The Tower March 2014 by The Tower

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THE TOWER

MAR. 06, 2014

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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF KEAN UNIVERSITY

Kean U Crushes collection of Kean’s dirty lingerie to socialize and really connect with their peers. “It’s hilarious,” said Joe Leach, senior at Kean, “but I think it shows people need to stop worrying about what others will think about them if they approach them.” “I’m on it 24/7,” said Gabriella Resende, who has been mentioned on Kean U Crushes before. The tweet mentioning Resende reads, “That girl Gaby who commutes but is always in Bartlett got that fatty #heygirl ? U single or nah?” The Admin has learned a few things from running a twitter feed connected to the sex drives of an entire campus. “I’ve learned that one can never judge a book by its cover because you never know when someone that is interested in you is in your 8 a.m. lecture or sitting behind you in the café.” While most of the tweets on Kean U Crushes will be the equivalent of graffiti on a bathroom wall, the Admin believes there is “great

Kean U Crushes screenshot. By Kyle Lawrence

Imagine a catalogue of the romantic and sexual thoughts going through the minds of Kean students. Fortunately, or unfortunately, this catalogue exists in Twitter form. Kean U Crushes is a twitter account where Kean students can post their hidden desires and thoughts for the world to see, often specifically naming the object of their desires. While this account is similar to Kean Confessionals, Kean U Crushes focuses on the romantic and sexual sides of Kean students’ psyches. And it plays out exactly how you might think. There are several tame, flirtatious tweets such as “sean mckee #mcm take off that shirt baby” and “Any women out here searching for a buff gym man?” Then there are the expected, yet surprisingly open, tweets that are frankly too obscene to publish in The Tower. All of these confessions are anonymously posted to Twitter through Kean U Crushes’ AskFM page. Kean students go to the AskFM page through the link provided on Twitter, type out their confession, and then the Twitter admin posts it.

“I set up the Kean Crushes page because, after only a short time of attending the university, I realized that people would isolate themselves between commuters and dormers,” said the Kean U Crushes Admin, who wished to remain nameless, in an email interview. “I thought it would be fun to kick start the mending of all students in a way that would keep students entertained and always coming back for more.”

There are guidelines to these confessions posted on the AskFM page. The feed is “NOT a confessions page” and is not used to trash-talk others on their sexual performances. Those comments won’t get posted. There’s also a few formatting rules, such as character limit and the use of first and last names. “For the most part, most of the submissions on the ask.fm page are submitted, but I always try

“I set up the Kean Crushes page because, after only a short time of attending the university, I realized that people would isolate themselves between commuters and dormers.” The Admin’s desire seems to be a reality. Kean U Crushes currently has 1,437 followers, and many Kean students retweet and respond to the confessions. “idk who keeps writing about my wife @TheRealPulsey but you should know she’s already taken.. By me lmfao” is a response to the tweet “Julie from Theta is literally perfect she like comics, she’s beautiful, and she’s Italian. #ciaobella #vienequa “ In some cases, even phone numbers have been exchanged.

to avoid posting something regarding a specific person having a small penis, or being a ‘slut’,” said the Admin. Kean U Crushes is not the only twitter of its kind. Rutgers, Camden, and others have similar Twitter handles for the same purpose. Twitter handles like these present a reflection of the negative aspects of the on-the-go college student life. With work, homework, thesis papers, bus routes, credits, etc. it can be extremely difficult for students to find time

potential” for hook-ups. “I do believe there is great potential for [hook-ups] to happen,” said the Admin. “After all, it is human nature to be curious, who wouldn’t want to find out who their potential college love was?” While Kean U Crushes isn’t a glamorous representation of Kean University, its potential for anonymous venting and brutal honesty has captured the admiration of many students. Love, sex, desire; it all melts together on Kean U Crushes.

_By Dan Canova

A complete reconstructive knee surgery almost put an end to Robbie Meade’s college career as Lock Haven University’s quarterback, but after taking two years off from school, Meade regained his confidence and finally found a home at Kean in 2013. “Before Kean, I had a scholarship to Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania,” Meade said. “I started up there as a true freshman for seven games, and then I blew my knee out. I completely shattered my knee cap and I lost all motivation to do anything.” After recently winning the McKinley Boston Award, which

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is presented to a student/athlete regarding a leadership role for his or her team, Meade was also named the starting quarterback and team captain for the Cougars for the upcoming 2014 season. Now all Meade can do is focus on the future, and leave his past behind him. “So far starting with this offseason, I’m really looking forward to seeing how the players progress,” Meade said. “I think it was like 15 seniors who left, so I really want to see who’s going to take that step up and fill in their roles.” Meade already has a few personal and team goals set on his mind looking ahead to next season. “I’m trying to be more efficient

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Photo: Robbie Meade

Football’s future lies in the hands of Meade

Robbie Meade accepting the McKinley Boston Award with head coach, Dan Garrett.

in my passes and I want to know my reads better,” Meade said. “Towards the end of the year you could see my progressions. Basi-

valentine’s day blues 08

cally I just want to improve on making better and quicker decisions and as a team I’m trying to win the NJAC Championship and go to the playoffs.” Kean finished its 2013 campaign with an overall record of 2-8, however that didn’t reflect the team’s competitiveness on the field. Late in the season, the Cougars suffered defeat in six of its last seven games by an average of six points. Meade took over for the injured Christian Bailoni in Kean’s fourth game of the season against SUNY Cortland, and it was Meade who was Kean’s signal caller the rest of the way. continued on page 11 “A f t e r

Kean mourns one of its own

22-year-old Kean student, William R. McCaw By Marisa Gallagher

The Kean community mourns the loss of 22-year-old student, William McCaw, an accounting major, whose body was found in a yard outside a New Brunswick home on the morning of Feb. 15. McCaw, also known as “Billy,” was last seen at a Valentine’s Day party, wearing a red tee-shirt and a white bandana tied around his head. He was beaten to death, and his body was found on Hartwell Street, an area near Rutgers that is well-known for college housing. Authorities say he suffered blunt force trauma. Students that learned more about the murder and tragic death of McCaw, showed concern about the public safety of the area where his body was found and many college students reside. “I feel as though maybe college housing at Rutgers is sufficient, but that they can improve on the security within the college town,” said Lindsay Erskine, a communications major and Kean alumni. “The amount of officers on duty could increase to ensure the safety of students that live off campus. They are still Rutgers students who pay tuition.” Aside from the murder investigation and safety concerns that surround the unsolved case, students and teammates remember McCaw as someone who was outgoing, friendly and always smiling. Christian Acosta, a Rutgers graduate and former teammate of McCaw, said the most memorable moment they shared was winning a championship together. The two played soccer together on an intramural team for two semesters. “We won the championship together. He was a great soccer player and teammate,” said Acosta. “I would see him at parties and always greet him. He seemed out-going and friendly.” Aside from a candlelight vigil held by the fraternity McCaw belonged to, an online memorial service was organized to raise funds that will support the his family. The memorial service was created on GoFundMe, an online service that can help raise money for any cause, where the continued on page 2

Student Spotlight

The Dream Act

Career Coach Helen Naftali

Arts & Entertainment

6&7

Valentine’s Day Blues

Crossword Puzzle

Health Fitness Trends

Kean Sports

10 - 12

March 06, 2014

Moody’s maintains Kean University’s negative outlook By Keanu Austin

Kean’s enrollment issues and a need to work towards a solution. “We have not been doing as well as you might expect with respect to enrollment,” said Faculty

Photo: Creative Commons | Karen Ang

Moody’s Investors Service, a bond credit rating agency, is once again maintaining a negative outlook for Kean University due to several challenges the university has yet to overcome: continued declines in enrollment, an expectation of narrower operating performance in this fiscal year and pressure on net tuition revenue, according to a press release from the agency. Kean has recorded two years of significant declines in enrollment, states the January press release from Moody’s. The press release also states that Kean’s Fall 2013 full-time equivalent enrollment of 10,938 is down 10.9 percent from its recent high enrollment of 12,279 in fall 2011. At a Faculty Senate meeting held on Feb. 12, enrollment issues were on the agenda and members acknowledged the importance of

“It’s really two-fold. It’s not simply bringing students in,” Ippolito said. “It’s keeping them.” In regards to Kean’s operating performance, Moody’s affirmed Kean’s A2 bond rating for a healthy financial operating performance, but the rating agency also noted a 2.2 percent dip in operative revenue from the 2013 fiscal year,

Senate Chairperson Patrick Ippolito to the Senate during the meeting, “and that’s probably an understatement.” Ippolito suggested dedicating an entire meeting to discussing the problem, with focus not only on enrollment but also on retention.

dom Olympics, reported The New York Times, more than half were women. The turnout for Kean’s February Condom Olympics was similar in that more than half of at least 18 participants were female. Kean’s Condom Olympics organizers separated participants into five teams: red, green, purple, orange and grey. Organizers then kicked off the nightly event with a sex-themed bingo, which featured educational facts that explained things like British spies had used semen as invisible ink, the penalty for masturbation in Indonesia is decapitation and the average number of calories and sperm in a teaspoon of semen is seven and three hundred million respectively.

While this year’s Winter Olympics were held in Sochi, several Kean students organized and held a Condom Olympics event on Feb. 12. “This is my second time doing it,” said Adriana Castro, a Bartlett Hall residence assistant. “I’m hosting it with my sorority.” Castro, who belongs to Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Inc., last held and organized the event in the previous school semester. The Condom Olympics, which has become a common event at many universities, is designed to put a fun twist on teaching safe sex to students. The event’s origins

Photo: Keanu Austin

The winners of Feb. 12th’s Condom Olympics.

“The Condom Olympics, which has become a common event at many universities, is designed to put a fun twist on teaching safe sex to students.” can be traced back as far as 1988, when two groups at the University of Wisconsin-Madison sponsored their own Condom Olympics, according to The Milwaukee Journal. Several games played at the 1988 Condom Olympics were designed to demonstrate the sturdiness of condoms, reported The New York Times. One such game was a condom-over-the-head contest, which had contestants pull inflated condoms over their own heads to see how far they could get without breaking the rubbers.Other featured games included a condomthemed water-balloon toss, relay race, volleyball tournament and demolition derby. In those games, competitors tossed, transported, swatted, and stomped out waterfilled or inflated condoms. Out of the approximate 150 participants present at the 1988 Con-

MOURNING ONE OF THEIR OWN donations have reached over $25,000 and are still growing. The overall goal that is set for donations is $100,000. An email was sent out to students and faculty from Kean Department of Public Safety/Police that read, ‘in conjunction with the Middlesex

The second game tested participants’ knowledge on sexual terms. Teams had to define the terms coitus, cunnilingus, fellatio and analingus [sic]. The following step of the game had teams provide nicknames for each of those proper sexual terms. Participants provided nicknames like “shoot up the club” and “surfboard” for coitus, “eating out” for cunnilingus, “dome” for fellatio and “rusty trombone” for analingus [sic]. The third game of the night was Sex Jeopardy. Participants chose questions worth points between 100 and 500. The categories were prevention, STI, pregnancy, HIV/ AIDS and miscellaneous. The questions, which asked for information like the definition of consent, methods of birth control and the steps to turn a condom into a dental dam, rarely baffled

should the institution experience substantial growth in financial resources related to debt and operations, an increase in net tuition per student and strong operating cash flow margins to support debt service. On the other hand, a decline in enrollment without proportional adjustment to expenses,

“Moody’s affirmed Kean’s A2 bond rating for a healthy financial operating performance, but ... also noted a 2.2 percent dip in operative revenue from the 2013 fiscal year.” including a 6.9 percent decline in tuition and auxiliary revenues. Also, Moody’s found that limited financial support from the state has required Kean to implement ongoing tuition increases and to finance its capital projects with internal resources and debt.

Kean students test sexual knowledge with Condom Olympics By Keanu Austin

Moody’s documented in its press release that the university has $346 million of rated debt. However, the rating agency considers it a strength that the university’s debt is all at a fixed rate with no derivative agreements. A derivative is a financial contract between two or more parties that derives its value from an

the participants for long, if at all. A bonus round was held in which a member from each team gathered around a desk occupied by bananas and boxes of condoms. The objective of the game was to see who could apply the most condoms to the most bananas the quickest. Following the bonus round, the Condom Olympics had its victor: the green team, which consisted of Shaquanna Hutchinson, Joyella Roach, Keith Gardner, Delois Blackmon and Christina White. Their prize: condoms. The practice of distributing condoms at Olympic Games has been in place since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Health officials, reported The Associated Press, were concerned that the expected 270,000 foreigners visiting for the Olympics would spread AIDs in South Korea. This fear is not baseless, for one of the many things the Olympic Games are known for is the copious amount of sex and partying that it brings to Olympic Villages, which are made to house athletes, athletic trainers and officials. Hope Solo, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, estimated this year that 70 to 75 percent of Olympians are having sex in their free time, according to The Huffington Post. The Post also reported that officials of this year’s Olympic Games have handed out 100,000 condoms — just 50,000 less than the amount of free condoms handed out during the 2012 Games. As far as contraception use for the sake of preventing pregnancy goes, the United States appears to be struggling when compared to other countries. “The U.S. unintended pregnancy rate is significantly higher than the rate in many other developed countries,” states the Guttmacher Institute, an organization that focuses on sexual and reproductive health. The organization, which defines an unintended pregnancy as one that is either mistimed or unwanted, published a fact sheet at the end of 2013 that states 3.4 million of the 6.6 million pregnancies in the United States each year are unintended. Only two-thirds of U.S. women at risk for unintended pregnancy use contraception consistently and correctly, the organization revealed, and those women account for only five percent of unintended pregnancies.

asset, like stocks or bonds. Derivatives have many uses, such as turning a profit for investors, but they are also criticized as risky contracts that could lose investors large amounts of money. The university could receive a higher rating, Moody’s states,

continued decreases in operating performance, borrowing without substantial growth of financial resources and reductions in financial resources could result in Kean having its rating lowered.

Vaughn Eames will grow on you

murder of McCaw to come forward, as any bit of information is helpful. Informants are urged to contact Det. Sgt. Gorman of the Kean University Police Department at 908737-4823 or by email at mgorman@ kean.edu. “I hope Billy gets justice. It is

By Vera Boateng

Kean University has launched the School of Communication, Media and Journalism reflecting changes at the college. “When the faculty was presented with the opportunity to become a school, we were excited for the chance to capitalize on our existing strengths while at the same time creating programs that forge new directions in the study of all facets of communication,” said Dr. Jack Sargent, who is becoming the executive director of the school. The new school was formally named at an event on Feb. 20 on the ground floor in the Center for Academic Success. Students and faculty joined with Kean President Dawood Farahi, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences Susan Bousquet and Steven Fastook, vice president of operations at CNBC Network. Fastook, an alumnus of Kean who as a media student developed the university’s first television studio ,was the guest speaker. The university has been turning its departments into schools

headed by executive directors for several years. At present, Kean has 22 schools within the university. This is what fueled the communication faculty members to think about what they could do that would be innovative and attractive to students. Putting the areas of communication, media and journalism together highlights the many career choices offered in the new school. A new webpage and logo have also been created for the School of Communication, Media and Journalism. “Students were very excited for the opportunity and pleased with

Dr. Jack Sargent with students and guest-speaker Steve Fastook, vice president of technical and commercial operations at CNBC.

“Students were very excited for the opportunity and pleased with the idea of becoming a school and being able to put that on their resumes.” the idea of becoming a school and being able to put that on their resumes,” said Sargent. With these changes, the faculty hopes to create a new identity for

Black Love Affair comes back to Kean

the Communication School. The school will change some of its curriculum and develop new programs and new classes to reach more students. This is to help stu-

dents land jobs that will be useful for them in the future. The communication guide sheets will also be redesigned. Different communication classes

in areas such as social media or environmental communication will be explored in this new school. At the event to introduce the new school, faculty members in communication pointed out that most of the faculty have worked in the communication industry and are able to direct students by telling them what jobs expect from them. The new school will continue to house The Tower, an independent, laboratory newspaper of Kean’s journalism option, as well as WKNJ-FM Kean University’s radio station. A video shown at the event highlighted Communication as a major, noting that surveys show employers are looking for the kinds of skills taught in the new school, which include public speaking, writing, research, persuasion and problem solving skills. The video was produced by a Kean Communication graduate student Siddharth Gupta. The event was designed and created in a collaborative effort with public relations classes taught by Prof.

business.rutgers.edu/pamba Your competitive advantage is at Rutgers.

Vaughn Eames Expansion Construction Site. By Roman Gerus

Construction is underway in and around the Vaughn Eames parking lot as Vaughn Eames Hall undergoes significant renovations and expansion. The Performing Arts Instructional Facility Expansion and Renovation Project, under the direction of the Office of Facilities and Campus Planning, is an ambitious new project designed to renovate and expand the current Vaughn Eames Hall. There will be an exterior renovation on the building including a new performance studio on the first floor. Also, an additional 14,500 sq. ft. performing arts building will be constructed in the space between the parking lot and Morris Avenue. This project is part of an initiative to breathe new life into a “cramped, aging” visual arts facility and transform it into a “new, more vibrant” one. The new buildings and facilities will also address the growing need for space for an expanding performing arts program. This project, when completed, would expand the Theatre Program’s overall capacity by as much as 24 percent. “They need to re-open the entrance by North Ave,” said Lindsey Bodnar, a commuter student who has been affected by the closure. The project’s budget is $5.7 million with a current construction contract of $5.5 million. The project is estimated to last about 12 months. This includes the current parking and traffic trends. To ensure a safe working environment,

tragic to lose someone so young and nice,” said Acosta, “someone out there has to know what happened.” Services on campus are being offered to students grieving the loss of the soccer player and Pi Kappa Phi brother. The services are provided to students and members of

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Photo: Roman Gerus

60 handicapped and faculty/staff spaces have been removed for the duration of the project. Traffic has also been rerouted. This has increased the amount of traffic and headaches, especially with the closing of the North Avenue entrance. Steven Minkoff is a commuter student that uses this entrance. “It has been a bit of an annoyance,” said Minkoff. “They closed the back entrance that I used every day for emergency construction and yet have not broke ground on anything relating to the entrance. I can’t wait for them to open it back up.” With this entrance closed, traffic for the main campus is forced to funnel into the entrance at Morris Avenue. This in turn, is causing more traffic which Kean is already infamous for among its students and staff. Phyllis Duke is the Assistant Vice President of Operations and has firsthand knowledge of the parking lot situation. “The area will be in its current configuration until the project is complete,” said Duke. The project has also dug itself into other problems with frequent severe winter storms that have slowed progress and saturated the soil. There are also a number of underground utilities that must be relocated, namely a gas line and IT services. However, the project is still moving forward; slowly, but surely. When it is complete, it will add needed space to a growing student community. As for more parking, that is another story.

(Continued from page 1)

County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Brunswick Police Department, is seeking any and all information in reference to the recent murder of Kean University student William McCaw in New Brunswick.’ Authorities are urging anyone with information in regards to the

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Kean University holds opening event for School of Communication, Media and Journalism

Photo: Kean XChange

2 THE TOWER

the community that seek support at the Downs Hall. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Martinez of the New Brunswick Police Department at (732) 745-5217, extension 6028, or Investigator Daniewicz of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s

All Rutgers accounting programs meet the 150-hour requirement for the Uniform CPA Exam. Ladies showcasing their outfits. By Shelsie Ducheine

After a week of delay due to the on-again-off-again snowstorms we have encountered here at Kean, The “Black Love Affair” was set and ready to go on February 20. Students and their guest arrived in their Sunday best waiting to see just what the night had in store. Pan-African Student Union (PASU) hosted the black tie event

Photo: Kara Keltner

equipped with a guitarist, pianist, singer and a rapper. They subtly set the mood and opened the floor to Kean’s original dance team KDT, who performed two dances that were both seductive and sultry. The crowd’s attention seemed to be kept. The whistles and cheers belting from the crowd proved that. They danced together in sync but each girl got the chance to do a solo and broadcast their own natural

“I feel like it’s important to have nights like this. It’s different from what we normally have and it pays respect to our culture.” with the theme of “A Night at the Oscars” and everyone in attendance came dressed for the occasion. The event was held in Downs Hall and kicked off with a few speeches, games, and performances. The first game proved to be pretty tricky for its contenders. Couples had to dance while keeping their feet on a newspaper which got smaller and smaller each round. A best dressed competition followed and it seemed that nearly half of the guests felt that they had the most eye catching outfit of the night. Almost 30 people took part in the competition and each gave their best runway walk to showcase themselves. Two of the winners Shannon and Shantel Wilson, twins from Kean, wore cocktail dresses that favored each other but still provided the girls with the opportunity to show off their own style. The band, “UCYPHE” was in attendance as they performed live at the event. They were fully

talents. Dahlia Wesley, a senior at Kean was one who enjoyed it very much so. “The dancing was really elegant. I starred the whole time, “Wesley said. “I couldn’t take my eyes off them.” Once the live entertainment ceased, dinner was served. Fried Chicken, macaroni and cheese and collard greens were on the menu. It was obvious that most people in attendance enjoyed the food because second and even third plates were taken regardless of the 1 plate per person rule. Some guests were left without any food to eat unfortunately, but thankfully that didn’t stop the party. Once dinner was over, The DJ got people up on their feet and the rest of the night was filled with dancing, smiles and laughter. It helped remind everyone why PASU even started out in the first place and just what their mission was. The Pan-African Student Union describes themselves, according to

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their website, as a “cultural organization uniting all people of African descent into a greater awareness of self.” They describe their mission as a way to give knowledge and empowerment of pre-colonial roots in order to provide strength in the future.

“I feel like it’s important to have nights like this,” Steele a senior at Kean, said. “It’s different from what we normally have and its pays respect to our culture.” Years later, PASU seems to still be holding on to their legacy and on that Thursday night they

shared that with all who were willing to join. PASU has every intention to keep stepping forward with the many events that they do, including none other than “Black Love Affair.”

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March 06, 2014

Occupational Therapy program donates to PAR FORE By Keanu Austin

Kean’s Occupational Therapy program held its first general body meeting of the year Feb. 10, during the observance of American Heart Month. In honor of the month-long observance, those present at the meeting worked together to create colorful artwork to be donated to children. “The art will be donated to PAR FORE,” said Rebecca Jones, a second-year graduate student in the Occupational Therapy program

According to its official website, PAR FORE is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving at-risk youth. Its integrated occupationbased mentor program works to prevent gang recruitment. New Jersey’s PAR FORE is run with the help of Kean University’s Occupational Therapy program, said Jones. Students were welcome to attend the general body meeting and participate in the activity regardless of whether they belonged to the Occupational Therapy program. “We have about 60 to 70 people The executive officers of Kean’s Student Occupational Therapy Association.

Photo: Keanu Austin

“According to its official website, PAR FORE is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving at-risk youth. Its integrated occupation-based mentor program works to prevent gang recruitment.” and treasurer of Kean’s Student Occupational Therapy Association. “It’ll go to at-risk kids and youth in the local area.”

three in the state.” Aside from Kean University, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and Seton Hall University

here today,” said Ruth Ma, vice president of Kean’s Student Occupational Therapy Association. “Our program is also one of the only

also have an Occupational Therapy program. “We’ve won Funded Group of the Year two years in a row,” Ma said.

Beta Kappa Psi and Nu Theta Chi host speed dating event By Jasmine Leach

“I’m hoping we can go for a third.” Kean’s Student Organization declares one group the Funded Group of the Year annually, according to the university’s official website. Last year, The Tower reported that the Occupational Therapy program would receive a therapy clinic. The clinic was scheduled to open by January of this year, but it has yet to fully open. “We’re in the process of hiring a clinic manager,” said Claire Mulry, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy. “We expect to teach classes as early as next week [the week of the 9th], but it won’t be fully open until June.” A clinic manager and adjunct professors are being enlisted to help supervise services and recruit clients, according to The Tower’s earlier report. The therapy clinic is one of Kean’s several projects that was approved and funded via the state’s Building Our Future Bond Act.

On Feb. 10, Betta Kappa Psi and Nu Theta Chi had their first Speed Dating event for Kean University students. The event was in the University Center Greek Lounge from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Betta Kappa Psi and Nu Theta Chi wanted to do something fresh and fun for its school this year. They wanted to do something that would attract many students, and this event definitely lived up to their expectations. Kean University student and Betta Kappa Psi co-chair and brother, Gerard Smithwrick, explained what inspired them to create the event this year. “Kean has never had a speed dating event on campus, so we wanted to do something new and something that the students would respond positively to and something we can do annually,” said Smith-

Nick Mojica, a Kean graduate and owner of themusicstash.com.

“When people want new music or want to read reviews, I want them to go to themusicstash.” in Manhattan, he was a web production assistant and gained experience working directly with the web editors. “I made galleries for the site, as well as gather stories from the Associated Press and package them for the site,” said Mojica. During his internship, Newsday New York was shut down. However, they were able to move him to News 12 where he did almost the same type of work. “In addition I also got to take the script from the hourly news broadcast and turn them into sto-

After graduation, Mojica had a rough time finding a writing job, so he decided to start his own free music blog, since music has always been one of his passions. This was his clutch, his only hope. He called it “themusicstash.wordpress.com” and used it to post new songs, videos, reviews, etc. He soon noticed that traffic was slow, so he wanted to buy the domain name. It now called “themusicstash.com”. After that was accomplished, he noticed his friend was running his own blog as well, so he asked him if he wanted to join him to help him

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increase traffic on the site. “He has a strong presence on twitter, so I figured with his social media following and writing skills, we could actually run a good site,” said Mojica. His friend mostly posts songs and videos and Mojica edits what he posts. This is where the skills he learned at his two internships really come into play. Mojica likes to post more stories about music. “One recent post made it to the front page of Google’s search results,” said Mojica. It was a post entitled “Are Critics overreacting to Jay-Z’s Anne Mae line in Beyoncé’s new Drunk in Love song?” The post has over 3,500 views, and Mojica was overwhelmed with amazement when he saw this and it was pure motivation to keep exceling in his career. He knew he needed to make it a legit website so he moved to Blue Host. They now host his server, and “themusicstash.com” is a fullfledged website owned by Nick himself. “Traffic has steadily been increasing and I am now able to have ads on my site so I can make money off of doing this,” said Mojica. His ultimate goal is to become a website that people know and want to visit. “When people want new music or want to read reviews, I want them to go to ‘themusicstash’,” said Mojica. The hardest part in this whole experience is getting the name out there. To get to the first page of google search results, you have to be a site that gets traffic. Promoting is what he’s all about. “There’s a link on my twitter profile, google+, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, pretty much all over the internet!” said Mojica. He hopes can expand his website using all the knowledge and skill he acquired as an undergraduate and through his internships.

“Overall [there] [were] about six organizations that came out three fraternities and three soroities. Nu Delta Pi, Lambda Sigma Upsilon, Chi Upsilon Sigma, Lamda Theta Alpha, Beta Kappa Sigma...,” said Agui. The Speed Dating event included about thirty male and thirty fe-

ute and thirty seconds to form a conversation, which was typically followed up by general questions. These questions included topics revolving around sports, interests, hobbies, education, characteristics that you look for in a partner, or for people that were already dating, questions regarding the durartion

“Kean has never had a speed dating event on campus, so we wanted to do something new and something that the students would respond positively to and something we can do annually.” In addition to these students, there were also quite a few sorority and fraternity groups present. Betta Kappa Psi brother and treasurer, Paul Agui, explained information about the Greeks that attended the event.

male students. A majority of the students were single, some were solely there to show support to the Greeks, and the others were there just to network and have some time away from their schoolwork. Each male and female had a min-

of the relationship, and where you met your boyfriend or girlfriend. Some people were also there at the event to make new friends, and Kean student and fraternity leader of Nu Sigma Phi, Zach Denelsbeck, is one of them. Zach discussed

his experience at the speed dating event and he also explained that Betta Kappa Psi and Nu Theta Chi should make this speed dating event a tradition for each year. “I thoroughly enjoyed the speed dating because it gave me the chance to meet new people while being my goofy self,” said Denelsbeck. “I did make new friendships there, I’ve seen some of the people I’ve met there and have said hello to them on campus.” The Greeks have quite a few events in store for this semester and if would like to find more information about them feel free to go to Cougar Link, and click on one of the Greek organizations to check out their events calendar. “I think they should continue this,” said Denelsbeck. “I know both orgs somewhat well and they are two great outgoing organizations and they should continue what they started.”

QUOTE —TBD QUOTE —TBD

Pothole season has arrived By Gillian Findley

Robert Flanagan Vaughn Ames art exhibition By Elizabeth Bracey

Senior Robert Flanagan held his final art exhibition named Misfunction in the student gallery of the first floor of Vaughn Ames building on Feb. 12 at 6 pm. The three dimensional sculptural art was on display and welcomed for all students at kean university. Misfunction resembles work Flanagan created over the years. Each piece took 16 to 18 hours to create. Flanagan loves to recreate art. His creativity makes his work of art very interesting. Upon walking inside the Vaughn Ames Gallery the first piece you notice is The Vices of Guardian Angels. This piece is very meaningful to him. A good friend of his recently died the previous week of liver cancer, The Vices of Guardian Angels was dedicated to her.

Photo: Elizabeth bracey

Photo: Nick Mojica

After graduation, all students are terrified about finding a job, especially if you are journalism major. Nick Mojica, 24-year-old alumni of Kean University, had experienced that exact scare after his graduation in August 2013. While he was an undergraduate, he was a reporter for the Tower writing for the sports and arts and entertainment sections, doing mostly music or video game stories. When his graduation started slowly creeping up on him, he decided to get an internship. In looking for internships he was very proactive because he knew he needed the experience. He went to the Cablevision website and applied for jobs. Three weeks later he got a call saying to come in and he practically got the job right there on the spot. His Newsday internship started in June and ended in July, then for the next month he interned at News 12 through the end of August. During his Newsday internship

ries for the website,” said Mojica. Even though these internships ended when he finally graduated in August, he was pleased with all he had learned. “I learned a lot at both internships about how a news room works and S.E.O [search engine optimization], which is helping me tremendously now,” said Mojica.

wrick. “It was for Valentine’s Day.” He also provided information about the students that attended as well. “Every kind of student you can think of. Students from different nationalities, ethnicities, commuters and residents and sexual preferences,” said Smithwrick.

Kean English major turned comic artist

Kean alumni shares experience launching own music site By Dominique Vinas

THE TOWER 5

This piece is titled, ‘Wonders of Self-Imagery.’

drew themselves or objects that they liked. The exhibition also offered free food and drinks to all students in attendance. Flanagan mother, Naomi Dochy-

“Each piece I create is inspired by something different. I sketch a creation that I want and it becomes something of its own.” In remembrance Flanagan plans to mail the dedicated artwork to the deceased friend’s mother and children. “Each piece I create is inspired by something different. I sketch a creation that I want and it becomes something of its own,” said Flanagan, “something different from the original concept.” Many art students came to check out the exhibition in between their class. Student Kareem Joe, Student Kareem Joe, enjoyed Flanagan’s work. “I loved the art exhibition Misfunction. The exhibition is nice and different,” said Joe. The gallery had ten pieces of art altogether. On one of the pieces students were able to add a personal touch before they left. Some students wrote their name, others

The craterous holes leave drivers no choice but to jump into a real life video game. Just like the Nintendo game “Mario Kart,” drivers are dodging and swerving into both lanes, just to avoid the earth shaking collision between their cars and the dangerous dipping of New Jersey potholes. The out of control caved in roads have become an issue in the state of New Jersey. The 2014 winters showed no mercy with the incredible amounts of snow fall and below zero nights. The rough lumpy season left us with battered roads and vehicles dressed in a spare too many.

potholes? “I think the extreme weather changes are what are causing these crazy potholes. The winter has worn the roads more than any other winter I can remember,” Daneila Blake, a senior majoring in public administration said. “Melted snow and ice seeps into the cracks in roadways. When the temperature drops, the water freezes and when it does it expands. When the weather warms up, the ice turns back to water. The pothole develops in the void left over from the ice. The pressure from traffic driving over the void cause the pavement to collapse, forming the pothole,” New Jersey’s Fast Traffic’s Bernie Wagenblasgt

ch was also there to show support. “I am very proud of Robert. He is living the dream I wanted,” said Dochych. “I originally wanted to be a cartoonist and realized I had a natural ability to do it. Robert is one of the sweetest people I know with a greater talent given. His attitude always remains positive.” Flanagan plans to graduate this May with a degree in Fine Arts and a minor in European Art History. Flanagan wants to continue his career in art. Flanagan had a great experience at Kean University during his past four years. Due to his age Flanagan feels more youthful and he appreciates the field of art that much more. Flanagan hopes to grow as the best artist he can be after graduation and he is looking forward to many more

Photo: BigStock

“These potholes are going to be the death me.” “I just want to park my car up for the rest of winter,” Wendi Forest, a senior majoring in communication said. “I can’t take the constant caution. I already bent my rim and probably need an alignment. Those fixtures aren’t cheap either! They have potholes all over Morris Ave and in Kean’s parking lot.” Not only causing unbearable traffic and a bumpy ride, potholes are most likely the reason for harm to vehicles, causing flat tires, ruined rims, or worse. Cars are left needing more extreme repairs like wheel bearings or an alignment. “I put the spare on my back passenger tire, and two days later, my front left blew out. These potholes are going to be the death me,” Keri Vasquez, a junior who is a commuter and majoring in education said. But what are causing these

said on radio station 101.5. Not only are the potholes harming vehicles, but they are also causing bumper to bumper traffic. “I can’t believe the amount of traffic these potholes have given us these past couple of weeks,” Blake said. Vehicles are slowing to even a complete stop to avoid these potholes. “I have been stuck in standstill traffic on Morris Ave all week, for about 20 to 25 minutes,” Gabi Trepper, a sophomore who majors in English said. According to News 12 New Jersey, pothole damage on state roads may be eligible for reimbursement through the Treasury Department. To report a pothole for repair in Union County, please call 908-789-3660.

By Bryan C. Kuriawa

Under the guise of developing a video game with his friend, a student began to sketch out the basic idea. He developed the characters and the scenarios which were to form the set-up for his game and how it was to be played. Yet upon the release of “Angry Birds,” his friend became discouraged and the project was scuttled. Compelled to complete it as a comic strip, he set out to finish it, his name Brian Turczmanovicz. For the past couple of years, Turczmanovicz has been drawing and steadily developing his own comic series entitled, “D-Croc.” Utilizing his imagination, he has continued to craft this series, all from a lifelong love of the medium. Born at Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth, New Jersey on October 21, 1992, Turczmanovicz had a childhood he cited as being “uneventful, lots of bullying and probably during the early 90’s, we had teachers that were more focused on their work than education and pretty much a dog eat dog world.” Prior to college, he spent high school developing his writing style in the form of short novels. With his childhood heroes including the television creations of Mr. Rogers, Ash from “Pokémon,” and “The Powerpuff Girls,” he found an interest in comics from the strips featured in the local paper, The Star Ledger. “As far as comics go, I was interested since like 7, because of The Star Ledger having a comics page and you have comics that are sort of like your first novel in a way,” Turczmanovicz said. “If you go back to “Beetle Bailey,” “Dick Tracy,” “Calvin and Hobbs,” there’s always a storyline progression with them and you can sort of relate

to and understand as every issue comes out.” Following the end of developing his friend’s video game idea, Turczmanovicz began to sketch out the original idea even further. Branching out from the basic idea of a game and a year and a half of development, he set out to complete his idea as a comic strip. The tale of a talking crocodile named DCroc, an owl named Howl, and the various humans they encounter took shape. “I started doing the comic strip because I could draw the crocodile over and over in a consistency and in a lot of ways the comic strip offered me a chance to write a novella,” Turczmanovicz said. “Where as I did not have to write an entire book, I could have four panels, three panels in this case, six panels, in which a story was told and it had a humorous ending, and at the same time there was a visual. So it was my attempt at making a story visually acceptable and it was, instead of a graphic novel I chose a comic.” Yet in developing his comic strip and gathering the ideas together from the previous idea, he found what most creators come upon. This became the reality of fully fleshing out an idea through the creative process. The name of the strip proved in truth to be one of the most interesting of developments. “D-Croc is short for “Dumb Croc” which was the original name of the character,” Turczmanovicz said. “But due to limited space in the panels the name was abbreviated. The character D-Croc makes fun of it by saying that the “D” can mean anything in the dictionary.” Printing out the panels from his computer, he began to draw them based on the pattern of each

character drawn and its motion within each strip. He termed this “muscle memory” based on how they would be done each time in a similar fashion. “It is the hardest thing in the world to do because it is muscle memory,” Turczmanovicz said. Outside of his comic work, Turczmanovicz has been at Kean as an English/Teacher Certification major for the past few years. Yet while many seeking certification intend to teach in a K-12 setting, he sees his career goal as one entirely different. “My dream is to be a teacher in a juvenile detention center,” Turczmanovicz said. “Because in my opinion, if a teacher can teach students who are not interested in English and are not interested in literature, and they make them interested in literature by the end of the semester, the teacher is doing their job. I do not want to be a teacher that teaches Honors, A.P., or Accelerated classes, because those students are interested in English, their interested in stories, and my job as a teacher should be to make other people interested and not have an easy class.” Beyond his college major, Turczmanovicz continues to hone his craft and has been in the process of developing newer characters and further ideas down the road. Yet for those who enjoy this art form, he has four principles if you want to be a comic book artist. An artist must have patience, the ability to “absorb the moment” when their work is read, they must have a vast idea, and a person should be motivated even if their art is not perfect, as long as they try their best. For Turczmanovicz, his comic art demonstrates a charm and motivation few others can imagine.

March 06, 2014

music

art

March 06, 2014

By Jennifer Deligne

Music’s changing beats and straight-forward music. “It’s all entertainment. It’s easy to listen to. It’s for the people, not art,” Velasquez-Franceschi said. “Classical music, for example, may be harder to get into because you have to try to pay attention, analyze it and take it apart.” One of his favorite artists is The Killers, an alternative rock band, which he admires because of the musicality of their work. They use live music when they record and they synthesize their own tunes, which leaves for a hard-worked song full of passion. This same love for passion and art is what keeps some music lovers rivals to this modern era. 20-year-old Tatiana Guzman is one of these lovers. “The upbeat background music can work for some songs, like club songs, but for artists to take their music and make it hip just because it’s what’s

“Live bands are being pushed to the background unfortunately.” Photo: Hqslapbass.com

Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Drake are swimming in the pool of artists who have transcended music throughout the years, as seen with their top-chart ratings and large fan base. These artists have heavily influenced music for some time now, earning their tenure in the industry. Their popularity has remained steady and true even through tweaking their work to adapt to the styles and customs of what music sounds like recently. It is because of A-list artists that impactful music changes in the industry happen to begin with. Music has made gradual turns in order to keep up with what the general population wants to hear. Electronic beats have taken over more than one genre today, making whatever it touches modern and trendy. Modern music is for many, their style of choice. Some can’t tolerate it and others just appreciate the music for what it is. 20-year-old George Velasquez-Franceschi, a Music Education student, has no problem with the computerized sound of today’s music, but it also isn’t his preferred taste. “Live bands are being pushed to the background unfortunately. I think that what musicians are doing, opening up to all kinds of music, is okay,” Velasquez-Franceschi said. “But instead of making pop songs or whatever songs they’re making computerized, they should use actual musicians and actual keyboards.” Velasquez-Franceschi believes the reasons for artists making similar changes to music falls on what the people are asking for, which is quick

film

in right now, I think is a sellout,” Guzman said. “Artists should stay true to what they came into the industry with, even when they do have to change a little bit.” When R&B singer Usher released the song “DJ Got Us Falling in Love Again,” Guzman said she remembered making a puzzled face, because she didn’t know how the slow sounding “Let It Burn” singer could go from one extreme to the next. Guzman doesn’t mind artists doing the necessary in order to succeed, since making a living is a priority. “Of course they want money, but in the end, isn’t music for the art of it instead of being catchy?” Guzman said. Some students appreciate catchy. 18-year-old Sean Joseph thinks Miley Cyrus is doing an awesome job in her work with making fun catchy music. He believes that people get tired of listening to the same thing, so over time, music has to change in order to keep people from boredom. “The topics of rap and hip-hop have changed,” Joseph said. “What used to be something real is now something that has a lot of sex, money, and glamorous lifestyles.” Not only has the audio changed in music throughout time, but also the content. Turning on the radio, it becomes hard to find songs that won’t put you in an upbeat party mood. The demand for entertainment has surely had an impact on the art of music, which for some, seems to be a great agitation. Whether R&B sounds like techno or rap sounds like pop, we’ll continue to listen whether it be old, or new.

By Yayona Bangura

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

6 THE TOWER

THE TOWER 7

When the artist becomes the art There he was, in a massive black and white print. The photos showed the artist on a bare mattress on a wooden floor surrounded by his works, or “Reclining Nude” as the exhibit titled. They looked real and uncut. Most shots contained the artist’s genitals on full display. Paige Powell, the late artist’s former girlfriend, took the photos in an Upper Westside apartment in New York City in the 80s. The big opening of the exhibit took place at the Suzanne Geiss gallery in Manhattan on January 16. At the time of his death from a heroin overdose at age 27, Jean-Michel Basquiat left behind thousands of paintings and drawings worth over $25 million individually, both unfinished and completed. Basquiat was of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent and hailed from Brooklyn, New York. He left his home and complicated family life at 15 to begin life in the NYC streets as an artist, working with friend Al Diaz. The two did graffiti art on buildings that held messages of oppression and dark humor, working as the anonymous acronym SAMO, meaning Same Old, well take a guess. He soon introduced himself to artist Andy Warhol, who took a particular liking to him. The two formed a close friendship and Basquiat met countless

Gallery display sign.

art dealers who were willing to let the roaming artist work in their studios to help give an outlet to his talent. Basquiat became extremely successful in a very short amount of time. He rattled the then posh art world with grittily painted images and texts channeling racism, classism, life ironies and the celebration of Black culture. However media pressures, discrimination in the industry and his rapid rise to fame took a toll on him.

Photo: Yayona Bangura

After Warhol died, Basquiat grew depressed and began using heroin more frequently than occasionally. In an attempt to quit, he vacationed in Hawaii. Although the trip seemed successful, he overdosed two weeks later in his art studio and died on August 22, 1988. There was Basquiat in his element. Watching television, smoking a cigarette, surrounded by newspapers and paintings, on the bed just relaxing.

talent

There were objects such as steel buckets and cigarette butts strayed about and an old television, that he appeared to be watching in some of the shots, sat in a corner on a bare steel bar crate. In some photos he appeared to be pondering something. In others, he looked directly at the camera with a huge grin. This collection of candid photos appeared to have been taken during the middle of a break from painting. Basquiat was known to sometimes start pieces and go back and forth, moving on to the next before finishing the first. 25 years later, Basquiat’s influences can still be found in our art world, from musicians like Jay-Z, Kanye West, and A$AP Rocky name dropping him in their song lyrics, to clothing inspired by his art along with an entire Swizz Beatz Basquiat Reebok sneaker collection. Biopics and documentaries, including “Jean-Michel Basquiat- The Radiant Child,” can be bought or seen for free online. Basquiat was known as a very prominent artist of our generation. He shook things up with his raw primal images and explicit messages depicting real issues. In the 80s where minimal and clean-cut pop art ruled, Basquiat brought a new loudness and expression to the scene.

By Adilene Rodriguez

Artist to watch: Dan Croll By Yayona Bangura

Top 5 new books & magazines

By Jasmine Leach

CW television series continue to leave viewers impressed “The Originals” continues to impress viewers and increases anticipation for its future seasons. The CW network is the home of paranormal shows such as “The Vampire Diaries,” “The Secret Circle,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and now a show that continues to increase the number of its viewers, “The Originals.” “The Originals” is a spinoff show of “The Vampire Diaries” that explores the lives of the original family, the Mikaelsons. The main characters in the original family are Rebekah (Claire Holt), Klaus (Joseph Morgan), and Elijah (Daniel Gillies). Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah are known as the originals because they were the first vampires born and have lived for a thousand years. Throughout their lifetime

Liverpool-based Dan Croll set to release debut album April 1 in the U.S.

Photo: Kardsunlimited.com

When was the last time you read a great magazine or book without being forced to? For any avid Kean readers out there, here are some newly released independent magazines and several books that will soon become film adaptations this year. Catch up before the films hit theaters or before sequels are released, or just indulge in some satisfying magazine-style journalism. Check out these suggestions:

Photo: Fanpop

“The Originals” cast.

“The Originals” is unique in the way that it is primarily a prequel to the very popular “The Vampire Diaries” and it explore and expands on the interesting story line that became the foundation for “The Vampire Diaries.” they faced their own challenges, such as dealing with family issues, first loves, fighting off their enemies, and being exiled by their father Mikael from their home town, New Orleans. In “The Vampire Diaries,” viewers were not able to learn that much about the original family, but now they are able to do so in this new show, “The Originals.” Since it aired in Oct. 2013, the amount of fans continued to grow, with more than 3,000,000 likes on their Facebook page. Kean student Daris Mendez

explained why she is a fan of “The Originals” and her favorite character. “I like the humor that is incorporated in the show it keeps it fresh and entertaining. The characters all have interesting personalities,” said Mendez.” The show also keeps you on your feet with its many twists and turns.” “My favorite character is Marcel as he is a fierce leader, but can also be kind hearted,” said Mendez. Kean student Xirena Wormley, and another fan of “The Originals,” explained what she enjoys

the most about the show, in addition to what makes it stand out compared to other shows on the CW network. “I think that “The Originals” is just a well written show in general. The complex and surprising plots and multi-dimensional characters make “The Originals” stand out from other shows,” said Wormley. “My favorite character is Klaus. He is dark and mysterious and has a bad demeanor that makes him stand out from the rest of the characters, said Wormley. “He’s the guy you love to hate on the show but

still manage to fall in love with.” “He has that type of yo-yo affect where you think you hate him but then he reels you in,” said Wormley. “Not to mention that Joseph Morgan is extremely good looking.” If you missed the opening season of “The Originals” and would like to watch some of the episodes, they occasionally show repeats on channel 11, the CW network on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. You can also watch the episodes on www.cwtv. com and click “The Originals” to a follow up on this season.

Title: The Fault In Our Stars Author: John Green Description: Hazel, a teenager living with terminal cancer, joins a support group where she meets and falls in love with Augustus, a teen amputee basketball player also battling the aggressive disease. The two struggle to keep their relationship and humor alive through extremely challenging circumstances. The movie is to premiere in theaters June 6. Title: Divergent Author: Veronica Roth Description: In a futuristic setting, all humans are divided into five personality-type categories that they are to remain in order for the population to survive. When Beatrice is revealed to be three of those types, a Divergent, she is seen as a threat by higher authorities and must fight for her life. The movie adaptation is set for release on March 21. Title: The Program Author: Suzanne Young Description: In a dystopian society, Sloane must keep her emotions bottled up completely in order to prevent being sent to The Program, where memories and emotions that have led to depression and mass suicides are erased permanently. Sloane and her only true friend James fight to maintain mental stability and avoid the system. The sequel to the book, “The Treatment,” is set for release this April. Title: System Magazine Publication: System Inc. Description: System is a UK-based bi-annual fashion magazine, where most men and women’s style trends start way before they hit America. Spreads include styling and personal interviews from fashion’s elite designers, makeup artists, and CEO’s. Title: Apology Magazine Publication: Apology Inc. Description: Apology is a culture and literature-type quarterly magazine. Filled with quirky interviews, essays, reports, photography and art, it should fit right into our generation’s love for awkward humor and visuals. Enjoy and Happy Reading.

You don’t have to be a musician to understand how momentous it is for a musician to have Paul McCartney call their music “groovy.” One artist who has received such an endorsement from McCartney is Liverpool-based musician Dan Croll. Croll is an up-and-coming musician whose EP “From Nowhere” has brought him a lot of attention in the music world for having a variety

Photo: Courtesy of Lasse Fløde

he had the honor of playing his music to Paul McCartney back in 2011. After winning the Musician’s Benevolent Fund Songwriter of the Year Award, he was rewarded with a cash prize of 5000 pounds ($8331.50 US dollars) and a one-on-one session with McCartney himself. “He suggested a couple of harmonies, but he felt like they were very strong songs and, obviously, to have

“Paul McCartney liked him and so might you.” of genres in each of the four original tracks. With so much variety in his music, there isn’t a specific genre that could be pinpointed to describe Croll’s sound. “Each track is unique and sounds different from the next, so hopefully it’s an EP that will keep people on their toes,” Croll told Nylon Magazine in an interview in March of 2013. Croll’s music stylings all have contained electronic influences, guitar band riffs, African inspired rhythms, R&B and folk elements. Every single song is a different genre experiment accompanied by Croll’s silvery vocals. Such a large spectrum of different sounds has driven comparisons from a varied number of artists. Artists ranging from Prince, Paul Simon, Vampire Weekend and Passion Pit have all been used to compare Croll’s music. That’s a pretty powerful list of musicians to be compared to, especially for someone who being a musician wasn’t their original plan. Croll was a rugby player in North Staffordshire, England in high school. He had hoped of playing professionally before an injury put those plans to an abrupt end. Croll cited music for helping him get through the injury and helped him realize his love for music. That led to Croll applying to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in Liverpool, England. It was there where

Paul McCartney say that to you is just incredible,” said Croll in an interview for TIME Magazine. Since then, Croll has been making a name for himself across the pond and is slowly making his mark in the U.S. as well. Croll has already played in big American music festivals in 2013 such as Austin City Limits and South By South West Music Festival and has been invited to play at both festivals again this year. Recently, a remix of Croll’s song “From Nowhere” has been included in the “Grand Theft Auto” videogame soundtrack. His other single “Compliment Your Soul” was also included in the “FIFA 14” videogame soundtrack. The “FIFA” videogame has a reputation for featuring some of the best up-andcoming artists on their soundtracks. Croll has toured with some of the most popular alternative bands out today. He supported Imagine Dragons in the European leg of their tour back in November of 2013. He recently finished touring in support of London Grammar in their U.K. tour. Croll’s debut album titled “Sweet Disarray” is set to be released on April 1 in the U.S. and has announced U.S. tour dates in support of the album. Croll will be stopping in New York on April 17 at the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are on sale now.

March 06, 2014

op-ed

Department of Communication

Kean students not in the Olympic spirit By Carl Stoffers

The 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, came to a conclusion on February 24 with a glitzy, elaborate closing ceremony that put an exclamation point on the two-week international competition. The question is, did anyone care that the games were over? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was just too busy to watch,â&#x20AC;? said junior Jia McRae. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I saw small parts of a hockey game in passing, but I never sat down and watched. I was just too busy to take the time.â&#x20AC;? According to Forbes, ratings for the Sochi games

games, mostly because thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hockey here.â&#x20AC;? The 2014 games were not without controversy. Proclaimed the most expensive Olympics ever by Vanity Fair, with a price tag of more than $50 billion, there were numerous accusations of corruption swirling around Sochi, and Russian President Vladimir Putinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recently enacted anti-gay laws were the cause of international protest. The outrage was not limited to the political world, though; it was also evident on the Kean campus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;How the Russian government treated gays is the direct reason I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t watch the Olympics,â&#x20AC;? said senior

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I saw small parts of a hockey game in passing, but I never sat down and watched. I was just too busy to take the time.â&#x20AC;? were 12 percent lower than the last winter Olympics, held in Vancouver in 2010. Additionally, viewership tapered off as the games progressed, peaking occasionally when a gold medal event took place. The airing of tape-delayed competition and the drastic time difference is being blamed as one of the reasons for the lack of interest. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I only watched the hockey,â&#x20AC;? said Dev Das, a recent Kean graduate working in the technology department, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and the tape delay kind of affected the way I watched. By the time I got home from work, the replay of the U.S. hockey medal game was starting, but I already knew who won, so I only watched a little of it.â&#x20AC;? Some Kean students blamed other factors for the apparent lack of local interest in the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier international sports competition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In New Jersey, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not surrounded by many winter sports,â&#x20AC;? said freshman Mahim Chowdhury. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Countries like Russia and Norway, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re surrounded by winter all the time. I stick to sports that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m familiar with. I watched cross country skiing, but only because my friend wanted to watch. I saw the U.S. hockey

Lawrence Carsillo. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even knowing someone who went to the Olympics, I simply asked my friends and family how the person scored. I sent her an email explaining that I truly cared about her playing, but I wanted to stand against Russia.â&#x20AC;? Despite the controversy, the Russian team recorded the top medal count, with 33, and the United States finished a disappointing fourth, bringing home 28 medals and contributing to the lukewarm interest at home. Still, some Kean students enjoyed the Olympics and were sad to see the games end. Senior Alex Atys was especially interested in hockey and skiing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I got into it,â&#x20AC;? said Atys, who is from Canada. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I watched the hockey and skiing. I watched snowboarding, too. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a hockey fan, so I was happy that we took the two gold medals in hockey.â&#x20AC;? This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Winter Olympics went out with a whimper, as far as Kean students are concerned. The 2018 competition will be played in PyeongChang, South Korea, and if this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s games are any indication, students at Kean University will barely notice.

health By Dr. Josh Palgi

kidney disease

World Kidney Day is a global health awareness campaign focusing on the importance of the kidneys, reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease, and its associated health problems worldwide. World Kidney Dat is a joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations. The kidneys are bean shaped organs that serve essential regulatory roles in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions, such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid-base balance and regulation of blood pressure (via maintaining salt and water balance). The kidneys serve the body as a natural filter of the blood and remove wastes, which are diverted to the urinary bladder. The kidneys also produce hormones including calcitriol, ethropoiefin, and the enzyme renin. The kidneys are located in the abdominal cavity. There are two kidneys. One is on each side of the spine. Each adult kidney weighs between 125 and 175 grams in males between 115 and 155 grams in females. The kidney is approximately 11-14 cm in length, 6 cm wide and 4 cm thick. The prevalence of kidney disease is increasing dramatically and the cost of treating this growing epidemic represent an enormous burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Between 8 and 10 % of the adult population have some form of kidney damage and every year millions die prematurely of complications related to chronic kidney disease. Take the testâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;www.checkmykidney.org.au to see if you ate at increased risk.

Q6- Is there a family history of kidney disease? A6- Kidney disease may run in families and even if only one person in a family has kidney failures, all blood relatives should be tested for kidney disease.

Results: The kidney plays a major role in maintaining your general health and wellbeing. Maintaining or adapting healthy lifestyle behaviors like healthy eating, exercise, drinking alcohol in moderation and reducing stress are very important in looking after your kidneys. Q1- Do you have Diabetes! A1- Diabetes is one of the leading causes of kidney disease Q2- Do you have high blood pressure? A2- High blood pressure affects the kdineys by putting more stress on the blood vessels throughout the body, including the kidney filter. Q3- Do you smoke? A3- People who smoke are three times more likely to have reduced kidney function than people who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t smoke. Q4- Have you ever had a heart attack, a stroke or been told you have heart failure? A4- A history of cardiovascular disease significantly increases the risk of developing kidney disease. Q5- Are you overweight or obese? A5- Being obese increases your risk of developing

The golden rules to keep your kidney healthy are: â&#x20AC;˘ Keep fit and active â&#x20AC;˘ Keep regular control of your blood sugar levels, blood lipids and anaemia â&#x20AC;˘ Monitor blood pressure, reduce if necessary â&#x20AC;˘ Eat healthy and keep your weight in check â&#x20AC;˘ Do not smoke â&#x20AC;˘ Do not take over the counter pills on a regular basis Common drugs such non-steroidal steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, are known to cause kidney damage and disease if taken regularly. Such medications probably do not pose significant danger if your kidneys are relatively healthy and you use them for emergencies only. If you are dealing with chronic pain such as arthritis or back pain, work with your doctor to find a way to control your pain without putting your kidneys at risk. Mission Statement: The mission of World Kidney Day is to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. The Objectives of World Kidney Day: â&#x20AC;˘ Raise awareness about our â&#x20AC;&#x153;amazing kidneysâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;˘ Highlight that diabetes and high blood pressure are key risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) â&#x20AC;˘ Encourage systematic screening of all patients with diabetes and hypertension for CKD â&#x20AC;˘ Encourage preventive behaviors â&#x20AC;˘ Educate all medical professionals about their key role in detecting and reducing the risk of CKD, particularly in high risk populations â&#x20AC;˘ Stress the important role of local and national health authorities in controlling the CKD epidemic. Health authorities worldwide will have to deal with high and escalating costs if no action is taken to treat the growing number of people with CKD. On World Kidney Day all governments are encouraged to take action and invest in further kidney screening. â&#x20AC;˘ Encourage Transplantation as a best-outcome option for kidney failure, and the act of organ donation as a life-saving initiative. â&#x20AC;˘ During the day and in honor of World Kidney Day, the national Kidney foundation offers the following health activities to promote awareness of kidneys, risk factors and kidney diseases: Free Screenings:Â On World Kidney Day and

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The Tower is an independent, laboratory newspaper of Kean Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journalism option in the communication major program. It is published monthly through the regular academic year and supported by advertising and the Department of Communication. The Tower is not responsible for claims made by its advertisers. The Tower is a public forum and is free from censorship and advance approval of content by the university administration. The Tower staff is responsible for its content.

Editor-in-Chief: CHRISTY PETILLO Managing Editor/ FEATURES EDITOR: Andrea Parr News Editor: ALEXANDRIA ADDESSO Arts & Entertainment Editor: Bryan C. Kuriawa Sports Editor: Dan Canova Head Online Editor: RYAN GAYDOS Online Editor: KYLE LAWRENcE

STAFF Sonia Aquie Keanu Austin Tim Awojobi Yayona Bangura Elizabeth Bracey Jennifer Deligne Shelsie Ducheine Gillian Findley Marisa Gallagher Justin George Roman Gerus

Annalise Knudson Jasmine Leach Gerald Lima Anthony Muccigrossi Mak Ojutiku Tan Pasha Adilene Rodriguez Tatiana Snead Carl Stoffers Dominique Vinas

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 Towerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offices. To verify sources of written material, submissions must include the writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

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By Sade Cox and Andrea Parr

Edited by Marisa Gallagher

February 3, 2014 UC Hall, 12:52 a.m. Report of terroristic threats, unknown actor verbally and physically threatened victim. Bartlett Hall, 1:33 p.m. Operation report of CDS complaint. February 4, 2014 Vaughn Eames, Midnight Report of theft, unknown actor took victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hubcap. Campus Drive, 11:44 p.m. Report of vehicle parked in roadway and towed for relocation. February 5, 2104 Vaughn Eames Lot, 4:00 p.m. Report of theft, unknown actor took victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s I-pod. East Campus, 6:58 p.m. Motor vehicle accident report of one vehicle hitting another while making a right turn through parking spaces. Bartlett Hall, 9:42 p.m. Report of theft, unknown actor took victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keys an ID from room. February 6, 2014 Bartlett Hall, 4:57 p.m. Operation report of CDS complaint. Wilkins Theatre Lot, 5:51 p.m. Motor vehicle accident report of one vehicle hitting another while backing out of a parking space.

Wilkins Theatre, 1:00 a.m. Report of arrest of unknown actor resisting arrest. February 7, 2014 Technology Building, 2:39 p.m. Operation report of suspicious package. February 8, 2014 Trotters Creek Bridge, 3:01 p.m. Operation report of pedestrian stop. Freshman Hall, 3:30 p.m. Report of assault/harassment, unknown actor verbally harassed and assaulted victim. Trotters Creek Bridge, 6:46 p.m. Report of arrest for obstruction by an unknown actor. February 10, 2014 Administration Building, 1:59 p.m. Operation report of medical call. Burch Hall, 10:50 p.m. Operation report of CDS complaint. February 12, 2014 Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Angola Gym, 1:18 p.m. Report of theft. Trotters Bridge Creek, 5:35 p.m. Report of arrest.

College students have anxiety when it comes to speaking in front of an audience, or a classroom full of their peers. Therefore, most students try to avoid taking communication courses that involve public speaking, or postpone the courses until senior year. Speech communication professor Meghan Gill uses the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Speech Methodâ&#x20AC;? to assist students in overcoming fear of public speaking. She invites Officer Ken Teets of the Newton Police Department to speak to her classes about overcoming speech difficulties. Teets always wanted to be an officer of law just as his father was growing up in Newton N.J. At 5 years old, Teets began to struggle with the speech impairment stuttering. It led his loved ones, friends, and teachers to give him a reputation of being â&#x20AC;&#x153;a little slow,â&#x20AC;? which eventually left him as an outcast. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I remember taking the approach that if I did not speak to anyone, no one would notice my stutter,â&#x20AC;? said Teets, who faced many challenges because of his stuttering. His teachers and classmates teased him for it in school. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I turned seven, or eight, in grammar school my speech started to get worseâ&#x20AC;ŚThere were times where it took me three to four minutes to get out one sentence,â&#x20AC;? said Teets. Teachers would purposely skip over him when reading out loud because he would take too long and that could mess up their schedule. In adolescence, his speech got worse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At this time, that was my final breaking point, and I just gave up on school and myself,â&#x20AC;? said Teets. His school sent him to take several speech classes to improve his stutter. However, teachers not trained in speech therapy taught the classes he describes as

Officer Ken Teets explains his struggles with a stuttering condition.

how to speak accurately again. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The two weeks with Dr. Schwartz changed my life. I left the class there feeling that I could overcome my disability.â&#x20AC;? Even with the great progress he gained, Teets his past reputation was harder to change than his stutter. Then, his junior year, he rented the movie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rocky.â&#x20AC;? It inspired him to make changes in his body by working out everyday. After high school, Teets pursued his goal of becoming a police officer in his hometown Newton. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone, including my par-

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I can conquer the naysayers and be proud of my own accomplishments. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let my stutter beat me. I beat it!â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;a complete joke.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a living hell,â&#x20AC;? Teets said. He rarely spoke to any students at his high school, except a select group of friends. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had horrifying experiences speaking to strangers, answering the phone, ordering at restaurants, public speaking, and speaking to anyone in authority.â&#x20AC;? At 16, Teets decided he wanted to change and learn how to control his stutter. He was directed to a speech therapy doctor in Manhattan, Dr. Martin Schwartz. After attending a conference, he enrolled in the daily class to learn Schwartzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Passive Airflow technique. Schwartz instructed Teets and nine other students to call people on the phone to ask for directions, and go to restaurants and order from the menu by reading out loud. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He had us walk around New York with a huge pink button saying â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ask me a question, I am a stutterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;,â&#x20AC;? said Teets. He taught Teets

ents, my teachers and friends, all told me there would be no way I could be a police officer,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Especially in the town that I grew up in, because they all knew me as a stutter and my reputation.â&#x20AC;? Teets was passed over by the police department the first two times he took the exam to join, despite passing. When his father refused to put in a good word for him, Teets decided to take the exam only once more. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I knew this was the last time I had a chance to be hired,â&#x20AC;? Teets said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I approached the captain, who my dad had hired years earlier and was his training officer, and I asked if he would give me a chance as a dispatcher.â&#x20AC;? In July of 1997, that captain took a chance on hiring Teets in as a dispatcher. Through the next few years, he had to prove he was able to do the job to his superiors and fellow officers. Three years later, he was hired as a Newton continued on page 11 police offi-

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throughout the Month of March, NKF is offering free screenings to those most at risk for kidney disease â&#x20AC;&#x201C; anyone with diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney failure. Locations and information can be found on the calendar on our website. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Are You at Riskâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Kidney Quiz:Â Early detection can make a difference in preventing kidney disease so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to know if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at risk. Take theÂ online kidney quiz! Live Twitter Chat with Dr. Joseph Vassalotti:Â The National Kidney Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, will be hosting an interactive kidney Q&A on World Kidney Day,Thursday, March 14, from 12-2 pm ET. Ask your questions atÂ www.twitter.com/nkfÂ using the hash-tag #WorldKidneyDayNKF Ask the Dietitian: Dietitian Melissa Altman-Traub, MS, RD, CSR, LDN, will be answering questions all month about diet and what to eat to keep your kidneys healthy.Â The National Kidney Foundation is the leading organization in the U.S. dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease. For more information you can call the organization at 1-800-622-9010, and they are located at 30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016 Dr. Palgi is a professor in Keanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Physical Education, Recreation & Health Department

THE TOWER 9

Police officer tells how he overcame stuttering

THE TOWER

Photo: Meghan Gill

8 THE TOWER

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March 06, 2014

Kean professor remembered for contributions to school of design By Justin George

When Dr. Cyril Nwako suddenly passed away while visiting relatives in Nigeria on December 29, 2013, to say that several people were impacted by his death would be an understatement. Apart from the five children and wife that he leaves behind, several of his close friends and associates had nothing but good things to say about him. Many people also noted his contributions to the Robert Busch School of Design, where he was integral in not only its establishment, but in also keeping it alive throughout the years in the face of several dangers that may have had endangered the future of the school. His funeral mass and wake, on Feb. 22, attracted a wide range of several hundred people, including not only his family members and friends, but several former students and staff members from Kean University were also there to pay respect to their former professor and co-worker. In addition, members of the Knights of Columbus, and members of the local Nigerian community were present. The support from the community goes to

versity, and we worked together on our doctoral dissertations,” said D’Amico. He respected Nwako’s academic contributions, but valued him just as much, if not more, as a friend. “I came to realize that his warm smile and gentle persuasive nature were simply a reflection of so much more that was in his heart

tion and processing knowledge. He was also gifted respect to strategy, strategy in the attainment of his goals. And these were not goals for self gai, but goals to help those he cared for, his family, colleagues and students.” Nwako did not live to see the completion of the new Green Lane Building in 2014, the new location

“The profound effect that he had on the lives of the students he worked with during his 24 years at Kean University is his legacy.”

Dr. Cyril Nwako.

show how endearing Nwako was to both people in his life, and to those who appreciate his contributions to the school of design. “The profound effect that he had on the lives of the students he worked with during his 24 years

at Kean University is his legacy,” said Dr. Greg D’Amico, an associate professor at the school of design, about his close associate and friend of over 30 years. “We were both completing our graduate degrees at New York Uni-

and soul,” D’Amico said. “He was not only the brightest individual I have ever worked with, but also the kindest.” “What struck me when I first met Cyril was his warm, glowing smile and his charming, gentle nature,” said D’Amico. “Then, as our friendship grew, I realized that his mind was very powerful. He had a very strong, almost photographic, memory for everything, facts, figures and events, and a tremendous talent for absorbing new informa-

of the Robert Busch School of Design. However, to those who knew him the placement of the school in the brand-new building is a symbol of how far the school had come within the last few years with the help of all those involved, including him. His contributions to not just the school of design, but to Kean University as well, are sure to leave a lasting impression on both those who knew him, and those who didn’t, for years to come.

By Gerald Lima

The Kean University Men’s Basketball team defeated New Jersey City University 79-78 in an overtime thriller at Harwood Arena on Kean University’s campus. The Gothic Knights of New Jersey City missed a potential gamewinning free throw, which lead to Senior Guard, Ali Mix making a clutch lay-up to tie the game and send it to overtime. In overtime, Senior Forward Kyle Latorre made a lay up with seconds remaining on the shot clock, which ultimately became the game-winning basket for the Cougars, sending them home victorious. “Down the end there to get one stop, our 1-3-1 has been our best defense all year,” Head Coach Rob Kurzinsky said. “That’s what we went with, and it’s tough to go with that at the end because you may give up a clean look from the perimeter, but our kids hung in and were able to get a stop.” The Cougars moved on in the tournament, but eventually fell one point short in the NJAC semifinals against the Richard Stockton Ospreys, 64-63. “Our mindset remains the same with each game. We go into each day 0-0 and prepare as well and as hard as we can to get to 1-0 each night,” Kurzinsky said. “With Stockton we needed to limit their athletic advantage; statistically the two areas of emphasis were to limit their offensive rebounds

CEO Jerry Abramov hopes to share his experiences QUOTE —TBD FOOTBALL’S FUTURE

business.rutgers.edu/finmaccy

Jerry Abramov, CEO of COS Phones. By Tim Awojobi

When Jerry Abramov first came to this country, survival was his only option. Both of his parents were hard-working and struggling, leaving Abramov on his own. That has made him the man he is today. He is now CEO of COS Phones Company and a selfmade millionaire. Abramov wants to spread his word and life experience to youth and college students around the country. “I was a determined man, set to make things happen,” said Abramov, who never went to high school or college. When Canadian-native Abramov came to this country, he came with about $200. No parents, no close friends and no support.

About three months later, Abramov received a call from a man in Arizona offering a business opportunity shipping products. Left with about $50 left in his bank account, he was drinking water every day, unable to afford food. Abramov was so eager to continue with the business opportunity that he went out of his way to find the money to c ontinue the business. “Sometimes, in life we have to do what’s best for our future, not the present,” said Abramov. After years went by, Abramov met his now business partner, Mendel, who at first was very uncertain about the business. It took time for money to come in, and profits to blend.

“I want to inspire students to learn how to network market, as well as become familiar with the company itself.” “I was homeless,” said Abramov. “I was living with my friends for about a month, and they screwed me over leaving me homeless.” He was getting around in an old, junk automobile. Sleepless nights, living in his car were nightmares. “I never ate real food,” Abramov said. “Chips and snacks is what I lived off of to survive.” Around age 21, Abramov received a business opportunity to stay with friends in Pennsylvania. About two weeks after moving to the United States, his so-called “friends” screwed him over through a high-class deal with a cell phone company. For months, Abramov had nowhere to stay or go. “My first six months in this country was horrible,” said Abramov. After a while, he was able to live with a close relative in the ghetto of Brooklyn, New York. “I lived in a warehouse. People would laugh at me and make fun of me all the time,” said Abramov. Still struggling, he tried to stay on his feet to stay alive and survive.

“Nothing happens overnight,” said Abramov. He worked very hard to become the man he is today, from being homeless, to becoming a successful millionaire; he has been through it all. “An inspiration is what you want it to be,” said Abramov. He never made excuses for anyone or anything. “If I made it through the struggle, why can’t you?” As of right now, Abramov has many upcoming goals targeted for college students, including Kean University students. He seeks to start an internship program that will benefit the company, as well as students. “I want to inspire students to learn how to network market, as well as become familiar with the company itself,” said Abramov. Abramov wants to give back to the community, including Kean University, as early as Fall 2014. “Great opportunities come to those who wait,” said Abramov, “but you can only tell yourself who you want to be.”

Rutgers Master of Accountancy in Financial Accounting On-campus & Online Program Earn your Masters in Financial Accounting in less than 12 months for less than $25K. The program requires 30 credits, 15 are earned during the summer session, when students are enrolled on campus on a full-time basis. The balance of 15 credits are electives taken on a part-time basis on-line in the Fall and Spring semesters.

(Continued from page 1)

Christian (Bailoni) went down against (SUNY) Cortland I knew I had to come in and take the leadership role as the starting quarterback,” Meade said. “It was a little bit of a bumpy road losing multiple games by a point here, six points there. It just didn’t seem like we got the breaks we needed but the experience was a great one for me

and everybody’s like a family. His (head coach Dan Garrett) inspirational speeches before games really gets me amped up, and it was something I needed.” During his two years off from school, watching football is what made Meade realize what he was missing out on. Football has b een apart of Meade’s life ever since

“Coming from my old school, it wasn’t the atmosphere I wanted to be apart of anymore... They were so used to losing and it was like it didn’t even matter. Then I come here [to Kean], and everybody’s like a family.” because no matter what, we stayed together as a team and everyone gave it everything they had every game. There wasn’t much more anyone could ask of us.” Lock Haven University was a disappointing experience for Meade, but he isn’t letting that effect his playing future with the Cougars. “Coming from my old school, it wasn’t the atmosphere I wanted to be apart of anymore,” Meade said. “They were so used to losing and it was like it didn’t even matter. Then I come here (to Kean),

he could remember. He even recalls seeing baby pictures with a football by his side and the person who made that all happen was his father. “Football helped my bond with my dad from the beginning,” Meade said. “Everything I was brought up on was athletics. Football was day one to me, and it was something we always were able to do together. I always said I wasn’t going to be that guy who wasted my talent. So I came here (to Kean) to give it another shot.”

*The Board of Governors reviews the tuition and fees on an annual basis and sets new tuition and fee rates at its July Board meeting.

OVERCOMING STUTTERING Flexibility for students and firms Accounting graduates admitted into the program in the summer can complete 70% of the degree requirement prior to joining a firm. The remaining courses are taken on a part-time online basis. Visit: business.rutgers.edu/finmaccy Email: admit@business.rutgers.edu Telephone: 973-353-1029

THE TOWER 11

Men’s team fails in NJAC semifinals

SPORTS

10 THE TOWER

(Continued from page 9)

cer. “When I passed the academy and was sworn as a police officer, it was by far o ne of the most memorable days,” said Teets. Though his journey was strenuous, Teets says he didn’t do it alone. His wife, then girlfriend, has supported him throughout. Today, Teets gives presentations to speak to public speaking classes at Kean University and Montclair State University to inform students about his disability. Gill invites him to her COMM 1402 classes as a way to encourage her students before their first presentation. “Are you familiar with the movie ‘King’s Speech’, did you do

exercises like similar like he did?” asked Catherine Merendeiro, a Biology major. “As a matter of fact I did,” answered Teets. “Especially sounding out the vowels. The reason why I am actually up here is because of the King’s Speech.” When asked how he felt to be speaking to the class, Teets responded that he felt a sense of pride. “When I stand in front of an audience, it gives me a great deal of pride to know that I have accomplished so much in my life and I can do this,” Teets said. “I can conquer the naysayers and be proud of my own accomplishments. I don’t let my stutter beat me. I beat it!”

Cougars coming out of the huddle.

Photo: Gerald Lima

time play at the end.” The Cougars had the last possession of the game with the final seconds counting down, but couldn’t get the winning bucket to go down. “Our players put themselves in a position to win the game, unfortunately for us their point guard made a big shot with 9 seconds left,” Kurzinsky said. “We had an opportunity to win it on our last possession Stockton did a good job defending and we missed a contested shot. It was a tremendous college basketball game. Give them credit they just happened to make one more play than we did.”

“Our program is based around the process of continual improvement. Whether it is tomorrow or next season we expect our guys to be motivated to be a little better today than they were yesterday.” and limit our turnovers.” The Cougars started the game hot shooting 80 percent from the floor, including five of six from beyond the arc. The Cougars headed into halftime with a 38-30 lead over the Ospreys. With 10 minutes remaining in the game the Ospreys went ahead with a three-pointer, which was its first lead all night. With a minute left in the game the Cougars were ahead by one point and had a defensive stop

down the stretch, but on the next possession, Ospreys Senior Guard Kevin Johnson drove it the length of the court to lay it up, and put his team up by one. “Our guys did everything we asked of them, they executed their game plan and put themselves in position to win,” Kurzinsky said. “There was nothing more our players could have done, I could have organized us better on our last defensive possession. Again, give their kids credit for making a big

The Cougars will now just wait for an invitation to the ECAC tournament. “Hopefully this is not the end of our season. The ECAC bids come out late Monday afternoon. We are hopeful of getting an invitation to the ECAC tournament,” Kurzinsky said. “Our program is based around the process of continual improvement. Whether it is tomorrow or next season we expect our guys to be motivated to be a little better today than they were yesterday.”

March 06, 2014

Kean’s winter sports recap

SPORTS

12 THE TOWER

Basketball player Xavier Fuller after a big play (left) and Volleyball player Bez Arslani going for the ball (right).

By Mak Ojutiku

March is beginning so Kean’s Winter sports are just about coming to its end and the Spring sports are just starting. Let’s take a look and see how teams from both seasons are doing right now.

Men’s Baseball Coming off three straight NCAA World Series appearances and three straight Mid-Atlantic Region Championships Kean’s baseball team could easily be considered one of the best programs in Division III baseball. Despite losing NJAC player of the year and AllAmerican Nick Ramagli last year to graduation, expectations are very high for the team, as they usually are. The team was ranked third nationally in a preseason poll by Collegiate Baseball and D3baseball. com, and number one in NJAC by a preseason coaches’ poll. The team opened up its season with a home game against Baruch College on Feb. 22. Junior pitcher Charles Thielmann lead the team

consistent in the later innings, winning the game 5-4. Senior Shane Alvarez hit a triple in Kean’s first at bat and was brought home after a sacrifice fly by sophomore Ryan Kelley. Sophomore Ryan Reitmeyer got a triple of his own in the second inning and later scored off an Alvarez single. Reitmeyer also got an RBI in the fourth and Senior Nick Zucchero picked up the win allowing four runs in eight innings. The team is currently 3-1.

Women’s Softball Last year, Kean’s softball team had 28 wins, and appearances in the NJAC Championship game and the NCAA Division III Championship tournament. It was their third Division III Championship tournament appearance in the last four years. This year the team, and head coach Margie Acker, will be hoping to build on that success. ”Getting to the conference tournament isn’t good enough anymore,” Acker said in an earlier article by Tower writer Carl Stoffers “The regional tourna-

“I am extremely proud to lead these young men and could not ask any more of them.” to a 10-4 victory, striking out nine batters in eight innings. On the offensive side, Sophomore Sal Taormina went 1-4 hitting and recorded four RBIs. Thielmann’s performance earned him NJAC Pitcher of the Week honors. The following Sunday the team went up against Gwynedd Mercy University in a doubleheader. The teams split the series, with the Griffins winning the afternoon game and the Cougars winning the night game. In the first game, Kean lead 2-0 going into the 6th inning, but the Griffins managed to score five runs in the 7th and 8th. With only one out and two runners on base on their last at bat, it looked the Cougars had a chance at squeaking out a win but Gwynedd Mercy’s reliever, managed to close the game with a strikeout and a ground out. Sophomore Chris Amato suffered a loss, giving up two runs in a little over 3 innings. In the night game, Kean was again the first team to score, but this time they stayed

ment is what we want to get to.” Quite a few of the pieces responsible for their past success will be returning to the field this season. Seniors Megan Cegielski, Sandra Binkiewicz, Kelly Moorehead, and Jill Martin make up the core of the team. The group has three allconference awards between them and they lead the team in hitting percentage, bases stolen and runs batted in. Returning on the mound this year is junior Courtney Yard. Yard had a very accomplished year last season, twice breaking the school’s’ single game strikeout record and also the all-time strikeout record. Yard also hit an impressive .301 and had two home runs. Men’s Lacrosse Kean’s Mens Lacrosse team is coming off a 15-3 outing last year (and a 10-0 home record) which statically was the best season in the programs’ 44 year history. The

team had six all-conference players in their lineup last year and three of them, seniors Richard Cheifitz, John Marcelli and Zach Williams, are returning to the pitch this year. Last season, Cheifitz was the CoPlayer of the Year in the Skyline Conference and scored 79 points last year which put him at 13th in the nation. The team is expected to have a similar season this year as they were picked to go second in the Skyline Conference in a coaches preseason poll and also received a first place vote. The team started off this season on Feb 22. against Castleton State College. The Cougars won the game in impressive fashion scoring 11 goals to Castleton’s five. Sophomore Matt Speciale picked up a rare double hat trick while Cheifitz had two goals and three assists. Senior goalkeeper Dino Vitale recorded 12 saves in the game.

Women’s Lacrosse In 2013, the women’s lacrosse team had it’s first winning season since 2008 under the guidance of new head coach Jordan Trautman. 14 players from last year’s team are returning to the pitch this season. Seniors Ciara Mastodomencio and Julie Knodt are two of the players. Mastodomencio started in every game last seasons and had 36 goals. Knodt had 28 goals of her own. On the defensive side, junior Marisa DeAngelis will be returning. DeAngelis forced 11 turnovers last year. The team starts it season March 1 against Centenary College.

Men’s Basketball The men’s Basketball team’s NJAC Championship run came to a close on Feb 22 in a NJAC semifinal loss to Stockton College. Despite the shortcoming, the Cougars can still take a sense of achievement in how they got to that match. It took a lot of perseverance just to get to that semi-final. In the last regular game of the season, the Cougars found themselves going up against Rutgers-Newark in a game that had playoff implications. The Cougars prevailed, winning 77-72, but it wasn’t easy. Kean entered the second half down by seven points and it wasn’t until senior Ali Mix hit a three with 1:00 left that the game seemed to be in Kean’s hands.

That win sent the team to the NJAC tournament opening round, a game against New Jersey City University. This game was even closer than the last one. With five seconds left in regulation and down 68-70, Mix once again came through when the game was on the line and hit a layup, forcing the game to overtime. “We work e xtremely hard on “situational” basketball in practice” said head coach Robert Kurzinsky. “Confidence (in late game situations) comes from demonstrated ability and the more our guy’s are able to respond positively in tough situations, whether it is during the season, or in practice the more confident they become.” The overtime period was just as close as regulation. With less than a minute left, the Cougars were down by one, Senior Kyle Latorre managed to snag an offensive rebound and put it back in for a score. Kean’s defense then fended off NJCU for a 78-79 win. The Cougar’s had another razor close game in the NJAC semifinal against 22-4 Stockton College, but this time they ended up losing by one point, 63-64. Despite the loss, Kurzinsky remained proud of his team. “The past stretch of three games have been as good as it gets in college basketball.” he said “We competed against three outstanding programs and each game was decided, fittingly, by the players involved.I am extremely proud to lead these young men and could not ask any more of them.” The team’s record is currently 14-14 and they are currently awaiting consideration for the ECAC tournament.

Women’s Basketball Mandy King recently secured her first winning season as head coach of Kean’s women’s basketball. The teams regular season ended with a 73-64 Senior Night win against Rutgers- Newark. The team’s only Senior, Simone Smith was a major factor in the game; she scored the first 3 buckets of the game and ended up with a team leading 22 points. The Cougars’ next game was a NJAC Championship quarterfinal match against Stockton College. Kean went 2-0 against Stockton in the regular season. Stockton managed to keep the regular season games close but they couldn’t

Photos: Mak Ojutiku

keep with the Cougars in this one. Kean trailed 38-37 going into 2nd half but they soon blew past their opponent.s The Cougars went on an 8-0 run in the middle of the period and never let Stockton back into the game. Stockton only scored 15 points in the last 20 minutes of the game while Kean scored 42. The Cougars won 79-53. That win sent them to the NJAC Semifinals, against Montclair State. Montclair, who was given a top 10 rank by a USA Today Division III Poll, went 1-1 with Kean in the regular season with the most recent game being a 87-54 victory loss for the Cougars. Kean once again fell to the Red Hawks, this time losing 76-62. As of now the Cougars are 15-12 on the season and 11-7 in conference action. Their season may not be over as they’re currently being considered for the ECAC tournament.

Men’s Volleyball The men’s volleyball started off their season a bit rockily but they’ve definitely stabilized now. They alternated between wins and losses in January and the early part of February but they’re currently in the midst of a seven game winning streak. Since Feb. 4 they’ve conceded 3 sets. The last team that didn’t get shutout by the Cougars was third ranked Rivier University. The match was a closely contested 3-2 affair and the main factor for Kean was unquestionably Junior Bez Arslani. Arslani set a new school record for hitting percentage with .676. No other hitter for either petter had a percentage over .300. Arslani recorded 27 kills, which is the most any Cougar has had in a match this year. If he had just one more kill he would have claimed the record for most kills in a single match in Kean history. Arslani has earned Player of the Week honors from, ECAC, the Skyline Conference, and the national AVCA Division. He was also invited to the Baruch Invitational All-Tournament Team which featured some of the best players in Division III. He had 39 kills in the tournament. The men’s volleyball team has a 10-6 overall record and is a perfect 3-0 in NJAC play.

Women’s basketball fails at second game of NJAC tournament By Gerald Lima

The Kean University Women’s Basketball team put on a display, blowing out the Richard Stockton Ospreys 79-53 in the opening round of the NJAC tournament. However, the Cougars team that trailed 38-37 in the first half, wasn’t the same team that came out of the locker room in

the second half. The Cougars went on two dominating runs in the second half, the first run consisted of outscoring the Ospreys 11-4 and the second a 10-0 run, which put the game away with only 6 minutes left. In Kean’s second round game against Montclair State, Senior Center Simone Smith led the Cougars with 16 points, but that

wasn’t enough for the Cougars who fell short to the top seeded Red Hawks, 76-62. The Cougars loss to the Red Hawks was the second in 10 days, and it also was the Red Hawks’ first NJAC tournament win over the Cougars after trying seven times before. The Cougars started the game hot, leading 11-1 to start the

game, and eventually took a 16-7 lead early in the first half. The Cougars had a 28-17 lead with about nine minutes left in the first half, but the Red Hawks went on a 23-5 run to end the first half to make the score 40-33 in favor of Montclair State. The Cougars kept tugging at the lead and came within nine points, but Red Hawks’ sophomore guard,

Kayla Ceballos hit a clutch threepointer, which put the Red Hawks back up by 12. The Cougars didn’t get any closer for the rest of the game. The Cougars will be one of the teams for consideration for a spot in the ECAC tournament. The teams selected for the ECAC will be announced on March 3.