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Photo by Monica DuFour
N.J. Celebrates 350th Anniversary By Diana Oliveira Staff Writer Happy Birthday, New Jersey! The Garden State is 350 years young in 2014. From festivals, to tours, to exhibitions, Jersey citizens are successfully observing the milestone by commemorating the state’s contributions to the nation and the world. The year was 1664. James, the Duke of York, received a large portion of land from his royal brother, Charles II of England. The duke gave a piece of this generous gift to his loyal noblemen, Sir George Carteret and Lord John Berkeley. The document that scripts the exchange reads, “said Tract
of Land is hereafter to be called by the name or names of New Cesarea or New Jersey.” The latter was chosen because it was named after Carteret’s birthplace, the Channel Island of Jersey, and thus, commenced the beginning of New Jersey’s rich history. The state has issued three themes that the anniversary celebration will cover: innovation, diversity and liberty. New Jerseyans have shown their prowess as innovators throughout the years, which includes Frank Sinatra and Thomas Edison. Sinatra -Hoboken born-andraised -- crooned his way to the top of the music charts, putting
a new face to big band and jazz during the twentieth century. Known as “The Voice,” Sinatra was lauded for his outstanding vocal range and ability to sing with great, personal emotion. Thomas Edison began his illustrious career as an inventor in Newark. He patented the light bulb in 1879, which was first demonstrated at his Menlo Park lab in what is now the town of Edison. New Jersey has earned the reputation of being its own little world because of its famed diversity. When it was founded, New Jersey already had the Swedish and Dutch settling in before the English could make it their new home.
This converging of nationalities continues today. Liberty was heavily advocated by New Jersey during the colonies fight for freedom. It served as the state that witnessed the most military action in the American Revolution, and boasts a traditionally excellent military service today. After the colonies prevailed, New Jersey was rewarded as the third state admitted to the new Union. New Jersey also holds the distinction of being the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights in 1789. Cities and counties all around the state have risen to the occasion, hosting events and opening museums
that are dedicated to displaying the three aforementioned themes. The Newark Public Library is currently housing a free exhibition called, “This is New Jersey: 350 Years of Garden State History.” The New Jersey State Museum in Trenton is charging cheap fees for visitors to explore its “New Jersey on Display,” which details the state’s participation in world’s fairs between 1876 and 1964. The capital is also opening a NJ 350 Pop-Up store, beginning Sept. 8 and ending Sept. 19, that will sell New Jerseythemed merchandise. Contests and competitions have been held to engage the public in the
celebrations. For example, the StarLedger held a writing contest earlier in the year for students of all ages to share their favorite New Jersey mementos. Furthermore, videos and blogs embracing New Jersey food, people, traditions, music and stories can all be found online at newspaper websites and the state’s official website. If you are interested in attending the state’s anniversary festivities, or if you want to partake in hosting an event, please visit http:// www.officialnj350.com or the Official NJ 350’s Facebook page for more information.
Leadership in NFL on the Decline By Matthew Orso Staff Writer When it comes to suspensions, the NFL is upside down. Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, has been known for his strict policies when it comes to discipline. Since he became commissioner in 2006, Goodell has suspended upwards of 70 players for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. In the past, Goodell suspended Steelers’ Linebacker James Harrison for helmet-to-helmet hits. He’s also fined multiple players, including Harrison, for making tackles deemed extreme. Goodell is the equivalent of a high school vice principal; someone who throws down the law without room for exceptions or extraneous circumstances. At least that was the perceived notion.
In late-July, Goodell suspended Ravens’ running back Ray Rice two games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The suspension stems from an arrest in February, when Rice allegedly got into a fight with his then fiancée-now wife, Janay Palmer. So let me get this straight. Ray Rice, a man who admitted getting into a physical altercation with his then-fiancée, only gets suspended two games, while a player like Josh Gordon gets suspended for a season because he took drugs. How can that be possible? First, let me say that doing drugs is horrible. Taking drugs and getting high is useless in society and life. The NFL should punish repeated drug users such as Gordon. However doing drugs is nothing compared to harming another human being.
Op-Ed
No man should ever hit a woman. There is no circumstance imaginable where that should be allowed. Hurting another human being such as the way Rice did is immoral and intolerable. Yet Commissioner Goodell only suspended Rice for two games. Goodell originally defended his suspension of Rice, stating, "[Rice] has been accountable for his actions. He recognizes he made a horrible mistake that is unacceptable by his standards, by our standards, and he's got to work to re-establish himself. The criminal justice system, as you know, put him in a diversionary program with no discipline, and we felt it was appropriate to have discipline and to continue counseling programs and to continue our educational work.” There was great
backlash vs. Goodell and the NFL over the Rice suspension. Fans criticized Goodell for being too lenient in this case, but too extreme in others. This wave of negative press forced Goodell and the NFL to change its policy on domestic violence. Now, should a player fall under the same situation Rice was in -- a domestic violence situation -- then that player will be suspended for six games. A second offense would result in that player’s lifetime banishment from the NFL. Goodell later admitted he didn’t get it right in regards to the Ray Rice suspension. Goodell and the NFL also came out with a recent suspension for Colts’ owner Jim Irsay, who recently pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated. Irsay was suspended for six games and fined $500,000.
Irsay was driving while intoxicated. He could’ve very well gotten into an accident and hurt someone. Driving while intoxicated is a horrible crime. Can you imagine if someone died due to Irsay’s negligence? By the grace of God, no one did. Irsay is worth approximately $1.6 billion, according to Forbes Magazine. He’s effectively been given a six-week vacation while his daughter runs the team. This isn’t the first time Goodell and the NFL have gone easier on a team executive. In 2010, the NFL suspended Detroit Lions’ President Tom Lewand for 30 days and fined him $100,000 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy by driving impaired. What type of example is Goodell setting if he’s given the owners and executive an
easier shake than the players? There is no consistency to Goodell’s punishments, other than being consistently horrible. Now my question is, why does it always take bad publicity in order for a mistake to be rectified? In the past, Goodell has levied unfair suspensions without care. Now, the onetime Goodell admits fault is because of bad publicity. Why couldn’t Goodell just do it right in the first place? Why couldn’t he just have left James Harrison alone for playing football? Why couldn’t he have given Ray Rice a tougher suspension? Why did he have to give Irsay a break? Why can’t Goodell just do his job well in the first place? And there is one more question that still looms. How much longer will NFL fans have to deal with the inconsistent leadership of Roger Goodell?
Parking Garage: Will Students Use it? Op-Ed
By Brandon Phelps Staff Writer If you were to ask students with a car on campus about parking, they will all say that it's been terrible trying to find a parking space. This nightmare was supposed to change as William Paterson University now features a brand new parking garage, but the question is
this garage doing more harm than good? For starters, the newly built garage provides an additional 1,000 parking spaces and increases WPU’s parking capacity by 22 percent for a total of approximately 5,500 available parking spaces throughout the campus. This idea may sound great but when you take into consideration that
the university has 11,500 students and that 51.1% of students commute; you need to seriously take a long look at the fact that many of these spots will be taken. Zachary Beuselinck, a senior at WPU, believes that the parking garage is a great idea. However, the university needs to rethink their rates for students. "I would rather
shovel twice a month than pay $500 to have "convenience." The university is thinking short term, thinking it can make its money back in a few years instead of lowering the rates and having more people feel out the parking garage," said Beuselinck. This wouldn’t be a big problem because students are used to the parking situation but now they face the
issue of paying for a space if they plan on parking in the garage. Just for a semester a commuter has to pay $115 or $230 annually, while a resident pays $225 per semester or $450 annually. Students now faced with no guarntee that they will find parking in the garage once they pay for the pass. This forces students to find alternative tactics to finding a space,
some of which have students waiting hours for a spot. Yasmin Akhter, a WPU senior who commutes from Paterson four times a week, feels that the price to park is not worth it. "I would rather spend extra time looking for an empty space than to pay for parking that was once free."