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Larger class size discussed in University Senate

By Lena Zhu Course capacity -- the number of students allowed in courses based on educational standards set by faculty -- is becoming a major issue at Kean.

Two separate University Senate meetings and an open forum were held in the last month where the faculty discussed the changes in class size.

Some professors reported that various administrators were telling them that their course capacity will be increased in apparent violation of University Senate rules.

More psychology courses are expected to increase from 35 to 50 students. An upper level communication course was initially going to be increased from 25 to 35 students, then settled on 30. This change was done without the approval of the University Senate.

The University Senate is the principal agency for the formulation of Kean University policy, according to the University Senate’s webpage.

The University Senate focuses on matters such as faculty affairs, curriculum, finances, and other matters that are relevant to Kean University. Then, they make recommendations to the president.

“Every one of our course documents that gets approved has a course capacity number on it developed by the individual who is developing and teaching that course,” said Dr. Patrick Ippolito. “That document goes through the department reviewing committee…and is signed off by the dean. So that we have in place, in the registrar’s office, a document that says EMSE 3123 has a course capacity of 30.”

The appropriate number of students in a particular course is determined by the professor teaching that course. The amount of students in the class will attribute itself to how well the students learn. A class size with a possibility for 35 students may not be the best environment in which a student can learn effectively.

“We keep saying to prospective students that one of the things that we are very proud of is our class size,” said Ippolito. “We’re not like some of the other institutions that have three or five hundred students in a lecture who never get to know the faculty member.”

Dr. David Joiner, Vice President of the University Senate

Photo by Lena Zhu

The public forum only contained a few professors.

and a professor teaching in the STEM field, raised a question of the validity and approval of the document itself.

“My question is did the University Senate ever endorse to approve this document?” Joiner asked.

His question was followed by a few moments of silence, before Ippolito stated that he believes that the University Senate did approve them, but would need to double check.

Prof. Holly Logue, a Professor in the Theater Department, said, “I was on this task force at the time and my understanding is that ‘guideline’ meant recommendation. Not standard, not must, not should, not mandated. It was a guideline. And I don’t think that the senate voted on this, either.”

With all of the questions flying, Ippolito suggested to go

to Provost and find out more information and get all of the facts straight before making a final decision.

A public forum on the discussion of course capacity occured on Feb. 27.

Dr. Christopher Lynch, a communication professor who attended the public forum, said, “The course capacity were increased on my class. Dr. Sargent had a meeting with Dr. Bousquet and the compromise seemed to be that the class size would increase by 5 instead of 10.”

Lynch, a communication professor, stated that he has one of the most difficult classes in the program. His need for a smaller class size is vital to his teaching methods. continued on page 4

Watergate reporter speaks at University’s first Distinguished Lecture Series

By Joshua Rosario Credit: Kean University

Undergraduate Commencement Speaker U.S. Senator Cory Booker

Kean 2018 Undergraduate Commencement speaker to be U.S. Senator Cory Booker

By Joshua Rosario U.S. Senator of New Jersey, Cory Booker, is the University’s 2018 undergraduate commencement speaker, according to a Kean press release issued Feb 26.

“We are thrilled that Sen. Booker will be our commencement speaker,” said University President Dawood Farahi in the press release. “His leadership on a host of issues from the local to the national level provides a strong example to our students of what they can achieve and how they can make a difference in our world.”

At 29, Booker, was first elected to the Newark City Council. In 2006, he was elected Mayor of Newark and served for more than seven years. He was elected to serve as New Jersey U.S. Senator during a special election in 2013. Then re-elected a year later for a full six year term.

Commencement is always such an exciting time for our graduates and their families, and I cannot think of a better person to address them than Sen. Booker,” said Ada Morell, chair of the Kean Board of Trustees in the press release. “We look forward to hearing the message he has for our graduates as they embark on the next chapter of their lives as Kean alumni.”

Class of 1961 Alumna Diane Miron will receive a honorary degree at Undergraduate Commencement. Miron graduated from Kean then Newark State College with a degree in elementary education. The Miron Student Center was named after Miron after a large donation made by her and her husband, Bob Miron, in 2015.

“It was so fast when Carl Bernstein and I worked on Watergate stories, sometimes we would work for two to three weeks on one story,” said Bob Woodward, one of the journalists famous for covering President Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal.

Woodward, a two-time Pulitzer prize winning journalist and author, spoke at the first of Kean University’s Distinguished Lecture Series in the STEM building auditorium on Feb. 22.

Woodward is most known for his investigative reporting that led to a best-selling nonfiction book and movie called, “All The President’s Men.” The book details Woodward’s 1972 investigation of the Watergate hotel break-in alongside co-author and journalist, Carl Bernstein. Their continuous investigation unveiled scandal for then President Richard Nixon, who would resign because of it before the end of his second term.

“The editors would have questions, ‘Get more sources? What about this? This is not clear.’ …when the questions were answered … run the story,” Woodward said. “ Now, reporters literally have to find the six versions of the story in 24 hours.”

During his lecture, Woodward reflected on his time covering the scandal with Bernstein, the Trump era and a story about a lunch he had with former Washington Post publisher, Katharine Graham (currently portrayed in the movie ‘The Post” starring Meryl Streep).

“She had a management style I later described as mind on, hands off,” Woodward said.

Woodward told the full crowd that Graham knew what was going on, but never told editors how to edit or journalists how to report. At the time of the Watergate stories, Graham asked him when they will

Photo by: Lena Zhu

Credit: Cody Louie

Bob Woodward speaking to some students and faculty before the lecture

get vindication about their stories, as they seemed to be the only ones to believe them. He told her the truth may never come out.

“Never. Don’t tell me never,” said Woodward quoting Graham. “ I left the lunch a highly motivated employee.”

Before the event, Woodward met with several journalism, history and political science students.

He started off by asking the students where they get information from? Students answers ranged from scholarly articles to everywhere.

“Human sources. If you want to find out something that’s going on you go to a human being who is a witness, who has information, who has opinions,” said continued on page 8

2 THE TOWER

March, 2018

Office of Residential Student Services holds event for Chinese New Year

By Sean Calderon In anticipation of the Chinese New Year, Kean University’s Office of Residential Student Services, in collaboration with the student government, Asian studies, PULSE, and Working Partnerships USA held the “Ni Hao!” event in the CAS lobby on Feb. 15.

The event allowed both Kean students and overseas students from China share a little bit of the Chinese culture and to meet one another. It lasted an hour and started with a traditional dragon dance by Chinese students, which included a large flexible dragon figure as well as accompanying music. Afterwards, students were able to socialize over delicious food, traditional Chinese bubble tea, free souvenirs, and much more.

Kean has a great relationship abroad, after its partnership with Wenzhou University went into full operation in 2014, an American-style campus was built in the Zhejiang Province of China. Ever since then, students from both countries have been going back and forth studying abroad. Several students, and student government volunteered in helping run the event, including Sophomore Class President Kiara Carranza.

“Usually about a hundred students come from China each year,” said Carranza. “You come to another country and, it’s culture shock, so it’s good to give them a sense of home.”

Chinese student Yuqing Lou expressed her gratitude for the event. She said she’s excited to see all of it put together and to see people of two different cultures share it.

“I’ve made so many friends here,” said Lou. “It’s another reason why I came here, as well as to learn a new language and explore.”

Kean student Onel Martinez shared his experience of the event and with the students from China.

“I’ve met a few of them and they are a very nice group of people,” said Martinez. “This event has a very good aesthetic towards it and a very interesting cultural appeal.”

This year’s Chinese New Year is the Year of the Dog and the Earth element. For all of those interested in zodiacs, the Chinese zodiac this year reads that those born in either 1958 or 2018 (both Earth element years) are stubborn and never give up. While they aren’t very connected with the world and society, they still respect others’ point of view. They also believe that hard work will help them achieve their goals.

On that note, one can say that the goal of this event – to bring two cultures together and share them – was accomplished and shows the diversity of Kean’s campus as Martinez points out.

“I think if we include multiple cultures it shows appreciation and exposure to a different people’s way of life,” said Martinez.

Dragon dance by Asian studies students in the CAS lobby.

Photo by: Sean Calderon

Technology problems on campus

By Rafaela Teixeira The long-time technology issues at Kean University have finally been addressed in the Faculty Senate meeting held on Feb. 13.

Patrick Ippolito, Head of the University Senate, briefly mentioned the awareness on the technology problems on campus and noted that a survey would be delivered via email to all students on the issue.

The email was sent from University Relations department shortly after the meeting, requesting students to take the survey attached to understand their experiences with technology, computer services and Wi-Fi connection.

It is meant to help the University Senate Technology Committee assess the issues better by determining the exact locations of technology failure, wifi disconnection and who is being affected by it.

According to the email, the University will use the results from the survey to “optimize existing services and contribute to future computing and technology enhancements.”

Some of the questions students need to answer are their opinions on whether technology improves their learning in classrooms, their satisfaction with the printers provided on campus, preferred furniture in classroom settings and if the Wi-Fi is meeting student needs.

The survey also requests students to provide suggestions on how to improve Kean’s technology.

Najiba Syed, student manager at the Office of Computer and Information Services (OCIS), explained the process of placing a work order in the system for the student

technicians to service students, faculty and staff.

The frontdesk operator takes basic information down, name, issue, location, and asks the caller to try specific methods to resolve the technical difficulty. If the basic solutions don’t work, the operator puts the work order in the system to inform the student technicians that they need to pay the caller/location a visit.

According to Syed, a work order takes one to three business days to complete and if the student technician is unable to resolve the issue, it gets elevated to full-time employees.

Technology problems are equal among all Kean buildings, according to Syed, however the Center for Academic Success (CAS) has the most complaints.

Common issues on campus include Wi-Fi connection, student game-consoles don’t connect to the network and classroom projectors that don’t work, according to Syed.

Syed also pointed out that professors tend to “rudely” call with concerns before trying to resolve the issue on their own. “...if they do call, try to be patient and tell us all the details,” said Syed. “We get professors who yell at us and at the end of the conversation, we don’t even understand what the issue really is because all they did was yell and hang up.”

Dr. Jan Balakian, a professor in the English studies department, was relieved when she found out that the university is taking measures to fix the technical problems on campus.

“I tell students that they should have a little protest about this because it interrupts [class],” said Balakian. “...what happens is

Photo by: Rafaela Teixeira

Email sent to students from University Relations addressing technology problems on campus.

that when the machines don’t work it throws a wrench into the class. And as a result...a lot of teaching time is lost and students perceive class to be disorganized.”

Balakian has called OCIS numerous times to fix the technical issues before classes are held in order to prevent being interrupted when teaching her lesson.

Balakian has also noticed that classroom equipment such as projectors and computers, tend to be dusty and “full of gunk.”

A laptop is a necessity for Balakian when teaching, however in order to connect all the equipment together, she had to purchase the necessary cables with her own money.

Balakian believes that the university should provide faculty with the essentials to make the world-class education at Kean a true statement.

“Professors are not the problem, we don’t

need to take a course because we know how to press a button,” said Balakian. “These issues were not around when I first started teaching, it’s all recent. I don’t think it’s a skill issue, the machines just need to be updated.”

Balakian noted that she is open to technical assistance and is always willing to learn when OCIS comes in to fix the issues in the classrooms.

Other professors have also noticed that aside from computer labs, things tend to get a little “dicey” in the CAS building.

“I know they’ve had people from OCIS come in to slowly replace things,” said Nikki Dreste, a lecturer in the English studies department. “I feel like it pushes more of the responsibility for things going wrong on the instructor’s end and I think we have enough to worry about.”

Ribbon cutting ceremony celebrates opening of the new Child Care Center

By Estefani Hernandez President Farahi, parents, staff and students of Kean University gathered on Feb. 12 to celebrate the opening of the new child care center.

The new facility is located at the entrance of the technology building and is equipped with four classrooms, and each of them can hold up to 18 students.

“Looking at these faces, that is where

the future is,” said President Farahi as he started to speak at the ceremony.

The child care center provides both a preschool to the community and fieldwork placement to future educators.

The center is open to students, faculty, and staff members as well as to the surrounding community.

Employment opportunities are also available. Manisha Howard, a student at Kean, has been working at the child care center for two semesters now.

“I love it, I love the freedom of the curriculum to teach the students,” said Howard. “The children are really the ones in charge of their learning experience.”

After the speeches, everyone proceeded to the cutting of the ribbon ceremony. With the help of their teachers, students were able to cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the new center.

“I thank you for your patience,” said President Farahi. “Four years ago, when

we said we’re going to build you a world class center, most of you were upset but this is a beautiful place, worthy of you and your children.”

The Child Care Center is open from 7:45 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Mon. through Fri. during fall and spring semesters.

Evening care hours are 4:15 p.m.-7:45 p.m., Mon. through Thurs. during fall and spring. Children may attend three, four or five days a week, all according to their parent’s schedules.

March, 2018

THE TOWER 3

Why you should vote in student government elections

By Petruce Jean-Charles Student Government’s last election had 420 total voters and The Graduate & Part-time Student Council election had 49 voters out of 16,019 total students including graduate and part-time students.

With the April 3 election, Student Government wants to achieve the same amount of voters if not more to ensure the voices of the student body are heard. Some students are unaware of the services and elections held yearly.

“To be honest I have never really been involved or understood what student government was about,” said Julisa Valencia, a junior psychology major. “I don’t have a particular view when it comes to how beneficial student government can be. I probably would vote if I knew more about the candidates or positions, it really just depends.”

Freshman Jenna Karcher, has a similar viewpoint. She has never voted, but is considering it this year.

“I do not know much about student government,” said Kracher. “I should, but I don’t. I think that it helps students get a say in the actions that take place on campus which is essential for a university,” said Karcher.

The Office of Student Government located in the Miron Student Center (MSC) is composed of the full-time undergraduate governing body and the graduate part-time student council. These boards represent the students at Kean by encouraging student feedback, student involvement and leadership roles. This organization seeks to be the voice for the student body.

“I believe that voting in student government is necessary, I mean we are able to choose who we want and what we want to see change,”said Thayssa Silva, junior. “If student government does more to be noticed and is understood as a opportunity for development that would be great for us,” The Office of Student Government host various on and off campus events that promote social, academic, cultural and professional growth. They also provides funding to over

20 recognized groups on campus to increase student involvement and programming.

Student Government is an organization that conducts and coordinates programs that guide and challenge students, according to Student Government President Damion Wilson.

“We also act as a liaison toward the students and the administration staff,” said Wilson.

Student Government strive to be advocates for the student body by taking ideas and concerns into consideration.

“When it comes to the professional staff we try to find ways to accommodate the students and we fix the issue right at hand,” added Wilson. “We provide a lot of resources. One of the things we provide is life support skills and events because these are some of the things you won’t learn in the classrooms. For example how do I budget, use a credit card, finance a car or finance a house.”

The student government also serves as a tool that prepares both undergraduate and graduate students for development in their field.

Hailey Cruz, president of Graduate & PartTime Student Council assures their graduate needs are met.

“A lot of times it is difficult for graduate students because they work on days and come in the evenings. So to be helpful our meetings are at night on Fridays,Saturdays and Sundays.

We want to accommodate their schedules but also provide interesting programs,” said Cruz.

Its goal is to create events and leave them with t-shirts and other perks like discounted prices for tickets.

“The undergrads recently had a program where they had a test for the GRE and that is something most students didn’t know about,” Cruz explained. “So student government actually digs deeper into student development.

For graduate students we provide beverages and things for the COMP exams because we know it’s something important.”

Student government provides different programs divided into three categories: traditional, cultural and life skills. Traditional include the pep rallies and concerts, cultural include events like Chinese New Year and

Photo by: Petruce Jean-Charles

Damion Wilson, president of student organization, full- time student government

Black History Month and life skills include credit cards, how to finance a credit card and to prepare for life outside of Kean.

Wilson noted that it is important to have resources for commuters at Kean.

“We have our Commuter Resource Center (CRC) located in Hennings Hall where we provide printing computers and lounges so that commuters can become more involved.

We do understand the difficulties with commuting so we provided this for them,” said Wilson When speaking in terms of payment for student government and the part-time student council Wilson and Cruz were willing to share the various wages.

“We do get paid by our positions. For the president position we do ten hours a week and we get paid hourly $19.41, the vice president gets paid $13.24, our treasurer and secretary gets paid $10.29, assistant secretary and class presidents are $9.93,” said Wilson. “We would like to share that these are stipend based.”

Since graduate students have a lot on their plates like internships and scheduling, The

Graduate & Part-Time Student Council have a different system.

“I get paid $22 an hour but I work a maximum of four hours a week. Then the vice president, treasurer and secretary get paid $19.61 and work a maximum of three hours a week,” said Cruz.

One important part of student government is their ambition to find student leaders and to work together.

“What sets student organization apart is that they invest in the leaders. We have a vigorous summer training where they do the Myer Briggs assessment to find our personality type and how we can work well with. This is important because in the corporate and business world that’s what they use and we can put that we have that with us,” said Cruz.

One perk is early registration which allows them to register for important classes. They also provide a lot of free food for workers and everyone is treated like an asset to the organization.

“We recently changed our title from council to Senate because that is what the undergrads continued on page 5

Kean University Department of Public Safety 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 Feb. 6 and Feb. 25, there was a total of six motor vehicle accidents, nine fire alarms and 15 cases of property found, among other incidents.

Feb 7 - At approximately 12:45 a.m. on Morris Ave, a welfare check was made in response to a caller concerned about the well-being of a friend. Shortly after at approximately 2 a.m. Kean Police assisted Hillside Police in response to a report of a male looking into parked vehicles. At 1 p.m. a subject stated that two watches were stolen from his room in the New Freshman Residence Hall. Soon after at approximately 1:30 p.m. there was a complaint of CDS odor in the University Center Hall. At 6:18 p.m. there was a verbal argument between four females in the cafeteria. Another CDS complaint occurred at Whiteman Hall at 11:09 p.m., but no odor or CDS was found.

Feb 8 - At approximately 12:30 p.m. nine electronic scales were taken out of room 325 in the Science Building. Later that day at about 7:30 p.m. there was a report of a black, suspicious package at Burch Hall. At 9:22 p.m. a subject gave police a copy of a final restraining order. Soon after at 9:39 p.m. a subject in the New Freshman Residence Hall demonstrated severely abnormal behavior.

Feb. 9 - A simple assault occurred in the University Center Cafeteria at approximately 1:30 p.m. where a subject was punched in the face while sitting in the area. The incident is under active investigation. Very soon after at approximately 1:45 p.m., Hookah, a glass container, hookah hoses, hookah tips, a silver tong and a green bag were confiscated in Burch Hall. At 9 p.m. the main entrance door to the library was shattered. This is under active investigation.

Feb. 10 - At 11:08 p.m. four male subjects were trespassing in the Freshman Residence Hall.

Feb. 13 - In the Office of Health Services at approximately 11:45 a.m. an actor had slight chest pains and an increased heart rate. At approximately 12 p.m. there was a report of CDS odor in Burch Hall. At 4 p.m. in the Freshman Hall, an actor took money from a roommates checking account. This incident is under active investigation.

Feb. 14 - At approximately 12:45 p.m. a subject was resting on the floor in one of the bathroom stalls in the Green Lane Building.

Shortly after at approximately 3:15 p.m., there was a report of a subject in Downs Hall being nauseous, vomiting and experiencing hypotension. There was a report of fraud at approximately 4:27 p.m.

Feb. 15 - At about 1 a.m., a welfare check took place in Rogers Hall in response to a concerned parent checking on their daughter. At 9:15 a.m. in the Technology Building, there was a report of a female with a broken wrist. At the Kean Counseling Center, there was a report of a psychiatric patient requesting medical transportation to Trinitas Hospital at approximately 11:30 a.m. Later in the day at 7:45 p.m. a subject reported suspicions of a bible study group using human trafficking, to Campus Police.

Feb. 16 - At approximately 2:30 a.m. in the Lounge Passage of the New Freshman Hall a subject refused transportation to the hospital in response to a bump on her head. At approximately 1:30 p.m. a subject in Whiteman Hall was taken to the hospital for evaluation due to mothers concern that she might harm herself. At the Health Service Office at approximately 3:30 p.m., a subject was transported to the hospital for experiencing flu-like symptoms.

on Morris Ave resulted in power outages to numerous buildings on campus at approximately 1:45 p.m. Soon after there was a report of an individual trapped inside the elevator of Henning’s Hall at approximately 2 p.m. At Sozio Hall at approximately 10 p.m., in response to a domestic violence incident, a subject was served with a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO).

Police Blotter

Feb. 6 - Around 9:15 a.m. actors wrote inside one of the stalls in the women’s restroom of the North Ave Academic Building. At 9:50 p.m. a subject reported a lost wallet at Hutchinson Hall.

Feb. 21 - In the Vaughn Eames Parking Lot there was a report of damage to a vehicle at approximately 11:15 a.m. This is under active investigation. In Burch Hall at 2 p.m. there was a report of theft in a dorm room, which is under active investigation. At Sozio Hall at 2:30 p.m. there was a report of a female who was on the trespass list. Shortly after, at approximately 3:30 p.m. there was a report of a garbage can fire at the Library.

Feb. 22 - In Hennings Hall at approximately 2 p.m. a subject was experiencing seizures.

About an hour later at approximately 3 p.m. there was report of debit card fraud in Burch Hall.

Feb. 17 - In the Instructional Gym at approximately 3:45 p.m. a subject refused medical attention for a large laceration above their eye. A subject found the side mirror of their car to be broken in the Vaughn Eames Parking Lot at approximately 4:45 p.m.

Feb. 23 - At approximately 9:15 a.m. in the Psychology Office, there was a report of a missing gray, Calvin Klein Pea Coat. This is under active investigation.

Shortly after in the Technology Building at approximately 10:30 p.m. there was a report of a disgruntled worker making threats.

At about 6:45 p.m. in the University Center Hall, a silver, all-purpose multi tool knife was confiscated. At approximately 9:30 p.m. two males were instructed to leave one of the residence halls. They were in violation of housing policy by roaming the building without their host.

Feb. 18 - At approximately 12:20 a.m. there was a dispute in Burch Hall due to food being delivered to the incorrect room. Due to a subject having thoughts of self-harm, the individual was taken by an ambulance at approximately 9:45 p.m.

Feb. 24 - At 1:18 a.m. in the University Center Hall, there was a welfare check of a possibly suicidal male. At 7:30 p.m. there was a property report in the main lobby of Harwood Arena of a green, plant-like material suspected to be CDS.

Feb. 19 - At 8 p.m. in Sozio Hall there as an arrest for simple assault.

Feb. 25 - At 3 a.m. there was a report of an unknown, brown chemical leaking from a container in Dougall Hall. The substance was producing a strong odor. At approximately 7:30 p.m. in the University Center Hall, a male was transported to Trinitas hospital in response to suffering from suicidal ideation.

Feb. 20 - Several items including a pill bottle of CDS, beer cans, a lighter and a plastic water bottle containing unknown alcoholic liquid were confiscated at the University Center Hall at 10:23 a.m. A power failure

4 THE TOWER

March, 2018

Kean’s Poetry Club celebrates Black History Month

By Jasmin Kee In honor of Black History Month, the Poetry Club at Kean University held an event called “Blacked Out” on Feb. 22 which helped bring awareness to Black culture in a fun and interactive way with a panel, an open mic, games and free giveaways.

The event was held in the Cougars Den from 7-10 p.m. and was hosted by one of the members of the poetry club, senior, interpersonal communication studies major, Ymani Hawkins.

“The purpose of this event is to understand and become aware of our history and our culture,” said Hawkins as she introduced the event.

The first part of the event was a panel, which consisted of the president of the Poetry Club Tierra Hooker, founder Shawn Crysis, student body president Damion Wilson, and vice president Chidinma Opara.

The panelists were asked to give their honest opinions on questions concerning Black people and Black culture and how they felt about the portrayal of both in the media to which Opara replied, “I think that we are being considered a trend.”

After the panelists finished giving their opinions, it was open to the audience to weigh in, to which some did, even asking the panelists questions of their own. Following a brief intermission, a game was played where four volunteers were asked to guess the name and artist of a song by listening to the first 30 seconds of it. The first volunteer to guess three songs right won the prize of a T-Shirt. The rest of the night consisted of an open mic where volunteers were able

Image: Cougarlink.com

Blacked Out Event

to share their poems and songs. The first person to come up and read a poem was Tierra Hooker who read a poem that she had written for Martin Luther King Jr. day.

After all the performances were done, the event

ended with a raffle where Hooker read off five names for the winnings of a few prizes.

If you want to know more about upcoming events that are being hosted by Kean’s Poetry Club, you can find more information by visiting Cougarlink.com.

PASSPORT Program Can you complete Kean University’s escape room challenge?

By Valencia Stevenson The PASSPORT program is a Program for Academic Support Services Providing Opportunities to Remarkable and Talented students. Its mission is to provide support for students.

It is a two year undergraduate program for freshmen and sophomores to transition to Kean and grow academically. Freshmen applicants who did not meet Kean’s admission requirements but showed potential from a college essay or grades will be admitted by the Undergraduate Admissions Office into the program.

This program is not grant funded but it is a way to help those who really want a college education. Currently, there are over 360 students for this program and it has been growing ever since after having started eight years ago with just 100 students.

Students in the program are assigned a counselor who is responsible for academic advisement, career and internship advisement, financial aid assistance and personal counseling.

“At first when they come in, they think they’re in a special program because that is what they are used to in high school.

Some of them had IEPs and we try to explain that PASSPORT is nothing like high school,” said Billie Bailey, PASSPORT counselor and Program Manager. “You are a college student just like any other college student but have an advantage of having a support system. Regular admitted students don’t have a support system. So they don’t

Class Size

Photo: Courtesy of Kean Passport Program

Billie Bailey, Program Manager of PASSPORT

have anyone to turn to when they’re lost or confused or need to know what classes to take. They should be excited about the program.”

When students arrive for this program, many are often participating in extracurricular activities. They are aided with their counselors to assist them in their needs for their education.

This is one of many programs that Kean has to offer to help students be successful in college.

(Continued from page 1)

“In the past, increasing the course sections meant we were bringing in more students into the program and better quality in the program.

Right now, I’m concerned with my own class because I struggle with getting through the required work with 25 students,” Lynch explained.

Joiner asked Lynch if he received a new course transmittal form and new course outline with a changed course capacity from 24 to 30 submitted to the communication department committee.

Lynch said no.

A problem arises with one professor teaching a course filled with more than 20 students.

Some classes with the course size of 20 or over were given additional help from a graduate student posing as an assistant to the professor.

Dr. Paula Avioli, a Psychology professor, recounted, “Several years ago, we were asked to change our course caps to allow 50 students with two sections -- which we did. However, we were given a graduate student (an academic specialist) to help support the professor in those two courses.”

According to Avioli, in the future, professors in the Psychology Department will not be able to receive academic help from graduate assistants.

Some members were concerned about the role in which the faculty will play in the process

of course curriculum.

“The executive director (ED) is negotiating what is in the course outline officially and what is someone asking them to do. Where does the ED negotiator with some other administrator fit into the curriculum process? What does that mean for [the faculty]?” Dr. Emily Filardo, a professor in the School of Psychology, asked.

“It means that we are being cut out of the process,” Ippolito said. “And we have to reassure them that [the faculty] should be a part of the process.“ Joiner questioned the state of action that the Senate will take moving forward. How will they move forward.

Ippolito said the Senate is gathering information today to discuss in an Executive Director meeting and then have a discussion with the administration to find out what its response is to the faculty’s “thoughts and concerns.”

“I think we are going to see changes and see things happen. We are asking for the respect of the administration to discuss and to have the opportunity to provide some rationale for the discussion,” Ippolito said. “We have to have a negotiation in some way on how we are going to manage going forward. We have to get the faculty involved.

Photo by: Dan Papa

“The Escape Room,” complete with a fireplace illusion.

By Dan Papa Senior Involvement Specialist, Luis Nieves, and the Director of the Center for Leadership and Service (CLS), Scott Snowden, hosted an event called “The Escape Room” at Kean University’s involvement center in the Miron Student Center on Feb. 8.

The scenario was a murder mystery and participants were given clues to guide them through the puzzles.

Inside the room, there was a large table with chairs for all of the participants. There were folders with clues hidden throughout the room, which participants used in addition to others hidden throughout the surrounding area to try and solve the mystery.

Intriguing characters, hidden clues, decorations, and even a projected fireplace for ambience all culminated to immerse the participants in the mystery.

There were quite a few rooms within the involvement center, but for the purpose of the event, most of them were forbidden to the group.

Everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun with the “Easter egg hunt” for the folders.

The group, however, was Photo by: Dan Papa given access to a couple of rooms, each “belonging” to Folders with clues, which students had to use in order a character from the escape to complete the challenge. room story.

One group of participants included: Kendrah Bender, Shanae Spencer, Victor Brannon, Chris Carillo, and Megan Campesi. It took about 30 minutes total for them to solve the mystery.

March, 2018

THE TOWER 5

1968 exhibit comes to Kean

By Cameron Beall In 2012, Arlene Marcus, an adjunct professor at Kean University along with Carrie Steenburgh, a professor at Union County College, started a 13 credit ESL curriculum course. With the help of a Title V grant, they were able to teach the course thematically around one specific year in our world’s history: 1968. During the final academic year of the grant (2016-17), the professors and their students began planning for a 1968 Students Museum to be installed inside the Kean University library.

“The 5 year grant ended last May. The spring before that, of 2016, I thought about using the pieces of writing, posters, and project materials to create a 1968 museum,” said Marcus.

Their goal was to use the knowledge their students gained throughout the duration of the course to help educate other students about the important events of that crucial year in history. 1968 was a year of turmoil and pandemonium in the United States as well as around the world. The United States was being divided even worse than ever before by race, gender, sexual inequality, war, police brutality, and assassinations of our country’s leaders, some of the same issues that still plague the United States today, fifty years later.

“In the Spring semester of 2016, we worked in earnest to put things together,” said Marcus. “Two students, Jose Gabriel

Saltos, a video producer from Ecuador and Barbara Resende, our website creator, from Brazil helped to move our plans forward. At the same time, Cristina Fittipaldi, who is a graduate student in charge of the art galleries at Kean offered to help us get a showing at the Nancy Dryfoos Gallery that coincides with the 50th anniversary of 1968.”

The ESL students who participated in the 1968 course and creation of the exhibit came from various different countries.

Some of them include: Afghanistan, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Portugal, and Vietnam. People from all over the world and different walks of life came together to create this exhibit. Some have grown up in the United States while others were fairly new to the country.

There were numerous historical events and movements that took place during the year of 1968. Tragic events such as the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy certainly made some people lose hope in the progress of our country and where it was headed.

However, movements such as the Women’s Rights and LGBTQ movements provided some progress that is clear today.

The 1968 Summer Olympics Black Power salute was a political and social justice demonstration by AfricanAmerican athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos during their medal ceremony at Olympic Stadium in Mexico City. This

Photo: Cameron Beall

1968 Entrance Poster helped inspire many people to stand up and fight for their human and civil rights.

While our country as a whole may not have made complete progress; people of color, women and people of the LGBTQ community definitely have more rights today than they did fifty years ago.

Union County college professors and students played an integral role in the 1968 Museum Exhibit. Students of both

Kean University and Union County College visiting the gallery can complete pre- and post- activities and assignments, as well as view some amazing artwork and pictures throughout the exhibit.

The 1968 Museum Exhibit is located in the Nancy Thompson Library at Kean University, right next to the Starbucks.

It will be up for viewing until March 12, right before spring break.

Rebuilding Warriors raffle benefits veterans

By Carolina Guerra Raffles are great, but what makes Kean’s Rebuilding Warriors Raffle a mustpurchase is not only the reward for the three lucky Kean students, but also the benefit that goes to the veteran behind the raffle.

Student Organization created the raffle to raise funds to donate professionally trained service dogs to a Kean studentveteran, and if they raise enough money, they will donate another service dog to an Ocean County College veteran as well.

The money will be donated to Rebuilding Warriors to train the dogs as stated on Cougar Link.

“We voted on it last year. Every year Student Organization has a service project, and this is our service project for this year,” said Francisco Reyes, vice president of Student Organization.

“So usually, we have Relay for Life, however, we don’t have it this year, so we had to come up with a new community service and this is one of the great ones we came up with,” said Damion Wilson, president of student organization.

Student Organization is close to reaching their financial goal for the raffle.

“We are almost there, the last time I checked, we were at $18,000,” said Reyes.

“We were trying to finish up by February, but the month is a little short so we’re going to try to finish by March, just as long as we’re done by the semester. We’re going to award two dogs and that was our plan from the beginning.”

“This is very important,” said Wilson.

“Our veterans do suffer sometimes from different types of trauma, and we want to give back to them. We want to let them know we’re here by their side and we support them every step of the way. And that’s what buying these tickets entitles, that support. That’s our main focus. We

Student elections

want to get two dogs to our veterans to let them know that we’re here for them.”

“By them entering the raffle, you have a chance to win money,” added Reyes.

“It’s five dollars, so even if you don’t win the raffle, it goes to a great cause. It’s a veteran, but it’s also a veteran-student, so

they go to Kean. You’re helping a fellow classmate of yours that goes to Kean University, studies here and just needs extra help.”

The raffle started on November 20 and the drawing will be on May 1 in the Miron Student Center patio. Each ticket costs

five dollars and the prizes will be given via Visa Gift Card. First prize is $1,500, second prize is $1,000, and third is $500.

You can buy tickets at the Miron Student Center in rooms 304 and 309 Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or Hutchinson Hall, room J130 from Mon.- Thurs., 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

control of the budget we can’t just say let’s go spend this on something. We have to get it approved through our eboard and same for the professional staff. We do have a great say so of our budget.

Elections start April 3 at 9 a.m. through April 5 at 5 p.m. via Cougarlink. On Cougarlink, students can apply for various positions such as the Student Organization Executive Board and Senate, Graduate & Part-time Student Council executive board and the P.U.L.S.E programming board.

“Depending on the position you choose and qualifications you have you will fill out the application and campaign,” said Wilson. “With campaigning you can go solo or a ticket where students can team up to get votes for each other.

Then the student body will vote you in and along with campaigning it is important to have a good GPA. We understand the importance o-f academics and we want to make sure students understand the GPA requirements.Whatever you put into student government is what you get back,” said Wilson.

(Continued from page 3)

strived to do. Senate is more of a power like position, with council you think of high school.

When you think of Senate you think of someone who has a voice and we want them to have that voice,” Wilson explained.

Student government seeks to stand out from other schools with their events, interaction with students and faculty and the ability to share knowledge and support.

“I know from my experience a lot of students come to my from student organizations at other campuses really interested in our speakers and

who we have for unity week. Also Kean is a tight knit community that allows faculty to know their student instead of numbering them,” said Cruz.

The funds for student government come from the students through activity fees, which student government uses to create events on their tradition, cultural and life skills programs.

“For both GPSC and student council they have a treasurer who works together with professional staff to insure we still have enough for the budget,” said Cruz. “For the complete

6 THE TOWER

March, 2018

Kean history:

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

the building of Kean 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 SPORTS EDITOR: CRAIG EPSTEIN

Photo: Kean University Archives and Special Collections

Dorothy Hennings

ONLINE EDITOR: RAFAELA TEIXEIRA A&E/FEATURES EDITOR: KIARA MAYS SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: JENNIFER PADILLA Interior of the library

Photo courtesy of Kean University Archives and Special Collections

By Leanne Manna

WRITERS

Kean Hall or as it is commonly known “The castle looking building” has a rich history that extends before the presence of the University.

The structure was built by Senator Hamilton Fish Kean to serve as his stable and library. The library was considered to be a prime example of Norman architecture, a type of Romanesque architecture that originated in France.

Construction on the building began in 1915, but was interrupted by World War One, which both of Kean’s sons served in. As part of the building effort a blacksmith shop was set up at the site to make all the iron work. The idea was to replicate a chateau that Kean had once seen in France. The paneling inside the library was done with oak from the Nottingham Forest, made famous by Robin Hood.

Kean, a resident of Liberty Hall then called Ursino, inherited the land from his father and used the building as part of Green Lane Dairy Farms. Kean was elected to the senate in 1928, served six years, and afterwards worked as a banker in New York.

Inside his private library Kean held political meetings. The library had a fountain in the center and stain glass windows with the Kean and Winthrop (Kean’s wife, Katherine, was a Winthrop) family crests.

Green Lane Farm raised Guernsey cows, several of whom set records. One named Lily produced 15,364 pounds of milk in a year. The average cost of cows at the time was 4,000 pounds. The farm also had pigs, chickens and turkeys. One building on the farm was a small store facing Morris Ave that sold the farm’s goods.

Eventually, Kean’s son Robert Kean would inherit Green Lane Farm. In 1954, he would sell the 120 acre property to the State to be turned into the new home of Newark State Teachers College.

In 1961, it was hotly debated what the “Kean Building” should be used for. Dr. Lenore Vaughn-Eames was in charge of the restoration committee and argued there needed to be more class and studio space for the arts, especially since music was to become a major in the following year. Part of the barn had already been converted into a pottery studio prior to this.

The building came to serve as the house for the music department and was used for different social functions. Plans were made again to restore the building in the 70’s to make it a space for all college conferences, however, need for class space pushed those to the side once again.

The building would eventually be restored and debut as Kean Hall in 2001. It now houses University administrative offices with Kean’s beautiful library serving as the office for the University President. Kean Hall has always been a central part of the University.

Through the years it has served many purposes and gone through many changes, but still manages to retain its sense of timelessness. One can only image Hamilton Fish Kean’s reaction if he were to see his library now. It was designed as the crown jewel of Green Lane Farm and hopefully will continue to be the crown jewel of Kean University.

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

RUFF DOGS

By Quincy Rodgers

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.

Construction of Kean Hall

Photo courtesy of Kean University Archives and Special Collections

March, 2018

OPINION

THE TOWER 7

Kean’s Discord causes discord

By Jennifer Padilla A group of friends and I were sitting at Kean Starbucks having coffee and reading some of President Trump’s tweets.

Occasionally, we find typos and grammatical errors on them and we talk about it for days wishing we could somehow hit an edit button and fix them.

Criminal justice major Steven Torres seemed to have lost interest in the conversation, and was staring at a flyer on the wall.

“Give me a pen,” he said. “Can you begin a sentence with ‘Or’?”

Before anyone could answer, Torres began to edit the flyer— adding and removing commas, and crossing out redundancies. I joined him, of course.

The poster was full of questions, yet not a single question mark was found.

Written in capital letters, the poster reads: “KEAN WHISPER THE OFFICIAL KEAN UNIVERSITY DISCORD CHAT GROUP DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON SOMEONE, YOU THINK BRAD IS GOOD LOOKIN IN CHEM, A CONFESSION YOU WANT TO SAY, OR EVEN IN NEED OF SOME NETFLIX AND CHILL APPLICATIONS FOR THIS COLD WEATHER. OR EVEN SOME NEW FRIENDS TO PLAY SOME ONLINE GAMES WITH. CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL DISCORD CHAT GROUP.” But who does the creator of the poster think they’re persuading?

Torres said he wasn’t the least influenced to participate in any activity promoted on the flyer.

“What a terrible design that was,” he said. “Such a ridiculous run-on sentence.”

However, the content of the flyer instilled curiosity in me. Therefore, I had to find out what goes on in the Kean Whisper Discord chat room-- what these “confessions” and “Netflix and chill applications” were all about.

I signed in, and almost immediately had the impression that a person under the username “Can of Cat Food” was the creator, as they were asking users to spread the word.

“I wanted to connect the entire campus as one,” said Can Of Cat Food from a disposable email address. “I’ve been to many colleges where there was some sort of unifying app or chat that connected everyone in some shape or form.”

Can of Cat Food didn’t want to disclose his/her identity.

“I don’t think my identity is important, only my purpose is,” Can of Cat Food said.

Another Kean Whisper user who goes

by Ripley Reed, and who also didn’t want to be identified, said the advertising and promises detailed on the flyer “catfished” many.

“My friends and I were actually appalled when we saw it advertised as what seemed like a dating group chat with a slight mention of video games. So I joined,” said Ripley Reed in an email. “The server was filled with memes and funny posts rather than introductions and meaningful talk.”

The graphic design major also had some fitting words for the Kean Whisper flyer: “It looks cheap and clickbait that no one should really look into. It’s just one of those occurrences that makes you think if you should really trust the flyers you see around campus.”

Perhaps this is the reason why they’re continuously taken down, and then reappear on the same walls everyday— but who is taking them down?

I decided to find out what department is in charge of stamping and approving flyers— it’s the Center for Leadership and Service (CLS) in the Miron Student Center.

To my surprise, the office staff immediately knew what flyer I was speaking of.

“We’ve been taking them down every day,” said Julie Queiruga, CLS Customer Service Specialist.

She handed me a Guide to Campus Posting, which stated that there are designated bulletin board posting locations— Starbucks not being one of them.

However, I spotted another section of the guide that discussed the criteria prior to approval. Two bullet points stood out to me: “Is the material free of egregious spelling and grammatical errors?” and “Is the name of the person or organization responsible for the event clearly visible on the material?”

Photo: Jennifer Padilla

Kean Whisper f lyer has been seen at Starbucks, CAS, vaughn eames, and other buildings around campus.

No... and no.

Moreover, the creator doesn’t seem to spend enough time entertaining the new users that join. Some of them comment and never receive a response.

“I personally feel disappointed at the moderator of the group server, since they seem to be inactive,” added user Ripley

Reed. “I feel as a moderator on a bigger scale, you should take up the responsibility to manage the server, and I have not been seeing that lately.”

Can of Cat Food commented on the chatroom on Feb. 23 that it’s “official” that we now have a Kean voice chat.

“This is wack,” commented a user.

Procrastination and how to overcome it

By Donia Zaky T-minus 30 minutes until an assignment is due, anxiety is building; rushing. Time seems to be speeding up-- one can only type so fast.

Racing with time, most college students find themselves sighing in disappointment. “Why did I wait so long?” “Will I ever change?” “I have to start managing my time better.” These are all exhaustive thoughts college students contemplate as they rush to submit their next assignment.

Some relish in the hypnosis of social media. Some watch the next episode of Black Mirror on Netflix. And some sit there overwhelmed with anxiety of what they should be doing-- so, they decide to nap. Whatever the case may be, procrastination is a behavioral epidemic.

Overcoming procrastination seems to be a miracle waiting to happen-and a change most college students are yearning for-- however, the truth of the matter is: it’s a progressive behavioral change. A step by step learning process.

Now, how can procrastination be managed-- or better yet-- prevented?

Well, the simple answer is something college students are constantly told, but holds true: time management.

In fact, First Year Services at Kean University provides tips for students

struggling with procrastination-- 11 tips to be exact.

Off the bat, the first-- and most useful-- tip is to keep a daily to-dolist. According to the web resource, it is helpful if a college student develops or uses “one of the many commercial varieties, but take time (usually in the evening or the morning) to write down everything you must accomplish that day.”

Other tips include suggestions such as, “utilize waiting time,” “know your resources and seek advice,” and to “have a back up plan.”

When asked how she manages procrastination, Courtney Glynn, a 23 year old senior at Kean University, stated, “marking things down on my calendar works best for me.”

She continued, “I used to procrastinate in high school because I didn’t understand my assignment and it would make everything worse because of the pressure.”

“My advice: try to write things down to keep track of everything, and cross them off once it’s complete,” Glynn concludes.

But why else is it important to handle procrastination?

The Association for Psychological Science (APS), suggests that procrastination not only takes a toll on one’s emotional health, but their

Photo: Rayedigitaldesigns via Creative Commons

Time management is key to reducing procrastination psychical health as well.

APS announced in a recent study that, “chronic procrastination may make people more vulnerable to serious health conditions, like cardiovascular disease and hypertension.”

Various health problems-- that are stress-related-- such as, insomnia, digestive issues, chronic headaches, and more have been connected to procrastination. The stress caused from procrastination can have significant ramifications on the human body-which decreases it’s ability to fight of illness.

An 18 year old freshman at Kean University, Islam Elhoussainy, is

beginning to learn the importance of managing procrastination.

“Stress, whether it’s from procrastination, or life in general, can really get to me physically,” Elhoussainy said. “I break out, and if it’s ongoing, I can get really bad headaches.”

“That’s why I choose to start my assignments a couple of days before it’s due,” said Elhoussainy.

It’s undeniable that procrastination is a negative parasite that affects millions of college students. In fact, almost everyone can relate that it’s not the ideal situation. However, learning how to manage it can affect a college student positively in the long run.

8 THE TOWER

March, 2018

How anxiety affects college students

By Salimah McCullough Midterms and finals come around twice a semester and can bring on a lot of additional anxiety and stress to college students.

College is a stressful time for many and with all of the homework, exams, and papers, it can sometimes be difficult to balance all of the work. On top of having school work, everyone faces things in their lives that are also time consuming such as extracurricular activities, relationships, jobs, internships, and everything in between. Having to deal with all of these things can contribute to a person’s anxiety.

According to several news outlets, millennials have become known as the “anxious generation.” Many studies support this by showing that levels of anxiety have grown among the millennial generation.

A study done in 2013 by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) showed that 41.6 percent of students stated anxiety as the top presenting

concern among college students and that 85 percent of college students reported feeling overwhelmed by everything they had to do at some point within the past year.

Many students have to face the feeling of being overwhelmed quite often throughout their college years. Kean sophomore and accounting major, Brianna Daquino, mentioned that she feels this way especially during midterm and final season.

“All of my classes have a final, tests, or a project [due] at the same time which can get very overwhelming, leading to more stress and anxiety in my life,” Daquino said.

Different events in a college student’s life can cause higher amounts of anxiety.

They may have to deal with classes, exams, relationships, jobs/internships, sports, clubs, etc. Learning to juggle everything can be stressful to many.

For some college students, their biggest source of anxiety does not stem from their classwork, but it comes from the thought

College can contribute to a person’s anxiety

of what they are going to do after college.

“My biggest cause of stress and the thing that brings me the most anxiety is my future and life after college,” Daquino said. “The uncertainty of being able to get a career after college and the thought of failing is very stressful.”

Another study that was done by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors showed that “anxiety is the top presenting concern

Photo courtesy of PracticalCures.com

among college students (41.6%), followed by depression (36.4%) and relationship problems (35.8%).”

Learning how to deal with anxiety can also be a challenge for many students as all college students have different ways in which they cope with their anxiety.

“When trying to deal with my anxiety, I find ways to de-stress such as watching my favorite tv shows or hanging out with my friends,” Daquino said.

Students educate geriatric population about oral health

By Karina Gaitan Poor oral health is often an unrecognized disease that plays a role in the oral-systemic connection.

While rates and coverage for patients seeking medical care are slowly improving, those receiving oral and dental care remain stagnant. Additionally, patients with disabilities and/or mental disorders often neglect oral health and hygiene as the focus of their healthcare may be on other comorbidities.

As part of a grant awarded by the nccPA Health Foundation, five students and nurse educator Denise Rizzolo, PhD, of Kean’s School of Nursing, visited two locations to demonstrate proper oral hygiene. Students included nursing major Brian Ojiambo, pre-physicians assistant major Istvan (Steve) Bago, psychology major Nicole Echavarria and physical education and recreation major Annmarie Rapisardi.

On Jan. 29, the group visited the YMCA assisted living day program in Union, NJ and on Feb. 13, visited Community Access in Cranford, NJ, working with over 60 individuals between the two facilities.

Faculty and students reviewed daily brushing and flossing with the residents.

Models were used to demonstrate proper brushing technique. Denture care was reviewed and proper cleaning was

Woodward

described. Medications that cause dry mouth were explained and solutions were presented.

The aim of this project was to provide oral health information to a local underserved geriatric population who have underlying disabilities and/ or mental disorders. The project was interprofessional and sustainable; setting the stage for students and clinicians to help meet the oral health needs of the local community.

Kean University is located in the center of a culturally diverse area, where many residents are of lower socioeconomic statuses. Kean has a commitment to serving the individuals in the surrounding area through health promotion and education. Teaming with the nursing department at Kean, along with engaging undergraduate students from the institution, allowed for an interdisciplinary approach to care.

Dr. Rizzolo is the professor of the Introduction to Public Health course and by bringing her students to various facilities she is able to explain the importance of giving back to the community, in terms of using oral health education as a channel to do so.

This allows students to learn from and with each other, while meeting an important unmet need: oral health education in the community.

Photos by: Karina Gaitan

Top: Brian Ojiambo, Author, Nicole Echavarria, Istvan (Steve) Bago, Denise Rizzolo PhD and Annmarie Rapisardi Below: Students demonstrating proper oral hygiene techniques

(Continued from page 1)

said Woodward answering his own question. “ Number one avenue for finding out what is going on. What is avenue number two?”

He said this avenue is books, the internet; some type of documenting trail.

Woodward continued to give his how-to of finding information. When it came to avenue three, Woodward told a story from when he had first started about a source he had in the health department who gave him sanitation reviews of restaurants in Washington D.C.. The more expensive food places tended to be at the top of the list because the quality of the food and the reputation was most important.

“Ben Bradlee, the editor at the Washington Post, had a favorite restaurant,” said Woodward unveiling Bradlee’s favorite restaurant was on the list as the room filled with laughter. “How do you approach it? I walked in his office and said I have good news and bad news.

The good news is we have a great story.

The bad news is you’re going to hate it.”

Woodward soon after said the same source in the health dept. reached out to him about the lowest score they ever gave to a restaurant called The Mayflower coffee shop. He thought the coffee shop was located at a famous historic hotel called The Mayflower hotel. He presented the story to the city editor.

“I wrote up the story ….and he looked at it and he said, ‘Have you been there?’ I said no I haven’t,” said Woodward. “And he said, ‘well it’s two and half blocks away get your [expletive] out of the chair.’ So I went to the Mayflower coffee shop.”

When Woodward got to the hotel, he discovered they didn’t have a coffee shop.

The coffee shop he was looking for was located at a different address at a different hotel. The place was closed down for repairs. Then, he spoke to the manager who claimed they were having a bad day.

Woodward went back to the city editor.

“Can I have my draft story back? I need to make a few changes,” Woodward said.

Woodward’s lesson in this story is to go to the scene, use personal experience and “look for yourself.” Interacting with scenes and people continued to be a theme in his lecture.

Woodward’s other avenues of getting information were common sense and patience. When asked about gaining access to people and government documents, Woodward, emphasized on being a pest.

“It was [an] amazing experience meeting this amazing journalist,” said Senior Erica Eyssalenne, Political Science major. “I will never regret going to this event.”

Woodward is currently an associate editor at The Washington Post and will be releasing an online series of classes about investigative journalism on masterclass. com. The event was moderated by Terry Golway, senior editor at POLITICO States

and former professor at the University.

“Not only was he insightful but he was very even handed,” Golway said. “I thought he was artful the way he handled some of the questions. When he said we should have been tougher on Trump and we should have been tougher on Hillary that was interesting because of course a lot of Hillary supporters felt they were too hard.”

Woodward received $32,000 to speak at the Distinguished Lecture Series. The Kean University Board of Trustees voted in December to authorize the launch of the Distinguished Lecture Series.

“Funding for the lecture series, which will include high-profile experts in a variety of fields, is primarily expected to come from donations and reception fees with minimal support from the University’s operating budget,” said Kean Director of Media Relations Margaret McCorry. “No taxpayer funds will be used”

March, 2018

HEALTH

THE TOWER 9

Think before you ink

By Dr. Josh Palgi The number of young adults who say they, or someone in their home, has a tattoo has increased from 21 percent in 1999 to 40 percent today, according to a poll by The Wall Street Journal. While folks of all ages get them, Millennials lead the pack.

Tattoos (a loanword from the Polynesian word tatau, meaning “to write”), have become more and more popular in recent years. Statistics show that: • Total percent of Americans (all ages) who have at least one tattoo – 14 percent • Percent of U.S. adults 18-25 who have at least one tattoo – 36 percent • Percentage of U.S. adults 26-40 who have at least one tattoo – 40 percent • Total number of Americans that have at least one tattoo – 45 million So, should you get a tattoo? You need to do some serious self-interrogation before you step up and get inked – and it’s not all about whether you’re ready for the pain. There are other considerations to be thought of in a tattoo decisionmaking process.

1. Do I really want this permanently on my body, or do I just like it a lot?

2. Will it fit with the style of clothing I like to wear?

3. Am I prepared to do the proper amount of maintenance on it?

4. Do I know enough about tattoos and styles to be specific about what I want?

5. Have I saved enough to be sure I’ll get a good job?

6. Have I really selected my tattoo artist carefully?

7. Am I prepared for people to potentially react poorly to it?

You could be the proud owner of a new tattoo, but don’t let the ease of the process stop you from thinking carefully about permanent body art: The meaning behind the future tattoo. Why do I must have it on my skin. There is no “right” reason to get a tattoo.

(Whether your tattoo has a small meaning or a large one, your reason is good, as long as the meaning is there.)

• Cost • Size • Location • Permanence • Pain tolerance • Your artist’s experience • Your own experience • Social impact • Potential addiction (If you are going in for your first tattoo, make sure you consider whether or not there will be a second.)

Are tattoos safe? The FDA regulates inks in tattoos, but the actual practice of tattooing is regulated by local jurisdictions, such as cities and counties. That means there is no standardized certification for doing the tattooing or the overall governing body supervising the health and safety of tattoo parlors.

Thirty-eight states have laws prohibiting minors from obtaining a tattoo without parental permission.

In 2017, the American Academy of Pediatrics released guidelines for providing care to adolescents and young adults seeking body modifications such as tattooing.

Tattoos can cause complications. So, before making the decision to modify your body, it is important to understand the health risk of tattoos. That could include:

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Creativecommons.

Forty five million American have at least one tattoo.

• • • • •

• •

Allergic reactions to tattoo dyes, which may develop years later; signs of an allergic reaction include a rash at the tattoo site Skin infection, such as a staph infection or tuberculosis Development of nodules of inflamed tissue called granulomas around the tattoo site Formation of keloids, which are overgrowths of scar tissue Blood borne diseases, such as hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV. And tetanus; these can be contracted by using contaminated tattoo needles that haven’t been sanitized Interference with future magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests Burning or swelling at the tattoo site

The long term effects of tattoo ink and coloring remains unknown. Until recently, no government regulatory agency has closely examined the safety of tattoo ink.

More than 50 colorings used in tattoos have been approved for use in cosmetics, but the risk of injecting them beneath the skin is unclear. Such pigments are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). So far the FDA has only looked at whether these pigments were safe for external use, not for injection under the skin. No coloring has been officially approved for injection under the skin.

You can lower the chance of health complications with a tattoo by taking a few simple precautions.

• Get a tattoo from a licensed, reputable facility. Tattoo regulations and requirements vary by state, so check with your local department of health for the latest safety laws.

• Needles and razors should not be reused. Make sure you observe your artist remove needles from a new, sealed package • Check to make sure your artist uses a fresh pair of gloves and washes their hands before starting the

•

•

procedure Work surfaces, chairs, and non-disposable equipment must be properly cleaned and sterilized between customers. Choose another facility if there’s evidence of poor sanitation.

The area of skin being tattooed should be swabbed wit a disinfectant, such as rubbing alcohol, prior to tattooing. Fresh tattoos should be covered with sterile gauze or a bandage. Follow the artist’s instructions for caring for newly tattooed skin.

There is also a lower risk of infection and complications from body modifications with proper aftercare steps: • Keep new tattoos bandaged for 24 hours. Apply antibiotic ointment to keep your skin after removing the bandage.

• Gently clean the tattoo with plain soap and water, then pat dry • Use a mild moisturizer on newly tattooed skin throughout the day • Avoid sun exposure for the first few weeks • It’ll take up to two new weeks for your skin to heal.

You can reduce the risk of infection by not touching the tattoo until it heals.

• Gently clean new piercings with a saltwater solution.

Soak clean gauze in the solution, and then apply the gauze to the new piercing.

• Only clean piercings twice a day, over-cleaning can irritate skin and slow the healing process • Wash hands with warm water and antibacterial soap before touching or cleaning piercings Tattoos might be more common than ever, but don’t take the risks lightly. Understand the basic safety precautions and aftercare.

For more information, contact: Alliance of Professional Tattooists (http://www.safe-tattoos.com/)

Kean basketball finishes 2017-18 season

By Greg Patuto The Kean men’s basketball team wrapped up their season on February 14 with a loss against William Paterson University. This brought their record to 7-18 overall and 5-13 in conference.

They finished strong with a 2-2 record in February and that made them wish the season lasted a little longer.

“I just wish I had more time with them,” Head Coach Robert Kurzinsky said. “We all felt as though we were playing our best ball at the end of the year, particularly the last four games.”

The Cougars were led in scoring by freshman Adrian Baucum with 10.9 points per game. Junior Micah Carr was second on the team with 10.7 points per game and junior Keenan Williams Jr. was right behind him with 10.0 points per game.

Kean will not be graduating any seniors from this team which is good for the upcoming seasons. The Cougars are very junior heavy with seven on the roster and they can provide guidance for the underclassmen.

For any collegiate team, recruiting is always a big factor. The addition of new players, whether high school students or transfer students, is a great way to quickly launch a team to the top.

“You get better one of two ways,” Kurzinsky said. “Your returning players put forth the effort and improve their individual skill set and you go recruit good players that fill specific needs. I am optimistic about the recruits we are involved with and hopeful we can get some commitments once the

Kean finished their season with a 7-18 overall record. high school season winds down.”

Returning players with experience, recruiting talented new players, and putting work in to get better individually

is what builds a successful team and that is what the Cougars are willing to do.

“We are permitted to practice this week, which we use to set the tone for

Photo by: Larry Levanti

our progress over the next 9 months,” Kurzinsky said. “I feel very good about our player development and the direction that we are heading,”

SPORTS

10 THE TOWER

March, 2018

A new era for Kean Women’s Lacrosse

By Craig Epstein This season marks a new beginning for Kean Women’s Lacrosse as they have named a new head coach in Barbara “B.J.” Johnson. Coming in as just the sixth head coach in program history, Johnson takes over the reins from Jordan Trautman. Trautman went 51-37 during her five seasons at Kean before accepting the head coaching job at Division I Monmouth University.

“Head Coach B.J. Johnson is a welcomed addition to the Cougar family, she has implemented this regenerated connection that the mind and body plays in a student-athlete,” senior defender Giulia Vitolo said. “Her initially unfamiliar outlook has grown on the players and allowed each to adapt these set of skills not only to greater their mental toughness, but in translating the power of your mind off the field and in life in general.”

As excited as Vitolo is to play under her new head coach, she is well aware that this season will not just be defined by coaching, but by the commitment and unity of the players as well.

“Our success is not entirely measured by the professional wearing the coaching hat because at the end of the day it is the group of girls that take the field side by side,” Vitolo said. “It is the unity within those girls to come together and find selfless strength in not stepping off the field until they have truly left everything out there for one another, and for the better of this program.”

Johnson began her coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at The College of New Jersey. From there she proceeded to make stops at Rutgers University, Temple University, her alma mater Penn State, and Mount St. Mary’s University where she led the Mountaineers to their first Northeast Conference Championship game since the 2007 season.

“She [Johnson] has brought a lot of new things so far in preseason which has been great and we have learned a lot of different skills and techniques and are very excited to get the season started,” senior attacker Emily Stasuk said. “I am expecting to do big things because we have a very large group of girls this season as well as a large upper class, I know that this year we can do anything that we put our mind to.”

As a two-sport standout in both lacrosse and field hockey, senior defender Shauna LaMaina feels that although it will take some time to adjust to a new head coach, it won’t detract them from having a successful season.

“I feel that this upcoming season will be somewhat of a rebuilding year, we have a very strong upper class group of girls that will be the force of this team,” LaMaina said. “We came into

some challenges with a new coach and a big group of freshman this year but I don’t think that will stand in our way of having a successful year.”

Johnson’s Kean coaching debut was a successful one as the Cougars defeated SUNY Old Westbury by a final score of 19-2.

“I am excited to be here at Kean University with the Women’s Lacrosse Program,” Johnson said. “Our team has been working very hard this preseason and I am excited to see what they can do. Watch out for this team, we are full of experience and passion, 2018 should be a great year.”

“She [Johnson] has brought a lot of new things so far in preseason which has been great and we have learned a lot of different skills and techniques and are very excited to get the season started”

Attacker Emily Stasuk (senior)

Photos by Larry Levanti

Defender Shauna LaMaina (senior)

Now independent, men’s lacrosse looks to perform on the national stage

Captain Scott Royster (senior)

By Dan Papa Kean men’s lacrosse is expected to go through some growing pains this season. Most of these growing pains are attributed to the team’s defense, which according to Head Coach Shelley Sheiner, lost a bulk of seniors to graduation.

They are however expected to come back fierce and competitive this season.

Also new for the program this season, the team is no longer in a conference and is instead independent.

“Every game is a playoff game,” Sheiner said. “You must be above .500 for NCAA consideration in Pool B and beat the other indy schools when you play them.”

Captain midfielder Mike Snellen (junior)

This means no conference tournament and no conference recognition for players, but instead Kean could be competing on the national stage for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament title.

Some key players returning this season are the three captains: junior midfielder Mike Snellen, senior attackman Tom Kelly and senior midfielder Scott Royster.

“He’s coming off an injury which cost him half of his sophomore season,” Sheiner said about Snellen. “But he has looked amazing in the preseason.”

Sheiner explained that Kelly has put in a lot of work this off-season and is looking to make his final year in a Cougar

uniform a memorable one.

“Scott Royster is an extremely valuable player to the team,” Sheiner said. “He is the heart and soul of the program and will be called upon in many different capacities this year to lead the team to victory.”

Last season was not as successful as coach and team alike may have hoped for.

In fact, Sheiner was disappointed with his team’s performance.

“A variety of injuries and inconsistent play contributed to the team’s unfortunate 8-8 season,” Sheiner said. “But the team is healthy and re-energized and everyone is excited to hit the field this spring.”

The lacrosse team’s biggest games

Photos by Larry Levanti

this season will be against Colorado College, SUNY Canton, Richard Stockton University and Montclair State University.

“We expect the MSU and Stockton games to be highly competitive this year,” Sheiner said. “We play Montclair State the final game of the season on Friday, May 4th at 7 p.m. here at Kean, so I expect that atmosphere to be electric.”

When it comes to goals for this season, Sheiner has his sights set on keeping his team healthy and functioning in order to compete at the next level.

“If we accomplish that there is no reason why we can’t compete for an NCAA pool B bid,” Sheiner said.