Breaking news, blogs and more at TCNJSignal.net. Vol. XLIV, No. 12
April 20, 2016
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Schwartz inspires at Spring Lecture tcnj.snap a hit on
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
The ‘Parks and Recreation’ star addresses students’ questions. By Elise Schoening Features Editor Accomplished actor, comedian and writer Ben Schwartz stepped onto the polished wooden floors of Mayo Concert Hall on Wednesday, April 13. The room before him was far from full — in fact, the two sides of seating flanking the middle row were sparsely filled with students. Yet, this made for an intimate setting and allowed Schwartz to give a compelling lecture
about career aspirations and success. Despite a number of empty seats, the concert hall echoed with steady laughter and applause throughout. The actor is best known for his noteworthy role as Jean-Ralphio Saperstein in the hit television series “Parks and Recreation.” Schwartz has also starred on “House of Lies,” and before he got into acting, wrote jokes for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Although his comedy career
began with a stint in improv, Schwartz has since gone on to receive two Emmy nominations, winning once. The seasoned comedian shared some words of wisdom with students of the College. Schwartz performed two back-to-back shows on Wednesday night. Both consisted of a half-hour lecture, followed by an extensive question and answer segment with the audience. His inspired talk focused on the importance of taking risks and persevering despite the fear of failure. “This is something that doesn’t just have to be for that profession (of comedy). It can be for anything,” Schwartz said. “And by not being afraid to take risks, I don’t mean afterwards be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to try every drug in the world.’ That’s not the case at all. I’m not a proponent of that.” Instead, Schwartz urged audience members to follow their dreams relentlessly and fearlessly, explaining that he wouldn’t be where he was today if it wasn’t for doing so himself. Fans of the “Parks and Recreation” star may have been surprised to learn that the actor only came into comedy during his senior year of college, after being pressured to audition for an improv troupe by his girlfriend of the time. Schwartz expressed remorse for not having started comedy when he was younger. “One of the biggest things when I was your age was that I was afraid to fail,”
campus, beyond By Sydney Shaw Managing Editor
What started as an anonymously-run Snapchat account with just a few followers has quickly exploded into a multipurpose platform for students from the College to share ideas, events and happenings around campus. On Tuesday, April 12, tcnj.snap hit the 10,000 follower mark, a feat that the account’s manager, who requested to remain anonymous, never expected. “It literally started with me just telling a couple of people, ‘Dude, have you checked out tcnj.snap?’ That’s all I had to do,” he said. “It really shows you the dynamic of how the school works. That’s all it takes to spread something to 10,000 people.” Since its inception in October 2015, tcnj. snap has served as a platform for students and other followers to send in photos and videos, most of which are re-posted onto the tcnj.snap story. According to the account’s manager, tcnj. snap is mainly run by three people — himself, a person who works with graphic design and a “tech guy.” “I use the Snapchat app and another app downloaded from the app store that’s no longer available — that’s it,” he said. “A new
see SCHWARTZ page 3
see SNAP page 17
College makes Annual Relay for Life raises over $97,000 moves to reduce carbon emissions By Chelsea LoCascio News Editor
On an exceptionally warm day in midMarch, friends approached TCNJ Environment Club President Eric Mauro and asked him, “Hey, global warming — how do you feel about it?” As much as Mauro wanted to respond in an equally blasé attitude, his concern for the erratic weather and, subsequently, the environment, hindered him. “This is just crazy weather,” said Mauro, a senior electrical engineering major. “It’s only going to get worse.” The likely culprits to charge with these drastic weather changes are global warming and climate change. Students gather to show support for Global warming results from the greenhouse effect, in which certain atmospheric By Tom Ballard gases trap in heat, according to NASA’s Glob- Opinions Editor al Climate Change Website. Among these gasThe College’s Recreation Center was es is carbon dioxide, which is emitted flooded with a sea of purple during Colleges see GREEN page 4 Against Cancer’s (CAC) annual Relay for
INDEX: Nation & World / Page 8 Editorial / Page 9 Princeton TruckFest Follow us at... Food festival raises money for local charities The Signal See Features page 15 @tcnjsignal
Opinions / Page 11
Keri Fitzpatrick / Staff Photographer
the American Cancer Society.
Life event held on Friday, April 15. The 12-hour long event, which lasted from 6 p.m. on Friday to 6 a.m. the following morning, raised a total of $97,000.81 for the American Cancer Society (ACS), according to CAC. Features / Page 15
“I feel that the event went extremely well this year,” junior biomedical engineering major Ananya Sen, one of CAC’s copresidents, said. “We raised over $20,000 past our goal… (and) we are thoroughly content with how relatively smooth the night went (and) the wonderful cooperation and help from the participants and co-sponsors, and the great entertainment throughout the night.” According to the event’s Website, 54 teams and more than 1,600 participants took part in this year’s Relay for Life. Team members walked around the makeshift track on the lower-level of the Recreation Center in order to raise additional funds from sponsors. In addition to walking laps, many teams also set up tables in the middle of the Recreation Center to sell snacks and other treats in order to put more toward their team’s fundraising amount. Throughout the night, students were entertained with tailgating games, live music, dance performances and even a beauty pageant. Sigma Pi fraternity raised the most money out of all the teams that participated, according to the event’s Website. see RELAY page 15
Arts & Entertainment / Page 20
Sports / Page 28
Kendrick Lamar Understated album sees success
Baseball Lions stretch win streak to nine
See A&E page 21
See Sports page 28
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April 20, 2016 The Signal page 3
Schwartz / ‘Parks and Rec’ star talks taking risks
Schwartz gives advice about chasing personal goals.
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Schwartz said. “I was terrified of auditioning and finding out that those people didn’t find me funny. I wish that I had someone tell me to not be afraid to take risks and to not be afraid to fail. It’s such
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
a big thing that’s helped me in my career.” He encouraged everyone in the audience to take this message to heart, regardless of their career aspirations, because the fear of failure cuts across all disciplines and can hold everyone back from not only success, but also happiness.
“I come from a family of school teachers and school workers and real estate people,” Schwartz said. “The idea of being an actor is like being an astronaut to me… the idea that I could do that was so far, but the want was so high. I wanted it so badly, so I just went after it.” It wasn’t an easy path, though. Schwartz explained that his first short film was stolen off YouTube and the person who took credit for his work went on to garner 30 million views. The incident left Schwartz dejected, but certainly didn’t deter him. “I wanted it so bad, so I created content whenever I could,” Schwartz said. “It’s the idea of creating and just going out and doing it… The same thing that you take terrible Snapchats of going to the bathroom with is a device that you can film on.” Schwartz said he is always writing, whether it be jokes or film scripts and that, with time, he’s learned to overcome both writer’s block and rejection. His secret? Schwartz will continue writing even if his ideas seem absurd. In fact, he will write over 100 what-if scenarios down until he finds something worthy of storytelling. In the later Q&A portion of the talk,
students asked the actor about his biggest failures and picked his brain for career advice. One audience member shared her current dilemma regarding whether she should follow her dream of serving on an Olympic committee in California or instead accept a stable, perhaps more sensible, job close to home. Watching the celebrated comedian interact with college students was refreshing. Schwartz listened to each question with a genuine interest and responded with humble and honest feedback. On Wednesday night, Mayo Concert Hall transformed into a safe space for students to share their fears and wildest aspirations that are typically written off as trivial or unrealistic by parents and peers. Schwartz, however, encouraged the future teachers, artists and actors in the room to pursue these goals. “Because my mom (has been) a public school teacher for so long, it means so much to me that so many of you are going after that career because it’s something I think is so important and special,” Schwartz said. “The fact that you’re passionate about it and want to do it at this stage makes me inspired.”
Sleeping students stunned to find floormate in room
Chelsea LoCascio News Editor
• Campus Police were dispatched to Townhouses East at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 1. Upon arrival, police met with a Pro Staff member who told the cops that, while doing a welfare check on a resident, she smelled marijuana in the hallway and the second floor of the building. She told the officers from which room she smelled the marijuana coming and proceeded to knock on the door. Upon opening the door, both the Pro Staff member and Campus Police asked the resident if he was smoking marijuana and if there was any more of it in his room. He responded, “Yes,” to all questions, according to police reports. The accused opened the top drawer of his dresser and pulled out a blue and black glass pipe with burnt residue and a plastic sandwich bag containing a green, leafy substance, according to police. Campus Police searched, handcuffed and transported him to TCNJ Police Headquarters. The accused was issued summonses for possession of controlled dangerous substances and use or possession of drug paraphernalia. • Campus Police met in the TCNJ EMS assessment
area in the Recreation Center at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, during the College Union Board’s Spring Concert. Strike Force Security Officers escorted an individual into the assessment area to be medically evaluated for suspicion of intoxication, police said. According to Campus Police, the individual’s breath smelled of alcohol and she admitted to consuming six shots of vodka. After slurring her speech when answering TCNJ EMS’s questions, TCNJ EMS determined that she required medical transport by Ewing EMS for further care. She was issued an underage drinking summons, police said.
• Campus Police were dispatched to the front of Decker Hall around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 6, in reference to a report of criminal mischief. Sometime between 1 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., an unknown person broke the driver’s side window of a TCNJ EMS response vehicle, according to police. Members of TCNJ EMS and police observed a large crack at the top of the window. Campus Police advised TCNJ EMS to contact them if there is anything further to report.
• Campus Police were dispatched to Travers Hall at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 10, for a report of an unresponsive, intoxicated male. Upon arriving to the room, police met with a Community Adviser (CA), who said that the two residents of the room told him that they woke up to find a floor resident sleeping in their room. The residents told the CA that they were not able to wake him after several attempts. According to police, the intoxicated male woke up as soon as the police announced their presence. Campus Police asked him if he knew where he was and he responded, “I’m in my room.” The student admitted to having “a couple of red Solo cups of beer” and apologized for wandering and falling asleep in the wrong room, according to police reports. TCNJ EMS arrived and evaluated him but did not deem it necessary to transport him. Police said he refused additional medical attention and was allowed to go back to his own room after being issued an underage drinking summons. Anyone with information can contact Campus Police at 609-771-2345.
Alumni panel discusses career opportunities in sociology
By Jamie Gerhartz Correspondent
Five alumni returned to the College on Wednesday, April 13, in room 326 of the Social Sciences Building, to provide insight about finding a job after graduation to current sociology majors. Four of the panelists spoke in person, while one gave advice via video chat. The panelists talked about their lives after graduating the College and gave students advice for finding a job and what life might be like after graduating with a sociology degree. All of the panelists talked about how they came to get the jobs they currently have. The stories range from job hunting online to meeting someone with connections. One of the speakers, Urban Planner at Burgis Associates, Inc. Dave Novak (’09), talked about how he landed his job in city planning. “I got very lucky,” Novak said. He said that during his time in graduate school, he struck up a conversation with a woman whose husband happened to own a planning firm. From that interaction, he got a part-time job, which eventually turned into his current full-time job. “Just by being open and respectful and
talking to people, I was able to get employment,” Novak said. Research Analyst at Russell Market Research Amity Menard (’09) said that she got her job from monster.com and eventually progressed from just arranging data into tables to her current position at Russell Market Research. She talked about how she didn’t know anything about tabulations at the time, but by being open to learning, she was able to work her way up. The panelists were also asked to give advice to the students about job interviews. The most common tip was to be confident and be yourself. In a world of people fighting for highlycompetitive jobs, it is important to stand out and not be afraid to put yourself out there, according to Elementary Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction at Middletown Township School District in New Jersey Natalie Franzi (’08). Another important skill to acquire when searching for a job is the ability to network. All of the panelists mentioned networking as a way to broaden their searches and to get more job opportunities. “When you hire me, you’re not just hiring me,” Franzi said. “You’re hiring all of the smart people that I’m connected to.” Networking helps people get more job
Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant
The panelists advise students about standing out in a competitive job market. opportunities and makes people more desirable because they have a list of people who are willing to help them and vouch for them, according to Franzi. Many students wanted to know how to answer tough interview questions. “A common question in job interviews is, ‘What is your biggest weakness?’ What is the best way to answer that question?” junior early childhood education and sociology double major Alex Grcic asked. According to Franzi, this is a trick. When answering this question, the interviewee should respond with something that can be turned into a positive or something that you can easily fix, Franzi said.
“Say something that is a weakness, but also say how you are improving on it,” Franzi said. Though the panel answered several questions on students’ minds, it also reaffirmed the importance of pursuing a degree in sociology. According to Novak, sociology teaches students about social and economic trends and how they affect people. Beyond noticing societal trends, studying sociology gives students insight into others’ lives. Menard said that sociology teaches students how to understand people that are not like them and how to interpret the thoughts and actions of different groups of people.
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Green / College employs initiatives to be eco-friendly
The College’s bike infrastructure can be improved.
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into the atmosphere during the process of burning fossil fuels, among other means of emission. With a planet-wide problem like global warming, a college of only 289 acres, according to U.S. News, is a small yet vital cog in the Mother Earth machine. Like any other large institution, the College emits carbon into the atmosphere, and around 60 percent of it comes from the campus’ electricity, such as heating and air conditioning, according to Political Science Department Chair and Associate Professor Brian Potter. Established when College President R. Barbara Gitenstein signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2007, which promised to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the Presidents’ Climate Commitment Committee (PC3) is made up of students, faculty and staff from the College, including Potter. PC3 is tasked with finding innovative initiatives to help reduce the College’s carbon emissions. “Carbon neutrality is an aspiration,” Potter said. “It’s where an organization or an individual has no net carbon emissions. If you are emitting carbon, you should minimize that and offset that by, say, having a large forested area of trees actually trap carbon and sequester it back into the ground. What the committee has been doing is finding ways where carbon reduction actually goes hand in hand with cost savings. A good example of that would be making the buildings more energy efficient.” The College has made an effort for new construction to be energy efficient. Director of Energy and Central Utilities Lori Winyard said that the newest buildings to be constructed, such as the Art and Interactive Multimedia, Education and STEM buildings, have a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver status — the third highest-ranking status in efficiency, according to usgbc.org. While these newer buildings may be energy efficient, the constant construction on campus emits carbon. However, the College plants trees and has other initiatives to try to offset those emissions and make up for the deforestation, according to Director of Buildings and Grounds Ed Gruber. “With a large amount of construction, a lot of trees are coming down,” Gruber said. “We’re working to replace trees and replace them with even more trees than were there initially… I love trees. I’m an arborist by trade.” The College plants different types of trees, particularly native species that can
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
endure the area’s climate, according to Gruber. He said that for every tree taken down on campus, he aims to plant a couple in its place. In addition to planting trees, the College also has a “Knowledge is Power” Initiative that cuts down on expenditures and emissions by preventing unnecessary heat, air conditioning and light use throughout campus, according to an email sent to students, faculty and staff on Monday, March 28, by Associate Vice President for Facilities and Administrative Services Kathy Leverton. Since the initiative’s inception in December 2005, the College has decreased its light use from 10,571,703 kilowatthours to 7,125,159 kilowatt-hours, despite adding a few buildings and parking garages along the way, Winyard said. The initiative saves the College and its students $1.3 million annually, she said. Despite the effort to save power, anyone strolling through the campus at night would look at the academic buildings and assume professors are burning the midnight oil — and the College’s electric bill. “You walk around campus on a Friday night when you know no one is in their offices, but all of the offices are lit up. It’s waste,” Potter said. “We don’t have — and other campuses do have — a security team that comes by and locks doors and turn off lights. We don’t have that, but it’s also just individuals not doing that little part. We have a lot of programs and initiatives that we can do, but really a lot of them need consciousness and actions by every member of the campus community to save energy and to be more efficient.” Winyard agrees and believes drastic change really comes down to every member of the College being conscientious. “If you go past a room where someone didn’t turn off the light, pitch in (and turn it off),” Winyard said. Although everyone can try to pitch in, the wasting of power, whether it be lights or heat, may not always be an individual’s fault, according to Mauro. “I remember… when I lived on campus, I had my windows open year round because the heat was always at like 90 degrees and (the College) wastes a lot of energy,” Mauro said. “I think part of it is people don’t know that they can just call maintenance, and if it is a problem, they can get it fixed.” He also mentioned how certain lights in dorms are out of students’ control, such as the lights always on in the hallways of places like Wolfe, Travers and Decker halls. Although it is not as significant as power use, 20 percent of the College’s carbon emissions comes from transportation to and from campus, according to Potter. To combat this, Potter recommends TCNJ Rideshare App. The app is meant
to help students, faculty and staff at the College carpool. “On this app, when I enter in my car on my profile… the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has a measure of how much that car produces in carbon emissions per mile,” Potter said. “So if you and I share a ride in my car, you can measure how much your car produces per mile and… then we can figure out how much carbon is not emitted because we’re teaming up in one car instead of two.” Potter equates it to Uber, except rides through this app are free. Though it emulates Uber, it is still trying to find success on campus and needs a minimal threshold of a few hundred users to become a viable solution to cutting carbon emissions, according to Potter. In the past, other car services have tried, but have found little success at the College. The College hopes to have better success with this program, as well as the one through Enterprise. “Right now, we have the Enterprise car rental, which I think will only have students use it,” Potter said. “I think it’s underused, so Enterprise might pull it simply because it’s not profitable for them.” If the current car initiatives are not effective, there may be a push for biking, according to Michael Nordquist, a political science adjunct professor and interim executive director for the Center for Community Engaged Learning and Research.
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
On-campus recycling is single stream.
“We’re trying to encourage biking as much as possible,” Nordquist said. “It’s something like 50 percent of students live within two miles, but 70 or 80 percent of them drive by themselves, so there’s a real market there for people to be able to bike to campus. “But we don’t necessarily have the infrastructure for biking on campus…, enough bike racks, weather-protected storage or bike paths on campus. So
there’s a couple of places that there’s a real opportunity for growth,” he said. In addition to insufficient bike infrastructure, Nordquist believes recycling at the College is not something that is running as smoothly as it should. “We recycle on campus, but obviously there’s lots of criticism of that and what that looks like and what people think actually gets recycled and what doesn’t,” Nordquist said. “I see both sides of that in that we don’t have the most straight-forward recycling rules on campus. If you contaminate anything — if there’s non-recyclable goods mixed in with recyclable stuff — the entire thing goes out because it’s not going to be sorted (at the College), so it’s tough on that front.” The College has a single-stream recycling program in which different materials can be recycled together and sorted later when they arrive at the facility, since the College does not have the staff to sort, according to Director of Risk Management, Occupational Safety and Environmental Services Brian Webb. However, there is some campus-wide confusion on what can actually be recycled. For instance, an annoyed Mauro said he watches his fellow students or the College’s staff and faculty as they try to recycle contaminated pizza boxes in recycling bins or wax-covered coffee cups in the Library Café. “I don’t think recycling is that big of an issue when you look at the overall picture of environmental issues,” Mauro said. “But on campus, it just seems a little negligent… It’s a gateway to bigger issues.” When it comes to the mountain of paper coffee cups piled up in the Library Café recycling bins, Sodexo has made an effort to reduce this waste by giving those with carte blanche meal plans a free, reusable coffee cup, according to Dining Services Registered Dietician Aliz Holzmann. As of right now, the improper recycling on campus is not crucial — just another pet peeve for environmental enthusiasts. The College has not yet been notified of too much contamination in the recycling, which would be a violation in its contract with the recycling facility. Because the College has never breached this, the school has never found out what percentage of trash is tolerated or beyond the acceptable limit, according to Gruber. Although it may not be a problem yet, the College still takes the recycling seriously. Environmental Programs Specialist Amanda Radosti acts as the College’s recycling coordinator by educating students, faculty and staff about properly recycling by ensuring that recycling brochures, pamphlets and fliers are available at staff orientations or when freshmen see GREEN page 5
THE COLLEGE'S CARBON EMMISSIONS Natural gas (i.e. heating or cooling)
Transportation
Air travel (i.e. study abroad or sabbatical)
Electricity purchased off campus
Miscellaneous 7% 3% 2% 20% 68%
Chelsea LoCascio / News Editor
The 2009 Climate Action Plan details the College’s carbon emissions.
April 20, 2016 The Signal page 5
Green / Newly offered minors educate students The College’s Do’s and Don’ts of
Going Green! DO :
Turn off all lights
DON’T: Waste Food
DON’T :
Recycle wax-covered paper coffee cups
DO :
Power off all electronics DO :
Carpool to and from work
Infographic courtesy of Surbhi Chawla
Students, staff and faculty can help the environment through conscientious acts. continued from page 4
move into their dorm rooms. She has also helped put together the
single-stream recycling sticker found on recycling bins. The sticker shows a water bottle, cardboard box, newspaper and soda can going into a recycling bin — a
simple indication of the materials that can be recycled, according to Radosti. However, some students believe the sticker does not accurately fulfill its purpose. “Personally, when I look at it, and I would expect when most people look at it, they’re just like, ‘Oh, it’s just a picture of what recycling is. It’s not telling us what we can recycle because it’s just a picture,’” senior elementary education and Spanish double major Lea Fulscado said. “If it said, ‘Recycle these things here,’ it would make a difference to me. But… it just looks like a cute graphic rather than instructions.” Fulscado said that although the College does not effectively communicate its recycling policies to the students, the students should also already know how to recycle. What may be lacking from the student body is proper education. Luckily, the College has recently come up with some solutions for those seeking answers — one of them being the environmental studies minor, coordinated by sociology Professor Diane Bates, and the other being the environmental sustainability education minor, coordinated by elementary and early childhood education Assistant Professor Lauren Madden. Both minors are new with only a handful of students currently pursuing each. According to Madden, she and Bates worked together to develop their respective minors. The environmental studies minor incorporates a mixture of hard science and social science courses since the key to helping the environment is a combination of understanding the science behind it and acting accordingly, Bates said. “Scientists know the threat behind (climate change) and question why we don’t respond to science,” Bates said. “The answer is that it’s a social issue. We’re set on our own cultural norms… and we push (the responsibility) onto someone else.” The environmental sustainability education minor is primarily geared toward
education majors, but is open to anyone interested in incorporating teaching others how to be environmentally friendly into their profession, Madden said. “The goal is to help grow green children,” Madden said. “Adults are responsible for every single problem in the world.” With all of these ways to help the environment at the College, it is safe to say that the College recognizes the side effects of global warming and climate change that are evident through the recent changes in the weather. Nine of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2000, according to NASA’s Global Climate Change Website. “The idea that we are having 70 degree weather consistently (the week of Monday, March 7) is really going to screw up broader weather patterns, agriculture, water supply, essentially everything we rely on to live. Yes, it concerns me,” Nordquist said. “It concerns me that we had one significant snowstorm this past winter and it was a blizzard and then it was 50 degrees two days later (and) most of the snow was gone. It concerns me that it was just released the other day that it was the warmest winter on record ever in North America.” Mauro agrees and thinks that the people who are still in denial about climate change and global warming, and their effects, need to wake up. “I don’t think we’re all going to go up in flames within the next year or two, but it’s definitely something we need to be concerned about,” Mauro said. “It might not affect us too much, but other countries, like (those in the) Pacific Islands, you can see the changes there. “There’s facts, there’s science backing it. There’s plenty of documentaries actually showing physical changes,” he continued. “I don’t think that it’s as much of a problem in a college campus, but if people are still denying climate change — I can see them denying the (human) impacts — but if they are still denying that it exists, it’s kind of a problem.”
Foundation revises mission statement Alumnus wins Update emphasizes philanthropic work
By Sierra Stivala Correspondent The College’s Foundation recently released its revised mission statement, making known its philanthropic support for the school. The statement was released to the public on Friday, March 24, and although the words have changed, the Foundation’s purpose remains in close alignment with the mission of the College, according to a TCNJ Today article from Monday, April 11. According to executive director of the Foundation, John Donohue, the Foundation was originally named the Trenton State College Foundation and began with the intent to obtain funds in support of the nationally recognized public institution. By means of gifts and endowments, the Foundation increasingly emphasizes the importance of philanthropic support for both donations and investments. “By being true to our mission statement, we believe people will see their philanthropic support of the College as a worthwhile investment in the future, or institution and those we serve,” Donohue said.
The new mission underscores the vital role benefactors play in the College’s academic enrichment, community engagement and capital improvement. According to Donohue, it supports an extensive range of programs, including study abroad, leadership initiatives, professor training initiatives and athletics. “We are committed to delivering the highest quality education to our students, while ensuring that a TCNJ education is accessible,” Associate Vice President for Development Charles Wright said. “As we look to the future, we recognize that to have the resources, we need to deliver on that promise requires that we seek outside financial support from our alumni and friends.” Further, the new mission statement highlights the importance of strong stewardship on behalf of all donors. “In an era of increasing expectations of accountability and transparency, it is essential that the Foundation demonstrate to donors and potential donors that their philanthropic gifts to the College will be well managed — both through prudent investment and careful oversight and ensuring that the funds are expended in accordance with the terms under which they are solicited
and contributed,” Donohue said. According to Donohue, the Foundation has had significant donations to the College thus far. In the 2015 fiscal year alone, the Foundation presented the College with funds reaching $3.4 million. More than $1 million of those went directly to merit and need-based scholarships. In accordance with the new mission statement, the Foundation has recently implemented Campaign for TCNJ — its first comprehensive campaign. A committee, made up of more than 70 volunteers, spearheads the campaign’s philanthropy. Donohue says these volunteers have hosted fundraisers and events nationwide geared toward generating investments for the College. As the campaign’s first year comes to an end, it has received over 10,000 independent monetary gifts. This amounts to a total of $34 million in philanthropic support — 81 percent of its 40 million goal, according to Donohue. “In addition to making occasional gifts to the campaign, many have met with donors, written thank-you notes, led tours and, frankly, served as shining examples of what is so special about TCNJ,” Donohue said.
Pulitzer Prize By Ellie Schuckman News Editor
College journalism alumnus James Queally (’09) is now a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter. A staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, Queally was part of the team that reported on the Dec. 2, 2015, mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. The staff won the 2016 breaking news prize for covering the unfolding events of that day and the aftermath of the shooting. The winners were announced via a press conference at Columbia University on Monday, April 18. Queally is a former editor at The Signal.
AP Photo
Queally’s team won for its San Bernardino story.
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April 20, 2016 The Signal page 7
SFB grants funds for CollegeHumor comedians
The board talks about funding iTunes’s spring concert. By Roderick Macioch News Assistant
During its weekly meeting on Wednesday, April 13, the Student Finance Board (SFB) allocated funds for several upcoming events, ranging from live shows to cultural celebrations. The first student organization to present a proposal, The Society for Creative Endeavors (TSCE), proposed funding for “Mythology and Meaning: Knights and Dragons,” to be presented by actor and mythology scholar Crispin Freeman. According to TSCE’s request form, Freeman “not only provides the voices for animation and game characters, but also does a variety of presentations on how myths and mythology appear in pop culture, what they mean and how they influence us.” When the time came to vote, the $7,186 requested for Freeman’s travel expenses and appearance fee was denied, and the event was zero funded. Reasons cited were the unreasonably high price and the redundancy of the event, as Freeman had given a similar presentation at the College in Spring 2014. Representatives of Chabad proposed their plan for the organization’s celebration of Israeli Independence Day. The event will be co-sponsored by Alpha Epsilon Pi and Hillel, and as stated in Chabad’s request form, is intended “to celebrate and educate the campus community about Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day commemorating the
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948.” Thus, the event “provides students with the opportunity to learn about Israel’s history and culture, as well as provide an outlet to celebrate this joyous event,” according to the form. The board voted to fully fund the event in the amount of $2,068.45 to cover expenses such as food, decorations and live Israeli music. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 4, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Decker Social Space. Members of the freshman class council then proposed Freshman Farewell Fest, co-sponsored by Residential Education. The event will feature “an outdoor concert showcasing freshman talent. Simultaneously, (freshman class council) will have activities and games to play inside the (T/W Lounge). The concert will be followed by an outdoor movie screening,” according to the request form. Overall, the event will be “an opportunity for students to de-stress before finals and have fun with the friends they’ve made this year. This is a culmination of the Class of 2019’s first year,” according to the form. When the time came to vote, $5,345 was granted, which will pay for various arcade games, such as air hockey, pinball, basketball and a football toss; a WTSR disk jockey; an inflatable movie screen and screening rights to the movie “Neighbors.” The event is scheduled for Wednesday, May 4, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in
the T/W Lounge and on the lawn in front of the towers. One of the College’s a cappella groups, iTunes, then requested funding for its spring concert, which will serve as a showcase for iTunes to perform songs it has been rehearsing throughout the semester. “The concert benefits the student body because they can come listen to diverse music from around the world arranged in an a cappella style,” iTunes stated in its request form. Funding in the amount of $541 was granted to pay for ushers, student staff and Mayo Concert Hall fees. The event will take place on Saturday, May 7, in Mayo Concert Hall, at an unannounced time. The College Union Board (CUB) requested funding for its comedy show extension of Funival 2016. Funival, which has already earned Student Activity Fee funding, traditionally features what CUB calls an “additional feature,” such as fireworks or guest appearances. This year that additional feature will be an appearance by Jake and Amir. According to the request form, “Jake and Amir are a comedic duo that formed during the peak of the Col- legeHumor Web series, and to this day hold the title of longest running series for the platform. Since, they have had a featured show on TBS, currently host a popular podcast and have premiered a new online web series.”
The board voted to grant CUB’s request in the amount of $9,945. Funival is scheduled for Friday, May 6. Jake and Amir’s performance is expected to begin at about 8 p.m. that evening and will be held in Lot 6. The final order of business was the proposal of the Loop Bus mobile application, sponsored by Student Government (SG) and developed by the Computer Science Department and the Office of Engagement. The app would “make the Loop Bus schedule more accessible and user-friendly,” according to SG representative Tyler Holzer, a sophomore finance and international studies double major who presented the proposal. Evidence for interest in the app had been demonstrated in a campus survey email, in which 95 percent of the 250 respondents “reported that they would access the Loop Bus schedule ‘via mobile app’ if it were available,” Holzer said. In all, $1,000 was requested to fund the development of the app. The board voted to table the proposal after reaching a consensus that a Website would probably be more accessible to students and easier to develop than an app, and therefore a wiser investment. Funding for the development of a Website will be proposed by SG in an upcoming meeting. *Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Members discuss the Loop Bus mobile application.
AVI event educates students about rape culture Expo aims to start conversation about sexual assault
Keri Fitzpatrick / Staff Photographer
AVI presentations teach the campus about assault.
By Olivia Dauber Correspondent
Students attending A Day to End Rape Culture, hosted by Anti-Violence Initiatives (AVI), on Tuesday, April 12, were immediately hit with positive energy, despite the sensitive subject matter of the expostyle event. On the event’s Facebook page, AVI defines rape culture as “an environment in which rape is prevalent and sexual
violence is normalized and excused in the media.” The student-volunteers at the event aimed to change the narrative about sexual assault on college campuses and started the conversation through a series of short, interactive presentations that utilized visuals, narratives and humor to get students thinking seriously about a tough topic. “The ultimate goal is to switch the idea of resistance from the victim to the perpetrator,” said junior psychology major Rachel Turan,
who presented at the event. The AVI volunteers managed to keep the environment humorous and hopeful, while attendees were educated on topics from the history of rape culture in society to school dress codes and media coverage of sexual assaults. “A lot of people think that a rape is only considered legit if the victim is physically small and attacked very violently by a stranger,” AVI volunteer and freshman psychology major Gigi Garrity said. “But we’re learning that most rapes actually include people you know, (and) sometimes drugs… It’s so important that we listen to all survivors.” At a nearby table, senior psychology major Maria Phillips asked students to pick out an article of clothing they would wear from an assortment on the table, ranging from sports gear to Halloween costumes to bikinis. She explained that wearing any item of clothing doesn’t give someone permission to treat you a certain way. “Mind boggling, I know,” Phillips said. Representatives from the Title
IX office — a division of Student Affairs started at the College in November — were also present. While AVI would provide counseling and emotional support for a student who has been assaulted, the Title IX office would help a student report the crime to authorities if desired and provide academic accommodations, like changing class schedules. “The victim of a sexual assault has already been through something tragic,” Title IX Coordinator Jordan Draper said. “We aim to help them feel safe on campus.” Campus Police were also present to show their support
and inform students about the services they offer, which include assistance in investigating sexual assault or sexual harassment cases. “Today is really about starting a conversation,” AVI volunteer and sophomore psychology and women’s and gender studies double major Cat Janis said. “If we have the language to talk about it, we can fight for what we need to change. People know what’s right and wrong, they just don’t always know what to say. Ending rape culture is all about starting a conversation and learning the language.”
Keri Fitzpatrick / Staff Photographer
Students learn about ending rape culture.
page 8 The Signal April 20, 2016
Nation & W rld
Fireworks spark huge temple fire in India
By Rohan Ahluwalia Staff Writer
An explosion and wildfire caused from a botched fireworks display killed 113 people and injured over 500 at a Hindu temple in the southern Indian state of Kerala on Sunday, April 10. The explosion occurred at the Puttingal Temple in Paravur, Kollam district, approximately 40 miles north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, according to BBC News. The deaths were caused from the blaze that ensued and the collapse of an office building and a storage shed at the temple. The fireworks exploded as over 10,000 pilgrims were visiting the temple to celebrate the end of a seven-day Hindu festival for the goddess Bhadrakali. Along with the temple, around 150 houses near the temple were badly damaged by the explosions, Reuters reported. “Our house is unlivable. Everything is blown off. If we had stayed in our house last night, we would have all died,” local resident Anitha Prakash told BBC Hindi. According to the Chief Minister of Kerala
Oommen Chandy, the explosion and subsequent fire began after sparks from the alreadylit fireworks ignited another set of firecrackers in the temple. Emergency vehicles were slow to arrive at the temple because of a power outage at the temple, BBC News reported. Bulldozers were used by rescue teams to clear the area and look for survivors. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew to Kerala the next day and visited injured victims and family members. According to CNN, he said that the incident in the state was “heartrending and shocking beyond words.” According to the International Business Times, the Kerala government ordered a full investigation of Sunday’s incident after district official A. Shainamol stated that the temple was denied permission to use fireworks for the celebration. Since the investigation began, seven of the 10 people who were wanted following the incident surrendered to police, International Business Times reported. According to officials, the people are board members at the temple and are currently being investigated.
Civilians assess the damage after the surprise explosion. Police officer Gupakumar said the seven board members were taken into custody late at night on Monday, April 11, after a two-day manhunt, the Associated Press reported. Earlier, the police had questioned five workers from the company that supplied the fireworks. The five workers were eventually released. The Associated Press reported that, if convicted, the members stand a chance of
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being charged for attempted murder — a life imprisonment charge — and illegally storing explosives. The Bharatiya Janata Party, one of the two main political parties in India, requested that district officials organize prayer sessions to pay homage to the victims and for the speedy recovery of the injured, according to CNN.
Coral reefs face the damages of coral bleaching By Danielle Silvia Staff Writer
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Warming waters are damaging coral reefs.
Coral reefs are in danger because of climate change, especially the recent El Niño effect (when the waters by the equator are unusally warm) and overfishing in these sea environments, according to the New York Times. Fish, however, also offer a solution to this widespread issue if fishermen lower their fishing rates, according to Nature World News. For instance, if fishermen know about moderately to lightly fished reefs and how many fish to catch then they can protect the oceans. Instead of taking every fish they catch, fishermen can determine which fish should stay in the ocean and which should be taken home for supper, lowering the rates of overfishing, ultimately protecting the oceans. Fishing is not the only problem with a solution. Costal developments that typically destroy ocean life, including coastal reefs, are becoming very common all around the world. According to the Washington Post and New York Times, about 75 percent of costal reefs are being threatened by such means of extinguishing the land around them. Costal developments include taking parts of the coral reefs away for scientific research, establishing settlements over the area of costal reefs, as well as simply removing parts of the coastal reefs for safekeeping or pleasure. Coral reefs can only
flourish in very clear water, and polluting the ocean in terms of fishing, littering or even dumping waste into bodies of water negatively influence the water quality, obviously degrading it, thus forcing coral reefs to not live in clear water. Each of these actions is equally as dangerous to coral reefs as the next, and currently, not much is being done to preserve them in this manner. With respect to the climate changes affecting how the coral reefs are changing, most sources agree that the warmer the temperatures in the ocean, the more that coral reefs tend to die off quicker. The main reason that this occurs is that algae become lifeless in the coral and, in turn, bleaches coral, or, in other words, whitens the coral reefs in color. Coral bleaching has been occurring since around the 1980s, forcing the reefs to diminish in color and truly lose what makes them unique, their vibrancy and beauty. It causes them to die off. The pollution damaging coral reefs has ignited on and off since around 2002. According to The Guardian, “If the rhetoric from marine biologists is to be believed, then the Great Barrier Reef is now in the grip of a “bommie apocalypse.” Today, 10 percent of all of the world’s coral reefs have already been demolished. The Philippines holds the world record for the most destruction done to its coral reefs, as over 70 percent of its coral reefs have been destroyed.
Corn-masa gains a vitamin to benefit babies By Jennifer Goetz Nation & World Editor
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided on Thursday, April 14, to permit folic acid in corn-masa flour. This is a B vitamin that is thought to prevent birth defects, The Seattle Times reported. Folic acid has been used to enrich wheat and rice flours. Corn-masa can be found in tortillas, taco shells and corn chips and is considered to be a Hispanic staple food (masa means dough in Spanish), according to the FDA press release. According to the new rule in the Federal Register, this vitamin should be at a level no higher than 0.7 milligrams per pound of corn-masa flour. The Seattle Times reported that Susan T. Mayne, director of the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said, “What we are saying today is we
are confident in the safety of this addition to the U.S. food supply.” The Seattle Times reported that research done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that an average of 40 “neutral-tube defects” in Hispanic women every year could be prevented. Neutral-tube defects “are birth defects affecting the brain, spine, and spinal cord,” according to the FDA press release. The Seattle Times reported that folic acid is “cheap, safe and stable in grain products” and could help reduce birth defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Corn-masa flour isn’t the first product to be fortified with folic acid. According to NPR, folic acid was required to be in “bread, pasta and breakfast cereals” and since then, the number of babies born in the U.S. with neutral-tubes has decreased by about 1,300 babies a year, or 35 percent. Many groups were supportive of the
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Tortillas will now contain folic acid, which can prevent birth defects. choice to add folic acid, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the National Council of LA Raza and the Spina Bifida Association, according to the The Seattle Times. These same groups first rallied to get folic acid in corn-masa flour products in
2012. They petitioned the FDA four years ago, according to NPR. The fortified corn-masa flour with this vitamin added will be available next September, according to Felipe Rubio, a Gruma company spokesman, The Seattle Times reported.
April 20, 2016 The Signal page 9
Editorial
High-profile speaker should attend College’s commencement
Steve Jobs. John F. Kennedy. Barbara Kingsolver. Stephen Colbert. These are just a few commencement speakers included in Time’s “Top 10 Best Commencement Speakers” list. Why? Because they all made a lasting impression on the graduating classes they spoke to before they entered into what most students fear as they sit in their graduation caps: the real world. This past Sunday, April 17, it was announced that President Barack Obama would be coming to New Jersey to give the commencement speech at Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s graduation. As soon as the news was announced, students from the College took to social media to make light of the fact that the College does not practice this common tradition of bringing in notable commencement speakers, something that most universities have across the United States. It’s time for the College to break from its own tradition of not having people like Kennedy, who spoke to American University in 1963, or science educator Bill Nye, who spoke at Rutgers last year. The reason why most students look forward to this special speech given before they move their tassel over and enter into the real world is for the words of wisdom given by someone who has met success. Most of the people who give the speeches are those that have qualities and experiences that students could emulate. Members of the Rutgers graduating class of 2016 will be able to tell their children 10 years from now that they heard Obama, a sitting president, give them advice on life and what to expect out of it, a recurring theme heard in commencement speeches. At the College, students are being robbed of the traditional college experience simply because that lasting impact of a speaker is not there. The commencement speakers aren’t just there so that students can say they were in the same room as Obama or Colbert (although it is pretty neat to say) — it’s more about what the speakers say to the students that will last through the years after graduation. “We need not accept that view. Our problems are man-made — therefore, they can be solved by man,” Kennedy said to American University’s graduating class in 1963. “And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man’s reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable — and we believe they can do it again.” His speech became a well-known example of just how impactful commencement speeches can be — not only for students, but for others in the future that have a chance to read about them or hear recordings of them. The College needs to understand that students don’t need to have huge names like Obama or Jobs to come speak, but rather simply someone who can resonate with them. Having a notable alumni talk to them to show that they can find success after graduation is enough of an impact. Former owner of the New York Jets Terry Bradway, former Gov. of New Jersey Jim Florio and, recently, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer James Queally are all prime examples of people that graduated from the College who could deliver a commencement speech. I urge the College to begin to break away from the tradition it has held onto and begin a new tradition that will not only enrich students’ years at the College, but remind them all why they are proud to graduate from the College in the first place. — Jessica Ganga Sports Editor
Editorial Content Unsigned editorial opinions are those of the Editorial Board, which consists of the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing, News, Features, Arts & Entertainment, Opinions, Photo, Sports, Review and Social Media editors and the Business and Production managers, unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed in signed editorials and letters to the editor are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Signal.
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While some colleges have commencement speakers, such as science educator Bill Nye, the College does not offer a high-profile speaker for its graduating class.
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“One of the biggest things when I was your age was that I was afraid to fail... I was terrified of auditioning and finding out that those people didn’t find me funny. I wish that I had someone tell me to not be afraid to take risks and to not be afraid to fail. It’s such a big thing that’s helped me in my career.” — Ben Schwartz, actor, comedian and writer
“I want the main focus to be the snap itself and how it connects everyone together on campus. It’s about awareness of each other. The reason I don’t identify myself is because the second I do that, there are instantly connections made with me, instead of with each other.” — tcnj.snap’s account manager
page 10 The Signal April 20, 2016
April 20, 2016 The Signal page 11
Opinions
College fails to break gender disparities By Isabelle Tan and Tabiya Ahmed
Menstruation is not only a biological function, but also part of a larger ongoing social, political and economic debate. Oftentimes, the stigma of menstruation is accepted without consideration, but it is important to critically analyze these social norms and understand how they directly impact women. Due to the detrimental social stigmas surrounding a woman’s period, women are often denied access to income equality across the globe, whether in the form of exclusion from schooling or marginalization in higher levels of leadership and economic power. This economic inequality is further worsened as menstruating women either completely lack access to or face higher prices and taxes for menstrual products throughout the world. According to the Washington Post, 40 states in the U.S. tax menstrual products as a luxury good, which is designated for products deemed unnecessary or unessential. On the other hand, products such as Rogaine for Men are considered tax-exempt because they qualify as “medical supplies,” as described by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. This gender disparity in terms of lack of access to menstrual products is blatantly visible on the College’s campus through the absence of stocked menstrual product dispensers in the bathrooms. Most women have not seen them stocked in so long that they forget their existence as a resource. This is an issue that needs to be addressed by the College’s administration.
Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor
The College neglects to provide stocked menstrual product dispensers in the bathrooms. In addition, in regards to issues with access, individuals with a uterus are being charged higher prices for their periods, a natural process which they cannot control. This tax puts a disproportionate financial burden on women, especially women living in poverty. As college students, a lot of us often take our menstrual products for granted. Imagine what it would be like if you could not afford these products. How would we complete everyday activities? Where would we find resources that could help us? This is an issue that women, especially homeless and low-income women, face every day across the world and even in the College’s neighboring city of Trenton, N.J., a city in which, according to the U.S. Census, has a high population of 28.4 percent of individuals living below the poverty line. In order to promote gender equality and respect women’s
bodies, it is important to de-stigmatize menstruation and increase the awareness about this natural process that about half of the world’s population undergoes. We have to stop teaching girls to hide their menstrual products and instead focus on empowering them through education about menstrual hygiene. We need to shift our focus to combating systemic inequalities, such as the “tampon tax,” that were created under the governance of all-men politicians. Women’s rights are human rights and the progression of society as a whole can only occur when all of its members are treated with dignity and equality. Tan and Ahmed are members of the Women in Learning and Leadership/women’s and gender studies capstone class, which is advocating for the destigmatization of menstruation.
Hip-hop should be in the R&R Hall of Fame By Skyeler Sudia A recent feud between Ice Cube and Gene Simmons has ignited some controversy as to whether or not hip-hop artists should be included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since rock and roll is an ever-evolving genre, excluding hip-hop artists from the hall of fame would be detrimental to the growth of music. Both performers are members of the Hall of Fame. Simmons was inducted in 2014 as a member of Kiss and Ice Cube was inducted with N.W.A this past weekend. In recent years, Simmons has argued against the
inclusion of hip-hop artists, such as N.W.A, Rolling Stone reported earlier this month. Ice Cube stands in solidarity with the hip-hop community, as well as those welcoming rap into the organization. Hip-hop acts already inducted into the Hall of Fame include Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (2007), Run-D.M.C. (2009), Beastie Boys (2012) and Public Enemy (2013). When rock and roll is discussed, it cannot be limited to a stylistic idea. If that were the case, the Hall of Fame would only include artists who have made an impact on popular
Ice Cube stands in solidarity with the hip-hop community.
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music between 1954 and 1963, prior to the Beatles arriving in the United States. Rock and roll as a genre includes Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Buddy Holly — there’s not much more, just a few chords and a simple backbeat. Rock and roll as a feeling, however, is much more. It includes bands as successful as Led Zeppelin and bands that are unknown, such as the 13th Floor Elevators, and even recent bands, such as Courtney Barnett. There is no limit to rock and roll, since everyone has his or her own view of what it actually is. Simmons is entitled to his opinion, just as Ice Cube is, though I stand with the N.W.A rapper. Rock and roll is a feeling, an energy and a force. It makes us dance, it makes us smash things, it makes us cry and it makes us fall in love. It’s about a message: maybe political, maybe romantic, maybe even nothing at all — but even nothing at all can be a message. The bodies of work between the two artists reflect the time period they represent. Kiss was a commercially successful band due to the group’s untamed concerts involving fireworks and fiery showmanship, as well as a successful line of products ranging from lunch boxes to action figures. The music was simple, the energy was pure and the themes of their music mostly involved having a good time. On the other side of the argument is N.W.A, a collective group of rappers from Compton, located in Los Angeles. Through the joined talent of Ice Cube and company (including Dr. Dre and Eazy-E), the group represented a radical shift in hip-hop, bringing politics and the issues of black
Americans to the forefront of popular music. Similar to their predecessors in soul music (many of whom — Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly & the Family Stone and the Temptations, to name a few — are in the Hall of Fame and do not identify with the rock music label), they focused on poverty and racism, while bringing newer issues of gang violence and police brutality to their lyrics. The spirit of rock and roll lives on in the music of both Kiss and N.W.A. While Kiss ultimately represents the corporatization of rock music, the band’s significance is felt profoundly in music history. People who aren’t fans of the group should also recognize its importance: Without stadium bands like Kiss, punk rock would have never been a reaction. N.W.A embodies the spirit of rock and roll just as much as Kiss does, if not more so. They were rebellious, they scared parents and they gave a voice to those who didn’t have one. Each person has his or her own opinion of what rock and roll means. It is important to remember, however, that hip-hop embodies the spirit of rock and roll just as much as the any other genre (including rock music itself). Why else would Muddy Waters (blues), Johnny Cash (country), Metallica (heavy metal), Miles Davis (jazz), Michael Jackson (pop) and Otis Redding (soul) be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? It’s because they represent the spirit of rock and roll. As 1995 Hall of Fame inductee Neil Young once put it, “rock and roll can never die.” If enough people believe that’s true, it won’t.
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page 12 The Signal April 20, 2016
Remembering the Columbine tragedy 17 years later By Danielle Silvia Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., was the tragic site of a massive shooting in which two members of the student body killed 12 people, including fellow classmates and teachers, in a matter of about 50 minutes. This Wednesday, April 20, marks the 17th anniversary of that horrible day.
“The tragedy struck the nation very harshly... and (many) were shocked to see the news.”
April 20, 1999, was a normal day for many students at Columbine. Many were about to leave class and have lunch, do some work in the library or spend social
time with friends around the school. Two seniors, worshippers of hate, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, dressed in all black, entered the school with firearms and became the perpetrators of the incident before dying by suicide. The boys claimed to have been bullied over the years and this was their way of getting revenge, according to their parents in a Denver Post article from Nov. 22, 2000. Those who died include 11 students and a teacher. Many of the students were shot in the library. The killers taunted many of their victims before killing them, witnesses told the Denver Post. The tragedy struck the nation very harshly, as many turned on their televisions and were shocked to see the news. Viewers who tuned-in saw traumatic scenes such as a window sign in a classroom that read, “1 Bleeding to Death,” which was placed there by students to inform emergency responders of the chaos and was aired on the news, according to a Denver Post
Students mourn the deaths at Columbine High School.
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A memorial now stands at Columbine to remember the tragic event.
article from Nov. 22, 2000. The nation was shocked to see the damage that two students could do to the people they worked with every day. Today, many of us here at the College are too young to remember this fateful day, but it is very important for us to honor those who died, as well as those who helped save lives. Many people helped comfort the victims as they were dying or helped find people a hiding spot during the attacks. Today, the citizens of the U.S. at large should look back and aspire to act with the bravery that those who helped had. The school still stands today, surrounded by a beautiful memorial honoring the innocent victims at Columbine. Many students who died in this attack were about to graduate and enter college or pursue other goals, according to another article from the Denver Post on Nov. 22, 2000. They never got the chance to, and today, people should not take for granted how precious life really is.
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There is still gun violence in the world today, but more importantly, there is still hatred being spread around the world. The Columbine shooting event came from so much hatred that should never have been felt. Those who perished had no reason for their lives to come to such an abrupt end. People around the world will always have differences in religion, backgrounds and morals, but it is so important to live fully and not focus on the differences. Those who died missed many chances to improve the world. Someone could have grown up to become president, find a cure for cancer or find a way to travel back in time. There were so many vital lives that were stolen in the course of the tragic event. Many people have witnessed tragic events in person or witnessed them psychologically by watching the aftermath on the news. No matter the circumstance, it is important for us to remember these events throughout history and honor those who perished.
Journalism still matters in the digital age By Jake Mulick
The art of journalism is slowly dying. The influx of stories based around clickbait and sexy headlines that lack any substance at all is killing all credibility in the news industry. It is a shame that so many news organizations are sacrificing proper journalistic ethics and techniques and are becoming sensationalist in nature. An example of this was the 2006 Duke lacrosse rape case. In 2006, a woman who attended a party at the Duke lacrosse house falsely accused three of the lacrosse players of sexually assaulting her. The media latched onto this story and it received national coverage for almost a year. At the time, newspapers heavily inferred that the lacrosse players were guilty and plastered the players’ names across the news. These three college students were faced with the negative consequences of having their name attached to a crime that did not happen. These Duke students will forever be associated with sexual assault because of how much attention this case received. They will forever face the consequences of actions that they never committed because the words “Duke lacrosse” and “rape charges” make for an incredibly appealing headline. The New
York Times, which as of 2014 has a circulation of over 1.3 million people, according to niemanlab. org, ran this story almost daily for a little over a year. Because this story was so controversial and appealed to so many demographics, the media fixated on it copiously with a total disregard for whether or not these players actually committed sexual assault. This example acts almost as a precursor for how journalism is treated today. Nowadays, there are many news outlets, all competing for attention. With the massive rise in popularity for online journalism, many different Websites are competing for attention in a saturated field. News Websites use a strategy of sexy headlines and stories that lack any real substance in order to garner a lot of traffic to their Websites. The notion that pure, intellectual journalism is less important than ratings and views online is what is leading to the death of newspapers and journalism as an art. Websites like theodysseyonline.com exist for the sole purpose of getting as many views online as possible and detracting from any semblance of real, proper journalism. I understand the fact that a massive amount of revenue for online news publications is from ads and the more traffic that a news Website receives translate
into more money the company can make off ads. But the emphasis placed on sexy headlines and stories that are gilded, appearing to be full of relevant information but realistically being full of nonsense, is deplorable. The fact that stories about Kim Kardashian’s wardrobe and what it’s like to be a freshman in college will get more attention than topics like international politics and economics and real life issues is reprehensible. In my opinion, Donald Trump would not even be a realistic Republican candidate for president if newspapers chose to focus on his policies and his lack of political experience. Instead, many news organizations focus on the absurd quotes from his
speeches, which brings in heavy traffic on the Internet. If Trump was not able to gain mass media attention for his bizarre antics and phrasing, I would be skeptical if he would have been able to remain a contender for the highest office in the United States. The movement away from proper, well thought out journalism and the transition to big headlines for stories that are essentially full of garbage acts as a vehicle for articles that lacks any real substance. The end product of these practices is that people are informed about news by the same means that teenagers find out about boy bands. As consumers, we can choose not to be absorbed by the hype that surrounds events. We are
the only ones who can choose to read the New York Times and listen to National Public Radio instead of relying on the popup notifications that appear on our iPhones. It is paramount that news organizations begin to reward proper writing and journalism instead of clickbait and attention grabbing stories that lack any real substance. We must help to reform what is going on in the news industry so that events, such as the media circus around three innocent men accused of rape, don’t repeat themselves. It is our job to advocate for proper journalism and to not fall for the clickbait, attention grabbing headlines that some in the contemporary media try to sell.
AP Photo
Professional journalism is being threatened by social media and clickbait Websites.
April 20, 2016 The Signal page 13
Students share opinions around campus Is professional journalism on the demise?
Hip-hop in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
“I think it’s less professional (than it once was)... I think the media is more powerful than it has ever been.”
Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor
“No, because its not rock and roll.”
Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor
Tom Franey, sophomore finance major.
Dianna LaRosa, junior nursing major.
“No, because you still need people to go out and talk to people (and investigate).”
“Absolutely, it’s a form of music.”
Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor
Evan Abernethy, junior biology major.
Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor
Jon Welsh, sophomore international studies major.
The Signal asks... What do you think about Hillary Clinton?
Rob Birnbohm / Cartoonist
Hillary Clinton is currently facing heat on questionable comments she made in the past. She has since tried to turn her former comments around.
Tom: “(I’m) not a fan... I think she already has so many negative things (out about her) and I don’t like how the options of (a) Clinton and Bush keep coming up. I definitely think that there are better choices out there.” Dianna: “I know a lot of people have (bad) opinions about her... but she is very experienced, and if she is the Democratic nominee, I would take her over any of the Republican candidates.” Evan: “She’s a bit of a hypocrite... her stances now (on many issues) is sort of the opposite (than in the past).” Jon: “She’s awful, she doesn’t stand by anything she says she does... I’m supporting Bernie Sanders.”
page 14 The Signal April 20, 2016
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April 20, 2016 The Signal page 15
Features
Relay / Annual event raises $97,000 for cancer
Keri Fitzpatrick / Staff Photographer
Over 54 teams participate in Relay for Life this year. continued from page 1
Sigma Pi raised $12,298.91, followed by Delta Tau Delta fraternity, which raised $9,532, and Sigma Kappa sorority, which raised $8,175. Junior psychology major and Phi Sigma Sigma sorority member Lauren Plawker raised $2,539.65 for the event alone and was the top individual fundraiser. “I began fundraising for (ACS) after losing my grandfather, Ilan Plawker, to a rare form of lymphoma,” Plawker said. “I decided that as a student and a proud granddaughter, it was my responsibility to give back in memory of
this man who had given so much to supporting the education of his grandchildren… This year, I also relayed in honor of my Grandma RoRo, who I am proud to say is now two years cancer-free.” Plawker said it is important for students from all organizations at the College, not just Greek ones, to participate in Relay for Life so that the event can be as successful as possible. One of the College’s non-Greek organizations that took part in the event was TCNJ Musical Theater (TMT). “We come out because we don’t do a lot
of philanthropy, and we also perform at the event,” said Sarah Reynolds, TMT’s team captain and a sophomore English and secondary education dual major. “We (did) very well (fundraising). A lot of our members are in Greek life and a lot of people have been coming (to support us).” Many of the College’s social and business Greek organizations were at the event to raise support, as well. “We have a very strong connection to philanthropy,” junior biomedical engineering major and Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity member AJ Mercuri said. “It’s our organization’s thing to bring out a large number of people (to these sort of events).” Delta Sigma Pi (DSP), one of the College’s business fraternities, also took part in Relay for Life this year. “It’s a great opportunity to help out the ACS and the more people we can get involved, the better,” sophomore accounting major and DSP team captain Jenny Ellenbacher said. “The College’s campus is just great to get involved with.” According to Sen, money fundraised at this year’s event will go toward funding cancer research, as well as providing lodging and transportation for patients and their families close to cancer treatment facilities. It will also go toward educating and helping women regain confidence and improve their self-image following their battles with cancer.
“Nearly every student has been impacted by cancer,” Sen said, “Whether they were a survivor themselves or had a close friend or relative battle cancer, (this) cause touches everyone in some shape or form.” CAC raises awareness for different kinds of cancers throughout the year. In the past, CAC has sold gold shoelaces to support pediatric cancer, held a Pink Carnival in support of breast cancer, hosted the Great American Smokeout to raise awareness of lung cancer and sponsored Paint the Campus Purple Week to raise awareness and funds for Relay for Life, according to Sen. Many members of CAC expressed a personal connection to raising awareness about cancer. “I was motivated to join CAC and take part in Relay for Life because cancer has had a major impact in my family’s life since I can remember,” said Dana Tedesco, co-President of CAC and a junior biology major. “My sister is a two-time leukemia survivor and my mom is a breast cancer survivor... I relay so there can be a future free of cancer.” Many Relay for Life team members expressed a personal link to cancer, which motivates them to participate in the event year after year. “My mom had breast cancer and is in remission and she has recovered,” Mercurio said. “I think that (Relay for Life) is a little personal for each of us.”
‘TruckFest’ fights hunger while feeding Princeton
Photos courtesy of Daniel Wapelhorst
Left: The third annual festival raises over $33,000 for local organizations. Right: Over 15 food trucks show up for the event. By Sierra Stivala Staff Writer An entrancing aroma of sweet treats and savory samples radiated from Princeton TruckFest on Saturday, April 16, as the community came together to support local hunger charities Meals on Wheels and Mercer Street Friends. Over $33,000 was raised at the event this year, according to Jennifer Liu, a student at Princeton University and spokesperson for the Community Service Interclub Committee, which founded the event in 2014. Meals on Wheels aims to provide healthy meals to lowincome families. Equally inspiring, Mercer Street Friends donates food to those who face daily food uncertainty in the
Princeton area. They also hold hunger prevention programs targeted at children. More than 15 food trucks lined up along Prospect Street for the third annual event, showcasing some of their most popular menu items. Princeton students from the university’s 11 eating clubs, along with other local volunteers, facilitated the event and guided guests throughout the tasty selections of local businesses and food vendors. Attendees navigated through weaving lines as they waited to enjoy the food. Tickets could be purchased to exchange for food at each of the trucks. Beverage stands located throughout the street served as another means to raise funds. From My Four Sons Korean Fusion and Ma & Pa’s
Tex Mex BBQ to Nina’s Waffles and Maddalena’s Cheesecake Co., there was something to satisfy everyone’s craving. The end goal of the event was to raise the funds necessary to address local food issues by supporting the event’s carefully chosen charities. With the event’s motto being “Good Food, Good Cause,” junior economics major Jeevan Jacob was more than happy to extend his support. “It feels great eating for charity,” Jacob said. The trucks offered small, onthe-go sized portions that allowed guests to taste a little bit of everything. Junior finance major Alexis Keiper enjoyed sampling all of the options. But her favorite treat came from the food truck Fork in the Road, at which Keiper offered
a buffalo grilled cheese that was “out of this world.” Tasty crowd favorites included innovative twists on traditional foods. At the Shrimp PoBoy, chipotle chicken quesadillas and Italian rice balls were just a few of the mouth-watering options available. Sweet alternatives included s’mores crepes, waffles with ice cream and frozen cheesecake cannolis on a stick. In between bites, attendees enjoyed listening to disc jockeys from radio station 94.5 PST, as well as original musical performances from Princeton University’s student choir. A silent raffle was held in the afternoon with donations from Princeton’s most popular local stores and restaurants. TruckFest guests could win a variety of donations, including
those from Benefit Cosmetics, Paper Source and Triumph Brewing Company. Since its first year, the event has grown exponentially. With more truck vendors and food options, the sponsors hope to attract increasingly larger crowds, according to the event’s previous co-chair, Katie Gardner. The very first TruckFest event raised an astounding $20,000 for charity. According to Gardner, additional vendors and publicity helped the event raise $25,000 in its second year. “We’re expecting to raise even more this year,” Gardner said “It’s awesome to bring the community, university and (Community Service Interclub Committee), together to do something for local charities.”
page 16 The Signal April 20, 2016
: Jan. ‘05
Campus Style
Student sets food record
Elise Schoening / Features Editor
A student of the College makes the news for eating a six-pound burger.
Every week, Features Editor Elise Schoening hits the archives and finds old Signals that relate to current College topics and top stories. With The Lion’s Den now closed for renovations, students will be turning to other dining alternatives on campus. Most will likely grab lunch at Eickhoff Dining Hall or the Library Café. But in 2005, one student drove all the way to Clearfield, Pa., for a burger. This was not your average hamburger, however, and the College freshman ended up on “Good Morning America” and all over Internet blogs soon after for finishing the six-pound meal in a record amount of time. Who knew downing a six-pound hamburger in just under three hours could be someone’s claim to fame? Kate Stelnick, freshman early education major, certainly never dreamed it would be hers. Weighing in at only 115 pounds, Stelnick showed just how deceiving appearances can be when she was the first person to ever win a Pennsylvania pub’s long-standing challenge to eat a six-pound burger topped with five pounds of fixings. If that’s too much food for thought, imagine 24 Burger King Whoppers. After seeing the colossal burger advertised on the Food Network, Stelnick, a Princeton native, was so convinced she could eat it that she urged three of her friends from the
College to join her for the five-hour drive to Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, Pa. “I told my friends to not let me give up,” she said. True to their word, fellow freshmen Catherine Flannery and Randy Reali, along with junior Erik Cheng, cheered her on through the end, which was just six minutes before time was up. “They joke that there’s a fat kid living inside me,” she said. Stelnick’s feat earned her guest spots on “Good Morning America,” “The Tony Danza Show” and radio shows across the country, not to mention a slew of other enticing offers, and made her the subject of many Internet blog postings. A Google search of her name turns up over 10,000 Websites touting her achievement — a few even have marriage proposals. “It’s unbelievable,” Stelnick said. “I like all the attention, but honestly, enough is enough. All I did was eat a hamburger.” Kate Stelnick is the kind of 18-year-old not afraid to take on a challenge as daring as skydiving or as crazy as burger-eating competition. And once she sets her mind to it, there’s no turning back. That’s why she wouldn’t let hundreds of miles, her parents’ disapproval (she didn’t tell them about the trip) or doubtful onlookers in the pub stand between her and her goal.
Celebritease
Twitter.com
If you’re not live streaming Coachella this week, you’re truly missing out, as the desert music festival is stacking up to be the best one yet. Coachella fashion icon herself Vanessa Hudgens is sporting crochet tops and hair extensions this year, trend setting what is expected to be this summer’s hottest looks. Kylie Jenner, known for her ever-changing hair color, spared no effort for the festival by dawning rainbow braids. While
By Jillian Green Columnist After struggling with a bout of writer’s block, I decided to spend the morning out on a shopping spree in search of some fashion inspiration. I was lured to the nearby Quaker Bridge Mall for Macy’s one-day sale and Lord & Taylor’s friends and family sale. I had hoped to find a dress for my upcoming formal, but left the mall disappointed and empty-handed. I didn’t give up just yet, though. A few miles down the road were my old and trusted friends, Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off Fifth Avenue. I found the atmosphere, prices and clothing of both stores to be better than anything I saw at the mall. This left me wondering how department stores are able to compete with these outlet stores. I’m sure they lose
Flickr.com
The outlet stores offer high-end dresses for less money.
: Celebs take Coachella
Coachella Queen Hudgens is back at it again this year. By Mackenzie Cutruzzula Columnist
Flickr.com
Nordstrom Rack is a good shopping alternative to the mall.
a lot of business to nearby outlets — I just about had to fight my way to the racks of clothes at Nordstrom Rack, whereas the anchor stores at the mall felt deserted in comparison. Normally, these outlet stores are a season or less behind what you will see at the mall. But you can’t beat the prices here, so it’s a no-brainer to try these stores first before the mall, especially because they carry a lot of the same brands and styles. From my personal experience, I can tell that the outlet stores have lowered their prices significantly over time. I wouldn’t say the prices are comparable to that of Marshalls or T.J. Maxx, but they’re definitely getting close. So for those of you struggling to find that new summer dress at the mall, be aware that there are better options from higher end stores at bargain prices. Happy shopping!
Gigi Hadid looked flawless at a pre-Coachella party, her sister, Bella, packed on the PDA with her boyfriend, The Weeknd, in the desert heat. Also finding a way to change things up despite being on a musical hiatus, Taylor Swift debuted bleach blonde hair on her way to the festival. The platinum locks coincided with the launch of her upcoming Vogue cover story, which also featured the new look. In her Vogue interview, Swift calls her relationship with Calvin Harris “magical,” and my heart could
be heard filling with happiness around the world. As Swift hangs out poolside with Lorde and Jack Antonoff, Kanye West recently took the stage in Manila, Philippines, during his concert to explain those “Famous” lyrics involving the songstress. “That night, when I went on stage, was the beginning of the end of my life,” West said. “I just said what everybody else was thinking. So if I get in trouble for saying the truth, what’s being said the rest of the time?” While Swift hasn’t yet commented on the recent rant, the bad blood between the two seems to be back to the same level as during the 2009 Video Music Awards. It was announced on Tuesday, April 12, that the Marvel superhero franchise “SpiderMan” will be expanding with the release of “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” slated for July 2017. The film is set to star Tom Holland as Peter Parker in his high school days. The title also serves as a nod to the hero returning to the Marvel Universe.
The latest franchise ties into Spider-Man making an appearance in the Avengers franchise, with Holland acting in both. The British actor will be following in the footsteps of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. Also expanding their “franchises” are Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, as well as Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling. Both couples are expecting their second additions to their alreadyadorable families. Mendes and
Gosling are parents to daughter Esmeralda Amada Gosling, while Lively and Reynolds love to gush about their daughter James. Neither couple has commented, but it is rumored that Lively will make her baby bump red carpet debut at the upcoming Met Gala on Monday, May 2. With the weather finally warming up and spring fever on the loose, I’ll be on the lookout for more budding couples and baby bumps.
Twitter.com
Swift debuts platinum blonde hair in time for Coachella.
Fashion show focuses on black empowerment April 20, 2016 The Signal page 17
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
The event showcases the evolution of black culture. By Melissa Reed Staff Writer
The lights shut off and music boomed throughout the Decker Social Space. Students clapped and screamed as models stepped on stage for the College’s Black Student Union’s (BSU) annual fashion show celebrating African culture on Friday, April 15. “I really like to see how people can take clothing and art and just really make it into a provoking, influential message,” sophomore African American studies and sociology double major Meme Cisse said. As the vice president of programing for BSU, Cisse helped to plan this
year’s fashion show, which was titled “The Rise of an Empire.” With the help of studentworkers and clothing designers from the local area, Cisse put together a fashion show that focused on the evolution of traditional Africa into contemporary black culture. As a West African native, Cisse said that many of her ideas for the show were derived from her African roots. She was also inspired by TV shows, music and clothes and tried to incorporate contemporary black culture into the event, as well. “A big focus on the show is showing the transition of tribal, African-authentic clothes and
really going into the modern side of things,” Cisse said. “The music is going to play a very important role because every song that we picked is either authentic to the designer or authentic to a certain message that we are trying to send.” Clothing designer Sameerah Hartwell focused on female empowerment in her pieces for this year’s fashion show. Hartwell carefully selected music and clothing designs that challenged conventional fashion. Instead, Hartwell’s all-female ensemble was clad in a wide variety of style and clothing patterns. “I think about a woman’s body — different shapes and different sizes, different heights — and try to bring out their best feature, no matter what size they are,” Hartwell said. “My clothing line signifies a powerful woman, a woman in charge, a boss.” Designers Isaac Kwabena, Curtis Kwajo and Rilwan Adenrian of LiberNation Fashion worked collaboratively to create a variety of pieces that centered on modern-day African clothing. Originally from West Africa, the designers named their clothing fashion line LiberNation to bring together the ideas of liberty and nation. “‘The Rise of an Empire’ signifies strength, transition and growth in the black community,” said Bree Henry, a fashion designer at Gideno’s Needle in
Paterson, N.J. “As black people, we have transitioned from a certain place and we are rising, and we’re going to a new dimension, and our designs are exactly that. We blended the traditional African print with contemporary cloth so that it is more relatable to young people today.” The fashion show employed traditional imagery from the African community to articulate a message of black empowerment. BSU welcomed all students to the show as an opportunity for people of different organizations on campus to come together to celebrate the culture and clothing of the black community.
“I’m hoping that students who may have an idea of what black culture is but not truly know it at its core — I hope that they really get something out of the fashion show,” senior communication studies major and BSU President David Brown said. “We always try to welcome all different types of people, but I think oftentimes what happens is people hear ‘black’ and ‘Black Student Union’ and they’re like, ‘that’s not for me’... By reaching out to all different types of organizations, I hope that those students come out and see that the events we have are for everybody. I hope that they see a different side of our culture.”
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Local fashion designers create colorful pieces.
Snap / Account offers inside look into college continued from page 1
app pops up every day. You just have to find one that actually works and stick with it because they’re constantly removed by Apple.” According to the account’s manager, once someone sends in a snap, the rest of the process is quite simple. “I open the snap and I transfer it to the other program,” he said. “If it’s a video, I have to re-type exactly what was said in the caption. I want it to be exact so people don’t get freaked out.” He noted that an element of trust is vital to the success of tcnj.snap, since followers are sending photos and videos to someone they know nothing about. “I work very hard to break down the barrier that anyone would have approaching a stranger,” he said. “I want people to perceive this Snapchat not as a person, but as a tool they can use. So it almost takes out the human component completely, and that right there makes people more willing to trust that approach instead of some stranger posting snaps.” Considering the number of followers tcnj.snap has garnered over the past six months, it’s safe to say his approach is working well. “It has already surpassed the number of followers of official TCNJ social media platforms,” he said. “It’s terrifying because I know everything I post is reflecting the values and culture of TCNJ. Basically, all of us are actively representing our school and I want to do it in a very positive way.” One of the positive ways he promotes the College is through digital “talent shows,” during which students submit photos or videos of themselves or their
The account receives between 500 to 1,000 snaps a day. friends performing some kind of talent. So far, there have been submissions of students singing, dancing and even pogo-sticking. He then re-posts the content and temporarily puts the videos on YouTube. Followers can watch all of the videos and vote for their favorite acts by going to the SurveyMonkey.com link that the account’s manager shares through the tcnj. snap story. “Whoever gets the most votes gets a $50 Amazon gift card,” he said. “The winner of the first talent show was (junior electrical engineering major) Augusto Maia, a.k.a. ‘Guy Playing Adele.’ The submission deadline is coming up for our second talent show and we’re seeing triple the amount of submissions. It’s really catching on.”
Photo courtesy of tcnj.snap
The account’s manager sends the Amazon gift card, which he pays for out of pocket, to the winners via email. “I have an appreciation for art and music and anyone who does something interesting. I think that’s part of the reason tcnj.snap exists,” he said. “If you have something you’re proud of that you want to share, you should be able to do that.” Besides the talent shows, though, the account’s manager said he does not interfere with the content of tcnj.snap. “I haven’t really done anything to ask for snap suggestions. I’ve let it grow organically over time,” he said. “The students here are so smart. They’re coming up with all these ways of using it that I never would have imagined. They’re using it as a lost and found for IDs, for
messaging, for conveying info, like ‘There’s a bake sale in the Stud, come get it!’ To see it maturing as a platform is so cool.” The account’s manager called tcnj. snap “an evolution of Yik Yak,” but noted that since Yik Yak is location-based, students can’t accomplish as much through that application as they can by using tcnj.snap. “Our goal, when it comes down to it, is to convey a sense of what’s happening around campus in real time to whoever is watching it,” he said. “I kid you not, there are people from around the world that follow the account… I get snaps from Barcelona, I get snaps from Florence, I get snaps from Brazil. It is crazy to think that within seconds of re-posting something, hundreds of people have seen it from all over the world.” That means people from all over the world watched in almost-live-time as students from the College clamored to the library in January and February to search for the $100 Chipotle gift card that tcnj.snap’s account manager purchased and hid. “The reactions we initially got were ‘You guys are crazy’ to ‘There’s no way in hell they actually did that,’” he said. “People thought we were kidding, but we never are. We want everything posted on the snap to be light and fun, but at the same time, we want the content to be taken seriously. We want a sense of legitimacy.” He hid the gift card in a book called “Pigs Can Fly” and said people were searching for the prize for about a week before he finally announced a hint through tcnj.snap. see SNAP page 19
page 18 The Signal April 20, 2016
April 20, 2016 The Signal page 19
Snap / Social media account manager tells all
Photo courtesy of tcnj.snap
Students can submit photos of themselves and friends to the Snapchat account.
continued from page 17
“I gave a subtle hint at 2:30 p.m. one day, and by 3:05 p.m., it was found,” he said. Since reaching the 10,000 followers milestone, he has been looking to the future and imagining new potential for the tcnj.snap account. “We’re going to bring a mass messaging feature to tcnj.snap, so within a couple of seconds, we can send something to 10,000 people — it will probably be
more by the time we roll it out,” he said. “I want to really treat it with care, though, because people don’t want to get a message every five minutes saying, ‘Check this out!’” Despite the account’s popularity, its manager sees it as a work in progress and noted some bumps in the road during its early stages. “In the beginning, we would occasionally re-post people’s stories without asking them,” he said. “Some people thought
that was really cool, like handpicked snaps, but there was a very vocal group of people who didn’t appreciate it at all. They almost felt like it was an invasion of privacy. Looking back on it, it really was… We’re not the NSA and we’re never going to do that again. We only repost snaps that are sent directly to us.” Another conflict came in the form of another Snapchat account, tcnj_snap. “It’s not run by us,” said
the tcnj.snap account manager. “It’s almost like another means of entertainment. It’s not real and I have no idea who these people are. What ticks me off is that for anyone who doesn’t know which one is the real one, it’s tarnishing our brand. I’ve actually thought about changing our name to not be affiliated with them anymore.” The “rogue” account, tcnj_ snap, often re-posts snaps that feature nudity, underage drinking and drug use. Regardless of any difficulties the tcnj.snap team has faced, the account’s manager is excited about how far they have come in such a short time. “There is such a huge potential for it that I never realized,” he said. “Prospective students subscribe and they occasionally send in snaps. They can actually see what TCNJ is like and I think they can get a somewhat-accurate tour of the College just by looking at the snap story.” While tcnj.snap can benefit students who don’t yet attend the College, the account manager said it can also serve as an asset to students who have already graduated. “When people graduate, they can use this snap story to instantly feel connected to the
school whenever they miss it,” he said. “This can be used for alumni retention, for reaching out and giving updates to them.” The Snapchat account requires so much commitment to upkeep that the account’s manager actually purchased a new phone for the sole purpose of running tcnj.snap. “My phone is out of my pocket maybe once every 30 seconds,” he said. “I get anywhere from 800 to 1,000 snaps on a good day, but usually it is around 500… There have been nights where I’ve dreamed in snaps. I’ve dreamed in 10-second intervals. That’s how much time I dedicate to this. “I do plan on continuing it for as long as I can, and when I can’t anymore, I’ll find someone with a steady hand and someone I trust to keep the essence of the snap.” Throughout it all, though, the account manager still wishes to remain anonymous. “I want the main focus to be the snap itself and how it connects everyone together on campus. It’s about awareness of each other,” he said. “The reason I don’t identify myself is because the second I do that, there are instantly connections made with me, instead of with each other.”
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page 20 The Signal April 20, 2016
Arts & Entertainment
Visiting Writers Series showcases sensory style By Jackie Delaney Review Editor
Author Meena Alexander’s visit to the College has been years in the making. When INK President and senior English major Rachel Friedman was researching poets to invite for the Visiting Writers Series in her writing communities course in Fall 2014, she was captivated by Alexander. “I knew from the moment I started reading her I would have to get her here somehow,” Friedman said in her introduction of Alexander. The internationally renowned poet, essayist and scholar spoke at INK’s final Visiting Writers Series of the year, held on Monday, April 11, in the Library Auditorium. The event was co-sponsored by the Asian American Association. “And here we are about three years later, and I am proud to say that I was able to fulfill my promise to the TCNJ community that I would get Meena Alexander to
campus,” Friedman said, smiling. As a distinguished professor of English at the City University of New York, Alexander has an impressive collection of accolades. With 10 books of poetry, two novels and an autobiography under her belt, she is deserving of her assortment of awards from the Guggenheim, Fulbright and the Rockefeller foundations. Her poetry has been translated into several languages — one poem has even been set to music — and has been praised by notable writers, such as Billy Collins and Maxine Hong Kingston. Alexander is known for her lyrical, sensory style of poetry. “When I read a Meena Alexander piece, I am not just reading a poem. I am experiencing something with a sense of the touch and sight, as if I’m being transported to places I have never been,” Friedman said. The audience was treated to this enchantment as Alexander read aloud from one of her books of poetry, “Birthplace
with Buried Stones.” “It’s a book of journeys,” Alexander said of the collection. She started it at the beginning of a year-long trip that took her to India, Venice and Palestine. While traveling, she carried a book of poetry with her — the title of which translates to “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” — by the 17th century Japanese poet Matsuo Basho. Several of the poems she shared were influenced by Basho, her travels and events that happened while she was abroad. Her poem “Near Sendai” was written after the 2011 tsunami hit parts of Asia and triggered the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. Alexander was in Italy when she wrote the poem, which recounted places Basho visited during his walking tour of Japan. She sent the poem to a friend of hers in Japan after the disaster, who wrote back, “You know, Meena, all the places where Basho walked are underwater now.” Alexander’s other poems
Alexander shares her lyrical poetry.
featured rich imagery from her journeys to Venice and Palestine. She wrote the poem “Impossible Grace,” which arranges itself in short couplets, during a night in
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Jerusalem. The poem has been turned into a song, but Alexander stressed, “I can’t sing, so I will just read the poem to you.” It still sounded like music.
Judd Apatow returns with new show, ‘Love’ Viewers have mixed reactions to the Netflix series By Sean Reis Production Manager
Mickey breaks the typical trope of a movie dream girl.
By Mackenzie Cutruzzula Columnist
After reading an article from Monday, Feb. 22, on Vulture that covered the trend of television shows that cast an average male actor aside a much more attractive female love interest, I was hesitant to watch Judd Apatow’s most recent venture, “Love,” which followed suit. That’s not to say Paul Rust, who plays leading man Gus, isn’t cute enough for Gillian Jacobs, who stars alongside him as Mickey. But in Hollywood terms, the couple is a bit mismatched from the outside looking in. However, upon watching the series, Apatow restored my trust in his creative choices, because “Love” takes an unexpected approach to modern romance and the tropes the lead characters embody. Gus is the stereotypical nice guy who just had his heart broken. He is a nerdy pushover who never goes out to get what he wants. Within this description, that is something overdone in Hollywood. Yet, Gus defies his archetype — he’s a nice guy, but that doesn’t make him a good person. Selfish and annoyingly not self-aware, Gus is more realistic, even as he is throwing all of his DVDs out of a moving car as an act of rebellion. He
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desperately wants to be liked and, in turn, is always trying to please those around him in typical good guy fashion, but he also does a really poor job of it because, like a real person, Gus has flaws. My favorite part of the series was Mickey’s narrative arch because it was the most surprising. Set up to be the perfect “manic pixie dream girl,” Mickey has big, innocent eyes and a quirky taste and is placed into Gus’s life just when he needs someone like her most. It was almost as if “Garden State” director Zach Braff had written the script himself. Except “Love” was co-created by Rust and his reallife wife, Lesley Arfin, thankfully creating the ultimate demise of this trope. Mickey isn’t just written as a vehicle to awaken Gus’s soul — she has an actual story with real emotions and problems that she is working through. Her problems aren’t just fixed because Gus is willing to love her, just like Gus isn’t suddenly a good person because Mickey is willing to take a chance on him. Unlike other works by Apatow, “Love” is successful because it deals with dark issues and modern romance with a sense of realism instead of optimism. The characters are meant to be uncomfortable and frustrating because they are realistic and flawed — and that’s the best part.
When Judd Apatow’s “Love” was released exclusively on Netflix shortly after Valentine’s Day, I felt obligated to upset myself by watching the entire series (because I’m single). However, following my binge, I was surprised to find I was not upset for the reasons that I had predicted. I was extremely disappointed with what I had dedicated my time to watch. “Love” felt as though I was watching an average, romantic, made-for-television comedy. The plot was cliché, featuring awkward guy Gus Cruikshank (played by co-creator Paul Rust) who meets beautiful women that seem to fall for him for unknown reasons. From the first episode’s threesome scene, to Heidi (Briga Heelan), the actress who seduces Gus, to his rocky relationship with leading lady Mickey (Gillian Jacobs), these girls seem to flock to Gus — one of those usual romantic comedy stories often seen in movies. But “Love” was an hour or so worth of
watchable content that should have been made into one movie. It seemed like Apatow decided to stretch the story into 10 TV episodes instead, though, writing romantic filler to outweigh the comic relief. I literally only laughed out loud four or five times, and two of those times were during the season finale, which felt like quite the long wait for entertainment. I also counted three episodes, as well as scenes from others, that could have been removed almost entirely without the show’s overall arc being broken. The third episode, for example, had necessary plot points, but they could have easily been written elsewhere because they were irrelevant to the episode’s fluff. Many scenes from other episodes deemed worthy for removal, too, because they were as though only to fill as much time as possible. All forms of entertainment feature filler material, but when the filler does not “entertain,” well, does it really need to be included? Remove that fluff and the show could have been an excellent romantic comedy, but Apatow made “Love” 10 episodes too many for my love.
The episodes often feel cliché and dragged out.
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‘Untitled Unmastered’ undeniably great
April 20, 2016 The Signal page 21
By Thomas Infante Staff Writer
The most recent trend in hip-hop is one that has nothing to do with the actual music. Nowadays, the actual album release has become completely skewed. While some artists, like Kanye West, spend millions to generate media coverage for their album’s release, others, like Drake, opt to release albums with no promotion at all, to great success. Kendrick Lamar has taken the most radical approach to this latter idea with his latest release, “Untitled Unmastered.” The eight-track collection consists mainly of leftover tracks from his 2015 Grammy-winning album, “To Pimp A Butterfly.” Each track is listed solely as “Untitled,” differentiated only by a track number and the date it was recorded. For most artists, this could be a catastrophic, career-ending move. For Lamar, it’s just another innovation. The downplayed release of the album reflects its unfinished and fragmented nature. Each song is a separate idea, rather than it tying into an overall theme as Lamar has done on previous albums. The only uniting factor is how unrefined they all sound. The album’s production is stripped bare and the result is remarkable. Sounwave, one of Lamar’s frequent producers, stated in an interview with Complex that Lamar “wanted it to feel 100 percent authentic.” The instrumentation is similar to that of his previous album, with influences from funk and jazz music being the most evident. Bassist Thundercat plays on six of the tracks and contributes to the surreal feeling of the album. His bassline on “Untitled 05” is particularly noteworthy, with a driving and fluctuating melody that gives energy to the song. It also features interesting saxophone work from producer Terrace Martin. After a while, the line between jazz and hip-hop begins to blur in the album. Much of the music creates a dreamy and sometimes-chaotic atmosphere. The opening
This week, WTSR Assistant Music Director Nelson Kelly highlights some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
The downplayed release of Lamar’s album proves successful. track begins with dialogue of singer Bilal talking to a woman with whom he is having sex. It is uncomfortably overt and leaves the listener with no idea what to expect for the rest of the album. The lyrics are engaging and thoughtprovoking. Lamar’s unfiltered thoughts continuously flow out with undeniable conviction. His style varies from rapping to singing, relying less on vocal production and more on his own ability. His voice and delivery are often determining factors of the music’s mood. In “Untitled 01,” the feeling is created by an aggressive stream of consciousness. In “Untitled 02,” it’s a haunting moan of nightmarish visions. In “Untitled 06,” it’s lighthearted and playful. In “Untitled 07,” it’s inebriated and repetitive. The content is equally perplexing. In “Untitled 03,” Lamar raps about the concept of success from the perspectives of different ethnic groups. One of his verses explores white greed in America through Lamar’s relationship with the record industry. Lamar raps, “Telling me that he selling me just for $10.99 / If I go platinum from rapping, I do the company fine / What if I compromise? He said it don’t even matter / You make a million or more, you living better than average.” He is frustrated that record executives would force artists to make profitable
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music, even at the expense of the artist’s core audience. The very existence of this album is proof that Lamar is right — even something as alienating and understated as “Untitled Unmastered” can be successful when executed correctly. In “Untitled 04,” Lamar and company repeatedly sing the phrase “head is the answer,” over a minimal backing guitar riff. It seems purposely cryptic — it could be a sexual reference in connection with “Untitled 01,” or perhaps it refers to intelligence or peace of mind in connection with the Asian perception of success mentioned in “Untitled 04.” Maybe it’s a reference to Lamar’s suicidal thoughts discussed on track five when he raps, “Somebody said you bumped your head and bled the floor / Jumped into a pit of flames and burned to coal.” It could be a reference to any, all or none of these and that is what is so appealing about the album. A sprawling exploration of Lamar’s conscience, “Untitled Unmastered” is an original and introspective collection of songs that an artist concerned with profitability could never have publicly released. In the first track on the album, Lamar raps, “I made ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ for you.” If “Butterfly” was for his fans, then “Untitled” is for himself. It’s an outlet for his inner demons.
Artist makes connections in works
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Alexander speaks about decoding and encoding art.
By Ashley Skowronek Correspondent
The Department of Art and Art History welcomed a renowned art educator on Wednesday, April 13, as part of the 2015-2016 Visiting Scholar Series. The presentation guided viewers through empirical illumination by observing formal, thematic and contextual qualities palpable in works of art. Artist Renee Sandell discussed the decoding and encoding of art by identifying how the work “is,” what the work is about and when, where, by whom and why the work was created or valued. “It’s the connection between them that is really important,” Sandell said. “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa,” by Katsushika Hokusai, remains an iconic piece in today’s culture through its innumerable reproductions in art, fashion and jewelry. But much more significance lies behind the Japanese illustration of massive, cresting ocean waves.
“I suggest we use FTC (form, theme and context) to get deeper into the meaning of the work and why it’s meaningful to us,” Sandell said. Pattern, rhythm and the contrast of positive and negative spaces can be used to interpret art conceived during this time in Japanese culture. The piece delves into the “big idea” of nature overpowering man and other themes that mark water as a major force humans must overcome. Hokusai’s art can be directly related to thematic plots in films, such as “Jaws,” “The Perfect Storm” and “Life of Pi,” as well as literary works, like “Moby Dick,” “The Odyssey” and “The Old Man and the Sea.” Similar to “The Great Wave,” these contemporary stories incorporate ways of intensifying our cognizance of the power of nature. While the contextual elements in the piece are related to environmental disasters, global warming and political crises, the art also symbolizes passion for unremitting problem solving and letting go. Sandell made the comparison of looking at art to eating an artichoke. One cannot simply pick up an artichoke and eat it. However, through perseverance, you ultimately will get past the hard outer layers and reach the soft, palatable heart. That is the true essence of the piece, according to Sandell. “The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes — in seeing the universe through the eyes of another, one hundred others — in seeing the hundred universes that each of them sees,” Sandell said, referencing prose from French novelist Marcel Proust. This ideology encompassed the collective motif of the presentation. “Use FTC to make meaningful connections, not separate them,” Sandell said. Sandell’s illustrious career includes serving as a professor of art education at George Mason University and Maryland Institute College of Art, co-authoring two books based on gender issues present in art education and receiving the 2013 National Art Educator of the Year Award through the National Art Educator Association.
Band Name: Marco With Love Album Name: “Smothered and Covered” Hailing From: Brooklyn, N.Y. Genre: Modern Rock Label: Outright Rock Records When you see a band that describes its genre as “cosmic, American country-fried boogie-woogie rock ‘n’ roll,” you know you’re in for a real treat. Marco With Love is the solo project of musician Marco Argiro, who has quickly made a name for himself since starting the band in 2013. This album looks both to the future and the past, as the first six songs are original, upbeat, twangy rock anthems that make you reminisce about the classic rock you weren’t alive to see in its heyday, while making you appreciate the modern twist it takes. The second half of the album looks back on some deep classic rock cuts, including covers of The Doors, Tom Petty, the Dave Clark Five and Townes Van Zandt. “Smothered and Covered” is now more than just a delicious recipe for ribs and wings — indeed, it is a solid effort to capture the sound of the ’60s and ’70s and modernize it, and the album does a pretty good job. Must Hear: “The Promised Land (See You Dance),” “Tidal Wave,” “Big Black Dog,” “Love” and “Crystal Ship”
Band Name: Into It. Over It. Album Name: “Standards” Hailing From: Chicago, Ill. Genre: Emo Indie Rock Label: Triple Crown Records “Standards” is the third full-length album from Into It. Over It., the one-man project of Chicago musician Evan Thomas. “Standards” is a combination of emo-inspired acoustic jams and full-bodied energetic arrangements. Drawing inspiration from the band Sunny Day Real Estate, this album is sonically spontaneous with a massive dynamic range that will keep you listening throughout. Thomas manages to pull off both acoustic and full-band songs flawlessly and the dynamic between the two works quite nicely. For acoustic sadness, check out “Open Casket” or “Your Lasting Image.” The songs “Closing Argument,” “No EQ” and “Vis Major,” on the other hand, are much heavier emo jams. Must Hear: “Open Casket,” “Closing Argument” and “No EQ”
page 22 The Signal April 20, 2016
TCNJ Jazz Ensemble lights up the stage
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Left: The jazz ensemble is led by conductor Fienberg. Right: Each musical number includes a student solo. By Caleigh Carlson Correspondent The vibrant, pastel collared shirts of the TCNJ Jazz Ensemble were not the only elements bringing color to the stage of Kendall Hall on Friday, April 15. The tremendously talented jazz band did what they do best and put on a wonderful performance. The stage was full of friendly faces that encouraged one another like a family. An essential part of its production was the head of this family, conductor Gary Fienberg. “If you haven’t heard this tune yet, you need to get a life,” Fienberg jokingly said as he introduced the well-known tune of “Fantasy,” by Maurice White, Verdine White and Eddie Del Barrio. On a more serious note, Fienberg was
able to give intellectual and historical background behind each piece the ensemble performed. His dedication to the TCNJ Jazz Ensemble and passion for the musical numbers were clearly reflected in the show. The students, energized by this enthusiasm, lit up the stage. The amount of hours they prepared for the show were evident. Sophomore music education major and saxophonist Erik Johnson spoke further about this practice and preparation. “I would say I put in, personally, five hours a week, but as a group, together, we put in much more than that,” Johnson said. “(The Music Department at the College) has definitely opened my eyes to new types of music and even genres that I have never played before.” As a part of other ensembles on campus,
including the wind ensemble, Johnson noted that the TCNJ Jazz Ensemble is very relaxed. This “relaxed” feeling can be attributed to Fienberg’s genuine interest in making sure the students have fun. With that being said, there is no doubt the students worked extremely hard each week and dedicated a majority of their time to their instruments. Their diligence is what allowed the performance to be such a huge success. The night’s setlist was arranged to fully demonstrated the talent of the students. Each piece included at least one solo, which was then followed by a roar of applause from the audience. The energy in the room was contagious. The final piece was “The Great Divide,” by Don Ellis. It was accompanied by creative choreography in which the ensemble left the
stage to play in the audience. Filling up the theater’s aisles, the students performed next to audience members. The crowd was able to get an up close look at the incredible talent of the jazz ensemble. The success of the evening can be attributed to both the conductor and musical director Fienberg, as well as the Music Department at the College. “I am extremely impressed by the Music Department here daily. Everyone is so passionate about what they are doing,” freshman nursing major Alex Sneddon said. “The professors are excited to teach and the students are excited to learn.” It is this very passion that shined through the ensemble and into the audience. If the power were to have gone out, the TCNJ Jazz Ensemble would still have lit the stage.
We cordially invite you to attend... The 2nd Annual Lavender GraduationCeremony at The College of New Jersey May 2nd in Education 212 at 5 PM
Lavender Graduations celebrate students who have shown a commitment to diversity through LGBTQ advocacy, community support, and/or research during their time as an undergraduate. They also provide an opportunity to show appreciation to the faculty and staff who have supported them in such endeavors. For Students* to Register: https://goo.gl/2CtD5S For Faculty and Staff to Register: https://goo.gl/kTFq0B Please RSVP by April 22nd and direct any questions to lavgrad@tcnj.edu. Sponsored by: Academic Affairs, Division of Student Affairs, Office of Diversity, Office of Engagement, School of Business, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, WILL, Women’s and Gender Studies Department *Students do not have to identify as LGBTQ to take part in this ceremony.
April 20, 2016 The Signal page 23
Sports
Graduate continues to shine with Lions By Julie Kayzerman Former Editor-in-Chief
Eight seasons. That was the goal graduate student Erin Waller set for herself when she decided to play field hockey and lacrosse at the College — she wanted to play as a Lion for the full eight seasons. But after two national championships in field hockey and three successful years in lacrosse, Waller fell victim to injury. Suffering from bilateral inguinal hernias, she decided to get a repair surgery, taking her out of her senior lacrosse season to fall just one short of her goal. “I didn’t get to the eighth season and it was a regret,” Waller said. “As much as maybe at the time it might’ve been the right decision physically, it wasn’t really my decision. I didn’t want that.” While she graduated with the Class of 2015 with an education degree in iSTEM, Waller returned to the College this year as a graduate student to pursue a masters in special education. So when field hockey and lacrosse head coach Sharon Pfluger (’82) caught wind of Waller’s return to campus, she made a lastminute decision. Just 15 minutes prior to the annual season-opening field hockey meeting the night before beginning this year’s preseason, Pfluger
called Waller into her office and asked her to help coach the team. “It was very last minute,” Pfluger said. “One day in August, the day before preseason started, I said, ‘You know, for whenever you’re on campus, I’d love to have you.’” And with that, Waller made her first return to her old stomping grounds in Lion’s Stadium, this time on the sideline, coaching the girls she had just gotten off the field with. “The first game was really difficult because I just wanted to be like, ‘Coach put me in,’ but I knew that wasn’t possible,” Waller said. “But I couldn’t’ve have been luckier. The girls were so respectful. We had a mutual respect for each other. I was going to help them and they were going to help me. They helped me a lot as a coach.” However, after helping coach the Lions to the NCAA semifinals, Waller had no idea that she’d not only be back on the sidelines of Lion’s Stadium, but she’d be returning to the field, this time with her lacrosse stick in-hand to complete that eighth season. “It says a lot about her,” Pfluger said of Waller returning to achieve her goal. “She can persevere, she’s got a lot of courage and so many great attributes to her personality and her work ethic. She’s never going to let
someone out work her.” For the entirety of winter break, Waller mulled over the possibility of picking up her lacrosse stick again. “I really didn’t think it was possible and I was struggling because I have to 100 percent commit to things,” Waller said about her decision to play lacrosse this season in the midst of student teaching, taking graduate courses and commuting. “I was talking to a lot of alumni and it basically came down to, I can coach the rest of my life, but I’m never going to be able to play again.” Waller enjoyed a successful field hockey career with the Lions. As a freshman, she scored two goals in the National Championship game, including the gamewinning tally when the Lions edged out Middlebury College, 3-1, in 2011. “That game, I didn’t even realize the significance of it,” Waller said. “It really didn’t hit me until halfway through lacrosse season… and then I was like ‘OK, I want that again.’” But the big win didn’t come again until her senior year. After the devastating news that the team didn’t receive a bid to the NCAA tournament during her junior year, the Lions came back the next season with the phrase “prove all wrong.” And that’s exactly what Waller
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Waller continues to play with the lacrosse team.
and the Lions did, grabbing the National Championship title in 2014 after defeating Bowdoin College, 2-0. “Everyone wanted it. Winning it senior year… the last game of your career is a win,” Waller said. “Nobody else can say that. Only three teams in the country can say that in field hockey, so to be one of them… you did it.” Now in her eighth and final season as a Lion, Waller is a lead playmaker on the lacrosse field and has already contributed 20 goals and 12 assists so far this season. She admits that her gameplay has significantly improved as result of her coaching stint in the fall and she hopes to
help lead the team to a Final Four appearance this season. “As an upperclassman and a leader on the team, your goal is to get girls to the (Final Four) so they know what it’s like and the fun (of) everything that comes with it,” Waller said. “You want them to get that taste in their mouths to come back. That’s your first goal and the second goal is obviously to come out on top.” As for Waller’s coaching career, she hopes to be coaching forever. “I’ve learned that I’m capable than more than I thought I was,” Waller said. “You might have a lot on your plate, but when you really love what you’re doing, you figure out a way to get it done.”
Cheap Seats
Kobe Bryant ends career another legendary Laker
AP Photo
Bryant says farewell to basketball after an impressive 60-point performance in his last game.
By Sean Reis Production Manager
Whenever I shoot a crumpled up paper ball into the garbage can in my room, I don’t say “Reggie” for Miller, “Scottie” for Pippen, or “Curry” for Steph — who may be the greatest shooter to ever play the game, but that’s neither here nor there. I say “Kobe” for Bryant. And we all do because that was the mark that Bryant left on the recent era of basketball — a mark that will earn him enshrinement into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame four years
from now. Bryant may have played his final game last Wednesday, April 13, but for the previous two decades, he left behind a legacy, competing at an unmatched level during his time in the league. From the start of his career — fresh out of high school — to well past his prime, Bryant played the game with skills only the greatest players possessed. In his rookie season, Bryant averaged 20 points per 36 minutes played during the playoffs, according to basketball-reference.com, for one of the highest averages ever among rookies. Meanwhile, 15 seasons later, Bryant
averaged 30 points per game during the playoffs. Bryant was 33 years old, but age never slowed him down. For Bryant’s final game before retirement, his former teammate Shaquille O’Neal reportedly encouraged him to score 40 points. He scored 60 points. The game was another high-scoring total to add to his career, which included the second-highest scoring game in NBA history with 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006. Remarkably, that same season, Bryant also scored 62 points through the first three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 20, 2005, however, the Lakers were
already winning by 34 points going into the final quarter and Bryant did not see play. The 2005-2006 season was one of his highest-scoring seasons, however Bryant and the Lakers did not win the NBA championship that year. Bryant’s last two championship wins would not come until later in his career, while his first three of five championship wins came after only four seasons, when Bryant averaged more than 20 points per game during all three playoff runs. Bryant’s other career accomplishments included winning the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 20072008 season, two NBA Finals MVPs, and four NBA All-Star Game MVPs during his 18 NBA All-Star Game appearances. The only two seasons that Bryant was not selected to play for the Western Conference’s All-Star team were 1997 and 1999, however, Bryant attended the 1997 All-Star Weekend as the youngest player to ever win the slam dunk contest during his rookie season. Bryant was also the youngest player to reach numerous other feats. Bryant did not accomplish any accolades as the oldest player until his final game, where Bryant — at 37 years and 234 days old — was the oldest player to score 60 or more points in one game. A sellout crowd was there to witness the moment, including other athletes, artists and thousands of fans that filled the Staples Center and its parking lot. The 60-point game was another Hollywood ending for another legendary Los Angeles Laker, ending an era, but only continuing the legacy.
page 24 The Signal April 20, 2016 Lacrosse
Lions / Team perseveres for a close win
Photos courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Left: Senior midfielder Megan Devlin scores two against Salisbury University. Right: The Lions defense keeps their opponents back. continued from page 28 close the gap, but happy and proud because now we’re playing like ourselves,” head coach Sharon Pfluger said of the goal. Pfluger said the Lions showed hesitation in the first half, but Natalicchio’s last-second goal imbued the team with confidence going into the second. That confidence showed when sophomore midfielder Amanda Muller made a third goal for the Lions less than four minutes into the second period. The College continued to push. Fouls
on the Seagulls opened up the Lions for three consecutive goals. The first came after a turnover caused by sophomore defender Elizabeth Morrison. As the Lions waited for the whistle to blow, the cheering crowd softened its noise to a murmur. All that could be heard was the blare of a jet engine flying so low over the field that its fuselage could be read from the stands — “Frontier” in big blue lettering. The jet’s roar faded as the game continued, but seconds later, the silence was interrupted by an eruption in the stands: another Lions goal.
Senior midfielder Megan Devlin whipped the ball into the net. After a free-position shot from Blackman, another from graduate student attacker Erin Waller tied the game at 6. Natalicchio scored two more goals — both assists from Muller — to bring the Lions’s score up to eight. A goal from the Seagulls brought them within a point from a tie, which would send the game into sudden-death overtime. The Seagulls swarmed the goal as the clock wound down. Just as the Lions fought down to the wire for a goal in the
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first period, the Seagulls would do the same in the second. With 11 seconds on the clock, freshman goalkeeper Miranda Chrone made a crucial save, stopping the Seagulls in their tracks. It was her seventh save that day. “I’m very proud of the girls,” Pfluger said. “They deserve to be happy after this game.” Natalicchio attributed the win to the team’s confidence. “Once we talked through some of the things that were going on, we just knew we that had the ability to come back,” Natalicchio said.
April 20, 2016 The Signal page 25 Track and Field
Track teams set personal bests at invitational By Nicole DeStefano Staff Writer
The men’s and women’s track teams continued its success with numerous top times and season bests this past weekend at Moravian College’s Greyhound Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa. In the distance events, junior Andrew Tedeschi finished second out of 41 runners in the 5,000-meter race. He clocked in at an impressive time of 15:07.26, with senior Tyler Grim following in fifth place with a personal best time of 15:24.76. For the 1,500-meter race, junior Brandon Mazzarella crossed the finish line in 10th place with a time of 4:03.80. In the 800-meter race, freshman Thomas Livecchi posted a quick time of 1:55.57, finishing 10th out of 68 opponents. Freshman Noah Osterhus sprinted to a seventh-place finish in the 400-meter race, clocking in at 49.45 while his twin brother, freshman Nathan Osterhus, finished with a time of 50.73. The 400-meter hurdles event was highlighted by seniors Laron Day and Mike Larkin. Day finished third with a time of 54.95, followed by Larkin in eighth with a time of 56.16. “I’m happy with my 400-meter hurdles performance,” Day said. “I’m staying consistent and
waiting for that breakthrough performance that I know I have in me. The ultimate goal is going to nationals and I’m just taking full advantage of the practices we have, eating right and ice bathing — ice bathing is key!” On the field, sophomore Andrew McNutt landed in fourth place with his personal best of 14.14 meters on his final jump in the triple jump event. Day, Noah and Nathan returned to the track, alongside freshman Kamal Williams, for the 4x400meter event. The men topped all 28 teams to take first place with their season-best time of 3:19.09. “The 4x400 is great — it’s a bunch of young guys and me that go out there to run hard and have fun,” Day said. “I have been on the 4x400 (team) since my freshman year and we have never ran this fast, so I’m excited to see what we can do in the next couple of meets.” At the Princeton Outdoor Invitational at Princeton University from Wednesday, April 13, to Thursday, April 14, freshman Sebastian Camacho made his debut in the decathlon, placing sixth with 4,701 points. The women found success on the track, as well. In the 400-meter hurdles, Kristen Randolph raced to a third place finish, clocking in at a personal-best time of 1:04.06. This places Randolph 16th nationally
amongst Division III athletes in the 400-meter hurdles. Senior Joy Spriggs put forth two outstanding season-bests in the sprinting events. She posted a time of 57.25 in the 400-meter race, placing third among 62 runners. She returned in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.13. “I knew I did not get out as fast as I should have, so I knew I had to finish the race hard, which I did — it is always a fun race when you have to chase another competitor down and that is exactly what happened,” Spriggs said. “I hope to just keep on dropping seconds and being able to finish strong and get out strong as well.” Spriggs and Randolph returned to the track with sophomores Amanda Cucarese and Emily Mead for the 4x400-meter relay. They finished in second place with a season best time of 3:58.77. “I thought the women’s 4x400meter relay did a really great job, considering the fact we all ran races right before the (relay),” Spriggs said. “We all were tired, but everyone pushed through and ran an amazing relay.” For the distance events, sophomores Sarina Sokoloff and Nina Paranipe finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 10,000-meter run. Sokoloff timed in at 41:35.19 and Paranipe at 41:53.57. Freshman Natalie Cooper
Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk
Tedeschi races in the 5,000-meter for the Lions.
improved her time in the 5,000meter race with a personal-best time of 18:26.14. She finished in sixth place, followed by senior Marissa Lerit in seventh. The 1,500-meter race had a top 10 finish from freshman Madeleine Tattory, who finished in 10th with a time of 4:51.30. Senior Kayla Glynn had a personal best time of 12:06.75 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. In the field events, senior Courtney Paciulli placed fifth in the triple jump with a distance of 11.06 meters. Earlier in the week, freshmen Abigail Rizzo and Danielle Scardino and sophomore Cara
Brenn competed in the heptathlon at the Princeton Outdoor Invitation at Princeton University. They placed 11th, 12th and 13th with 2,724; 2,589 and 2,433 points, respectively. “The team is doing amazing things, and I think everyone on the team is motivated to do the best they can and to add to the success of the team,” Spriggs said. The Lions are also looking forward and believe that the strength of their team will continue into next season. “We have a young team and we are strong now,” Day added. “So imagine how strong the team will be in the next few years.”
Baseball
Tennis
Sweep / Lions in the hunt NJAC / First in conference Playoffs are now in sight continued from page 28
of their own. Finally, the freshmen duo of Puig and Tim Gavornik increased their winning streak to four games with an 8-4 win. Knowing that no lead is safe, the Lions were more concerned with winning the match than the prospects of a shutout. This mentality helped carve out the occurrence of both. Cooper passed ’06 alum Cory Hall for fourth in all-time combined wins with his win at No. 125 in straight sets on court one. Stanley — with the knowledge that his win would clinch the match for the Lions — dropped the first set, 6-1. “I had a scouting report from one of my coaches,” Stanley said. “He told me the kid was going to play the game I like to play against, but when he came out, he was playing really well.” Stanley knew how important this match was for his team. Following his disappointing opening, the junior regrouped and snagged the final two sets, 6-2, clinching a Lions victory. “He whooped my ass in the first set,” Stanley said. “I refocused and got my feet started working for every ball.” The Lions continued rolling on courts one through four, as they racked up all seven wins with courts five and six still in action. Sophomore Chris D’Agostino and Gavornik were locked in third-set tiebreakers on adjacent courts. Fans and players of both teams poured into the nearby bleachers to witness two of the closest matches of the day. “He was very consistent, very quick, kind of like myself,” Gavornik said of his opponent. “We play a similar game, so it was just a matter of who could execute a little bit better.” As the sun beat down on the day’s final matchups, both athletes tried desperately to
continued from page 28
Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk
Cooper earns milestone wins.
end the day on a positive note. Fortunately for the Lions, that came when D’Agostino rallied to win a seemingly endless tiebreaker, 6-4, 6-2, 17-15. With a refreshing burst of energy, Gavornik fed off his teammate’s win to clinch a Lions shutout with a 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 10-7 victory. “Even though the match was decided, you could see (D’Agostino and Gavornik) fighting like the match was one the line,” Dicheck said. “Just beating them would’ve been great, but to win, 9-0, and have everyone fight through some tough times and having everybody step up will hopefully kickstart us for NCAAs.” After their win over Christopher Newport University — who beat top-ranked opponents such as Johns Hopkins University — the Lions’s path to the postseason is clear: They must win versus Ursinus College on Tuesday, April 19, and against Vassar College on Wednesday, April 20, to have any hope of making the tournament. “We gotta take care of business against Ursinus,” Gavornik said. “We can’t get too caught up in this win.”
Shindler slapped the ball to right-field center, racing to second for a double. Shindler showed off his speed on the bases by advancing to third on a wild pitch and eventually made it home on a another ball to the backstop. The following day, the team defeated Rowan, 8-3, at home. Senior pitcher Eric Teesdale earned the win for the Lions. Once again, the Lions got on the board early in the second inning, but lost their lead in the fifth after the Profs rallied with three runs. The Lions answered back with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. It is evident during each game that the team works hard out on the field to ensure that they walk away with a “W” on the record. Head coach Dean Glus attributes the
Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk
Teesdale pitches a winning game.
men’s success to their idea that they can win, even after a so-so 2015 season during which the team still made it to the NJAC playoffs. “This goes back to last year — at the end of our season last year — we didn’t start very well and at the end of the year, we played pretty well and almost pulled out the conference,” Glus said. “I think that gave the guys a belief that they can do it.” The Lions have a motive for the season that they derived from last season with an understanding that they can succeed no matter what. “That’s been their motive all year: ‘Hey, we’ve been there, we bought into the plan and we are going to succeed because (we) are that good,’” Glus said. The team used their will-succeed motto to finish off the NJAC doubleheader sweep against New Jersey City University (NJCU) on Friday, April 16. In the first game, 4-0, senior pitcher Steven Volpe got the win for the Lions in a complete-game shutout while improving his personal record to 5-0 on the season. The top of the lineup was busy for the Lions, they accounted for seven of the nine hits during the game. Rizzi broke the scoreless tie in the fifth and drove in another run in the sixth, scoring Shindler to stretch the lead to 4-0. The Lions would go on to defeat NJCU in the afternoon, 7-5. Glus, who recorded his 200th win as a coach during the College’s game against William Paterson University on Sunday, April 10, is proud to have been a part of the team’s success during this season. “I’ve been here 25 years overall and the last nine as head coach,” Glus said. “I’ve loved every minute of it. The guys are great. It’s a special family, so it’s been a very positive thing.”
page 26 The Signal April 20, 2016
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4 6
LIONS
April 20, 2016 The Signal page 27
AROUND THE
DORM 5 3
Chelsea LoCascio “The Ref”
George Tatoris
Matthew Ajaj
Sports Assistant
Staff Writer
Miguel Gonzalez Sports Assistant
In this week’s edition of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Chelsea LoCascio, asks our panel of experts three questions as they play for a championship spot in our Wednesday, May 4, issue: Is Kobe Bryant a first ballot hall of famer? Who will win the U.S. ProMiniGolf Association’s (USPMGA) U.S. Open and can an American to win the World Sport Stacking Association (WSSA) in 2017?
1. With his last game finished, do you believe Kobe Bryant is a first ballot hall of famer? Matthew: Bryant is one of the greatest players of all time. Do I really need to spell it out for you? Eighteen All-Star game appearances, 11-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selections, an NBA MVP and five championships — what hasn’t The Black Mamba done? Let’s not forget that this is the NBA we’re talking about, not MLB — earning a first ballot hall of fame selection isn’t just for the best of the best. Yao Ming played eight injury-riddled seasons and never made it past the second round of the playoffs, yet he earned a first ballot selection this year. Bryant left it all out on the floor — all that’s left for him to do is get his face on a plaque. George: While most people will assume Bryant is an automatic first ballot, history has shown us that if anything, he is a second ballot. For his entire career, he has been secondbest — second-best player on the Los Angeles Lakers behind Shaquille O’Neal and then he
AP Photo
was second to LeBron James in the league. According to his value over replacement player (VORP), which compares a player to the average of every stat, Bryant has never been No. 1. In fact, he never made it past fourthhighest VORP in 2002-03. He might have more points than Michael Jordan and Wilt
Chamberlain, but he has also missed the most shots out of any player in history. The only reason he has so many points is because he’s never passed the damn ball, which is usually the first thing you learn. Bryant is a pauper in prince’s clothing. He’s probably going to get the first ballot, but he doesn’t deserve it.
Miguel: When you write a bad draft of your Signal article, there’s only one thing to do to it — smash it up into a ball, throw it to the nearest recycle bin and scream “KOBE!” There is no doubt Bryant will be a first ballot hall of famer. Twenty seasons dedicated to one team and third on the list of the NBA’s All-Time Career Points Leader list, only behind legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. Whether it be at The Forum or The Staples Center, Bryant had an unprecedented impact in the city of Los Angeles. He endured numerous mishaps during his illustrious career, including his feud with Shaq, his sexual assault case in 2003 and nearly leaving the Lakers in 2007. Regardless, Bryant capped off his incredible career in a gusty 60-point performance with an uncharacteristic assist to point guard Jordan Clarkson. Once he is enshrined at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with teammate Shaq, he will not be remembered for being like Jordan, Magic Johnson, Jerry West or Abdul-Jabbar — he will be remembered for being Kobe.
Miguel gets 3 points for an accurate depiction of me throwing out drafts. George gets 2 point for coming to terms with reality and Matthew gets 1 point for excessive sass.
Youtube.com
2. Who do you think will be crowned the winner of the USPMGA U.S. Open in May? Matthew: I’m a basketball, football and baseball guy, so mini golf isn’t exactly on my agenda. As far as I know, this U.S. Open knockoff is for a niche bunch of nobodies
who don’t know an iron from an iPod. But I guess if it can be played by nerds, it can be won by nerds, right? I should enter this for myself. Back in the day, I was quite the menace on the mini golf greens. They didn’t call me “Two-Putt Charlie” for nothing. Then
again, my name’s Matt... I might be misremembering just a bit. George: In a sport dominated by middleaged American men, very few stand out. However, 21-year-old Olivia “The Blank Czech*” Prokopova, from the Czech Republic does. She already won the Open in 2011 and 2013 and was absent from the competition last year, so it’ll be interesting to see how far she’ll go. Plus, she’s got something no other competitor has — youth. She is by far one of the youngest in the Open and that gives her an advantage over the old guard — Brad “King of Lebonon**” Lebo, the 2015 champion, and Matt “Blarney Castle***” McCaslin, the 2014 champion, might be entering their twilight years this Open. (*Nickname has to do with the blank stare she gets before every putt.) (**Lebo probably isn’t Lebanese.) (***All nicknames are made up). Miguel: Known as the Putting Penn-Man
in the Pro Miniature Golf world, Dr. Brad Lebo-Shippensburg will repeat as the USPMGA Open Champion. Being a local Pennsylvania resident, Lebo-Shippensburg will have home field advantage at Center Valley, Pa. According to the Daily Pennsylvanian, Lebo-Shippensburg has won 89 USPMGA tournaments while amassing $125,000 in rewards. Not bad for someone who plays mini-golf for a hobby. LeboShippensburg is able to dominate the competition while working in a clinic as a fulltime dentist. However, Lebo-Shippensburg does have hard competition, such as Kevin King from Illinois and Josephine Rainville from Canada. Hey, I can be LeboShippensburg’s opponent by paying the $25 membership fee and registering for the USPMGA Open. Even though I’ve never played mini-golf before, I can definitely be on par with Lebo-Shippensburg and give him a run for his money.
George gets 3 points for the nicknames. Miguel gets 2 points for confidence and Matthew gets 1 point because they are somebodies. 3. The champions of the WSSA 2016 World Sport Stacking Championship in Germany were crowned in early April. Is it possible for an American to win the 2017 championship in Taiwan? Matthew: Questioning Byrant’s first ballot hall of fame status? Mini golf? Cup stacking? I thought the April Fools edition of The Signal was weeks ago. Oh well. So, cup stacking, huh? I always thought of it more as a foreign thing. Let them stack their cups while we Americans stack, uh, I dunno, porcupines? Now that’d be a sport! It would be interesting to start seeing gardening gloves in the sporting apparel section. George: We absolutely have a chance at winning. In fact, the current fastest stacker in the world, William Orrell, is from the United States — a North Carolina native. Stacking is part of our history. The forts that won the Revolutionary War were made by stacking pieces of wood on top of each other. Abraham Lincoln was born in a stack of wood that some say he built himself while in the womb. That led to the creation of Lincoln Logs, which Americans have been stacking since 1916. Enter any Wal-Mart, a shining example of
American capitalism, and you will see goods stacked as high as the ceiling by young, hardworking Americans. Stacking is not just in our blood — it’s a part of who we are as a nation. Miguel: It is a steep challenge for an American to win or even place in the top 10 performances. Formidable Asian stackers, such as Chan Keng Ian and Min Jae Jeong, are capable of stacking their cups in less than 10 seconds. Meanwhile, the majority of the American stackers, such as Josh Hainsel and Kellan Mitchell, can stack in 11 seconds. The Americans can further develop their speed stacking skills during the upcoming WSSA tournaments in the U.S., such as the Bayou City Championships and the St. Louis Open Summer Fun StackFest. Additionally, next year’s WSSA World Sport Stacking Championship will give home field advantage to Taiwanese stackers such as Shao-Yo Fu and Chia-Ying Chang. The U.S. can put forth more talented stackers, by popularizing speed stacking at elementary, middle and high schools. The sport is very accessible to children since the only equipment needed is a table and a Speed Stacking set that normally costs $25 to $30.
George gets 3 points because, 'Murica! Miguel gets 2 points for wanting to train them young and Matthew gets 1 point for questioning the judge.
George wins Around the Dorm 8-7-3.
Youtube.com
Signal
Lions smoke the Salisbury Seagulls
Sports
Tennis blazes past D-I opponent
By George Tatoris Sports Assistant With mere seconds left in the first half, things seemed bleak for the third-ranked Lions lacrosse team on Saturday, April 16. Down, 5-1, against the No. 4 Salisbury Seagulls, it seemed the Lions would end the half in a four-point slump. With nine seconds on the clock, sophomore defender Elizabeth Morrison caused a turnover. The Lions rushed the ball up the field, taking advantage of every second they had left to make a difference. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Senior attacker Cortney Natalicchio saw her teammate, junior attacker Mia Blackman, charge up the field with the ball. There was a defender between them. And the clock was still ticking down. Two. Blackman passed. Natalicchio had the ball now. Without hesitation, she sent it sailing towards the net. One. Lions score. “All I knew was the second I got it I was trying for that shot,” Natalicchio said. “I was actually surprised that the time didn’t run out.” The Lions went on to score six more unanswered goals in the second half, leading to an 8-7 victory over the Seagulls. The win, combined with a 15-0 blowout against Rutgers-Camden on Tuesday, April 12, leaves the Lions with a 13-1 win record. “I was really happy. I was happy for us to
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Stanley clinches a crucial win for the Lions.
By Connor Smith Social Media Editor
The men’s tennis team (7-5) hit a major speed bump in its quest for an NCAA Division III (D-III) Tournament bid. The Lions lost their matchup with North Carolina Wesleyan College on Tuesday, April 12, which casted doubt on the team’s qualification prospects. Despite the loss, the men’s team nursee LIONS page 24 tured its playoff hopes with victories
over Lafayette University — a Division I competitor — on Thursday, April 21, and Christopher Newport University on Sunday, April 17. The women’s team — which already qualified for NCAA’s through its New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) title — lost its final match of the regular season on Wednesday, April 13, against New York University. “Morale is pretty high,” junior Mike Stanley said. “I don’t think it’ll ever be
higher than it is right now.” The men’s team was confident with a 2-1 lead after doubles competition on Wednesday against North Carolina Wesleyan College. This sense of security proved false, as junior Jack August salvaged the team’s only win in singles, which brought the final score to 6-3 in favor of North Carolina Wesleyan. “We have a very talented group,” head coach Scott Dicheck said. “We go through ups and downs, and I think what it’s shown is that our guys... even when we’ve gone through a bad period, we’ve stepped up and the guys are wanting to end the season strong.” The Lions did just that against the Lafayette University Leopards. A sweep of the doubles competition netted them one match point, while every doubles competitor, excluding freshman Matt Puig, fired back to compete and win in singles competition. “I think that kick-started us for (Sunday),” Dicheck said. “We had a tough loss on Tuesday, so to beat them on Thursday helped us move into today’s match.” With a renewed sense of confidence, the College’s postseason hopes depended on its match against Christopher Newport. The doubles competition was tightly contested. August and Stanley continued to sparkle on court one, earning their team-leading ninth win of the season, 8-6. Senior Pierce Cooper and freshman Mitchell Sanders overcame an early 3-4 deficit to notch an 8-6 win see SWEEP page 25
Baseball sweeps NJAC teams, 23-4 on the season
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Fischer shows off his impressive arm in a victory for the team. By Jessica Ganga Sports Editor
As the weather got hotter at the
Lions’s Lineup April 20, 2016
I n s i d e
College, so did its baseball team. The Lions continued their success with a nine-game win streak and added to their overall record,
which currently stands at 23-4 on the season. The team faced three New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) teams and came away
with a win against each of them, bringing its conference record to 8-2, a testament to the hard work the men put into every game. In the Lions’s first game against NJAC opponent Stockton University on Monday, April 11, it was freshman pitcher Michael Fischer’s arm on display in the 3-0 win, as he pitched a completegame shutout. The right-hander retired the first 10 batters, silencing their bats completely. Fischer faced only 30 batters, walked none, allowed five hits and kept Stockton’s score at zero across the board. For the offense, it was senior catcher Garen Turner who broke the scoreless tie between the teams in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs, Turner singled down the infield line, allowing senior outfielder John Rizzi to cross home plate. The Lions would go on to score two more runs in the eighth. With bases loaded, sophomore infielder
Zach Shindler smacked the ball to right center for a single, sending outfielder Pat Roberts and Rizzi around to score. Later in the week, the Lions faced Rowan University for an away and home game on Thursday, April 14, and Friday, April 15, respectively. On Thursday, the team defeated the Profs, 10-1, and had valuable performances from the end of the lineup. Rowan got on the board early, scoring one run off sophomore pitcher Brandon Zachary, but that would be it, for the NJAC opponent as Zachary dominated the mound for the rest of the game. The College jumped out in the fourth inning, scoring four runs to take the lead. Roberts got the scoring started with a single to right field allowing Rizzi to score. In the top of the sixth, see NJAC page 25
46 53 Around the Dorm Page 27
Track & Field Page 25
Cheap Seats Page 23
Erin Waller Page 23