The Tower - November 2020 by The Tower

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Thanksgiving in the time of COVID-19

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NOV 18 | 2020 WWW.KUTOWER.COM

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

President Lamont Repollet Students unhappy about cancelled Gives a Message of Cooperation Spring Break due to COVID to the University Senate By Cindy Lazo

As the rate of COVID-19 positive cases in New Jersey increases, Kean University announced an update regarding the Spring 2021 Academic Calendar that has received much backlash from students. In an email sent out to faculty, staff and students on October 23, the University announced that there will not be a Spring Break for the upcoming semester, with classes continuing uninterrupted until the semester

By Chelsey Jaipersaud Since his transition into the role of presidency, Dr. Lamont Repollet addressed the University Senate for the first time and offered faculty and staff a message of cooperation to make Kean the best it can be. Dr. Repollet sits in and attempts to ease the minds of many professors. He provided insight into his plans for Kean that he reiterated involves the help of university faculty and staff. His goals, he said, is to keep the University community well informed and construct relationships built on trust in order to keep students a top priority. “It’s about our students, then collectively it’s about the faculty and staff and then it’s about the larger Kean University community stakeholders,” Dr. Repollet said. Dr. Repollet reiterated this idea of collectivism and how important it is for him to build a relationship with the faculty and staff. He aims to have a positive, professional relationship where individuals know he will be fair above everything else. Dr. Repollet said that he has made the effort to meet with the deans and put much emphasis on leading their respective colleges. He ensured that each dean has a conversation with their faculty and staff and supports them to create a working program. “It’s not just hiring full time faculty for the sake of hiring them, it’s full time to develop and grow them along the way,” Dr. Repollet said. Dr. Craig Donovan, University Senate president, questioned Kean’s needs for increased staffing in general so that enough people support the students and their needs in areas such as admissions, financial aid, and advising. Dr. Repollet has asked the deans to provide an analysis of their colleges and staffing needs. He said he knows that there is a need for help in advisement and therefore an advisement center will be created. A separate division of student support is being created with additional staff members that will be hired to assist students. The

semester was online for the first three weeks before face-to-face classes began and that after Thanksgiving break classes will be back online, saying why this method will not be applied for the next semester. Margaret McCorry, Director of Media Relations, said that President Repollet’s top priority is the safety of the entire Kean community and by eliminating Spring Break and ending the Spring semester a week early, the University is reducing the likelihood that students, faculty and staff will become

Photo by Kean University Official Website

President Repollet

University will be mindful of the ratio of faculty and staff to ensure that they support the University. Dr. Christopher Lynch, associate professor of Communication, questioned the many requirements Kean is imposing on faculty to teach on Blackboard that has done little to create a connection with students. “That system is very rigid and there isn’t a lot of flexibility for faculty to do what they do best,” Professor Lynch said. Dr. Repollet assured professors that he realizes these circumstances have never happened before and everyone is still learning what works best for everyone. Dr. Repollet is throwing himself into the professor lifestyle by teaching a course on Blackboard for the remainder of the semester. This will help him have an understanding of where the faculty is at with remote learning and truly be able to assess what can be improved. “You have to be in it, you have to be involved to truly understand what are some of the concerns and I think that is where we start to really look at different modalities of instruction and we’ll start to pick out what’s the best qualities and practices for each,” Dr. Repollet said. The university is further trying to create a professional learning center with employee relations for individuals to receive the

“We want to move towards the direction of everyone being felt, whether it’s mental, social health or professional growth,” Dr. Repollet said.

Photo by Cindy Lazo

Instagram comments on the update

ends on May 5, a week earlier than scheduled. The University also announced the extension of remote and hybrid learning for the upcoming semester, to ensure that students ‘continue to receive a robust education while balancing health and safety during the ongoing pandemic’.

infected with COVID-19 through travel and return to spread that infection on campus. “University leaders are currently looking at other ways to provide mental health breaks throughout the Spring semester,” McCorry said, “including a few wellness Wednesdays that will allow all students and faculty to take

“University leaders are currently looking at other ways to provide mental health breaks throughout the Spring semester” The announcement on the cancellation of Spring Break blew up on Kean’s Instagram account as students posted their opinions about the change. “This is ridiculous and this is ruining people[s] college experience” one user said. Another user talked about how the fall

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the day off from schoolwork and focus on mental and physical health” While many are upset by this decision, not every student shares the same sentiments. Arnold Rojas, a senior majoring in Molecular Biology, said that it’s perfectly logical, given the difficulties created by continued on page 4

Remote Learning: Are Kean Students Satisfied? By Valerie Sanabria COVID-19 changed the lives of many people, especially college students after the transition to remote learning. As the Fall 2020 semester progresses, some students are starting to get fatigued and in need of something different while some others are struggling with the workload and anxiety. “In the beginning I was okay with it, but

“Every day I wake up wanting to learn... and at the end of the day, I feel like I haven’t learned anything.” now I’m getting to a point that is just like I’m getting kind of bored,” said Esther Valdez, a Bilingual education and Spanish major. Valdez, whose classes are all remote, thinks

that all the professors are teaching following the same structure. “I feel like they are all doing the same thing, just kind of giving the same information,” Valdez said. “I think it’s a lot because for every class you have to do a discussion and respond and do an assignment or two extra, so I feel like it is a lot.” Leila Salgado, junior majoring in Spanish and education is satisfied with remote education but misses the interaction during face to face classes. “I think classes in person are much more enjoyable and you also get to interact with new people,” Salgado said. “I feel that I learn more face to face but I can say I am satisfied with remote learning and how my professors have handled teaching through a computer.” While the overall workload for students is much heavier due to the combination of discussion boards and assignments, Salgado is managing. “As long as you are keeping up daily with your work you should be fine,” Salgado said. Special education major, Maria Briceño believes having to do a discussion board every week for every class is unfair. She believes

Photo by Valerie Sanabria

Are students learning?

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November, 2020

Students are complaining online is too much work! “I don’t really want to have a job where I risk my health…” Ashley Aucapina By Breanna Palzer

Photo by Breanna Palzer

Online class taking place

Many students feel that too much work and not having any stability is affecting their college experience. Some are also worried about future semesters and their financial situation. “I’ve been having such a hard time trying to find a job,” senior, marketing major, Ashley Aucapina said. “I don’t really want to have a job where I risk my health but it seems like that’s all that’s being offered right now.” Students are searching for online jobs but those positions are becoming increasingly harder to find, leaving them without jobs and income. Students who live in dormitories have not been able to see their families for extended periods of time because Kean is asking students not to leave the campus unless it is necessary. The Spring 2021 semester won’t be the same as a recent email sent out by President Lamont Repollet stated that Kean cancelled their spring in an effort to limit students going home and possibly contracting the virus.

“It makes sense to be honest,” Communications major, Ashley Winrow said, “I know people are going to want to go to parties and all that, so it's a sacrifice we are going to have to make so that we all don’t get sick” Another problem is the amount of work professors are giving during the remote learning experience. Several students said their instructors seem to be giving more work and much of it is unnecessary. Students have been in an uproar, and even started a petition on change.org, to get their workload lessened. The petition has over 2,300 signatures and so far nothing has been done about it. Many students have said it’s the weekly discussion board questions and the required responses on the online Blackboard system that seems to be the least necessary part of their learning experience. “I’ve had so much work due over the past two weeks,” communications major Aiden Gerrard said, “I’ve had two presentations, two research papers, and one regular paper. I also have to do those discussion questions as well, which just seems like a waste of time.”

Kean students prepare Zoom Yoga, for Thanksgiving Break Lower your Levels of Stress and Anxiety By Jennifer Balsa It is that time of the year again when the leaves begin to change color and the sun starts to come down earlier in the day. The smell of pumpkin spice invades the air as all the fall decorations begin to flourish all over the retail seasonal aisles. We make a list of our closest relatives and send out the invitations for the upcoming holidays. Thanksgiving is one of the most expected holidays of the year, specially by students who are away from their families and anxiously wait for the Thanksgiving break to go back home and visit their loved ones. This year, as every other holiday, Thanksgiving celebrations will have to take a spin. With the COVID-19 cases on the rise, the CDC advises that the festivities are kept to a minimum this holiday season. What in previous years would have been a gathering of extended families and friends, is now being restricted to immediate family members. It is advised to not travel for the upcoming celebrations and try to make the best out of the holiday season from the comfort of our homes. For Kean University students, this Thanksgiving will be a chance to rest from all

background, a culture in which family is extremely valued. “It would be rude to invite some family members and not the others,” Rodas said. Therefore her family opted to have a virtual Thanksgiving dinner. Rodas has a great grandmother who is 97 years old and she must be cared for at such a delicate time. Rodas’ family will exchange traditional dishes by delivering them to each other's houses while following the appropriate protocol. “I'm most excited to eat encebollado this year,” Rodas said. “Encebollado” is an Ecuadorian dish that consists of a tuna soup along with other condiments. Although turkey will be served since it is the American traditional dish to eat on Thanksgiving, some Hispanic cultures also opt to have some other side options to remind them of home. She also says that she and her siblings will be making apple pie as a dessert in order to still have that shared time with her family. Although traveling by plane is high risk this season, traveling by car is the safest way to go about it. Communications major Kay Patel is expecting to drive to North Carolina with her parents to spend the weekend at her aunt’s

By Lenny Mata To reduce levels of stress and anxiety, the School of Health and Human Performance began to offer free yoga classes via Zoom. The abrupt changes that students have faced in recent months could have influenced the increase of student’s tensions and worries, negatively impacting their performance, selfmanagement and even their social skills. Doing yoga gives students the opportunity to find a healthy and active alternative that could help them prevent from drowning within the pressures of college responsibilities. Therefore, every Friday, starting at 12:45 p.m. students will have the chance to disconnect and put aside their tensions. Yoga is a practice that has been around for more than 5,000 years. It can help to strengthen your abilities by increasing

"Yoga pose" by sashameel is marked with CC0 1.0

“No matter your age, gender, size, any state of health yoga is accessible to everyone.”

“For Kean University students, this Thanksgiving will be a chance to rest from all the semester hassle and spend some quality time with their loved ones” "Yoga" By Angelntini is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Photo by Janice Rodas

Encebollado

the semester hassle and spend some quality time with their loved ones. “I will celebrate at home with my mother, father and siblings,” senior, Business major, Janice Rodas said. Rodas stated that in previous years, it has been tradition that her mother hosts Thanksgiving at her house but this year they are afraid of inviting such an extensive family over to just one house. Rodas is of Ecuadorian

house for Thanksgiving. Patel has an Indian background but most of her family lives in North Carolina. Her parents plan to stock up on snacks for the drive and listen to typical Indian music to make the best time out of the trip. “I am in charge of cooking the chicken curry this year,” Patel said. “I would not like to break the family tradition of spending the holidays together.”

flexibility, staying power (endurance), your ability to focus, and decreased stress, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Tara Lynn Bogota, Program Coordinator of the Yoga Teacher Certification Program, said that many of her students join the program because they need to relax or destress. “Many report high levels of anxiety,” said Bogota. This online program can help to release some of the pressure accumulated during the week and give your weekend a better start off. Amy Giordano, student majoring in Psychology, has seen a physical and mental difference after she practices yoga. “I have noticed a difference in my concentration and focus, a reduction in my anxiety and stress levels, and an overall calmer demeanor,” Giordano said. Virtual yoga at Kean University comes as an aid to students who wish to develop and strengthen their academic success and lifestyle. A study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), titled Psychophysiological Effects of Yoga on Stress in College Students; found that “Yoga holds potential as a self-empowering, non pharmacological method for enhancing stress management, and wellness in college students.” Another reason to choose yoga as a stress-relieving practice it’s because of its inclusiveness and welcoming to all. Usually,

practices that require physical skills presume to have a certain level of resistance to be able to join. Nevertheless, that is not the case when it comes to exercise while doing yoga. Giordano also explained that regardless of age and fitness level, yoga can work for everyone. “I think one of the things I like about it best is that anybody can practice!” said Bogota. “No matter your age, gender, size, any state of health yoga is accessible to everyone.” Yoga is intended to be a non-competitive discipline whose main purpose is to fill you all with good energy and positive vibes. “Yoga does more than burn calories and tone the body” Giordano said, “it also focuses on the overall wellness of your mind, body, and soul.” The objective the School of Health and Human Performance pursues with this program is to share Yoga with as many people as possible. “Many people on campus do not know that the Yoga Teacher Training Center at Kean exists so this is a way to let everyone at Kean know that we are here!” Bogota said. The benefits of practicing yoga regularly unfold on a long list that goes from lowering blood pressure to weight loss. “Yoga provides the tools to live a life on purpose – one with more kindness, equanimity and balance.” Bogota said.

November, 2020

THE TOWER 3

A Click Away from Being Inside your Blackboard Live Session By Tiye Bracy Many students are okay with using cameras during live sessions but feel awkward doing so because the majority of class cameras are off. “Blackboard is a very difficult vehicle to work with in that I have little facial recognition,” Marketing Professor Robert Silk said. On the first day of class, professors usually did interactive icebreaker exercises. But in the remote environment that's challenging. Even working in groups is problematic. In classrooms, students interact with each other. It is harder for classes to fully engage and interact with classmates and the professor in a remote learning environment. “It is difficult in the sense that the courses I teach are highly interactive,” Silk said. Now classes consist of hoping for good Wi-Fi connection, possibly only seeing your professor, looking at profile pictures and avatars, and when the professor asks a question just use the raise your hand feature to speak. “Some of my professors used the raise hand option,” Senior Communications Student Phoebe Darote said. At Kean, students are not required to have their camera on during live sessions. “The University is aware that some students may not have cameras and others may be uncomfortable having cameras on,” Director of Media Relations Margaret McCorry said. “While camera use is encouraged, students can also engage with their instructors and classmates in other meaningful ways during remote learning.”

Since turning cameras on during live sessions isn’t a requirement, many students choose to turn cameras off and use their microphones to communicate during class. “I prefer my camera on, to interact with everyone, but I began noticing no one else had theirs on, including most professors,” Communications major Caitlyn Magee said. Professors also suspect why some students don’t show their live face during the sessions. “The other drawback of this is that some students may just be logged in and not physically or mentally present during the class,” Marketing Professor Purnima Srinivasan said. Some professors do have their cameras on at all times and encourage students to do the same. “From the view of the professor, talking to a screen without live faces can sometimes be a sad experience,” Professor Srinivasan said. While teaching some professors do turn their camera on to motivate students. “If my students see me, they know that I care enough to be there to teach them,” Silk said. Unfortunately, the pandemic is still ongoing and in the Spring 2021 semester schools continue with mostly remote learning but many students are ready to get back into the classrooms. “Nothing can replace the value of being in person,” Magee said. Due to the pandemic only 30% of classes this Fall were face to face. President Repollet announced on July 22 that there will be four different formats of classes being teach. The four types of classes are face to face, hybrid,

remote, and online learning. Unlike previous semesters almost all professors are required to use Blackboard to facilitate their course. The syllabus is posted under course information, all the discussion questions are under discussion boards, and all the assignments are uploaded under course

content. Before, students had to leave their homes or dorms to make it to class. Nowadays all it takes is a click to enter your blackboard live session. “The power of technology can be seen in action,” Marketing Professor Purnima Srinivasan said.

“From the view of the professor, talking to a screen without live faces, can sometimes be a sad experience.”

Photo by Tiye Bracy

Blackboard live session

Studying Abroad – Put on hold due to COVID, and everything you need to know By Alejandro Arcos On Nov. 2, a Zoom meeting was held between members of the Humans Rights Institute and the Center for International Studies, Kean’s own study-abroad program. In that meeting, vital information was given about what students may do to study abroad when the time comes, and what may

await them overseas should they apply for a semester abroad. Kean University’s Center for International Studies dedicates itself in aiding students who wish to complete part of their semester or their entire semester in Kean campuses located in other countries, such as WKU (Wenzhou Kean University), situated in China, among other locations around the

world With the current state of society and traveling at the moment, however, preparing to study abroad right this moment is illadvised and likely impossible for students thanks to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Alexa Marzocca, a staff member of the Center for International Studies, offered clarification on the situation.

Photo by Kean Website

Kean students practicing social distancing

“If you’re looking to study abroad in the summer, hold off on applying until we are sure we know you can go.”

Photo by Kean’s International Study Page

Flyer information for study abroad at Wenzhou-Kean University

Photo by Kean’s International Study Page

Center for International Studies

“We are not studying abroad next semester,” Marzocca said, “We’re not sure yet in terms with the summer in the fall, it’s a dynamic situation with the virus, and we’re taking it week by week.” Though the program is temporarily closed until further notice, this offers a long opportunity for students to learn how to prepare for the decision to study overseas. “Some of the benefits of that program are that it costs the same as going to Kean in the U.S, same tuition meal plan and housing fees as you would pay here.” Marzocca said. “It is also a cohort program, so that means you go with a full group of students.” Just studying and working overseas in China isn’t all there is to the program however, as fun activities and trips are planned regularly, such as visiting While China is the program’s most standout example, the question of whether students could look forward to traveling anywhere else remains. “If you don’t want to go to China, that’s fine. We have programs in over 30 other countries. We work with a lot of different study abroad provider companies and they have companies all over the world.” Marzocca said, “All those programs differ a lot in location, in costs, and in academic offerings. So, if you come in and talk in and talk to our office, that’s something we can try to match you with a program that’s going to fit well with you.” Kean offers locations such as Dubai, South Korea, Costa Rica, London, Rome, Berlin among several more options for students to study abroad in. The length of time students may attend college studying abroad will vary depending on what they’ve signed up for, with the time spent varying between one semester, a few weeks or an entire summer. Marzocca said that students not wanting to spend a whole semester or a whole summer abroad can go for a ‘travel learn’, short-term programs led by Kean faculty members that count as credit that usually happen over spring break and sometimes offered in the summer. As for the costs of signing up for a study abroad program, the Center for International Studies staff assure that there are convenient and affordable ways to pay for one’s trip to an overseas campus. “You can use financial aid for study abroad. Financial aid is available. Scholarships are available.” Marzocca said, “We have a scholarship page on our website that has information about different scholarships, and we’re always happy to meet with you and talk to you about different scholarships you can apply.” With that said, the time between now and the soonest possible opportunity to apply for studying abroad would be a good time to think over the decision. “If you’re looking to study abroad in the summer, hold off on applying until we are sure we know you can go.” Said Marzocca.

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November, 2020

Students unhappy about cancelled Spring Break due to COVID

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

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COVID-19. Tasha Dowbachuk, a senior majoring in Communications-Journalism and minoring in Sociology, said that she’s happy to see that the university is prioritizing students' health and safety.

“It can be disappointing since Spring Break is great for recharging, but it can be seen as a good idea because it eliminates the possibility of spreading the virus,” Dowbachuk said, “but it sucks to see that long, relaxing break being taken away.”

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

EDITOR IN CHIEF: ZOE STROZEWSKI NEWS EDITOR: CINDY LAZO FEATURES EDITOR: VALERIE SANABRIA

Photo by Kean University’s Instagram

Instagram post on Spring Semester update

SPORTS EDITOR: STEVEN MERRILL

President Lamont Repollet Gives a Message of Cooperation to the University Senate

ONLINE EDITOR/ SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: EMILY ROBLES

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REPORTERS ALEJANDRO ARCOS

LESHAY JONES

DORIAN ALERTE

LAYLA LUSBY

JENNIFER BALSA

JULIEN NEALS

TIYE BRACY

RUBEN NIEVES

LENNY MATA CUEVAS

BREANNA PALZER

CHRISTIAN GRULLON

ALEXANDER VALDES

CHELSEY JAIPERSAUD

OPINION PIECES AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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

Photo by Kean University Official Website

CAS Building

support they need. The goal is to support the faculty, which will allow them to become the best online, remote and digital professors Kean has ever had, he said. “I am going to give you the tools, teach you how to use the tools and then I will tell you now you can go out there and hold you accountable, but that is not going to come till later,” Repollet said. Dr. Repollet understands the circumstances everyone is under and does not expect everything to go perfectly at this point. He asked for the faculty to continue to work with the University Senate and their respective deans to gather as much information about the remote space as possible.

Dr. Repollet further addressed concerns involving staff growth. A new employee relations division led by the Senior Vice President of Administration has been created. Similar to student affairs, there is a plan to create an office for employee affairs. This will give employees a chance to grow and move up in their career. Kean is also looking to renovate East Campus and make the space upstairs available as a wellness center for faculty and staff to regroup and refresh. “We want to move towards the direction of everyone being felt, whether it’s mental, social health or professional growth,” Dr. Repollet said.

Kean features COCO JOLIE for Women Entrepreneurship Week By Tiye Bracy

Remote Learning: Are Kean Students Satisfied? continued from page 1

professors do not read what students reply and remote classes are simply not working. “You go to school to learn, I think this is not working,” Briceño said. “It helps me because I am helping my daughter and I have to stay with her. It’s helping me but not for studying.” Briceño also thinks that remote education is a scam and unfair because she is not receiving the education she is paying for. “I pay cash, from my own pocket,” Briceño said, “and I think it’s unfair to pay for something where not even Blackboard is working. It’s hard.” Another student who thinks tuition should be lowered and is struggling with the workload is Endy Pena, Kean student majoring in Bilingual education. “I am paying for nothing, the way it is I’m educating myself,” Pena said. “They [Kean] should lower the tuition a little. I have a lot more homework and working virtually in groups is a disaster.” Kean offered remote and hybrid classes during the Fall 2020 semester and it is extending it for the Spring 2021 semester. Annet Ruiz-Herrera ,who is a transfer student has had the experience of both remote and hybrid classes. For Ruiz-Herrera, face to face classes are more rewarding. “Personally, I like better in person classes. I learn more, and take better notes,” RuizHerrera said. Transferring to remote leaning has been hard for many students, but for Valdez it

depends on the individual. As the semester progresses some students are just working to get good grades and are worried about the future. “I feel it’s up to the individual. I actually want to learn for myself,” Valdez said, “but I’m getting to that point in the semester where I’m just doing the work. As long as I do the work I get the grade and I’m worried that the next semester will be the same way.” For Katherine Calle, senior at Kean, the experience is frustrating because even if she has tried to learn it hasn’t been possible. “Every day I wake up wanting to learn, I attend every class, take notes, do assignments, answer discussion questions, take exams, and at the end of the day, I feel like I haven’t learned anything,” Calle said. “Even though I appreciate the effort that professors put in everyday to make things easier and get us used to the new normal, my experience is the opposite.” Calle feels unmotivated and would like to return to campus, but is also struggling with anxiety as a result of remote classes and the idea of going back to what she misses the most-- in-person learning. “I'm tired of remote learning, tired of the many assignments, and the little learning I’ve had this semester,” Calle said, “I want to go back to our previous normal, I will be anxious to be in a classroom with more than 20 people and wear a mask for a 3-hour long lecture. Ironically, what I miss the most about school is also what makes me anxious.”

Miriam Gitelman worked in the technology industry but she always loved to bake. After 25 years, she fulfilled her dream to attend culinary school, which she says was the best experience of her life. On November 2, Gitelman, now the Chef and Owner of Coco Jolie Chocolatier located in Englewood, NJ, was honored as the guest speaker during Kean’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Week, sponsored by the Women and Gender Studies Program at Kean online via Zoom Gitelman actually started out in architecture and then later found herself in the technology industry. The architecture field “at the time was not very female friendly, especially if a woman wanted to have a family and other responsibilities outside of work,” Gitelman said. She knew she wanted a family and eventually moved on to pursue her passion for baking. She enjoyed a career in design, marketing, and technology for 25 years. She has a degree in architecture, and a Professional Pastry Arts degree from the International Culinary Center. “I started practicing and playing more with chocolate really at home,” Gitelman said. Gitelman worked in various kitchens in New York City, focusing on baking pastries. All chocolate sold at COCO JOLIE is Fair Trade, organic, kosher, and vegan. COCO

JOLIE is known for their chocolate bonbon gift boxes. Customers can also purchase chocolate covered candies at this store. Gitelman gave a tour of Coco Jolie virtually. She showcased the storefront and baking area where all the magic happens. It was a chic front space, there was chocolate bonbon displayed all over the counters. When you first walk in you can see the glass display that showcases all the different kinds of chocolate sold at the store. About half way through the event, there was a Q&A portion. All the attendees became panelists and people were able to type in their questions in the chat. One guest wanted to know how Covid 19 affected her business. She explained that before COVID she did a lot of custom orders with event planners and caterers. “All of that dried up and then our storefront was closed for several months as well,” Gitelman said. She continued to sell chocolate online. She had two employees working before the pandemic hit to help with production, but they did not come back due to health reasons. What really saved the business was the start of teaching classes in August. Another person asked what keeps motivated “Everyone is going to have bad days and hard days, but you still have deadlines, and you still have things that you need to deliver,” Gitelman said.

“Everyone is going to have bad days and hard days, but you still have deadlines, and you still have things that you need to deliver”

SPORTS

November, 2020

THE TOWER 5

Kean hires David Turco as new head coach of Men’s Basketball By Ruben Nieves

Kean’s Athletics director knew he had a winner when he talked with David Turco, who was named last month as the next head coach of the Men’s Basketball team. “He just has a history of success wherever he coached as well as his development of young players on and off the court,” said the athletic director, Kelly Williams. “I was very impressed, and I have had the opportunity of working with and being associated with coach Turco for a number of years and I have had the opportunity to coach some of his players.” Before becoming head coach here at Kean, Turco was coaching at Middlesex County College and owns a career record of 448-121 in his 21 seasons as a head coach. According to mycentraljersey.com, Turco has coached at St. Joseph's high school, Carteret high school, and South Brunswick high school. Turco takes over after former head coach Adam Hutchinson was recently promoted to assistant director of internal affairs and student athlete development. Williams praised Turco’s history of success and his development of young players on and off the court. Turco during his years as a head coach has had players who went on and played for the NBA. Turco helped groom former first overall pick and NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns who is having a successful career for the Minnesota Kean’s Men’s Basketball Timberwolves. Turco has also coached Wade Baldwin, who was selected with the 17th pick in the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies back in the 2016 NBA Draft. Towns retweeted the news of the hiring and called Turco the best coach he has ever had the honor of playing for. “No one more deserving,” Towns said in his tweet. “Kean got

a good one in coach Turco.” Williams believes the hiring of Turco came down to his success and the graduation rate of his student athletes. “It came down to his success, his winning percentage, and his graduation rate of his student athletes,” Williams said. “It is very consistent with my philosophy and my way of thinking as the director of athletics. I want to make sure that person has those qualities and he definitely showed that his qualities are our needs.” There were many candidates for the head coaching job at New Head Coach David Turco Kean. “We probably have been contacted by about between 50 to 100 applicants,” Williams said. With the hiring of Turco, there is still no word yet if any additional members will be added to the coaching staff. “Not at this point, we are still trying to figure out what are sports going to look like and if they will be able to start,” Williams said as they still await on the news of sports returning. Throughout his years of coaching and the different schools he has coached at, Coach Turco has impressed many with his coaching and his overall accomplishments.

Photo by K anAthletics.com

“He just has a history of success wherever he coached”

Photo by KeanAthletics.com

Harwood Arena

“His ability to relate to student athletes, his ability to have a plan in place for winning games and doing it with integrity,” Williams said. With the ongoing pandemic and the surge of positive tests, a basketball season is still in question. Williams still has no word on whether there will be a season but has heard several

plans that were proposed about the possibility of a season. “As of November 5, I do not have any information,” Williams said. “We do have several proposed plans that we are waiting to see if it will come to play. We hope to have more updated information by next month.” Williams shared some of his early expectations for Coach Turco, but he feels that his resume speaks for itself. “Just to be himself and lead with integrity,” Williams said. “His resume speaks for itself, his history of showing student athletes how to succeed on and off the court is unmatched in the state of New Jersey.” With coaching experience of over 21 seasons, Williams believes Turco’s experience will be beneficial to the team. Photo by KeanAthletics.com “His experience brings credibility, his experience of winning championships in high school and junior college and as well as coaching professional players,” Williams said. “His credibility as a winner and as a motivator are more important for someone with a plan and I am excited for our student athletes to have the opportunity with coach Turco.”

Men’s and women’s basketball get ready for their workouts By Dorian Alerte

“But it’s all about what you do off the court now. You have to keep motivating yourself and hold yourself accountable.” Photo by Larry Levanti

Nate Lyles (left) shoots over his defender (2019 basketball season).

Photo by Larry Levanti

Shannon McCoy (right) dribbles passed her defender (2019 basketball season).

After an offseason full of questions, Kean’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are preparing to begin workouts and training once again. Both the men’s and the women’s teams had just begun their off season when the COVID-19 pandemic began and students were not able to be with their teammates. The offseason was particularly difficult for skills sports like basketball when park basketball hoops were boarded up in New Jersey and gyms were closed. “I felt really restricted because basketball is a big part of me and it helps me release,” Junior forward for the men’s team Nate Lyles said. “Not being able to do that made it really hard to get through the first four months of the pandemic. When it finally did begin to open up, I made it a goal to find a park that had hoops.” Lyles is not the only Kean basketball player to feel this way. Junior guard, Shannon McCoy, for the women’s basketball team shares the same sentiments. “I remember one day I went to the court, I had my shoes on, I had my basketball and my water bottle, and when I got there, there was a piece of plywood over the hoop that was tied on,” McCoy said. “Luckily for me I do have a basketball hoop outside of my house, so I would take advantage of that during quarantine. That was my way of getting outside during the day and not being locked up inside of the house.” With their seasons having ended in February, November will be the first time in nine months that the basketball teams will be together for formal workouts. The athletes will be tested three times a week on nonconsecutive days, per NCAA coronavirus testing guidelines for

returning basketball players. “It’s been frustrating seeing other teams practicing on social media and we’re still going through the process of trying to get back,” McCoy said. “But it’s all about what you do off the court now. You have to keep motivating yourself and hold yourself accountable.” When the players return, their practices will look different than they normally would. They will be working in small pods and a majority of their on the court work will be shooting drills and conditioning until the Thanksgiving break. Even with the differences, they are eager to return. “Me personally, I will never pass up on a shooting drill,” McCoy said. “I love being able to shoot the basketball. I wouldn’t mind if we had to do that. Yeah being able to play live, getting into the flow, seeing what groups work and what doesn’t work, is great, but this gives us an opportunity to get back to the basics, pay attention to the little things that we need to work on.” The workout sessions are going to be very different than what the Cougars are used to, but they’re ready to compete once again, even if it is not against opponents. “Everything’s gonna be different than what we’re used to,” Lyles said. “But we’re just trying to come in and compete. Since we’re doing individual drills, we’re competing with ourselves and we’re competing with our teammates. We can’t really go at each other while playing, but we can go at each other through different drills, and as long as we keep doing that, we’re making the most of the situation. That’s what I expect myself to do, that’s what I expect for my teammates.”