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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF KEAN UNIVERSITY
Former state Supreme Court Justice to review Kean report By Rebecca Panico A former state Supreme Court Justice will review Kean’s report investigating claims of institutional racism after the university faced increasing pressure from lawmakers across the state. “The Kean University Board of Trustees has already agreed to forward the Governance Committee report to Justice John E. Wallace, Jr.,” Kean University President Dawood Farahi said in a March 18 statement. “Once it is completed, I will recommend Justice Wallace be retained to review and assess the report, and prepare his impartial evaluation for the Board of Trustees.” The university hired Rev. Michael Blackwell to investigate the university’s employment practices after claims of institutional racism were made by a coalition of ministers led by Rev. Ronald Slaughter of the Saint James AME Church in Newark last year. The coalition also called for Farahi’s resignation after a black Kean graduate was accused of posting threats against black students on Twitter last November in an alleged hoax. Rev. Slaughter called the president’s decision “a step in the right direction” but emphasized that “we still have a long way to go! Don’t close your eyes just yet” in an email. On Twitter, he stressed that he still
wanted Wallace to do his own report. The president’s statement noted that Kean’s student body -- which is about 60 percent minority – and faculty “deserve the truth.” “Kean has been named by DiversityInc. as one of the top five most diverse universities in the nation, and placed on President Obama’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for five years running,” Farahi said in statement. “We are confident the facts will speak for themselves.” Last month, State Senate President Stephen Sweeney urged the university’s Board of Trustees to use Wallace rather than its own auditor in a letter written by the senate majority leader. “Utilizing members of your Board of Trustees and an individual handpicked by the University,” the letter read, “would only serve to further nurture an environment of mistrust and skepticism, especially if the investigation unequivocally validates the actions and atmosphere at Kean University.” In response, Trustees Chair Ada Morell wrote that the Board Governance Committee, which was working with Rev. Blackwell on the report, had already obtained its own auditor and initially declined the senate president’s suggestion. The coalition criticized the university’s decision to hire Rev. Blackwell too, since he
Photo: Rebecca Panico
Kean University President Dawood Farahi, center, sits with Board of Trustees members Ada Morell, left, and Linda Lewis at the Trustees meeting on March 7.
admitted a bias in an interview with The Tower, saying that the coalition accused people at Kean of things he doesn’t “think they’re guilty of.” Meanwhile, Sen. Sweeney organized a closed-door meeting between Rev. Slaughter, Farahi, and other lawmakers last year. The university would not confirm or deny that all parties agreed to use an auditor recommended by the legislature. Now, Farahi stated the university would provide its full cooperation to Wallace in his statement. “The University pledges its full cooperation to Justice Wallace and will provide any necessary information he may need to finalize his evaluation,” Farahi said in a statement. “Senate President
Stephen Sweeney has been consulted on this course of action.” Rev. Blackwell completed his review on March 7, the same day that the Board Governance Committee gave a summary of his report at the Trustees’ meeting. That announcement of his completed review came less than a week after The Record reported that Rev. Blackwell was convicted of crimes ranging from domestic violence against a woman and writing a bad check. Questions were also raised by The Record regarding his educational credentials and his time served in federal prison in the 1990s, relating to a bank robbery. The Board Governance Committee’s full report will be made at the next Trustees meeting on May 9.
Why are some college students embarrassed to take free condoms? By Annalise Knudson
Photo by Rebecca Panico
Justin Fernandez, 21, performs inside the WKNJ Cougar Radio station on March 15, 2016.
Kean student turns dismal Disney experience into ‘Saint’ LP By Rebecca Panico The Disney College Program is an opportunity to earn college credit while working at one of the happiest places on Earth But for Justin Fernandez, a 21-year-old business major at Kean, it turned out to be a not-so-magical experience. “No one wants to be a garbage man,” said Fernandez, later adding with a chuckle, “I’d even loved to sell merchandise. At least I’m not touching dirty ass...poop.” Fernandez wound up a custodian, assigned to shoveling trash and cleaning toilets in Orlando, Fla., the excesses of the smiling tourists surrounding him. Torn apart from his newfound girlfriend, family and friends, he slipped into depression, he said.
Writing under the pseudonym of Staten, he turned the experience into a full-length LP, “Saint,” which was released early last month. The themes on the album are probably ones that every 20-something-year-old can relate to: “Saint” paints a picture of a young adult who’s experiencing the growing pains of becoming a full-fledged adult, and with that comes feelings of not-being-good enough and alienation. Acoustic arpeggios are a trademark of almost every track on “Saint,” and songs like “Madonna” showcase Fernandez’s self-revealing and raw lyrics. The honesty of the album’s lyrics -- and the topics of depression and suicide -- were a form of catharsis, he said. “I don’t feel ashamed or shameful writing all of this stuff and putting it out there,” he continued on page 7
When students are usually offered free condoms they often times blush, turn their faces or avoid eye contact. Others will go out of their way to make sure that they will not be faced with the option of whether to take a free condom. Talking about safe sex and condoms have always been a taboo topic, especially among young adults. Professor of Health Education and author of the college textbook, “Sexual Health in a Diverse World,” Dr. Consuelo Bonillas said that there are many reasons why some college students would feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about taking free condoms when they are offered. “Instead of being seen as protective for themselves and their sexual partner(s), someone may be concerned that receiving free condoms implies a lack of moral judgment, having multiple sexual partners and isn’t looking for a committed relationship or just wanting to ‘hit it,’” she said. Some students feel comfortable talking about their sexuality and relationships. Dr. Bonillas noticed a change in views related to sexual health since she first started teaching human sexuality in 1997. “Men are still more likely or willing to mention that they are or have been in a sexual relationship,” she said. “Part of the reason is the double standard that society and we continue to allow to exist. Some women may be concerned about how others may perceive them if they share that they are or have been in a sexual relationship.” Resident assistant (RA) Alex Rankin
Photo: Annalise Knudson
A container filled with free condoms sits on a counter at Health Services in Downs Hall.
hosted one of his residential student services events named “Sex in the Elevator” on Feb. 21 in Burch Hall, one of the dorm buildings on Kean’s campus. The true meaning behind the provocative title was made in an effort to catch people’s attention, Rankin says. Rankin sat in the elevator of the building starting at 9 p.m. where he asked students to take part in his trivia game. “No one wants to face sexual awareness and wouldn’t stop at a table so I used the elevator to make it like a surprise game show,” he said. If they got a question correct within the time-span of the elevator ride, they won a prize. “The prizes were candy and well, condoms!” Rankin said. “The choice was theirs to pick what they wanted but the continued on page 5