Breaking news, blogs, and more at TCNJSignal.net. Vol. CXXIX, No. 13

December 3, 2014

Serving The College of New Jersey community since 1885

‘Rent’ brings East Village to campus Field hockey wins national championship

Samantha Selikoff / Photo Assistant

The cast of ‘Rent’ performs in six sold-out shows in five days. By Mackenzie Cutruzzula Arts & Entertainment Assistant TCNJ Musical Theatre filled the Don Evan’s Black Box Theatre with bright lights, the energy of the East Village in the 1990s and a

drag queen during their fiveday run of Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer-prize winning musical “Rent.” A small cast of 17 delivered big with such an emotional show. Staying true to the Broadway production,

TMT used the famous openconcept stage with movable parts to set the scene. Using minimal props to their advantage, the cast relied on strong narration to keep the show moving and transitioning. “Rent” follows a diverse

group of young people living in New York’s East Village at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Struggling filmmaker Mark Cohen, played by junior Steve Munoz, narrated the show as he filmed the trials and tribulations of his friends. Munoz did an excellent job of keeping the show’s pace, with his monologues often functioning as scene transitions to keep the audience informed while the set was shifting. “Being really into English made me like having a narrator who is also a part of the show,” said Munoz, a junior English and secondary education double major. “What (Mark) sees, the audience sees, and that’s really different.” Mark films his friends as they prepare to protest the plans of their former friend and current landlord Benny, played by senior Adam Ziering, to tear down their lot in hopes of starting a ‘Cyberstudio.’ Maureen Johnson leads the protest with her performance of “Over the Moon,” an over-the-top monologue originally performed by Idina

By Kimberly Ilkowski Review Editor

INDEX: Nation & World / Page 5

Follow us at...

The Signal @tcnjsignal

The Lions field hockey team was crowned as the NCAA Division III Champions with a decisive 2-0 victory over last year’s winner, Bowdoin College, in the championship game of the tournament in Lexington, Va., on Sunday, Nov. 23. The Lions finished their fantastic season with a 23-1 record and ended with a 15-game winning streak to capture the program’s 11th national championship, nine of them belonging to the NJAC coach of the year, Sharon Pfluger. see NATIONALS page 22

see RENT page 13

‘Mulaney’ co-stars make crowd roar Comedian Seaton Smith saw a crackhead pick up a rat and smack a woman in the face with it. “I saw that with my Christian eyes. I saw a woman get rat-smacked,” Smith said as he began his lurid tale of an unlikely encounter in Washington, D.C. So began the College Union Board’s fall comedy show, featuring the explosive personality of opener Smith and self-deprecating humor of longtime “Saturday Night Live” writer John Mulaney in Kendall Hall on Saturday, Nov. 22. Smith went on to explain the origins of the rodent based brawl — a crackhead was holding a giant rat and upon seeing this, a woman told the man it was disgusting. “I saw the crackhead pick up the rat and start swingin’. Let me back up, I don’t actually know if he was a crackhead, at this point, I just hope,” Smith said. “I hope there’s no man skipping doing crack and going right to swinging rats.” When Smith admitted he didn’t try to stop this confrontation, he simply

By Otto Gomez Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk

The team beats Bowdoin for the title.

Putting an end to sexual violence By Dan Hitchen Correspondent

stage, tackling hard-hitting and taboo topics with confidence. The D.C.-based comedian discussed various topics in politics and his confusion with black politicians dating white Republicans. Before long, Smith recognized some audience members were not

From the start of her lecture, successful activist, writer and educator Stephanie Gilmore made sure to give credit to college students around the country for spearheading the movement against sexual violence on campuses. The talk, sponsored by the Women’s Center, took place on Tuesday, Nov. 18, in the Library Auditorium. Gilmore unabashedly spoke to students on issues of sexual violence in various areas of our lives and culture — in sports, in college and in our own homes. It’s an issue, she said, that has been on activists’ radars since the ’70s, but its signifiance and relevance have not yet diminished. She backed her statement up with countless modern day instances, demonstrating

see MULANEY page 14

see GILMORE page 3

Samantha Selikoff / Photo Assistant

Smith and Mulaney, co-stars on Fox’s ‘Mulaney,’ crack jokes at this semester’s comedy show, sponsored by CUB. explained the silent agreement between everyone living in a major city. “If you live in any city there’s a universal rule — when you see a mad man swinging a rat over his head, that guy needs some space,” Smith said. Smith, who co-stars with Mulaney on the recent Fox television sitcom “Mulaney,” brought a bold energy to the Editorial / Page 7

Opinions / Page 8

Features / Page 9

Arts & Entertainment / Page 13

Sports / Page 24

Asexuality discussed David Jay talks about his life and activism

Student band night Campus talent is highlighted at the Rat

A tough loss for soccer Women’ s soccer loses regional championship

See Features page 9

See A&E page 13

See Sports page 24