Breaking news, blogs, and more at TCNJSignal.net. Vol. XLIII, No. 9
October 28, 2015
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On-campus Homecoming unites Lions of all ages jobs hard to come by By Colleen Murphy Managing Editor
Senior health and exercise science major Victoria Kerr knew she wanted to have a job while in college. So while she was getting ready to attend the College four years ago, she applied to several on-campus jobs. One of the jobs she applied to was to be a box office cashier for the Center for the Arts. The employer emailed Kerr asking to have an interview and a few days after they spoke, Kerr heard back from the Center of the Arts — she had gotten the job. For four years now, Kerr has sold tickets to students, faculty, staff and the public for concerts and dances; handled the phone and answered any questions that patrons might have had, either in the Don Evans Black Box Theater, Mildred and Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall or Kendall Hall Main Stage Theater. “I enjoy dealing with the public,” Kerr said. “Our events can generate large crowds which sometimes proves to be a challenge, but usually everything see WORKER page 2
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Cheerleaders engage the crowd, performing at MainStage during the day.
By Jennifer Goetz Staff Writer
Smells like team spirit? It certainly did at the College’s annual Homecoming event on Saturday, Oct. 24, which concluded this year’s Spirit Week. Homecoming is the culmination of school pride, with current students and alumni joining together in celebration. The day was packed full of events, including the announcements of the Homecoming spirit winner and the Homecoming king
and queen, as well as the highly anticipated football matchup, tailgate and MainStage performances and activities. Several organizations on campus competed in the College’s Spirit Week activities, with each team representing a different decade. There were a number of field events, including a three-legged race and a human pyramid with judges evaluating their performances for each. The Lip Sync and Dance Competition, held at the Recreation Center on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m., was a chance for spirit teams
to use their “decade” to create a lip sync skit about the Lions football team prevailing over the Montclair Red Hawks during their Homecoming game, while the dance portion utilized fresh choreography to a mix of songs with the theme of their decade. The Lions followed through for the Homecoming game at 1 p.m., delivering a 23-20 win in an exciting matchup. In the fourth quarter, the Lions scored a touchdown, followed closely by a Red Hawks touchdown, as well. But the Lions managed to keep their lead by the end of the game to edge out the Hawks and claim their first win of the season. At halftime, the Homecoming court walked onto the field. Senior marketing major Alex Moskal from Phi Alpha Delta fraternity and senior accounting major Alyssa Blochlinger from Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority were named Homecoming king and queen. At the end of the game, it was announced that the spirit team winner for 2015 was Delta Phi Epsilon and Co. as they channeled the 1920s for this Homecoming’s “Decades” theme. Saturday’s tailgate, which ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., was held in lots 4 and 6. This gave students and alumni the chance to mingle, eat, drink and celebrate the College’s spirit. Lot 6 was designated for alumni and guests while Lot 4 was open to all, with colored wristbands separating those who were see HOMECOMING page 3
Spirit Week raises Homecoming hype Lecture fights
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Students gather for free pep rally gear before Homecoming.
By Tom Ballard Staff Writer
The College was perfused with blue and gold last week during Spirit Week, which sought to raise pride for the school,
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leading up to its Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 24. The week, which began on Monday Oct. 19, and carried through until Friday Oct. 23, was the College’s 28th annual Homecoming Spirit Week and was filled Editorial / Page 13
with a variety of activities and contests ranging from men’s cheerleading to lip syncing battles. The week brought the College back in time, with teams having to abide by the theme of “Decades” in their performances and painted murals. During the week, the Homecoming Spirit Week Committee kept track of the performance of each of the 10 Spirit Week teams that were comprised of 23 of the College’s organizations. The team consisting of Delta Phi Epsilon and Co. were proclaimed as the overall victors after the week’s 12 different scorable events. Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Kappa and Sigma Lambda Beta placed second and Phi Sigma Sigma and Alpha Chi Rho took third. The lip sync contest, according to Homecoming Spirit Week Chair Nicole DiMarco, was the largest event with an audience of approximately 1,400 students. The battle was won by the team comprised of Phi Alpha Delta, Delta Zeta and Delta Epsilon Psi, with their contemporary performance of 2015. Delta Phi Epsilon and Co. followed in second with their rendition of the Roaring 1920s and a spin-off of
stigma of mental health By Emma Califano Correspondent
What do Demi Lovato, Abraham Lincoln and Brandon Marshall have in common? The same thing that one in four people in the world suffer from: mental health disorders. Kurt and Tricia Baker have devoted their lives to Attitudes in Reverse (A.I.R.), a program that combats the negative stigma associated with mental health disorders, after the suicide of their son, Kenny, at age 19. In the library auditorium on Wednesday, Oct. 21, the Bakers gave a presentation about mental health awareness and the dangers associated with it having a negative connotation. “Kenny was a great kid, a hard worker and a swimmer who loved his family, his friends and his loving girlfriend,” said Kenny’s father, Kurt. “But he suffered from a severe case of dyslexia and depression, which ultimately took his life.”
see SPIRIT page 3
Opinions / Page 15
Features / Page 19
see STIGMA page 5
Arts & Entertainment / Page 23
Sports / Page 27
Queer Awareness Month Vigil held for those who lost their lives
Multiplicities Senior art exhibition highlights student work
Football Lions pick up first win of the season, 23-20
See Features page 19
See A&E page 23
See Sports page 32
page 2 The Signal October 28, 2015
Worker / Students with campus jobs learn new skills
Many students struggle to find on-campus jobs at first. continued from page 1 comes together nicely by the end of the night, and patrons are satisfied with their experience.” Kerr is one of the more than 1,100 student workers that the College employs each year, and according to Student Employment Coordinator Vilja Casey, the work that all those students do is integral to running the College. “Without many of the student workers, the positions would have to be filled with full-time workers,” Casey said, pointing out that the number of students employed by the school is probably larger than the College’s full-time employee payroll. “They’re very important to the running of the institution. We are very proud of our student workers. They do such a good job.” While a great deal of students would like to have an on-campus job, and thus, have a role in helping to keep the College running smoothly, the reality is that many of them who apply for employment at the school will not receive it. The hiring process for student employment is a competitive one, especially for entry level jobs. In fact, office assistants — the most sought after position at the College — can receive anywhere
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
from 200 to 300 applications for one open position, Casey said. According to Casey, office assistant positions are the first to fill up because they do not require specific skills, such as knowing another language if you are an oral proficiency hour leader, or knowing how to save someone from drowning if you work as lifeguard. A job’s skill level dictates how much a student earns, Casey said. Entry level jobs pay the minimum wage, which is currently $8.38, and then there are three more pay levels of $9.25, $10.25 and $11.25. While there are about 1,100 student workers getting paid by the College and another 168 getting paid through federal work study grants, there are actually 1,400 on-campus student jobs, according to Casey. This difference of roughly 100 student employees from the positions available is due to the fact that students can work more than one job. According to Casey, the College does not have a limit on the number of jobs a student can hold. They do, however, cap the number of hours a student can work at all of their jobs, combined, at 15 hours a week. This is to make up for the fact that some jobs only call for an hour or two of work per week. And as
Casey pointed out, there have been reports conducted by the National Survey of Student Engagement that working 15 hours a week while in college can positively impact students’ grades. Getting hired to even at least one job, again, is a competitive process, and Casey recommends that students apply to as many jobs as for which they deem themselves qualified. Still, Casey said that she has had students apply for over 20 jobs and who have not heard anything back from any of the potential employers. Casey recognizes this lack of response as something that can be improved upon and says that she does encourage the employers to inform students of their application status. “I feel bad when (students) come to me and say, ‘How long should I wait?’ Well, you haven’t received a letter or a phone call by now, then probably you didn’t get the job. And I hope that a student who has been interviewed and didn’t get the job, (is told by a) student employer that they didn’t get the job,” Casey said. “That’s also a part of the real world — very often they don’t answer you unless you got the job. It’s kind of a real-world experience.”
“Working on campus has taught me a lot of skills and given me years of experience.”
—Victoria Kerr
senior health and exercise science major In fact, according to a study conducted in 2013 by CareerBuilder.com, a website for job searching, among 3,991 employees included in the survey, 60 percent said they don’t hear back from a potential employer after an interview. Still, the College recognizes that students are not yet in the “real-world,” and so departments are reminded to reply to their
applicants if it is feasible. For example, it would be virtually impossible to send a personalized note to all 200 applicants for an office assistant job. “This is a college campus, (employers) know this is a learning experience,” Casey said. Junior psychology major Caitlin Nehila applied to almost 20 jobs during the summer coming into her freshman year. She did not hear back from any of the positions and believes that receiving constructive feedback would actually have been a greater learning experience. “If I applied for something and they don’t like me they could at least say what I could do to improve my application,” Nehila said. “Not hearing anything back deters me from applying to any more jobs.” Nehila also suggested that capping the number of applicants to a job might make for a more efficient, fair system. If no student in the first batch of applicants fit the bill for the employers, the position can be reopened on the online portal. This, she said, would save students’ and employers’ time. Apart from the potential benefit of a higher GPA that working while in college has proven to provide, Casey says that the networking, sense of being involved on campus and résumé boost are also important factors to consider when deciding whether to apply for or accept an on-campus job. “There are some students who never really worked in high school, and we encourage them to get an on-campus job because you need something on your résumé other than great grades,” Casey said. The number of jobs available at any one time varies greatly. According to Casey, there were about 80 positions listed at the beginning of the academic school year. As of Monday, Oct. 26, there were 17 job openings to students, and Casey recommends that students apply because of all the benefits that working can have for them. Kerr agrees with this, saying that having her cashier job has benefited her future self. “Working on campus has taught me a lot of skills and given me years of experience,” Kerr said. “...Without a doubt, a lot of the experience I gained will be useful in future endeavors after I graduate from TCNJ.”
New study abroad destinations to Amsterdam and Japan By Kristen Solis Correspondent Amsterdam and Japan are the two newest destinations added to the College’s Study Abroad Program for this summer. Though they may seem a world apart, each offers students opportunities for adventures that can open minds to another culture and perspective. The Amsterdam trip, titled “Queer Amsterdam,” is being headed by Nelson Rodriguez, a women’s and gender studies professor at the College. For three undetermined weeks in late July and early August, Rodriguez will take a group of students to explore the rich LGBT culture of Amsterdam. “LGBT is a front and center issue,” Rodriguez said. “The College has a growing demand for more LGBT studies with a global perspective.” Students will be visiting many cultural parts of Amsterdam, studying with a LGBT lens. There will be a tour of the infamous Red Light District to focus on LGBT sex workers, a visit to the Hague and trips to several museums. The
trip also corresponds with the Amsterdam PRIDE Parade on the canal, Europride and the annual Drag Queen Olympics. Students will have lectures from different speakers, as well, since the trip counts as WGS 240, “Introduction to Gay and Lesbian Studies.” For the study abroad course in Japan, titled, “Contextualizing and Contributing to the Tohoku Region of Japan,” a focus is placed on Japanese histories and cultures. Students will study the coastal areas in the Tohoku region and the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 — better known as the Triple Disaster, due to how the natural disasters affected the nuclear reactors in the area. Professor Atsuko Seto, who works in the Department of Counselor Education, and professor Holly Didi-Ogren of Japanese World Studies and Languages created the trip that will have students explore the rich cultural history of the Tohoku Region. The trip will also coordinate with local volunteer efforts for students to contribute to the rebuilding process. Seto thinks that this trip would be beneficial to
Students are set to travel to Tohoku, Japan, to help rebuild after the deadly tsunami. students from different programs who would find it useful. The rebuilding process is both a physical and emotional process that the entire region is still going through. Seto wants students to be able to be sensitive to the specific needs of the Tohoku region. “(There are) lots of opportunities for students to help people, but
not in a vacuum,” Didi-Ogren said. Seto explained that there was an elementary school that lost most of students and faculty that day, and the region still has not rebuilt the school or moved the remnants of the destroyed structure. They are still trying to figure out how to best honor those who died that day.
AP Photo
Both professors compared this to America’s own rebuilding process after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast. “Natural disasters are a global challenge, not isolated issues,” Seto said. If students are interested in either of these new study abroad programs, they can visit cge.tcnj.edu.
October 28, 2015 The Signal page 3
Homecoming / Spirit Day filled with spirit, reunions
/ Weeklong events show lion pride
continued from page 1 21-years-old and above from those under the legal drinking age. “(Homecoming is) packed full of things to do and it’s very entertaining,” sophomore chemistry major Nigel Sequeira said. The MainStage at the Green Hall Lawn offered free food such as cotton candy, hot chocolate, apple cider and more to the students and alumni as they participated in the various activities, including an inflatable obstacle course. There, seven student organizations put on productions for those in attendance. Jazmine Ramirez, a sophomore art major and a member of the Rebel Art Movement on campus, volunteered to face paint. According to Ramirez, it was a “fun little event” and there was a good turnout. Megan Young, who graduated as a communication studies major last spring, was looking forward to returning. While at the College, she was a member of the Dance Team and Sigma Kappa sorority. “This is the first time I’ve gotten the chance to spend a decent amount of time with all of my sisters and the dance team, and basically just reconnect more than I have in the past few months,” she said. “After graduating, you feel this disconnect when you all move home and it’s a lot harder to see each other when you’re two hours away. This is the first chance we’ve really been able to reminisce and be under one roof.” Homecoming allows alumni to see what has changed about the school while still enforcing school spirit. “I really just love the coming together,” Young said. “Being able to experience what some of the larger schools have, the (Division) I schools, to have that sort of athletic bond, has been a really great experience.”
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Students greet Roscoe the Lion, promoting school pride during Homecoming. continued from page 1 F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” Other performances included the Stars and Stripes Company’s performance of the 1770s with a twist of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” and Delta Tau Delta and Alpha Xi Delta’s throwback to the 2000s with flip phones and MySpace. The teams had to use their assigned decade to describe the outcome of the following day’s Homecoming football game against Montclair State University through their performance. The event was held in the Recreational Center on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m.. The contest also included a dance competition where teams collaborated to put on choreographed dances that corresponded with their assigned decade. Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Kappa and Sigma Lambda Beta danced away as victors with their 1960s themed dance. Phi Kappa Psi and Zeta Tau Alpha placed second, while Phi Alpha Delta, Delta Zeta and Delta Phi Epsilon tied for third. “This year, the Lip Sync and Dance Competitions were fantastic,” DiMarco said. “Each team did a great job of telling a story throughout their performances and (were) very entertaining.” Other contests during the week took
place on the Loser Hall Lawn on Monday, Oct. 19, which included a human pyramid and three-legged race, both won by the team of Delta Phi Epsilon and Co. Alpha Xi Delta showed its strength by winning the women’s tug-of-war contest while Phi Sigma Sigma and Alpha Chi Rho showed enough spirit for the College to win the men’s cheerleading contest and the mural painting competition. Kappa Delta and Phi Kappa Tau volleyed up a victory in the volleyball competition while Phi Alpha Delta, Delta Zeta and Delta Epsilon Psi were focused enough to win the dizzy bat competition and the potato sack relay. Sigma Sigma Sigma, Alpha Epsilon Pi and Delta Lambda Phi showed their knowledge by conquering the inaugural Homecoming Spirit Week trivia contest. “The events for Spirit Week are, for the most part, the same every year,” DiMarco said. “We try to make sure that there are a variety of activities that showcase all of the students’ talents, such as artistic ability, theatrical skills and athletic skills.” Not all events during the week had a competitive edge. Student Government held its annual T-shirt swap, where students were able to swap out a T-shirt from their old high school or another college in order
to receive a new long-sleeve Homecoming shirt on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Nicole Herrmann, a junior marketing major and a senator for the School of Business who created the swap, said that the event ran out of the 1,100 shirts in 43 minutes. “It was crazy,” Herrmann said. “I had to post in the Facebook event page to let people know that we ran out.” Herrmann said that the swapped-out T-shirts will be donated to Goodwill. Herrmann also noted that it was the second time SG handed out smoothies from Smoothie King during their swaps and the first 500 students who came out on Wednesday received a smoothie in a College Homecoming koozy, a measure that she said contributed to getting students even more excited for Homecoming. “At the Homecoming tailgate I saw so many students wearing the long sleeve shirt from this year’s event,” Herrmann said. “It gets students excited and allows them to show their school pride.” Throughout the week there were free give-aways that provided students with blue and gold bead necklaces, cowbells, whistles and even the opportunity to tiedye their own free Spirit Week T-shirt blue and gold. The Atrium at Eickhoff Hall was also decorated with blue and gold pendants and blasted collegiate fight songs during its Blue and Gold Luncheon on Friday, Oct. 23. “The primary goal of Spirit Week is to bring together the campus community while showing our TCNJ pride,” DiMarco said. “I do believe this goal was absolutely achieved this year. Each team showed great dedication and worked extremely hard to make this week successful.” The week’s proximity to Halloween also allowed the Spirit Week committee to put on “Haunted TCNJ” where a haunted house was displayed in Allen Hall and faculty and staff were able to bring their children to Travers and Wolfe towers to go trick-or-treating. According to DiMarco, the theme “Decades” beat out board games and historical events to be chosen as the theme for this year.
Unknown subject sends strong message: ‘Fuck Greek Life’ Need some pop? Man makes move to pry open machine By Colleen Murphy Managing Editor • Police found graffiti on one of the columns between the soccer stadium and track on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 4:05 a.m., Campus Police reported. The markings were done using red spray paint. No other graffiti was found in the area, police said. • An Eickhoff Hall worker’s car was damaged sometime between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, Campus Police said. When the worker’s shift ended, she returned to her vehicle that she had parked in one of the designated spots on E Street and saw that her rear window was shattered. The car’s owner did not see any object in or around the vehicle that could have caused the damage, which totaled $250, Campus Police said. • A gym bag was stolen from a Campus Town Fitness Center cubby on Thursday, Oct. 15, between 3:40 p.m. and 4:40 p.m., according to Campus Police. When the student went to retrieve the bag after his workout and did not see it, he told a front desk employee and searched the gym for the bag with negative results. The bag and its contents were valued at $180, police said. • While on foot patrol on the Green Lane Fields on Friday, Oct. 16, at 12:17 a.m., Campus Police saw four females standing in a circle next to one of the fields, holding a flashlight. As the officer approached the scene, he illuminated his flashlight onto the group and one of the
women asked, “Who’s there?” The officer did not respond and walked closer. Another woman again asked, “Who’s there?” The officer reached the group and saw one of the students holding an open white Apple iPhone box that contained what was believed to be marijuana in a Ziploc bag. The student was placed under arrest and issued a summons, Campus Police said. • A man was seen trying to pry open a Pepsilabeled refrigerator in Armstrong Hall on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 4:10 p.m., Campus Police said. After failing to do so, the suspect “hastily left the area,” a witness reported to police. When police arrived on the scene, they found that the door had been partially pried away from the lock and tracking along the bottom, but police were able to push the doors back to their locked position. No drinks appeared to have been taken and police could not locate the suspect in or around the building. According to police reports, the man was described as being six feet tall with a dark beard that was about one to two inches long. He was last seen wearing a dark blue T-shirt and gray sweatpants. • An intoxicated student was found vomiting in a Travers Hall men’s bathroom at 1:25 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, Campus Police reported. When police arrived, they observed the student sitting in a chair and as having “glassy, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.” Police discovered that the student had actually been written up earlier that night by Residential Life after he was found intoxicated in the hallway. When
the male was later found around a toilet, Campus Police were called. According to police, the student had six shots of vodka in his room. He was cleared by TCNJ EMS and refused further medical treatment. The student then voluntarily turned over one half-full 1.75 liter bottle of Burnett’s Blue Raspberry Vodka, which was emptied and disposed of by police. According to Campus Police, the student was issued a summons for underage drinking. • Graffiti that read “FUCK GREEK LIFE” was seen by Campus Police at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, according to police reports. The writing was completed with green spray paint and was found on the black temporary walkway between the Brower Student Center and Social Sciences Building. Police said that no other graffiti was found in the area and that a work order was placed to remove the writing. • Police were called to assist TCNJ EMS with an intoxicated student in a sixth floor Travers Hall bathroom at 3:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, police reports said. Police met with a community advisor who said he contacted police after he heard vomiting coming from the bathroom. Police said that the intoxicated male consumed about five shots of vodka while in Town Houses South earlier that night. The student was issued a summons for underage drinking, police said. Anyone with information can contact Campus Police at 609-771-2345.
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October 28, 2015 The Signal page 5
Stigma / Addressing mental illness continued from page 1 A mental health disorder is defined as a biological condition that impacts a person’s thinking, feeling, behavior or mood, and may affect his or her ability to relate to others. While one in four people suffer from some form of mental health disorder, only 40 percent seek any form of treatment, according to the presentation. “Why is this?” Kurt asked the audience in frustration.
According to Kurt, it is because of the negative stigma attached to anxiety disorders, eating disorders, borderline personality disorder, depression and the many other disorders that people don’t realize are treatable. The media attaches words such as “dangerous,” “unstable” or “psychopath” to victims suffering in silence with mental health disorders. This only fuels the negative stigma. “Because of the advancement
Campus Resources
Anti-Violence Initiatives: (609) 771-2272 Alcohol & Drug Education Program: (609) 771-2572 Campus Police Department: (609) 771 2345 Counseling & Psychological Services: (609) 771-2247 Dean of Students (609) 771-2201 Disability Support Services: (609) 771-3199 EEO/Title IX Complaints: (609) 771-3139 Residential Education & Housing: (609) 771-3455 Student Health Services: (609) 771-2889 TCNJ Clinic: (609) 771-2700 Concerned about a friend? Submit a report at: sa.pages.tcnj.edu/student-of-concern or call (609) 771-CARE
in medicine and technology, we are now able to focus on permanent, long-term treatments and will see improvements within the coming years,” Kurt said. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 34. Because of this alarming statistic, it is important to understand key warning signs of a person with suicidal tendencies, according to the presentation. “It’s so important that if you have a friend who is struggling, to tell them how much they mean to you. All I ask is that you be there for each other because you have the power to save lives,” Tricia said. The College has taken recent action to address mental health disorders by creating Lion’s House. This housing is available for matriculated students to reside in, with at least three months of sobriety and commitment to living alcohol and drug free lives. Along with Lion’s House, there are many resources available on campus for students who feel they are battling a mental health disorder. “Don’t be afraid to reach out for help,” Kurt said. “This is not the end of the road, this is just the beginning.”
Upcoming Events Stigmonologues Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 8:30 p.m. in the Cromwell Lounge “Meet-the-Author” Event with TCNJ Graduate Elizabeth Hults Elko Thursday, Oct. 29 at 4 p.m. in the Education Building, room 113 Keep Your Fangs Clean! Friday, Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. in the Brower Student Center Pixel Music Friday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. in Kendall Hall Halloween Coffeehouse Friday, Oct. 30 at 8:30 p.m. in the Bliss Hall Lounge CEI Mandatory Training: Fall Leadership Conference Saturday, Oct. 31 at 10 a.m. in the Education Building, room 212
#SelfiesForSelfCareTCNJ encourages self-love Students post selfies ‘dressed up or dressed down’ By Alexis Bell Correspondent If you search the hashtag “SelfiesForSelfCareTCNJ” on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, an array of self-portraits will come up. From females to males and freshmen to seniors, the diversity of uploaded photos to the hashtag are seemingly endless. Even Roscoe the Lion joined in with a selfie from the football field. The College designated Thursday, Oct. 22, as a day to show self-love by taking a selfie and posting it on social media for all to see using #SelfiesForSelfCareTCNJ. Residential Life (ResLife) hosted the event along with co-sponsors Chi Upsilon Sigma, Kappa Delta, Health and Wellness and PRISM. According to Lion’s Gate, ResLife’s ultimate goal was “to encourage TCNJ students to acknowledge publicly and boldly that we are phenomenal people and deserving of love, especially from ourselves. This is a reminder of a grander motion to take a minute out of your busy day to appreciate yourself for all that you are.” “Dressed up or dressed down, madeup or bare-faced, flawless or flawed — you are you and you are valuable. These notions do not define us, or add or detract from our ultimate worth,” was the message emblazoned on the event’s Facebook page. Self-love is a special term, as it holds a different meaning with every individual. Senior biology major Hailey Marr said the term requires a two-part definition. “The first part is internalizing and believing that one deserves to love themselves and put their needs first,” Marr said. “The first part also involves paying more attention to your own needs. I’d argue the
takes the time to remind us to be confident and feel good about ourselves,” McClain said. “Not only do they care about our education, but they care about our mental health which is just as important.” The College hopes to have inspired at least a few people with the event and reminded them to take care of themselves and love who they are. “For a very long period of my life, I truly believed I didn’t deserve love or care, especially from myself, and I did very little to better my health,” Marr said. Marr attributes a major part of the recovery process to learning what selfcare truly means and embracing it in everyday life. “The beginning was a lot of ‘fake it till you make it,’ but over time, self-care has turned my life around,” Marr said.
Photos courtesy of Instagram
Even the College’s mascot, Roscoe the Lion, participates in the event.
first part is much harder than the second part, which is the ‘doing’ portion. Self-care is whatever one needs to do to positively affect their health.” While schoolwork is important, it is also necessary to take a break from a busy life and take care of oneself. Hanging out with friends, going on a run, reciting positive mantras and getting a good night’s rest are just a few suggestions found in the captions of students’ selfies. “Self-love is being proud to say who you are and seeing yourself as beautiful
even if someone else doesn’t,” said Mallory Ilves, a freshman deaf and hard of hearing education and English double major. “We need to embrace who we were born to be.” Freshman communication studies major Emily McClain said that learning about the meaning behind the event made her feel inspired to take a selfie for social media as well as treat herself to a night off from schoolwork so she could relax. “I think it’s really great that TCNJ
“Self-care is whatever one needs to do to positively affect their health.” — Hailey Marr senior biology major “I know that I could have used the #SelfiesForSelfCareTCNJ message as a freshman, so I hope the campus is similarly affected as well.” The campaign is a reminder to all students to remember to make time for yourself, and if anyone is in need of some self-love, simply unlock your phone, open the camera and smile.
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TIME 2014 ‘Person of the Year’ speaks Stryker spreads awareness about Ebola in Africa
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Stryker speaks about her experiences helping Ebola victims in Africa. By Tiffany Rutkowski Correspondent
Ella Watson-Stryker, who was recognized as one of TIME magazine’s “Person of The Year” in 2014 for her role in combatting the West African Ebola outbreak, spoke to students at the College on Wednesday, Oct. 21, about the importance of public health promotion. Antonino Scarpati, assistant dean of Student Services for the School of Nursing, Health and Exercise Science, welcomed Stryker, a health promoter, by acknowledging her heroism. Scarpati said millenials regard individuals such as celebrities as heroic, without enough recognition for people like Stryker.
Stryker’s lecture began with an image of a beach. Although many people think of disease, poverty and war when they think about Africa, this image was the view that Stryker had every day while heading to work. Stryker began her work with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in March 2014, when the Ebola outbreak called for a response team. She was asked to go to West Africa with a goal of stopping the virus and taking care of those who were already sick. As a college student, Stryker was so interested in “everything” — what people thought and how they understood their place in world, according to Stryker. She was invested in people.
Stryker said she was told that Ebola is the worst mission that anyone could ever be sent on. There is no treatment, no cure and no vaccine. She was also told the mission would be a quick one. “We had no way of knowing how wrong we were,” she said about the length of the mission. “I could tell this is not what I was briefed on.” Nineteen months later, there was an underestimate of about 28,000 cases of Ebola and 11,000 deaths, according to Stryker. Stryker said that when caring for West Africans, it was important to gain trust. “I had to recruit staff who had high emotional intelligence,” Stryker said. She told students that volunteers couldn’t shake hands, offer tea or ask how they were doing — all normal gestures for West Africans — because the patients were quarantined. “It changes everything that is normal,” Stryker said. Nicole Cancelliere, a freshman elementary education and sociology double major, said the facts presented in the lecture were surprising because while learning about the Ebola outbreak, people often don’t consider the villagers’ points of view or traditions that come with them. The centers that were used to contain patients with the virus were built only for a temporary time and then burnt down afterwards to stop the spreading of Ebola, Stryker said. Hospitals in West Africa were not meant to contain viruses. Most of them didn’t even have running water, she said.
“It was really interesting hearing about these experiences from someone, themselves, versus reading it in a book,” said Jamie Pintimalli, a freshman elementary education and sociology double major. Stryker said she was affected by this outbreak in a different way from other people. “It arrived in a city that I had lived in,” Stryker said. “It killed people that were my friends.” Ultimately, as a patient advocate, Stryker worked hard to meet victims’ social needs. Together, her team helped bridge the gap between the community and the responders, who were initially waved away by villagers with machetes. “I think she’s an inspiration because of everything she’s gone through,” freshman international studies and marketing double major Surya Ramesh said. “In my eyes, she’s a hero.” Before Stryker started her talk, Carole Kenner, the dean of the School of Nursing, Health and Exercise Science, announced that the program for a public health major was approved on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and will kickstart in 2016, along with a graduate certificate program. “We’re so excited we’re going to launch these programs in ’16,” Kenner said. Ruthann Russo, a visiting public health professor, shared a mutual excitement for the new program. Russo said the program has been in the process of being approved for a couple years. Now, there is a significant need for people in the field of public health, Russo said.
SG says 46 Ewing street signs still missing By Alyssa Sanford Web Editor Matthew Bender, a professor of history at the College and co-chair of the Steering Committee, gave a presentation on improving the governance system on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Student Government general body meeting. The Steering Committee, comprised of faculty, staff and students, is essentially “the hub of the governance system,” Bender said. Any inquiries that come through the Steering Committee are redirected to the appropriate council or committee on campus. However, the Steering Committee is also dedicated to periodically reevaluating the College’s governance system. Bender asked general body members if they had any feedback about the governance system, as many SG members sit on a wide
variety of committees to represent the needs of their constituents. The four main committees that the Steering Committee oversees included the Committee on Academic Programs (CAP), the Committee on Strategic Planning and Priorities (CSPP), the Committee on Student and Campus Community (CSCC) and the Committee on Faculty Affairs (CFA). All of these committees represent different aspects of operations within the campus community. General body members raised concerns about some of the committees that they sit on, prompting Bender to note that the Steering Committee is dedicated to looking at ineffective committees and choosing to either “collapse” them or reassign their duties to other committees. “If there are committees where they meet for no reason, we need to know that,” Bender said.
Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant
SG says Ewing residents are making noise complaints.
Later, President Casey Dowling updated the general body on a recent Town Gown meeting, in which representatives from the College meet with Ewing Township to discuss concerns within the community. “A lot of complaints from the township are noise complaints,” Dowling said. Dowling also addressed the street sign theft problem in Ewing, which Ewing representatives addressed during the Town Gown meeting. A campus-wide email from Chief of Police John Collins on Wednesday, Oct. 7, said “more than 100 street signs” were stolen from surrounding neighborhoods in Ewing. Campus Police offered an amnesty period for anyone with a stolen sign to return it to Campus Police without consequences. “There are currently 46 missing street signs,” Dowling said, noting that many of the signs were returned as a result of the campuswide email, before urging general body members to tell their constituents to return the signs. Dowling cited concerns that the missing signs might hinder emergency response efforts, particularly “if there’s an elderly person who needs an ambulance,” and emergency responders are unable to quickly locate the caller. Dowling also announced a Fall Leadership Conference, set to take place on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Education Building, room 212. It is open to all students who are looking to improve their leadership skills. Executive Vice President Javier
Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant
Bender asks SG members for feedback on committees. Nicasio asked general body members to “rethink different ways to allocate the money for the Loop Bus to make the service more efficient.” Nicasio has been coordinating this effort with Amy Hecht, the College’s vice president of Student Affairs. The senior class is co-sponsoring “Dining Out in Professional Style” with the Career Center. The event will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 4, from noon to 3 p.m. Students who register will learn how to use proper dining etiquette when eating out with potential employers. Sophomore class President Kelsey Capestro advertised an educational event sponsored by the Class of 2018, which will be held in the Physics Building, room 101, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The class is “looking to get people who work
at Amazon, Johnson & Johnson and Target” to join a panel discussion that will inform students of all majors how to interview for internships at these companies. Senators from the School of Arts & Communication announced Open Studio Nights in the Arts and Interactive Multimedia Building, where any art students looking for studio time in the from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. are welcome to attend. Arts & Communication senators are also looking to create an updated, archived list of clubs associated with the school so that they can be identified and reached more easily. The School of Engineering is looking for donations for equipment for senior projects According to head senators, anyone who makes a donation exceeding $50 will receive a sticker or magnet from the school.
page 8 The Signal October 28, 2015
October 28, 2015 The Signal page 9
C-Store products prove pricey mark-up for many By Alyssa Sanford Web Editor
Meal plans are expensive. It’s a universal truth for college students across the country, but the fact doesn’t quite resonate with students as long as they can use those points as currency instead of taking cash out of their wallets. All it takes to shatter that illusion is one outrageous price. For junior business major Nicole Alexandre, that moment came last semester when she visited the College’s Convenience Store to buy snacks before an upcoming visit from her cousin. After browsing the selection for a while, she chose a Nutri-Grain cereal bar, among other items. A single bar cost nearly $3 in points. At Walmart, a box of eight Kellogg’s NutriGrain bars costs $2.68, which equates to roughly 33 cents per bar. That makes the C-Store’s price an approximate 900 percent markup from a chain store’s price. “That’s ridiculous,” Alexandre said. “It’s actually ridiculous that bar cost me three dollars. I could go to Stop and Shop and buy six of them for the exact same price.” There’s a clear discrepancy between prices at the C-Store and at local shopping centers, but the convenience of swiping an ID card to buy snacks and groceries blinds students to that fact. Not surprisingly, the College profits from the points spent at locations around campus. According to a 2012 document outlining the regulations for dining services at the College, “all funds for dining service contracts, debit cards and Get-It cards are collected and held by the College.” Furthermore, the document states that “the C-Store serves as an on-campus alternative to off-campus convenience venues and is priced competitively with the local market.” According to Patrice Mendes, Sodexo’s general manager at the College, the local market means “other convenience stores and mom-and-pop small grocery stores, as they are more closely aligned with (our) volume and business models.” While Sodexo’s Marketing Department used to determine pricing in recent years, it now comes from upper-level management,
according to Joanna Brunell, a Sodexo area marketing coordinator at the College. “Pricing is covered in our contract with TCNJ,” Mendes said. “The pricing increases (because) established items are increased by the contracted amount annually. New items are priced in conjunction with the campus contract director based on cost and other factors such as pricing in like venues.” In early October, students could purchase fresh produce at the C-Store, eliminating the need for venturing off campus. However, the prices, while reasonable, were not “priced competitively.” While apples and bananas cost 89 cents apiece at the C-Store, ShopRite sells McIntosh apples for $1.29 per pound, and bananas at 59 cents per pound or 30 cents apiece, as of a circular from the week of Oct. 12. Avocados at ShopRite cost 77 cents apiece, but they were offered at $3.29 each at the C-Store. While students likely won’t buy potatoes in bulk, Russet potatoes are sold at approximately 60 cents per pound at ShopRite, while the C-Store charged 85 cents apiece.
“The price definitely matters for me... I don’t have any other options because I don’t have a car on campus. ” —Nicole Alexandre
junior business major
The prices are fair, but the marked-up prices are difficult to ignore. Avocados were marked up almost 430 percent, and bananas received a nearly 300 percent markup. According to Mendes, these markups are based on sales, or “lack thereof.” “The markups on all the items vary greatly, and there is not one standard
Sydney Shaw / News Editor
Prices in the C-Store, compared to other grocery stores, are drastically different.
markup percentage or increase amount. Instead, we have an overall percentage we cannot exceed,” Mendes said. Because some items at the C-Store are in high supply but low demand, the pricing reflects a need to sell those items to fewer customers and still manage to make a profit. Fresh produce can’t be offered at the same prices as a chain grocery store because it won’t sell, especially when students can grab apples, bananas and oranges at Eickhoff at no additional cost. Furthermore, local markets are able to sell food items at lower prices than the C-Store because their clientele is able to bargain-shop at a wide variety of stores. But some items are priced as low as possible to keep sales up, according to Mendes. Items like dry cereal and certain ice cream brands kept their prices constant this year, “despite cost increases from our distributor, due to the fact that the retail price was already perceived as being prohibitive to sales,” Mendes said. Thus, the C-Store’s clientele, made up of residential college students who are often without a means of transportation to local stores, have to pay a little more for the convenience of food shopping without having to leave campus. In spite of the convenience, the price
still matters to Alexandre. “The price definitely matters for me... I don’t have any other options because I don’t have a car on campus,” Alexandre said. At the University of Southern Indiana, which also uses Sodexo’s dining services, students who pay for their food in points don’t pay sales tax, according to the university’s newspaper, The Shield. According to Mendes, there is no difference between paying in points and paying in cash. “The price is the same whether a student/customer pays with cash, credit/debit or points. The C-Store services the students, faculty, staff and even our own employees,” Mendes said. When asked if she would think twice about using cash to pay for food at the CStore, Alexandre was resolute. “Definitely. I remember that I went to the C-Store one time and didn’t have my ID on me,” Alexandre said. “I don’t think about it that much when I just use my ID card because I’ve prepaid the expense, but I don’t like paying in cash.” Sodexo management tries to keep pricing under control, but as Sodexo is a business, the profits must come first. As Alexandre said, however, “It’s still important to worry about the price.”
UGG founder says drive needed for entrepreneurship
Photo courtesy of Courtney Wirths
Smith meets with students following his lecture.
Courtney Wirths Staff Writer
Brian Smith had just put on his new Pink Floyd album. The song switched and “Time” began to play: “And then one day you find 10 years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.” That was when the idea struck him — he needed to start his own business. Smith, former CEO and founder of UGG Australia, had just moved to Santa Monica, Calif., in search of the next big idea when he came to his life changing realization: “There are no sheepskin boots in America.” The now-famed entrepreneur spoke to the College’s students on Wednesday, Oct. 21, about the journey associated with starting one’s own business and having the determination to overcome the hurdles along the way. “Brian’s story inspired me to be tenacious while attempting to achieve my goal in starting my own
company,” said sophomore marketing major Neophytos Zambas, a member of the College’s Entrepreneurship Club. “Through his hard work and consistency, he was able to start one of the most successful companies in the world.” UGG Australia began in 1979, when Smith and his partner borrowed $500 to get six pairs of sample sheepskin boots shipped to the United States. They took the boots up and down the coast of California, but the road to a multi-million dollar brand was not a quick one. “Oh, you guys are going to make a killing,” Smith said, describing surf shops’ reactions to the boots. “But we only sell surfboards and shorts and sandals.” So instead, the pair began selling the boots out of their cars on the beach and developing a following amongst surfers. The boots were appealing to surfers who were just coming in from the cool water after a day on the ocean. “Once you set down a path, the universe will conspire to work with you,” Smith said. Every time Smith made a major decision regarding UGG Australia, he explained it was accompanied by a wave of goosebumps across his arms. “We all have some spirit or energy in us that knows our path,” he said. “Goosebumps are a message that you’ve chose between two paths — a reinforcement.” The brand began to grow. Smith learned that the best way to appeal to his customers was through great customer service and by using marketing that captured the authentic surfing experience. In time, the company moved beyond surfers and then finally into casual-comfort footwear. “Customer service will carry you,” Smith said. “Develop a rapport, because if you want longevity, that’s what you’ll need.” It’s the loyalty of Smith’s customers that carried the
company through its rollercoaster of balancing an everrising demand with drastic changes in management and trouble with financing and suppliers. “Defeat isn’t real until the day you give up,” Smith reminded students. One of the main ideas behind Smith’s presentation is the idea that one “can’t give birth to adults.” By this, he means that a business takes nurturing and growth before it can become something great and large. “Brian Smith did not start his entrepreneurship path until he was 29, and it shows that even if students currently are not thinking about launching a company, the story he shared will plant a seed and inspire students to follow through with their business ventures years from now,” said senior finance major Tom Athan, a member of the Entrepreneurship Club. Wednesday’s event was organized by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the College and cosponsored by the College’s Entrepreneurship Club. “(The SBDC at the College) Counsel and train local small business and students on starting, growing, sustaining and selling their businesses,” Regional Director of the SBDC Lorrain Allen said. Allen hopes that students come away from Smith’s presentation remembering to follow their instincts, stay present, look for lessons in the obstacles and to never give up. Most importantly, Smith stressed that students be passionate about what they do in the future and enjoy the path of growth in their business or career. “I think the quote that Brian Smith brought to our attention will stick with us the most moving forward — ‘The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live everyday happily as a tadpole,’” said sophomore marketing major Nicholas Gallucci, a member of the Entrepreneurship club.
page 10 The Signal October 28, 2015
DISPATCHES FROM A SCIENCE JOURNALIST
Andrew Grant, TCNJ Class of 2007, covers physics for Science News in Washington, D.C. Andrew’s work has appeared in The Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology, and he has won awards from the American Geophysical Union, the American Institute of Physics, and the D.C. Science Writers Association. As a science journalist, Andrew writes compelling stories about new
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015 12:30 P.M.–1:30 P.M.
research, much of it from jargon-filled physics journals, for a mainstream audience. He will explain how scientific findings make their way to the general public, from journal to press release to media outlets as diverse
EDUCATION 212
as The New York Times and IFLScience. Additionally, he will describe his
RECEPTION TO FOLLOW LECTURE
career path from physics major and Signal editor at TCNJ to Science News reporter.
THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY SCHOOL OF SCIENCE
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October 28, 2015 The Signal page 11
Rivedal encourages students to share stories By Shannon Kelly Correspondent
We are all made up of stories. No matter what they are, some of our stories contain more conflict than one hero should have to face on their journey. The stresses of college can pile on and, at times, it may seem overwhelming. Author Josh Rivedal, through his lecture entitled “The i’Mpossible Project: How to Live Mentally Well and Crush it in College,” continued the dialogue on mental health. He interspersed his talk with personal anecdotes, bringing his story to life by sharing it with students in the library auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 22. Having battled depression and thoughts of suicide, Rivedal aims to engage others so that they don’t feel so alone. He spoke of the moment during a conversation when someone says, “No kidding, me too — so I’m not alone.” He wants people to feel that connection so that they can get the help they need. “I need to help other people to feel whole again,” Rivedal said. Sophomore English major Kristen Capano came to the lecture with the expectation of learning how to deal with some of the anxieties that come from being a college student. But she left with so much more. “Those dealing with mental illnesses, specifically depression, can move on from their past and create a happier life,”
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Rivedal wants those struggling with depression to know they are not alone.
Capano said. “Josh is an example of that, and therefore, an inspiration. This encouraged me to keep fighting (through) my own mental health (struggles) and to help others do the same.” That is what Rivedal hopes for. What he found worked best in his own life is for people to be mentors to one another. “It’s about gift-giving, giving of yourself, giving a little extra,” he said. Everyone can be called to be a mentor, as each story is unique and anyone can benefit from a simple conversation. It is important to be vocal about needing help, as that is the
only way to get help, Rivedal said. “I think my biggest takeaway from this talk was how important it is to be able to ask for and accept help when you need it,” said Kerry Graziano, a junior special education and English double major. “Josh’s talk reminded me that it’s OK to not be OK. Everyone is fighting unique battles and ultimately trying their best, and that’s what really matters.” Talking it out with people is just one of the many tools that Rivedal includes in his “resiliency hand box,” which can be drawn upon in order to “be able to
bounce and not break.” Other tips include sleeping and eating well, being around positive people and setting up a system that works best for you. This may include laying out all your gym clothes to ensure you go for that run or repeating a personal mantra whenever things get stressful. However, the most important tool, according to Rivedal, is reframing failure. Failure will happen in college, but changing the way we view it can greatly impact one’s overall attitude. “We don’t talk about failure enough,” Rivedal said. “Failure is a lesson you learn on the way to success.” Rivedal wants to hear about any failures or obstacles people have faced. He asked students to post selfies with the hashtag #iampossible and a caption describing their struggles. His first collection of i’Mpossible stories from people struggling was a success and his second collection is set to be released in January 2017. However, he still needs more stories. Students can submit 1,000 word stories of overcoming any obstacles throughout their lives for a chance of being published in Rivedal’s new collection in order to help inspire others. Submissions can be sent to www.iampossibleproject.com/one. “Storytelling is gonna be the thing that saves us,” Rivedal said.
SFB allocates money for ‘Color Swords’ game Barkada receives funds for annual culture show
David Colby / Staff Photographer
SFB allocates funds for TMT’s production of ‘Xanadu.’
By Jackie Delaney Production Manager
The Student Finance Board was met with several multicultural requests as well as a highvolume request from TMT on Wednesday, Oct. 23. TCNJ Musical Theatre requested $23,700 for their 2016 Black Box Production, “Xanadu.” The show was fully funded and is scheduled to run from Tuesday, March 1, through Saturday, March 5. The full-scale musical production is “professionally directed and musically directed,” according to the information packet. TCNJ Barkada was allocated $1,753.45 for “Barkada Barangay,” the club’s annual cultural show that features traditional
dances, foods and performers. The event, which is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the Lion’s Den, is Barkada’s “way of trying to spread culture to everyone on campus,” the group said. “We take Barangay as an opportunity to foster Filipino cuisine and authentic traditional dances, but rather than just straying with the straight and narrow, we like to take a little spin with all of our dances and with our acts.” The group plans to have performances from the Treblemakers, Eskrima (the Princeton Academy of Martial Arts) and the Circus Club, as well as bring singer/songwriter Eileen Young to perform. Sigma Lambda Beta, the
College’s Latino-based multicultural and social fraternity, was allocated $1,697.40 to bring Kenneth Jones to speak about homophobia in multicultural student organizations. “We thought that this would be a great program to have because of the issues that multicultural communities face,” members of the fraternity said. The event will be held on Thursday, Nov. 12, from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Education Building, room 115. The Black Student Union was fully funded $1,859 for a trip to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. The event aims “to inspire conversations about the beauty, power and diversity of African arts and culture,” according to the information packet. The trip will take place on Saturday, Nov. 7. TCNJ Jiva was allocated $305 to alleviate costs for the National Indian Classical Dance competitions. The funding includes costs for the competition application and registration fees. The group’s membership has increased and costs have risen, the group said. They have been competing at two competitions each spring for the past two years, according to the information packet. Hillel was allocated $1,140 for Jewish Education Week, a “week of different events centered around Judaism as a religion and a culture,” according to the request. The group plans to feature a
different event each night of the week, from Monday, Nov. 2, to Friday, Nov. 6. Events include challah bread making, a speech from Holocaust survivor Charles Middleberg, a movie viewing, a Krav Maga (Israeli Self Defense) workshop and a formal Shabbat service and dinner. Chabad was funded $4,060.36 for their annual Hanukkah Celebration to be held on Monday, Dec. 7, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Business Building Lounge. The event attracts both Jewish and non-Jewish students, according to the group. The goal of the celebration is to “bring the campus community together to celebrate and learn about the
Jewish holiday of Hanukkah,” the information packet said. The board allocated $116.90 to TCNJ Manhunt Club for “Color Swords,” a week-long game for students to participate in. According to the information packet, the event will be an “engaging and fun game for the campus community.” In Fall 2014, a similar event was held by the group. It received a large turnout, with over 40 students participating in the game. *Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
David Colby / Staff Photographer
Hillel receives funds for Jewish Education Week.
page 12 The Signal October 28, 2015
Nation & W rld
Benghazi hearings become politically heated
AP Photo
Clinton answers questions about the Benghazi attack.
By Olivia Rizzo Social Media Editor
Hillary Clinton faced some of her toughest critics on Thursday, Oct. 22, as the House Senate Committee on Benghazi questioned her for 11 hours. Republican criticisms and political tensions were present
throughout the day. Clinton endured countless questions on the details of the Benghazi attacks, which occurred on Sept. 11, 2012, and how she handled the situation during her term as secretary of state, CNN reported. Clinton also faced questions about her use of a private email account while she
was still in office, during the late hours of the hearing. “I came here because I said I would. And I’ve done everything I know to do, as have the people with whom I worked, to try to answer your questions. I cannot do any more than that,” Clinton said at the end of the day, CNN said. According to CNN, the hearing reportedly did not reveal any new information as to what happened in Benghazi or in Washington the night of the attacks, but did reveal the deep partisan divide over the attack. Clinton remained cool and collected throughout most of the hearing, but as the day wore on, she appeared to become annoyed with the line of questions posed by GOP members of the panel and their constant comments and interruptions. In her most impassioned response of the day, Clinton argued that she agonized over the deaths of four Americans in Libya more than anyone else on the panel,
according to CNN. “I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together,” she said, according to CNN. “I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done.” Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan repeatedly attacked Clinton throughout the hearing. Jordan first alleged that Clinton and other Obama administration staff tried to blame the attack on an anti-Muslim video that surfaced on YouTube in order to avoid undermining President Obama’s claims that he had defeated Al Qaeda. Clinton rejected his claim by saying that in the hours after the attack, information on the nature of the attack carried out by a mob was unclear. Republicans posed questions about Clinton’s need for a private email server during her time as secretary of state, and
criticized Clinton’s explanations. They also tried to prove that she ignored pleas from U.S. diplomats in Libya for more security, CNN reported. At one point, the hearing became a battle between the panel’s top Republican, Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, and its top Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, as the two shouted over each other about what information the committee should release. Clinton sat in silence, watching the exchange, CNN reported. As Clinton faced countless amounts of criticisms and questions by Republican members on the panel, Democrats posed questions that allowed Clinton to speak on personal terms about the events in Benghazi. The overall heated exchanges of the day highlighted that the hearing was not only an examination of Clinton’s actions in regards to Benghazi, but was also an examination of the way partisanship has shaped the investigation.
Around the globe: Hurricane misses Mexico
By Gabrielle Beacken Nation & World Editor
The Americas
• Former comedian Jimmy Morales was elected as the new President in Guatemala on Sunday, Oct. 25, after campaigning as a non-corrupt government outsider. • A whale-watching boat carrying at least 27 people sank near the popular vacation spot Tofino, located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, on Sunday, Oct. 25, causing five people to die from drowning. Twentyone people were injured and one person remains missing. • Despite meteorologists’ claim that Hurricane Patricia
would cause unprecedented destruction to Mexico over the weekend, there were no immidiate reports of death or serious damage to infrastructures. This was the result of the hurricane’s passing over two populated cities and Mexico’s preparedness for fending off destruction from large scale natural disasters.
Europe
• Poland’s right-wing political party that has been out of power for nearly a decade, the Law and Justice Party, gained a surprising and victorious 39.1 percent of the vote in Parliamentary elections, putting them back in governmental power, on Sunday, Oct. 25. • Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair told CNN on
Sunday, Oct. 25, that “there are elements of truth” to viewing the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq as an event that allowed the rise of the Islamic State, by removing Saddam Hussein from power.
Africa
• Famous Olymic runner Oscar Pistorius, who was convicted for fatally shooting his girlfriend in 2013, left prison and was placed under house arrest on Monday, Oct. 19, in South Africa. • The giving of the Chinese Confucius Peace Prize (China’s equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize) to the President of Zimbabwe was widely critisized, on Thursday, Oct. 22. Zimbabwe’s president is one of the harshest leaders in Africa.
Obama and justice leaders discuss criminal reform
By Gabrielle Beacken Nation & World Editor
Prominent police chiefs, prosecutors and sheriffs part of the group Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration, met with President Obama in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Oct. 22, to discuss criminal justice reform. The talks specifically regarded mass incarceration of non-violent offenders and the racial undertones that lie within the criminal justice system, reported the New York Times. William J. Bratton of New York, Charlie Beck of Los Angeles and Garry F. McCarthy of Chicago are all police chiefs part of the group addressing criminal justice reform. Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., a prominent Manhattan district attorney and whose father was former secretary of state under former President Jimmy Carter, is also involved in the group. Agreeing that legislation reducing minimum sentencing is a beneficial endeavor, Republicans and Democrats have formed a strong bipartisanship on the issue. A developing bipartisanship consensus in Washington has led to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, Oct. 22, to a 15-5 vote, sending a full Senate legislation that would “reduce mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent crimes, institute a new system for determining which offenders would
AP Photo
President Obama speaks in a Washington criminal justice reform panel. be eligible for early release, and create programs to better prepare them to return to their communities,” the New York Times reported. Democrats and Republicans argue that several mandatory sentencing laws were approved when crime rates were higher than today in the 1970s and 1990s. According to Bratton, New York is “well ahead of the curve in understanding that you can’t arrest your way out of the problem,” the New York Times reported. Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration debate that if criminals addicted to drugs or
alcohol or have mental health issues receive steady and reliable health treatment, public safety will enhance because the criminal’s rehabilitation into society will be smoother and improved. In his remaining time in office, criminal justice reform and the racial elements involved have become important topics for Obama. In his first years as president, Obama kept racially charged issues involving drug and crimes at an arms length, according to the New York Times. However, now in his last year in
office, Obama is more willing to speak on the subject without domestic politics in mind. During a panel discussion on Thursday, Oct. 22, Obama defended the Black Lives Matter movement. “I think the reason the organizers used the phrase ‘black lives matter’ was not because they were suggesting that nobody else’s lives matter,” Obama said, according to the New York Times. “Rather, what they were suggesting was that there is a specific problem that is happening in the African-American community that is not happening in other communities. And that is a legitimate issue that we’ve got to address.” Obama said that in order for this change to occur and be sustained, essential national police and crime data must back up the reforms. An objective of criminal justice reform, according to the Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration, is to offer judges more freedom in punishment by abandoning mandatory minimum sentencing. “We are in the middle of a sea change focusing on who is in our prisons, why are they in there, and who is making the decisions,”said Vance, according to the New York Times. “At the end of the day, this is just common sense. This is nothing radical.”
October 28, 2015 The Signal page 13
Editorial
School spirit should be displayed year-round
For just one day a year, the College is a sea of blue and gold. Sweatshirts, scarves and hats proudly proclaim allegiance to The College of New Jersey. Students and alumni crowd into the stands to cheer on the Lions as they claim a victory on the football field. But, just as students pack away their blue and gold apparel as soon as Homecoming is over, they forget about their school spirit until next year rolls around. I don’t write this to criticize the College community. I’m just as guilty as everyone else, because on the annual Blue Out day before all the Homecoming festivities, I scoured my wardrobe for that one school sweatshirt I bought during Accepted Students Day. It’s not in frequent rotation like I imagined that it would be when I was still a senior at a high school with serious school spirit. It’s funny, I see students wearing other college apparel around campus — there’s more school spirit for Rutgers and Princeton here. And even though it’s a running joke on social media, it’s still disheartening. Maybe it would be different if we weren’t a Division III school and had more national publicity. But our athletes are top-notch, and just because we can’t watch their games on ESPN doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t feel pride in their accomplishments. I think that part of our problem is that the College is struggling with an identity crisis. Last spring, the College’s spokesman, David Muha, announced a rebranding campaign, where he challenged members of Student Government to figure out what makes the College different from comparable universities. In essence, he wanted to know what is the “TCNJ Way?” We’re dedicated students. We’re former class presidents and valedictorians. We’re future entrepreneurs, teachers, doctors and community leaders. We get an amazing education at a fraction of the top universities’ price tags with the full support of our professors and advisors, and all on a beautiful, rapidly-evolving campus. For all of these reasons and more, we deserve to show a little more spirit for our school. — Alyssa Sanford Web 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 and Sports editors and the Business Manager, 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.
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Homecoming is one of the only days out of the year where students show their school spirit. According to Sanford, pride for the school should be shown more.
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“We are very proud of our student workers. They do such a good job. They’re very important to the running of the institution.”
— Vilja Casey, Student Employment Coordinator at the College
“Self-love is being proud to say who you are and seeing yourself as beautiful even if someone else doesn’t. We need to embrace who we were born to be.” — Mallory Ilves, freshman deaf and hard of hearing education and English double major
“We don’t talk about failure enough. Failure is a lesson you learn on the way to success.”
— Josh Rivedal, author and mental health awareness advocate
“I’ve used drawing and painting to take whatever positive or negative experience I have in my life and make something out of that” — Shannon Donaghy, senior fine arts major
page 14 The Signal October 28, 2015
TCNJ Winter Term January 2016 Residence Halls will be Open
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October 28, 2015 The Signal page 15
Opinions
Consumerism tramples purpose of holidays Cutting Thanksgiving short for Christmas deals
AP Photo
People focus more on gifts than spending time with family on holidays. By Kelly Corbett Social Media Editor Well, it’ll soon be that time of year again. Happy holidays, folks. Time to trample a stranger to get the last Malibu Barbie doll on the shelf and wait on lengthy lines, almost as long as your rapidly growing credit card bill — all in preparation to pile up heaps of attractively wrapped presents for your loved ones. And while many of us probably haven’t even thought about holiday shopping yet, the season has been marked on every retail store’s calendar for quite some time. If you work at a retail store, the Christmas season can seem like a beauty pageant where you have to sparkle and outshine the other contestants. Over fall break, I returned to my retail
job at Carter’s to learn that for the second year in a row, several malls will be open on Thanksgiving Day, and will extend their hours for Black Friday. Carter’s is scheduled to be open from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and then re-open a few hours later from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Black Friday. Every mall and store operates under different hours, of course, but this is the schedule most New Jersey malls will likely be following. Now, I’m not complaining about the irregular hours I’m going to have to work, the innumerable cups of coffee I’m going to have to drink, the smiles I’m going to have to fake to all the aggressive customers or even the sanity I’m going to lose during the holiday shopping season — because that’s all part of my job — and hey, they’re paying me (phew).
It’s not their fault they have to open on the holidays. I blame consumerism. I blame the fact that we’re more fixed on what’s under our Christmas pine or what we’re receiving each day for Hanukkah than actually being with our loved ones. The holidays have transitioned from a time to spend with your family to a money hungry holiday. We’ve come to the point where people would rather speed up the day of giving thanks for what they have so they can race to the mall to get 40 percent off something that they don’t even necessarily need. Who needs turkey and gravy (me), when you can snag a Michael Kors watch for $100 less if you are one of the golden first few customers in line? There’s a whole month between Thanksgiving and Christmas to knock out holiday shopping — so why must we start
the buying process in between bites of stuffing and sweet potatoes? We’re in too deep to tame this Christmas consumerism beast, but we must try to stop it before it gobbles away at our whole Thanksgiving holiday. Things are bad, but they could get worse, malls could be open the whole day on Thanksgiving. As we approach this upcoming holiday season — before you swarm to the mall armed with your MasterCard and ready to pounce on anyone that tries to blockade you from having that last toy on the shelf — I ask that you remember who you’re buying the present for. They’re still going to love you even if you don’t get them everything on their wish list. Don’t sacrifice family time for late-night mall escapades and material items. Don’t let sales, no matter how tempting they are, distract you from time with your loved ones.
Black Friday fanatics go overboard for discounts.
AP Photo
Dieters deem gluten-free as the newest trend
AP Photo
Gluten-free foods fill up grocery store shelves. By Nicole Natale
Want to lose weight? Go gluten-free. Bloated and tired? It’s definitely that bagel you ate for breakfast this morning. These are the common explanations heard around campus for ailments that most likely have nothing to do with your gluten intake, yet going gluten-free has become the trendy thing to do.
According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, one in 133 Americans are afflicted with Celiac’s disease, which inhibits the stomach from being able to digest gluten. However, WebMD.com said that one in five Americans have completely cut gluten out of their diet. So why do people stop consuming gluten if they are not actually sensitive to it? Hollywood seems to be overrun with gluten-free celebrities, blaming the protein composite for their weight gain or chronic pain. According to Shape, Jenny McCarthy is convinced it has contributed to her son’s autism and her sleep deprivation, while Gwyneth Paltrow claims it has contributed to her recent weight gain. This simply cannot be true. How have we been eating gluten for thousands of years, but only now it seems to be the main factor in all of our ailments? For as long as I can remember, Sunday in my house has been carb day. Every Sunday morning, my mom prepares a fresh pot of sauce for a pasta dinner later that evening, while my father picks up a loaf of freshly baked Italian bread from the local bakery. Bread, pasta, pizza, cake and cookies are among America’s favorite foods. But with the gluten-free trend quickly taking over almost every restaurant and food store, many people are cutting gluten from their diet altogether. Others, including myself, have felt the urge to become gluten-free because of sites like WebMD.com, which warns about the dangers of gluten and how it can cause stomach issues and even an
“addiction” to wheat products. I do not believe this to be true because everything is fine in moderation. We need to stop cutting certain foods out of our diet just because it’s trendy and celebrities do it to lose weight. Only people with a medical reason, like Celiac’s disease, should have gluten-free diets. Going gluten-free for no reason means saying “no” to many common and nutritious foods, like whole grains. Whole grains contain vitamins and minerals that are an essential part of a well-balanced and healthy diet. They may also lower the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer. On the other hand, I’ve also heard people say that completely eliminating gluten from your diet can do more harm than good, as you run the risk of nutritional deficiencies. According to WebMD.com, gluten-free products tend to be low in a wide range of important nutrients, such as calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium and fiber. There is little point in taking that risk unless you genuinely have Celiac’s disease or are gluten sensitive. Eating a gluten-free diet means requires you to constantly pay attention to your diet and can add unnecessary stress to your day. As someone who chose to be gluten-free over the summer, I can confirm that there was no change in how I felt, except for the constant craving for pizza. The best way to be healthy is to eat well-balanced diets and exercise. Everything is fine in moderation and that includes gluten. The bottom line: next time you want to eat a bowl of pasta, go for it.
Policies The Signal is published weekly during the academic year and is financed by the Student Activities Fee (SAF) and advertising revenue. Any student may submit articles to The Signal. Publication of submitted articles is at the discretion of the editors. The letters section is an open forum for opinions. Submissions that announce events or advertise in any way will not be printed. All letters should be sent via e-mail to signal@tcnj.edu. Handwritten letters should be sent to The Signal, c/o The Brower Student Center, The College of New Jersey, PO Box 7718 Ewing, N.J. 08628 or placed in our mailbox in the Student Life Office. Letters must be received by the Friday before publication and should not exceed 300 words. The Signal reserves the right to edit letters for space and clarity. All letters must be signed, with a phone number and address of the author. Requests to withhold the author’s name will be honored only if there is a legitimate reason. All materials submitted become the sole property of The Signal. The editors reserve the right to edit or withhold all articles, letters & photographs. The Signal willingly corrects factual mistakes. If you think we have made an error, please contact The Signal at (609) 771-2424, write to the address listed above or e-mail us at signal@tcnj.edu.
page 16 The Signal October 28, 2015
Student Session Nov. 10, 2015 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Education Building 115
Design & Protect Your Personal Brand! Join the conversation with Michelle Tillis Lederman, author of “Nail the Interview, Land the Job” – a crucial tool that will help you to define your brand affecting how you are perceived by others; master the intimidating interview process; and secure your dream position.
www.tcnj.edu/womensleadership5 Exclusive & free for TCNJ students Pre-registration required to: karlowit@tcnj.edu
Michelle Tillis Lederman is a coach, business owner, finance consultant, and professor. As founder and CEO of Executive Essentials, she has delivered seminars for Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and universities and has appeared on CBS, NBC, NPR, and Fox.
The Student Session is sponsored by Bloomberg LP; the TCNJ Office of Leadership; the Women in Learning and Leadership Program; the School of Business; and America’s Small Business Development Center at TCNJ.
Need a ride? The Loop Bus is here to help! For more information about schedules, stops, and special trips visit the Student Activities Lion’s Gate Page at lionsgate.tcnj.edu/ organization/ studentactivities
The TCNJ Loop Bus is a FREE bus service that brings students off campus to Hamilton Train Station, AMC Hamilton, Quaker Bridge Mall, Mercer Mall, Nassau Park Pavilion, Market Fair, and Princeton!
Pick up Tuesdays and Fridays at 5:30 PM and 6:45 PM Saturdays at 3:00 PM and 4:15 PM at the Loser Hall Loop facing Campus Town Coordinated by Student Activities and SAF Funded
October 28, 2015 The Signal page 17
Students share opinions around campus Does shopping ruin holidays? Should gluten-free be a trend? “There are a few misguided opinions (about) what gluten is and how it affects the body… People should do their own research about gluten before going (off of it). Gluten-free is necessary for (those with) Celiac’s disease and if there are other proven health benefits.”
“It is becoming a problem… I feel like it’s overpowering. The generation is getting into that and I think we should get back to why we have Thanksgiving.”
Chelsea LoCascio / Opinions Editor
Chelsea LoCascio / Opinions Editor
Ronda Chrone, freshman criminology major.
Abhishek Shrinet, freshman biology major.
“Personally, it doesn’t bother me. If you want to enjoy your family meal, then do you. Or go shopping.”
“I don’t think anything is wrong with gluten… Gluten is yummy and bread is yummy.”
Photo courtesy of Eileen Hu
Chelsea LoCascio / Opinions Editor
Brooke Lionetti, freshman open options business major.
Eileen Hu, sophomore biology major.
The Signal asks... What is the best part of Halloween?
Ronda: “I like decorating for it and dressing up. I like the decorations people (put up) around their houses.” Brooke: “Candy.” Abhishek: “Candy. Definitely candy. I’d rather get free candy than go to a party.” Eileen: “There’s so many great things. Dressing up and being someone you’re not for a night.”
Raphaëlle Gamanho / Cartoonist
While people should have fun, they must be weary of offending others with their costumes.
page 18 The Signal October 28, 2015
TC N J F U N D
DAY OF GIVING November 5, 2015 dayofgiving.tcnj.edu 24 Hours. We’re counting on you! #OneDayTCNJ FOR ON-CAMPUS DONORS, SHARE YOUR LIONS PRIDE! Selfies with Roscoe Photo booth Wheel of Fortune prizes “I Gave” Stickers Hot cider and coffee Green Hall Lawn Wall Signing
October 28, 2015 The Signal page 19
Features
Vigil honors those lost in LGBTQ community
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Candles line the AIMM courtyard during the vigil. By Elizabeth Zakaim Correspondent
Rows of tea lights glowing from colorful cups lined the concrete steps in the courtyard of the Arts and Interactive Multimedia Building. Other cups were nestled in the hands of students, the flickering flame illuminating their pensive and somber expressions. Yet there was a hint of hope present on the crisp autumn evening in the courtyard Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m., where students gathered to honor the memories of those they have lost in the LGBTQ+ community. This was just one event sponsored by PRISM during Queer Awareness Month. PRISM, the first queer-straight alliance at the College, according to the club’s website homepage, hosted a “Vigil for Those We Have Lost,” to honor those have lost their lives to the struggle of finding their gender identity and being accepted for it. Kim Luna, a sophomore open
options humanities and social sciences major, and Paige Owen, a sophomore deaf education and women’s and gender studies double major, coordinated the event, which was open to the College community. The two serve as co-education and advocacy chairs for PRISM. “We want to try to bring everyone together,” Luna said. “It is important that people in the community become aware of the struggle those in the LGBTQ+ community face when it comes to gender identity.” The College has made an impact on the LGBTQ+ community on campus, spreading awareness and educating students about the various gender identities, according to Luna. “I feel like TCNJ has a great WGS department that really helps spread awareness to the fact that there are many different sexual orientations and gender identities, but I have seen some of the students complain about just how complex it all is,” Luna said about
the impact the College has made on the LGBTQ+ community. She also gave some insight as to why it may be difficult for some to accept other gender identities. In addition, Luna discussed as to why it may be difficult for some to accept other gender identities. “I feel that for a long time this country has been obsessed with binaries, so for people to accept that there’s anything different is like debunking things they’ve learned since early childhood,” Luna said. Luna started the event with statistics that illuminated the struggle of LGBTQ+ in society today. “Queer youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers,” Luna said. “The number of transgender people murdered in the U.S. this year reached a historic high of 15 on August 15.” Students sat in a moment of silence. One student bent his head and closed his eyes, others held their cups closer to themselves — all were respectful of the lives they were honoring. “I just wish people would realize that there are people struggling to have others see their sexual orientation or gender identity as legitimate and just normal,” Luna said. “I feel like when you don’t go through that pain, it’s easy to forget it’s important. However, TCNJ as a whole is definitely one of the more accepting spaces of the LGBTQ+ community I’ve been in by far.” Barry Lathrop, a sophomore English major, said that this event “was pretty eye opening with regards to the difficulties queer people face.” Lathrop related an incident in the news found
on Buzzfeed.com, News4World. com and Refinery29.com, about a 19-year-old Indian transgender man, Shivy (born as Shivani Bhatt), whose parents sent him to India, where he was born, to learn how to act like a “proper girl.” Lathrop said that a lot of them (LGBTQ+) deal with parents who aren’t supportive at all. Regarding the case, Lathrop said that “Shivy was granted the right to leave through a lawsuit, but that was only one of the many cases that happen relatively often.” The vigil drew a small, but close-knit crowd that was passionate about supporting the LGBTQ+ cause and its impact on the community. After the ceremony ended, people shared their feelings on the impact queer awareness may have on the community. “I think it made an impact on the people who were there, talking and sharing their feelings,” freshman open options humanities and social sciences major Theresa Vitovitch said.
Lathrop expressed the importance of a perspective on the issue from those who are queer. “A major point is to listen to queer people on queer issues because straight people only know what they’ve been told, actual queer people can draw from their experiences,” Lathrop said. Many people have been struggling with gender identity, and others have been struggling to accept more diverse definitions of gender and those who identify as LGBTQ+. PRISM’s priority is to send a hopeful message to those who are LGBTQ+ and struggling with gender identity. PRISM also wants to reach the College community as a whole. “It’s OK to take any amount of time that it takes to know yourself because the moment you learn to love yourself is the moment your whole life changes and you understand what happiness really is,” Luna said. “Don’t give up until you love yourself wholeheartedly. Then you’ll never want to sell yourself short.”
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Students take time to honor those who have lost their lives.
Brown Bag changes perspective on public health
By Chris Mellusi Correspondent
Kyle Bauer, James Etheridge and Jordan Kohn all share one common belief — they want to make an impact in the world anyway they can. For these three alum, it started off with communication studies professor John Pollock teaching and guiding them through their years at the College. It ended with one trip to South Africa that changed their perspective on public health as a whole, as well as the goals they wanted to accomplish in their lives. On Friday, Oct. 23, in Mayo Concert Hall, the three former students discussed the field of public health and everything they have learned, with Pollock by their side. Each one of the three alumni started off by talking about how they became interested in public health and why they knew they wanted to stick with it during college. They each discussed how they were fascinated by the concept of the topic. “I came to TCNJ as a radio television major,” said Etheridge, now a Columbia University graduate student. “I became extremely interested in public health during a course with Dr. Pollock. After that, as I took more and more health courses that dealt with global issues, I became
David Colby / Staff Photographer
College alumni share how their South African trip impacted them. extremely intrigued.” It didn’t take long for the students to dive right into their trip to South Africa, the same trip that changed their feelings toward global issues. “Interacting with the high school students in South Africa was my best experience,” said Bauer, an employee from McCann Torre Lazur, a major advertising firm. “They didn’t even have desks, yet they remained positive. The stories they told were incredible. I had no idea what they were experiencing until I actually got to see it with my own eyes.”
Pollock noted that one of the major issues when they were in South Africa was how the young girls were being treated. These South African girls often had “sugar daddies” because, without them, they weren’t able to get school materials. Their families couldn’t afford any of that stuff. Everyone on the panel knew that was a huge issue for the country. Schools in South Africa need to try and fix this gigantic problem, but they are taking the right steps, according to Etheridge. “Select groups of kids are trying to fix the social norm of students in their district
which was awesome to see,” Etheridge said. “These are the necessary steps you need to take to fix the culture you are living in.” Despite some of the negatives, Kohn, a graduate student from Johns Hopkins University, realized that every single student remained upbeat and positive. “They were so motivated to express themselves to all of us,” Kohn said. “I loved how they approached us with open arms. For some reason, they had an obsession with Ryan Seacrest.” When the three students returned to America, it was pretty clear they knew they were involved in the right field. All of them claimed it was the best experience of their lives. “Working with students in different districts of South Africa helped me learn so much,” Kohn said. “There population needs so much help and being there for them felt rewarding.” The joy of making others happy and seeing the big smiles on people’s faces is why this is one of the best careers around, Pollock said. Without taking a chance on one of Pollock’s classes or taking the trip to South Africa, these students would have never found out what they were really passionate about, but they are glad they did.
page 20 The Signal October 28, 2015
: Oct. ’13
Intense Homecoming win
Campus Style By Jordan Koziol Columnist Name: Mitch Miller Year: Senior Major: Marketing JK: Tell me about what you’re wearing. MM: A gray Ralph Lauren quarter-zip, blue and white checkered button-down polo, khaki pants, brown leather boots and a Citizen watch.
Jessica Ganga / Features Editor
The football team wins in a close game during Homecoming in 2013. Every week Features Editor Jessica Ganga hits the archives and finds old Signals relating to current College topics and top stories. The College’s football team beat Montclair State University, 23-20, which improved their record to 1-5, on Saturday, Oct. 24. Not only was this game special as the team recorded its first win of the season, but it was during every student’s favorite day of the year: Homecoming. Students and alumni enjoyed the exciting game and celebrated the triumph. In 2013, Sports Editor Peter Fiorilla reported on the dramatic 21-20 win the football team had when it edged out against Morrisville State College on Homecoming. The stage was set for something dramatic at the end Homecoming, a game in which quarterback Chris Spellman came alive and the football team’s defense stayed dominant for a 21-20 win over visiting Morrisville State College. Leading by just a point in front of nearly 1,500 fans with less than two minutes remaining, the conference-best Lions (4-2, 3-0) defense needed to stop Morrisville’s conference-best offense only one more time to push to College to the top of the NJAC standings. Morrisville drove to the College’s 37-yard line, but the Lions defense did what it needed to do in crunch time: end the game by forcing a turnover on downs, which it has done regularly this year.
“That really comes from our mentality,” senior linebacker Nick Bricker said. “Although we may not be the biggest, fastest or strongest team, we have a great team chemistry and truly believe in one another. Believing that your teammate will get the job done is pivotal to our success. As for our defense, we have a bend-but-don’tbreak mentality that has helped us succeed tremendously, especially late in games.” Bricker led the way with a game-high 19 tackles, including an assist to force fourth down on Morrisville’s final drive, while junior linebacker Ryan Lowe added 15 to limit Morrisville to season-lows of 20 points and 431 yards. “Our main goal in every game is to shut down their offense,” Bricker said. “We were extremely excited to go up against the top-ranked offense, to truly test our defense. (Defensive coach Rocky) Hager and the other defensive assistants put together a great game plan in defending Morrisville, and our guys executed on game day. It is great to see our defense melding together and some new faces making a huge impact.” While clutch play from the defense has been largely responsible for the Lions’ fourgame win streak, its best stretch since 2010, opportunistic play from Spellman and the passing game put the College on top from the beginning.
Celebritease
AP Photo
Adele’s first word to the world after her hiatus was fittingly, “Hello.” The singer released her latest single on Friday, Oct. 23 off her much anticipated album “25,” slated to be released in November. She debuted the music video accompanying the
JK: Have any people/events/time periods influenced your style? MM: I’m an original. JK: What are your favorite stores or brands to shop at? MM: Polo and Vineyard Vines. Vineyard Vines makes comfortable clothes, and they work for tall/slim guys. JK: Pick a style decade you would like to see make a reappearance. MM: The ’50s. Jeans, a white T-shirt and a leather jacket — picture the guys from “Grease.” JK: How do you plan on incorporating style into the workplace? MM: Definitely don’t want to be the guy who just wears a black suit, white shirt and a red tie. (I’ll have a) very strong suit game — a gray suit and switch it up with a seersucker suit, classic bow tie once in awhile. JK: Let’s talk suits. Any guidelines you follow when picking one out? MM: It doesn’t matter what kind of suit, but you need to get it tailored to fit. You want to look sleek, and it needs to complement your body type. I highly recommend a gray suit, white shirt, navy blue tie and brown shoes. JK: Favorite season to dress for? MM: Fall because you get the Indian Summer every once in while with brisk
Miller loves to dress for fall weather. mornings and warm afternoons, so you can switch things up. JK: What are you looking forward to wearing this winter? MM: I’m looking forward to wearing my Timberland boots, jeans and some type of sweater under a peacoat (with the collar popped). JK: Opinion on man scarves? MM: Before anyone ventures, definitely consult man scarf expert Giordan Kritzman (senior accounting major). You can either pull them off really well or they look like a stupid blanket wrapped around your neck. JK: How about groutfits? MM: I always try to dress up when I can, but after a long night out, it’s acceptable to wear a groutfit lounging on the couch the next morning. JK: What’s one style you miss wearing as a little kid? MM: Overalls. JK: What is one fashion mistake you have saved a friend from making? MM: Cargo shorts and TapouT T-shirts. JK: How about one female trend you cannot stand? MM: The female man bun or the homeless look where girls just wear flannels and ripped up jeans. JK: What costume will you be rocking this Halloween? MM: Goose from “Top Gun.”
:Say ‘Hello’ again to Adele
Adele is making a return to the charts with her new single. By Mackenzie Cutruzzula Sports Editor
JK: How would you describe your style? MM: Casual professional.
Photo courtesy of Jordan Koziol
song and undoubtedly broke the Internet. The sepia-toned video starring Tristan Wilde of “The Wire” was viewed 25 million times in one day. It has been three years since Adele’s uber successful “21,” and the people of the world just got a reminder of how broad their emotional spectrum really spans. In other revival news, Netflix
is reportedly bringing fans back to Stars Hollow with the return of “Gilmore Girls.” Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino will allegedly be in charge of the four new 90-minute episodes. There is no word yet if the love of my life, Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) will be coming back for his soulmate Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), but that also, thankfully, means there hasn’t been word of the worst choice ever for Rory, Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czunchry) making a return either. Kristen Wiig admitted that the backlash over the “Ghostbusters” remake has really bummed her out. Cast alongside Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon, the actresses feel that they are doing their best to remake the ’80s classic with integrity. “Some people said some really not nice things about the fact that there were women,” Wiig said to the Los Angeles Times.
“It didn’t make me mad, it just really bummed me out. We’re really honoring those movies.” Another strong leading lady making headlines this week was the Duchess of Cambridge herself, Kate Middleton. The princess upped her always onpoint fashion game for the state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Donning a red floor-length Jenny Packham gown, Middleton wore a borrowed tiara from the Queen for the third time since her marriage to Prince William. In a very “Princess Diaries”-esque manor, Middleton tapped glasses with Xi Jinping, the president of China at the banquet, and she looked glamorous, yet approachable. Jessica Biel was another new mom to make an appearance in the spotlight this week. Stepping out with her husband of three years, Justin Timberlake, the power couple attended the GLSEN Respect Awards on Friday, Oct. 23. Timberlake and
Biel were honored with the Inspiration Award for their impact on the LGBTQ+ youth. The couple looked absolutely elegant despite the stress of parenting and took time to joke about their new time constraints. “Thank you for allowing Mommy and Daddy to have a rare date night out together with other adults,” Timberlake said in his acceptance speech. “Honey, look around. This is what adults look like. They don’t smell like poopy diapers.” Kourtney Kardashian stepped out with her children on Saturday, Oct. 24, to show her superhuman strength as a single-mother. In the spirit of Halloween, Kourtney dressed up as Wonder Woman with her three children beside her as tiny-tot superheroes themselves. Kourtney’s niece, North West, looked adorable as ever as a unicorn among her cousins. As the Kardashians celebrate, I am still looking for volunteers to dress up as Taylor Swift’s girl squad.
October 28, 2015 The Signal page 21
TEDx Talk focuses on definition of ‘happiness’ Video encourages mental health discussions
Students share their opinions on mental health.
By Sean Reis Staff Writer
A college campus can be one of the most stressful environments in the world. That’s where programs such as the College’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) come in. CAPS is devoted to helping students feel happier, although sometimes it is hard to actually define what being “happy” is — and students may struggle to find it during their time on campus. October is Mental Health Awareness Month and throughout the month, CAPS hosted multiple events on campus to bring awareness about the importance of mental health to students at the College, including “The Happy Secret to Better Work” event on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the Education Building. “The Happy Secret to Better Work” was a TEDx Talk from Indiana UniversityBloomington in 2011, where American author and speaker Shawn Achor discussed his area of advocacy — positive psychology.
David Colby / Staff Photographer
Students in attendance of CAPS’ event not only watched the short talk, but also broke out into group discussions based on Achor’s studies and their own opinions. They found that society’s definition of happiness seemed to be scientifically broken and backward. “Success is setting a goal, striving to reach that goal and reaching that goal,” said Jennifer Pezzuti, a sophomore open options humanities and social sciences major. “Happiness is a feeling of joy. Success leads to happiness, even though it should be happiness leads to success.” It seemed as though this backward mindset was especially evident on college campuses, specifically when discussing grades. “I always have this feeling, even if I get that ‘A’ on that exam,” senior chemistry major Amit Gupta said in regards to society’s backward perception of happiness. “Moving forward, you are not going to feel as content with yourself until you get A’s on every exam.” In his 2011 talk, however, Achor said
“this feeling” — as Gupta described — does not have to be your reality because “It is not necessarily the reality that shapes us, but it is the lense that shapes your reality,” Achor said. Achor also discussed how happiness is merely 10 percent of your external world, while the other 90 percent is how you process the world internally. With dedication, Achor said it is possible to change your reality’s lense, thus changing the 90 percent of how you process your reality. This can be done with a few simple tasks in 21 days: listing three gratitudes, journaling, exercising, meditating and performing random acts of kindness. Although some of these tasks, for example meditation, may seem intimidating to many, Achor’s studies have shown significant changes in the lives of many who have been determined to be consistent with the tasks throughout the 21 days. “Honestly, if I could spend 21 days
of my life to be happy, I would. Who wouldn’t?” sophomore criminology major Bobby Pallein said. Unfortunately, society has wired the brains of its citizens backward, which was summarized perfectly by Karen Chan, a senior psychology and women’s gender studies double major, and CAPS peer educator. “In our society, our goals are always changing because, as a society, we’ve been taught to be ‘the best’ when instead we should focus on being ‘the best me,’” Chan said. “As a result, I feel our happiness is not as high as it could be with our need to be ‘the best.’ Do not take success for granted and focus on you more, focus on the positives not the negatives.” Overall, “The Happy Secret to Better Work” was a success, with students from all grades opening up to friends and strangers alike and taking a step forward toward being happier, whatever the definition of happy might be.
David Colby / Staff Photographer
Ideas for simple tasks that can increase happiness are brainstormed.
page 22 The Signal October 28, 2015
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October 28, 2015 The Signal page 23
Arts & Entertainment
Student artists find beauty in destruction
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Left: Senior art students build upon old work to create new pieces. Right: Female artists discover their voices within the global art conversation. By Nicole Broomhead Correspondent It is the first day of class and your professor says, “For our first project, you must pick a work you have already completed, then create it three more times.” The assignment is vague, confusing and even a bit frustrating. But for senior fine art students here at the College, this was the basis of their senior thesis. The goal was to have students build upon old work and create new pieces, emphasizing the process they follow during the assignment. This year’s first bachelor of fine arts seniors exhibition, “Multiplicities: Multiple Women/Multiple Works,” is one that focuses on the journey
the female artist takes in discovering her voice within the greater context of the global and historical art conversation. It opened on Wednesday, Oct. 21 in the Arts and Multimedia Building, displaying the work of 10 different artists. “I picked a piece that I really hated, and then I broke it,” art education major and fine art minor Amanda Intili said, “which was kind of really a crazy thing to do — to break something you made.” She first broke her original piece, made from wood, and then put it back together. Then she created a sculpture to intentionally break so that she could put it back together in a new form, allowing her to create a sort of sculpture out of the pieces.
“That’s been really great because I have discovered this new process of breaking things and putting them back together, which I would have never done if I never thought of breaking the first piece,” Intili said. “And I am still doing that in my work now.” Many spoke of their time in middle school as a true realization and starting point for their art career, although they recalled art being a major component in their life from as far back as they could remember. The women said they find inspiration within personal experiences as well as through classmates, professors and contemporary artists, such as Kate Gilmore — a fine artist who will be coming to the College on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
“I’ve used drawing and painting to take whatever positive or negative experience I have in my life and make something out of that,” senior fine arts major Shannon Donaghy said. As a class, the seniors spent about a week setting up the exhibit and developing the layout. “We also had to plan where everything was going to go and the layout depending on our works and how they relate with each other and how they look together in the same room,” Donaghy said. Intili said her philosophies are ingrained in her artwork. “A big thing for me is what you leave behind, in life in general, that is something I really value,” Intili said. “Whether it is like interactions with people
or anything, but for this it’s kind of like a remnant of a performance — so what’s left over after you break something, or you put it back together.” The exhibition will be open to students and the public from Wednesday, Oct. 21, through Wednesday, Nov. 4. Exhibition hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12 p.m.- 7.p.m and Sundays 1 p.m.- 3 p.m. When speaking about the art community and those outside of the community, Intili noted, “The negative stigma about being a fine art major is something in particular I wish didn’t exist — it’s hard work, just a different type of work. I am not sure how many people view it as an easy major, but it is challenging.”
Rebellious rock poets perform with passion By Alyssa Gautieri Correspondent
Two Chinese poets broke the language barrier with their commanding poetry performances on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the Social Sciences Building. Jiayan Mi, professor of English and world languages and cultures and director of Chinese programs at the College, introduced Huang Xiang and Meng Lang to the stage to read their “inspiring and very touching poems.” Xiang is recognized internationally as a poet, Chinese calligrapher and thrilling performer. Xiang, a rock and heavy metal poet, spent 14 years in and out of prison due to his continued publication of poems which were considered taboo in China. His close friend, who later became his muse, was in attendance for the poetry reading. She preserved Xiang’s manuscripts while he was imprisoned, an act that could have gotten her executed in China. English professor Michael Robertson said Xiang’s works were banned in China, and ever since, Xiang has been living in exile. According to Robertson, Americans do not consider poetry a sense of power and danger as the Chinese do. “In the United States, where anything can be published, nothing matters,” Robertson said. “Huang Xiang is a poet, an artist who must ultimately challenge
Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant
Xiang is unafraid to challenge authority in his works.
all authority.” For Xiang’s final performance, he had Mi translate an introduction for the audience. His final poem was entitled “Hero” which was about his real life experiences in prison. Flailing his arms like a bird while reading the line which translates to, “in the eyes, a single bird overhead,” Xiang performed his poem with exuberance. Following Xiang’s performance, English professor David Venturo introduced Lang to the audience. According to Venturo, Lang became active in human rights activities during his college years, promoting cultural freedom and intellectual freedom of expression. He was
a representative figure in China’s poetry movement in the 1980s and 1990s. Later, Lang worked as the chief editor at a well-known Chinese literary and humanities journal where he was responsible for publishing nearly 20 books from independent intellectuals. Lang has also published four of his own poetry collections, which have been translated in English, Japanese, Italian, Spanish and Swedish. According to Venturo, most of Lang’s poems commemorate the 1989 massacre in Tiananmen Square. Each year, Lang writes one poem for the anniversary of the massacre. In one of his poems Lang read, “He who carries the motherland
wherever he might go, is carried by the motherland as well.” Lang’s country rock poetry has a calmer, soothing tone in comparison to Xiang’s poetry. However, both poets write powerful messages. Xiang and Lang stood in front of the audience with immense emotions reflected in hand gestures, tone of voice, eye contact and delivery of words. While they each spoke a foreign language to the majority of the audience, they compensated for the language barrier with their expressive performances. After each poem was performed, a volunteer from the audience read the English translation aloud to the room. Corinne Petersen, a freshman English and special education double major, volunteered to read one of the poems in a lively and interactive manner, moved by Xiang’s work. “It was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had so far at TCNJ,” Petersen said. “It showed how sincere words can be despite the language barrier.” She also said hearing poetry in a different language gave her a new perspective on poetry, as she is accustomed to hearing it in English. According to Mi, Xiang has been writing poetry his entire life. “I was born dreaming of writing poems,” Xiang said. “I will be writing poems even after my death. I don’t believe I will ever leave this world.”
page 24 The Signal October 28, 2015
Alumni return to the College for band night Homecoming weekend begins with lively show
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Smeaton of The Black Sox Scandal connects with the audience.
By Maddi Ference Correspondent
In honor of Homecoming weekend, CUB Alt invited three alumni bands back to where they all began, for impressive performances on Friday, Oct. 23, in the Decker Social Space. The Black Sox Scandal, Gianna’s Sweet Debut and Not Rutgers are comprised of alumni who share a love for music and the College. The Black Sox Scandal lead singer Tom Smeaton conversed with the audience in between songs, including bits and pieces of the band’s backstory and songs that they wrote and performed during their time at the College. “We wrote this song over at the Music Box and we played it for the first time at the Rat — rest in peace,” Smeaton said about the now closed bar and music venue formerly in the Brower Student Center.
Even though the campus has changed since The Black Sox Scandal formed, Smeaton and guitarist Dan Lisi, both 2013 graduates, said the origin will forever remain the same. The friends were not only in the same graduating class but also played their first show together in the Rathskeller in late 2012. Of its five members, only Smeaton and Lisi were in attendance which resulted in a very relaxed acoustic performance that highlighted Smeaton’s vocals and Lisi’s guitar skills. The pair performed songs similar to that of the popular acoustic pop punk duo This Wild Life, and put on a very calm yet fun set for their audience. Though they were not performing in front of a large audience, the heart and passion they performed with was comparable, and arguably better than any artist on the Top 50 charts. Following their performance, the band Gianna’s Sweet Debut took the stage.
The band featured alumnus Chase Destierro on vocals and guitar, Scott Calhoun on bass and Dominick D’Aversa on drums. The band played a lively set and showcased their alternative sound. The band Not Rutgers played a set of covers which ranged from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “American Girl” to John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change,” most of which made the audience nostalgic for their college days. Everyone in the audience sang along as the band jumped around on stage and ended the concert on an enjoyable and lively note, perfectly conveying the overall excited atmosphere of the College with Homecoming just around the corner. “It’s cool to see old students who were in (new students) shoes continue to play music. It shows it’s doable to split time
(between) jobs and continuing to make music,” said Christine DiPierro, a junior engineering management major who serves as the CUB Alt event coordinator. For current student-musicians looking to start a band, the general consensus from the alumni was to go out and just make it happen. “Just talk to people,” said Matthew Mance, a 2014 alumnus and member of Not Rutgers. “Reach out and put yourself out there.” The alumni were very supportive of the other bands on the lineup as they were seen sitting amongst the audience and singing along to the songs they were familiar with. “Take that first step to get started,” Lisi said. “Having a band in college is all about having a good time and make a lot of friends.”
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
Destierro of Gianna’s Sweet Debut sings and plays guitar.
October 28, 2015 The Signal page 25
‘FIFA’ returns with realistic gameplay
Youtube.com
Additions include some international women’s teams. By Rohan Ahluwalia Correspondent
Every year in September, soccer fans around the world rejoice as yet another version of the “FIFA” video game series is released. Each year, we are gifted with brand new updates, including upgrades in player ratings, based on their real life performance. New options are also added to the game’s many modes, while a brand new soundtrack enhances the “FIFA” experience. The newest release, “FIFA 16,” is undoubtedly no different. With the great success of “FIFA 15” last year, EA Sports had quite a task on their hands if they were to see the same kind of success with their latest release of the series this year. While the gameplay is much more realistic and engaging in “FIFA 16,” the overall problems with “FIFA” seem to still exist in this latest edition. The first thing one will notice when playing the game is the tightening of the opposing defenders. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is now engineered to work more as a unit, restricting angles to shoot or pass, closing down more quickly and providing more support when attempting a tackle. In “FIFA 15,” players were usually able to skillfully get around a defender and score a goal without much difficulty, but they will now need to work much harder to score points. Meanwhile, the passing is a lot faster in the midfield, but so is the ability for the CPU to intercept your pass easily. Overall, the defense is a lot stronger, making it harder for strikers and attackers to get easy, unrealistic goals, which seemed to be an issue in “FIFA 15.” You also don’t get speedy midfielders who are able to run through the field and score with
ease. Instead, a pass or two will be needed. This increases the gaming experience for soccer enthusiasts as you can now turn a ball from the back into a goal, through a fast-break assault, with everyone on the team contributing in one way or another. The negative, however, is that one can get caught in the midfield, with many tight passes intercepted — this now begins the battle to win back the ball, which is no easy feat anymore. These changes make “FIFA 16” more authentic, but may make it harder to enjoy as a video game. It is a change from the usual “FIFA,” which is supposed to be an exciting game with end-toend plays, few passes and the occasional super goal. Now the game is more technical and defensive, but also more realistic. As such, gamers will be forced to think about how they will get the ball into the net successfully before making a move. “FIFA 16” may not be the same game that promises unrealistic superstar plays and goals that seemingly happening every minute. Instead, it is a now game where one can gain a sense of achievement from carefully building up your play with quick passes and skillful goal scoring that Arsene Wenger or Pep Guardiola would be proud of. “FIFA 16” makes its players work each goal. In terms of the game modes, some improvements have been made. The most significant being the addition of women’s international sides. Riding on the back of a very successful FIFA Women’s World Cup last summer, EA Sports decided to add on a women’s side to the game with gamers now able to play with the women’s team from England, Canada, France or the U.S. Unfortunately, gamers cannot play as a women’s team against a men’s side, but that does not take away from how fun a game between two women’s teams can be. While the ability for a striker to get a shot off seems slower, the female players have generally been given strong attributes. This is definitely a good start for the introduction of women to the most mainstream sports game in the world. Career mode, meanwhile, sees the same split, with one being able to choose whether they want to start a “career” as a player or head coach. This time there is more emphasis given to player development, such that gamers can train up to five players a week and thus improve their player’s attributes. The added World Cup in 2018 and beyond is also a nice touch, especially with qualifiers being part of the journey. In the end, the final verdict is that EA Sports have decided to leave behind the quick, end-to-end type of game that everyone was used to in the previous editions in order to create a more authentic and mentally challenging type of game. If you are a soccer fan, interested in the mechanics and tactics within the game, then this is probably the best “FIFA” you will ever play.
Creators revamp ‘Uncharted’ series
This week, Nick Landolfi, WTSR assistant music director, and Brigid Barber, music staff member, highlight some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
Band: Caravan Palace Album: “Robot Face” Hailing From: Paris, France Genre: Electro Swing Label: Le Plan Citing Django Reinhardt as their largest influence, Parisian electro-swing giants and pioneers, Caravan Palace, are on the vanguard of modern jazz infused house music. With little promotion and no big name record company, Caravan Palace earned a spot at Coachella last year based solely on word of mouth. Their sound combines old school jazz and swing with modern house and electronica. It’s mesmerizing. This album is lush with sweet electro beats that float above their biting jive and jazz. What at first sounds like some sort of joke, will catch you in a hypnotizing trance and you’ll find yourself dancing along. Must Hear: “Midnight,” “Wonda,” “Lone Digger,” “Tattoos,” “Wonderland” and “Russian”
By Andrew Street Staff Writer
Naughty Dog, the creators of the iconic “Jak and Daxter series,” “Crash Bandicoot” and “The Last of Us” are often regarded as industry leaders in terms of triple-A gaming development. Throughout the years, they’ve managed to innovate gameplay, storytelling, design and even motion capture, all while delivering captivating video games. Just like all the previously mentioned titles, their PlayStation 3 originating blockbuster series, “Uncharted,” is among the most lauded games of the last decade. Now, with the release of “Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection,” all three “Uncharted” games are back and better than ever for the PlayStation 4. The remastering of the famed series was done by one of the best porting studios in the industry, BluePoint. As a result, all three games perform excellently on a technical level. As it goes with most remastered games these days, the three “Uncharted” titles have been given a fresh coat of paint. Textures are more crisp, the resolution is bumped to 1080 pixels, and the frame rate remains locked at a constant 60 frames per second. The resolution and texture improvements are less significant for the second and third editions of “Uncharted” because of how great the games looked originally on PlayStation 3. However, a look at the original game, which is nearing its ninth birthday, shows that the improvements are substantial with textures and fidelity matching its two sequels. The switch to the current generation has been undoubtedly kind to the “Uncharted” series. This remastering isn’t only bringing updated visuals to the table. The gameplay
Band: Little Fevers Album: “Field Trip” Hailing From: Minneapolis, Mn. Genre: Crunchy Sunshine Pop Label: Self-released
The game follows Drake on his treasure hunting adventures. has been reworked in some cases to feel more natural. For example, you can change the shooting mechanics of the first game to the second one’s if you find it more appealing. This alleviates the somewhat dated controls that were originally implemented. The gamemakers have also taken the effort to make all the games play in a seamless and uniform fashion. Jumping between all three games showed me just how well they made the different mechanics match up perfectly. In all, the gameplay is enjoyable and entertaining. The combat is fluid, climbing is great and the puzzles add an Indiana Jones feel to it all. Fans of the series can expect to remember why they love these games, and newcomers will be enthralled with what they find. The highlight of Naughty Dog in recent years has been their captivating delivery of narrative. The “Uncharted” games are an absolute testament to this ability. Each game focuses on Nathan Drake, a goofy and lovable treasure hunter who battles mortal and mystical evil, and treads near death.
Youtube.com
The four piece band Little Fevers has released a debut album, which is strong and confident in its sound. Most likely because it was created by longtime friends and music cohorts dedicated to a delightful amalgamation of pop-rock. Many of the songs sound rather alike, besides a dip in tempo and diverse lyricism. However, this does not detract from their surfy vibe brought on by frontwoman Lucy Michelle, with the help of bandmates Ashley Boman, Geoff Freeman and Eamonn McLain. Being musically similar to Alvvays, while containing The XX-like riffs, their punchy and hefty tunes will surely not disappoint. The fact that it was recorded with Matt Boynton (Beirut, MGMT) and mastered by David Gardner (Black Lips) helps as well. Although their more upbeat songs will make you want to dance in the sand, having to cuddle up and feel nostalgia for summer is close enough!
The cast of characters from Drake himself to the witty Sully and beyond, are all well written and casted. You’ll find yourself growing more and more attached to them as you trek across each individual journey. Coupling these characters with narratives that are well written and a cinematic styling that is unmatched in the games industry creates an enthralling and fun ride. It becomes hard not to invest yourself in the characters and weaving storyline. At some point in your life, you have probably experienced a Naughty Dog game, which is a unique experience. Their latest release of “Uncharted” is unparalleled in what it accomplishes. Making the jump to the next generation has allowed for better visuals, smoother gameplay and more opportunities to experience the iconic series. Whether you are a die-hard fan coming back for more Drake, or a first time treasure hunter, “Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Col- Must Hear: “Can’t Get Enough,” lection” is a must own for anyone with “Stones,” “Gold,” “Apple Tree,” “Make Sony’s latest console. It Easy” and “The End”
page 26 The Signal October 28, 2015
October 28, 2015 The Signal page 27
Sports
Stevens gives Lions first loss of the season Women’s Soccer
Photos courtesy of Sports Information Desk
Left: Sophomore midfielder Jessica Goldman constantly attacks the Ducks. Right: The Lions continue pushing toward the playoffs.
By Michael Battista Sports Editor
With the season in its final stretch, the women’s soccer team fouled late, and lost their first game of the season with a 4-0 final against Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday, Oct. 21. They also tied fellow New Jersey Athletic Conference team William Paterson University on Saturday, Oct. 24, 0-0, after double overtime. In the last non-NJAC game of the regular season, the Lions traveled up to Hoboken, N.J., to face off against the No. 12, 11-2-1, Stevens Ducks. From the start, neither team
gave up anything easily, with both trading shots at the other’s goals evenly. Over the 90-minute span, the Lions only narrowly outshot the Ducks, 16 to 13. The College’s offense did put pressure on the Ducks, with sophomore goalkeeper Lindsey Mahnken pushing back numerous shots in order to keep a clean sheet for the match. Stevens struck first blood 25 minutes into the first half, and added three more goals in the second, with the last coming only 40 seconds from the games’ final horn. Their winning streak increased to seven games, while
the Lions’ 14 game season long streak was broken. Coach Joe Russo thinks the team could have done better. “I don’t think the final score was indicative of the play we put out,” he said. “The two teams were pretty even, but it just wasn’t our night.” The team had to shake off the loss quickly, as three days later they traveled to Wayne, N.J., in a match game against William Paterson University. After a hard season, the 4-92 (1-5-1 in the NJAC) Pioneers played an impressive defensive game against the No. 6 ranked Lions, holding them to zero goals the entire game.
Men’s Soccer
The team’s chances piled up in the second half, totalling 14 shots on goal in all the entire match. While on the other side, the Pioneers’ first and only shot on goal came in the first overtime. The Lions’ offense couldn’t finish on their shots, and got over zealous four times as they were called offsides. Sophomore midfielder Elizabeth Thoresen, who had five shots in the contest, also received a yellow card late in the 71st minute. “We didn’t capitalize on our chances,” Russo said. “Our play and spirit was good, but we didn’t finish.” After both the regular 90 minutes
and two overtime periods, the score remained 0-0, giving the Lions another tie on the season. Now with 20 points in the NJAC, three points above Montclair State University and Rowan University, the Lions hold the lead and with a win or tie against Rowan on Wednesday, Oct. 28, on the road, they will clinch the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament. Even with the past few games in recent memory, Russo thinks the team is still a threat. “We have (the conference’s) attention,” he said. “We played very well on Saturday, we just need to work on our chances.”
Fantasy Football
Team pushes in NJAC Forsett stays a top pick Playoff dream alive By Sean Reis Columnist
By Otto Gomez Staff Writer
The Lions continued their chase for the postseason with another NJAC game, on the road against New Jersey City University on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Having won their last two conference games, the team looked to keep their momentum going as the season winds down. While the Gothic Knights were able to get on the board first, the Lions quickly responded with a goal by freshman defenseman Joerg Jauk off a bad clearing attempt by the opposition. Less than two minutes later, sophomore forward Michael Kassak assisted freshman defender Nick Zolofra to bring the team up by one goal. Senior defenseman Greg Kaye gave the Lions more of a cushion with a third goal right before the end of the half. While the Knights opened the half with a score of their own, the Lions stayed true to their game and 12 minutes later, when junior midfielder, captain Nick Costelloe scored his 11th goal of the year to put the game away. On the defensive side, senior goalkeeper Jake Nesteruk tied a season high with six saves on the day. The next test for the Lions was the William Paterson Pioneers, on Saturday, Oct. 24, at home, and the team did not disappoint. In an emotional and important game, the team’s six seniors played the last home game of their college careers. They understood what the game meant, for the only way the Lions can make the playoffs is by winning the last
For Week Eight, as per usual, I have suggested the minimum players at each position below with varying price ranges, but I also suggest drafting Philip Rivers, Chris Ivory or Stefon Diggs, depending on your weekly budgeting. Good luck!
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Senior Greg Kaye scores on NJCU.
two NJAC games, that included the Homecoming weekend game, in which they prevailed with a 4-3 win. “We knew this was a big one for us, especially it being the last home game for the seniors,” Costelloe said. “I’m very happy we played well and got the win.” It was one of those seniors, defender Andrew Kimball, that got the Lions on the board with a goal on an assist from Jauk. While the Pioneers tied the game before halftime, the Lions netted three quick goals at the beginning of the second half to pull the game wide open. Costelloe had another successful match, scoring two goals in succession before Nick Provenzano made the game, 4-1. The Pioneers quietly made a comeback to bring the game within one, but the Lions’ defense held on for the victory. The team continues to play for its season on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Rowan University, where a win guarantees a playoff berth.
Quarterback: Matt Ryan ($7,100) — The Atlanta Falcons will be facing the worst team against the pass in Week Eight, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Ryan has been one of the best QBs all season. Although a slightly above average price, Ryan is a no-brainer this week. Running Backs: Justin Forsett ($6,100) — Again? Yes, Forsett is my top suggested RB again this week. In Week Eight, Forsett is playing the team that allows the most points to RBs, the San Diego Chargers, and he is yet to disappoint, so I have no reason not to draft him against a great match up. Darren McFadden ($3,800) — When Joseph Randle had to leave the game this past week McFadden attempted to put the team on his back, rushing for 152 yards and a touchdown. In Week Eight, McFadden is playing one of the best run defenses in the league, but Seattle is coming to Dallas so I trust McFadden at his cheap price. Wide Receivers: Julio Jones ($9,200) — With Atlanta facing the worst team against the pass this week, Ryan will be looking for Jones to
make plays. At $9,200, Jones is the most expensive WR in Week Eight, but there are a lot of good budget players available to help you find room for a top tier receiver. Jarvis Landry ($6,200) — The Miami Dolphins’ offense exploded this past week, but playing New England in Week Eight, it won’t happen again. However, Landry has still been a stud wideout all season and if you can’t fit Landry in the budget, pick Rishard Matthews instead because Miami will be ready to play in the division match up. Nate Washington ($4,800) — While Miami’s offense exploded this past week, their opponent’s offense was nonexistent, with one exception, Washington. Washington was the only sign of life the Houston Texans had and I predict his energy will continue in Week Eight when Houston needs him, as well as DeAndre Hopkins, the most. Tight End: Benjamin Watson ($3,500) — I liked Watson early in the season, only to be let down. However, his chemistry with Drew Brees has improved drastically the past two weeks, which is why I am giving him one more shot against the New York Giants, who forever fail to cover TEs. Defense: Green Bay Packers ($3,300) — The Green Bay defense has been strong all season so despite not only being on the road, but having to play one mile in the sky, I like Green Bay at Denver. Peyton Manning has struggled week after week and I doubt the offense changes after their bye week.
page 28 The Signal October 28, 2015
SPRING 2016 REGISTRATION APPOINTMENT PERIOD Initial Registration Period for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Tuesday, November 3 Through Friday, November 13
Your enrollment appointment reflecting the first time you will be eligible to register for the Spring 2016 semester can be accessed via your PAWS account. To view your scheduled enrollment appointment, visit the Enrollment Appointment section in the PAWS Student Center. Once eligible, students remain eligible throughout the registration period. Undergraduate students who do not register by 11:59pm on Sunday, November 15, will be subject to a late registration fine. Graduate Students have until Tuesday, December 15: Late Registration Fine Undergraduate: $150 Graduate: $125
The Spring 2016 Schedule of Classes is available on PAWS and can be viewed by using the Search for Classes button. Both Winter 2016 and Summer 2016 registration are also open along with Spring 2016 registration. Check PAWS frequently for any updated winter/summer course offerings and consult with your advisor for appropriate course selections.
Visit the PAWS HELP website for complete information on how to log-in to PAWS, search for classes, browse the Course Catalog, view your Holds, add courses to your Shopping Cart, and register for classes: http://pawshelp.pages.tcnj.edu/
Use the Validate feature directly from your PAWS Shopping Cart to check for potential pre-requisite issues before registration! For more information on the Validate feature, visit: http://pawshelp.pages.tcnj.edu/files/2011/07/validate.pdf
Check PAWS early and frequently for Holds that will prevent you from registering. All Hold Flag information can be viewed under the Holds section in the PAWS Student Center.
Access your Academic Requirements Report on PAWS to view your degree requirements via the Advising Tools link.
Make an appointment to see your advisor to discuss your Academic Requirements Report. Your advisor’s name and email address can be located in your PAWS Student Center.
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LIONS
October 28, 2015 The Signal page 29
AROUND THE
DORM 5 3
Matt Bowker “The Ref”
Michael Battista
Matthew Ajaj
Sports Editor
Staff Writer
George Tatoris Staff Writer
In this week’s edition of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Matt Bowker, asks our panel of experts three questions: Are the Seahawks coming back this season? Who will win the World Series this year and what has been the biggest surprise in the NHL this year so far?
1. After a rough start, have the Seahawks turned their season around? Matthew: No longer is besting the San Francisco 49ers considered to be a significant accomplishment. The Seattle Seahawks are not out of the woods, though, as they have yet to beat an average team, let alone a good one. Seattle lost some pieces this offseason and it appears that the team is just not gelling like it has been the last few years. Getting Marshawn Lynch back is certainly a plus, but the offensive line remains a major issue. The Seahawks will continue to rely on their secondary — the Legion of Boom — to keep them in games. With the Arizona Cardinals flying high, I do not think Seattle will be able to recapture the division title. However, once they get their act together, a Wild Card berth should be attainable and allow Seattle to make some noise in the playoffs. Michael: No, this team doesn’t click in the same ways it used to. The Seahawks
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only have wins against teams like Chicago, Detroit and San Francisco whose seasons are going far worse than theirs, and they have lost to undefeated teams
like Cincinnati, Green Bay and Carolina. The defending NFC Champs still have the “Legion of Boom,” but after you give up a 24-7 fourth quarter lead,
even if it was Cincinnati — that honestly might not be enough. It also doesn’t help that Russell Wilson is under more pressure than he’s used to, getting sacked six times and fumbling twice against the Lions. The O-Line of this team isn’t the same, and all the offseason moves have really hurt this team’s chemistry. So unless the Cardinals have a huge collapse, I wouldn’t worry about Seattle, and even then, Nick Foles’ nation in St. Louis is a bigger threat. George: Thursday’s win over San Francisco makes it clear that the Seahawks are back in business after a pitiful few weeks. Their performance echoed back to a team that went toe-to-toe with the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. But they aren’t totally back in the game yet. They’re going to have to do a lot more if they’re going to make up for their poor performance this season. Having beat their rival so thoroughly, they may feel inclined to pick up their game. But, they still have a ways to go.
Matthew and Michael get 3 points for pointing out the schedule and George gets 2 points for remaining optimistic.
AP Photo
2. Who will win the World Series this year and why? Matthew: Ever since they acquired Yoenis Cespedes on Friday, July 31, the New York Mets have been my World Series pick and I am sticking to that. However, the real star of the playoffs has been Daniel Murphy,
who became the first player in MLB history to hit a home run in six straight postseason games. Built with little money, but gushing in team chemistry, the “other” New York baseball team has quickly captured the hearts of Americans across the country with their uplifting play. This lovable Metropolitan squad
has found success by mastering the perfect playoff formula: hot hitting and shutdown pitching. After a regular season jam-packed with magical moments, the Mets appear poised to bring another championship to the Big Apple. Michael: The Mets are my pick, since they are just the all around better baseball club. Both teams are thirsty for a World Series win — with neither seeing a title since the mid ’80s — but the Mets’ hitting and pitching staff are arguably the best in baseball. We saw this team at the beginning of the season, being dubbed “the best team in baseball” before quietly dying down for a bit. But after the addition of Cespedes at the trade deadline, their bats have been on fire with Daniel Murphy, Curtis Granderson and Wilmer Flores — in a season long storyline that’s captured the hearts of baseball fans — all picking up their play. Not to forget the pitching staff — which has been recognized and applauded by
baseball great Al Leiter — Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom both earned solid numbers in the regular season (ERA’s of 2.71 and 2.54 respectively) and have kept it up into the offseason. I may be a little disappointed about them not allowing “Back to the Future II’s” prediction about the Cubs from happening, but the best team in the sport, and in New York City, is my pick. George: Originally I pegged the Royals as a shoo-in, but I converted the other day after an epiphany. As I was walking to my car yesterday I looked up toward the sun and before my eyes I saw, exuding a brilliant radiance upon the Earth, the Mets symbol hovering in the sky as if made of pure sunlight. Above the “N.Y.” scrawled across the sky in comic sans, were the words “in hoc signo vinces.” Then, I knew the Mets could not lose, for the word of God said so. Also they’ve got pretty good pitching.
Matthew gets 3 points for crediting the Cespedes trade. George gets 2 points for his divine change of heart and Michael gets 1 point for saying the Mets started as the top team. 3. What has been the biggest surprise of the NHL season so far? Matthew: After posting a respectable 42 wins last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets fell through the ice with an 0-7 start to the 2015 season. This abysmal beginning was accentuated by the firing of the their head coach, Todd Richards, and replacement John Tortorella tallied on another loss before snagging a win to bring the bumbling Blue Jackets to a 1-8 record. Canning the head coach in the first 10th of the season is never a good indicator of a healthy, hopeful team. Although the 0-8 start was surprising, at this point it would not be out of the question to see the Blue Jackets dwell at the bottom of the Eastern Conference by season’s end. Michael: After being the top team in the Western Conference last year, the Anaheim Ducks have seriously shocked me as they’ve come out of the gate... tripping. In their first seven games, the team has gone 1-5-1, with what I can only describe as the worst offense in the league so far. A team that was one win away from the Stanley Cup Final
last year, this year stars like Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler are struggling to score against team’s like Colorado. Yes, Colorado, a team with only one win that came against Anaheim, 3-0. It wouldn’t surprise me so much if they picked it up soon, the offensive talent on this team is good and it is still early in the season. But to see this kind of result after last year honestly blew my mind, and I’m waiting for coach Gordon Bombay to show up and give a rally speech to these guys. George: The biggest surprise is how bad the Ducks are doing. Some news organizations pegged them to be Stanley Cup Champions this season but that promise hasn’t shown in their first six games. A computer simulation even said the Ducks would come out on top. So many experts said 2015 would be the breakthrough season for the Ducks, but the numbers aren’t showing that at all. Their roster is talented, but as of now, some players like Jamie Benn and Max Pacioretty have scored more goals than all of that roster combined. If they don’t do more, whatever potential they had at the beginning of the season might disappear completely.
Michael gets 3 points for his Mighty Duck reference, Matthew gets 2 points for picking the obvious choice and George gets 1 point for looking at their potential.
Matthew wins Around the Dorm 8-7-4.
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page 30 The Signal October 28, 2015
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October 28, 2015 The Signal page 31 Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey gains confidence despite 4-3 loss
Julie Kayzerman / Editor-in-Chief
Left: Freshman Will Dimock contributes after returning from a concussion. Right: The team celebrates a goal against Rowan University. By Julie Kayzerman Editor-in-Chief The College’s ice hockey team didn’t leave the ice with a win on paper, but they left with muchneeded confidence going forward with the rest of the season. Senior goalie David Laub played one of his best games in net with 55 saves in the Lions’ 4-3 loss to Rowan University on Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Louck’s Ice Center at 5:30 p.m. “We knew coming in it was going to be a tough game,” Laub said. “We were looking forward to seeing how we’d measure up against one of the better teams in our region and probably the best
team we’ve played so far this year.” It was a hard fought battle in the first. The Lions found themselves down 1-0 halfway through the first but answered back with three goals of their own just minutes later. Senior forward Evan Herrington capitalized on a rebound off of freshman defender Matt Liebers’ shot from the point to even up the score with 7:59 to go in the first. With just under four minutes remaining in the period, senior forward Kevin Collins beat the Profs’ defense, sneaking the puck past Rowan’s goalie, off an assist from senior defenseman Matt Martin for a power play goal.
Collins struck again with under a minute to go, sniping the puck into the top left pocket of the net with an assist from junior forward Will Sulpizio. However, with 11 seconds remaining in the first, Rowan’s offense pushed through with a breakaway goal to leave the period at 3-2. “The first period was pretty even and they didn’t have a lot of shots and ended up with two goals,” Laub said. “But as the game went on, they started getting more and more shots and I got into the zone and was pretty determined to keep the lead.” But the second period fell flat,
with Rowan constantly testing Laub with 17 shots and valid scoring opportunities, but Laub stood tall to keep the period scoreless and the College in the game. “We came out strong and went up early, and weren’t able to hold on, but I think we learned a lot as a team and proved that we can play with anybody,” Laub said. With tough play in the third, the Lions fell to a few sloppy mistakes that Rowan capitalized on to seal a 4-3 win over the College. “The guys battled hard in front of me all game against a tough, physical team and just a couple of bad bounces at the end cost
Swimming
us,” Laub said. “But I think we can take a lot of positives from this game and I think we are all feeling pretty confident about the rest of the season and the way we are playing.” On Saturday, Oct. 24, the College dominated West Chester University, 5-2. Forwards Collins, Peter Hansinger and Mike Lisciandro scored a goal apiece while junior forward Nick Mancini and Liebers recorded a goal and an assist each in the triumph. The Lions will return to their home ice on Friday, Oct. 30, to take on Bloomsburg University at 9 p.m.
Cheap Seats
Lions have strong start NWSL looks to expand Swimmers break records
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Rothstein wins four events. By Mackenzie Cutruzzula Sports Editor
The Lions took on the Montclair State University Red Hawks for their season opener on Saturday, Oct. 24, with back-to-back wins for the men’s and women’s swim teams. Missing out on Homecoming festivities at the College, the Lions dominated in the water with the men’s team finishing with a 193-97 victory and the women’s team winning, 196-97. The men’s team’s strength came from a senior who left it all in the water as he dove in for his last season opener. James Shangle won four events, including two individual ones, breaking two records. Topping the leaderboard in the 200-yard breaststroke, Shangle broke the College’s record with a time of 2:12.54. He also took first in the 50-yard free with a speedy 21.91.
Shangle kicked off a winning streak in the relays as well, leading off the 400-yard free relay time that toppled the Red Hawks with a record-breaking time of 3:14.94. Shangle handed off to senior Joseph Dunn who also had a successful meet. In addition to relay wins, Dunn won individually, taking top honors in the 100-yard backstroke, 54.29, and the 100-yard butterfly, 53.70. Dunn and Shangle were accompanied by freshman Alex Skoog and junior Andrew Nesbitt for the relay team that also won the 200-yard medley relay with a combined time of 1:36.60. Junior Ryan Gajdzisz won back to back in the 500-yard free and the 200-yard individual medley. Diving for the men, sophomore David Adlai-Gail won both diving events. On the women’s side, two more records were set in the strong season kick off. The 400-yard freestyle relay team consisting of freshman Maddie Hynoski, senior Lauren Rothstein and sophomores Ali Huber and Emily Rothstein won with a record breaking time of 3:36.98. Junior Brenna Strollo set the other record with a time of 1:01.38 in the 100yard backstroke. Rothstein also won in her other three events of the 200-yard medley relay, 50-yard free and 100-yard free. Younger members of the team made their mark in the breaststroke event, as sophomores Marta Lawler and Madeleine Clements and freshman Lindsay Rippey finished first through third in both the 100-yard and 200yard events. The Lions return to the Packer Hall pool for their home opener on Saturday, Oct. 31, against Southern Connecticut State University.
By Mackenzie Cutruzzula Sports Editor
Every four years, the same question is asked in relation to the United States Women’s National Team after the World Cup — will the hype fizzle out around women’s soccer? This year added extra volume to the question as the team is currently the world champion. As a national team, the women have no problem selling out a stadium or creating a media firestorm, but what happens to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) during the regular season? There was very little coverage of Kansas City’s last- second NWSL championship win over Seattle Reign. However, when those same players were part of the announcement for the roster being released for the 2015 Victory Tour, the media was rearing to report. After the team brought the cup home, the media was quick to put together montage videos with inspirational slogans about little girls having new strong heroines to aspire to. Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan were slated to pick up where Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain lost momentum in the years since 1999. However, it seemed that as soon as the team crossed the border back into the United States, the media was no longer concerned with their endeavors. The media is the key to the NWSL’s success and thus far they have failed. With the lack of coverage compared to men’s sports, the women are at a disadvantage for selling tickets and creating a stronger fanbase. The league has well-respected players, but the media doesn’t give them attention to hype them as much as they do for their male counterparts. Enter the glimmer of hope — Orlando, Fla. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, NWSL announced that the Orlando Pride are set to become an official team. With Alex Morgan joining the
new squad, the NWSL has an opportunity to expand into the southeast fan base and grow the league. “Orlando is a remarkable organization with an authentic club culture and a community that will help us continue to grow the league and provide more opportunities for female soccer players at the highest level,” NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush said in a press conference. “We have no doubt Orlando will be a tremendous addition to the NWSL.” The expansion marks a changing tide in national sports — women can have successful leagues. “We intend to provide the same type of electric event and game day atmosphere for the Pride at the Citrus Bowl — and ultimately at our new soccer stadium downtown— as we do for Orlando City,” Tim Holt, Orlando City Soccer Club vice president of Development said at the press conference. That is not to say that it didn’t take a long time for men’s soccer to receive the attention it now garners in the U.S., but as the women are looking to capitalize on their 15 minutes in the spotlight, it is important that the media also takes advantage of this moment because it can lead to another affluent enterprise. The NWSL has the chance to receive the attention it deserves and if the media gives it a chance, it can become a successful franchise.
AP Photo
Morgan joins the Orlando Pride.
Signal
Sports
Homecoming brings luck to Lions By Anthony Caruso Staff Writer
As family, friends, alumni and students gathered for the Homecoming festivities, the football team had the breakthrough they had been waiting for all season and overcame the Montclair State University Red Hawks, 23-20, on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Lions’ Stadium. This win snapped the Lion’s losing streak in their first triumph since last November against Kean University. Their record is now 1-5. Coach Wayne Dickens is now 2-1 in Homecoming games as the Lions’ head coach. He’s also 2-1 against the Red Hawks in his three-year tenure at the school. “It’s tough in the sport of football, as you have to physically come out and play hard every week,” Dickens said. “When you don’t get that joy at the end of winning, you have to dig deeper the following weeks to come out and play. We’ve been able to do that, and it finally paid off for us. Montclair has a heck of a team —they’re strong at just about every position. The difference was we made some key plays when we needed to make them.” As the time was expiring, Red Hawks quarterback Ryan Davies
Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk
Craig scores two touchdowns in his senior Homecoming game.
threw a pass into the end zone as the six remaining seconds were coming off the clock. The ball hit several players’ hands but fell to the ground, prompting the Lions to rush out onto the field to celebrate the triumph. “That’s a huge play,” Dickens said. “You go over it in practice, but we don’t rep it in practice. You want to high-point the ball, and I saw a defensive players hands higher than the rest. He made sure the ball didn’t get caught in the end zone. That’s what you have to do in that play.”
With the Lions up by 10 in the fourth, the Red Hawks went on a four-play drive that resulted in a 28-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Julanee Prince from Davies. The Lions led, 10-0, against the Red Hawks after they had several fumbles that set up scoring plays. First, kicker Brian Nagy connected on a 25-yard field goal for the 3-0 lead. On the next drive, Lions’ junior quarterback Michael Marchesano threw a pass, which was deflected into the hands of wide receiver Nick
Craig for a 27-yard touchdown. “It’s always hard to play catch up, but we had the lead this time,” Craig said. “We knew it wasn’t enough, and thankfully, we were able to go out there and score some more. Our defense really helped us out today.” In the waning minutes of the first half, the visitors got on the board, as running back Denzel Nieves scored on a five-yard touchdown. Davies hit wide receiver Aaron Williams for a three-yard touchdown for the lead. However, the extra point was blocked for the 13-10 lead.
“Neither of them were to me, as they were both to Conor (Mulholland),” Craig said. “I went up and tried to make something happen. Luckily, I was in the right place at the right time.” After an interception by Lions’ junior defensive back Jordan Rogers in the third quarter, quarterback Trevor Osler hit wide receiver Mulholland for a 22-yard touchdown. With the extra point, to put the Lions up, 17-13. Marchesano’s pass deflected into the hands of Craig for a 25yard touchdown. The extra point was missed for a 23-13 lead. “It says a lot about the guys, and that’s who these guys are. These TCNJ guys are going to do that now when they’re football guys and do it after graduation when they’re out in the business world,” Dickens said. “That’s the way they are. That’s their make-up. They will always play hard. We don’t always get the success at the end of it that we want, but we’ll play hard.” Montclair State drops to 3-4 on the season. In addition, the loss snaps their three-game win streak. The Lions will, appropriately, take on the orange and black William Paterson Pioneers for a Halloween away game on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Wayne, N.J.
Field hockey rebounds with back-to-back wins By Miguel Gonzalez Staff Writer The Lions resurged from last week’s loss by defeating NJAC opponents Rowan University on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and William Paterson University on Saturday, Oct. 24. For the week of Sunday, Oct. 18, the New Jersey Athletic Conference named Elizabeth Morrison as the rookie field hockey player of the week for her earned assists during the College’s matches against Ursinus College and Ramapo College. Freshmen forwards Morrison and Taylor Barrett scored in the second half during the Lions’ 2-1 win against the Rowan University Profs. Both junior goalie Kelly Schlupp and Rowan sophomore goalie Carly DeMarco were challenged by consistent shooting. In the fourth minute, Rowan freshman midfielder Jacqui Rosati’s shot from the penalty corner ricocheted off of Schlupp, but junior defender Lexi Smith rushed in for a defensive save. Less than 10 minutes later, Rowan senior defender Marisa Marini passed to freshman forward Rachel Galante. Immediately, Galante took a fast shot from the top the circle to put the Profs ahead. The Lions reacted momentarily with aggression and shots from senior midfielder Mikayla Cimilluca, Smith, sophomore forward Alicia Wagner, Morrison and junior defender Shannon Cowles. However, DeMarco saved the majority of them while their
Lions’ Lineup October 28, 2015
I n s i d e
Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk
Padilla has a breakout performance with an assist.
defense closed gaps. In the 23rd minute, Schlupp kicked the ball twice to contain the Profs’ offense. In the meantime, the Lions’ offense had trouble scoring as DeMarco saved shots from Barrett, Smith and Wagner. With another win at stake, the Lions’ offense burst in the second period with 14 shots. From the 35th to the 50th minute, the Lions penetrated the Profs’ defense with shots from Smith, Cowles, Morrison, junior midfielder Danielle Andreula and Cimilluca. Identical to the second period, DeMarco held the Lions scoreless. In the 52nd minute, Rowan senior forward Sam Browne skipped through the Lions’ defense and approached the box for an
uncontested shot. Schlupp miraculously slid toward the shot and recorded a crucial save. Afterward, Barrett scored off a penalty corner with an assist from junior defender Cowles. The Lions’ offense continued to push with more shots from Barrett and Smith. Morrison scored the tiebreaker in the 65th minute after receiving a pass from Smith. Schlupp and the Lions’ defense hung on against the Profs’ offense to secure the 2-1 victory. During Homecoming weekend the Lions traveled to Wayne, N.J., and blanked out the William Paterson Pioneers, 3-0. The Lions marked the scoreboard first with a goal from Smith in the fourth minute. Throughout the game the Lions maintained possession and the defense was
sparsely challenged. Barrett kept feeding the Lions’ offense with multiple penalty corners. However, Pioneer senior goalie Meg Davies halted the attacks with five saves. In the 15th minute, the Lions broke through Davies when Smith shot to the right corner of the box. “(Smith) has some of the best stick work I have ever seen and it’s really nice to see all the things she can create on the field due to her game sense and knowledge,” Cimilluca said. The Lions’ offense stayed dominant in the second half while the defense conceded only one shot. A new face emerged at the penalty corner role as freshman midfielder Caroline Quinn initiated the Lions’ offense with multiple penalty corners. Like the first period, Davies kept foiling the Lions with save after save until the 60th minute. Nevertheless, the Lions extended the lead, 3-0, when Wagner shot into the lower right corner with an assist from freshman midfielder Sidney Padilla. With the two conference victories, the Lions secured the top-seed and home-field advantage for the upcoming NJAC tournament in November. The Lions head into their last two regular season matches including an away game in Reading, Pa., for an out-ofconference matchup against Albright College on Thursday, Oct. 29. Their last regular season game will be a Halloween matchup on Saturday Oct. 31., against the Kean University Cougars at Lions’ Stadium.
46 53 Around the Dorm page 29
Men’s Soccer page 27
Cheap Seats page 31
Women’s Soccer page 27