The Tower 4/7/10-4/27/10

Page 1

Tiger Woods Matters P. 11

World Wide Web of Comics P. 2

ng i v a ey S ons! n o M oup C 4

Honda’s C-RZ Hybrid Breaks Barriers P. 9

Pg 1

The Tower Kean University’s student newspaper

www.kean.edu/~thetower

Volume 10 • Issue 7 Apr. 7-Apr. 27, 2010

Thompson Wins Student Org Election By Joseph Tingle and Melissa Jewels

Assoumou Sahou Jr., candidate on the Team Reformation ticket, outside University Center campaigning for last minute votes as Student Org elections ended this week.

Kean Reflects on Obama Presidency By D.J. Jean

The dream of a national healthcare plan is finally realized, now that millions of uninsured Americans will receive medical coverage.

“The passage of the Healthcare bill last Sunday was such a significant event.” On Sunday, March 21, the US House of Representatives, on a vote of 219212, passed a Healthcare Reform bill that means the beginning of a total overhaul of our current healthcare system. It was met with resounding opposition from the Republican Party.

And Kean University students are certainly interested. At an event on Thursday, March 25, the Kean University Political Science department and members of the Kean chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society, held an event called “Reflections on the Obama Presidency.” The discussion included Political Science professors Dr. Lawrence Chang, Dr. Gilbert Kahn, Dr. Charles Kelly, Merle Treusch, and Dr. Jacqueline Keil, who was the moderator of the event. The event was open to everyone and questions were taken afterwards. According to Prof. Treusch, the media was referring to President Obama early on as possibly a “transformational president.” A “transformational president” is (Continued on page 4) a president who

Dare Thompson, the Independent candidate, was elected the new president of Kean University’s Student Organization, according to preliminary voting results released Tuesday. Thompson, a junior Finance major, president of the University Activities Board, and a brother of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, defeated the UNI team candidate, Walmbe N’Dure, current vice president of student affairs.A whole new Executive Board was also elected, as were new class representatives for each class. The Reformation team swept the race, winning all the seats it vied for, and coming in as victors in the class races as well. The official tallies are scheduled to be announced Wednesday, but early results were released to the candidates and the press after online voting ended Tuesday evening. “I’m still a little nervous,” Thompson told The Tower after the announcement. “I worked hard and was passionate about one goal—increasing student involvement. And I followed through with it. Thanks for the support.” On the Executive Board, Benito Nieves, a member of the UNI team, won the race for vice president of funded groups. Also elected to the top SO board—all of whom were members of the Reformation ticket—were Juan Lopez to director of promotions and advertising; Lester Bosea to assistant secretary; Olu Brown as assistant treasurer; Assoumou “JR” Sahou as vice president of committees, and Ned Shaikh as vice president for student affairs. Jessica LaMagra, who ran unopposed as an independent candidate, won as vice presi-

dent at Kean-Ocean campus. Reformation did not run candidates for the president’s seat or for VP-funded groups. Incumbent president Carminda Bandeira thanked everyone for running a clean campaign. She said just four violations were called into question during the voting process, they were investigated and nothing was found amiss. Last year, the election results were delayed because of alleged irregularities. Kean’s Student Organization represents the university’s estimated 10,000-plus full time undergraduate students and has an operating budget of about $1 million. Voting, which was handled by a service, was done by email to students and took place on April 5 and 6. The new student government holds its first meeting May 7. On March 25, Student Org had a debate —a first—in the University Center’s Little Theatre, which included various candidates running from the UNI Team and the Reformation League. One issue was the lack of awareness about what Student Organization is and what it stands for. Freddy Echevestre, candidate for vice president of committees said, he thought Student Org needed to advertise itself more on campus. “I would think it’s because of publicity.” Assoumou “JR” Sahou said, when answering the question about a lack of awareness. “It needs to be known that we’re here and we’re doing stuff for you guys [the community],” said Sahou, who is also a candidate for vice president of committees and a member of the Reformation ticket. Sahou stressed that advertising is the key to getting students more involved (Continued on page 2) in their community.

BE KEAN’S BIGGEST LOSER. (SEE PAGE 12)

Ericka White Freshman, Elementary/Special Education

“Chocolate, because it’s the only time of the year I eat it.”

William Parrish Junior, Education/Marketing

“Jellybeans, I just love them.”

The World Wide Web of Comics

2

Arts & Entertainment

Repomen: A Rip-off?

5

Editorial & View

More Pets Put Down

7

Health & Fitness

By brett Williams

Photos: Brett Williams

INQUIRING PHOTOGRAPHER: What is the one thing you would like to see in your Easter basket this year?

Enise McCormick Junior, Film & Media

Aimee Pagan Junior, Education

“The cure for my mother’s cancer. Just so she wouldn’t have to worry anymore, nor anyone else.”

“Anything from my family, because they always do little things to show they love us.”

8-9 10-11 12

Hoops for Heart

12

Sports

15

2010 MLB Predictions: John & Junior

16


2

Apr. 7-Apr. 27, 2010 |

The Tower

The World Wide Web of Comics By Casey Murphy

The traditional comic strip that led into comic books goes back as far as the late 1890’s, according to comicbookwebsites. com. But, according to comicbookbin. com, it wasn’t until 1992 that one of the first webcomics was introduced. That’s 102 years after the comic strip and only

18 years ago, but the webcomic still has an immense following that includes readers who like the traditional comic style, readers who like to catch their favorite manga series online, and even the artists who create their own series. Suany M. Cañarte, a Speech Language Pathology major here at Kean University, is just one of the many people who enjoy making web comics on their spare time. When Cañarte was 17 she had three webcomics she was keeping up, none of which she works on now.

STUDENT ORG ELECTIONS OVER

“I used to read a lot, probably more than I do now, and I used to write a lot,” said Cañarte. “I was in the process of writing a very poorly thought out novel at the time and I thought it would be cool if I could draw it out. I saw a webcomic and I thought, ‘That would be cool!’” Keeping up with a webcomic isn’t as easy as some may think. Cañarte has

twitter, comic forums, and an ad website where users bid for ad space in order to have her webcomic known. Managing and advertising aren’t the only tough parts of having a webcomic. There is also keeping up the story line and drawing each page on a regular basis to put it up on time. In the past 6 years she has made five webcomics, none of which

“I like to draw, and if I’m doing something that makes me not like to draw I don’t want to do it.”

Suany M. Canarte (above); a sketch from chapter 2 of “Pyraliss” (left).

Photo: Joseph Pascale

spent from several months, even years, going through other webcomic websites to see exactly how the creator manages and advertises their website. She also uses

have been finished. Although webcomics are one of Cañarte’s passions, she admits that she wouldn’t want to draw for a living. “When I was a kid maybe, but when I was a kid I wanted to be a zookeeper, and an artist and every lavish thing I could possibly image,” said Cañarte. “For a while I considered graphic design, but I wasn’t

happy considering it. It was more of a last resort idea. I like to draw, and if I’m doing something that makes me not like to draw I don’t want to do it.” Her first webcomic was titled “Unknown Forces” which a friend allowed her to post on his website, although in the end the project was stopped because he stopped letting her use it. At the same time she was working on a side project titled “Kitsune Light” which was based off both everyday events in her life. The third was “Weekly Window Pane” which only reached 14 pages before she decided she didn’t want to work on it any more. “[“Weekly Window Pane”] was my attempt at humor and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not that humorous,” said Cañarte. Even though her first three webcomics were never finished, Cañarte didn’t give up. Her most recent webcomic is “Pyraliss”, which comes from the Greek word “pyralis” meaning “of fire.” A doodle of the main character, Garai, was the spark of inspiration to a very in depth and complex story. “I made up the main character and started to write the story, which was originally going to be a novel,” said Cañarte. “I got midway through chapter three and decided I wanted to draw it.” Right now “Pyraliss” is 30 pages long, but the project is currently on hiatus because of school. Canarte is planning on continuing “Pyraliss” in the summer. To view “Pyraliss” go to www.pyraliss. com.

(Continued from page 1)

Another issue asked in the debate was not only how to get students to speak up about their concerns, but the “best way” to do so. Ned Shaikh, Reformation candidate for vice president of student affairs, proposed an idea called the “concerns box” which would be set up in each building for students

to input their complaints. Another idea Shaikh proposed was to “have an event where students could come out freely and just be open” so that any problems could be addressed. Luis Ayala, a UNI candidate for vice president of student Affairs, said most of what is done should be done through

Kean email accounts. “I promise you, that if I am voted in, this campaign will work and will succeed,” said Ayala. Thompson’s response was different. “My plan is to increase Kean’s cohesiveness from student to faculty, from student to administration, which will lead to an

environment that will also increase student’s education,” he said. To learn more about Student Organization, please visit http://www.kean.edu/ ~stuorg.


The Tower

Choose a Major Day Takes Over CAS By Charley Falkenburg

The tables were brimming with fliers and hand-outs about various career options. Several career counselors in tidy blue blazers dashed around providing helpful information and advice to puzzled undergraduates. It was a busy day for the Center for Academic Success as Kean students united on the nerve-racking quest of deciding a major.

“Your guide sheet is your Bible. . . it is your road map to classes you are going to take at Kean.” Kean held its “Choose a Major Day” event in the CAS lobby on Mar. 9. Undecided and undeclared students banded together to learn about different education fields that Kean has to offer and the career choices that they entail. Jean Brown, the advisor to all undeclared and undecided students, says she created this event to help the many undergraduates who are unsure, confused, or curious about the different directions their lives can take. “I usually have 485 undecided and undeclared students each semester,” Brown said. During the exhibit, Brown held an as-

sembly to provide expert guidance on the process of deciding and declaring a major. She stressed the importance of making educated decisions about career choices and following the guide sheets. “Your guide sheet is your Bible... it is your road map to classes you are going to take at Kean,” Brown said. Undergrads received the opportunity to talk to various faculty members of different education departments. The colleges of business and public administration, education, humanities and social sciences, visual and performing arts, and natural, applied, and health sciences were present to educate attendees about different majors and career choices Each department had its own table with different kinds of visual aids and information sheets. Representatives of the departments displayed an array of posters, pictures, and pamphlets to help interested individuals figure out if that particular field is right for them. This fair helps give me an idea of what different careers are about,” Said one freshmen, Anne-Marie Faruolo. While many students went to the event to satisfy their curiosity, attendance was mandatory for undecided students. While some students felt a little pressure, others welcomed the event. “It gives me the push to come to a decision which is good or else I would be here forever,” said Stephanie Santos, a freshman.

KEAN ACADEMIC CALENDAR • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

April 08 – All Day Young Screenwriters Series: Master Class with David Kukoff CAS 408 April 11 – 1PM-3PM Nathan Weiss Graduate College Open House. East Campus April 13 – All Day Event. GameStop Tournament. UC Atrium April 14 – 10 AM Cougar Fair. UC Atrium April 15 – 1 PM Photo Frenzy. UC Atrium April 19 – 3:30 PM CVPA Professional Enrichment Series Designing My Life, UC Little Theatre. Free Admission. April 20 – 3 PM Volleyball Tournament, UC Volleyball Court. April 21 – 10 AM Cougar Fair UC Atrium 5 PM The Kean University Senior Award Ceremony. Down’s Hall. 8 PM Movie Night, UC Little Theatre April 23 – Deadline to schedule move-out appointment with your RA by 4 p.m. April 27 – 3 PM Ping Pong Tournament. Greek Lounge April 28 – 10 AM Cougar Fair UC Atrium April 29 – 3 PM Ice Cream Social UC Atrium May 03– All Day Event Spring 2010 Move Outs

By junior jean-baptiste

The “Young Gunz Owtlatz,” of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc., Beta Xi chapter, will be hosting a step show on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at Wilkins Theatre at Kean University. “Don’t call it a comeback,” said Herlens Arnaud, graduate student and brother at Kean. “We’re happy we’re back on track to serve our community at Kean. We want to give back what Kean gave to us.”

Iota Shield, Fraternity logo

Not only does the fraternity want to rebuild its name, but also to get the whole Divine Nine and Greek Senate unified. So why a stepping show? A step team is when a fraternity or sorority combine beats together with their feet and hands and most of the time do skits along with them. “The whole purpose is to promote unity amongst the Greeks in stepping, says Peter Edwards, brother of the fraternity and graduate of Kean. Unity amongst the Divine Nine and Greek Senate as well.” The Divine Nine are the four sororities and five fraternities, historically black, which makes up the NPHC (National PanHellenic Council) which is now celebrating its 80 year anniversary. The four sororities

Attend the Nathan Weiss Graduate Open House and learn more about our exciting programs to advance your career. Explore our beautiful location on the East Campus and learn about financial aid and graduate assistantships at Kean. APPLICATION FEE WILL BE WAIVED FOR ALL ATTENDEES.

SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010

Open House: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the East Campus, Kean University, 215 North Avenue, Hillside, NJ 07205 Our program coordinators will be available to provide in-depth information and answer your questions throughout the event. Health & Fitness Center tours at Harwood Arena (shuttle service from East Campus will be available at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.).

DOCTORAL PROGRAMS:

Criminal Justice and Public Administration Criminal Justice, Health Services Administration, Nonprofit Management and Environmental Management

Arts and Humanities Fine Arts, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Liberal Studies, Political Science, Sociology and Social Justice, English and Writing Studies, and more

Health and Wellness Exercise Science, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology and Health Services Administration

Business and Technology Accounting, Global Management MBA, Executive MBA, Communication Studies, Graphic Communications Technology Management, and more Education Learn about our many Master's and Certification programs in areas such as Early Childhood Education, Educational Administration, Instruction and Curriculum, Reading Specialization, and Special Education

Psychology, Counseling and Social Services Human Behavior and Organizational Psychology, Psychological Services, Marriage and Family Therapy, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling, School Counseling, Community/Agency Counseling, Educational Psychology, School Psychology, Social Work, and more Science and Mathematics Biotechnology, Computing, Statistics and Math, Computer Applications, Supervision of Mathematics, and Teaching Mathematics

Visit www.kean.edu/~keangrad for more information and to register, or call 908-737-GRAD.

3

Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Step Show

Graduate Open House

Doctor of Psychology (PSY.D.) School and Clinical Psychology Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Urban Leadership

| Apr.7-Apr. 27, 2010

are Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta, and Sigma Gamma Rho. The five fraternities are Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity. Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc was founded September 19, 1963 at Morgan State University. At a time where blacks struggled for equality and the Civil rights groups protesting on the streets, the fraternity felt the need to do something in order to unite black men together and serve their community on the campus. It is now the nation’s fifth largest, predominately African-American social, service fraternity. The fraternity’s purpose is the development and perpetuation of scholarship, leadership, citizenship, fidelity, and brotherhood among men. “I’m a new brother and the experience is the best teacher, says Chudi Onyia, 24 sophomore and Biological Science major at Kean. I’ll know when next time how to set up an event like this.” There are five undergraduate brothers on campus and many alumni brothers who come in to support the fraternity and the school. At the Meet the Greeks event, almost every fraternity and sorority meet together, but the fraternity wanted something else to unify Greek life as well. “It’s a good experience and it’s a chance to meet the Greeks again for students without going to Meet the Greeks events we have every semester,” said LaLa Allen, 19, freshman Psychology major. Any fraternity or sorority interested in participating in this event, please contact Brother Peter Edwards by Facebook or contacting him at 908-397-2657. Also, the step teams can be outside the school as well, just notify Brother Edwards of it. The show will start promptly at 7 p.m. and there will be five fraternities and five sororities who will be able to participate in the event. The first place prize of $1500 will go to the best fraternity and sorority step team. It’s the first time since 1994 that the fraternity has hosted the show.

K E A N

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

w w w. ke a n . e d u

Kean University

U N I V E R S I T Y

1000 Morris Avenue, Union, New Jersey 07083

PAID


4

Apr. 7-Apr. 27, 2010 |

The Tower

Massive Flooding Cripples Kean’s Tuition Service By Joseph Tingle

Record flooding shut down Kean’s Rhode Island-based tuition service last week, just as the deadline for monthly tuition payments was due. Kean students, however, don’t need to worry about negative consequences for any late April payments. According to Tuition Management Systems’ website at afford.com, students who hadn’t made their monthly payment before the deadline on April 1 won’t be charged with any service fees or penalties.

KEAN REFLECTS ON OBAMA PRESIDENCY is able to transform the American political system and make large-scale change within the American community. He cited political scientist Michael Nelson, who talked about “presidents of achievement.” According to Nelson, three criteria need to be met, in order for a president to be called a president of achievement. The three criteria a president needs to meet are big ideas, public support, and passing issues through congress. “The passage of the healthcare bill last Sunday was such a significant event,” professor Treusch said. “If he had not been able to achieve that, if that had been put off until next year, the chances of the Obama presidency being a success would probably have been very small.” Dr. Chang, who was the first to deliver his opening statement among the panel, said if he was to engage in the Obama panel discussion prior to Sunday’s passing

A Student Accounting employee at Kean also said that students who have made all of their other payments won’t have their schedules dropped as a result of late payments. According to a Tuition Management Systems’ customer service representative, Kean and TMS have been in contact, and Kean has been informed of the situation regarding their tuition management service. Tuition Management Systems’ website went down with internet servers all over Rhode Island.

The flooding, which began early last week, continued for three days and represents the worst flooding that has taken place in Rhode Island for two centuries. It also affected other areas in New England. What costs the flood will have on Rhode Island and the rest of New England remains to be seen, though last time Rhode Island flooded—a drastically less potent flood—businesses alone lost upwards of $750,000, according to an article at NPR. org, National Public Radio’s website. On April 1, Tuition Management Sys-

tems’ customer service representatives, were not sure when the tuition company’s servers would be back up, but were hopeful that it would be sometime this week. Tuition Management Systems is the service used by Kean University for all tuition and housing related matters. Students who want to pay their tuition must do so at the Student Accounting office, or through the TMS via afford.com or snail-mail.

care Reform bill. Dr. Kahn said that the healthcare bill would determine President Obama’s place in history, and that the vote for the healthcare bill was comparable to social security for Franklin D. Roosevelt and medicare for Lyndon Johnson. According to Dr. Kahn, the passing of healthcare reform on Sunday, probably saved the House of Representatives from going Republican, especially with the nuances that took place during the eventual passing of the bill, like President Obama’s bargaining with pro-life democratic representative Bart Dupak. As the panel turned over to the audience for questions, the discussion switched to the “protagonist/antagonist” mentality that the Republican and Democratic Party seem to share about each other. Dr. Chang said in one of his political science classes, a student described the rela-

tionship between both parties as a nasty divorce, with the American people as the children being caught in between. All in all, the panel discussion was a well-informed dissection of Obama as President of the United States, taking a retrospective approach, going as far back as to the day he was inaugurated, to foreshadowing the impending question of a possible second term for our 44th president of the United States. The panel discussion concluded with the audience receiving a parting gift, which was a booklet of the constitution called “The U.S. Constitution And Fascinating Facts About It” from Pi Sigma Alpha. The booklet encompassed of everything from facts about the founding fathers, the constitution, the Supreme Court to the actual Constitution and its amendments.

(Continued from page 1)

of the Healthcare Reform bill, his assessment of the Obama presidency could be a little different. Dr. Kelly was in agreement with this standpoint, expressing similar sentiment. “A month ago, my analysis of the presidency was a lackluster presidency,” Dr. Kelly said. Though Dr. Kelly did not agree with the idea of Obama being a “transformational president”, he believes Obama to be more of a “good” president. Some of the issues he touched on were the Healthcare reform bill and how Obama needed to succeed at negotiations with Russia on nuclear weapons, the issue of foreign policy, and our involvement in the Middle East. Subsequent to Dr. Kelly was Dr. Kahn. He began by thanking the audience for such a great turnout before getting into his part of the discussion. Like the other panelists, Dr. Kahn discussed the Health-


The Tower

| Apr.7-Apr. 27, 2010

5

“Repomen:” A Rip Off? By Casey Murphy

If you could buy new organs to replace your own, would you? Even if it meant the possibility of having those same organs repossessed if you cannot keep up with payments? This is the concept of both the movie Repomen, which hit theaters Friday March 19th, and the cult classic rock opera Repo!: The Genetic Opera (also known as Repo!). Many followers of the cult classic are up in arms about the release of Repomen, claiming the author, Eric Garcia, (who wrote the book, The Repossession Mambo), of Repomen stole the idea from the creators of Repo!, Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich. Repo! was spawned from a ten-minute opera Smith and Zdunich made titled “The Necro-Merchant’s Debt.” In the early 2000’s Repo! began performances as a stage play and in 2007 was made into a motion picture directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (director of Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV). Repo! is set in a futuristic gothic world where an epidemic of organ failure sparks the idea for an organ-financing company, Geneco, run by Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino). The story follows Shilo Wallace (Alexa Vega), a young girl diagnosed with a blood disease who is not allowed to leave her own home. Defying her father, who is also her doctor, Shilo secretly leaves the house in order to search for the cure to her own rare disease. She ends up involved with Geneco, meeting Rotti, and finding out in-

Repo!: The Genetic Opera movie poster (above); Repomen movie poster (right)

formation about her family that she never knew. Starring Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Nathan Wallace, and Paris Hilton as Amber Sweet, it’s surprising that more people don’t know about this musical horror. On the other side of the spectrum, Repomen is also based in a futuristic setting with a organ-financing company, The Union. This movie follows Remy (Jude Law), a Repo Man that works for The Union. After a freak accident that almost kills Remy on a repossession job, he is

given a new heart from the company he works for. His problem: he can’t pay the bill. Now Remy must find a way to stop The Union from repossessing his heart, as well as the organs of his lover, Beth (Alice Braga). Also starring Forest Whitaker (The Great Debaters and Panic Room) as Remy’s partner Jake, and Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Repomen will have the viewer at the edge of their seat and is a must see. But despite the differences, there is controversy. The ordeal started back right be-

fore filming for Repo! began, when Smith and Zdunich found out that Universal was planning on producing a movie called Repossession Mambo, which was the original title for Repomen. According to Zdunich’s blog, both him and Smith put together any information they could give to their lawyers about the creation of Repo! so Universal couldn’t sue them. After they had documentation showing the progress of Repo! over a span of ten years, they began to wonder if they could potentially sue Universal. The final answer was no. “Several entertainment attorneys told us that while the script, characters, and music of REPO! are copyright protected, the ideas are not,” said Zdunich on his blog. “In other words: unless exact lines of dialogue or identical lyrics were lifted from REPO! and placed into Repomen— which would prove beyond a doubt that plagiarism had occurred—that we did not have a case.” Although Universal didn’t plagiarize, fans are still furious about the Hollywood rendition, believing it will get viewers to believe that Repo! is the copycat, when there is evidence that the idea was made up before the novel Repossession Mambo was published. Whether Repomen is a rip off, or whether it is an entirely unique piece of its own, both Repo! and Repomen are artistically brilliant in their own way, and a must see for every fan of repossession.


6

Apr. 7-Apr. 27, 2010 |

The Tower

Once Upon a Time In New Jersey By Shayneice Elaine Northan

The Jersey Shore may be the summertime playground for Mike “The Situation,” Snookie, and Pauley D., but did you know that the Jersey shore practically aided in our independence? It’s true, but that’s not all that New Jersey is responsible for but only history will tell. David Hackett Fischer, a historian and Pulitzer Prize winner for his book Washington’s Crossing—graced the Kean campus last Thursday March 4th. Several Kean students and teachers, as well as outside Fischer followers gathered throughout a few buildings to learn about the great importance that New Jersey and George Washington had during the Revolutionary War. Fischer attempted to send a valuable message in which he illustrated by bringing the audience back to basics in his lecture entitled: “New Jersey in the American Revolution,” but the message may have been a bit hard to interpret—due to technical difficulties. New Jersey is home to several historical

sites: it is the “ground zero” for the American Revolution. Unfortunately these sites are becoming endangered, according to Fischer. This is detrimental for our children and ultimately the future because history is an important factor to consider when moving forward—can’t go where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. “It’s important to do history on the ground and to teach history on the ground…We’re not doing so well with young people in the schools,” said Fischer. From March to July of 1777—an extremely volatile period in history, Washington and his troops were stationed in familiar places like: New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, and Morristown—also the residence of Washington’s Headquarters. Fischer also acknowledged that several battles took place in Garden State towns such as Princeton, Monmouth, and Fort Lee. New Jersey also contributed about 50 percent of its men to this war—that’s more than any other state! The war lead by General Washington has

been quite disappointing: he’d lost much of his army in attacks, some 90 percent. “Washington’s despair has been reduced to tears of helplessness…,” said Fischer. He had lost more battles than any other general which was pretty discouraging, and many lost hope. “Washington was sitting on the Jersey Shore—wondering if he should just call it off,” said Fischer. Luckily he decided not to call it off: could it have been the happiness and fun atmosphere that the Jersey shore promotes? Washington knew that a new approach had to be taken: so he decided to try something new as a leader by experimenting through trial and error. He began to listen to his army of “cantankerous Yankees” as well as the public—an unfamiliar approach in Great Britain, according to Fischer.”They [Great Britain] were not good at listening, a peculiar form of social deafness,” Fischer noted. Washington discovered that people wanted a leader with prudence, one who would do the right thing. He started to

plan ahead by formulating complex operations and organizing his troops into sectors—he wanted to be prepared. These leadership strategies helped lead a victorious revolution, followed by his presidency in which he was unanimously chosen by the people. Unlike opposing leaders, Washington lead the way a true leader should: from the front, Fischer said. He adopted a policy of humanity within his leadership because he knew that people had the right to life. To Washington, this was which included humanity had a cause: that of liberty and freedom—a sort of “meta-idea” that he adopted by intertwining these values according to Fischer. “I think there is much we have to learn with this,” said Fischer. Washington is an authentic model of leadership for this country: he brought together so many on the basis of fair leadership to carry out the American Revolution. “I think we can go with a little more fairness along with our freedom, and that’s the whole punch line…”

Slavery as it Existed in New Jersey During the American Revolution By Laura Urban

Freedom was the thing most sought after during the American Revolution. The American colonies wanted to be freed from the rule of the British monarchy, and American slaves desired freedom from the chains that bonded them to their owners. New Jersey hosted a slave society during this time and slaves were relied on for labor demands, such as farming. “The natural right for liberty was not the language of the day,” said Dr. Sue Kozel of Kean University, who along with other panelists discussed the experience of slaves during the American Revolution in the Carriage House at Liberty Hall. Here are some of the facts mentioned during the discussion: • The runaway slave rate in NJ was relatively low compared to other colonies. The opportunity to escape slavery was minimal and most slaves in NJ stayed enslaved to minimize the risks of being separated from their families. • In NJ during the American Revolution, the male to female ratio of slaves was almost equal. Slave owners usually lived close to one another, which allowed slaves to interact with each other and start families. • Several freedom suits were brought to the Supreme Court of New Jersey where slaves sued their owners for illegally enslaving them. As a result, freedom of certain slaves was granted. • The Supreme Court of New Jersey saw an opportunity to establish decorum in the practicing of slavery. The court granted freedom to slaves that were held illegally by their owners.

Another outlet that slaves had towards freedom was joining the British army during the American Revolution. The British, who had not yet outlawed slavery, offered American slaves the chance of freedom if they could provide service to their army.

Photo: Laura Urban

Prof. Timothy Hack of Salem County College speaks on a panel discussion about slavery and freedom in New Jersey around the American Revolution.

“The Patriots were not offering anything like that,” said Professor Timothy Hack of Salem County College, who was also a part of the panel discussion. Despite the offer from the British, however, many slaves, including those in NJ, continued to stay working for their owners. “As much as slaves wanted freedom, we cannot use that against those who wanted to stay with their families because it was a difficult decision,” said Emily Blanck of Rowan University, a panelist during the discussion. The panel was chaired by Dr. Mark Lender, interim vice president for academic affairs and included original research findings on the topic of slavery and freedom in New Jersey. Jonathan Mercantini of Kean University also spoke as a panelist.

Pick up The Tower at these locations • • • •

Administration Building, First floor lobby Bruce Hall, First Floor Lounge Center for Academic Success, Lobby Communications Department Office, CAS 402 • ESL Office, Willis Hall 301 • Harwood Arena, by the basketball courts

• Hutchinson Hall, First Floor Lobby • Hennings Hall, First Floor Lobby • Science Building, First Floor in hallway between Rooms 121 and 122 • Technology Building, hallway inside front door • Tower Newsroom, CAS 413

• University Center, across from the cafeteria entrance • Townsend Hall, First Floor reception area • Vaughn-Eames Hall, First Floor Lobby • Willis Hall, First Floor, across from the elevator


The Tower

| Apr.7-Apr. 27, 2010

7

Economic Failure Forces Increase in Pets Put Down By Matthew Marchesano

Today, it seems that an ever-increasing amount of American citizens are keeping a watchful eye on their monetary funds, and spending less. With the economy in such shambles, it has become harder for some to maintain their normal lives, especially while our national unemployment rate continues to rise. This ‘penny-pinching’ lifestyle that many unfortunately endure has left too many homeless and without money to feed themselves. Perhaps even more unfortunate are those who can no longer support their pets, leaving their helpless animals abandoned and starving. This has become a real problem. According to Petfinder.com, in the last year “...84 percent of shelters and rescue groups are reporting pet surrenders because of the economic downturn, foreclosures and/or job losses.” This means that the economic downfall of our working class is so severe that thousands of affected pet owners can no longer afford their pets! Theoretically, hungry people have been forced into a

spot where they can either feed themselves or feed their animals; both are no longer an option. Adoptions have also become less popular. According to Petfinder.com, “...37 percent of shelters and rescue groups have seen a decrease in pet adoptions over the past year.” These harsh truths lead to overcrowded adoption facilities. Other than the estab-

“The only certainty is innocent animals are forced to die because of the situations beyond their control.” lished ‘non-kill’ typed centers, some excessively busy establishments must instate restrictions on how long they keep each animal. Some facilities can house these animals for up to three weeks; others, just five days. Regardless, if nobody claims

Photo: Kelsey Marchesano

Thousands of pet owners can no longer keep up with the needs of their pets.

or adopts the animal by deadline, the center puts it down to make room for the next stray.

Adopting a pet is incredibly easy and very rewarding. One easy was is by using Petfinder.com, which is the largest pet adoption website, A potential pet owner can browse the listings of over 200,000 pets ranging from dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and horses, along with many others. The listings are compiled from animals of rescue centers, which can be searched by zip code. In New Jersey alone, the website lists over 13,000 cats and nearly 10,000 dogs. Animals are living beings, capable of emotions and susceptible to hunger pains as humans are. It is easy to point the blame solely at our government for putting us in this money-crisis situation and to shrug off any notions of adoption, feeling no guilt. The only certainty is innocent animals are forced to die because of the situations beyond their control. The financial woes of the nation are not the faults of our animals. There is no logic in severely burdening our four-(or two with wings) legged friends and treating them unethically.

If you loved Television Daddy (and especially if you missed it), you must go see Professor Susanna Rich in The Drive Home: A Staged Poetry Reading directed by Professor Ernest Wiggins. In the tradition of On the Road, My Mother the Car, and Thelma and Louise, The Drive Home puts us on a high-energy romp of American roads. Poem after high-octane a makes the car a faithful companion and symbol for the journey of life and love and the yearning for home. Come for a heartwarming evening of laughs, tears, fun, and surprises. Sponsored by three Kean Departments—English, Theatre, and Women’s Studies—this free event opens at Kean in The Little Theatre, University Center, Monday, April 12th at 7:30 PM. A second performance will follow on Wednesday, April 14th at 7:30 PM. Hope to see you there!


Apr. 7-Apr. 27, 2010 |

The Tower

“New Moon” Has Risen on dvd

A&E ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MOVIES

“The Crazies” sets a new bar for the zombie obsessed

By Erin Baliya

Vampires and Werewolves and Mortals, Oh my! From director Chris Weitz comes the next thrilling installment in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, New Moon. Mortal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) developed a romantic relationship in the previous movie, Twilight, and the romance deepens throughout New Moon, which came out in DVD March 20. Edward and Bella’s relationship is put to the test when Edward tells Bella he has to leave and she doesn’t belong in his world. When he leaves, Bella falls into a deep depression, as she narrates that Edward’s departure “left a deep hole in her chest.” In order to help her snap out of her depressive state, Bella’s father, Charlie (Billy Burke) sends her to La Push to visit her friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), who reveals that he and his tribe are in fact werewolves. A turning point in the movie is when the characters go to the Voultorri, the ancient and powerful coven of vampires similar to human’s royal family. Bella ventures there in order to save Edward from himself. But does she? The movie becomes even more interesting when everyone begins telling Bella how she should handle the situation she has gotten herself into. With a twist of events there is a proposal, a treaty with the vampires and an ending that will leave you begging for more. Being a fan of “Twilight,” I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Yes, I am Team Edward, have been since the first movie, and my loyalty shall not be shifted. If you are a fan of paranormal romance, or just vampires and werewolves in general, I definitely recommend buying or renting New Moon. You will not be disappointed.

“Remember Me”

By Brett Williams

Hollywood’s zombie obsession continues in the spirit of movies such as Dawn of the Dead, and the more recent Zombieland, and now with the latest film of the genre, entitled The Crazies. This movie stars Timothy Olyphant as David Hutton, a sheriff in a small town who finds himself and friends in the middle of a struggle when the residents are infected by mysterious strokes of insanity causing them to do heinous acts of violence. Intertwining elements of both Resident Evil and 28 Days Later, The Crazies doesn’t disappoint with its abundance of complete mayhem and actions of desperation of human survival. There are also plenty of references to experimental bio-weaponry as well as numerous scenes in which the true manipulation of human psychology through disasters is evident. With features such as bloodshot eyes and veiny skin, producers were able to achieve the look of intense insanity. Throughout the film there are also plenty of hair-raising suspense scenes and jump out of your seat shocks as you reach the ultimate and final conclusion. All in all, The Crazies was a good film pick and worthwhile for anybody out there that is looking for a decent zombie flick with a different back-story.

By Carlos M Reynosa

If you think Allen Colter’s “Remember me” is a classic love story that leads to a classic happy ever after ending, then you are dead wrong. Though the movie does display a classic love story scenario, it ends with a flipped script that reminds of what a love tragedy is. Though Robert Pattinson warned fans on the emotional influence the movie would bring before hand, the audiences are still walking out of theaters is disbelief. Robert Pattinson stars as Tyler Hawkins, a troubled teenager who tries to cope with his brother’s death. He also deals with abandonment issues towards his father, (Pierce Brosnan) by picking fights and getting arrested. Up until now, the only girl in his life that he cares for is his little sister Janie, played by Kate Burton, and he tries his best to shield her heart from her father’s negligent habits. Emilie de Ravin stars as Ally Craig, who also suffers the loss of her mother at a young age. Like Tyler, Craig also has difficulty with her father (played by Chris Cooper); however, unlike Tyler, Emilie’s father has problems letting her live her own life because he still sees her as a little girl. Tate Ellington stars as Aidan Hall who is Tyler’s best friend and roommate. Aidan is arrested with Taylor and encourages him to use Emilie for revenge. But his plan back fires because he doesn’t realize how much they care for each other and how much he hurts both of them. The concept of the movie is the same as any other love story, but the tragedy of the movie is unique and shocking. Interested in love stories? Watch “Remember Me.”

"Like seeing the Titanic but you didn’t see the iceberg coming.”

LOCAL eats

8

Rockin’ Coffee with a good feel

By Rachel Rothspan

The name Smokey Joe’s Café conjures up the image of the 1950’s scene; cigarette smoke fogs the air, enhanced by the dim lighting and quite chatter of it’s clientele. In the corner sits a businessman, his suit jacket unbuttoned, his tie loose. The quiet din of plates clanging as they are bused away from tables is just another sound that brings out the feel of the name. What people don’t expect, however, is high lighting and mood music. They don’t expect ginseng tea’s or Chai lattes. And they certainly do no expect the college students, sitting around and discussing the common plagues of tests or homework. Enter Rockin’ Joes, the new baby sister of Smokey Joe’s café. The chain is expanding by taking their services to a younger crowd, in a more modern coffee shop feel. Rockin’ Joes, which has close locations in both a Westfield and Millburn, is a lively alternative to the Starbucks type establishment that are slowly becoming overdone.

Because they offer meal food as well as coffee classics, Rockin Joe’s is a great place to sit with friends and discuss life in general. The walls are a bright color, and modern artwork hangs next to original creations, including a bulletin board filled with local flyers and business cards, and a hand drawn sign with the day’s recommendation. The room feels lively as the sounds of Vampire Weekend and other new and edgy musicians playing at the perfect level- not loud enough to drown out good conversation, but not soft enough to strain the ear. Even the website for the locations has a strong over tone to it, providing television interviews, media events, and merchandise categories. Hooked into the corner is the phrase “coffeelounge eats”, a motto that holds true to the swanky style of Smokey Joes while expressing the mission of this new franchise. Rockin Joe’s is stepping it up, bringing the rocky feel of this generation to the coffee shop experience that is revolutionizing social networking. Try it for yourself- the Millburn location is a short drive away from campus. Located in the heart of Millburn, the café sits across from a park and playground, the perfect place to picnic with take out if all the chairs are taken. Either way, it would be a shame to miss out on this inviting experience. For more information, check out the website at: http://www.rocknjoe.net/


The Tower

| Apr.7-Apr. 27, 2010

PAX East 2010 Review

GAMES

By Eric Albuen

The crowd was larger than anything I could've anticipated. I've been to a couple of anime conventions, but this was my first gaming convention. A gaming convention with a bunch of huge sponsors exhibiting at the event. All I could ask myself is, "How much different can this be from an anime convention?" A lot, apparently. This is the first time the Penny Arcade Expo (commonly referred to as PAX) has hit the East Coast. Massachusetts was the ideal location for the convention considering the numerous colleges offering a game design academic program. PAX was created back in 2007 in Seattle, Washington and has been hosted there ever since. The next PAX Prime (as the West Coast PAX is referred to) is set to begin this (MONTH OF PRIME) for it's fourth convention. PAX East 2010 ran at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston from March 26th to the 28th. It not only appealed to video gamers, but also the gaming crowd interested in various tabletop games, such as Magic: The Gathering, and board games, like The Settlers of Catan. Unlike anime conventions, which I described in my Katsucon review last month, game conventions have such a different atmosphere. They don't have a Dealer's Room dedicated to purchasing merchandise, rather the room is stocked with exhibitors who are showing off their products, selling stuff, or just providing information on their company.

various missions with the help of other gamers. It also offers substantial amounts of customization such as a clothing designer and tattoo artist. The game rates the user on general skill as opposed to the level-up system that the most games provide. The release date is unknown. yyr games, another vender at the convention, develops independent games that are readily available on the XBOX LIVE Indie Games section. Lead designer and Founder of yyr games, Aaron Teplitsky wanted to combine his love for video games and arcades into the games he creates. One of his games, Snake360, has a multiplayer mode that pits you against up to four friends in a last man standing match where you try to block your opponent from moving. Although it sounds simple, it's an experience that you have to try yourself to appreciate the game. Along with the countless video games, various musical acts were also featured at PAX East. Artists ranging from The Protomen, Jonathan Coulton, Metroid Metal, and The Video Game Orchestra are just a few artists that showed off their musical talents at the convention. The different genres of music that were shown at these concerts were as varied as the people in attendance. Keynote speaker, Wil Wheaton, an actor and writer, most commonly known for his role as Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, hit the nail on his head when he said, "the three days you spend here will go by faster than you think."

"The three days you spend here will go by faster than you think." The Fangamer booth was one that gained popularity. Formerly known as Starmen.net, the group is most recognized their responsibility in a fan translation of the sequel to Nintendo's Earthbound, Mother 3. To this day, the game remains unreleased in the United States. The group sold various clothing and other trinkets such as pins, stickers with a brilliant art direction as well as various articles of clothing. The entire clothing selection could be found on their website: http://fangamer.net. All Points Bulletin was another eye-popping booth. Developed by EA Games, All Points Bulletin is a Grand Theft Auto styled game produced as a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (or MMORPG). The theme of the game is to perform

cars Honda Redefines “Sport Car”

By Charley Falkenburg

Sport cars have earned the reputation of being fast, powerful, and expensive. Their gas-guzzling ways continue to anger environmentalists, and a cop’s radar gun seems to always follow them on the highways. For years their aerodynamic body styles and inefficient gas mileage have gone hand-in-hand with horsepower and speed: until now. Honda is about to break barriers by redefining the term “sport car” with its new CR-Z hybrid.

numbers, it is about a nimble responsive drive.” This sports hybrid emphasizes the driver’s choice with its three-mode drive system, which tailors the driving experience based on the individual. The ECON mode is tuned for optimal economy, which is every commuter’s dream. It is especially useful in rush-hour traffic and city driving. The sport mode makes the engine throttle more responsive and sharpens the electric power steering making the ride fun and more aggressive. The normal mode is the default position, which includes standard settings for steering and engine response. According to CR-Z.Honda.com, this hybrid gets an estimated 36 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway. The CR-Z is also available in a six-speed manual transmission. Www.hybridcars. com states that this option makes the CR-Z the only hybrid on the market with manual gears. If the manual option doesn’t sound appealing, the hybrid is also available in a CVT automatic transmission, which maximizes the fuel economy. Honda enthusiasts will be excited to know that the CR-Z overall shape is similar to the Honda CR-X which ended production in 1991. The coupe is designed to look compact, sporty, and futuristic. Along with an eye-catching body style, the base model comes complete with automatic climate control, remote entry, cruise con-

"The car isn’t about horsepower numbers, it is about a nimble responsive drive." The 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid sports coupe defies the performance concept. A sports car that is eco-friendly and runs partially on a battery seems unreal, but Honda has created the unthinkable. According to www.hybridcars.com, CR-Z stands for “Compact Renaissance Zero” which signifies Honda’s desire to give birth to a new era for compact highly efficient vehicles. The coupe is equipped with a 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine that reaches 122 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs. The numbers may not sound too impressive, but this new “sports car” isn’t focused on digits. CR-Z.Honda.com says, “The car isn’t about horsepower

trol, and a 160-Watt stereo. The 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid is set to grace the United States sometime during the late summer. While an exact price has yet to be disclosed, www.hybridcars.com estimates that the figure should be around $25,000. The CR-Z sports hybrid shows that a sports car doesn’t have to make insane amounts of power to be considered a “performance vehicle”. If it happens to help out the environment, keep the cops at bay, and make your mother happy, that doesn’t hurt either.

9


10

Apr. 7-Apr. 27, 2010 | The Tower

EDITORIAL

The Tower Department of Communication

A NOT-SO-SOUR NOTE In these tough economic times, the fear is always that the arts programs will be the first to get cut. They are viewed as extra programs when schools are under financial pressures. But what many people overlook as dispensable, are so important to the development of a well-rounded institution. One of my favorite examples of fine art will be the upcoming Ars Vitalis concert on Thursday, April 8 at 8:00 pm at Enlow Hall. Ars Vitalis, a yearly concert put on by music department professor, Dr. Matthew Halper, director of the composition program at Kean, will feature all new music from living composers, many who are from the NJ area. The arts, which include theatre and drama, fine arts, and music, are important subjects throughout all cultures. In addition to the vast psychological benefits of an experience in the arts, they also enrich people’s lives. If we cut the music department or theatre department, essentially what we are saying is that these subjects are not worth studying; that they are not important. And since an education in the arts is a growing profession, it is important that these programs be allowed to grow. So often, the programs that are so important and courses that are important to students are the ones that don’t get the publicity. They tend to be the smaller programs. An education in the arts allows students and faculty to integrate among different departments. The arts are the interwoven disciplines that together make up the cultural community of an institution.

Raquel Fernandes Editor-in-Chief

SMALL TALK By Dan Pata

Kean University Center for Academic Success 1000 Morris Avenue Union, NJ 07083 Telephone: (908) 737-0468 Fax: (908) 737-0465 Email: thetower@kean.edu www.kean.edu/~thetower The Tower is an independent, laboratory newspaper of Kean University’s print 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 Raquel Fernandes Deputy Editor Jillian Johnson News Editor Joseph Tingle Sports Editor Nicole Von Gonten

Matthew Chin Andrew Czirjak Charley Falkenburg D.J. Jean Junior Jean-Baptiste Melissa Jewels Matthew Marchesano Casey Murphy Dan Pata Carlos Reynosa Brett Williams Laura Urban

Arts and Entertainment Editor Rachel Rothspan

Faculty Adviser Pat Winters Lauro

Features Editor Megan Muller

Business Manager Eileen Ruf

Staff Eric Albuen John Cherry

Designer Stephanie Skirvin

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 tower@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.

Display and classified advertising Deadline for space reservations for display advertising is two weeks before the publication date. Ads submitted after that may be used on a spaceavailable basis. All ads are run-of-the-paper unless an extra fee is collected for a paid position. Deadline for art work and copy is one week before the publication date. Classified advertising can be submitted up to the Thursday before publication as long as the payment is made at the same time. Call (908) 737-0468 or email tower@kean.edu for a rate card.

Tower publication schedule FALL: Feb. 10, March 10, April 7, April 28.

Kean President Connects With Students at “Success Story” Event By Joseph Tingle

Do you know who the president of your university is? At an especially candid address to students and faculty last month entitled “Dr. Farahi’s Success Story,” Kean University President Dawood Farahi seemed intent on making sure students knew just that. “I want students to know they can speak with me about anything,” said Dr. Farahi, as he talked and joked with students enjoying pizza and other refreshments supplied at the event. The event, which was sponsored by the sophomore class of Student Organization, took place in Hennings Hall 113 on March 9, and was meant as a way to give students a chance to meet with Dr. Farahi and talk to him one-on-one, according to sophomore class president Jessenia Levy. Farahi, who spoke to a medium-sized audience, opened his presentation by talking about his arrival to the United States in 1973. The first lesson he learned was that

he’d have to talk to other English speakers if he ever wanted to learn English. Throughout, Farahi consistently identified “pride” as a virtue necessary for success, and emphasized what he called the “three p’s”: pride in oneself, pride in one’s heritage, and pride in one’s school or work place. “If you don’t believe you have potential, no one else will,” Farahi said, reminding students that before he became President of Kean University, he had never been a chairperson or a dean.

“If you don’t believe you have potential, no one else will.” For Farahi, the evidence that his mission at Kean is succeeding is visually obvious. “Just look at the residence halls you live in, and then remember Whiteman and Dougall,” Farahi joked.

Kean University President Dr. Dawood Farahi.

Farahi, however, admits that at least a few people aren’t happy with all the changes that have taken place since he’s become president. In the wake of budget

cuts, a class schedule change, and the consolidation of some academic departments, things have not always been quiet, or easy. But Farahi insists that students “aren’t the ones screaming bloody murder,” and says that those who are don’t bother him. “You have this kind of behavior in any institution,” Farahi said, who also insists that he does not have any issues listening to the ideas of people who disagree with him, granted they’re willing to work hard and put more on the table. “Over twothirds of our faculty do a great job for our students,” he went on to say. To the dismay of some students and organizers, an unidentified person or group had littered sheets of paper on which profane language was used to describe Student Organization, Dr. Farahi, the University and the event. Farahi addressed the issue, and claimed that, while disappointing, that kind of behavior is typical of any big institution. “It’s such a sad thing to see all that energy wasted,” Farahi said.


The Tower | Apr.7-Apr. 27, 2010

11

VIEW CHINA FIRES BACK AT U.S. ON HUMAN RIGHTS By Joseph Tingle

Just days before Google officially pulled out of mainland China, Xinhua, the government-run press agency of the People’s Republic of China, posted a document on its website that blasted the United States on, of all things, the subject of human rights. The document, which can be found at news.xinhuanet.com, criticized the United States for carrying itself as the “world judge of human rights,” and listed a plethora of widelyknown and widely-documented abuses in the United States—sometimes accurately, and sometimes twisted and stretched beyond what many American Citizens could recognize as reality. “The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2009 is prepared to help people around the world understand the real situation of human rights in the United States,” the Chinese government-run document says. The six-part document lampoons the United States on, among others, the topics of racial inequality, rights for women and children, and what it calls “United States abuses of human rights in other nations.” Examples pruned to fit the document’s agenda range from accurate and noteworthy to downright absurd. For example, on the issue of worker’s right the document notes that, “Only eight percent of those who suffered serious injuries on the job filed for compensation. Up to 26 percent of those surveyed were paid less than the national minimum wage. Among those who complained about wages or treatment, 43 percent had experienced retaliation or dismissal (The New York Times, September 2, 2009),” before matter-of-factly stating: “according to a report by the USA Today on July 20, 2009, a total of 5,657 people died at workplaces across the U.S. in 2007, about 17 deaths each day.” The example provided by the Xinhua article completely neglects to mention that most of those people likely die for reasons other than “their rights being severely violated,” and thus fails to convey any reasonable understanding of real problems faced by workers in the United States. On wealth and racial inequality, the document asserts that, “according to a report issued by the U.S. Bureau of Census, the real median income for American households in 2008 was 50,303 U.S. dollars. That of the non-Hispanic white households was 55,530 U.S. dollars, Hispanic households 37,913 U.S. dollars, black households only 34,218 U.S. dollars.” But for every good point the document makes, there’s a silly, over-exaggerated blanket statement to counter it, like, “[American] Children are exposed to violence and living in fear.” Then, there was the documents criticism of what it called the United States’ hege-

monic goals. “The United States with its strong military power has pursued hegemony in the world, trampling upon the sovereignty of other countries and trespassing their human rights,” the document claimed. What may have been most ironic, though, was the government agency’s treatment of freedom of the press in the United States. According to the document: “The so-called ‘freedom of the press’ of the United States was in fact completely subordinate to its national interests, and was manipulated by the U.S. government. According to media reports, the U.S. government and the Pentagon had recruited a number of former military officers to become TV and radio news commentators to give “positive comments” and analysis as “military experts” for the U.S. war in Iraq and Afghanistan, in order to guide public opinions, glorify the wars, and gain public support of its antiterrorism ideology (The New York Times, April 20, 2009) […] In September 2009, protesters using the social-networking site Twitter and text messages to coordinate demonstrations clashed with the police several times in Pittsburgh, where the Group of 20 summit was held. Elliot Madison, 41, was later charged with hindering apprehension of the protesters through the Internet. The police also searched his home (http://www.nytimes.com, October 5, 2009). Vic Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, said the same conduct in other countries would be called human rights violations whereas in the United States it was called necessary crime control.” For a government that was just abandoned by Google for censoring searches and hacking into human rights leader’s e-mail accounts, this bit about “freedom of the press” was probably the most ironic of all. Overall, China’s critique of the United States on human rights was sometimes accurate, sometimes twisted, and sometimes just plain silly. But, increasingly, the US demands for China to take human rights seriously have been met more and more with replies from China that amount to little more than “shut up, America. You don’t talk to us that way.” As China continues to develop as a world power, it’s important that the United States and China exist as “partners” rather than “competitors.” But when the relationship between these two powerful nations boils down to propaganda-driven lies; when mutual business interests fall apart; and when misrepresentations of problems meant solely to discredit become more common, articles like the one in Xinhua don’t seem so funny anymore.

Tiger Woods Matters to the People By Matt Chin

Honda is a car company. Sony is an electronics company. Pepsi is a beverage company. Tiger Woods is the world’s topranked golfer. What do all these things have in common? They are all major, worldwide brands. What separates Tiger Woods from all these brands? In the last four months a sex scandal centered on Woods has caused his world to spiral out of control and implode. Woods is the world’s number one golfer. In the gap between him and Jack Nicklaus, in his prime, there were other number one golfers. Woods won his first Masters, was considered golf’s most prestigious major tournament at the age of 21, and separated himself from the rest. The rest after that is history. Major companies such as Accenture, Gillette, Nike, and Gatorade sponsored Woods and he instantly became worth millions of dollars. In 2009, Forbes estimated Woods worth at $110 million – first on the list of athletes. The next closest was a tie between Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and retired basketball great Michael Jordan valued at $45 million. People purchased products because he

But in the case of Woods, I never felt betrayed. Yes, people cheat on their spouses all the time, but I was disappointed with Woods. It’s tragic to see the all-time greats fall from their pedestals of greatness. Even though people wanted to be like him, people never really knew Woods. He kept his affairs hidden from the world for almost a decade. Even his wife, Elin, never really knew the real Tiger Woods.

“It’s tragic to see the alltime greats fall from their pedestals of greatness.” Photo: Baltimore Sun

Tiger Woods.

used them. They bought Nike golf clubs and golf balls because he used them. Athletes drank Woods’ Gatorade brand because it had his name. Quite simply, people spent their hardearned dollars because those companies smacked his name on their products. In the 90s there was the “Like Mike” catch phrase because everyone wanted to be like Michael Jordan. In the 2000s, even though a catch phrase for Woods didn’t exist, people wanted to be like him.

He constructed a posse of his most trusted friends to help hide his extracurricular activities. In his interview with Tom Rinaldi of ESPN, he said the life he was living was a lie. And when asked if people know him better now, he answered “A lot better now.” Unfortunately, it took the losses of multimillion-dollar endorsements for Woods to realize that his actions affect people. In America, cheating on a spouse is viewed as the ultimate evil. A lot of Americans base their lives on moral character, and a lot of

JOIN THE TOWER

people put their faith in Woods. But Woods’ loss of endorsements is more far reaching than expected. Our economy loses money. Obviously our economy isn’t going to crumble because companies dropped Woods from their label. When a company pulls products, like Gatorade did when they dropped his endorsement and pulled four Tiger Gatorade flavors from store shelves, that company has to somehow make up for their lack of a product. And more likely than not, they don’t have a product with as much marketing power to replace it right away. There is an old cliché saying that time heals all wounds. I’d like to offer a different one for Woods’ case since after all, he’s in a situation that not many of us will ever deal with in our lives: Championships heal all wounds. It’s probably silly to think that a simple win on the golf course will grant Woods automatic forgiveness. It will. I promise anyone that it will. Tiger needs to make a comeback. There’s nothing people like better than to see a comeback. Tiger Woods is the world’s most prominent athlete in a sport full of obscure athletes.


12

Apr. 7-Apr. 27, 2010 | The Tower

HEALTH & FITNESS

It Takes Heart to be a Hero By Dr. Josh Palgi and Dr. Jessica Adams

In 1915 a group of physicians and social workers formed the first association for the prevention and relief of heart disease in New York City. The interest spread widely in other cities across the United States and Canada. Six cardiologists representing several groups founded the American Heart Association (AHA) in 1924. Since then the AHA has grown rapidly in size, financial resources, involvement with medical and non-medical volunteers, and influence, both nationally and internationally. Today the AHA is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is “building” healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and strokes. The association’s impact goal is to reduce coronary heart disease, stroke, and risk by 25% by 2010. Progress toward the goal will be measured according to these indicators: Reduce the death rate from coronary heart disease and stroke by 25% Reduce the prevalence of smoking, high blood cholesterol, and physical inactivity by 25%. Reduce the rate of uncontrolled high blood pressure by 25% Eliminate the growth of obesity and diabetes. Hoops for Heart (HFH) is a national fundraising program sponsored jointly by the American alliance for health, physical education, recreation, and dance (AAHPERD) and AHA. HFH is a program that promotes physical activity, heart healthy living, and community service to children. It provides opportunity to teach the younger generation how regular exercise, a healthy diet and knowledge of risk factors contribute to a long healthy life. Each year more than 7 million children participate in HFH events, uniting parents, students and the community. The money that is being raised will go to the AHA to help pay for science and research to discover new medicine and

treatments for the 36,000 kids who are born every year with congenital heart defect. On April 28, Kean University Physical Education Major Club, with the leadership of Dr. Jessica Adams, the club advisor, and student Tracy Kelly, club president, will join more than 40,000 schools nationwide in increasing awareness for heart disease, strokes, and healthier lives in our community. The event will take place in the Harwood Arena from 11:30 a.m.-1p.m. Drs. Palgi and Adams are professors in the Kean University Physical Education, Recreation, and Health Department. Taking care of your amazing machine, your body, requires you to keep a healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet is one important component of a healthy lifestyle. Making sure your body gets all of the important nutrients it needs to function properly. We get some of the nutrients we need from food, but due to poor manufacturing and handling processes, a big portion of the food we eat is depleted or even completely devoid of essential nutrients. Dietary supplements are vitamins, minerals, herbs and other substances meant to improve your diet. Dietary supplements, also known as food supplements or nutritional supplements, are intended to supplement the diet of some people but not to replace the balance of the variety of food important to a healthy diet. According to a study conducted in 2009 by IPSOS Public Affairs on behalf of the council for responsible nutrition (CRN), 65% of adults in the U.S. report taking dietary supplements (48% regularly, 15%, occasionally and 3% seasonally). 72% of women take supplements compared to 59% of men. 68% of adults aged 35 and older take supplements compared to 59% of those under the age of 35. Multivitamins are by far the most consumed supplement of all, with 54% of the U.S. adult population reporting to take a multivitamin; 78% taking it regularly, 20% occasionally and 2% seasonally. The

mission (FTC) regulates advertising of dietary supplements in national or regional newspapers and magazines and in radio and television commercials. The FTC requires that all information about supplements be truthful and not misleading. Many people take dietary supplements in an effort to be well and stay healthy. To take a supplement as safely as possible:

proportion of adults who are confident in dietary supplements has increased from 79% in 2006, 80% in 2007, 81% in 2008, and 84% in 2009. Women are more likely than men to be confident in the safety, quality and effectiveness of supplements ( 86% vs 80%). The U.S. Congress defined the term “dietary supplement” in The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. A dietary supplement is a product taken by mouth that contains a “dietary ingredient” intended to supplement the diet. The dietary ingredients may include vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandular, and metabolites. Dietary supplements can also be extracts or concentrates, and may be found in many forms such as tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquid, or powders. They can also be in other forms, such as a bar. Whatever their form may be, DSHEA places dietary supplements in a special category under the general umbrella of “foods”, not drugs, and requires that every supplement be labeled a dietary supplement. Information that must be on a dietary supplement label includes: a descriptive name of the product stating that it is a “supplement”, the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor, a complete list of ingredients, and the net contents of the product. The United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) determines what food is grown and how it’s used in this country. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA determines what ingredients and chemicals are allowed in our food. The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical services, our good supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. The Federal Trade Com-

• Tell your doctor about any dietary supplements you use • Do not take a bigger dose than the label recommends • Stop taking it if you have side effects. Read trustworthy information about the supplement The bottom line is that a poor diet plus supplements is still a poor diet. Food is still your #1 option for getting the nutrients you need for healthy living. Article submitted by: Drs. Josh Palgi and Jessica Adams—Kean University, Physical Education, Recreation, and Health Department.

The event will take place in the Harwood arena on Wednesday, April 28th from 11:30-1:00 pm. All are welcome to participate. Should you have any questions, please contact Dr. Adams in D’angola 219 or E-mail Tracy at: KellTrac@Kean.edu.

Want to be Kean’s Biggest Loser? By Megan Muller

Did you make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight? NBC’s The Biggest Loser has proven successful in boosting numerous contestants’ weight loss goals, and now students at Kean have the opportunity to take advantage of a similar program. Fit to Be Kean, a weight-loss competition offered to the campus, is a tool to help students meet their shape up goal. With the assistance of a personal trainer during each meeting, as well as a journal for tracking his or her eating habits and workout routines, each participant will be able to see where they need help. “The program is open to everyone,” said Lori Purwin, R.N. in the Office of Health Services. “A lot of people are not over weight, but also not in shape.” For a small fee of $20, students will participate in weekly weigh-ins, be assisted in nutrition and have the opportunity to work out with a certified personal trainer. The competition part of the program is both a single and group competition, and is based off a point system; one point for eating vegetables, three points for walking a mile, three points per pound lost, etc. Half of the program fee will be donated

to the Haitian relief, whereas the other $10 will be added to a collection for donation to a charity chosen by the winning team. The winning individual will also be rewarded with a prize that will be announced during the last meeting. According to Purwin, not knowing the prize throughout the competition can be used as a “motivational skill.” If this type of competitions is not for you, there are still numerous ways in which you can focus on better eating habits and exercise routines. Suit101.com recommends focusing on a sleep schedule as well as carrying a water bottle with you. This will help students reach the desired 64 ounces of water a day and focus less on sugary substitutes such as soda. Pack yourself a few snacks to take on the go as well, especially if your classes are back to back throughout the day. Purwin recommends healthy snacking between meals to “keep your metabolism going.” According to the Kean website, $135 of your student fees go towards athletics and recreation activities, which includes the gym! Take advantage of your “membership” and hit the weights; a 30-minute date with the treadmill is bound to make you feel better.

But if the structured workout calls to you, Fit to be Kean began on March 4th and will run until April 29th, and meets on Thursdays from 3:15-4:30 pm in room 191 of the D’Angelo Building. Although the competition has already begun, new

participants can still take advantage of the program’s benefits. For more information please contact the Health Services office at (908) 737-4880.

D N NG A R I G PEN O EXPRESS

L E H I G H ALL WASHES ARE EXTERIOR ONLY

CAR WASH

515 Lehigh Avenue • Union, NJ 908-687-3456 OPEN DAILY WEEKDAYS WEEKDAYS Students & Employees of Kean University

Students & Employees of Kean University

Reg. Price $7

Reg. Price $7

EXPRESS EXTERIOR WASH EXPRESS EXTERIOR WASH

5

$

OR $2 OFF ANY WASH

With Coupon. Cannot be combined. Expires 6/30/10

5

$

OR $2 OFF ANY WASH

With Coupon. Cannot be combined. Expires 6/30/10


The Tower | Apr.7-Apr. 27, 2010

13


14

Apr. 7-Apr. 27, 2010 | The Tower

✁ Blue Sky Deli

✁ University Diner

242 Boulevard (corner of N. 7th St.) Kenilworth, NJ

580 North Avenue Union, NJ 07083 (908)354-3110

10% Off Any Menu Anytime

$1.oo off Any Item * With Your Kean ID *

With your Kean ID

$1.

00

Free Delivery for Kean Students Show Kean ID No Coupon Necessary

10%

✁ Annie’s SweetTreats

✁ Sol Lucet Enterprises

Eat, Drink and Be Merry... With Cake!

Tax Prepartion

$5 Dollars off Any Purchase ($15 minimum) With Kean ID Limit 1 Offer per Customer Free Consultation: (908) 930-5482 Anniessweettreats31@yahoo.com Woodbridge, NJ Offer expires: November 1, 2010

Get Your Tax Refund Back

$5.

00

FAST!

(Limit one per customer)

141 SOUTH 1871 VAUXHALL RD UNION, NJ 07083 908-810-5700

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

LADIES,LADIES,LADIES CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY WITH US!! ALL LADIES½ OFF LUNCH OR DINNER (MUST SHOW VERIFICATION OF DOB) (UP TO 4 Ladies)

GOOD FOOD,GOOD DRINKS,GOOD TIMES

$59.99 off


The Tower | Apr.7-Apr. 27, 2010

15

CAMPUS SPORTS

Room For Improvement as Cougars Continue to Devour Competition By Andrew Czirjak

Kean University’s baseball team just can’t seem to lose asthe Cougars are on a five game winning steak. They are now 11-4 mid-way through the regular season. However, Neil Ioviero, Head Coach of the baseball program, believes the Cougars can still improve their game. “Part of being a good coach is knowingyour players can succeed,” said Ioviero. “However it’s nerve racking when half of your entire pitching staff is new to the team. Some of our freshmen members were not able to play their best when the pressure was on. There was some inconsistency with the young guns on the mound. But we’ve been working on that. Still the freshmen members on squad are coming along nicely. The freshmen pitchers are still very young, but they are extremely talented.”

But, according to Ioviero, with every loss you learn something. “You have to take lumps and your going to have to battle,” said Ioviero. “In order to play your best, you have to be tested by the best.” And that is exactly what the Cougars did on March 15 when they edged past last year’s College World Series runners-up, The College of Wooster, 16-15. “We weren’t slated to play Wooster,” said Ioviero. “This year our schedule got mixed up. The trip to Port Charlotte, Florida was unexpected. [Our team] played some games they weren’t supposed to. But, to be great you have to play some good competition. When we faced Wooster, the most important thing the guys realized in that game was that you have to play all nine innings. Just because you have a huge lead in a game doesn’t guarantee you will win.” The Cougars found that out the hard way

“I think honestly, we should be playing better thAn we are right now.” as Wooster rallied with seven runs of their own in the fourth inning. As the teams headed into the seventh inning, Wooster struck again, scoring five runs and trailed Kean by one. “The Cougars had a big lead. They made some easy errors. They got a head of themselves,” said Ioviero. “Wooster started to battle back. And we saw that even though Wooster was losing they did not quit until the 27th out. The [Cougars] learned something from [Wooster], if you want to win the CWS you can’t give up. No matter what the score says.” The Cougars play 40 to 50 games a sea-

Men’s Lacrosse Team Back on Track With Recent Win By Andrew Czirjak

The Kean University men’s lacrosse team regained their confidence on March 24 as they crushed Centenary College, 203. The win was a much needed win since the Cougars were coming off a two game losing streak. The night match started off with Nick Angrisani, a sophomore at Kean, scoring the first goal just 61 seconds into the game. The Cougars would go on to score three more goals in the first quarter, taking a 3-0 lead. The Cougars dominance over Cente-

nary continued throughout the rest of the game. In the second quarter, the Cougars got off to a quick start. Kean scored four more goals, including netting three in a two minute span. With 1:20 minutes remaining in the first half, the Cougars held an 8-1 lead at break. In the third quarter, Kean scored five more times, extending the lead to 13-1. Kean would go on to net seven more goals that night, scoring a season-high of 20 goals. The Cougars are now 4-4 overall for the season.

son, and they are not going to win every game. However, a key win, like beating Wooster, gave Kean‘s baseball team the belief that they can win the College World Series, which is always the main goal. Even though Coach Ioviero said the Cougars are “still getting their feet wet” as a team, he is confident his players can win. “There were a few games that got away from us that I thought the team should have won. But, the guys remained calm and didn’t get discouraged. And that was important. You know your going to suffer some loses It’s what you learn from those mistakes that ultimately makes you a better team. Even though it is still early into the season I believe if we keep playing like we have been for the last five games and keep on improving we can get to the College World Series.”

Softball Team Young, But Learning Fast By Matt Chin

The Kean women’s softball team may be young team this year, but that hasn’t stopped head coach Margie Acker from dreaming big. “Obviously our number one goal is to make to the NJAC tournament,” said Acker. The team played with 10 freshmen during a spring break road trip in south Florida, in which they finished 8-2 to start the season. “I think we were pleasantly surprised at what the outcome was,” said Acker. “We had a freshman we ended up putting in a lead off spot, and she hit .400 or .417 and we managed to manufacture some runs with her.” With the team lacking in veteran players, the five senior girls on the team helped the freshmen players learn the game. “They played an integral role in letting the freshmen know what to expect when they got there,” said Acker. “…them giving some insight of what to expect-whether it being running bases, or pinch running, or pinch hitting.” During the games, assistant coach Melanie Helterbran witnessed veteran players playing the mentor role to the underclassmen. “We have seniors in the field or on the bench that do a great job of just making sure that everybody’s involved,” said Helterbran. “Whether it’s just cheering

or picking a player up, if they’re at bat or grabbing their gloves.” In addition to the seniors teaching them, the week spent in Florida forced the freshmen players to learn how different the game is from high school. “The game is quicker, people throw harder, pitch harder and slide harder,” said Acker.

“The game is quicker, people throw harder, pitch harder and slide harder.” Not only is the softball team full of freshmen, but also some of the girls may be inexperienced in some areas of the game. “Throwing the freshman or inexperienced players—we have a shortstop that didn’t play shortstop last year, we have a second basemen that didn’t play second base last year – so we have a lot of inexperience at different positions,” said Acker. Acker believes that treating each day like it’s a game day will help her young team find success. “Whether it’s a team in first or a team in last, we need to prepare ourselves the same way every single day,” said Acker. “We just think that if we can continue to play the way we are we’ll keep growing as a team, and we’ll be right there as one of the contenders.”

POWER TO THE TOWER


16

Apr. 7-Apr. 27, 2010 | The Tower

SPORTS

Will the Curse Be Reversed? 2010 Major League Baseball Predictions

POINT

COUNTERPOINT

By John Cherry

By Junior Jean-Baptiste

Baseball is back and what a difference a year makes for the two New York teams. The New York Yankees are coming off their 27th World Series title and the New York Mets are coming off from a season that was a complete disaster. Not only did the two best teams in baseball meet in the World Series last year, but improved their abilities in the off season. With the addition of Curtis Granderson, Javier Vazquez, and Nick Johnson, the Yankees added what could be their number two starter by year’s end, and 30 plus homerunner, Granderson. He should feast in what is now a hitter friendly Yankee Stadium. The Philadelphia Phillies didn’t just sit back and do nothing, either. They added one of the best pitchers in baseball to their team, Roy Halladay. Although they gave up Cliff Lee to get him, they did not mortgage the future by dealing all their prospects for him. When it comes to who is going to make the playoffs in the National League, there are the Phillies and everyone else. You can put it in the books now, barring any devastating injuries for the Phillies, they will be representing the National League for the third straight year. The lineup is too deadly and the pitching staff is stronger than ever. The Mets will have to get through a lot of adversity, as it is, just to fight for the Wild Card. The division is out of the picture for them because they have no chance of keeping up with the Phillies.

You’re right, John. The Yankees are coming out of winning their 27th World Series championship and look good in pursuing the run again. However, I see Boston winning the American League East this year, and perhaps the World Series. It’s happened before. The bitter rivalry between Boston and New York- I smell a repeat of 2004 when the Red Sox were down 3-0 against the Yankees and turned the so-called “curse” around to head to the World Series and win. With the Yankees loss of Johnny Damon to the Detroit Tigers, the Red Sox look to seize the opportunity of not having to play against their former teammate as much, which could have been a curse for them.

“This Yankee team is battle tested.” NY Yankees Mariano Rivera.

The addition of Jason Bay to their lineup will help the loss of Carlos Beltran for the first month and a half of the season. For the Mets, though, it will all depend on what has been a shaky pitching staff at best. The Mets will make the playoffs if John Maine, Mike Pelfrey, and Oliver Perez can regain their 2007 and 2008 form. The Yankees, on the other hand, will have a much tougher road back to the World Series, simply because the American League is leaps and bounds better than the National League, outside of the Phillies. The AL East alone has two teams other than the Yankees that are much better than any team in the NL: The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. Both have improvied much and are going to be tough teams all year for the Yankees. The Red Sox have quite possibly the best five man rotation anyone has seen in baseball in many years. With the addition of John Lackey and the emergence of John Lester and Clay Bucholz this rotation is stacked. The Rays are two years removed from a World Series appearance and have even more up and coming youngsters from their farm system. This Yankee team is battle tested and is playing with house money. They have a better lineup than they did last year and a better rotation. AL East NY Yankees AL Central Chicago White Sox AL West Anaheim Angels AL Wild Card Tampa Bay Rays

“The Red Sox signing top free agent pitcher John Lackey this year will really help the team’s chance in the defensive side of the ball games.” Since the Red Sox signed top free agent pitcher John Lackey this year, their rotation rounded out. The Red Sox will give the Yankees a first taste of what will happen in the playoffs when they meet in the first game of the regular season this month. l. Also, pitcher John Lester looked pretty good pitching in Spring training for the Red Sox. We all know the Mets are coming out of one of their worst years in baseball and will most likely not win the National League East, since the Philadelphia Phillies will most likely dominate the division again. This year is a rebuilding mode for the Mets in finding some leaders and veterans on the team who will have to step up if they have any hope of making it to the playoffs this year. This year should be interesting and fun for baseball, with lots of competition. We’ll see which team shows up and which team will want it more. I don’t believe the Yankees will be seeing the Phillies again since these picks seem more realistic. Red Sox David Ortiz.

AL East Boston Red Sox AL Central Detroit Tigers AL West Los Angeles Anaheim Angels AL Wild Card New York Yankees NL East Philadelphia Phillies NL Central St. Louis Cardinals NL West Colorado Rockies NL Wild Card Los Angeles Dodgers AL Pennant Red Sox over Yankees NL Pennant Phillies over Rockies World Series Red Sox over Phillies

NL East Philadelphia Phillies NL Central St. Louis Cardinals NL West San Francisco Giants NL Wild Card Florida Marlins AL Pennant Yankees over Rays NL Pennant Phillies over Giants World Series Yankees over Phillies

KEAN SPORTS SCHEDULE: April 09 April 13 April 14 April 17 April 18 April 20 April 21

3:00 PM 3:00 PM 4:00 PM 11:30 AM 7:00 PM 12:00 PM 3:00 PM 7:00 PM

Baseball vs. TCNJ Softball vs William Paterson University Women’s Lacross vs SUNY Maritime College Baseball vs Ramapo College Men’s Lacross vs. Montclair State Sotfball vs FDU- Florham Softball vs New Jersey City University Men’s lacrosse vs Farmingdale State College

April 23 April 24 April 27 April 28 April 29 May 01

3:30 PM 1:00 PM 4:00 PM 3:00 PM 3:30 PM 3:00 PM 3:30 PM 11:30 AM

PM Baseball vs Rutgers-Camden Women’s Lacrosse vs Farmingdale State College Men’s Lacrosse vs SUNY Maritime College Softball vs Ramapo College PM Baseball vs Drew University Softball vs Drew University Baseball vs Rowan University Baseball vs William Paterson University


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.