Spring '24 Issue No. 11

Faculty union appeals to state legislators for funding boost

The lawmakers heard impassioned speeches from faculty, studets and an alumnus.

By Matthew Kaufman Managing Editor

The College’s chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, the union that includes faculty and professional staff, hosted a breakfast on March 8 with state legislators to appeal for funding increases, as the institution continues to seek ways to increase revenue following budget shortfalls and a projected decline in enrollment.

The event, held in the Intercultural Center, featured passionate speeches from faculty members, students and an alumnus, followed by a conversation with the legislators. In his opening remarks, TCNJ

AFT President Matthew Wund emphasized the financial hardships the College is facing and the need for more state funding.

“We want to talk about the crippling financial challenges that we are now facing,” Wund said. “These challenges are the result of the shrinking number of college-aged students in our region, inflation, an expanding debt burden due to past investments in new buildings, willful neglect of existing infrastructure and, yes, state support that has been disproportionately low relative to that received by other four-year colleges and universities of New Jersey.”

Two students — Amechelle Leander, a senior public health and biology major,

TCNJ weighs replacement vs. renovation of Travers, Wolfe Halls

By Tristan Weisenbach and Matthew Kaufman Managing Editors

The College is considering several options to revitalize housing, including a potential public-private partnership or a renovation of Travers and Wolfe halls. The administration could present a plan to the Board of Trustees for approval by the end of the year, according to Dave Muha, associate vice president for communications, marketing and brand management.

The public-private option would be built at the current site of the community garden, and could be completed and opened by fall 2027 if approved, according to Sharon Blanton, vice president of operations.

Blanton said the new development would likely consist of four connected, strictly residential buildings. The mostly apartment-style housing would be available to third and fourth-year students and add a total of about 600 beds if approved.

The College completed an RFP, or request for proposal, and has since selected a vendor to continue developing the plan. In a public-private partnership, like the model set by Campus Town, the College leases

land to a private developer to construct and manage properties.

Blanton said the College has been in talks with the vendor for the past few months and is still finalizing “what makes the most sense for the institution longterm.”

If the public-private partnership plan is approved, Travers and Wolfe Halls will close upon the new complex’s opening.

see HOUSING page 3

and Arjana Goroveci, a senior political science major — also addressed the legislators, along with Mattheus De Souza, a 2018 chemistry graduate, to share the opportunities that the College has provided for them.

“Legislators, I urge you to increase funding for TCNJ to ensure students like myself have access to essential mentorship and support,” said Leander. “This increased support will empower professors to provide [students] with the resources they need to thrive.”

The audience heard from Assembly Members Verlina Reynolds-Jackson and Anthony S. Verrelli of District 15, Assembly Members Wayne P. DeAngelo

and Tennille R. McCoy of District 14, Sen. Linda Greenstein of District 14 and Sen. Andrew Zwicker of District 16.

Sen. Shirley K. Turner of District 15 was also scheduled to appear but had to attend a funeral, with an aide attending the breakfast in her place. All of the lawmakers are members of the Democratic party.

“This is probably one of the most prounion, pro-labor legislative delegations you’re gonna have,” said Pete Guzzo of TTP Government Relations, which lobbies on behalf of AFT, in his introduction of the lawmakers. He noted that Verrelli is a carpenter and DeAngelo is an electrician, with both being a part of their respective unions.

The first legislative priority presented by the union was a request for the state to identify 192 additional employees as part of the College’s total, which is one factor in determining how much state aid a school receives. A packet given to attendees noted that this would generate $4.7 million in additional revenue, which would allow the union to “expand instructional programs to better meet the needs of current and future students.”

“This priority is in partnership with President Bernstein and the TCNJ administration,” said Zakiya Adair, associate professor of African-American studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. “The union and the administration are coming in on this together, because we both see the dire need for money in the operating budget, and we want to work together to stabilize the TCNJ budget.”

TCNJ Bands time travel back to the 20th century in latest performance

By Chiara Piacentini Staff Writer

The College’s Wind Orchestra and Wind Ensemble chose a quiet Thursday night to hold a 20th centuryesque performance in Kendall Hall’s auditorium. Professor Eric Laprade and Professor Adam Warshafsky, the two main conductors of the ensembles, handpicked eight pieces for this March 7 concert, some of which were composed by Leonard Bernstein.

Bernstein was one of the New York Philharmonic’s beloved 20th-century conductors and the composer of the “West Side Story” we all know and love.

The atmosphere was at first relaxed as the auditorium continued to get crowded while the band warmed up. One of the band’s student conductors wasted no time in starting the ensemble off at 7:30 p.m. on the dot. The band suddenly transformed from a mixed chorus of noises to a harmonized musical force.

Professor Laprade shared his secrets on getting the band to perform at such a high level for an event like this.

“TCNJ Wind Ensemble and Wind Orchestra each rehearse twice a week,” Laprade said. “They also meet in small

groups for sectional rehearsals. The concert is the result of 6 to 7 weeks of intense preparation.”

The ensemble’s songs of choice included a well-rounded view of Bernstein’s musical palate. Their first piece, “Kaleidoscope Eyes,” started off bright and happy, which came as a smooth transition into the peaceful introduction of the second piece, “Song for My Children.”

In a couple of these songs, the audience could hear Bernstein experimenting with contrasting bright tunes with more ominous ones, especially in the middle of his third piece, “Candide Suite,” which went from a slow and drawn out optimistic melody to a theme that resembled an intro to a battle scene.

Given the pressure of having an audience listen to your every note, senior flute section leader Gianna Marrano explained how an instrumentalist would mentally prepare for such a situation.

“I listen to my hype songs before [the concert],” she said. “I just try to take it as easy as possible throughout the day, kind of warm up at my own pace and then [at] the concert, just kind of take things slow and try not to overstress myself.”

see BANDS page 12

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT page 12

Princeton

Photo courtesy of AFT New Jersey

Photo by Brooke Zevon Wolfe Hall.

‘Beyond the gender binary’ with comedian and trans activist Alok

By Victoria Gladstone Editor-in-Chief

Queer icon and public figure Alok came to campus on March 4 for their show “Beyond the Gender Binary with ALOK,” where they gave a hilariously insightful performance about being a non-binary person in America. The event, hosted by the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies department, was the first in a series celebrating Women’s History Month on campus.

Alok Vaid-Menon, best known for their trans activism, is a comedian, public speaker, author and actor who travels the world giving talks that combine comedic commentary on society and personal experiences that shaped who they have become. They were recently featured in a cameo on the Peabody-award-winning series, “Sort Of,” where Alok worked with Bilal Baig playing Sabi Mehboob, a gender non-

conforming and south Asian individual.

In the opening sentiments of the performance, Alok brought up a conversation around biology, saying that telling a trans person they cannot change biology is hypocritical. They further made the joke that they respond with “nice haircut,” poking fun at the idea that anything can change a human body’s “biology.”

Alok went on to explain that the “biological” truth is not that gender is being erased from society; it’s that everything must die.

“From the perspective of death, most of living is just stand up comedy,” said Alok. “All of the absurd antics that we do to waste our precious time on Earth, like hating on another, we forget at the end of the day we are all beautifully and biologically immortal. And on your deathbed are you really going to still be upset about who used they/them pronouns?”

Triota, the WGSS honor society, cosponsored Alok’s event along with the deans of Arts and Communication and Humanities and Social Sciences, the Indian Student Association, the Cultural and Intellectual Community Council, PRISM, and the Barbara Meyer Pelson ‘59 Chair in Faculty-Student Engagement

Senior Psychology and WGSS studies major Rachel Guloy is one of the co-presidents of Triota, and one of the attendees at the event that felt Alok’s presence brought diversity to campus.

“The show itself was excellent and incredibly clever and entertaining, and allowed us to hear from a South Asian trans perspective, which is not something that we often are able to find on campus,” said Guloy. “Watching Alok talk about their lived experiences also forced the audience to confront the discrimination that trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people experience, as well as how racialized this discrimination was.”

Alok’s performance addressed the gender norms within society and commented on them in a lighthearted manner, toying with the idea of what a young person may or may not wear depending on their gender assigned at birth.

“They were able to playfully point out how ridiculously gendered our society is, but also force us to confront the pain of losing family, all within a few minutes,” said Guloy, alluding to Alok’s heartbreaking story of losing their grandfather.

Along with Alok’s show, the WGSS department will be hosting an alumni panel on March 22 as the next event in honor of Women’s History month.

Tutoring Center revamped with $1.1 million remodel

By Liz Ciocher News Editor

The College’s Tutoring Center has moved from the first floor of Roscoe West Hall, where it has stood since 2010, to a renovated space on the second floor in a $1.1 million renovation.

The new Tutoring Center, complete with updated amenities like smart TVs, study rooms and plenty of workspace, opened up at the start of the spring semester. On March 6, the center held an open house to display the new project and welcome students, tutors and faculty.

“We are incredibly thrilled to be in this space,” said Karen Deaver, assistant director of the tutoring center. “Since the pandemic we have been offering tutoring online as well as in-person, but we value the in-person relationship. We are now hoping students discover this phenomenal

space available to them and they come rushing back.”

The remodeling project began in August 2022 with a new HVAC system in the entire Roscoe West building, taking up a majority of the raenovation budget. The building’s first floor is now fully dedicated to the Center for Student Success, with the previous Tutoring Center space holding offices for Student Success staff.

Along with the five study rooms and smart TVs, there is plenty of open space for tutoring and studying, with study cubicles, desks and tables. Some of the updated furniture includes ‘ruckus chairs,’ which can be sat in three different ways.

“It’s definitely an improvement from the old room,” said Brian Perrone, a tutor and junior history and secondary education major. “There’s a lot more space. We have whiteboards and smart tv’s now, which is helpful for tutoring.”

Continued from page 1

Last semester, AFT members worked for three months without a contract. They later agreed to a new contract with the state that included a 3.5% cost-of-living increase, however the union is arguing that the state has not allocated enough funding for schools to cover the increase.

“In the 2023 contract negotiations, the governor signed a 3.5% cost-ofliving increase but did not allocate extra appropriations for the public colleges to cover them,” said Adair, “which means that TCNJ — and all other colleges — must take these costs out of our operating budget at a time when our operating budgets are already depleted.”

The legislators seemed troubled by some of the cuts proposed by the administration, especially in regards to the possible reduction of library services.

“I hate it when we have to cut library services when you start talking about cutting budgets,” said ReynoldsJackson, a 1994 graduate of the College. “You know, it’s always those professional developments and library services that are the first to go. It’s like, these are the things that help us. These are things that sustain us throughout.”

Both the College’s administration and AFT have increased lobbying efforts to seek more support from Trenton, with Bernstein meeting with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy last year. The College receives less state funding per student than most of the other state schools, a fact which seemed to surprise several of the lawmakers.

The Tutoring Center’s offices are open for students from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and tutoring is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. There are roughly 160 tutors in the program offering their services to students.

Both Deaver and Perrone are hopeful the new center will encourage more students to visit for academic tutoring.

“I want to see students and tutors in the space more and more,” Deaver said. “Please, please come check it out, you will want to tutor here. It’s quiet and it’s beautiful.”

The center’s project manager, Robert Clougher, said there are more renovations in Roscoe West Hall to come.

“I’m glad with how everything turned out,” said Clougher, who will remain the project manager for Roscoe West’s bottom level renovations as well.

The tutoring center is now in Room 203 and is open for all students to visit. The center is open to students who are looking for a “comfortable, open space dedicated to quiet study and tutoring,” according to Deaver.

“I was absolutely shocked when I looked at the tables we were sent to see the bad financial position that you’re in,” said Greenstein. “I can’t believe how much worse a position you’re in than many of the other schools in the area. It’s extreme, and I don’t really understand it.”

Since 2013, the state has increased funding for the College by just 8.7%, a significantly lower amount than all other state schools. Thomas Edison State University’s funding increased by 478.1% over the same period, Rowan University received a 157.5% increase and Rutgers University saw a 83.9% increase, according to data provided to the union by Zwicker.

New Jersey City University received the next-lowest increase, but it still saw a 30.2% rise in state appropriations.

And in FY2023, the average state funding for all public colleges and universities was $5,818 per student, but the College received only $4,202, a 28% difference.

The policymakers were impressed that, despite these disparities, the College has continued to provide strong outcomes for students.

“Historically, for the last decade, TCNJ has been the worst funded institution in the state, and yet…you are producing some of the highest graduation rates, some of the best students that we see in New Jersey,” said Zwicker. “You are doing that in spite of the funding that you’re receiving, which is even more remarkable, and why I applaud you.”

As budget season in Trenton begins, it will now be up to the lawmakers to relay what they heard at the breakfast to their committees. But they recommended that all members of the campus community continue to advocate for change.

“We honestly have a lot of work to do,” Zwicker said, “but I’m very much looking forward to doing it together.”

Photo by Victoria Gladstone

Alok shared their experiences as a non-binary person in America.

Photo by Liz Ciocher

The Tutoring Center’s offices are open for students from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and tutoring is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

Some of the updated furniture includes ‘ruckus chairs,’ which can be sat in three different ways.

Photo by Liz Ciocher

How the LIONS plan may affect adjunct professors

By Victoria Gladstone Editor-in-Chief

Part of Interim President Michael Bernstein’s LIONS plan suggests reducing adjunct faculty to cut back on the College’s spending. Bernstein has appointed a committee of faculty to examine staff responsibilities and find ways to reduce costs between $4.5 million and $5 million within the overall faculty budget.

This group of faculty members includes leaders like Interim Provost Suzanne McCotter, Faculty Senate President Abby O’Connor and Matthew Wund, the president of the College’s chapter of the American Federation of Teachers.

Last semester, Wund reported, there were 426 adjunct professors. This spring, there are 351 adjunct professors on campus, 30% of which are dues-paying members of the union.

Wund said that he believes he and O’Connor have “successfully convinced the President that [they] would like to take a more nuanced and strategic approach” to reaching these savings goals, rather than simply reducing adjunct faculty.

“Our goal is not to reduce adjuncts,” said Wund. “Our goal is to try to find efficiencies in the curriculum in various ways.”

said Dahling.

Wund also shared some of the same sentiments, saying that adjunct faculty bring real world experiences and fresh perspectives.

“Our adjunct colleagues are really important to me and to our union,” said Wund. “But also the faculty recognize they’re super important to the academic enterprise of this institution and the culture of this institution.”

In addition, if there were to be a reduction in the amount of adjuncts teaching courses, Dahling noted that full-time, tenured faculty may have to take up an increased workload, and the College might need to account for this by once again hiring more staff.

Dahling noted that courses like Psychology 101 are required for underclassmen coming to campus, and therefore multiple sections of the course need to run in order to cater to the students’ needs.

“I definitely do need to use adjunct

Jason Dahling, chair of the psychology department, explained in an interview with The Signal his department’s usage of non-tenured faculty. For this semester, there are 87 sections of psychology and 26 are taught by adjunct faculty. According to Dahling, a significant portion of the courses taught by adjunct professors are entry level courses, including Psychology 101.

Cop Shop: Chopstick fire, various acts of mischief

By Liz Ciocher News Editor

The Signal and Campus Police work together on a weekly basis to inform the campus community about crime on and around campus. All records given to The Signal are public records and do not contain personal information. Some information provided may be triggering for some students.

The following incidents occurred prior to spring break. Post-spring break, there were no recorded incidents reported to Campus Police that were permitted for use in The Signal, likely due to the unoccupied residence halls and vacated campus.

Feb. 21: Bliss Hall Ruckus

A professor in Bliss Hall called Campus Police after the last straw of many incidents of mischievousness. The professor reported around 9:45 p.m. that a glass book display case was slightly pried open, evidence that the bookcase had been tampered with. Prior to this report to Campus Police, professors in the building explained that Bliss had become victim to many acts of mischievousness, including items going missing or being rearranged in an odd manner.

While the professors did not fear any imminent danger, they expressed to Campus Police their concerns for Bliss’s security measures and poor exterior lighting.

The bookcase did not have any apparent damage or missing property at the scene, with the exception of the glass cover that appeared ‘slightly warped.’ Campus Police filed a work order following their arrival.

Feb. 24: Lot 11 Break In

A student reported an incident of theft from his vehicle to Campus Police around 1:50 p.m. He parked his vehicle on the second floor of Lot 11 on Feb. 23, but returned at 9:30 a.m. the next day to discover his glove compartment left open and its contents scattered around the vehicle. The contents included chapstick, wrappers, pens and pencils.

$2 worth of change was also reported missing from the vehicle.

The vehicle appeared to show no signs of forced entry, though the student said he

was “90% sure” he locked the vehicle. He also included the vehicle has manual locks, so there is a possibility he could’ve missed locking one of the vehicle’s doors.

Campus Police gave the student a case number and instructions on how to retrieve the incident’s police report.

Feb. 27: Chopstick induced fire alarm

A Campus Police officer arrived at Hausdoerffer around 10 p.m. and activated the building’s strobes and fire alarm system after the building’s panel indicated a smoke detector was activated. The building was evacuated, and the patrolmen smelled smoke coming from the indicated room’s common area.

About eight minutes later, the Ewing Fire Department arrived at the scene and determined the cause of the smoke to be from an ignited chopstick in the room’s garbage can. The Hausdoerffer resident confirmed she ignited the chopstick to light a candle and threw it away, causing some of the trash’s paper contents to also begin smoking.

After controlling the smoke, the fire personnel deemed the room was clear, reset the alarm and allowed everyone to return inside the building.

Feb. 27: Campus Town gym theft

At 7:56 a.m., a student reported to Campus Police she was missing a long black North Face parka from the Campus Town gym.

The student told the police she had left the parka in one of the available cubbies in the gym at 6:30 a.m. At 7:32, she reported to the gym staff that it was not where she left it.

Campus Police obtained a list of all the students who checked in within the same time frame as the student, but is suspicious that there could have been students in the gym that were not checked in. This suspicion arose because the student making the report was missing from the check-in list.

Review of the gym’s cameras did not show anyone leaving with the parka, though multiple guests arrived with similar looking jackets.

At 8:10 a.m., a victim notification form was completed and a copy was given to the student.

colleagues to offer enough sections to meet the demand,” said Dahling. He also added that he believes “campuswide, we are reliant on adjunct faculty and other types of roles that are not the standard, tenured track faculty.”

Dahling stated that the adjunct faculty play a large role in teaching courses that are in high demand, and are also experts in their field and can offer in-depth knowledge of their specializations in additional courses.

“I think if I had fewer [adjunct professors] teaching for us, there would be some real losses in terms of expertise and student experience,”

“I think to get to a point where we have fewer adjunct faculty, there would have to be more funding from the institution to hire tenure stream faculty,” said Dahling.

He said that when a professor overloads and teaches more than they’re required, they are compensated at the adjunct rate in those extra hours.

“We basically get paid as adjuncts when we teach above and beyond regular teaching,” said Wund.

As the semester continues, the future for adjunct professors appears to be unclear. The next update about the LIONS plan will be sent out on April 1, according to a March 7 email from Bernstein.

HOUSING / New complex being considered

Continued from page 1

Based on a budget summary projection presented by Interim President Michael Bernstein to the faculty senate in December, taking the towers “off line” would cost the College approximately $6.5 million in FY2027 and FY2028, as the institution would not receive direct housing income from the public-private partnership that would replace them.

However, it is still unclear if and when the Towers will be demolished, Blanton said.

The connection between Travers and Wolfe, known as “the link,” houses many underground linkages for campus-wide infrastructure systems, such as HVAC, steam and water, making it difficult to demolish the buildings without causing major disruptions.

“The link, in some format, would basically always have to be there,” Blanton said.

Another option would be renovating the towers, according to Muha, which would allow the College to continue generating revenue from them.

The administration is in the process of determining how much renovating the towers would cost, Muha said. He added there are other housing options being considered, however he declined to share them.

Blanton said the College’s administration would be ready to provide a formal recommendation of the vendor’s housing plan to the Board of Trustees by the end of June. However, Muha said a more accurate timeline for approval is by the end of 2024.

Editor’s Note: The original version of this story was based on a Feb. 29 interview with Blanton and Maggie Greco, the campus architect. In this interview, Blanton shared the plan of the public-private partnership but did not mention any other options the College was considering.

In a later interview on March 8, Muha and Sacks shared additional information regarding the potential renovation of Travers and Wolfe halls, and the fact that there are more options being considered. This story has been updated to include the new information.

Photo by Shane Gillespie

Bernstein has appointed a committee of faculty to examine staff responsibilities.

Photo by Elizabeth Gladstone

In a public-private partnership, like the model set by Campus Town, the College leases land to a private developer to construct and manage properties.

NJ police officers retrained after controversial 2021 conference

By Tristan Weisenbach Managing Editor

More than 200 New Jersey police officers completed a mandatory retraining in Trenton on March 14 after they attended a controversial law enforcement training conference in Atlantic City in October 2021.

The retraining was ordered by Attorney General Matt Platkin after a report by the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller uncovered that the 2021 training, organized by a firm called Street Cop Training, taught unconstitutional and discriminatory practices, according to CBS News.

“The guidance promoted during that event was anathema to the values and the conduct that we expect of our law enforcement officers,” Platkin said in a statement to CBS.

According to the OSC report, 54 interstate, state and local government entities combined spent an estimated $75,000 to send officers to the 2021 conference. However, the report detailed additional anticipated costs associated with the conference, including future officer retraining and litigation related to unconstitutional police practice or discrimination lawsuits. Street Cop records show that between 2019 and 2022, the firm received at least $320,000 from multiple New Jersey agencies for other trainings, according to the report.

Many unconstitutional and discriminatory practices were taught at the 2021 conference, according to the report. One finding was Street Cop’s “Reasonable Suspicion Factors (RAS) Checklist,” a listing of behaviors that was distributed to attendees that officers could use in justifying traffic stops.

Below is an excerpt from the report that outlines behaviors the RAS checklist deems as “suspicious”:

“The checklist advises that it is suspicious if the car’s occupants are too nicely dressed if they are traveling a long distance, if they are driving a minivan without a child seat in it, if the car has a ‘lived-in look’ with food wrappers and water bottles, or if the car has a trash bag in it for garbage.

It is suspicious if the car has a single key ignition, does not have an EZ Pass, contains more than one cell phone or a backpack, or there is a lawyer’s business card visible inside the car. It is suspicious if a motorist leaves on their turn signal after getting pulled over (referred to as the ‘Felony Flasher’), and it is also suspicious if the motorist shuts off the car when being asked to step out.

If a motorist calls anyone—for example, a family member or friend to tell them they have been pulled over— that too is suspicious. And, among other things, the checklist states that it is suspicious if a ‘driver becomes very aggressive/agitated’ when the officer asks for consent to search their car ‘after a polite conversation for several minutes.’ This suggests that asserting one’s privacy rights is suspicious.

The checklist advises that officers should ask everyone they stop for their social security numbers to gauge their response, on the theory that it is an ‘extremely normal’ and common question everywhere in the United

States except the ‘Mid-North and Northwest regions.’ And if the motorist questions the reasons for the stop, asks to speak with a supervisor, or says they are either heading to work or heading home, that should all be considered suspicious too.”

Police are not legally allowed to stop people for no reason, or to stop them for arbitrary reasons. For a motor vehicle stop to be lawfully executed, “a police officer must have a reasonable and articulable suspicion that the driver of a vehicle, or its occupants, is committing a motor vehicle violation or a criminal or disorderly persons offense,” according to the report.

According to a 2023 study released by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, “The overall volume of minority motorists stopped by [New Jersey State Police] increased from 35.34 percent in 2009 to 46.28 percent in 2021.”

“The overarching finding from the analysis of the NJ-SP data from 200921 is that there was extremely strong evidence of a large and persistent disparity both [in] the decision to stop as well as the decision to engage in post-stop enforcement like search, vehicular exits, use of force and arrest,” the study reads. “In general, the results were estimated with a very high degree of statistical confidence, survived multiple robustness tests, and were found across most years and troops/ stations. In the opinion of this study’s author, these disparities represent strong empirical evidence that NJ-SP is engaged in enforcement practices that result in adverse treatment towards minority motorists.”

Between 2012 and 2018, there were over 100 lawsuits brought against New Jersey police departments and officers for excessive force. Last year, one New Jersey county paid $10 million in a settlement for an excessive force lawsuit, according to the report.

The OSC report also outlines ways in which it says the 2021 conference “Undermined NJ’s Police Reform Initiatives.” Presenters at the conference “made comments glorifying violence and the application of military techniques to policing,” and multiple quoted statements made by presenters are included in the report.

presenter, made comments about “loving violence” and told those in attendance to “Be the calmest person in the room but have a plan to kill everyone.” Ralph Friedman, a former

New York City police department detective, stated he felt “victorious” for having killed people while on duty, according to the report.

At least one New Jersey law enforcement presenter is quoted in the report for promoting an “us vs. them” mentality during the conference, according to the report. Hopewell Township Police Department Captain Tom Rizzo described Street Cop as “starting a god damn army.”

OSC obtained and reviewed police department policies regarding antidiscrimination and harassment policies from employers of the New Jersey conference attendees and found that “most, if not all of the policies were implicated in some way by many of the speakers at the Conference.”

According to the report, presenters at the conference “made over 100 comments that touched on one or more of the protected characteristics under the NJLAD or otherwise violated the plain language of applicable anti-discrimination and harassment policies.” NJLAD stands for the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.

Sexual references and comments were also made throughout the conference, according to the report:

“During a presentation on Day 5 of the Conference titled ‘Social Media Investigations,’ instructor Nick Jerman, a current law enforcement officer for the Montgomery County Police Department, utilized several images of women in lingerie apparently from social media, one of which he referred to as a ‘human trafficking victim.’ The use of these images did not further his presentation in any relevant way. [Nick] Jerman also suggested that attendees use the investigative techniques learned in his class to their advantage in their ‘personal lives’ and discussed uncovering information online about a woman before approaching her at a wedding. He also used an image during his presentation that said ‘work stuff, not porn.’”

No Ewing Township police officers attended the Street Cop conference, according to Ewing Police Chief Albert Rhodes. No Campus Police officers were present at the conference either, according to Luke Sacks, the College’s head media relations officer.

According to ABC Minneapolis, Street Cop has since filed for bankruptcy. The filing stated that many Street Cop employees have since quit the company, and the organization has moved its operations to Florida. At least nine states have since banned police officers from receiving training credit for participating in Street Cop programs.

State

Images included at the 2021 Street Cop conference.

Photo courtesy of the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller

Features

Alumni Adventures: Jeff Kalafut’s unexpected paths and perserverance

By Nicholas Steinhauser Staff Writer

Life can play out in interesting ways. Many do not know where they will be 20 years from now. They may be doing things that they never imagined were possible. For Jeff Kalafut ‘98, life took him in a direction he never expected.

Kalafut majored in law and justice at the College and was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He enjoyed his time here, and he met friends who were present for the pivotal points that changed his career. “The people that I have met to this day are still my best friends and basically a second family to me,” said Kalafut.

After graduation, Kalafut had his plans set on law enforcement. He got

hired as a police officer by the Mount Olive Township Police Department in Morris County straight out of college at the age of 21.

Kalafut worked in this department for 18 years as a sergeant on the road. However, one late night, Kalafut’s life would change forever.

One night, when getting food for his squad, he saw a car on the side of the highway. There was a young man fighting with his mother in an attempt to run into ongoing traffic and kill himself. Kalafut ran over to the scene, with the young man charging at him, putting Kalafut at risk of being pushed into the road himself. He tackled the young man back, causing him to severely separate his left shoulder and tear a ligament in his right hand. The two continued to struggle for around four

minutes as Kalafut attempted to save this young adult from committing suicide.

After the event, Kalafut was sent to the hospital, unaware that this would be his last night suiting up as a cop. Despite having three surgeries and extensive physical therapy, the doctor told him that he could not go back to work. He was only 40 at this time. His hand has since recovered from the injury, but he still can barely lift his shoulder, which is ultimately why he could not return to the force.

Following this devastating news, Kalafut struggled for a year trying to decide what to do for the rest of his life. “I was angry, upset and confused because I went from a very fit and physically active person to somebody who couldn’t even hold himself in a push-up position or hold his kids overhead,” said Kalafut.

He added, “I was depressed, no doubt about it. I did talk to people to help me through it. Ironically, some of the people who helped me the most were my fraternity brothers from college who came to check on me.”

In Kalafut’s mind, he would be a cop for ten more years, work in public administration after that and then happily retire. Instead, his life got flipped upside down in almost every way.

“After this long year of struggle, I had a few people reach out to me asking if I ever thought of becoming a real estate agent, and I laughed at them,” said Kalafut. More people began asking him about becoming a real estate agent, and Kalafut became confused as to why they thought he was a good fit.

Another person asked about real estate a few months later, and Kalafut believed it was a message. After struggling for a year figuring out what to do, he started to do research and enrolled in a real estate class.

Once Kalafut received his real estate license, he began working at a small brokerage called Juba Team Realtor. As a competitive person, he was committed

to the real estate business from the day he started. He worked extremely hard by taking classes, reading books, doing research and anything that would improve his skills in the realtor field.

His business began to grow, and Kalafut became more and more successful every year. It got to a point where the brokerage he worked at could not support the business the way he wanted it to. He relocated to a new brokerage called Weichert Realtors in Chester to gain access to more agents and collaborative opportunities with other realtors.

It was at this point that Kalafut decided to get his brokerage license, and he then relocated to eXp Realty, which is the company he works at today. He also collaborated with a business partner of his to create the Pinnacle Partners Group. Kalafut, now in his seventh year of real estate, is a team leader of this group and recently celebrated the opening of the group’s first office.

“In seven years, I went from being a cop to going into sales, then a broker and finally to opening my own office,” stated Kalafut.

When asked about his current career thoughts, Kalafut said, “In my first two years in real estate, I would have given anything to go back to being a police officer, but not anymore. I love this real estate job just as much, if not more, than being a cop, and I never thought I would say that.”

Kalafut said it is quite easy to become a realtor and receive your license, but it is very difficult to do well in the business. Building relationships with people is key to doing well in the business, and realtors need to know what they are doing to relay the correct information to their clients.

“Never give up on yourself, as you have to be your biggest advocate,” said Kalafut. “Also, make sure to lean on the people around you who really care about you. Having a good support system is extremely important, as they are always there for you during the tough times.”

How one professor is working to expand environmental education across the state

By Tristan Weisenbach Managing Editor

This story was produced in collaboration with CivicStory and the New Jersey Sustainability Reporting Hub as part of the Ecology-Justice Reporting Fellowship.

At the College, students can now enroll in a five-course minor of environmental sustainability education—the only such program in New Jersey accredited by the North American Association of Environmental Education.

The minor, which consists of three core courses, one science elective, one non-science elective, and one independent study, comes thanks to the efforts of Dr. Lauren Madden, a professor of early childhood education. Madden has dedicated much of her research to environmental science, and she coordinates the minor and the College’s graduate certificate in environmental sustainability and education.

It took Madden and her colleagues several years to get the environmental sustainability education minor approved by the College, as the process required a lot of outreach to professors in other departments for approval to count their courses toward the minor. Without a surplus

of curriculum templates, she spent significant time seeking out and studying environmental education material from Canada in developing the minor.

“They had a lot more compulsory environmental [education] in schools there, so a lot of what we recommended for our curriculum came from Canadian textbooks,” Madden said. “We wanted to make sure everything we were doing prepared teachers effectively.”

One of Madden’s main goals is to provide teachers with the tools to better understand their students’ needs. Madden explained that students who live in areas that are more often impacted by the effects of climate change, such as flooding, need teachers who can explain why these environmental conditions are occurring. As such, her recent efforts have been focused on growing the graduate certificate in environmental sustainability and education, which launched in 2020.

“I have two grants that are sort of out in the air right now,” Madden said. “We’re hoping one or both hit soon, to fund fellowships for teachers to come and take the courses of the graduate certificate and hopefully build our program a little bit further.”

Madden has also worked to expand

climate change education in K-12 schools by collaborating closely with the New Jersey Department of Education and the New Jersey first lady’s office. Along with other climate educators, Madden reviewed the state’s climate education standards and provided broad feedback on drafts. In 2020, New Jersey became the nation’s first state to require climate change education in all grade levels across nearly all subject areas in public schools.

Thanks to the efforts of sociology professor Diane Bates in collaboration with Madden, the College is also launching a new environmental studies major this fall. She also helped secure a partnership with New York City’s American Museum of Natural History, which will allow students enrolled in the graduate certificate program to count courses in the museum’s Seminars on Science virtual learning series toward their certificate—an opportunity she says will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

Regarding the future of environmental education, Madden stressed again the importance for educators to meet the needs of their students, whether they’re “a kindergarten teacher or a college professor.”

“People who are going to teach in those schools need to be prepared to explain what’s happening, as well as meet the social, emotional needs and shift the type of teaching that they’re doing so they can still effect change and help kids,” she said. “And yes, that’s climate change education. But it’s also: Are we making sure that we’re preparing future teachers in a way that meets the future needs of our students?”

Photo courtesy of Jeff Kalafut

Jeff Kalafut ‘98 now works as a realtor for eXp, as a team leader and as a co-founder of Pinnacle Partners Group.

Photo courtesy of Lauren Madden

Lauren Madden worked to expand climate change education in K-12

A greener campus: TCNJ produces cost-effective and sustainable energy

By Isabella Darcy Arts & Entertainment Editor

Powering the College’s 289 acre campus, where there are over 38 buildings, requires copious amounts of energy. To purchase energy for the entire campus would rack up a hefty bill of many millions of dollars.

Rather than buying all the energy it needs from off-campus suppliers, the College is largely self-sufficient in energy production. The College saves millions of dollars every year through this self-reliance.

Most of the electricity that the College uses is produced on-campus at the College’s Central Utility Plant, with the remainder being supplied by Public Service Electric & Gas, New Jersey’s largest utility for delivering gas and electric services. The College also purchases some natural gas that is used at the CUP from PSE&G.

Concord Engineering Group, a consultant that works independently of the College, published a report on the CUP, stating that in the 12 months leading up to Dec. 20, 2023, the College purchased $2,584,543 worth of electricity from the grid through PSE&G, meaning it was not produced at the College.

The CUP generates heat and power simultaneously through a process known as cogeneration, where the excess steam generated during electricity production is utilized for heating and cooling purposes.

“We here at TCNJ use this waste product [steam] to both heat and cool our building which allows us

to be very energy efficient,” said Senior Director of Sustainability Paul Romano.

The energy produced through cogeneration at the CUP is less costly to the College compared to the electricity it purchases from PSE&G.

The College owns and operates the CUP and its distribution system, which transports electrical power throughout the campus. The CUP also distributes steam and chilled water for heating and cooling campus building spaces.

The cogeneration plant serves 38 buildings on campus with electricity, 31 buildings with steam and 21 buildings with chilled water, according to the Concord Engineering Group report.

TCNJam: Fundraising for childhood cancer

By Jessica Samborsky Correspondent

TCNJam is a well-known, studentled organization on campus that raises money for the Be Positive Foundation, aiming to “lessen the financial burden that is so often caused by childhood cancer by assisting families financially, raising awareness and funding research,” according to the TCNJam website.

The Be Positive, or B+, Foundation honors the life of Andrew McDonough who battled leukemia before passing away on July 14, 2007 at the age of 14. Andrew’s B+ blood type became his family and friends’ motto throughout his fight against childhood cancer –to “Be Positive,” according to the Be Positive Foundation website.

The fundraising for the B+ Foundation takes place year round through the hosting of events that aid with the raising of money. One event that occurred March 3rd was Racing to Raise, which consisted of a 5K, which was the club’s first time ever hosting one. The race turned out to be a massive success, with over 130 people signing up to participate.

Other events that TCNJam is hosting

include a flag football tournament towards the end of March and their most anticipated celebration of the year on April 13: TCNJam Dance Marathon 2024, which will consist of six hours of nonstop celebration.

Jessica Szpila, a junior elementary education and english major who is also special events chair of TCNJam, is a student who transferred to the College last year and explained her decision to be a crucial member of TCNJam.

“Last year, I transferred here and was looking to get involved. As I discovered TCNJam, I was interested in what they do and the impact they make,” said Szpila. “I wanted to be a part of it and signed up to be a special events chair for the E-board. It was the best decision I have ever made and I always tell people to get involved in the club.”

Szpila said one of the best parts of the club is being able to make a difference in a child’s life.

“We are kids helping kids and it is so rewarding to be able to help these families through just fundraising,” said Szpila.

The main goal of TCNJam is to grow the club with the addition of new members who are determined to lead TCNJam to a legacy.

“We want to grow TCNJam and for people to know what it is in order to guide them into a state of awareness and become interested,” stated Szpila.

Another goal the fundraising group has is to end up reaching six figures – and to raise the most money out of other college campuses contributing to the B+ Foundation.

Based on the progress made thus far, TCNJam is heading in the right direction. With students showing more interest in the club, TCNJam will be able to raise even more money for the families in need of helping their children fight childhood cancer!

Along with energy purchased from PSE&G and produced at the CUP, the College also utilizes solar power to produce electricity.

The College saves costs via solar power through its photovoltaic generation plant and solar power system. Photovoltaic cells are the main component of solar cells. Throughout the campus, there are solar panels located on the tops of buildings and in parking lots four and five.

The solar power produced can supply electricity to the campus, and the College can sell excess power it produces back to the grid.

“The total system produces 2,720,000 kWh per year, which equates to an approximate cost savings of

over $408,000 annually,” according to the College’s Environmental Sustainability Council.

The implementation of the solar panels was a part of the College’s sustainability plan. As this plan is being acted upon, the College is both partaking in cost-effective energy production measures and making efforts to be more environmentally sustainable.

The College’s goal is to be carbon neutral by the 2040s. To achieve this, energy efficiency across campus must be increased, such as by switching all lighting across campus to LED lighting.

“The Environmental Sustainability Council here at TCNJ have recently established an energy working group and intend to make energy the theme of our April meeting,” said Romano.

The College will have to juggle its efforts to be both cost-effective and environmentally sustainable when it comes to energy. If it can do that, the campus is on its way to becoming greener, both environmentally and financially.

Photo by Elizabeth Gladstone

The solar panels located in parking lots four and five were powered on for the first time in June 2023.

Photo by Jessica Szpila

TCNJam E-Board at the Racing to Raise 5k event on March 3rd.

Photo by Matthew Kaufman Electricity and steam are generated and distributed throughout the campus.

Joining student organizations can make or break your college experience

By Kate Zydor Opinions Editor

At the start of my college journey, I made it my mission to be as involved as possible in our campus community. I attended the club fair and began narrowing down the many student organizations I was interested in joining, but as someone who was not as heavily involved in high school compared to college, making these decisions was difficult.

I eventually decided on two that aligned with my passions for writing and leadership: The Signal and Student

Government, both of which have provided me with an irreplaceable sense of community.

Through my roles in both of these organizations, I have engaged in fulfilling work and formed invaluable relationships that continue to develop my character and individual strengths daily. With all transparency, I don’t believe I would love the College as much as I do now without the opportunities and experiences that these organizations have offered.

This is not to say you cannot have a successful college experience if you don’t join student organizations. However, I

Be cautious of ‘RateMyProfessors’ reviews

By Madeline Weir Staff Writer

“Oh, I checked their RateMyProfessors and it was horrible — don’t take a class with them,” is a sentence frequently heard on college campuses around the country. A website that lets students speak candidly about their experiences with professors seems like a useful tool, and a lot of students swear by the platform.

RateMyProfessors is a site consisting only of reviews written by students, about their professors. Reviews are required to have the course code, a one-to-five rating of the professor and their difficulty level, whether or not you would take the professor again, and a written review.

Other information can be added, including whether the class was taken for credit, if you needed a textbook, if attendance is mandatory, the grade you received and prewritten “tags” to choose from, such as “tough grader,” “extra credit,” “lecture heavy” and more. The date the review is posted is included in all published reviews.

While there are definite positives that come from RateMyProfessors, there are downsides that need to be addressed. Bias is present in many reviews, but the students writing such reviews would never admit to it. It is very possible that a student may not have wanted to put effort into a class and was mad when they had to study to get a good grade on a test. In that case, the review would not be an accurate review of the professor, but rather a reflection of the student’s work ethic.

Many students only post on RateMyProfessors when they’ve had a negative experience in a class. I often hear students saying they cannot wait until the end of the semester so they can take to the website and leave a review; however, I very rarely hear people say that they cannot

believe it becomes exponentially harder to feel personally connected to the college of your choice without doing so.

From conversations I’ve had with friends, those who did not get involved in student life seem to struggle with finding their sense of belonging at the College. Although they are doing well academically and have made friends, they feel as though something is keeping them from truly loving their experience.

Being involved doesn’t just mean showing up to meetings once a week; it’s about making your mark on campus in whatever way that may be: community service, advocacy work, cultural awareness – the list goes on and on. In finding what you’re passionate about outside of your academic major, you not only enrich your own college experience but also the experiences of others.

Student organizations provide you with valuable skills that cannot necessarily be learned from sitting in a classroom. They strengthen your teamwork abilities, self-confidence, time management skills and, most importantly, teach you about yourself and your interests. You never know if you’ll enjoy something if you don’t let yourself gain the experience.

Being comfortable working in groups and collaborating on projects designed to better an organization or institution is a long-lasting asset and one that will be equally as valuable in your chosen career as it is in college. Student organizations allow you to connect with people of all

backgrounds and lived experiences, each person bringing their unique perspective to the table. With this, learning to express your own opinions and troubleshoot problems with people of differing viewpoints is not just an academic or professional skill, but a life skill.

College is the place to branch out and explore who you are and the kinds of people you want to surround yourself with. By not taking advantage of the organizations offered on campus, you limit your opportunities to expand your social circle and form impactful connections. Many of my best friends are people that I met just last semester through the clubs that I’m involved in.

Student organizations also teach you the importance of time management as you are forced to learn how to balance your club responsibilities with your academics. This is undoubtedly challenging at times, but I believe that the reward outweighs the stress.

The person I was before my freshman year of college is not the same person I am now, and I credit much of this growth to my involvement on campus. Not once in my life did I believe I would run in a college election, let alone win, but because I decided to devote my time to putting myself out there, I am all the more independent and perseverant.

If you’re considering getting involved on campus, do it. Invest in yourself and your experience. You never know what you’ll be able to accomplish.

NEDAW lacked recognition and discussion

wait to write a positive review. While I acknowledge some students review every professor they have, that is not often the case. Because of this, overall averages for a professor’s ratings may be negatively and wrongfully affected.

Students forget to consider that professors are people too. We are only able to see professors in a classroom setting, and most do not talk about their lives outside of academia. Students have complaints about slow email times, poor attitude, lack of empathy and more, but what they fail to realize is that professors could be facing hardships in their personal lives that they do not disclose to their students.

While professors are there to teach, their lives do not revolve around students. Professors do not exist to be at your beck and call, especially when you are an adult who is capable of problem-solving. Office hours exist physically and virtually, and most professors can accommodate if a student cannot go at those times. Most questions students have can also be answered by reading the syllabus.

By taking every RateMyProfessors review seriously, students may rob themselves of amazing professors. I almost did not enroll in a class because of the reviews a certain professor received, however, I am thankful I did not give them merit because I would have missed out on one of my most valuable connections here at the College.

I ask everyone to take these points into account the next time you are registering for classes because you never know what you could miss out on. If you take a professor with bad ratings and the ratings turn out to be accurate, you are learning how to deal with difficult higher-ups in the future. In the real world, you cannot change your boss if you do not like them, you simply have to learn how to manage your discomfort and keep producing work to the best of your ability.

By Isabella Darcy Arts & Entertainment Editor

In the days following this year’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, I am reflecting on the apparent lack of attention that this time received. The overall absence of discussion surrounding eating disorders during the week that they were supposed to be a focal point of conversation was disappointing, to say the least.

Once the week began on Feb. 26, not once did I hear someone speak about its presence. The only place that I observed any discussion was on social media, primarily in comment sections of proeating disorder recovery accounts. Many mainstream news organizations did not post about the topic on their social media, and neither did many public figures.

This lack of dialogue is extremely unfortunate, especially considering the number of people who struggle with eating disorders. 28.8 million Americans, or 9% of the United States population, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime, according to the National Eating Disorders Association.

Eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate among all psychiatric illnesses, according to NEDA. These illnesses are deadly, yet they are seldom talked about in an open setting.

The last and only time I engaged in an open conversation about eating disorders with individuals outside of my close circle was in my elementary school health class. The discussion was quick and devoid of depth. Since that fraction of a health class, anytime eating disorders have been brought up, people have been awkward and quick to move on from the topic.

I can only blame this widespread

lack of comfort with the subject on the absence of dialogue surrounding it.

Everyone should be doing work to destigmatize eating disorders, but colleges especially must be actively trying to combat these psychological conditions.

It is difficult to find a uniform percentage of college students who struggle with eating disorders because not every school screens for these mental health issues. However, there are some surveys and studies that reveal the prevalence of eating disorders on college campuses.

According to the National Library of Medicine, “Evidence from a variety of sources indicates that symptoms of eating disorders are pervasive in college populations. Prevalence estimates of current [eating disorders] among college students range from 8% to 17%.”

8% to 17% is a large number when it is applied to thousands of students, like most colleges have. It is unacceptable for colleges to give minimal attention to these mental health problems that affect so many of their students.

The College did not advertise any events related to NEDAW in its weekly “This Week at TCNJ” email, except for Weight ≠ Worth — a support group that is advertised every week in the email. As stated in the email, the support group is peer-led and available to any student at the College who struggles with an unhealthy preoccupation with food, weight or appearance.

While it is great that the support group exists and is advertised weekly, the College should have done more to recognize eating disorders during the week of awareness.

Read more on our website!

Photo by Shane Gillespie

Student organizations provide students with an irreplaceable sense of community.

The hunger crises in South Sudan and the Gaza Strip must be addressed

By Paige Gould Staff writer

Food is power. As seen in South Sudan and the Gaza Strip, the lack thereof symbolizes a power imbalance and points to the instability these vulnerable populations face.

The power dynamics in South Sudan prove, through the lack of action to end the humanitarian crisis, that its government does not care about its people. Similarly, the power dynamics in historic Palestine have the same effect with colonial Israel

refusing to acknowledge Palestinian land as a territory that they forcefully acquired, displacing millions of natives.

Political immobility among these regions has deteriorated the health of South Sudanese and Palestinian peoples. Therein lies the intersection of acute food insecurity and political challenges that harm the well-being of Black and brown bodies.

Hunger is dangerous to conflictstricken, international populations. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), almost 2.1

Ali Hazelwood is changing the romance genre

By Kelly Kim Correspondent

As much as I hate to admit it, purely because of how typical it may seem, romance novels are my favorite genre to read. Maybe it’s because I love to believe in the unrealistic outcomes of a life I will never live, or perhaps it’s the seemingly natural nuances that blossom between the two main characters. Either way, I fall victim to any love trope there possibly is.

TikTok and the creation of one of its many niches, “BookTok,” help boost not only the literary community in general but also contribute to shedding light on seemingly worthwhile reads.

BookTok is how I found “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood, a romance novel that details the comical and intensive journey of Olive, a Stanford Ph.D. student who finds herself constantly entangled in awkward situations with the one person she believes hates her with a burning passion: Adam, the most intimidating and coldhearted, yet brilliant professor and scientist at the institution.

While this novel is your typical misunderstanding trope, Hazelwood reaches a perfect balance of romance that doesn’t detract from the fact that Olive is a focused, motivated and driven woman, interested in continuing her research while also trying to navigate the notions of a potential relationship. It’s just a fringe benefit that the story is doused with so many sweet moments it’s enough to make the reader sick.

After reading this book, I can confidently say that Hazelwood is one of the best romance writers I have encountered.

Although there are obvious elements necessary for a romance novel that Hazelwood hits like so many other authors, like establishing that their connection with one another is different from that of others, her books have a central and sustained pattern in which the storylines and the characters themselves all have some connection to science, tech, engineering and mathematics, commonly referred to as STEM. This unique concept not only allows Hazelwood to stand out in an ocean of other romance genre writers, but it also allows her to intertwine her outside passions and

million people in the Gaza Strip were classified as being in a state of ‘Crisis’ or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) from Nov. 24, 2023, through Dec. 7, 2023.

Nearly 939,000 people were in ‘Emergency’ (IPC Phase 4), and an additional 377,000 people were in ‘Catastrophe’ (IPC Phase 5).

The Gaza Strip is highly vulnerable to this hunger crisis, especially the northern Gaza Strip. Israel’s military told the Palestinian people to evacuate to Rafah, the Southernmost part of Gaza, on Oct. 13th, further fueling the unrest that we’re seeing.

Famine is prevalent among the besieged population in Gaza. As Joseph Schechla, a United Nations official who served as a representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Palestine, said, “It’s considered a war crime and a crime against humanity to deny food, the means of existence and subsistence to a people or to any identifiable group on the basis of discrimination.”

Meanwhile, South Sudan also faces a hunger catastrophe alongside the climate crisis and an increasing Sudanese refugee population.

According to Al Jazeera, failure to produce a stable country after its conception in 2011 is one of the causes of this hunger crisis. A consequence of this instability is the nation’s dependency syndrome, stemming from a reliance on

interests with her love of writing.

Being a woman in STEM herself, Hazelwood has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and understands the challenges women face in the field, ranging from imposter syndrome to discriminatory work settings to being the only woman in a male-dominated room. Regarding these struggles, she takes her reallife experiences and shares them through her characters, demonstrating the hardships women like herself must face to excel.

However, it is through those hardships that Hazelwood also emphasizes the importance of having women in STEM stay in STEM, and that while there are some harsh days, the motivation to continue studying what you love about science itself should never be trumped by doubt put on by others.

Promoting the idea that a woman doesn’t have to choose between having a career or love but can have both, especially a career in STEM, is something young girls can now see as viable and capable, thanks to Ali Hazelwood.

Women shouldn’t have to imagine the two elements as separate but rather as complements to one another – to indulge in the romance while also being incredibly confident and intelligent in what they do best.

high amounts of foreign aid. Fatigued donor powers have been pumping billions into South Sudan, meanwhile, oil revenue disproportionately lined the pockets of South Sudanese government officials.

South Sudan’s current government has failed to reorient its politics to accommodate its population. As it stands, South Sudan is not ready to have its scheduled presidential election in December 2024

Alan Boswell, Horn of Africa director of the International Crisis Group, stated since the beginning of South Sudan’s conception, the people suffering are the result of the failed state. Boswell has lost hope in the current president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, to make a genuine change for his people.

Food insecurity has given rise to communal violence, where the populations are being displaced. People are still suffering to an extent beyond our imaginations.

The bridge between food insecurity and political inertia in regions like South Sudan and the Gaza Strip highlights the dire consequences of extreme hunger on vulnerable populations. The deprivation of food not only reflects power imbalances but also exacerbates existing vulnerabilities, particularly among marginalized communities. Urgent action is needed if the cycle of instability is to break and to improve the well-being of those affected.

Passions often shift at the college level

By Briana Keenan Correspondent

Transitioning into and out of different phases of my life, I have realized that the pastimes I once saw as my main passions have shifted.

In middle school, dance was my number one passion. I took classes in every style, stretched two times a day outside of dance and trained almost every day at my home studio for competitions and conventions.

In my sophomore year of high school, I realized that dance was something that I did not want to be as involved in because of my desire to pursue other newfound passions. Plus, coming from a single-parent home required me to carefully select where to expend our savings, and considering dance is an expensive sport, I decided to cut back.

I danced at my home studio through senior year, but I stopped classes in ballet, contemporary and competitive jazz. I kept up with my two favorite styles – tap and hip hop – and competed in those while having more time to discover my passion for journalism.

I became involved in my high school’s news publication during my freshman year. I took a journalism class and became a staff writer, eventually editing for several sections and becoming editor-in-chief my senior year.

Journalism was such a strong passion of mine that I thought it would eventually become my career. My journalism teacher said that she could see me as a reporter for well-known newspapers and that I could really make a name for myself. I agreed, and applied to all of my college choices as a journalism major.

After starting my freshman year at the College, I immediately became involved in The Signal, WTSR and Lions TV, primarily covering news for each of these outlets. I truly enjoyed it and was excited to further explore the realms of journalism and

try things that I was not able to in high school.

While journalism is still a beloved passion of mine and I am a writer at heart, I realized that this passion has also shifted and was something that I no longer saw myself having a career in. As a result, I changed my major to speech-language pathology and audiology and will begin taking major-specific courses in the fall.

The main takeaway I have learned from these shifts is that I can still thoroughly enjoy these passions, even though they are not as high up on my list anymore. As a college student, I am still involved in both writing and dance, though not as heavily as I was in my days as a middle and high school student.

I am a part of the College’s Tap Ensemble, where I decided to keep up with my passion for tap dance and stay active. I still get to perform quite often and have met amazing friends through the organization with the same passion, though we know that dance is no longer as big a part of our lives.

Although I am no longer as involved in journalism, here I am writing an opinion article. I never thought of myself to be an opinion writer — I was a news writer at heart — but I have realized that I can keep writing in my life since I genuinely enjoy journalism.

The flexibility that the College has offered me with these different student organizations and in allowing me to explore new passions is something that I will be forever thankful for.

I am not exactly sure where speech pathology will take me, but as I have with my other passions, I am excited to embark on a new journey and continue learning. My current predictions for the future and where I will end up working may shift, just as it has with dance and journalism.

All I know is that I can continue to be involved in these passions of mine and that I will end up where I am meant to be in my career.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Acute food insecurity in South Sudan and the Gaza Strip reveals power inbalances.

Photo courtesy of Amazon Book cover of the Love Hypothesis.

People are more than their political views and affiliations

By Kate Zydor Opinions Editor

With the 2024 presidential election rapidly approaching, tensions are rising between voters on the left and the right side of the political aisle. Campaign season has officially begun and politicians are taking on one another in the media while working tirelessly to convince the American people that they are best suited to be the leader of the free world.

Reproductive rights, gun control, immigration laws and the state of the economy are issues that both sides are passionate about, with former

President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden taking vastly opposing stances. This divide is so great that there are no clear policies proposed that will appease voters on both sides of the spectrum.

It is important for us as college students, especially as a new generation of voters, to advocate for our beliefs and form educated political opinions. With that being said, in my day-to-day life and on social media, I have encountered many individuals who will judge a person’s character based on their political views.

A person’s politics are shaped by many factors including their

upbringing, lived experiences, religion, race and socioeconomic status. Our opinions and unique ways of thinking are what make us special as individuals and allow for independent thinking.

Take reproductive rights and immigration as examples. People’s viewpoints are shaped by the lens through which they see the world. I do not believe that by being pro-life, people are inherently against women’s rights, nor do I believe that a person who advocates for open borders is a proponent of crime.

There are just two examples of common stereotypes, weaponized by political parties to convince the American people that the other side does not care for their well-being. We as young people cannot and should not be so easily manipulated.

But, despite our differences, certain sentiments unite us and are ones that most can identify with. For instance, if I decided to randomly survey students at the College about their attitudes towards racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination, I am confident that 99% of respondents would agree that they do not stand for such prejudice. The view that discrimination is wrong is not political, but one that has to do with a person’s sense of humanity.

At the end of the day, people are defined by how they treat and respect others and their desire for selfbetterment – not by their politics. When you think of who you are as a person, is the first thing that comes to mind politics? I guarantee you that it’s not. You’re most likely picturing

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CLARIFICATION

your family, friends, achievements, hobbies, positive traits or the struggles that you have overcome. We must keep this in mind when we’re tempted to judge someone based on which end of the political spectrum they identify with.

Throughout high school and, now, college, I’ve seen too many friendships end over arguments over who a person supports politically. By limiting our possibilities for communication with people of competing parties and interests, we also limit our opportunities to understand society in deeper and more meaningful ways.

You’ll never persuade someone to your way of thinking without first taking the time to understand their perspective. Being educated on an issue involves knowledge of the history of how the issue evolved to what it is today – not just reading headlines and internet summaries. Internalizing opposing views challenges us to craft better justifications for our own, and in some cases, changes the way that we see a situation.

Can you imagine only associating with people who thought the same as you about everything? That would be a horribly boring way to live. We can only arrive at solutions to some of these complex problems that face society by learning the art of listening to one another.

By listening, I don’t mean that we have to agree; but, we do have to earn one another’s respect and seek to understand one another’s points of view.

Alena Bitonti Features Editor

Eddie Young Sports Editor

Aliyah Siddiqui Nation & World Editor Administrative Staff

Elizabeth Gladstone Multimedia Coordinator

Shane Gillespie Photo Editor

Ela Kirimca Social Media Coordinator

Jenna Weldon Web Editor

Liam Simonelli Editorial Cartoonist

Kathleen Webber Faculty Advisor

In the March 1 edition, in the article “Archivists, director of Odessa Fine Arts Museum discuss protecting art during war,” there was an inaccurate paraphrasing sentence stating “One of the ways in which we can prevent cultural genocide is through diligent documentation, said Schiff.” It has since been removed from the article.

POLICIES

The Signal is published bi-weekly during the academic year and not financed by the Student Activity Fund but solely by advertisement revenue. Any student may submit articles to The Signal. Publication of submitted articles is at the discretion of the editors. All materials submitted become the sole property of The Signal.

The Letters section is an open forum for opinions. Submissions that announce events or advertise in any way will not be printed.

The Signal willingly corrects mistakes. If you think we have made a mistake, contact us signal@tcnj.edu.

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People are defined by how they treat and respect others – not by their politics.

National security concerns may lead to TikTok ban in U.S.

By Gauri Patel Staff Writer

The United States House of Representatives passed a bill on March 13 that gives TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, six months to divest the popular social media app or risk facing a nationwide ban, according to The Washington Post.

The legislation, dubbed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, is the latest move by Washington to respond to concerns that TikTok is a threat to national security due to the app being controlled by a foreign adversary.

It was introduced by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, according to The

Washington Post. It was unanimously passed two days later by members of the Energy and Commerce Committee to advance to the full House. The bill passed by a bipartisan vote of 352-65 and will move forward to the Senate.

Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have expressed concerns over TikTok’s foreign ownership, warning that parent company ByteDance could share the personal information of the 170 million Americans who use the app with the Chinese government. A law passed in 2017 requires companies in China to hand over any personal data relevant to national security to Beijing. Although there is no evidence that TikTok has given such data, according to The Associated Press, fear stems from the vast amount of user data that would be compromised if the Chinese government demands

access in the future.

TikTok has denied allegations that it shares user data with the Chinese government. CEO Shou Zi Chew has also denied TikTok’s alleged connections to China in previous Senate hearings. In a short video clip shared to TikTok, Chew expressed his disappointment after the bill was passed in the House and vowed to persist in preventing it from being signed into law.

“Over the last few years, we have invested to keep your data safe in our platform, free from outside manipulation; we have committed that we will continue to do so,” Chew said in the message, addressing the users of TikTok. “We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you. We believe we can overcome this together.”

TikTok has directly urged its users through pop-up messages on the app to contact lawmakers to express their opposition to the bill. Congressional offices have been inundated with calls from users demanding an end to their efforts, forcing offices to shut off their phones at times, according to The Associated Press. Those who supported the bill say this tactic backfired as it “provided members a preview of how the platform could be weaponized to inject disinformation into our system,” according to Gallagher.

Despite the bill passing in the House, several lawmakers opposed the legislation, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) who said the bill was rushed and the public should be informed of national security concerns prior to a vote. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) also said

that consumers should be informed of data privacy concerns, and they should have the freedom to make their own decisions, according to The Associated Press. There were also concerns that the ban could impact the economy in addition to entrepreneurs and small businesses that rely on the app to promote their products and services.

President Joe Biden, who created a TikTok account in February as part of his re-election campaign, endorsed the legislation, saying that if the bill is passed, he will sign it. Meanwhile, former president and likely Republican nominee Donald Trump has spoken out against the ban, saying in an interview with CNBC that it would make Facebook’s parent company, Meta, a stronger company, which he considers an “enemy of the people.”

The bill faces an uncertain path as it heads to the Senate, but prospects for its enactment into law appear likely after the two leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), released a joint statement expressing their support for the bill, according to The Washington Post.

“We were encouraged by today’s strong bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives, and look forward to working together to get this bill passed through the Senate and signed into law,” Warner and Rubio said in the joint statement.

The legislation’s fate now rests in the Senate, where lawmakers will weigh TikTok’s national security concerns against considerations for the rights of users and the potential economic impacts of a ban before voting on the bill.

Super Tuesday leaves clearer picture of 2024’s general election candidates

By Rajika Chauhan Staff Writer

The nation’s primary elections are in full swing as the country readies itself for this November’s presidential contest. Beginning in early January with Iowa and New Hampshire, primaries will continue across the 50 states until the Democratic and Republican National Conferences take place over the summer, during which delegates from both parties will select the candidate to represent them in the general election.

This year’s contest has shaped out to be quite predictable, with the major nominee from each party settling out as the current and previous president. In the early days of the primary competition, neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump were running uncontested, with the Republican race being especially crowded. Steep losses for the candidates running against Trump in the early primaries of Iowa and New Hampshire drove many out of the race, including Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramawamy.

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was for several weeks the lone holdout, persistent in her commitment to the race despite staggering losses in the later Nevada and South Carolina primaries. Haley had positioned herself as a strong and necessary conservative alternative to

Trump, arguing that voters deserved to have a choice beyond a default to the former president, according to the New York Times.

Super Tuesday, which took place on March 5, was the biggest deciding night for the candidacy of both parties. According to New York Times, 854 delegates were at stake in the Republican race, which accounts for more than a third of all delegates available for the nomination. Of all states and districts that have held their primaries thus far, Haley had won only Vermont and Washington DC, trailing Trump with 62 delegates to 751.

Following her losses on Super Tuesday, Haley announced on March 6 that she was suspending her campaign, acknowledging that she no longer had a viable path forward to the nomination.

“I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard. I have done that,” Haley said in a brief speech in Charleston, South Carolina. “I have no regrets. And while I will no longer be a candidate, I will not stop using my voice for the things I believe in.”

Haley has remained noncommittal in regards to whether she will offer Trump an endorsement for the general election, a move that would be a significant leap given the harsh words she has had for her opponent over the past several months. The

competition between the two had grown especially heated in the weeks leading up to Haley’s defeat, with the president calling her “Birdbrain” and Haley making references to Trump’s indictments, according to the WSJ.

With Haley’s departure, the Republican nomination is firmly in place for Donald Trump, after months of speculation over whether his legal troubles would jeopardize his path to the November election. Biden is similarly secure in his status as the Democratic nominee, with what few opponents he had running against him

dropping out after Super Tuesday, and his total electorate count reaching 1,968 as of March 11, according to the Guardian.

The country can now look ahead to a 2024 election with the same names on the ballot as four years ago, although the political climate framing it has changed starkly. The early outcome of the primaries will make this one of the longest general election campaigns in recent memory, offering both candidates a significant amount of time to bolster their own positions.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

The U.S. House passed a bill that could ban TikTok in the U.S.

Photo courtesy of Flickr Super Tuesday left Donald Trump and Joe Biden as presidential frontrunners.

U.S. vetoes U.N. resolution for Gaza ceasefire, says better deal is on the way

By Rajika Chauhan Staff Writer

The U.S. was the sole naysayer in a U.N. Security Council vote on Feb. 20 to produce a demand for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. According to AP News, the vote stood 13-1, with the U.K. abstaining, putting an end to the Arab-backed call for a cessation of violence in the Gaza Strip and the provision of vital humanitarian aid.

Since the war began following Hamas’ armed invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, the Gaza Health Ministry reports that more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed, a product of Israel’s military assault against Hamas. The Israeli government has pledged itself to eradicating the presence of Hamas in

the Palestinian territories.

The Security Council’s latest vote was the third since last November, none of which have won unanimous approval. The November vote called for a humanitarian pause and the provision of aid to Palestinian victims, with another December proposal reiterating the need for a ceasefire and faster aid deliveries, according to NPR. The most recent declaration was raised by the 22-member Arab council of the U.N. and demanded both the release of all Israeli hostages as well as a protection against the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians.

The declaration reiterates the need for a two-state solution, which is strongly contested by the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. AP News reports that

E.U. announces new regulation on AI

By Shaim Akhtar Staff Writer

The European Union recently announced new legislation for artificial intelligence programs, marking one of the first instances of the organization regulating the technology.

The regulations aim to enhance transparency in data collection and human oversight in high-risk systems surrounding infrastructure or medical devices, with the intention of lowering risks of failure, according to Forbes.

Moreover, the EU contends that policies, such as banning emotion recognition and biometric identification for private use, would ensure the safety and fundamental rights of people and businesses concerning artificial intelligence. The EU also believes that the AI policy would aid in strengthening uptake, investment and innovation in the technology across Europe.

The EU’s AI Office will oversee policy in member states in order to encourage collaboration, innovation and research in the technology among stakeholders.

The EU’s website states, “As AI is a rapidly evolving technology, the

the Israeli government is currently pushing to evacuate civilians from Rafah, where many Palestinians have taken refuge, and continue its offensive in the area nearing the Egypt border.

The proposal was widely supported by the U.N. member nations, with the U.S. breaking out as an exception with its issue of a veto in pursuit of an improved deal. The U.S. claims it is working on a proposal which will secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages while making provisions for a sustained ceasefire, and argues that this will be a more compelling package than the current Arab resolution.

U.S. Ambassador Linda ThomasGreenfield aimed to offer some context to the decision, explaining that approving the current resolution would have hindered the improved deal on which the U.S. is currently working.

She explained that the U.S. deal would “do what this text does not — pressure Hamas to take the hostage deal that is on the table and help secure a pause that allows humanitarian assistance to reach Palestinian civilians in desperate need.”

The U.N. ambassador to Algeria, Amar Bendjama, strongly condemned the U.S.’s vote of disapproval in a statement.

“A vote in favor of this draft resolution is a support to the Palestinians right to life,” Bendjama said. “Conversely, voting against it implies an endorsement of the brutal violence and collective punishment inflicted against them.”

The U.S. has argued that accepting the Arab deal would prevent the establishment of a more permanent peace, offering a brief resolution without any incentive for the war

to end, according to the New York Times. The release of hostages provided for in the U.S. plan would hold Hamas to a longer abstinence from violence.

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan echoed sentiments from his government in his condemnation of the ceasefire proposal, arguing that allowing a ceasefire to pass would give Hamas time to reorganize and rearm itself.

The next option for the Arab council is to turn its resolution over to the U.N. General Assembly, which would allow all 193 member nations to take a vote, according to AP News. The resolution is likely to be supported in this forum, but the General Assembly’s declarations are not legally binding, unlike those of the Security Council.

The U.S. resolution at this point calls for a ceasefire as soon as it becomes practical, depending on the arrangements made for the release of hostages. It is significant in that it represents the first usage of the term “ceasefire” in a U.S.-led initiative. The Biden administration has taken a turn in its approach towards the war in recent months, shifting from a strong backing of Israel to moves more critical of the government’s unmitigated assault against Palestinian civilians, according to the NYT. Specifically, the U.S. draft criticizes calls from Israeli ministers to resettle Gaza or issue territorial changes.

The issuing of the U.S. resolution in the coming weeks will be a test of the extent to which the Biden administration has changed its stance, and the key determinant of next steps in bringing a reprieve to a bloody and costly war.

Murphy proposes new budget for NJ

proposal takes a future-proof approach, enabling rules to adapt to technological changes. AI applications must maintain trustworthiness even after entering the market, necessitating ongoing quality and risk management by providers.”

The legislation is yet to undergo formal adoption and translation within member states; the EU claims the policies will become applicable two years later. However, regulations for general-purpose AI models will apply after 12 months, while the regulations for AI systems integrated into regulated products will take effect after 36 months.

The regulations on artificial intelligence from the EU policy have prompted numerous political leaders and corporate organizations to voice their reaction to the legislation.

“At the request of policymakers in the E.U., in September 2022 we provided an overview of our approach to deploying systems like GPT-3 safely, and commented on the then-draft of the [AI Act] based on that experience. Since then, the [AI Act] has evolved substantially and we’ve spoken publicly about the technology’s advancing capabilities and adoption,” said a spokesperson from OpenAI to TIME. “We continue to engage with policymakers and support the E.U.’s goal of ensuring AI tools are built, deployed and used safely now and in the future.”

Furthermore, EU General Secretary Marija Pejčinović Burić said, “This first-of-a-kind treaty will ensure that the rise of Artificial Intelligence upholds Council of Europe legal standards in human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Its finalization by our Committee on Artificial Intelligence is an extraordinary achievement and should be celebrated as such.”

While there is a long path before the EU’s regulations on artificial intelligence go into effect, there is no doubt that the impact of the legislation will have a significant ripple on the relationship between AI and government control.

By Abigail Gilder Staff Writer

Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivered an address proposing a more consumer-friendly budget for the fiscal year 2025 in New Jersey on Feb. 27. This budget includes raised corporate taxes, raised state revenue taxes and more funding toward specific sections of the state’s infrastructure.

Prior to his presentation on the new budget, Murphy claimed that his proposal was intended to “keep our state and economy moving forward,” according to NBC.

Murphy’s budget is among the highest proposed, including a surplus of $6.1 billion, where $3.5 billion dollars are meant to go towards direct property tax relief. The budget also includes $82.5 million towards Pharmaceutical Assistance for the Aged and Disabled and Senior Gold programs, which cut costs for prescriptions.

While the budget suggested is large in its entirety, Murphy states that it is meant to serve the people and help low income families afford many basic necessities. He said that “from lowering the cost of prescription drugs to lightening the weight of property taxes, our budget will help more families save more money,” according to NBC.

Murphy has additionally allocated $3.1 billion towards colleges and universities in New Jersey, leading to increased affordability of higher education. The

budget builds on an on-going promise to allow New Jerseyeans to have a “low-cost college education by 2025,” according to North Jersey News.

A large focus of Murphy’s budget is the proposed tax increases on large corporations, which is meant to further fund the NJ Transit System. While it is expected to generate $818 million in revenue, many corporations are outraged at these new impositions. According to the New Jersey Monitor, Tom Bracken, CEO of the state Chamber of Commerce, called this new tax a “major step backwards,” and others have voiced similar sentiments.

Murphy’s new budget also included $1.8 billion more than projected revenues. While he claims this increase will benefit the people, some are concerned of the effects this budget will have on state revenue taxes as it would increase the annual spending to “a record-high” of almost $56 billion, according to NJ Spotlight News.

Some Republican lawmakers also expressed concern about the state’s surplus, which would decrease by $2 billion, and criticized Murphy as a result of this budget proposal, as reported by the NJ Monitor.

“History has shown us, over the next few months, Democrats will add hundreds of millions of dollars for pet projects in their communities. These budget add-ons do not make New Jersey stronger, only more expensive,” Republican Sen. Jon Bramnick said.

This new budget, if passed, will not begin until July 1.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The U.N. Security Council vote on a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was vetoed.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Gov. Murphy proposed a new state budget for fiscal year 2025.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The rules aims to increase transparency.

Finding hope and identity in Princeton Art

By Lilly Ward Staff Writer

In the Princeton Bainbridge Gallery’s latest exhibit, “Reciting Women: Alia Bensliman & Khalilah Sabree,” two Muslim-American artists based in Trenton draw on their personal and spiritual experiences. The exhibition is an exploration of imagery in order to document and honor the constant evolution of cultural identity.

The work of Alia Bensliman, born Tunis, Tunisia, and Khalilah Sabree, born Macon, Georgia, offers insight into the challenge of bridging tradition and modernity as well as the sacred and the secular.

In Sabree’s work, the resilience of the human spirit in the face of war and oppression

lingers between layers of transparent figures and architecture. Her suite of paintings, “Destruction of a Culture,” stemmed from a picture taken during hajj – the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. The image depicts two African women looking over a fence with their backs to the Kaaba, a shrine located near the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca.

Each of these works has about the same dimensions as a window, offering an intimate view into the loss and destruction of community life that results from war.

“Destruction of a Culture” contains images of a deteriorating crumbling city with figures who have a ghostly but strong presence on the canvas. Their existence orients the viewer in the scenes that unfold as women grasp prayer beads and look on towards the future

BANDS / Wind Ensemble rings in the spring season

Continued from page 1

The fifth and sixth pieces, “Voices Shouting Out” and “Concerto in E-Flat” respectively, were especially places where nerves needed to be tamed because they featured a solo instrument. The soloists proved that this failed to be a problem.

Deivy Meija, the senior saxophone soloist for the fifth piece, owned the stage with a gentle and slow melody that captured the emotion of the work. Not to be outdone, Alex Bender, best known for his role in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, played a grandiose trumpet solo for the sixth piece that had the audience hanging on every note.

While these pieces may have sounded relatively perfect to the average listener, sophomore bass trombonist Ryan Polizzi suggested that performing these types of songs isn’t as easy as it sounds.

“Having a soloist means that even when given melodic material, the ensemble is always the role of

they now face literally. The rough quality of the deteriorating architectural features is contrasted with the soft folds of fabric of the women’s garments. There are glimpses of hope amidst the turmoil: A string of prayer beads or a blue sky peeking out through an archway, depicting the surroundings as sacred. Despite the precariousness of their surroundings the women persist.

“They are not mere onlookers but active participants, able to foresee a changing world that remains hidden from others,” said Sabree in her artist’s statement.

Bensliman’s paintings also represent women at a crossroads. Her work is inspired by her roots which belong to a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa, known as the Amazigh. She incorporates in the background of her portraits patterns that reference a style of mosaic tilework made from individually hand-chiseled pieces known as zellij. This kind of tilework is unique to the architecture in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Bensliman remembers seeing the mathematical, exact patterns of zellij tiles everywhere in the architecture of Tunisia. In her portraits of Amazigh women, Bensliman creates a contrast between the precise lines of the zellij patterns and the delicate sweeps of color used to portray the subject.

She portrays the identity of the women through their elaborate jewelry and tattoos. A woman with a tattoo of a moon and stars symbolizes her motherhood, while another represents a palm leaf, a symbol associated with marriage. The combination of the traditional garments, jewelry and patterns

heighten the intensity of the figure’s presence. This potent combination allows the viewer to revel in the celebration of cultural identity and the traditions and legacies that the women embody.

The character lended to the portraits modernizes them. Each of the women are distinct individuals. In Bensliman’s piece, “Symbiotic Juxtaposition,” the two women’s personalities are opposite but complementary.

“One is mischievous and one is reserved,” said Bensliman in her artist’s statement. “The arabesque and calligraphy are also distinct, yet they complement each other.”

There’s a sense of urgency in her work related to keeping this balance between individuality and collectivism, as best represented by her triple self-portrait which is about “always trying to find a balance.”

In “Me Myself and I : Unfinished Conversation,” there are three images of the artist on the canvas. Rendered in a vivid watercolor palette, this triple self-portrait mirrors the duality of the multiple roles taken on in Bensliman’s lifetime. She is a mother, an artist and an immigrant.

The portrait in the middle is surrounded by a golden halo of calligraphy, breaking the zellij pattern. The woman in the center stares directly back at the viewer, as if to assert her ability to embody and balance all three roles at once.

In both Sabree’s and Bensliman’s work, duality exists. There is the assertion of identity that exists while celebrating cultural belonging, and the ability to find the sacred even while surrounded by loss.

the accompanist,” Polizzi said. “So it is easy to play too loud at times, forgetting that we must support instead of compete.”

Marrano also noted that “Kaleidoscope Eyes” and “Concerto in E-Flat” were rehearsed within a relatively short time frame — two weeks to be exact. But the band performed these songs in such a way that it would have been hard to guess that they’d been pressed for time.

The final piece, “Dancing Fire,” made for an unforgettable finale; the band decided to mix it up by making it all over the place with each instrument adding their flair to the piece. The ending could only be described as a loud and excited farewell to the audience.

“[The best part] was being able to simply enjoy the music,” Polizzi said. “When everything’s prepared and it’s the day of the concert, all of the hard work is past you and you can now just focus on making music with people. It’s a delayed gratification I never get tired of.”

Photo by Lilly Ward

“Symbiotic Juxtaposition,” 2023, Alia Bensliman

The Wind Ensemble on the Kendall Hall stage. Photo courtesy of Colleen Sears

A look at the most memorable moments from 2024 Oscars

By Chiara Piacentini Staff Writer

At this year’s Oscars, there was no shortage of note-worthy moments by actors and actresses alike. The ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, beginning at 4 p.m. on March 10. Many celebrities had the honor of taking home an Oscar for one of the 23 categories.

While most of this year’s Oscar winners were to be expected, the production did manage to sneak in a couple of eyebrow-raising stunts to keep us on our toes. Take John Cena, who decided to streak across the stage with the Oscar winner envelope strategically placed over his pelvis.

Cena, along with a host of other notable celebrities, made appearances at the Dolby Theater in the Ovational Hollywood mall.

Following the Oscar’s conventional theme, “Oppenheimer” took the cake, earning seven awards in all, including two from the most coveted categories: best picture and best director. The only unconventional part of the “Oppenheimer” Oscar victory can be attributed to the film’s director, Christopher Nolan; he continually glanced at the trophy in his hand as he gave his awards speech, unable to contain his disbelief in winning his first Oscar.

“Poor Things” came in second place with a total of four Oscars to its name. Emma Stone created the biggest upset of the night for

winning the best actress award over “Killer of the Flower Moon’s” Lily Gladstone, but not without ripping her dress in the process.

“My dress is broken,” she said. “I think it happened during [Ryan Gosling’s performance of] ‘I’m just Ken.’”

It turns out that Ryan Gosling’s performance of “I’m Just Ken” was such a memorable part of the event that even Stone’s dress couldn’t contain its excitement. And for good reason. Gosling sang the tune while emerging from the audience and onto the stage. He also paid homage to Marilyn Monroe’s rendition of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” by having his backup dancers hold up fat heads of Barbie doll replicas of her face. At the same time, Gosling was held up and spun around by two other backup dancers in the middle of the fathead crowd. Slash and Eddie van Halen’s son, Wolfgang van Halen, even got in on the action with guitar riff solos of their own.

While viewers were wondering if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would also see the spotlight, this did not turn out to be the case here. The attention on this situation only went so far as a ceasefire red lapel pin worn on the dresses of Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas, among several others. Jonathan Glazer’s monologue for his best sound Oscar for “The Zone of Interest” was also the only mention of this conflict.

What did become the gossip

of this year’s Academy Awards was Vanessa Hudgens’ pregnancy. Hudgens sported a simple black flowing gown that outlined her baby bump for the cameras.

“I clearly have a lot to be excited for,” she said as the ceremony kicked off.

Likewise, Da’Vine Joy Randolph clearly had a lot to be excited for regarding her win for best supporting actress in “The Holdovers” — so much so that she was crying before she even reached the stage. She also managed to make the crowd laugh while mentioning that she had her mother to thank for getting her to where she is now.

“I didn’t think I was supposed to

be doing this as a career,” she said. “I started off as a singer, but my mother said: ‘Go across that street to the theater department. There’s something for you there.’”

The Oscars conclusion was just as humorous as Randolph’s speech. To close out the night, Kimmel squeezed in one last comedic clip that referenced his long-standing “feud” with the “Oppenheimer” supporting actor, Matt Damon. Just before the cameras stopped rolling for the Academy Awards, the program displayed a video of the “Anatomy of the Fall” canine star, Messi the dog, appearing to take a leak on Damon’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Signal’s Women in Music Playlist

we can’t be friends Saturn 10:36 Ariana Grande SZA beabadobee

In honor of Women’s History Month, our Editorial Board created a playlist filled with songs by some of our favorite women in music.

‘eternal sunshine’: Ariana Grande combines sounds from many earlier albums

By Tristan Weisenbach Managing Editor

Ariana Grande has returned with the release of her seventh studio album “eternal sunshine,” more than three years since her last album release, “positions,” in October 2020.

“eternal sunshine,” released on March 8 and complete with 13 tracks, touches on many themes one would commonly experience throughout a relationship. Grande does not feature any other artists on this album — besides Nonna on the outro of the final song — and focuses solely on her own voice and emotions.

The album opens with an interlude track, “intro (end of the world).” This intro is arranged very similarly to her album “positions,” with a strong presence of string instruments. The melody transitions well into the next track, “bye,” which also opens with strings. The musicality and instrumentation of this song makes it feel as if it’s straight off Grande’s 2014 album “My Everything.”

The titular track, “eternal sunshine,” brings the vibe back to her “thank u, next” album with a trap-type beat. “supernatural” continues the same tone, and is more upbeat compared to many of the other songs on the album.

Despite being a slower track, “the

boy is mine” is a standout on the album. The heavy bass beat carries this tune, and the unique melody — including the unusual yet catchy slowdown right before each chorus — makes this song one of the best.

The only single released prior to the full album, “yes, and?” is still one of the strongest songs. The extended intro on this track compared to the others sets this up to be an exceptional example of true pop music. This dance-like track is arguably the most radio-friendly tune of them all.

Track 10, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love),” matches the same pop energy, and I envision this

‘Love Is Blind’ Season 6: It’s time to ignore the red flags

By Jasmine Lee Staff Writer

(Warning: Mild spoilers ahead)

The finale of season six of “Love Is Blind” aired on March 6, delivering a captivating blend of familiar drama from previous seasons alongside fresh romantic pairings to captivate viewers.

“Love Is Blind,” a Netflix reality series conceptualized by Chris Coelen and hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, revolves around a unique social experiment. First premiering on Feb.13, 2020, the show follows singles as they seek love and commit to engagements without ever meeting face-to-face.

Each season, I ponder the decisions made by the show’s casting team and the contestants chosen bringing forth their red flags. Contestant Abhishek Chatterjee’s unapologetic fatphobia in season two quickly comes to mind, along with Andrew Liu’s resorting to using eye drops to feign tears in front of producers in season three.

This series has consistently attracted individuals displaying questionable behavior. Much to my disappointment, season six has seen its fair share of participants bringing their own set of issues to the table, resulting in a spectacle of drama that’s impossible to look away from.

Within the initial episodes, several antagonists emerged from the dating pods. Among them was Matthew, who

employed a repetitive script to charm multiple women, and then attempted to evade responsibility by suggesting that “America” favors an “underdog.”

Upon examining the five couples who transitioned from the pods into realworld relationships, it became evident that some failed to meet the initial expectations.

Some participants progressed beyond the initial stages but faltered just before reaching the finish line, exemplified by Clay’s suave demeanor, which initially deceived me but Clay succumbed to his arrogance and commitment issues in the end. Ultimately, Clay left his fiancee AD at the altar after she uttered her vows, only to be left standing alone.

It wasn’t just the men vying for attention this season. Chelsea, a flight attendant bearing a striking resemblance to Megan Fox, grappled with selfconfidence and trust issues in her relationship with Jimmy, resulting in their eventual demise. As for Jeremy’s involvement with his ex-fling in the pods, Sarah Ann, I hardly know where to begin.

Ultimately, it was the tumultuous dynamics between these two couples that compelled me to watch until the very end, anticipating their inevitable unraveling. It felt equivalent to witnessing a ticking time bomb.

This season was full of dramatic twists and turns. Just when I believed the waters had calmed and tranquility was on the horizon, a storm had been quietly brewing beneath the surface, poised to erupt at any moment.

In this season, the sole pair who exchanged vows were contestants Johnny and Amy, maintaining their affectionate and steadfast bond throughout, while witnessing the trials of the other couples.

It was immensely satisfying to witness the couple I had been cheering for all season finally achieve their fairytale ending.

In essence, for aficionados of reality show drama, this series is an absolute must-watch!

song also becoming a radio hit. The vocals on the bridge are heavenly and make for a perfect fit. On March 9, Grande performed this song, along with “imperfect for you,” on “Saturday Night Live.”

“ordinary things” ends the album with yet another trap-heavy beat. This song is a nice way to finish the album, and features a spoken-word outro by Nonna.

Overall, “eternal sunshine” is was a well-done return by Grande to mainstream music. Having spent the last few years filming for the upcoming two-part “Wicked” movie series, Grande hasn’t released much since her 2020 album.

Sounds from many of Grande’s earlier albums are present in the arrangements and instrumentations here. The earlier songs in “eternal sunshine” show resemblance to “My Everything,” while the middle and end of the album features heavy bass found throughout “thank u, next.” String melodies heard often in “positions” can also be heard throughout.

One aspect of the album that is noticeably lacking compared to her previous works, however, is her powerhouse vocals. Grande’s vocal abilities are impeccable, and we miss a lot of that on “eternal sunshine.” Whistle notes and high vocal runs are largely absent anywhere on this tracklist. However, I believe this was Grande’s intention.

Much of the lyrical meaning behind the songs included in this album is deeply emotional, touching on many aspects of love, relationships and moving on from someone in your life. Except for a few, many of the songs have slower, calmer vibes that don’t require the robust up-front vocals that Grande is known for.

Even though “eternal sunshine” was not the dance-pop powerhouse album that some of us may have been hoping for, Grande’s focus on vocal harmonies, soothing instrumentations and meaningful lyrics makes this album worth the listen.

‘Imaginary’ exemplifies the success of Blumhouse

By Joshua Hudes Correspondent

Made on a budget of only $13 million, sta rring a slew of smaller character actors and branding itself as the next interrogation into the horror genre, “Imaginary” epitomizes the successful business model which Blumhouse Productions, along with its spearhead Jason Blum, have kept alive.

This model, which dictates the specific variety of films the production company chooses to funnel its money into, is still to this day at the very focal point of Blum’s producing philosophy.

While a plethora of filmmakers and artists such as James Wan, Leigh Whannell and David Gordon Green have set up shop for many of their films at Blumhouse, a huge segment of the films crafted under their name are also fresh creative voices. One of those is the filmmaker behind “Imaginary” named Jeff Wadlow, whose latest film arrived in theaters on March 8. Having been introduced to Blumhouse after a few years directing feature-length films, Wadlow made “Truth or Dare” and “Fantasy Island” back in 2018 and 2020, respectively. Both of those horror films did receive a certain amount of critical backlash but ultimately were box-office hits. Both as well were horror films depicting nightmarish scenarios that Wadlow clearly has a fondness for in his cinema.

“Imaginary” continues that streak to moderately diminishing results. The film concerns an outwardly levelheaded mother named Jessica parenting two stepdaughters undergoing their own adolescent progressions. Jessica is played by DeWanda Wise, and the stepdaughters, Alice and Taylor, are played by Pyper Braun and Taegen Burns.

The conflict of the film centers on her childhood home where her old Teddy Bear named Chauncy scarily becomes the youngest stepdaughter Alice’s favorite toy. An obsessive

relationship between her and the bear recalls memories of Jessica as a child also falling too far into her own imagination as a result of an unhealthy relationship with childhood trauma.

Unlike other Blumhouse productions, this film did fall into certain traps many of its type tend to lean into, such as an overly gray color palette, subtext becoming pieces of dialogue and a bit less conviction in the directing than I expected from Wadlow’s previous work.

The film started to feel more comfortable in its skin as it went on. It was paced decently, made adequate use of its budget despite a lack of divergence in its imaginary realms, and had a pretty nifty switch up of the conventional horror third act. “Imaginary” felt like an exploration of the cyclical perpetuation of family trauma and social introversion through imagination, which does not do much exploring or much imagining of its own.

Blum, on the other hand, saw the potential for making a production company which housed filmmakers and writers who saw the raw talent of actors such as Moss and Wilson.

While the extent to which the films produced under the Blumhouse label vary both in quality and in such radical creative liberties, Blum was clearly always onto something ubiquitous. He envisioned a company which could deliver unto the world an expansive slate of handsomely crafted films within the wide-ranging genres of horror and thriller which could chug forward despite occasional financial depletion. Having only made $14 million at the box-office within its first week out on a budget of $10-12 million, “Imaginary” does count as one such depletion.

A model such as this does invite grave risks with regards to the amount of freedom its creators are bestowed with. It sometimes works, sometimes does not, but Blumhouse perseveres nonetheless.

Photo courtesy of Apple Music “eternal sunshine” is Grande’s seventh album.

Photo courtesy of IMDb Love is Blind Season 6 official poster.

Baseball has a historic Florida trip, winning nine games

By Joseph Caruso Staff Writer

The College headed down to Auburndale, Florida over spring break to participate in the RussMatt Invitational, a tournament the Lions finished 6-3 in last year.

With most players returning, and veteran manager Dean Glus back, the Lions had a similar group from last year’s New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship squad. These were the season’s first games for the College, and they started red hot.

Their first foe was Concordia University Chicago. There seemed to be no rust for the College, who had a blistering bottom of the first inning, scoring eight runs. Junior Justin Marcario and senior Jack Haynes each had a pair of runs batted in that inning, and fifth-year Chris Reeder added two more runs with a single in the third, giving the team a commanding double-digit lead. Haynes would go on to have a near-perfect day, reaching base all four times and collecting three hits.

Junior Jackson Malouf had a stellar season debut, tossing seven innings of one-run ball in his first quality start. Malouf is looking to build off of a very promising sophomore season where he finished with an earned run average under four and took home a gold glove award for his defense. Junior Matt Santos closed

out the remaining two innings as the Lions conquered the Cougars 10-1.

After a dominating win, the Lions took on the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. The Bobcats were just 1-5 before this matchup. The game was scoreless early, but the College scored two unearned runs in the fourth. The Lions added another run on a sacrifice fly from senior Ryan Goodall in the fifth and added two more runs in the eighth.

The story of this game, similarly to the previous one, was the starting pitching. Junior Dan Merkel logged seven innings, allowed zero runs and struck out ten Bobcat hitters to earn the second quality start for Lion pitchers. Junior reliever Mike Silver came out of the bullpen to close with two no-hit innings, giving the team their second win in a row, this time in shutout fashion, 5-0.

Southern Maine was next up for the College, and just like the Bobcats, they were 1-5 to start their season. Unlike the Bobcats, the Huskies gave the Lions some trouble. They got out to an early 2-0 lead, marking the first time the College had trailed this season.

The Lions’ offense woke up later in the game, exploding for eleven runs in the seventh and the eighth innings. Senior Michael Schumacher had an amazing day, finishing with four hits and two RBIs that catapulted the team back in front. Goodall added three RBIs on two hits, and Haynes

recorded the 100th hit of his collegiate career.

Fifth-year Ben Amon got through seven innings, but it was not always pretty. He allowed six runs, with four of them earned. Senior Joe Ferreri came in and steadied the ship, closing the game with two no-hit innings and earning the victory, as the Lions avoided the Huskies 11-6.

For the opening game of a split doubleheader, the Lions took on Gwynedd Mercy. They seemed to be a more menacing foe, with a 4-4 record entering the contest. However, they were no match for the Lions, as they scored nine early runs to get out to a commanding lead. All nine starters for the Lions tallied at least one hit, with Reeder accounting for three RBIs by himself and Haynes recording two RBIs.

It was the fourth game in a row where the starting pitcher was able to go seven innings. This time it was senior Jordan Gray, who struck out 11 hitters and got the victory, as the College won 11-3.

In the nightcap of the doubleheader, the Lions faced their toughest test yet, facing No. 7 Wisconsin-La Crosse. The College rekindled their first-inning magic from the first game and stunned the Eagles with four early runs. Their lead did not last long unfortunately, as UWLax got to sophomore John DiCostanzo and scored five runs in the first two innings.

Now trailing by one, the Lions replicated their opening inning by scoring four runs in the fourth, taking the lead. Goodall finished the day with a monstrous performance, collecting six RBIs on three hits. The College padded their lead with five more runs in the final two innings.

Despite the Lions starting pitching struggling early, freshman Jack O’Shea was able to steady the ship and toss three innings of one-run ball in relief. Silver and Ferreri closed out the remaining innings as the Lions upset the Eagles, 15-7.

Now 5-0, the College soared into its next matchup against Minnesota Morris. This was a less thrilling affair than the doubleheader, as the Lions scored doubledigit runs yet again.

Freshman Evan Frank got his first start, and despite allowing six baserunners in five innings, he did not give up a run,

receiving the win. Junior Jack Marchese went the remaining four innings, recording the team’s first save of the year as the Lions earned their sixth win, 10-1.

Two of the three remaining games were in a seven-inning doubleheader against Muhlenberg. The Mules were no match for the Lions in these meetings.

In the opening game, the Lions’ offense scored 11 runs. They were led by Marcario, who recorded a hit in all four of his plate appearances and notched the 100th of his career.

After a less-than-ideal first inning, Malouf settled in and pitched the rest of the game, striking out 12. He did not give up a run for the rest of the game, getting his second victory as the College won 113.

The nightcap of the doubleheader was utter domination. The College scored nine runs in the first three innings, thanks to junior Zach Weiner, who recorded three RBIs in an offensive explosion. Nine different Lions crossed the plate, as they ended up scoring 12 runs in this seveninning affair.

On the mound, it was nearly a flawless day for Merkel, who delivered the performance of the season. He pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 while allowing four baserunners, earning a 12-0 victory.

The College’s final game was against Middlebury. This game broke a sevengame streak of the Lions scoring doubledigit runs, but the offense showed out nonetheless, scoring seven runs. It was yet another big day for Marcario, who finished the MattRuss Invitational with a .459 batting average.

Amon bounced back, throwing seven innings and allowing two runs while striking out eight. Silver and Ferreri closed the game out with two scoreless innings, giving the College their ninth win of the Invitational, 7-2.

It was an unbelievable showing for the Lions, going 9-0 with multiple impressive wins. Their offense was unstoppable, scoring 10 runs or more in all but two games.

This is the best start for the College since 2006, and they will look to carry this momentum into the rest of the season.

Women’s lacrosse continues hot start, wins three straight games

By Joey Bachich Staff Writer

The Lions’ women’s lacrosse team played three games in eight days and looked to keep their zero in the loss column. The stretch was headed by two road games against Lebanon Valley College on March second and the University of Scranton on March sixth. To round off, the Lions finished at home against Farmingdale State College on March ninth.

First was the road game against

Lebanon Valley College. The Lions got down quick with a fast goal from Lebanon Valley. Quickly, they battled back with two goals from senior special education major Kira Sides and senior nursing major Madison Wernick, who both got on the board within a minute of each other.

The Lions finished the first quarter up 5-1 and locked down the Dutchman offense. While up 7-1, the Dutchman came back and scored two quick goals in succession near the end of the half. With the game in the balance and the

Lions wanting to put the game away before halftime, Sides, senior English and secondary education major Ally Tobler and sophomore nursing major Marissa Lucca scored three goals to end the half and put the game away.

The second half was pure domination, and the Lions won 163. Sides, Tobler and Lucca had three goals each, Wernick had two and senior special education/iSTEM major Julia Charest and junior kinesiology and health science major Hailey Wexler pitched a combined second half shutout.

The Lions then traveled to the University of Scranton to face off against the Royals. Sides again had a really impressive first quarter, assisting senior nursing major Morgan Vaccaro and scoring the second goal. Vaccaro then returned the favor and assisted Sides in her third goal of the first quarter. The second quarter saw the same offensive output with Wernick scoring again — her third goal in two games. Lucca then scored three straight and put the Lions up 8-2.

In the second half, the Lions were cold, letting the Royals back in the game, who scored four straight and cut the lead of the game 9-7. With five minutes remaining and up by only two, freshman special education major

Gabriella Roosa put the game on ice, and the Lions ended up surviving 118. After a tough game, the Lions came home and played Farmingdale State College and looked to rout the Rams. Tobler came out in the first quarter and scored three goals, putting the game out of reach early for the Rams.

Wernick again scored for her third game in a row. She has used her athleticism in the clearing game and has seen herself become a transitional midfielder. This can be a huge weapon with some very important matchups coming up in the future.

To open the second half, Tobler scored another two goals and the rest of the game for the Lions saw them handle the Rams, winning 8-2.

After four total games, Tobler has 15 goals and six assists, Lucca has 15 goals, Sides has 16 points and Wernick has 4 goals and 11 caused turnovers. They have some really impressive depth as well; fifth-year nursing major Katherine Nailberg has 9 points and goalie Julia Charest has a .500 save percentage and only 6.62 goals against.

Their next game is against Johnson and Wales University, followed by a big game against No. 1 Middlebury College at home on March 21.

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Gladstone Senior pitcher Jordan Gray in his outing.

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Gladstone

The Lions are on an impressive win streak.

Sacco’s title leads wrestling in NCAA Championships

By Eddie Young Sports Editor

Junior Nick Sacco took home the Division III NCAA national championship for 165-pounds on March 16, highlighting an impressive weekend for the Lions. Fifth-year Peter Wersinger and junior Mike Conklin also earned All-American titles during the NCAA Championships in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The Lions finished ninth in the competition, with 37.0 points.

Sacco became the College’s 24th individual champion of all time, and he

was the first to do so at the 165-pound mark. He also is the first Lion to win an individual championship since 2019, when fifth-year Ryan Budzek won at 149-pounds.

His weekend started with a first round matchup against Teagan Hendricks of Ohio Northern on March 15. As the No. 2 seed of the 165-pound bracket, Sacco easily took care of business in this bout, winning a comfortable 14-2 major decision.

Next up for Sacco was the quarterfinals, where he took on No. 7 Alex Villar, who

was representing North Central College. Like Sacco in his first round matchup, Villar also had a comfortable first round victory.

When it came to this matchup, though, nothing was comfortable for Villar. Sacco took control early on and ended up with a 2-0 decision in his favor.

Sacco then moved on to the semifinals on March 16, where he faced Coe College’s No. 6 Will Esmoil. Esmoil had pulled off an upset in his quarterfinal matchup, and was looking for another one against Sacco. He got out to an early lead, but Sacco was quickly able to rejoin control of the match and ended up with a 4-2 decision victory.

In the final, Sacco was matched up against No. 4 Noah Leisgang from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Leisgang had knocked off the bracket’s No. 1 seed in the semifinals, and was trying to use his advantage of being in his home gym again in the final. However, Sacco was not going to allow that to happen in this match, as he came away with a tight 2-1 decision, making him the 165-pound champion.

“Winning the national tournament is a feeling that can’t be expressed into words,” Sacco said. “The rush of emotions that hit me as and after I won is something I can never replicate.”

This is the second year in a row that Sacco has been an All-American in his weight class, as he finished in fourth place

in last year’s NCAA Championships.

“I had visualized and manifested myself in that match for over a year now. With that, being there didn’t feel like something new or an event I hadn’t placed myself in before.”

To go along with Sacco’s brilliance from this weekend, Conklin finished in seventh at 149-pounds. He lost his first round matchup to the No. 1 seed, but then won two straight consolation matches to guarantee an All-American finish.

On March 16, Conklin lost his first match, but then won his second against the No. 8 seed to claim his seventh place finish, making him the Lions’ second AllAmerican. This was Conklin’s second time earning All-American honors, as he also did so as a freshman in 2022.

Wersinger also had himself a nice weekend, finishing in eighth at 285-pounds. Like Conklin, Wersinger lost his first round matchup, but he was then able to win two straight consolation matches to guarantee an All-American finish. He ended up losing both of his matchups on March 16, but he was still able to finish in eighth, and was the College’s third AllAmerican. This was Wersinger’s first time earning All-American honors.

Sacco’s title, three All-Americans and a ninth place finish gave the Lions a great ending to a very respectable season. They went 13-5 in dual meets, and the ninth place finish was the highest for the College in the past five seasons.

From player to graduate assistant: P.J. Ringel’s journey with TCNJ men’s basketball

By Aidan Mastandrea Staff Writer

For many, March of 2020 is known as the time that COVID-19 shutdown the world. But a few weeks prior to the worldwide quarantine, the College’s men’s basketball team had won the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship over Stockton, and starting point guard P.J. Ringel was on the floor cutting down the nets in celebration.

Flash forward four years, a lot has changed in the college’s men’s basketball program and Ringel’s life. But once again, on Feb. 24, Ringel was back on the floor cutting down the nets after beating Stockton to win an NJAC Championship. This time, however, it was as an assistant coach.

When Ringel was choosing where he would play basketball at the next level, the College was an obvious choice. Head coach Matthew Goldsmith heavily recruited the Marlboro High School student, even sitting in the bleachers at Ringel’s soccer games.

“Coach Goldsmith created a real family-esque atmosphere. When I visited I fell in love with the environment,” said Ringel.

Ringel knew he belonged at the College, but just like most college athletes, there was an adjustment period for the freshman. There was no expectation to get many minutes because of the talented upperclassmen, but Ringel was not as focused as he should have been.

“Because I wasn’t playing, I was goofing off. I didn’t prepare myself well,” said Ringel.

Things changed quickly for Ringel as he started in 20 games for the Lions during his sophomore year in 2018-19. He ranked seventh in the NJAC in assists at 3.3 per game. Setting up open teammates became a staple of Ringel’s play in the years to come.

This experience was huge for Ringel as he headed into the next season. The Lions were uber talented, led by All-American Randy Walko, and ultimately took home the NJAC Championship in Packer Hall over

Stockton. Ringel shined as a ball handler, setting up many future professionals en route to the championship. He was 19th in the nation in assists on the season.

Ringel’s senior season was cut short due to COVID, but the point guard certainly did everything he could for the program during his time playing.

Then came the tough decision of what to do with life after college.

“When I got to school I thought I would graduate in four years, get a job in finance and call it a day,” said Ringel.

And for all intents and purposes, that is what he did. After graduation, he got a job as a financial planner. However, things did not feel right. He felt a calling back to the game.

Ringel’s late father was a legendary coach in New York, and Ringel decided to follow in his footsteps and come back to Ewing to become a graduate assistant coach.

“It’s in his blood, and he probably heard a coach’s mentality a lot throughout his life,” said coach Goldsmith.

After Ringel’s father tragically passed away in 2016, Goldsmith was there for him whenever he needed it.

“Coach is a father figure to me. He’s been there for me every big decision since then. He’s just trying to make me a better man,” said Ringel.

Goldsmith took him under his wing again and showed him the coaching ropes. Once again, there was an adjustment period for Ringel in his first year, but it was obvious that he had what it took to really help the team.

“P.J. was a born leader. He is one of those individuals that can command a room without even trying,” said Eric Murdock Jr., a former player and coach for the College that had the opportunity of both playing with and coaching Ringel.

This season, Ringel was able to take his experience playing in and winning the NJAC to the young Lions’ locker room.

Ringel will graduate from the College’s MBA program in July and will see where his life takes him from there.

“I had a really fun time, and I really feel like I was able to influence things this year,” said Ringel.

Regardless of where Ringel ends up next in life, it is safe to say that he has left his mark with the College’s men’s basketball program.

“He turned into a real positive role model and a great example for young players,” said Goldsmith.

TCNJ Athletics Schedule

Swimming and Diving NCAA Championships

Through Satrday, March 23

Neutral Site in North Carolina

Women’s Tennis

Friday, March 22, 1 p.m.

Home against New Paltz

Softball

Friday, March 22, 2 p.m.

Home doubleheader against Muhlenberg College

Track and Field

Friday, March 22, 3 p.m.

Away at Stockton University

Baseball

Saturday, March 23, 11:30 a.m.

Home doubleheader against Dickinson College

Men’s and Women’s Tennis

Saturday, March 23, 12 p.m.

Photo by Elizabeth Gladstone

The Lions put together an impressive championship performance.

Photo by Elizabeth Gladstone Ringel won the NJAC as a player and as a graduate assistant.