TheYoungtownEdition COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER
VOL. 90, NO. 9
JULY-AUGUST, 2013
RANDOLPH, N.J.
Gold Medalist, 2012 Columbia Scholastic Press Association • First Place Layout & Design, 2012-2013 NJPA
“Education is the best provision for life’s journey.” -Aristotle
CCM provides a wide range of clubs BY KHUSHBU KAPADIA Editor in Chief
Here at County College of Morris, there are endless opportunities for thriving and enthusiastic students to get involved on campus. The clubs and organizations at CCM range from academic, cultural, social, governance, physical, recreational and many more. There are over 40 different clubs and organizations, each one different in its own way. Joining a club or an organization is not the limit; one can also reach top positions in a club and become a distinguished leader. There are a significant amount of scholarships that apply to students who are involved on campus. CCM also honors students as “distinguishing leaders” for their outstanding contribution and effort in a club or an organization, given that they have a desirable GPA. According to the CCM website, getting involved on campus will enable lasting friendships with fellow stu-
dents, professors, advisors, community leaders and others. Stress relief from schoolwork and new responsibilities, time-management skills and career exploration through networking are also possible advantages. Furthermore, students will gain leadership and team player qualities that will carry over to professional life. If a student is feeling aggressive and enthusiastic, the student can even consider forming his or her own club or organization. However, there a couple rules to follow when doing so. One must compile a minimum of nine other interested students who are willing to take part in the organization, get a CCM faculty or staff member to act as an advisor to the club and also complete the necessary paperwork which can be found at the Campus Life window in the Student Community Center. According to Don Phelps, associate director for Campus Life, joining clubs and organizations is crucial for college students
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Some of the Youngtown Edition staff. Left to right: Jordan Barth, Melissa Dellacato, Khushbu Kapadia and Carol Bermudez
to enhance their career path. “I cannot encourage students enough to get involved while at CCM. They will learn interpersonal skills, supplement their resumes, make new friends and have some fun,” Phelps said. Furthermore, a student’s involvement on campus can lead to many other advantages. These students will
have the opportunity to attend conferences, leadership training and attend trips and events at little or no cost. Caitlin Langan, broadcasting major and one of the producers of the upand-coming CCM Titan Talk news show, said she believes that joining clubs and organizations is a great way to meet new people.
“I most certainly recommend others getting involved in clubs because you can gain a lot out of all the experiences and people you work with,” she said. “It’s a great start to networking.” For more information and a list of the available clubs and organizations at CCM, visit the CCM website.
CCM offers various opportunities for summer classes BY KHUSHBU KAPADIA Editor in Chief
As summer comes around, many students have plans to go on vacation and relax. However, some students have another agenda in mind. Many County College of Morris students are taking summer classes as a means of advancing their graduation time and raising their GPA. CCM provides various summer sessions with a significant amount of courses, in turn, providing a wide array of courses for students. There are usually four sessions each summer, including online, hybrid and on-campus courses. CCM offers summer courses from business, math, science, general education re-
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quirements and many more. Many CCM students have found summer classes a useful option to partake in. According to Kelby Clark, journalism major, taking summer classes is extremely beneficial. “If you want to get a specific class out of the way so you don’t have to take it in the fall, or even if you are short on credits and it’s nearing graduation time,
taking a summer class or two is an excellent option.” Rebecca Vega, liberal arts major, also believes that summer classes are an advantage to students. “I think students should take summer classes if they want to speed up the process and be done with school.” There are three main advantages that a college student can expe-
rience by taking summer classes, according to collegetocareers.com. One advantage is getting ahead of the game and taking classes earlier to accelerate your graduation time. Avoiding the “wait list” and signing up for a class without having to worry about the course being filled is also another reason why summer classes are beneficial. “Attending summer session or winter session is a great way to go around this obstacle since it means being able to take a class that is usually impacted during a time when students would rather be anywhere but on campus,” states collegetocarrers.com. Last but not least, another reason why summer
classes can be an advantage to students is because some difficult courses that are offered in the fall or spring will be more rigorous, whereas, in the summer, during shorter sessions, there will not be much work to be done. “For example, taking a media studies course during the regular semester/quarter may require a 20-page term paper as the final project, while taking this same course during the summer or winter may only require students to draft an outline for the paper,” states collegetocareers.com. For more information on CCM summer classes, please visit the CCM website.
Page 2 The Youngtown Edition
NEWS
July-August, 2013
Boy Scouts decision hits close to home BY JORDAN BARTH
What do you like most about CCM? Monica Ochoa 18 Exercise Science “The Welcome Back Bash is a lot of fun. There’s music and food everywhere. It’s a good time.” Joel Bockhorn 19 Business Adminstration “The professor and layout of the class... She’s very fair and the class suits my learning style.” Harris Ekhator 22 Engineering Science “It’s an awesome school. I came here and I wasn’t fully ready for a 4-year school. CCM prepared me for a 4-year school.” Shilpa Ambadipudi 19 Communications “I really like my teacher.”
Pat Rynearson 20 Exercise Science “Everything is organized; there are even directions on how to get around campus.”
Antonio Polcaro 20 English Education “I like the teachers here; I haven’t had one bad teacher.”
The Youngtown Edition The Student Newspaper of the County College of Morris County College of Morris • Mail Station SCC 226 214 Center Grove Rd., Randolph, NJ 07869-2086 Phone #: (973) 328-5224 Fax #: (973) 361-4031 E-mail: youngtownedition@gmail.com Editor in Chief..............................................................Khushbu Kapadia Managing Editor..........................................................Melissa Dellacato Acting Managing Editor...................................................... Jordan Barth Business Manager............................................................................Open News Editor.......................................................................Brian Capriola Features Editor......................................................................Kelby Clark Entertainment Editor........................................................Nicole Darrah Sports Editor....................................................................................Open Photography Editor.........................................................................Open Layout Editor...................................................................................Open Copy Editor......................................................................................Open Online Editor .............................................................. Thomas Skidmore Social Media Editor.........................................................................Open Webmaster........................................................................................Open Communications Manager..............................................................Open Technical Adviser...............................................................Wilma Martin Adviser: John Soltes The Youngtown Edition is printed every other Wednesday during the fall and spring semester. Unless specified, the opinions of the editorial page are those of the editorial board. Signed letters to the editor of 250 words of fewer are welcome and should be dropped off on a disk in the Youngtown mailbox in SCC 226 or e-mailed to youngtownedition@gmail.com. All students are welcome to contribute articles to The Youngtown Edition either in person or via e-mail. However, students cannot receive a byline if they belong to the organization on which they are reporting. Writers must include a telephone number where they can be reached. The deadline for submission is the Wednesday prior to the date of publication.
BY JORDAN BARTH Acting Managing Editor
On May 23, the Boy Scouts of America voted to end its controversial policy, which banned gay youth from joining one of the nation’s most prestigious organizations around the world. Over 61 percent of Scouting’s National Council of 1,232 volunteer delegates from across the country voted to lift the ban. The final tally was 757 votes to 475 votes, overturning the ban on gay scouts, but keeping the ban on gay and lesbian leaders in place. “I believe the acceptance of ‘gay’ scouts into Scouting is a well thought out decision, as it provides all people the possibility to partake in a national organization,” said Jesse Ray Nardone, a student at County College of Morris. “People of all different races, ethnicities and religions are permitted in the BSA, even females are permitted to partake in BSA events,” Nardone said. “I believe the courts have their reasoning. I can understand an adult leader who is a lot older, but young leaders who [have] just graduate[d] and [are] seeking a scouting career should not be denied the opportunity.” The Boy Scouts’ chief executive, Wayne Brock, called on the Scouting community to reunite after the divisive debate that led to the vote by the BSA’s National Council. “This is a very difficult decision for a lot of people, but we’re moving forward together,” said Wayne Perry, the president of the Boy Scouts of America, in a press conference following the vote. “Our vision is to serve every kid.” In reaction to the group’s decision to allow openly gay youth members, some United States religious leaders are cutting ties with the Boy Scouts of America and will no longer permit local troops to meet at their churches. The Boy Scouts has deep ties to churches all over the country, as approximately 70 percent of the group’s many units are chartered by faith-based organizations. Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest
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Boy Scouts, San Antonio, Texas. U.S. Protestant denomination, announced that they expect a resolution against the policy to be issued by attendees at the group’s upcoming annual meeting in Houston. However, not all religious organizations reacted against the new policy. The Mormon Church, the largest sponsor of scouting troops nationwide, expressed support for permitting gay scouts. The United Methodist Church, the second-largest sponsor, also plans to continue its role in scouting. The chairman of the national scouting committee for the Catholic Church, the third-largest sponsor of scouting troops, encouraged church members to avoid rushing to judgment. “My hope is that we deal with the challenge in the spirit of Christian charity toward all,” said Edward Martin, chairman of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, in an open letter published during the week of the vote. According to Reuters, in addition to troops chartered by faithbased organizations, 22 percent of Boy Scout units are supported by civic organizations and nearly 8 percent are affiliated with educational organizations. It was widely known that national Scouting officials expected such departures but that membership should stabilize within a couple of months. “The Boy Scouts of America will not sacrifice its mission, or the youth served by the movement, by allowing the organization to be consumed by a single,
divisive and unresolved societal issue,” the organization said in a statement. The statement also said, “While people have different opinions about this policy, we can all agree that kids are better off when they are in Scouting. Going forward, our Scouting family will continue to focus on reaching and serving youth in order to help them grow into good, strong citizens…” There’s evidence the gay ban has hurt the organization. Membership rolls have dropped in three of the four regions nationally, according to a source who works in recruitment and writes under the pseudonym Andrew Johnson. According to NBC News, Johnson said that paperwork from the national organization showed a 58 percent drop in membership between 1972 and 2012. Local reaction to the call made by the BSA can be described as supportive and positive. The local Boy Scouts of America council that serves Randolph and the surrounding area put out this statement after the vote. “The Patriots’ Path Executive Board strongly feels this is a step in the right direction. Our council has always been guided by the best interests of our youth members. In keeping with that philosophy, we support the change and will continue to work toward further change.”
Community College Beyond Its Reputation BY MELISSA DELLACATO Managing Editor
Community colleges typically do not have a good reputation. High school students tend to be encouraged to apply to prestigious, 4-year colleges and universities. Community college is sometimes seen as a joke or a last resort, rather than a first choice school for a student to attend. However, going to a community college, such as County College of Morris, could be a smart decision for any student to make. Daniela Lato, 19, said she came to CCM because of the cheaper price and its closeness to home. “I thought it would suck to go to CCM since that’s where a lot of people from my high school would be going, but the campus is great and I’ve been able to make new friends,” she said. According to CollegeBoard, community colleges serve two significant purposes: they offer a smoother transition for students from high school
to college, and they provide preparation for the job market with career training to enhance important skills needed in the workplace. The CCM 2011 Graduate Survey results demonstrate these purposes and show that CCM serves as a great transition, both for students who intend to transfer to another college or enter the workplace after graduation. Sixty-six percent of the graduates transferred to 4-year institutions, such as Penn State University, the College of Saint Elizabeth and Rutgers University, to name a few. Another 32 percent were employed in jobs related to their CCM major. Not only does CCM prepare its students for any of their future endeavors, but it also offers them a positive experience overall. Sixty-nine percent of the graduates that year described their CCM experience as “excellent,” and another 29 percent described it as “good.” “Many of the students are so friendly and I haven’t had any problems with any of my professors either,” Lato said. “It’s be great so far.”