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Fire in Upperclassman Residence Hall caused by candle

By Joshua Rosario A lit candle caused a fire on Jan. 17 in Upperclassman Residence Hall and triggered the sprinkler system causing water damage to parts of the building, according to University spokesperson, Margaret McCorry.

The candle fire broke out in a student’s bedroom on the seventh floor of the Upperclassman Residence Hall. The fire was quickly put out by the building’s sprinkler system, keeping the fire from stretching beyond the bedroom. No injuries were sustained in response to the fire.

“The safety of our students is our top priority,” said Maximina Rivera, Assistant Vice President of the Office of Residential Student Services. “We thank our first responders and others who helped ensure our students were safe during this incident.”

Water from the sprinkler system flowed into the hallway of the seventh floor, as well as into rooms on the sixth floor, fifth floor, and the dining hall kitchen area.

This resulted in saturated carpets and damage to personal property, according to Rivera in an email sent to Upperclassman Hall residents.

“It sucked because we couldn’t get to our rooms till two in the morning,” said Andrea Antall, junior and Upperclassman

Hall resident, in reference to the night of the fire. “ I didn’t have anything to do. I had full day of classes the next day and I couldn’t really sleep. It was just a real shitty night.”

On the night of the fire, the students were mostly lingering around outside the dorms. Antall said it was about three or four hours before they finally got back to the room. She couldn’t remember if there was an official notice sent out to let them know they could return to their dorms.

She just remembers people yelling they can go back inside of the building.

“It was really cold,” said Antall. “We actually went to Freshman Residence Hall because my teammates were living in there. So we stayed with them for a few hours until we were let back in the rooms.”

Antall lives on the fifth floor of Upperclassman Residence Hall. It did not just affect her night, but also her week.

Antall was unable to get food from the dining hall due to maintenance from the water damage. She had to find food from other places on campus. Cougar’s Den had extended its hours to assist those inconvenienced by the water damaged dining hall, according to Antall.

According to Kean’s 2017- 2018 Resident Student Handbook under violations two, setting or fueling a fire of any size and/or possession of highly flammable materials inside the residence halls, including

Kean University announces new seal

Photo by Joshua Rosario

Upperclassman Residence Hall entrance.

gasoline, gas can or container ( whether containing fuel or empty), gas-powered vehicles, kerosene, fireworks, candles or incense, live Christmas trees, neon signs, and string of lights are prohibited.

Those who commit violations for the first time receive a warning. After the second time, they are placed on House probation which can last for up to a year. If they receive another violation, the students residence hall contract is terminated. They will have to vacate after 48 hours, they will

no longer be allowed to trespass on to the residence hall and a period of termination is placed. If further University disciplinary action is necessary, a written notification to the Office of Community Standards and Student Contact is sent.

“We also thank our students for their patience while we assessed the damage,” said Rivera. “This incident shows how important it is for students to follow policies that strictly prohibit candles in the residence halls.”

University Senate approves Global Studies program

By Lena Zhu

Credit: Kean University web site

Old seal and new seal. Can you spot the differences?

By Jennifer Padilla Kean University is aiming to better showcase its brand and visual identity by presenting a new seal that will be seen around campus on media, clothing and other branded items in the upcoming months.

“The new seal makes the university’s name more prominent so people immediately know that it represents Kean,” said Karen Smith, Vice President of University Relations. “It’s an important tool in establishing the university’s brand to prospective students and others.”

Director of Media Relations Margaret McCorry said the seal will be rolled out over time to minimize costs. It has been shared with University vendors, including the bookstore, so that they can start using it on new items.

However, older items will not be removed from the shelves.

The previous version of the seal has been used since Kean became a university in 1997, according to Kean’s website.

The new seal makes the words “Kean University” easier to read while maintaining the consistency of the design.

Additionally, the new logo slightly narrows the lines around the coat of arms and relocates the founded year to be seen inside the circle, between the torch. The window has been removed from the clock tower, however, and the sharpness around the state is truer to the shape of NJ. Faculty and students are asked to use the new seal on all materials. It can be downloaded at kean.edu/brand.

The Center of Interdisciplinary Studies’ B.A Global Studies program was approved by the Kean University Faculty Senate at the Jan. 30 meeting.

The B.A. Global Studies program is set to start in the 2018 Fall semester. The program requires 120 credits to complete, as opposed to the 124 credits that are required for most majors at Kean.

“Many programs in NJ and around the country are moving towards a 120 credit model to help improve retention and four year graduation rates,” Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies Dr. Sarah Compion states in an email. “We believe that Global Studies students will be able to meet the 120 credit expectation easily and realistically in four years, thus saving [students] time and money.”

The Global Studies program divides into two major areas of concentration: geographic and phonetic.

If students choose the geographic option, they will be able to decide from a wide variety of sections Kean University already offers. These include Latin American studies, Africana studies, or Asian Studies, among many others.

On the other hand, a concentration on phonetics will allow students to study and learn more about Jewish World Affairs, Women’s and Gender Studies, or even Environmental Sustainability.

Compion and her team developed this program to meet the needs of employers seeking graduates with the knowledge of global and international affairs. The application of worldly knowledge and awareness will help all types of careers through all platforms, she said.

Job markets are now looking “for university graduates who are knowledgeable about cultures, languages and professional practices of countries outside their own borders…[those] who have

Photo by: Lena Zhu

Kean University and its many international f lags located in CAS.

international experience, adaptable skills, and versatile cultural capacity,” said Compion in an email.

“Those who have these worldly experiences and traits are more likely to find jobs in all markets in the future.”

This, she said, is the inspiration for the Global Studies program.

Global studies degrees prepares students for jobs in various areas such as foreign service, communication, or even government, among many others.

These careers deal with global issues and affairs on a daily basis. Achieving the level of knowledge accompanied by the courses at Kean will help students make the world a better place.

“I, and the College of Liberal Arts, are excited about the new Global Studies major,” said Dr. Jonathan Mercantini, Acting dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

“I think students would be wise to look at the Global Studies program and see if it would be a good major, second major, or even a minor for them.”

The program will need one final approval from the Board of Trustees on March 5, 2018, according to Compion.

2 THE TOWER

February, 2018

Kean student organizations respond to President Trump’s comments toward Haitian and African nations

By Petruce Jean-Charles President Donald Trump startled the country with one of his comments. On Jan. 11, during a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators in the White House, Trump referred to Haiti and other African nations as “shithole countries.” This meeting was established to come up with solutions for immigration and issues pertaining to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

DACA is a program that was launched by former President Barack Obama in 2012.

This program was established to allow immigrant children to stay in America to gain an education and other opportunities.

The benefits for this program include renewals, employment authorization, a driver’s license and even in-state tuition.

With the climate surrounding DACA and other immigrants Trump’s statement offended and alarmed many people of Haitian and African descent around the United States and especially here at Kean University.

With Kean University’s mission to diversify and expand its ability to understand different cultures many organizations such as the Haitian Student Association (HSU), Pan-African Student Union (PASU) and Africana Studies play a role on campus.

The Office of Africana Studies seeks to provide an intellectual forum that allows students to learn, analyze, examine and interpret the traditions and culture of African people.

Dr. James Conyers, Director of Africana Studies expressed his views on the matter noting that Haitians, Africans and Americans in general should not be surprised by the statements Trump has made but rise above it and come together as a nation.

“I was not surprised because I understand racism in the form of White supremacy,” Conyers explained. “For those of us who are very clear about our history in this country would automatically assume that racism in the form of White supremacy is an operation all the time. The problem is that there is a naivety of African people to assume and be historically and politically naive about Trump and racism. We assume that because we don’t hear or see racism that it doesn’t exist, we have to be aware instead of naive.”

The Pan-African Student Union (PASU) is a cultural organization that seeks to unify all people of African descent and make them aware of their strength as African people.

The mission is to empower and teach people of their pre-colonial roots in hopes to guide their future.

The Haitian Student Association (HSA) seeks to empower the Haitian students by

What does legalization of marijuana mean for the state of N.J.?

Dr. James Conyers the Director of Africana Studies.

discussing the culture of Haiti. Students are given the opportunity to understand and examine the issues happening in Haiti.

Alex Louis, an advisor for the Haitian Student Association felt it is important to acknowledge the resilience and work ethic Haitians are capable of achieving.

“My initial thought when I saw the news was that Trump seems like a person who is not educated about Haiti, even with their strong work ethics,” said Louis. “He is also not familiar with the people of Haiti or other third world countries, so I thought he was very ignorant. What he needs to know is that Haitian people are resilient and hardworking, so whether Trump said those comments they will continue to achieve new things. This won’t stop them from working hard.”

The Haitian, African and American communities here in the United States and

By Josh Rosario

With the legalization of marijuana as a new possibility in New Jersey, it is becoming clear that “the times they are a-changin’.”

As a candidate, the state’s new Governor Phil Murphy, promised that one of his first acts would be to legalize marijuana in the Garden State.

Legalization is part of Murphy’s plan to promote criminal justice reform in the state.

Murphy pledged to sign a bill legalizing the drug within one hundred days of taking office, if it lands on his desk.

However, it might not be that easy.

Berkeley Township, Point Pleasant Beach, and other towns have already taken steps to ban sales of the drug in their municipalities.

Some police chiefs have spoken out against the idea. Two other towns in N.J. have also considered banning the sale of legal marijuana, Lavallette and Seaside Heights.

State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (Dist-22) introduced a bill last year that would not only legalize marijuana, but also regulate and tax the drug via dispensaries where anyone 21 or older will be able to walk in and purchase product(‘s).

The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Stated in Nicholas Scutari’s bill, recreational users over the age of 21 would be permitted to possess up to “one ounce or less of marijuana; 16 ounces or less of marijuana infused product in solid form; 72 ounces or less in liquid form; seven grams or less of marijuana concentrate.”

Students at Kean University had some thoughts on potential legalization.

One student said, “A lot of people, they spend their money on weed, so why go against something that the people spend their money on when you can actually just flip it and tax that?”

The student also noted that

In 1963, the United States Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, the law provides equal pay for equal work regardless of sex. Despite the law, a disparity remained between genders pay. In 2009, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, to help against that disparity.

According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2015, women were still being paid only 80 percent of what men were being paid.

“In Jersey, a lot of the disparity in professions between male and female is not in so much engineering as it is retail sales, and managerial positions in stores,” said Carol Cohen, President of New Jersey’s American Association of University Women.

AAUW is an organization that works on promoting equity and education for women and girls.

AAUW created a guide of its own on the gender pay gap using statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau called The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap. The guide describes the pay gap as the difference in each gender’s median earnings, usually reported as either the earnings ratio between men and women or as an actual pay gap.

New Jersey places 17th on the list of where states place in the gender pay gap. According to the AAUW, between 1960 and 2015, women were expected to reach pay equity with men in 2059, but progress has stalled recently since 2001.

If change continues at that rate, women will not reach the same pay as men until 2152.

“That’s for white woman, that 80 percent,” said Cohen. “But it’s different for black, and Hispanic women.... even for Asian women, who are only two percent off that 80.”

AAUW’s Guide explains that the 20-cent-on-the-dollar gap between men and women who work year round full time is a statistical fact. However, the pay gap is more complicated than a simple number. It is more than one single cause that leads to the pay gap.

Traditionally, men and women have participated in the workforce differently and have so been treated in such ways by employers. Such differences have shrunk over time, but still contribute to the difference in pay.

“The largest portion of the gender wage gap is due to institutionalized sexism,” said Kean University women’s studies professor, Jill Hersh in an email interview. “There still would be some salary disparity because of occupational sex segregation.

Above: Governor Phil Murphy Below: Marijuana plant

Photo: Max Pixel, Creative Commons

while in support of legality, they are hoping that they do not smell weed everywhere they walk around town.

Another student, Manny Desane, said that some stressed out college students may like the idea. “For some people, that might be a form of coping for them or a way to deal with the stress,” said Desane. “Before legalization is to occur, a number of other issues are likely to be addressed. It is unclear what will happen with marijuana charges on criminal records? Will they be expunged?”

Secondly, what laws will N.J. adopt?

In California, specific laws are in place for those potentially under the influence of marijuana while driving. Such tests include a field sobriety test, a saliva swab test, a blood, breath or urine test, etc.

Also, zoning laws could be affected in regards to building dispensaries in New Jersey.

across the world have spoken out because of outrage at his racist comments and offensive language. From protests, social media and influential people coming together as one President Trump has spoken out.

On Jan. 12, Trump denied the accusation of the language used by him at the bipartisan meeting which lead to various tweets defending himself and explaining what he really discussed.

“The language used by me at the meeting was tough, but this was not the language used,” said Trump.

Despite his claims of not using harsh words toward Haiti and African countries, this issue will still exist in the minds of those he has offended.

“It doesn’t matter whether Trump said it, the Vice President, Senate or the Congress because racism is fabricated within this country as a DNA in itself,” Conyers said.

Closing the gender pay gap

By Dan Papa

Photo: Phil Murphy, Creative Commons

Photo by Petruce Jean-Charles

Simply put, men and women are doing different jobs. ‘Women’s work’ consistently pays less than men’s work.

I think that if women were made equal under the law, they would not see as much disparity in their salaries.”

According to Issues in Management author and business researcher, Joanne Cleaver, women hold back from negotiating pay. She recommends more women be assertive and cultivate their negotiation skills. Women in business can lose over $500,000 in their lifetime by not negotiating. Cleaver also said there is racial disparity amongst women in top business roles. Of the 19.2 percent of women who held board seats in S&P 500 companies in 2014, over 80 percent are white.

In New Jersey, women only made 70 percent of what men were paid, as reported by nj.com. Wisconsin ranked the lowest but New Jersey was still lower than the national female gap of 72 percent. They show around a 15,000-dollar difference in median salary between men and women.

“A man with a high school diploma makes about the same as a woman with a B.A. degree. It also starts the year after both graduate college. A woman could have better grades and she still makes on average 10% less a year after graduation,” said Hersh.

According to nj.com, one of the biggest industries with the biggest pay gap are service-providing industries.

The Bureau of Labor classify service providing industries as industries involved with things such as equipment and machinery repairing, promoting or administering religious activities, grant making, advocacy, and providing drycleaning and laundry services, personal care services, death care services, pet care services, photofinishing services, temporary parking services, and dating services. In retail trade the disparity was about 68 percent.

“Raising the minimum wage to a living wage (most minimum wage workers are women in the 30s), providing paid maternity/paternity leave, paid sick days, family friendly workplace policies such as flex-time, on-site affordable child care, tax credits for children’s preschool, union’s collective bargaining, encouraging girls to enter high paying fields like STEM etc. would help to close the gap for women,” said Hersh.

In 2016, NJ State Senator Loretta Weinburg sponsored a bill to help the gender pay gap in New Jersey. The bill passed in the NJ Senate and State Assembly, but former Governor Chris Christie vetoed the law, as reported by nj.com.

February, 2018

THE TOWER 3

Studies conclude e-cigarettes can lead to nicotine addiction

By Rafaela Teixeira Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been all the rage lately as the popular vote among younger generations go to vaping.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse define vaping as the act of inhaling and exhaling aerosol (e-juice), often mistaken as water vapor, which contains many toxic chemicals not including tobacco.

It has been a popular assumption that vaping is the solution to quitting, as well as to believe that it is better for those who choose to vape when thinking about smoking.

Long-time smokers that are trying to quit will benefit from using e-cigarettes as they are one of the many methods to wean away from a nicotine addiction, according to an article published by Ecig-reviews.

“The urge to smoke is like the urge to eat,” said Nicholas Giordano, a senior majoring in communications-public relations. “It’s something you need to do daily or you just don’t feel right.”

Giordano was first introduced to cigarettes when he was 18-years-old by his friends from school.

It started out as a stress-reliever when responsibilities like school, work, sports and his personal life, all of which led Giordano into a depressing state.

Giordano described smoking as a “head rush” and claims he felt better and the stress was significantly reduced.

Despite his busy schedule, Giordano admitted smoking did not get in the way of his activities. He only did it when he was walking or driving somewhere.

Smoking had become a habit he hid from his family for four years until he quit last September.

“I quit because thinking that it could

kill me at anytime scared me too much to continue,” said Giordano.

Giordano has since used e-cigarettes, or vaping, as a method to defer from regular cigarettes. He believes that vaping has its flaws, but can be very helpful to someone who has once been a slave to smoking.

Giordano also claims he has the same satisfaction from vaping as he did from smoking, but with less harmful results.

According to Public Health England, an executive agency of the Department of Health in the United Kingdom, e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful than tobacco smoking.

The American Heart Association believes that vaporizers are exponentially less hazardous than cigarettes and vaping can also help people quit smoking.

The benefits of vaping outweigh its risks.

Vaping is the first genuine way of helping people quit smoking, according to the Royal College of Physicians.

Despite its instant success, the possible health risks of vaping had not yet been extensively researched.

Many e-cigarette companies exaggerated the products without first clearing things up with experts.

For instance, a London-based e-cigarette company promoted its products in a “glamorizing” way with the slogan “Love your Lungs.”

The promotional technique caused consumers to believe that e-cigarettes have no harmful properties, but rather are healthy and beneficial.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) considered it misleading and urged the company to end the marketing strategy, according to an article published by Adweek.

Scientific experts were skeptic of the popular product and prompted them to conduct research studies to understand the

Photo by: Lindsay Fox

Man releasing vape smoke in vape shop

effects it has on the human body.

According to an article published last February by Cancer Research U.K., a study led by Dr. Lion Shahab proved the safety of e-cigarettes.

Shahab and his team observed four different groups, e-cigarette smokers, cigarette smokers, smokers of both and those using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).

The study lasted roughly 17 months and researches tested participants’ urine and saliva samples.

The team found that the vaping group had similar results to the group that used NRT. A chemical called NNAL (known to cause lung cancer), was 97% lower in e-cigarette users compared to smoker, according to Cancer Research U.K. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that vaping can also become a

gateway for teens and young adults to the world of smoking.

A recent study conducted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science shows that vaping has nearly the same impact as cigarettes in terms of suppressing the essential immune system.

“I am personally against it,” said Dr. Walter Andzel, Kean University’s coordinator for Global Fitness and Wellness. “Vaping can lead to cigarette smoking because many of the e-juices contain nicotine and with chronic use can lead to addiction.”

Andzel noted that his father was a chronic cigarette-smoker and as a result, he had to have open heart surgery.

Although people continue to vape, many scientific experts still believe that a fraction of the harmful effects of smoking is in vaping, but still remains a helpful tool for ex-smokers.

Kean University Department of Public Safety police blotter

Police Blotter

By Sara Ridgway The Kean University Police Department’s daily, public blotter reveals all of the incidents and crimes reported to the police. Between the dates of Jan. 16 (the first day of the spring 2018 semester) and Feb. 5, there was a total of nine motor vehicle accidents, 12 fire alarms (two of which were offcampus calls) and 37 cases of found property, among other incidents.

Jan. 16 - At approximately 9:15 a.m., an individual drew graffiti in the men’s bathroom in Townsend Hall. Later in the day at about 4:15 p.m. more graffiti was drawn in the men’s bathroom in Hutchinson Hall. Shortly after at approximately 5:15 p.m. a call for a suspicious odor was made from the Miron Student Center hall, where a grinder was found.

Jan. 17 - At 12:45 a.m. a report was made from the Freshman Residence Hall in regards to possible smoke on the floor. There was no sign of smoke or fire detected. At approximately 1:15 a.m., there was a report of a CDS odor in a classroom on East Campus, but no odor was detected. At 5:15 p.m. on the campus school main lot an arrest was made for a suspended license and active warrants. Shortly after at 7 p.m. at the entrance to the campus police station, an angry driver threatened another for taking their parking spot.

Jan. 18 - At approximately 9:45 a.m. an individual attempted to force another to kiss him and grab her breast. A non trespass notice was delivered to a non-student in Whiteman Hall at approximately 1 a.m. At approximately 1:15 a.m. a small bag of marijuana was found at Whiteman Hall.

Jan. 19 - At approximately 4:45 p.m. a trespass/no contact letter was delivered to a resident. There was a report of multiple people being trapped in the elevator of Rogers Hall at approximately 6:45 p.m. A CDS odor complaint took place in the Miron Student Center hall at approximately 8:45 p.m.

Jan. 20 - At approximately 2:45 a.m. there was a reported water leak in a room of Burch Hall. At about 10:45 p.m., there was a report of a domestic dispute at the Miron Student Center hall.

Jan. 21 - An apple watch was taken out of a dorm room in Sozio hall at approximately 8:45 a.m. Later in the day at about 5:15 p.m. an elderly woman fell on the staircase of the bleachers in Harwood Arena.

Jan. 22 - At approximately 1:15 p.m. an individual was arrested for the possession of CDS and an airsoft GI rifle.

Jan. 23 - At approximately 9 a.m. in the cafeteria, a subject briefly lost consciousness.

Jan. 24 - An individual was trapped inside of an elevator of Burch Hall at approximately 3 p.m.

Jan. 25 - There was a report of an elevator being stuck on the third floor of Burch Hall at approximately 9:30 p.m.

Jan. 27 - At approximately 12:45 p.m. Kean police assisted another agency in Hillside, NJ in response to a reported fraternity party. A welfare check was conducted in a room of the Freshman Hall at approximately 9:30 a.m. and the subject was found safe. After a verbal argument, an individual was taken to psychiatric care at approximately 11:30 a.m.

At approximately 1:15 p.m. an electrical outlet was reported to be sparking in D’Angola Gymnasium.

Jan. 28 - At approximately 2 a.m. Kean police assisted another agency in response to a noise complaint from a fraternity party off-campus in Elizabeth.

Jan. 29 - At 4:30 p.m. there was a report of the theft of a laptop. Shortly after at approximately 4:45 p.m. a bottle of liquor was found in a room in the Freshman Hall. There was a report of missing headphones at Wilkins Theatre at 7 p.m.

Jan. 30 - At 7:45 p.m. photos of graffiti were taken from the walls of the women’s bathroom in the North Ave. Academic Building. At around 8 p.m., an individual suffering from emesis was taken to Trinitas hospital.

Jan. 31 - At around 2 p.m. Kean police responded to a fire alarm on Surrey Road at Hillside due to unattended food in the kitchen. At 11 p.m. there was a CDS complaint in Whiteman Hall.

Feb. 1 - At 11:45 p.m. a report of harassment in Burch Hall was misinterpreted by the staff of the resident hall. In Whiteman Hall, a black foldable pocket knife was confiscated. At 8:45 p.m. a report of fraudulent activity due to bad checks on a students bank account occurred in Burch Hall.

Feb. 2 - At approximately 12 p.m. a vehicle was towed in the Vaughn Eames parking lot. At about 1:45 p.m. there was a police call for service in response to the report of a restraining order violation. At almost 8 p.m. a fire alarm in the Miron Student Center Hall went off in response to the odor of air freshener masking the smell of burnt marijuana.

Feb. 3 - At around 11:30 a.m. there was a motor vehicle accident in the visitor parking lot, where one vehicle backed into another.

Feb. 5 - At approximately 6:15 a.m. a subject was woken up by abdominal pain in Dougall Hall.

4 THE TOWER

February, 2018

Kean students react to President Trump’s rollback of Temporary Protection Status

By Sean Calderon The Trump administration declared on Jan. 8 that it will move to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for four countries, including over 200,000 Salvadorans and over 50,000 Haitians, who now face deportation.

The current administration plans to roll back the policy that also includes El Salvadoran (given after the 2001 El Salvadoran earthquakes) and Haitian nationals (given after the 2010 Haitian earthquake).’

This means that TPS protected immigrants would be sent back to their country of origin.

The Department of Homeland Security released an announcement on Jan. 8 that the TPS for El Salvadorans has ended, meaning that no more would be granted entry to the U.S on the policy’s grounds. As for the more than 200,000 El Salvadorans who are already in the U.S, their protection will end on September 9, 2019, after an 18-month termination delay was declared to “allow for an orderly transition”.

Sophomore Genesis Guzman gave her take on the issue.

Her parents came to the U.S. from El Salvador under the TPS system. Being an American-born citizen, it wasn’t easy to believe the announcement of the policy’s rollback. Her parents would be facing possible deportation.

“It’s sad to see the issues affecting other people affecting my family,” said Guzman. “Me and my brother were born here, but I’d need to change a lot of what my parents have already built here.”

Haitian nationals under the TPS were also given an ultimatum. The protected status of over 58,000 Haitians will

end on July 22, 2019. On Jan. 11, President Trump made controversial remarks on countries like Haiti at a bi-partisan meeting. He reportedly asked why the U.S keeps letting people from “shithole countries” in, a term that has put him under even more fire.

Haitian students here at Kean, like sophomore Joel JeanMarie, have given strong feelings towards President Trump’s actions. Like Guzman, he showed strong resentment to the latest roll back, as well as the President’s controversial remarks.

“Imagine growing up in poverty and then a disaster [2010 Haitian earthquake] strikes,” said Jean-Marie. “Now there’s even more struggles coming your way.”

Jean-Marie also explained how many Haitians make their way to the U.S look for a better living and “to become a better person overall.”

President Trump has been keen on reversing many regulations, especially Obama-era policies. The most notable one is DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), also known as the DREAM Act. It entitles families who brought children illegally at a young age, full time citizenship and the same rights as every American, including healthcare, free public education, and so forth. Only time will tell what the outcome of the Trump administration’s decision will be.

However, Guzman has advice on how other students can help affected students.

“Kean is a very diverse campus, so it would be a good place to spread awareness of the situation,” said Guzman. “Getting information here will help people affected by this situation, even to non-TPS affected immigrant students.”

President Trump

Photo: Gage Skidmore

Kean Professor discusses #MeToo Movement

By Salimah McCullough Many celebrities and well-known people around the world have been taking to social media in the last few months to share their stories about sexual harassment and abuse to help raise awareness of the current #MeToo movement.

But sexual harassment isn’t something that just occurs in Hollywood to celebrities. It happens in the workplace, in universities and it could even happen in someone’s classroom.

That’s what one Kean University student, who asked to remain anonymous because of the nature of this article, discovered. As a 12-yearold girl, she was groped in a tutoring session by a religious leader whom she thought she could trust.

It happened when she and other students turned off the lights in the classroom before a session and hid as a part of an innocent prank.

“The religious leader who was teaching us played along and pretended he couldn’t see us,” she recalled. “...He came up to me questioning if I was my brother. I replied laughing saying no.

Obviously, it was a girl’s voice, so it was ridiculous for him to think I was still my brother.”

She knew he could clearly see her, but he proceeded to say, “I’ll know how you’re your brother or not,” and he then “squeezed on one of my breasts and walked away laughing.” Later she learned he did the same to another girl in the classroom.

After this incident, the student said she didn’t feel as though she could return to the sessions.

“I spent a while not going back to that religious center, because everyone

Photo: Salimah McCullough

Information about Kean University policies on sexual misconduct

praised him for being such a ‘great man’ when no one knew how impulsive he was,” she recalled.

Even though the victim was young, she was old enough to know that what happened to her wasn’t ok, yet she felt as though she couldn’t say anything about it. “I only told my mother, but she told me not to say anything because everyone would think we were lying.”

In the era of the #MeToo movement, Dr. Emily Filardo, Coordinator of Women’s and Gender Studies and Associate Professor of Psychology said that we can’t just look at the victims of sexual harassment as an individual issue.

“We have to look at it as a society instead of individually and what we are doing together to make it safe to speak up and to know you’ll get support if you speak up,” said Filardo.

Many women, and even men, have been victims of sexual harassment, but not all victims feel safe to speak up out of fear or retaliation.

“There are many reasonable reasons why many women don’t report these things at the time they happen,” said Filardo. “The fact that many women may not have reported it has been used as a reason to not believe them.”

In the workplace, sexual harassment can sometimes be a daily occurrence.

Many women can find themselves stuck between having a job that involves getting sexually harassed or not having a job and struggling to make ends meet.

“This is happening to waitresses in restaurants and factory workers. It doesn’t just happen in Hollywood,” said Filardo. “You’re working somewhere for tips, your customers are sexually harassing you, you need them to still tip you... That’s another issue where women don’t have the freedom to say, “hey bud, stop” or report it because they need that tip money.”

A campaign called Living Off Tips is trying to help raise the tipped minimum wage which would benefit workers especially women. Dr. Filardo believes that this would make it possible for women to speak up when being sexually harassed at their workplace.

“There was an article in the New York Times about women working in factories in Chicago, who deal with constant harassment not just from their boss but also from their fellow male workers. They’ve been fighting it and they can’t just leave their jobs,” said Filardo.

The #MeToo movement is a movement that has been going on in our world longer than people realize. Many believe that it started on Twitter in 2017 but it originally was started in 2006 when a woman named Tarana Burke created the

Photo: Salimah McCullough

Dr. Emily Filardo, Women’s and Gender Studies Coordinator

phrase on Myspace. #MeToo gained a huge social media following shortly after dozens of women accused popular film producer Harvey Weinstein with sexual harassment and even rape.

“I’m hopeful and optimistic,” said Filardo about the Me Too movement today. “But only if people continue to organize, band together, and speak up.

Also, male allies can help a lot. Men who are already allies in their hearts can speak up more.”

Filardo has seen a growing interest in the Women’s and Gender studies program especially following the rise of this movement.

“There has been a huge growth of interest in Women’s and Gender studies for the last year or two. Students are becoming more interested and open to it. A lot of students are understanding that this is about all of us and involves them too,” said Filardo.

Most institutions have policies dealing with sexual harassment giving students multiple ways to reach out and get help if they are ever harassed.

Here at Kean University, students can do several things to get help: 1. Visit the Counseling Center (Downs Hall 127) or Health Services (Downs Hall 126) 2. If you aren’t able to visit those offices in person, you can call them as well. Health Services (908-737-4880) and Counseling Center (908-7374850) 3. Following the incident, you should go to a safe place and get medical help immediately (if needed) 4. Seek emotional help from someone you trust and never blame yourself.

5. Visit www.kean.edu/ policies/Sexual-AssaultMisconduct-Violence for more information on Kean University’s policies on sexual harassment.

February, 2018

THE TOWER 5

Advice on dating apps: keep it real

By Monica Sudfield Sabrina Argentina glanced down at her phone to see a message informing her that she was just “super liked” on the online dating app, Tinder. Intrigued by what – or better yet, whom – she was greeted by when opening the alert, she decided to “like” the man back and start chatting with him.

“I think I got myself a keeper from Tinder, who would’ve thought?” said the 21 year old.

In the past, Argentina believed relationships that originated online were weird and short lived. It wasn’t until she met her current boyfriend, Christian Paone, on Tinder that she began to look at online dating differently.

According to author Emory A. Griffin in his textbook “A First Look at Communication Theory”, scholars have been unsure since back in the 1980s about whether or not people could form strong relationships through computer-mediated communication. With the advancement of technology comes the evolution of online communication, which demonstrates the reality of online relationship formation.

Griffin touches upon the Social Information Processing Theory created by Joseph Walter back in 1992, which proves that connections can be made through online communication alone and that these online relationships can grow as long as disclosure stays consistent.

“I think you can definitely form a connection with someone online,” said Kaitlin Murphy, member of the Tinder community and former user of Bumble.

“While it is still a unique relationship, the connection can definitely be formed and maintained.”

In order to maintain an online relationship with someone of interest, self-disclosure and constant communication is key. Walther stressed the idea of extended time, which suggests that computer-mediated conversations exchange information at a slower rate than face-to-face conversations. Because nonverbal cues are absent in online communication, more conversation is needed for individuals to gain a better sense of who the person is.

Murphy highlights that all relationships

formed online do not have to be romantic and that she met someone two years ago through twitter who she considers a close friend.

“We haven’t physically met because of the distance between us, but after two years he is still my friend and someone I feel as comfortable talking to as I would any of my other friends,” says the 20 year old who exchanges text messages, talks via FaceTime and telephone with her online friend frequently.

In real life, when seeing someone in person, there is the opportunity to approach him or her and initiate conversation. Once the discussion has gone on for a while, typically one would have a good idea about whether or not they’ll meet up with this person ever again.

Using an online dating app follows the same agenda: Encounter a photo one finds attractive, send a message to the individual, engage in conversation to decide if they are worthy of a face-to-face hangout.

“The whole process is easier online,” says Argentina. “If you don’t like someone you can say ‘See ya’ without hurting anyone’s feelings or having that awkward in person ‘not interested/I have a fake boyfriend’ conversation.”

Argentina’s claim demonstrates the idea that people tend exhibit more confidence online than they would face to face.

According to an article written by Larry Rosen, Nancy Cheever, Cheyenne Cummings and Julie Felt in 2008 titled “The impact of emotionality and selfdisclosure on online dating versus traditional dating”, individuals who converse online reveal more information about themselves within the first few emails exchanged than people speaking face-to-face.

In the novel “Love Online: Emotions on the Internet” author Ben-Ze-ev suggests that cyberspace allows individuals to feel as if they are revealing their private information in a private world. A feeling that is incapable in real life scenarios and situations.

Online Dating Magazine states that as of 2012, there were more than 5,000 online dating services worldwide with nearly 2,500 in the United States alone. There

“Black Panther” on its way to becoming Marvel’s biggest movie of all time

By Kiara Mays Having surpassed all superhero movies in advance ticket sales, including “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” according to Fandango, Marvel’s highly anticipated “Black Panther” movie is set to hit theaters Feb. 16.

Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film’s cast hails big name actors and actresses, some of which include Chadwick Boseman, who will portray Black Panther in the film, Michael B. Jordan, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, and Forest Whitaker, just to name a few.

“I’m excited to see Angela Bassett in the movie for sure,” said Jasmine Medrano, junior, psychology major. “She’s such a great actress and she’s gorgeous.”

First appearing in Marvel’s 2016 film “Captain America: Civil War,” Boseman’s character “Black Panther” is returning home to the fictional African nation of Wakanda and is faced with the challenge of possibly becoming the ruler of the nation following the death of his father, according to the film’s executive producer, Nate Moore.

“I was never really into Marvel growing up, but I do want to see this movie just because nothing like it has ever been done this way before,” said Justin Phillips, senior, public administration major. “I also like the fact that

the movie will show Africa in a positive light.”

According to inverse.com, “Black Panther” is on track to becoming not only Marvel’s biggest movie of all time, but also its most important. Deemed to be a cultural phenomenon due to the regal portrayal of Africa in a mainstream superhero movie paired with a predominantly African American cast, the film could not only change the way Africa is viewed as a whole, but also the way superhero movies are made in the future.

Aside from the star studded cast, the movie’s soundtrack, co-produced by Grammy award winning hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar is making headlines of its own as it features popular artists such as SZA, 2 Chainz, Future, Vince Staples, and more.

Projected to make between $120-150 million within the first four days of opening, “Black Panther” is guaranteed to be a box office hit.

That being said, have you purchased your ticket yet? If not, chances are, it might be a little difficult trying to get one on opening day.

Right: Official movie poster for “Black Panther” featuring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, and Danai Gurira

Photo: Ylanite Koppens via Creative Commons

Love is in the air on dating apps are so many users on dating websites that it is one of the most profitable online markets, adds the magazine.

“The internet opens up so many opportunities for you that you might have not found just looking on your own,” said Murphy.

Murphy’s claim is only further emphasized with the fact that there are specific dating sites for practically everything and everyone. The Huffington Post states that by 2010, there were dating sites geared precisely towards location, sexual orientation, religion, race, and even discrete hobbies.

Match.com customer support member Aiessa M. says every month they receive emails reciting love stories, invitations to weddings of lovers who met on the site and even birth announcements of couples first babies.

Roberto Ferdman, writer for The Washington Post, confirms that in this day of age approximately one in four straight couples meet online, in addition to two out of every three gay couples.

One reason scholars many years ago disagreed with Walther’s claim about relationship formation through online communication was due to the absence of nonverbal cues. These cues are everything we see and interpret from people’s body language to facial expression.

When you communicate online, you don’t experience the individual’s nonverbal cues and vise versa. With the technology of video chatting, nonverbal cues are now more easily expressed and experienced online, but in the past this was a big factor in why forming bonds online was looked at negatively.

Sandi Smith and Steven Wilson, authors of the book “New Directions in Interpersonal Communication Research” discuss a legitimate counterargument to the theory of absent nonverbal cues.

Smith and Wilson say that arguing nonverbal cues are a necessity to building a relationship eliminates the possibility of individuals who are blind to form bonds.

Since nonverbal cues are all based on what one sees and witnesses, individuals

who do not have the ability to do so never experience nonverbal cues even if they are communicating face-to-face.

Although nonverbal cues tell you a lot about an individual and help you interpret how they are feeling, the fact that individuals who are blind can form relationships without them establishes online relationships can too.

The issues that worry people who engage in online relationships today, is the idea of the person the meet actually being who they say they are and they idea that they may never actually get to meet their online friend.

“I think online dating can be very successful but also very dangerous,” said Murphy. “If you meet online, talk for a little while then develop a real life relationships, the romance isn’t diminished at all. It only becomes distorted when your relationship only ever exists online.”

Shows like MTV’s catfish are real life examples of individual’s that meet someone online, form a relationship, and yet never actually get to meet with the person they are connecting with.

Although the show is what typically brings the two individuals to a much delayed face-to-face encounter, sometimes one of the people is not who they said they were throughout the online relationship.

“You could like someone online and it could be a lie in person,” said Argentina.

There are a lot of circumstances in which people “catfish”, which is when they use pictures of someone other then themselves, create a fake profile and pretend to be someone they aren’t while forming relationships with people online.

Although there are pro’s and con’s to online dating and communicating, real life face-to-face interaction also has positives and negatives. It all comes down to the individual’s personal preference.

Online dating is not for everyone, but the success that it has measured through the years is a legitimate display of what can occur when you expand beyond your hometown, typical hangout locations and friend groups.

6 THE TOWER

February, 2018

Kean history buildings:

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

Hutchinson and Hennings Hall

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: SARA RIDGWAY MANAGING/NEWS EDITOR:

JOSHUA ROSARIO ONLINE EDITOR: CODY LOUIE Dorothy Hennings

SPORTS EDITOR: CRAIG EPSTEIN

Photo: Kean University Archives and Special Collections

By Leanne Manna

ONLINE EDITOR: RAFAELA TEIXEIRA

Even the buildings of Kean and the names behind them have a rich history. Take for example Hutchinson Hall, also known as the “J” building after its namesake John C. Hutchinson. Joining the faculty in 1934, Hutchinson was the chair of the Department of History and Social Science, and later became the first chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Welfare. He worked at the college for a total of 37 years and won the college’s first Outstanding Teaching award. He retired in June of 1974 to Santa Rosa California, less than a year before the building would be named for him. The building was originally known as the “O” building and was built at a projected cost of $4.5 million. Designed by J. Robert Hillier, the building was considered the capstone of a five year educational and capital program. In fact, the building was actually constructed with the idea to one day add an addition. That addition would come almost 30 years later in the form of Hennings Hall.

Hennings Hall is named after George and Dorothy Hennings, professors of the natural sciences and education respectively. The couple met while teaching at Newark State and combined, taught over 15,000 students for 63 years at the college.

Planning for the building began in 1995, was completed around 1998 and then it was the New Academic Building as late as 2003. The idea in the construction was to build up instead of out. Hennings was to be four floors with a total of 40,000 square feet, or 10,000 square feet per floor. The original purpose of Hennings Hall was to provide much needed classroom space for the growing, soon to be university.

At the time the college was actually falling short on the amount of classroom space by the Commission of Higher Education. That lack of space is what was keeping Kean College from becoming Kean University. Really, thanks to Hennings Hall, Kean has its current university status. Today, Hennings Hall houses the department of education.

History does not only exist in faded documents or the textbooks that students pretend to read. History can be discovered anywhere if one knows how to look for it. Walking through Hutchinson, Hennings, or any of the buildings on campus, look for the markers of their past. There are plaques, pictures, or other elements often overlooked that can tell a lot about Kean’s past and the people who shaped it.

Thank you to the Kean University Archives and Special Collections for the information and images.

A&E/FEATURES EDITOR: KIARA MAYS SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: JENNIFER PADILLA

WRITERS CAMERON BEALL SEAN CALDERON CAROLINA GUERRA ESTEFANI HERNANDEZ PETRUCE JEAN-CHARLES JASMIN KEE

SALIMAH MCCULLOUGH DANIEL PAPA GREGORY PATUTO VALENCIA STEVENSON DONIA ZAKY LENA ZHU

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.

Kean University Left: John C. Hutchinson Below: George Hennings Photos: Kean University Archives and Special Collections

Communication Honor Society How to Apply: Step 1: Fill out application (see email attachment or pick up in RM.402)

Step 2: Print out your unofficial transcript from KeanWise

Step 3: Write the essay (Minimum: 500 words) Step 4: Put all the above documents into an

envelope with a $50 fee (check made out to ‘Lambda Pi Eta’ or cash). The fee pays for graduation cords, a pin, and a membership certificate.

Step 5: Put envelope in Professor Kolbenschlag’s mailbox (RM. 402) NO EMAILED SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED

Are You Eligible to Apply?: 1. Complete 60 semester credit hours (current semester DOES NOT count).

2. Have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0.

3. Complete a minimum of 12 semester credit hours in communication.

4. Have a minimum GPA of 3.25 for all communication courses.

5. Currently be enrolled as a student in good standing, as determined by the institution’s policies.

Why You Should Join?: Students in the communication field are encouraged to join to:  Recognize and reward their scholastic achievement in communication studies  Discuss and exchange ideas in communication  Create and maintain closer relationships with faculty

For More Information: wkolbens@kean.edu

February, 2018

THE TOWER 7

Black history class makes students become authors

By Carolina Guerra As a new semester begins, Abigail Perkiss, a professor in the History department, embarks on a new journey with her fellow students. She is teaching a new course about Black History, but with a twist.

In Perkiss’s “HIST 3306: 20TH Century Black History,” each student in her class is expected to write a children’s book about Black history. Her curriculum includes showing her students different examples of children’s books, such as “Vision of Beauty”

by Kathryn Lasky to show how they can be written.

“I’ve been wanting to teach this class for a long time on writing history for kids,” said Perkiss. “You can pay attention to how history gets disseminated over time...the way kids learn history is through the books that they read.”

Perkiss stressed the importance of teaching others about history in a creative, fun way.

“They [children] don’t think about them as history books, they think about them as stories. This is a way for young kids to start engaging with the past,” she said. “I think storytelling is one of the most powerful modes of engaging kids in what’s come

Photo by Caroline Guerra

The book being studied in the classroom at the moment is Vision of Beauty by Kathryn Lasky

before and making them think about their place in the world today.”

Perkiss is encouraging creativity among her students’ manuscripts as the books could be geared toward children or young adults. In addition, they could be graphic novels, picture books, and so on. Perkiss said she would also like to have copies of her students’ work in the university archives or work with one of the gallery spaces on campus to display her students’ work.

Surprisingly, the books her students create do not have to be completely finished.

She is not concerned with the books being published, but more so the process of their understanding of core concepts.

“I wanted our students to participate in that process of writing the history as well...the students are already coming up with great ideas,” said Perkiss. “I’m really excited to see what they come up with.”

She plans to expose her students to different kinds of books, such as young adult books and picture books to provide examples to inspire the students’ creative process. In addition, she is incorporating both “workshop time and writing time to balance different interests.”

“Each week we’re going to be reading children’s books, some young adult books, some picture books, and really digging into the history and the way that the history gets presented,” said Perkiss. “We’re diving into the history, we’re diving into the literature and we’re trying to use that as a model for creating our own work.”

Perkiss goes on to say, “One of our goals as a department is not just to get students thinking about the past and thinking critically about the world around them but to develop skills that translate to whatever they’re going to be doing in a professional sphere.”

The class is student-led and they engage in open-minded conversations about current events, such as learning the different cultures and lessons each book provides and credibility. In addition, Dr. Perkiss is allowing the students to collaborate on books. For example, if certain students find drawing as their strong suit and others find their strengths in writing, those students can work on one book together.

As hoped, Perkiss is reaching the

Getting along with your roommate

By Valencia Stevenson It is a new semester and you are dorming on campus with 2,000 students at Kean University. Whenever it is your first time dorming, whether with a friend or stranger, sharing a living space with someone can have its challenges. But it can be a pleasant experience if you follow some advice on getting along with your roommate.

Students connect through KeanWise to fill out a form on which dorms they’d prefer to live in and pick their average sleep schedule, study and cleanliness habits, etc. to help Residential Student Services (RSS) match roommates.

Students can also request to live with their friends.

When moving into residence halls, students work with a Resident Assistant (RA) to complete a Roommate Agreement form to help set expectations within the dorm.

Expectations such as sharing of items and guest visitation are discussed during the agreement.

“From the RA perspective, I think that living with people does have its challenges,” said Danielle Cunningham, second floor RA at Rogers Hall. “I’ve seen the best of friends become the worst of friends, but I think a good way to make sure the person you’re living with is compatible with you is to keep that line of communication because communication is a big thing especially when it comes to living with new people and dealing with new personalities.”

When living on campus, you are exposed to a variety of personalities. It is wise to communicate with someone to know what you have a problem with so everyone can be on the same page on the living arrangements. You can

Photo by Carolina Guerra

Students in the class discussing the book and the themes covered by the book students and engaging them in important conversations. The positive reception of the course is evident with the students.

“I definitely like the diversity of this class, this being an African-American class not just filled with strictly AfricanAmerican students,” said Alyssa Holmes, a student of the course. “We’re not strictly seeing one point of view from one culture or one cultural perspective, we’re actually seeing the perspective of multiple cultures, multiple personalities and how they view this one culture.”

Samantha Brannigan, another student, said, “What I like about this class is I get to hear different perspectives. As a white person, I get to hear different perspectives from African-American people that are my age, which I wouldn’t normally get to hear because we’re not always having these difficult conversations. So, this class really forces us to have those difficult conversations and I hear the perspectives of them, which influences my perspective on things.”

“I wanted to get a better sense of collaboration, cooperation and also a way to really convey the underlying tones of America, of where it’s a shared history, and not just one in particular,” said Djimberry Pierrelouis. “I like the fact that we are the center, and I say that because it’s another form of teaching that I feel that I could have

only gotten from Kean University, where one the convenience of smaller classrooms and two where the professor guides the students to convey the message or the lecture in a way that they understand it or that they could digest it. I feel empowered by this professor, I really do.”

Another student, Mrs. Bailey, said “I chose this class because as a mature woman coming back to school, classes like this was not offered to me in highschool and I’m always interested in learning about my history. And I thought this would be a good class to take. Not only do we talk about black history, we also talk about writing black history in a way children can understand it and get some knowledge from the writing.”

She stresses, “I hope to see that the young people in the class kind of get a sense of where we’ve been, where we’re going, and what we’re trying to achieve. To me, there’s gotta be some kind of togetherness, kind of unity. I hope that by other people learning of not just African-Americans, but people in general, that there’s some kind of connection that we can draw from each other.”

This is the first time Perkiss is teaching this class and is open to the possibility of teaching the class again. “I’m excited about the possibility of teaching it [the class] again,” said Perkiss.

Kean’s Pep Band returns for 2017-2018 season

By Jasmin Kee

always go to RSS, located in Whiteman Hall, for assistance and problems.

“I guess if you’re living with friends, just lay out the rules with what you like or what you don’t like because you don’t want to ruin the friendship with little things, a lot of people do that,” said Linda Velez, senior, at Kean.

Roommates tend to argue due to miscommunication. For instance, when someone has their significant other over all the time and it is disturbing the roommate.

Furthermore, when someone is not taking the time to clean up after themselves and making a mess.

“You definitely want to get to know your roommate first to generally know the types of things they like and don’t like. One of the main icebreakers is finding out if they are in a relationship because that is usually the main feud with college kids,” said Ayyub Abdur-Razzaq, junior, at Kean. “You also want to know what they can tolerate and won’t tolerate, what time they wake up, their class schedule because from what I’ve seen, living on campus for three years, most of the feuds that happen are basically due to relationships, sleep, and cleanliness.”

Jennifer M. Van Dyk, Coordinator of Housing Services for RSS mentioned that many roommate conflicts stem from miscommunication and advises students to have a conversation with their roommate. She also stated that the housing applications for next year are now available on Keanwise and everyone must submit their application fee by 4 p.m. on March 9.

It’s a new experience to live with a stranger when you decide to dorm on campus.

Communicate with your roommate to make sure you are on the same page.

Attention Kean University students: if you are someone who plays a band instrument, the Kean University Pep Band is looking for new members to be a part of their 2017-2018 season.

The pep band is also known as the cheer squad and performs during the home games of the basketball season and performs during halftime just as a cheer squad would.

The band was brought on as a way to entertain the crowd during the games after the budget cut of the cheerleading squad back in 2008.

In the past, students have had to audition to be a part of the band, but this year, no auditions will be held. Instead, students will only have to email the pep band director, Jerry Bryant, if they wish to join and they will also need to have a certain amount of playing experience.

In the past, tryouts would usually take place during the beginning of the fall semester, but now that there are no auditions, students can sign up either during the start of the fall or spring semester.

“I wanted to make it so that students who were interested in signing up could become a member without having to perform a song

Photo: Google Images

Pep Band Director Jeff Bryant

during the audition,” said Bryant.

The band currently holds about 15 members and if you are interested in joining, then you must be able to play one of the following instruments: the f lute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone, tuba, drums, bells, or the electric bass.

8 THE TOWER

February, 2018

It’s February.

Stay focused on New Year’s resolutions

By Dr. Josh Palgi Welcome to 2018! We have the opportunity to discard destructive old habits for healthy new ones.

As surely this past New Year’s Eve involved the dropping of the ball in Times Square, and confetti, it also brought with it something else: Resolutions. I bet you made a few, and so did I. And remember, a resolution does not need to be tied to the new year. It can be following a weekend, a birthday. So if you missed your New Year’s goal, you can start again tomorrow or after Valentine’s Day, or any marker that means something to you. Just as long as you are ready to give it another go. It won’t guarantee success, but you don’t need to wait until another year comes around to give it another go.

Our life is divided into different aspects and they are: • • • • • •

Overall health/fitness/nutrition Career/work or meaningful activities Leisure/recreation Self enrichment Spirituality Close relationships

If you plan to start being healthier and fit, start making sure, now, that you are positioned to reach your goals.

• • • • •

Set the right goal Make time Find your community Give yourself motivation Make a plan B.

One in three Americans resolve to improve their health each year. Making a goal to improve fitness and health is an inspiring way to start 2018, however, the frustrating reality is that most resolutions are broken within the first few months of the year. A recent study showed that less

than half of the people were successful in reaching their New Year’s fitness goal.

American now spend $3.4 trillion on healthcare each year, with 75 percent of the cost spent on chronic diseases connected to the lack of exercise, poor nutrition, and stress. These factors are preventable and can be directly addressed with wellness activities.

The key steps to take ensuring you create an effective New Year’s resolution plan: 1. Is it specific?

Goals need to be specific. As humans, we work better when we have a clear goal in mind.

The want-to-do-my-best goal can be great for motivation, but being specific can help give you a clear focus on what needs to be done.

2. Can it be measured?

As you can see in the above goal, it’s specific, but it also allows us to measure it and see progression as time passes.

This helps keeping you motivated as you can see how far you have come.

3. Is it achievable or attainable?

This is a key component of the action plan. Is the goal I am setting attainable?

You want a balance of challenge, to keep you motivated, but not too hard as you might lose focus and experience feelings of anxiety and stress. You should increase your goal by more than 5 percent of your current performance or ability.

4. Is it realistic?

Make sure your goal can be achieved realistically in the time frame you are looking to achieve them in.

Setting a time frame for when you want to achieve your goal is important.

5. Is it exciting?

Your goals need to be exciting. If planned correctly, this can help you stay motivated when you are experiencing a particular tough decision that takes you away from you goal. Try coming up with different and interesting ways of making your goals exciting.

Photo: Google Images via Creativecommons.org

List your goals towards better health in 2018

Take the Fitness & Wellness Quiz 1. True or False?... A good fitness and wellness program can reduce your chances of getting sick. ______ True ______ False 2. Which of the following are classified as “negative lifestyle factors”? _______ Aerobic exercise _______ Stress _______A high fiber diet 3. True or False?... If you need to lose weight, the best and safest approach is to go on a crash diet. _______ True _______ False 4. Which of the following are good sources of fiber> _______ Whole-grain cereals _______ Whole milk _______ Fruits 5. True or False?... Alcohol is a toxic substance. _______ True _______ False 6. True or False?... Some medicines may cause drowsiness, and some can interact dangerously with other medicines and alcohol. _______ True _______ False 7. True or False?... High blood pressure can have other severe health effects, including blindness or stroke. _______ True _______False

Studies show students gain weight in college

By Chelsea Lange Attending college is a dream to most teenage students after graduating from high school. Of course, students look forward to the parties and meeting new people, but one thing they don’t look forward to is the dreaded “freshman 15?”

The freshman 15 refers to when a freshman student gains weight after being in their first year of college. Many have perceived it as a myth, but to some college freshman it truly can happen.

In a Health Magazine article titled, “70% of Students Gain Weight During College: Study,” a study by Auburn University researchers found that in 2012, almost 70 percent of graduating seniors had gained from a range of 12 to 37 pounds while in college.

College freshman are so busy with late night studying or even late night partying that can then cause them to eat during the late hours of the night. But most students have also been in the position where they just crave those nacho cheese Doritos or a big mac from their local 24 hour McDonald’s drive thru. Students do not seem to realize how those late night meals can affect them when they reach the big 3-0. As soon as those greasy meals hit their body they can say goodbye to those skinny jeans and hello to high cholesterol.

Dr. Gurmit Saluja, a pediatrician at Vernon Pediatric and Family Care in Vernon, NJ, stated how a long-term path of unhealthy eating can lead to obesity and even type 2 diabetes.

“If young students don’t care for their diet and physical activity in college they then will have a numerous amount of health problems,” Saulja said.

He continues by stating, “they might not

be gaining extra pounds right away but they will catch up to them as soon as they get older.”

He also said that he has had patients of his own who have experienced that freshman 15 weight gain in their first year.

“They might not have gained exactly 15 pounds but they did gain a significant amount in a short period of time, but what truly caused that weight gain was stress,” the doctor added.

Kean University student, Adriana Moran, 22, was one of those thousands of college freshman in the United States that fell into the freshman 15 category. She recalled how she was never a thin girl when she was younger because most of her body mass was pure muscle.

“When I was in elementary school and in high school I was constantly playing

sports,” she stated. “I played lacrosse and soccer at school as well on traveling teams.

I was always on the go.”

But then her “fit lifestyle” came to a halt when she started college.

“I became so overwhelmed with stress when exams and 10 page papers all started to approach,” she said. “It then caused me to binge eat at late hours of the night and would never go to the gym. I would tell myself that I didn’t have time but I definitely did.”

Now Moran, who was a college senior when interviewed last spring, became one of the few that was able to get rid of those extra pounds when she became physically active again.

According to the academic journal, Changes in Body Weight and Fat Mass of Men and Women in the First Year of

Photo: Creative Commons

Sometimes perceived as a myth, the freshman 15 can be real for some students

College: A Study of the “Freshman 15,” students make some behavioral changes during their freshman year which would cause them to become lazy because they do not increase their physical activity. A study was conducted by Rutgers University in Fall 2016 of Rutgers University students who volunteered to have their weight, height, and body fat mass taken. Although the study states that students, as an average, gained almost seven pounds and not 15, after being measured again in the spring semester, it shows that students did experience a weight gain in their first year.

Young college students need to remind themselves that there are plenty of simple and easy steps to avoiding the freshman 15. Drinking plenty of water as well as sleeping at least 8 full hours, can help in getting on the right track to feeling healthy again.

You will begin to have more energy which then will help any student with choosing healthier options. It’s as simple as swapping those fried French fries for some baked sweet potato fries, which will keep you with a full stomach for longer.

You will also get a great amount of fiber and vitamins into your system.

Rather than getting a boring lettuce salad, students can opt for a protein bowl, which is so simple to make by just loading the bowl with grilled chicken, black beans, brown rice, and avocado; a flavorful lunch or dinner is ready right away.

To find some more health tips on body image or fitness, check out www.seventeen. com/health. Remember college freshmen, you can avoid the freshman 15 altogether just by staying focused. You will feel both mentally and physically strong, which will lead to a healthy, happy college year.

February, 2018

OPINION

THE TOWER 9

The distinction between ISIS and Islam

By Donia Zaky

Islamic woman.

Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, NC, Canada

Let’s get one thing straight: it is safe to say that ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, unfortunately took advantage of Islam, as a label—just a label. But it is not a sect, nor is it a level of extremism, simply because it is not Islam. Majority of Muslims genuinely do not acknowledge ISIS as Islamic, because everything they believe contradicts the religions mores; its values.

If truth be told, Muslim majority countries such as Syria, profoundly suffer more from the effects of ISIS. This is not to take away from the impact terroristic incidents have had on Western countries.

But, it is the question of the unknown in Western countries that causes ignorance.

Many know nothing about Islam, so with ISIS as their immediate example, it is assumed that this is the way of Islam.

On the topic of ISIS, Najiba Syed, President of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Kean University, stated “we have to be careful of what we do in our actions because of what someone else does in another country, and we have to represent Islam to the best of our ability.”

“It’s sad because people don’t trust us,” Syed continued.

In fact, Muslim comedian and frequent writer for The Huffington Post, Dean Obeidallah, emphasizes in his article titled, “No One Wants to See ISIS Defeated More Than Muslims,” that “ISIS is not about submitting to Islam. Rather, ISIS is of the persuasion that you must either solely submit to ISIS, or die.”

By saying this, Obeidallah clearly

expresses a point that many Muslims stress: the distinction between ISIS and the religion of Islam. ISIS and Islam are as juxtaposed as black and white, modern and classic, young and old. The two are on such opposite spectrums that it is ridiculous to equate both.

Based on data collected through research conducted by the Pew Research Center, senior editor Michael Lipka, who focuses on religion, said “muslims mostly say that suicide bombings and other forms of violence against civilians in the name of Islam are rarely or never justified.”

The classic, logical argument of Christians in difference to the Ku Klux Klan, also called the KKK, who claim Christian ways, was introduced by Engie Elboghdady, a member of the MSA at Kean University.

“ISIS to Islam is what the KKK is to Christianity, and if we can differentiate between the two, then it shouldn’t be that hard to differentiate between us and ISIS,” Elboghdady said.

A shadow is a disposition of reality.

Meaning, before we get the actual image, there is this figure of what we think we know it to be. Unfortunately to many in society, the shadow of Islam consists of violence, misogyny, oppression, inequality and the list goes on and on.

However, the worst part is the fact that this shadow is their lament reality.

But in front of a shadow is the true image, and behind this true image is light. It is disheartening to think many Americans are just a turn away from enlightenment, but are all too accustomed to this shadow of reality.

Why so cold, Kean Shuttle Bus?

By Joshua Rosario What does everyone want to do on a icy cold morning? It would feel if you asked Kean’s Shuttle Bus Service it would be to stand outside till you are an ice sculpture.

I have always wanted to look chiseled, but thanks to the bus I’ve become the iceberg that took down the Titanic. You have waited less at the DMV than you have for one of these campus shuttles.

“It’s very annoying because I have to take the bus almost everyday,” said Sally Arias, Sociology major and student worker. “I got to leave work 30 minutes early so I can be [in class] on time.”

Waiting for a Kean bus is like waiting for Ben Affleck to be less smug, Fox News to give news, or Trump to tweet the n-word; you know it is coming, you just have no idea when it will get here. Games of Throne’s last season will come before a Kean bus.

What about the poor students who only have 15 minutes to get to the other end of campus? Then you get to class late for the one class you don’t want to be late too. It’s always for a professor who has their master’s degree in catty and a doctorate in petty. “Sorry! I only take attendance once!” or “ Maybe next time you’ll get here early.” They act like they don’t understand how these class schedules work. To be on time, we would have better luck getting struck by lightning and becoming The Flash.

“It’s kind of ridiculous. One time, I had to walk all the way to East Campus,” said Alexandra Morales. “ I really want a car, so I don’t have to go through this.”

Yeah! You could walk, but no one really wants to though. You barely want to do so on a good day let alone a day so cold any man will feel like a lady. Seriously, guys! Any colder we are going to feel like Ken dolls out here in this cold.

You come inside after finally being picked up. You’re freezing! The only sensible way to get warm seems to be dousing yourself in kerosene and lighting yourself on fire.

Okay. Maybe! Just maybe! This is just a light overreaction! Just a bit! Let’s not get crazy. Maybe, it is my fault for waiting foolishly like some lovestruck simpleton in a rom-com film waiting to be swept off my feet to the STEM building or East Campus.

Maybe! Ugh! Maybe I should take some personal responsibility and waddle my frozen carcass over to STEM in the first place. How nauseating is this? You get a light exercise. You can take in the fresh air or whatever qualifies as fresh air in New Jersey. You can really take in the beauty of the day. I have already exhausted myself.

Also, Kean bus drivers, for all our sakes stop flirting with the young women who come on the bus. It’s awkward for everyone. You come off as someone’s creepy uncle. Honestly, they’re not interested. They just want to get to class without you drooling over their backpacks. Is that too much to ask for?

Why should they get it so easy? Is it to much to ask for not to be left waiting in the cold for over 20 minutes? You are already internally screaming after fussing your way into a parking lot that functions like a low budget war movie. Majority of the Kean students are commuters, so they are already frustrated from the drive up the parkway dishing out good ole New Jersey salutes along the way.

Nobody is asking for much. We just don’t want to be discovered in a block of ice 10,000 years from now still waiting for a Kean bus.

Photos by: Joshua Rosario

Above: A full Kean bus Below: Sally Arias waiting for the bus

February, 2018

SPORTS

10 THE TOWER

Now in a new conference, men’s volleyball looks to continue the same

By Craig Epstein After a 76-match league winning streak and six-straight Skyline Conference championships, the Kean Men’s volleyball team entered the 2018 season as the newest member of the Continental Valley Conference (CVC). Couple that with being tabbed 11th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll and picked to finish first in the East division of the CVC, expectations are high for Head Coach Charlie Ginex’s squad.

“Moving over from the Skyline to the CVC will certainly provide a tremendous challenge as the CVC is arguably the best conference in the country for Men’s Volleyball,” Ginex said.

“We expect that there will be no easy matches throughout conference play, but we also know that the rigors of the CVC will also hopefully help us to be more prepared for the final month of the season” While being successful in the new conference is important for the reigning Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Coach of the Year, he is more focused on his team handling the simple things. He feels that as long as they are able to do that, then the winning will come as a result.

“We hope to have a good season, but good is not defined in this case as winning, we are hoping to work hard each and everyday and have fun while doing it,” Ginex said. “We feel if we do that then the byproduct can and hopefully will be to allow us to contend for a conference championship” After six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, the Cougars are continually motivated to return and make a deep run in it.

“A main goal of ours every year is the obvious one to win a national championship,” senior middle blocker Jared Warner said. “But more realistic goals have been talked about this season.”

Much like his coach, Warner also believes that as long as the team works hard and has fun, the winning will come. He also feels that the team is ready for everything the CVC has to offer.

“Transitioning from the Skyline to the CVC is a huge jump, the competition level is one that mostly everyone is taking notice to,” Warner said.

“But we have been putting in countless hours in prep to grab another conference championship

“We hope to have a good season, but good is not defined in this case as winning, we are hoping to work hard each and everyday and have fun while doing it”

Photos by Larry Levanti

Middle blocker Jared Warner (senior)

this year.”

Now that they are playing teams like Juniata College, Eastern Mennonite, and Marymount University, the competition for the Cougars has become much stiffer. As a result, the team is focused on getting on the same page and using each moment as a teaching one.

“The main good thing that I think came out of this is the fact that everyone bought into the system this year and knows what it will take,” Warner said. “The coaching staff and players are getting on the same track with film and what they are trying to teach us from their knowledge.”

For senior libero Steve Schrank, he views this season as an opportunity for Kean to show just

how good they really are.

“We need to make a statement to the country and show what Kean volleyball is all about,” Schrank said. “If we play our game and continue to progress then we’re going to be a tough team to stop when it comes down to it.”

Although playing in the CVC is going to present a whole new set of challenges, Schrank is confident that they will mold them into becoming the team that they think they can be.

“The transition to the CVC is definitely going to be a challenge,” Schrank said. “But playing tougher teams consistently is going to make us better everyday and guide us to our ultimate goal, winning a national championship.”

Ian Capp of men’s Volleyball makes it on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays

By Greg Patuto

Photo by Larry Levanti

Ian Capp (sophomore) playing the ball

Sophomore Ian Capp gained national recognition when he made a spectacular play in a game against Mar ymount University.

The play started with right side Dylan Flor getting blocked and middle hitter Shayron Taylor digging it.

The ball then went to the back of the court where Jake Milnazik got a good touch and Capp finished it off with a kick save that ended over the net for a point.

“I used to play soccer back in high school so I had some confidence in my ability to keep it in play,” Capp said. “Never did I think it would actually get a point.”

Immediately after the game, the video was already

going viral and it ended up on the night-time edition of SportsCenter ’s Top 10 plays on ESPN. “I was in my room at 1:30 in the morning and Jake Milnazik woke me up and told me the play was on the SportsCenter Top 10,” Capp said.

The video was viewed all over the world and it has been posted to many Twitter and Instagram accounts. Being on ESPN is ever y athlete’s dream and is something that Capp will never forget.

“I always dreamed of making it on the Top 10 and now I can say I completed a small life goal in the respect,” Capp said.

Capp and the Cougars are having a season full of success. They are currently 7-2 on the season and look to continue it as conference play begins.

Women’s swim team finishes up season

By Estefani Hernandez

Photos by Barbara Perkins

Team cheers on other teammates

After many years, the women’s swim team made a comeback. The ladies took this season as a learning experience and plan on coming back even stronger next season.

From having the pool cleaned, to ordering uniforms and finding a team, Head Coach Barbara Perkins started from scratch and was able to push the girls to do their very best.

“I give her a lot of credit we haven’t appreciated her as much as we should have, we really do appreciate her and she has been really pushing us,” Captain Molly Lasko said. “Sometimes I wasn’t sure if I could make it but she encouraged us, I don’t think I could have done the things I did without her pushing us.”

Lasko has been swimming since she was eight years old and has always had a love for the sport. Playing a huge role in helping Coach Perkins, she assisted the girls when

they had any questions.

“We had a good season, a lot of best times were made,” Perkins said. “Some ladies took more than two minutes off their time, as a team and a whole we all did great.”

A few of the personal bests this season were Darlene Holmes in the 100 Free with a time of 1:03.53, Abigail Luna in the 100 Back with a time of 2:07.69, Jessica Leandro in the 100 Fly with 1:40.69, and Kelsey Rosa in the 100 Breast with 1:40.49 and the 100 Fly with a time of 1:46.75.

“The girls encourage each other and learn the meaning of working together,” Lasko said. “We all show a lot of care for one another but there is a huge influence from being a part of the team.”

Although the regular season is over, the team still has the Conference Championship on February 16-18. The girls plan on making the best out of this conference and pushing themselves to do even better than before.