantov

Kean Esports logo

University’s esports club, students should look forward to the next episode of TowerTalk. n

10 THE TOWER

November 2021

It Was Do or Die for Kean Dance Theatre at This Year’s Pep Rally continued from page 2

For those of you who weren’t able to After finding out they would be attend this year’s pep rally, which took performing at the pep rally on Kean Day, place on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m., you missed out a club fair that happens every year on on interactive challenges, videos created campus, that left only 5 weeks for the by sports teams, and a performance from girls to search for music, come up with Kean Dance Theatre. a whole dance routine, teach it, order Kean Dance Theatre (KDT) according costumes, and make sure the dance to CougarLink was “founded in 1979 by looked clean. the late William Chaison and is currently For this to happen it required an Kean University’s resident dance audition process and extra practices. company for more than 30 years.”

In the end only 16 girls out of 50 were Though according to Abdou not many people even knew of the organization’s existence until this year’s pep rally.

“The amount of people that came up to me after we performed or even on campus and would see me and say wow we didn’t even know there was a dance team was crazy,” Abdou said.

Making a name for KDT was definitely something that Abdou and Stephanie Allan, senior studying graphic design, Director of Public Relations for KDT, and one the choreographers for KDT’s pep rally dance, wanted to accomplish for the organization this year.

Therefore when KDT was approached to perform in this year’s pep rally, Abdou admits to Photo by Amy Abdou feeling like she manifested it.

Allan dancing during pep rally performance “For me pep rally was the one landmark that I really wanted selected to dance in the pep rally. They us to perform in. Since the summer I’ve explained that the reason for having an been like pep rally pep rally and I think audition process was to one ensure that I literally manifested it because once they had a small dedicated group of girls we found out at Kean Day that we were who would give it their all and two they able to do pep rally I literally dropped explained that due to the small amount everything and our focus was pep rally,” of time that they were given, teaching Abdou said. a smaller group of girls would be easier After finding out the news Abdou said than teaching a larger group. she immediately Facetimed Allan, who “Everything leading up to the pep not only serves on the KDT executive rally everyone was included though. board with her but also happens to be It was never pep rally and then the one of her best friends. Abdou and Allan team it’s we are a team but these are met for the first time their sophomore the only girls performing during pep year when they both were auditioning rally but everybody goes to everything, for another dance team on campus. everybody is included, everybody is “We met at the audition and we ended welcomed, everybody gets a uniform, up getting each other’s information and everybody gets a pom, we are a team and like we texted each other did you make we welcome everybody and we actually the team,” Allan said. “Unfortunately mean it,” said Abdou. we didn’t make it but honestly it was a Once the final group of girls were blessing in disguise because right after selected it was crunch time. In order we joined KDT, and this is why we’re here today.” to make sure that the dance would be

done in time for the pep rally the girls explained how they had to add in extra practices.

They said that Thursday’s normal practice time was extended by an hour and they added Wednesday night practices which were from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. though according to Allan, they never actually would end on time.

“Whenever we would have practice we would never leave on time or early.

out there,” said Abdou.

When the clock struck 6:07 p.m. the girls danced their hearts out and what was left behind was a glass slipper of pride and recognition.

“I’m telling you the feedback we’ve been getting is insane! I keep walking around the campus and people are like oh weren’t you a part of the pep rally?

And people would be like wow I watched you on YouTube or we watched you on Instagram or we watched you in person and were like wow that’s crazy because everything happened so fast and so many people enjoyed it, it was amazing,” said Allan.

When asked to rate their performance on a scale of 1-10, 1 being bad 10 being the best, they both agreed that the performance was a 10 out of 10.

Photo by Amy Abdou “People were on point, Abdou and Allan dancing during pep rally performance together, ripples, formations, attitudes, smiles, energy, it all We would always stay an extra hour or went together and I don’t know how an extra half an hour… and we’re really because every practice someone is grateful for everybody because they always a little off but this time literally didn’t really have to stay after they could everybody was on point and that was all have left but they wanted to stay and we needed,” said Abdou. they honestly helped us grow as a team,” In the end Abdou and Allan wanted said Allan. to make it clear how thankful they were Before the girls knew it, it was Oct. for everyone who helped in making their 15 and the time was 6 p.m., meaning vision come to life. that they would be performing in seven “I just wanted to say how proud I am minutes. When asked if they were of everybody on the team because from nervous the day of the pep rally they the beginning everybody put in so much both expastered a yes.

“Hell yeah, I was so nervous! I was like dedication and support in each other, sweating it was bad. It’s crazy cause at like I’ve never seen a group of girls who practice I wasn’t nervous at all I was like actually support each other and care and oh I’ll be fine and then the day of the pep just show up wanting to be there and rally came and was like oh bleep,” said wanting this for all of us, it was a vision Allan. we put out there and we fulfilled the Before running onto the field to make vision,” said Abdou. their big debut Abdou explained that not Now that KDT has been able to put only did she have to calm herself down itself out there they are hopeful for what but she also had to calm down the girls the future has in store for them. on the team before they began their “Hopefully we get more opportunities performance. through this… and now that more “And I obviously was making sure that people know us on campus I see us doing the girls were ok cause a lot them were amazing things.

I’m excited, this is just stressed as well, some of their families the beginning!” said Allan. were late, and some of them had other You can watch KDT’s pep rally on things going on so I was telling them performance through the link provided in listen, we have to put all of this behind their Instagram (keandancetheatre) bio. us cause we’ve been preparing for this for Disclaimer: Helmes is KDT’s Director of so long, so you only get one shot at it, it’s due or die and you have to just leave it Public Relations. n

November, 2021

Kean Students Unhappy about Homecoming Guest Performer continued from page 3

chosen performer.

“Y’all could’ve gotten a Michael Jackson hologram.” one student commented.

“Ya continue to fail us every time.” one student said Students questioned the student government’s selection of the chosen artist. Many still believe that Swae Lee could have been replaced with a more popular artist that was in the area during the week of homecoming.

Student government president Jason Pleitez said “As Student Organization we work with an agency to pick guest performers for our special events. Once a decision is made and a guest artist is selected from the list provided by the agency then the artist can choose if they would like to accept or decline the offer provided. Student Organization, the agency, and staff work together to ensure we pick a performer that the

Swae Lee concert flyer

Kean community will enjoy.”

Jokes were being thrown back and forth between students as they continued to vent their frustrations towards the post.

On the other hand, many other students were excited about the artist coming to campus to celebrate their homecoming with a concert. With admission only being $10 they were sold out swiftly once tickets became available

THE TOWER 11

Swae Lee Homecoming Concert Deemed a Huge Hit! continued from page 3

to both students and off-campus individuals.

The President of Kean’s student government Jason Pleitez was aware of the situation that the students were having with the guest performer.

“Yes, we were aware of both the positive and negative feedback once the special artist was announced. Our biggest concern for the fall semester was making sure Kean students had the opportunity to have and attend the homecoming concert in person. In the end, we had a great turnout for the concert and students really had a great time regardless of the feedback given the day the performer was announced.”

On the day of the event, Kean students prepared themselves for the concert many thought would be a disaster but as it turned out the concert was truly amazing, exciting, and an amazing experience.

Comments under the student g o v e r n m e n t ’s Instagram page were spammed with fire emojis and heartfelt g ratitude t h a n k i n g Kean’s student government for inviting Swae Lee and throwing an amazing and memorable show during this year’s homecoming.

“Student Organization is more than satisfied with the way everything Photo by Kean student government turned out.

Swae Lee’s performance had a lot of energy and it made everyone in the crowd and backstage feel excited. He even shared with us that the audience made him feel very welcomed, loved, and special. Seeing the great crowd turnout and the reaction of students and staff, let Student Organization know we achieved our goal of making the fall in-person homecoming concert a success.” Pleitez said. n

Jimenez, Student Organization The rest of the songs the rapper President and Executive Vice President performed were songs he is featured on of Programming, hit the stage to express with artists such as Post Malone, Jhene their excitement for everyone attending Aiko, French Montana, and Wiz Khalifa. the concert. They also reiterated for everyone to keep their masks on during the show and stay in their seats for the safety of everyone at the show.

“This was a great time,” Pleitez said. “We haven’t had a concert in over two years. The energy is amazing, it’s Homecoming week, and I’m ecstatic we get to do this in person”.

Swae Lee entered the stage with his hit song “No Type”. The theatre filled with cheers, the crowd immediately standing up out of their seats to get a better view. Everyone in the audience stood for the entirety of the performance, which went on for almost a full hour. The Photo by Julia Strugala whole time, the theatre was filled with an amazing energy Swae Lee takes pictures a video from a fan’s phone after the concert from the stage to the back of the auditorium.

The crowd enjoyed every song, showing Every song had the crowd singing their enthusiasm with their hands in the along, signifying just how many fans air.

The show ended with a performance of “Throw Sum Mo”, just before Swae Lee came back on stage to perform a few songs that have not been released yet and the crowd quickly moved to the front of the theatre, excited to hear unreleased music.

After the concert ended, students gathered at the backstage door of Wilkins Theatre to watch Swae Lee come out and drive off. Cheers did not end until he was well out of sight, which showed that the first Homecoming concert after two long years was a major success.

“It was better than I expected, Photo by Julia Strugala Swae Lee begins the concert with his hit song “No Type” especially because students only had to pay ten dollars. It was a cool experience the 28-year-old rapper has at Kean and I’m glad that Kean gave us this University. Following “No Type”, he opportunity,” Chris Cuccinello, a junior performed “No Flex Zone”, “Swang”, with a major in marketing, stated while “Black Beatles”, “Come Get Her”, and waiting for Swae Lee at the backstage “This Could Be Us”. door.

Most of these songs are off of his “The concert was a lot better than albums from 2015 and 2016, SremmLife I expected. I had a great time and and SremmLife 2. These albums were look forward to seeing him perform released in collaboration with his brother again some day,” Kean student, Casey under the duo name Rae Sremmurd and Jurgelewicz said. n the two have since put out solo music.

12 THE TOWER

November 2021

The Hunt for a Queen continued from page 2

poster boards, flyers, pompoms, and sweet treats to give out to patrons as they walk by while encouraging them to vote.

Bryant created a voting QR code that assisted voters in accessing the voting website promptly versus scouring through their emails to find the link sent

multiple photos of herself with friends and a reminder note plastered in the middle, ‘Vote Brianna Brion Homecoming Queen.’

Brion majors in sociology and minors in political science. While working at the information desk in the MSC, she interns

requirements. The candidates created flyers that were approved by the CLS and posted them in different buildings on campus.

Abdou had a huge poster board with her campaign photo, flyers, candy, and cheerleading Poms at her table to

Haley Bryant’s Voting QR Code

Photo by Davaughnia Wilson

The Three Finalists for Homecoming Queen

by the Student Government earlier that morning.

“It was actually a suggestion from one of my sisters,” said Bryant. “Since we were in the middle of the MSC I figured it would’ve been quick for people to scan it because it took you straight to your Kean login and then the voting page.”

The use of the QR code made voting a lot easier for Byrant as she was able to interact with patrons promptly while still allowing them to vote without crowding her area.

“Even if people already voted you were still able to stop and have a conversation and introduce yourself real quick,” said Bryant.

Brion created a poster board that had

at the Human Rights Institute.

“I decided to run for homecoming queen because that is something that I wanted to do for the longest. This is my last semester and one thing that COVID taught me was never take anything for granted,” said Brion.

At the time of application, all candidates must meet the university’s Student Leadership criteria and the Office of Student Government requirements.

They must be full-time, matriculated seniors with 90 or more completed credits. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required as well as a Biography of 250 words or less.

All campaign policies align with the Center for Leadership and Success (CLS)

represent her organization.

“One important campaign strategy was to socially connect with students, athletes, professors & classes. Another strategy I used to spread the word about my campaign was by posting flyers & sharing it on social media,” said Abdou.

Abdou stated that she is a very competitive person and she likes to accomplish goals that she sets for herself.

She explained that the reason she ran for homecoming queen was that she wanted to challenge herself and put herself out there.

If she were to be crowned Queen, she plans on using her platform to reflect positive leadership qualities, while continuing to get involved on campus.

“My campaigning experience has encouraged me to be more outgoing and utilize my leadership skills in an alternative way,” said Abdou.

Brion explained that she is currently enrolled in a course called Political Participation that focuses on campaigning.

“That class actually taught me a lot,” said Brion. “I am talking to people and

introducing myself. I am just a friendly person. I gave out a little candy favor to make my name stick out. I also posted flyers and used social media.”

Student Trustee Kobe Robinson, who majors in communication with a minor in marketing is the only candidate running for Homecoming King.

Robinson explained that he decided to not participate in the tabling event or campaign because he is the only male running.

According to Edgar, as long as Robinson gets at least one vote, he is guaranteed the win as he ran unopposed.

“I was told that there wasn’t a lot of people running, I didn’t know that nobody was Photo by Davaughnia Wilson running,” said Robinson.

Robinson explained that he did not participate in the tabling event because he had other obligations as Mondays are his busiest day of the week.

Robinson stated that after finding out that he was the only male candidate running, he didn’t put a lot of effort into campaigning. He, however, used social media to inform everyone that he was running.

“I know there’s only one king but I still haven’t met him so I’m excited to meet him,” said Bryant.

Edgar stated that all finalists have to attend the Homecoming Pep Rally and the Homecoming Football Game. The winner will be announced during the half-time show.

The Homecoming King and Queen are required to attend the Senior Formal and they may be asked to appear at events organized by the Office of Student Government.

“I feel like because I am the only guy, I want to give it a suspenseful feel,” said Robinson. “I want it to be suspenseful.” n

SPORTS

November, 2021

THE TOWER 13

Kean Football Beats TCNJ In Homecoming Game

By Tyra Watts Kean University’s 2021 Homecoming weekend ended on an exciting note as the Kean

Around a hundred Kean students, families, and friends were in attendance wearing white to match the white-out theme for the game.

After each team came out onto the field and

“It’s really about focusing on getting better every day, and that’s always been the goal,” Garrett said.

Photo by Tyra Watts

Kean football players huddled up before the game

Photo by Tyra Watts

Kean vs TCNJ

football team defeated The College of New Jersey 20-7 on Saturday, October 16th at the Kean Alumni Stadium.

Leading up to the game, TCNJ had a threegame winning streak, and Kean had a twogame winning streak.

the national anthem played, the game got underway.

Early in the first quarter, Kean scored the first points of the game with a successful field goal scored by Kicker Logan Matthews, changing the score to 3-0.

After several drives from each team, the first touchdown of the game was scored with 10 seconds left in the first quarter by Wide Receiver Donte Jamison on a 63-yard punt return. The crowd was thrilled as they cheered on Jamison.

The players and staff were delighted with the touchdown.

Near the end of the second quarter, Jamison scored a second punt return touchdown, this time for 70-yards, causing the crowd to jump out of their seats.

At halftime, Kean led TCNJ 17-0.

Despite a strong start from the Cougars, the TCNJ Lions were able to score a touchdown and extra point in the third quarter, bringing the score to 20-7.

Despite some positive plays by the Lions in the second half, it was not enough as Kean football beat TCNJ 20-7.

With this victory, Kean was able to extend their winning streak to three games and obtain a 3-1 NJAC conference record, and a 3-3 record overall.

“It’s really about focusing on getting better every day, and that’s always been the goal,” Kean Football Coach Dan Garrett said. “The team has not played their best football yet, but offensively and defensively there’s room for improvement.” continued on page 16

Nikolaos Theoudoulidis Named Rookie of the Week

By Jalen Gaynor Nikolaos Theoudoulidis has been named Rookie of the Week by the New Jersey Athletic Conference. One of the Cougars’ soccer standouts was recognized for his exceptional play in recent games.

Coming into the season, one of Theoudoulidis’s goals was to be able to score goals at a high level to help his team win.

“I did see that our top goal scorer was Raonne Dias, number seven,” Theodoulidis said. “I was saying to myself I need a few more goals to be at his level. So that was my goal, getting a few more goals and getting aggressive in front of the net.”

The Rookie began the week by scoring the first goal of the game against Medgar Evers off a double assist from Sergio Martinez and Tabi Essa Jr. The Cougars won the game in a 3-0 shutout.

He followed up his performance with an even more impressive display against New Jersey City University. Scoring the only 2 goals in the second half after a slow start offensively by both teams to start the game.

“He’s touching the tip of the iceberg. He has a lot more to go. He can do way more and accomplish more, but he’s getting there.”

Photo by Larry Leventi

Nikolaos Theoudoulidis

Photo by Larry Leventi

Coach Peter-John Falloon

The midfielder is thankful for this acknowledgement and will use it as motivation for the future.

“I take this as an achievement and I keep moving forward and keep improving,” Theoudoulidis said.

The NJAC consists of 10 teams including Kean’s, which is ranked third place in the standings.

As a freshman, Theoudoulidis has worked hard to get acclimated to the college level and is hopeful about his future.

“It’s a work in progress,” he said. “ It was a little rough in the beginning with injuries and stuff, but now I’ve settled in. Looking forward to the future.”

The Cougars have a strong team atmosphere and they all push each other to get better everyday.

“I love the whole team,” Theoudoulidis said. “Everybody is together and we motivate each other. It’s a team game so this award can go out to the whole team because it’s eleven players on the field, not just one.” continued on page 16

14 THE TOWER

November 2021

Kean women’s basketball confident in preparation ahead of season opener

By Ruben Nieves

“Giving our best effort and staying true to the core values of this program which is family, integrity, gratitude, hard work, and toughness.”

After a shortened 2020-21 season, Kean women’s basketball is preparing for its season opener and fresh off an appearance in the NJAC tournament, is confident in its ability to make another run at an NJAC championship.

“The competition is at a high level,” said head coach Mandy King. “There’s a lot of belief in the gym that Shannon McCoy, a senior this could be the year we guard, thinks the team is break through and get focused and ready. back to winning NJAC “We started our Photo by Kean Athletics championships.” preseason the second week The team has been Head coach Mandy King of school and we’ve been practicing for the upcoming lifting with our strength season since the second week of the fall and conditioning coach twice a week,” semester.

McCoy said. “We got the team together two As they continue preparating for the other days and either played some pickup or season, King believes the team should be went through some of the things we did in focused on the things that matter the most. practice.”

McCoy has been working on ball handling “Not necessarily the results, but focusing on improving every day,” King said. and her shooting, as this season the three-

point line has been moved back.

“I’ve been preparing by making sure I’m running and in shape,” McCoy said. “I’ve also been getting in the gym and working

“I would really love to improve on my ability to handle the ball,” Olivero said. “It’s going to be tough for our point guards this year with how intense NJAC defense is. So, if I can help relieve some of that pressure

“This team this season has so much potential to be something great” on my ball handling and shooting, I’ve been focusing a lot on adjusting and expanding my three-point range.”

Like her teammate, Sarah Olivero, a senior guard, has also been working on improving her overall game.

“Personally, during the offseason, I really wanted to focus on my strength and shooting ability,” Olivero said. “I really got into lifting and spent most of my days working on my threes or jumpers that I would realistically take in a game.”

Olivero also wants to improve her ball handling.

Photo by Shannon McCoy

McCoy brings the ball up the court

and put them and our bigs in a better position to score.”

Last season due to the pandemic they had a shortened season, and the team did not have their normal preparation time. Now, King is hoping after normal preparation the team can set the tone for the rest of the league.

continued on page 16

Going All Out

By Hector Morales

“One thing I owe my success to is having people behind my back to help me achieve good things for the team.” - Jordan Thompson

Kean University’s Field Hockey Team was on a roll to begin their season, as they won 13 straight games to start the fall season for the first time since 2017. Coming into the week 1. As season from a 5-0 season of October last spring, the Cougars 2 4 t h , continued their hot streak. they were They are seeking another ranked in appearance in the NJAC Photo by Larry Levanti the top tournament.

5 in the Field Hockey Head Coach Jordan Thompson conference.

Leslie LaFronz is in her “This is the highest we have ever been 12 year coaching for the Kean Cougars and she was impressed about her team’s ranked in the country and coming into the season it’s the first time we have performance going through this season.

“It has been an outstanding year and been picked to win the conference and it’s we have been performing really well,” said definitely one of the best teams we have LaFronz “We spent years preparing for ever had,” said LaFronz.

One of the key stars of the team is this season and it’s a culmination of a lot Kectucky native, Jordan Thompson. of hard work.”

According to the Penn Monto/NFHCA Thompson is a graduate student at Kean Division III National Coaches Poll, they and she is planning on getting her masters were ranked 10th in the conference in degree in arts and forensic psychology.

Before she came to Kean, Thompson played field hockey with the Hofstra Pride for 4 years at Hofstra University.

Thompson currently leads the team with 39 points and has really enjoyed playing with her new teammates in her first year as a Cougar. “ I’m backed by a really amazing team and I couldn’t do anything I do on the field without them,” said Thompson.

“One thing I owe my success to is having people behind my back to help me achieve good things for the team.”

As of the week of October 24, the Cougars have gone undefeated at home and have a record of 16-1 and 4-1 in the conference. With just a couple games left in the season, LaFronz and her team hope that they’ll have the home seed for the

Photo by Larry Levanti

Leslie LaFronz

first round of the NJAC tournament.

Thompson will also be heading to the postseason in her first year as a Cougar as she is willing to help her teammates going forward and make the best of her time at Kean University.

“I want to be able to push this team as far as I think they can be pushed and get the most out of my time as a Cougar for myself and also for the girls that I played with.” n

November, 2021

THE TOWER 15

Kean University’s new cross country Head Coach

By Michael LaBella

Kean University’s athletic department announced that the former Essex County VoTech High School Track & Field assistant coach,Danielle Todman, will be the next Head Coach of the men’s and women’s cross country program.

Todman was convinced to take the position when offered the opportunity to build the team.

“It takes a certain type of person to run cross country,” said Todman. “So if you can teach the people the art of running, you can teach them the art of staying at their pace in life.”

Todman will prepare and lead both the men’s and women’s teams when they officially resume as varsity sports in the fall of 2022. As of now, Todman will oversee recreational running.

Todman was an athlete herself, as

she ran Track & Field at Bucknell University from 2003-2006. She currently holds top 10 records in the 55-meter hurdles and the shutter hurdles relay.

She was also named the 2017 Air National Guard Athlete of the Year and is a championship powerlifter.

Being an athlete herself, Todman believes that her experiences will help her communicate with her athletes today.

“The athletes have to understand that when the coaches speak, we speak from experience,” said Todman. “I am a very different coach, I speak from my experience of

“So you teach your athletes to grow from the lows and as a runner that’s gotten it later, that is what I want to try to instill in my runners.”

failures. Because my failures have led me to this point, the low point is the grow point.

So you teach your athletes to grow from the lows and as a runner that’s gotten it later, that is what I want to try to instill in my runners.”

Todman also has prior coaching experience, as she was the Track & Field assistant coach at Essex County VoTech High School.

She had the responsibilities of recruiting and maintaining the number of student athletes and developing and maintaining the skill of the athletes, as well as discipline and integrity during practice and meets. She has experience

Photo by Kean Athletics

Head-Shot of Coach Todman

leading and maintaining a team atmosphere before even coming to Kean according to an NJAC article on Todman.

“I never deviate from the process,” said Todman. “Plan A is the only plan. I work my process, I trust my process, and the promise is reward.” n

Kean Men’s Basketball Begins Season in Pursuit of Fresh Start

By Robert Greene

Assistant Coach Bill Kilduff.

Kean has not had a season where they Kean Men’s Basketball is seeking an have finished over or near .500 since 2013upward trend following a shortened spring 14. season due to COVID-19.

Last season, the Cougars were at the In the spring 2020-21 season, Kean bottom of the conference in almost every statistical category.

Getting out-scored by opponents in each period, Kean averaged 68.6 points per game while shooting 39.7% from the field and 32.4 from three-point range. Opponents scored 82.9 PPG and shot 46.5%, 32.8 from the outside. The Cougars were outshot in free-throw percentage as well with their opponents shooting 75% from the stripe to Kean’s 71.6%.

Kean was out-numbered in other fundamentals of the stat sheet as well, getting outPhoto by Larry Levanti rebounded by 10 and allowing Kean Basketball seeks motivation in the huddle the other team to have four more assists. finished 1-6 with a 1-5 conference record The Cougars will be led by Seniors: and win-less at 0-4 away. The Cougars had a win in their first three games just before Forward Nate Lyles and Jailen Jamison falling in the last four after the shutdown, along with Sophomore Guard JD Daniels.

Daniels led Kean in scoring season with finishing well under .500 yet again.

“Our first goal obviously is to improve,” 16.9 PPG, averaged 2.6 rebounds and 1.9 said second-year assistant coach, Bill Kilduff. assists shooting 40.6% from the field, 35% “That goes without saying. I mean, over the from deep and 88% at the line. Daniels had last x-number of years, the program has not a dominant performance Feb. 20 against been on an upward swing,” – Second-year The College of New Jersey when he put up

“Our first goal obviously is to improve.”

37 points on 13 of 23 shooting, came down with three boards and had three assists.

Jamison dropped an all-around 25 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and six steals on an efficient 6-13 against Montclair State on Feb. 12.

Lyles also had a stellar performance last year against TCNJ when the forward put up 21 points, eight rebounds and a block with two steals and two assists at their university.

Lyles has shown a ton of improvement and has seen a rise in efficiency in PPG as well as his shooting percentages. He learned not to take anything for granted.

“Honestly, we are just glad to be back on the court,” Lyles said. “We are trying to take advantage of this year because now we know, anything could happen.”

Lyles acknowledges how the University made changes to the coaching staff last year bringing in Kilduff and Head Coach David Turco to improve the program.

“One of the ways you measure that, obviously, is getting back into the mix to qualify for the conference tournament,” Kilduff said. “I think it’s something that’s attainable.”

Kilduff expressed major confidence in his group. Not just for their ability to qualify for the conference, but the National tournament.

“As a coaching staff, we feel we have a more than a legitimate chance of qualifying

for the conference tournament, and then obviously, one of our other goals is the same goal every team across the nation has, which is to qualify for the National tournament,” he said. “If we improve as much as I think we’re going to, I think that’s a reasonable goal.”

Kilduff understands that it is about getting on the court and actually working to get better.

“You have to walk before you can run, so we have to improve, get off to a good start, win some games, we have a lot of new faces,” he said. “We’re hoping this is the beginning of a new era, for lack of a better term.”

The Kean Cougars understand that the quality of play will pick up and it will definitely be much more competitive with acknowledgement of that being Coach Turco’s motto since he began his basketball career.

“He’s won every place he’s been, and we don’t see this as being any different,” Kilduff said.

Kean tips off their season at home versus Purchase College on Monday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.

“Now, it’s time to get the train moving full steam ahead,” Lyles said. “The coaching staff brought in a few new pieces and we have to figure out how to put this puzzle together, but we are going to get it and the next thing is just to leave it all on the court, play with heart.” n

16 THE TOWER

November 2021

Kean Football Beats TCNJ In Homecoming Game As for the rest of the season, Coach Garrett remains hopeful for his team.

“The team has to prepare and continue

continued from page 2

to focus on being better and getting more done on the field during the week,” Coach Garrett said. n

Photo by Tyra Watts

Kean football celebrating their victory

Nikolaos Theoudoulidis Named Rookie of the Week

Photo by Larry Leventi

Nikolaos Theoudoulidis

Even with his great individual play, Theoudoulidis insists that it is not just about him and that he could not have this success without the help of his teammates and head coach.

Kean men’s soccer head coach PeterJohn Falloon stated that he has believed in Theoudoulidis’s abilities on the field for a long time. Coach Falloon expressed confidence in his freshman player despite not always seeing this level of success from a first year player.

“You don’t see the immediate impact usually, but I recruited Niko for four years and there’s a reason I didn’t stop recruiting him,” Fallon said. “I knew he was a diamond in the rough.”

Coach Falloon went on to discuss how he usually handles freshmen and their playing time in their first season on the team.

continued from page 13

“Best man wins the job, you are as good as your current performance,” Falloon said.

“The freshman is playing better than the senior guy, freshman plays.”

This kind of philosophy helps give a young player like Theoudoulidis the opportunity to have an impact on the team right away.

“He’s touching the tip of the iceberg. He has a lot more to go. He can do way more and accomplish more, but he’s getting there,” coach Falloon said.

Coach Falloon gave great insight into how the team feels about Theoudoulidis.

Although this is only his first year on the

Kean women’s basketball confident in preparation ahead of season opener “We want to dominate the regular season,” King said. “Hopefully we can get out of that middle of the pack and separate ourselves so we can become elite.”

This season, fans will be welcomed back at Hardwood Arena after not being able to during the spring season due to Covid protocol. McCoy is looking forward to having fans back in the bleachers.

“I’m so excited to have fans back at games, it was so weird not having them last year,” McCoy said. “Now knowing that

they’ll be back is so exciting, the energy is going to be so awesome.”

Like McCoy, Olivero loves the energy fans bring at games.

“Fans being back at games is probably one of the best parts of being able to play this year,” Olivero said. “We love the energy they bring to every game because it really shows how much support we have and how much they believe in us.”

As the season opener comes closer, King hopes her team plays great but also stays

“I do have a student who is hearing impaired and has requested that I wear a transparent mask to facilitate lip reading.

I have requested the University to supply this type of mask to me for the student.

The university said that they would, but up until this point, I still do not have that mask,” he states.

This is a major problem because Kean should be accommodating to everyone with any type of disability. This student is now going on one month without being able to fully comprehend their professor’s classes, not receiving the same education level as their peers.

Furthermore, after reaching out to Margaret McCorry- Director of Media Relations here at Kean for information on the mask mandate and the timing the students were informed of it, she

continued from page 14

true to their culture.

“We’ll use our culture and our character to guide us and work as hard as we can,” King said. “Hopefully we will be cutting down the nets in February here in Hardwood Arena.”

Like her coach, McCoy believes there is potential that this team can win an NJAC championship this season.

“This team this season has so much potential to be something great,” McCoy said. “All those little things that we can

Navigating the Mask Mandate at Kean University

team, he has built great chemistry and trust among his teammates.

“He’s an influential player for the team.

Players like him, players like his personality on and off the field. They like the way he plays so he has a lot of pull regarding his teammates. He’s also the player with the smartest IQ on the team so he can be very impactful.”

The future seems bright for the Cougars and their freshman Nikolaos Theoudoulidis. They currently have an overall record of 10-4-1 and an NJAC conference record of 5-3. n

fix and put together will all c o m e together and be Photo by Kean Athletics something Spring 2021 Women’s basketball team amazing.”

K e a n ’s women’s basketball team will tip off their season on November 6 in Hardwood Arena against New York University. n

continued from page 5

responded with the Violations of the following.

COVID-19 Community “Kean University’s top Standards Policy pose a priority is the safety of the threat to the health and entire community. Many safety of the entire Kean students and faculty community. Therefore, the expressed concerns about conduct administrator of returning to campus the Office of Community Photo by Julia Strugala without masks. The Signs Posted on the doors of Kean Standards and Student decision to institute a University buildings Conduct or her designee mask mandate was made in response to may impose any remedies/sanctions, including changing conditions during the pandemic. those that result in suspension or expulsion, The University will continue to monitor after the Student Conduct Conference without state and federal guidelines on mask usage holding a Student Conduct Hearing and adjust accordingly”.

Kean is not taking the mandate lightly As for the repercussions students face and students will face consequences if for not complying with the mask mandate, showing an issue with the rules put in place they are outlined in the Kean University for this semester.

COVID-19 Community Standards Policy Most students are also dreading the for Students: possible return of Zoom classes, which is

why many came into this school year with the intention of wearing a mask in their classes regardless if there was a mandate in effect or not. Some reasons behind this are older, more susceptible family members at home and keeping in person classes going for as long as possible this semester.

Overall, the student body at Kean University is doing a great job taking safety precautions to make sure everyone is staying healthy and protected. As long as we all continue doing our part by wearing masks properly, staying home when you feel sick, and keeping your professors in the loop when you need to take a sick day and get tested, this semester will continue running smoothly. n