TheYoungtownEdition COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER
VOL. 88, NO. 6
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 04, 2012
RANDOLPH, N.J.
Gold Medalist, 2009 Columbia Scholastic Press Association • First Place General Excellence, 2010 NJPA
“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” -Archimedes
C4 Summit brings NJ together
Members of the SGA and PTK at the C4 Summit NICHOLAS CIRILLO contributor
Only 20 percent of community college students complete their credentials in three years, according to a hand-out from Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. The Student Government Association, along with the Alpha Kappa Kappa Chapter of PTK, held its second annual Community College Completion Corps Summit March 23, with the purpose of combating this issue. Eight community colleges from around New Jersey attended the summit, which focused on the importance of completing your associate degree before transferring to a 4-year university. Katie Smith, Senator on CCM’s SGA, was also Chair of the Summit Committee and said about 50 student leaders, all
IAN BLISS
members of either SGA or PTK at their respective colleges, attended the summit, which was held in the Davidson rooms in the Student Center. “The main goal of the summit is to inspire the other community colleges to take part in the C4 initiative by hosting their own ‘Signing Days’,” Smith said. “We wanted to give the student leaders from the other schools the tools and information necessary to go back to their respective community colleges and teach their peers about why earning an associate degree is essential.” Signing Day is where students and faculty sign a pledge acknowledging the importance of getting an associate degree. CCM’s Signing day was held the Wednesday before the summit. Around 100 students and faculty signed the pledge, Smith said.
During the course of event, presentations were given by SGA members Peter Peliotis and Heather Smith, as well as by CCM President Edward Yaw and Dr. Bette Simmons, vice president for Student Development and Enrollment Management at the college. “You never know what will happen, and having your associate degree prepares you for when life happens and does not go according to plan…cause it never does,” Smith said. As an SGA senator and a member of PTK, Smith wants students to realize that while it may seem impossible to balance school work, job(s) and a personal life, there are resources available on campus that will aid in achieving their goals. “Don’t walk around with your blinders on,” Smith said. Anthony Scandariato is president of the SGA, and was very pleased with the turn out and overall impact of the summit. This year’s attendance is about double the amount as it was last year, he stated. “The summit was very organized, ideas were exchanged very thoroughly and we received a lot of positive feedback,” Scandariato said. The attendees were pleased with the presentations. They found the summit to be incredibly valuable, according to feedback from the schools that attended, Dr. Simmons, and Don Phelps, Associate Director of Campus Life.
The most important read in college: the fine print contributor
Index
A recent study by an organization called the Young Invincibles found that 65 percent of students did not understand the type of loan they had taken out or the terms of payment. The study surveyed 6,500 graduate-level and undergraduate students who had taken out student loans. The results are troubling to those worrying that loan repayment may continue to be a problem for recent college graduates who are having trouble finding jobs. Young students do not necessarily take the time to read language that is boring or difficult to understand. Loan documents are
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written in such a way that the organization is covered legally, and as a result, creating easy to understand language is not the priority. Therefore even if students grasp that they are borrowing a large amount of money, there is the reality that loans can be difficult to understand in general. Let’s assume a student takes out a $40,000 loan. Do they really know how that monthly payment will impact their day-today budget when they graduate? If they took out an even larger loan, would they really know the difference in terms of financing when they graduate? It is not uncommon for students to have a strong sense of optimism about their future. Perhaps some of this optimism stems from a general
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lack of experience, or a sense of denial. The college student may believe that they will get a highpaying job, pay off their loans in a few short years and then start acquiring all the material possessions that are part of the American Dream. Unfortunately, America is not in the best place right now to find a job quickly and pay off all of the debt acquired. Do college students really understand their loans? Are they just so clueless to the point where they believe they do not have to figure out all the fine print? Regardless of the reason, thousands of students are now realizing that they should have done a bit more reading of the fine print.
Today’s Headlines
JONATHAN DOLAN
Beats • Dance • Clean
DJ puts new spin on club scene EDDIE VILLABON Acting managing editor
Since November, DJ Kurt Habermann has been hosting New York City style club events in Northern New Jersey. Club Liberation, the name given to the events, consists of a roster of experienced DJs playing everything from House to Hip Hop at venue Vibe in Riverdale. It is everything a night out in the city can be described as with one exception– Club Liberation is a sober event. During these events, the bar doesn’t serve alcohol and partygoers are encouraged to attend completely sober, Habermann said. Habermann, who is currently in recovery himself, developed the idea in September and by the following November he was throwing his first party. Being a DJ for over 15 years, he wanted to create a place where he and others were free to enjoy the nightlife where it was “safe and free of the drama of drugs and alcohol.” Club Liberation is not sponsored by anyone or affiliated with any organizations nor is it specifically for individuals in recovery. Habermann describes it as a legitimate club experience for people who don’t need to drink and do drugs to enjoy themselves. He is the sole proprietor for the events and with a recent change of venue and focus on quality of talent DJing, he is confident that Club Liberation will soon grow in popularity. Currently, he is attempting to locate a venue in Miami to host events there and is hoping to host them across the nation. Although his main focus is Club Liberation, eventually Habermann would like to throw pool parties similar to Rehab and Wet Republic in Las Vegas. The main focus of Club Liberation is the music, Habermann
said. He and his team of DJs take it very seriously. He understands the stigma that can be attached to a sober party, for example, that it is viewed as overly righteous therefore somehow related to a church or fellowships like Alcoholics Anonymous. Younger crowds tend to deem the idea as “corny” or boring. In fact, he said as of his last event the response was positive. “I never thought I’d be able to dance all night and have this much fun without alcohol.” partygoers said The general demographic in attendance was an equal amount of males and females between the ages of 20 and 35. Students under 21 are encouraged to attend Club Liberation events. Since there is no alcohol served, security does not check IDs at the door. Habermann also said the juice bar is fully stocked and excellent as far as providing refreshments that add to the atmosphere without containing alcohol. The only other skepticism that Club Liberation has been met with is the $20 cover charge. He said although it does seem steep at first, other clubs charge less to get in, but by the end of the night partygoers would have spent much more on overpriced drinks only to be wary of police and DUI. There is also the dreaded hangover most clubbers have to experience the following day. Habermann’s next event is this Saturday night at Vibe in Riverdale. Doors open at 10 p.m. For more information you can check out his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/club.liberation. Also, his previous events can be downloaded directly to a smartphone or itunes via podcast from http://freakonomix.com/dj/ inscision/.
FACEBOOK.COM/CLUB.LIBERATION
This Saturday, Vibe will be full of sober partygoers
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