LIII, No. 13
The Signal
Bernstein joins college presidents in letter condemning ‘government overreach and political interference’ in higher education
By Matthew Kaufman Former Editor-in-Chief
President Michael Bernstein joined over 150 other college presidents Tuesday in signing a letter rebuking the Trump Administration’s recent actions targeting higher education institutions across the country.
“As leaders of America’s colleges, universities, and scholarly societies, we speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,” the college presidents wrote in the letter, titled “A Call for Constructive Engagement” and released by the American Association of Colleges & Universities.
“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,” the letter continues. “However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.”
The administrators also emphasized their commitment to academic freedom and free speech on their campuses.
“Our colleges and universities share a commitment to serve as centers of open inquiry where, in their pursuit of truth, faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a
full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation,” they wrote.
In a statement to The Signal, Bernstein said he was “proud to join my fellow higher education leaders in calling for thoughtful conversation and constructive engagement to maintain academic freedoms and ensure the long-term integrity, sustainability, and success of our institutions.”
Harrison Fields, a spokesperson for the White House, commented on the letter to NBC News, saying the Trump Administration is “standing up for equality and fairness and will not be swayed by worthless letters by overpaid blowhards.”
Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, the federal government has targeted higher education institutions by threatening
TCNJ applications, commitments slightly ahead of last year after ‘more competitive’ admissions season
By Matthew Kaufman and Isabella Darcy Former Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor
The College maintained application levels this admissions season, while the number of students putting down deposits is higher than last year, according to Lisa Angeloni, the College’s vice president for enrollment management.
As of April 22, the College has received 12,781 applications, which is 94 more than the number last year at this time, according to Angeloni. The College has accepted fewer students this year, with Angeloni saying she anticipates this year’s acceptance rate to be around 57%, down from last year’s 59%.
Despite the lower acceptance rate,
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Angeloni said the size of the incoming freshman class will be about the same as last year, around 1,600 students. This is because the College’s admissions yield, which refers to the number of accepted students who choose to come to the College, is up from last year, with 75 more students than last year at this time having already placed deposits to commit their attendance. The deadline to submit a deposit is May 1.
The data shows that, despite an uncertain economic climate and higher education environment, interest in the College remains strong, Angeloni said in an April 10 interview.
“Many schools are facing very tough demographic shifts downward,” Angeloni said.
Despite this downward shift in some institutions, the College is currently seeing similar trends over the past five years in terms of enrollment in academic schools. For instance, the School of Business is one of the largest on campus and continues to grow, according to Angeloni.
Last fall, the College was named No. 1 in the Regional Universities North category of the U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best College Rankings. Angeloni said that she thinks this is part of why this enrollment season is being
OPINIONS page 6
Disney inclusivity
Disney was more inclusive when they weren’t
considered successful.
“I do think it helped us that we moved up to the number one school, both public and private,” Angeloni said.
Incoming students who spoke to The Signal shared that they were drawn to the College because of its academic reputation and its desirable location.
High school senior Aidan Walker from Voorhees Township, N.J., plans to attend the College starting this fall. He originally applied as a criminology major, but plans to switch to undeclared business.
Walker told The Signal that he chose the College because of its “really good rigorous academics,” the aesthetics of its campus and the opportunity for a “fresh start.”
Norah Karnwea, a high school senior from Galloway, N.J., who also plans to attend the College this fall, will enter as a public health major.
Karnwea told The Signal she chose the College because she liked that it is “really good in New Jersey for public health,” and because she “wasn’t crazy about going out of state.” She also liked that she wouldn’t be “just another number” at a medium-sized school like the College.
“I’m just excited to see what [the College] has to offer,” Karnwea said.
to withhold federal funding from several schools and revoking visas of international students.
On April 14, the administration said it would freeze $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University after the institution announced it would not agree to a number of the government’s demands to limit campus activism, according to the Associated Press. On April 21, Harvard sued the Trump Administration over the funding freeze.
Not all colleges and universities have resisted the administration’s actions in the same vein as Harvard. Columbia University, for example, agreed in March to a number of Trump’s demands, including banning face masks and giving campus police officers more power to arrest students, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The letter from the AAC&U comes after the College’s faculty union held a protest on April 17, which also condemned the Trump Administration’s efforts to exert more control over American colleges and universities.
“We have a fantastic educational system which the Trump Administration is keen to destroy because we are potentially a power base for resistance,” Susanna Monseau, a union member and professor of interdisciplinary business, told the crowd at the protest.
Lawrenceville hot dog shop reopening under new owners
By Aidan Mastandrea News Editor
Mercer County hot dog lovers were struck with bad news on Dec. 28, 2024, when it was announced that Captain Paul’s Firehouse Dogs was being put up for sale by owners Paul and Janice Tweedley. The firstresponder-themed hot dog joint wasn’t empty for long as mother and son duo Deborah and Patrick Jones purchased the shop.
The grand re-opening of Captain Paul’s came on Monday, April 21, and the Jones’ have no plans of changing what the Tweedley’s built in 2009.
“Paul and Janice love that we wanted to keep it the same,” said Patrick.. “We just wanted to keep it going, and they’ve been a huge support, showing us the ropes.”
After a 26-year career as a Trenton firefighter, Paul Tweedley opened the store and wanted to ensure that it was a place where military members and first responders felt appreciated.
See NEW OWNERS page
SPORTS page 12
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT page 10
All College Theatre
Performance of ‘The Skin of Our Teeth’ in the Don Evans Black Box Theater.
Softball beats Rowan
The College’s softball team has won nine of 10 games as they took down undefeated Rowan.
Trump administrative actions cause changes in education departments.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Erin Reilly
More applications reach the College.
New Inclusive Education program to help better prepare students
By Raeanne Raccagno Copy Editor
The College’s School of Education created a new inclusive education program that will bring changes to the education programs in the fall 2025 semester, in accordance with New Jersey’s code updates and to enhance readiness for future teachers.
A few years ago, New Jersey changed the code that dictates the core and curriculum for college education programs, and one change that some found controversial was that education majors were not required to have a content area of study. Following the code changes, other universities decided to remove the requirement for education students to have
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“Dedicated to the men and women associated with emergency services, the military and their families and for all those who volunteer to help others,” Captain Paul’s website states.
The Jones’ aim to keep this tradition alive as they get their footing under themselves as first time restaurant owners.
Captain Paul’s will now be implementing “first responder meals” where if someone comes to the store wearing an active uniform, they get a free meal. They also are offering a veteran discount “because we know some people served our country and now they’re around,” said Patrick.
“My mom, she worked at the hospital, Capital Health, so we saw the nurses, just everyone there working to keep our community safe and working for our community to make it better,” said Patrick. “We just want to keep the tradition going of honoring them, making a place where they feel welcome and supported and advocating for them.”
Patrick is a special education teacher at Mercer County Vocational School, a lifelong Mercer County resident and a Rider University alum. He had been a frequent customer of Captain Paul’s and didn’t want to see it go.
“I just saw it was for sale. I thought it would be crazy if we bought it, so I turned to mom and said, ‘hey, you know, you’re retired and I’m a teacher so I have the summers and weekends off.’ It was kind of like, ‘hey, let’s do it,’” said Jones.
Marion, a longtime customer of
dual majors, but the College wanted to keep the structure.
Another change the state brought is having all future teachers receive more training for special education, which started the planning of the new inclusive education program.
“Basically, what we did was sort of Frankenstein urban ed, traditional ed and special ed into one program,” Tabitha Dell’Angelo, interim dean for the School of Education and an urban education professor, said. “We’re talking about people who are training primarily to teach preschool to grade six. So now, all of those people, their first four years, are going to look almost identical.”
When students become upperclassmen in the program, they can choose to have an endorsement in ESL, teacher of the deaf or hard of hearing or teacher of students with disabilities. Students in the program will have educational foundations while learning about special education law, enhanced literacy and ESL.
Currently, urban or special education majors must stay a fifth year to complete their course of study, but with the new program, students will be able to take their certificate and go directly into the teaching force or still choose to stay for a fifth year.
Dell’Angelo also mentioned how having this new flexibility for students will hopefully help the current teacher shortage
Captain Paul’s and a Lawrenceville resident, was surprised when she heard the news of the sale, but was already back eating her regular lunch despite the new owners.
“I was sad, I love this place,” said Marion, but she believes that customers will be happy with the new ownership. “The food is as good as it always was; it’s a combination of the old and the new.”
Captain Paul’s menu is chalk full of options, with over 26 hot dogs to choose from, along with sandwiches and other classic items.
Customers can even find a sandwich by the name of “TCNJ,” which is described on the menu as “Pork roll, bacon strips, warm cheddar cheese, steak fries, chipotle sauce topped with coleslaw” and served on a torpedo roll.
While the Jones’ have stressed the importance of continuity as their journey in the hot dog business begins, one change that has been made is the logo. The new emblem will incorporate Deborah’s dog, Walter.
Patrick understands how important the community can be. He even remembers saving up his lunch money to go to the local Carvel as a young boy.
“I want to keep that tradition where kids can come up and get some ice cream, have someplace fun to go, keep that tradition alive,” said Jones.
The Tweedley’s were a major part of the Mercer County community, and now the Jones’ have taken that torch and will look to continue the hot dog shop’s legacy.
happening around the country.
“The current program is dynamite,” Dell’Angelo said. “We’ve been preparing fabulous teachers for a really long time. So it’s not like if you’re in the current program, it’s not a good program. It’s just that we made changes for the better.”
Dell’Angelo said that students in the past were not able to take their fifth year due to cost, and this program will also help with that issue.
To help with the timeline of the program, the eight content areas that education majors choose as their dual study were all cut down to have an eightcourse requirement. Right now, only two of the content areas were not able to cut their content down to eight courses, but they are still working with the department to see if they can minimize to eight as well.
“It’s cutting costs, it’s helping teachers get rounded and it’s a new program that’s gonna be more effective as they claim,” Amanda Schwegler, a first-year special education and early childhood major specializing in history, said.
Schwegler said she thinks the new program will help better prepare students for any possible teaching scenario in the future where they accommodate each child and their individual needs in a classroom.
Freshman education students were called to a mandatory meeting on March 26 to learn about the changes to the program
and to let them know that they have the option to switch into the program now.
Dell’Angelo said New Jersey’s Department of Education has been helpful with the planning of the program over the past two years and expressing their own fondness of the changes to help students have more readiness for the job force.
“To walk into a space every day where you feel like, ‘I might not be able to do a good job,’ that’s a lot to carry,” Dell’Angelo said. “So I do think our community partners and local employers are very excited about having students who are going to come feeling more ready and more confident that they have the competencies they need to do well in their job.”
According to Dell’Angelo, on April 17, New Jersey’s Department of Education sent out a letter in response to the United States Department of Education’s request for additional certifications of compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in SFFA v. Harvard in 2023.
“As the country is being asked to do things like turn their backs on inclusion, we’re going like full force,” Dell’Angelo said. “I do hope that people look at TCNJ and the School of Education and say they’re sticking to their values, they’re sticking to what they know is good for kids and good for schools.”
TCNJ student team awarded fourth in division and honorable mention at this year’s
By Isabella Darcy Managing Editor
A team of nine students from the College earned fourth place and an honorable mention in their division on Monday at this year’s United States Department of Energy Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition. The team was recognized for designing a clean energy system for SUNY Oneonta that is both financially and environmentally efficient.
“When we found out about the honorable mention, that was really cool,” the team’s captain and junior civil engineering major Terrell Osei-Kyei told The Signal.
Teams that competed in the Solar District Cup developed proposals for one of six higher education campuses that were acting as use cases. Use cases were campus or district energy systems for which student teams designed clean energy solutions for how renewable energy could be introduced to them. They also dictated how divisions were determined; each use case was a division.
The student team from the College worked for two semesters to create its design for the SUNY Oneonta use case, which included a field of solar panels, greenhouses and a community space. The design’s potential to engage the community earned it the honorable mention.
“The jurors in their division specifically noted that their emphasis on such renewable energy systems could serve the immediate community and address food security in a disadvantaged community had set them apart,” one of the team’s advisors, Paul Romano, who is also the College’s senior director of sustainability and energy management, told The Signal.
In its division, the student team competed against at least eight other teams that were also designing proposals for SUNY Oneonta. Over 70 student teams from 39 higher education institutions participated in the competition.
Each team was judged on its presentation of its project proposal, conceptual system design, financial analysis and development plan.
The first round of judging was by division. First-place winners of each division presented in the competition’s Project Pitch event on Tuesday, where a
Solar District Cup
team from Drexel University won first place overall for its proposal.
Since originating in 2019, the Solar District Cup has now run six times. 2024-25 was the first time students from the College entered. The team was composed of students from the Schools of Business, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Engineering. In addition to a multidisciplinary makeup, the team had some multidisciplinary advisory help.
Being multidisciplinary empowers students to play to their strengths, according to Romano.
The students on the team were: Terrell Osei-Kyei, Dakota Kozuch, Vincent Chang, Emma Crowningshield, Cheyenne Torraca, Cole Huetz, Emily Oberman, Abigail Maroon and Syed Mohsin
Advisors to the student team were: Paul Romano, Wes Fermanich, Trevor O’Grady, Anthony Deese and Kathryn Foster.
Huetz, whose main role was figuring out how the team’s proposal would integrate into SUNY Oneonta’s campus, told The Signal the team dedicated “countless” hours to developing its proposal. Huetz said that the team is “proud of the work that we put in and happy with the final result.”
The College itself was also involved in the competition, but as a use case. Students from other institutions developed proposals for how the College can more efficiently utilize renewable energy. Romano judged proposals for the College’s use case. His role as a judge was not a conflict of interest, since the student team from the College participated in a separate division.
Wielding his knowledge of the College and his expertise as a licensed architect, Romano assessed whether proposed renewable energy systems were physically able to be implemented and if they could be located in the areas that teams suggested. The championship winning team from Drexel University advanced to the final after being named first place for its proposal for the College’s use case.
At the end of the competition, Romano congratulated the student team from the College on their work and recognition. He also emphasized the students’ achievement, and his wish for the coming years.
“My hope is that future teams will be able to stand on the shoulders of this pioneering team,” Romano said.
Photo by Erin Reilly Changes will come in the Fall of 2025.
NEW OWNERS / Mother and son duo take over Captain Paul’s
The store reopened on April 21.
The new logo features the Jones’ dog.
Photo by Patrick Jones
Graphic courtesy of Patrick Jones
Cop Shop: Edibles, ellipticals and EMS
By Alena Bitonti Arts & Entertainment 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. Booted vehicles
Between April 8 and April 21, there were nine booted vehicles on campus. A vehicle is eligible to be booted if it has three or more unpaid citations. Campus Police has reported an increase in the number of car boots compared to previous years, largely due to AIMS, the police station’s new parking management system.
April 2-7: Credit card theft
A non-resident reported a stolen credit card after using the Campus Town gym on April 1. The card had been kept inside a wallet in one of the gym lockers. Later that day, a $105.95 charge was made on the card at the Barnes & Noble in Campus Town. Campus Police reviewed camera footage and a list of all swipes that entered the gym on April 1. They identified a suspect who had entered the gym at 9:19 a.m. and left at 10:05 a.m., which was consistent with the reported timeframe. Footage from Barnes & Noble also confirmed the suspect purchasing the
Starbucks at 10:11 a.m.
Using TCNJ PAWS, authorities gathered a phone number and contacted the individual. During an interview on April 7, the suspect admitted to taking the Visa debit card from a wallet left on a gym bench and using it to buy a Visa gift card. He was advised that he would be placed under arrest and charged accordingly.
April 10: Medical emergency
At approximately 5:12 p.m., emergency responders were dispatched to Brower Student Center for a report of a student experiencing a seizure. The student had visible red marks on his face, and was conscious but disoriented. Ewing EMS arrived at 5:21 p.m. and evaluated the student. He declined further medical attention and stated that he was going to walk back to his residence.
April 13: Burning odor
A strong burning odor was reported in the hallway near the dispatch center at Campus Police Headquarters. As officers traced the odor, it became stronger near the conference room and the back office area. Ewing Fire Department and Prospect Heights Fire Company arrived by 8:56 p.m. After investigating, they determined the source was a failed motor in the building’s roof handler unit due to a belt that had fallen off.
April 14: Medical emergency
A student reported feeling unwell after a
seizure episode at 1:42 p.m. in the Education Building. He remained alert, stating that he hadn’t lost consciousness, though he briefly zoned out. EMS assessed his condition, and he declined further medical attention.
April 15: Too much laundry
A fire alarm was activated in Travers Hall shortly after midnight. Upon the arrival of Campus Police, strobes and audibles were activated and the building was evacuated. Smoke and an odor of burning rubber were coming from the laundry room on the ninth floor. Upon entering the laundry room, a noticeable amount of smoke was coming from a washing machine. Ewing Township Fire Department arrived on the scene and confirmed the odor was due to the machine being overloaded. A work order was submitted and students were allowed to reoccupy the building.
April 16: Edible
At approximately 1:07 a.m., Campus Police responded to Wolfe Hall for a report of a male student experiencing paranoia and shakiness after taking an edible. Upon arrival, the student was found sitting in a chair in his dorm room. A Community Advisor reported that the student took about 100 mg of edibles. The student was visibly shaking and had difficulty standing. It was also reported that the student had taken a shot of alcohol and was experiencing a rapid heart rate.
Ewing EMS arrived on the scene and assumed patient care. The student was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center for further evaluation and treatment.
April 16: Gas leak
At approximately 5:08 p.m., a vendor in the Brower Student Center reported a strong smell of gas coming from the kitchen area. Campus Police were advised to utilize a pull station to begin an evacuation. Upon arrival, officers were directed by a kitchen employee to the back area of the kitchen. After inspection by the Ewing Fire Department, the source of the odor was determined to be a pilot light that had gone out, causing a small gas leak. The fire department cleared the scene, reset the fire panel, and confirmed there was no further threat. Student workers were informed that the building was safe to re-enter.
April 16: Basketball injury
After a female student sustained a head injury while playing basketball in the Rec Center, Campus Police arrived on the scene at approximately 9:18 p.m. TCNJ EMS was already on the scene and attending to the student, who was seated on the floor. The student was struck in the back of the head by an elbow during a game, causing her to fall and hit her head on the ground. She was transported to Capital Health Medical Center in Hopewell for further evaluation.
April 18: Burnt popcorn
A fire alarm was activated in Wolfe Hall at approximately 2:25 a.m. Upon arrival, strobes and audible alarms were activated and residents were evacuating the building. There were no visible signs of fire or smoke within the rooms. However, an odor of burnt popcorn led Campus Police to a trash chute near one of the rooms, where they discovered a bag of popcorn that had been burned and doused with water before being thrown away. Ewing Fire Department arrived on scene and determined there was no threat. Residents were allowed to return at approximately 2:45 a.m.
April 18: Intoxicated student
Campus Police were dispatched to Cromwell Hall for a report of an intoxicated female vomiting at approximately 8:10 p.m. Officers found the student in the bathroom, hunched over the toilet. The student had consumed several shots of Tito’s and a few cans of Surfside at a party off campus. TCNJ EMS assumed patient care at 8:16 p.m., and Ewing EMS arrived shortly after. The student was transported to Capital Health Hopewell for further medical attention. She was granted amnesty under New Jersey’s 911 Lifeline Legislation.
April 20: Elliptical misstep
At approximately 3:14 p.m., Campus Police responded to the Fitness Center in Campus Town for a report of a student with a leg injury. The student was found seated on the floor with an ice pack on his left ankle. He stated he had misstepped while using the elliptical machine, causing him to roll his ankle. Ewing EMS arrived and transported him to Capital Health in Hopewell for further evaluation and treatment.
Community puts in effort to throw away trash and negative stigma
By Raeanne Raccagno Copy Editor
Earth Day volunteers gave their time to a cleanup, organized by multiple environmental organizations, in George Page Park on Tuesday, April 22. The 55th year of Earth Day was celebrated worldwide with different acts of service centering on the theme “Our power, our planet.”
Trenton community members and students from the College participated in a park cleanup hosted by the Outdoor Equity Alliance and the AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program.
“It’s invaluable,” Harrison Watson, OEA community stewardship specialist, said about community events on Earth Day. “Helping members of the community understand, especially in communities like Trenton, that environmentalism, caring for our planet, is not something that is just reserved for the privileged few.”
OEA is a nonprofit based in Trenton that’s committed to “empowering marginalized communities,” according to their website.
George Page Park along Lawrence Street in Trenton is right next to Assunpink Creek, the largest stream in the area. As the event leaders started the cleanup, they emphasized the importance of the tributary to the Delaware River and keeping it clean.
Volunteers spread themselves across the park to help eliminate trash on the ground
or near the creek. Kids on the playground peeked over the fence, watching and asking volunteers what they were doing before joining the cleanup.
“I always like being out on the water, whether it’s beach, kayaking or boating, and I always see trash,” Kai Spinney, a junior accounting major from Toms River, said. “I’m one of those people who, if I walk past it, I just have to pick it up. I guess the way I look at it is, I’m out here, I’m using this, I gotta take care of it and it’s nice to kind of be able to help keep the earth nice and clean, honestly.”
Spinney also mentioned the negative stigma that some students at the College may have about Trenton.
“I think it’s sort of due to the way negative news spreads,” Spinney said. “People don’t talk about, ‘oh, I drove through Trenton and I had a normal experience.’ People focus a lot on the negative aspects, but it’s not a bad place. I’ve been through so many times, it’s fine.”
Watson also emphasized the importance of neighborhoods around Trenton, creating a grounded perspective for environmentalism, and how issues starting in one area will eventually affect others.
“It is a matter of love thy neighbor,” Watson said. “We have our silos that have been effectively established…and so it’s easy for all of these other communities to kind of shut their blinds to that one part of the neighborhood and say we don’t need to worry about that right now, because that’s
in
Trenton not our issue.”
Trenton faces a vast range of environmental injustice issues like brownfields, lead contamination and more.
Watson also commended other organizations working on waste management throughout the city and mentioned walks incorporated with litter collection that are hosted by Trenton Green Teams and Mercer County.
“I think what these kinds of events can do is at least get people energetic about the idea of cleaning up trash, and then that’s something that they can carry on
individually on their walks on the weekends in the mornings and the evenings,” Watson said.
Event organizers provided trash pick-up supplies, snacks and water for volunteers. Seven trash bags were filled by the end of the cleanup.
“Neglect does nothing good for anybody,” Watson said. “Doing that kind of grounding work for the environmental movement for communities that historically suffered environmental injustices and to empower as many community members as possible…that’s powerful.”
Photo by Erin Reilly
Campus Police reported to Brower Student Center after a report of a gas leak.
Trenton residents gathered for an Earth Day cleanup in George Page Park.
Photo by Raeanne Raccagno
Features
Alumni Adventures: Joanna Saltz’s editorial journey at Hearst
By Nicholas Steinhauser Staff Writer
Life is often a learning experience. For Joanna Saltz ‘99, life after the College has gone in many different directions, all of which contributed to the success she has today.
Saltz first attended the College in 1993. Her original major was music performance, and she was a violist. However, she changed her major to English three quarters into her time at the College, and she had to spend an additional two years to graduate with an English degree.
Saltz enjoyed her time as a student at the College.
“Being on campus felt like being at home, and I always loved the warmth of the campus,” she said.
When she was a music major, Saltz spent most of her time practicing, whether it be on her own or with the orchestra at the College. After she switched to an English major, however, she
became more dedicated to her career and worked toward future success.
During her extra two years at the College, she worked two jobs to both pay for the added tuition and to prepare herself for her future. One of these jobs was a retail store in Princeton, N.J. and the other was a small publishing house in Hightstown, N.J.
“Every job is a learning experience,” said Saltz. “The stuff that I had to do when I was working at the publishing house in Hightstown was mainly menial work, but it made me really good at identifying copying mistakes.”
Once she changed her major, Saltz also started writing for The Signal, where she was primarily a news writer.
“The cool thing about The Signal was that my roommate worked in campus communications, and she always got first word about the goings-on on campus,” said Saltz. “And so, I would always get the scoop on the really good stories.”
Saltz even got to write a front-page article
when former New Jersey Gov. Christine Whitman gave a speech at one of the graduation ceremonies at the College.
When looking back at her time at The Signal, Saltz said, “it served me very well for my career, but it’s not a muscle that I flex all the time. I’ve learned how to become a better interviewer because of it, but I’m no longer hustling for hard news like how I was in college.”
Since her graduation, Saltz has gone on to foster a diverse and successful media career. Right out of college, she had contacts with a publishing house in New York City and was able to get her first job at a bridal magazine called Modern Bride, which no longer exists. She worked there for about three years.
“From there I wrote little newsy blips and lifestyle services about stuff, so it wasn’t chasing news like how it was with The Signal,” said Saltz.
When looking back on this experience, Saltz said she was very fortunate to have gotten into the media business so quickly. Since Modern Bride was such a small brand, she was able to do much more as a writer than what she would have been doing at a larger corporation. At this job, she started getting major writing experiences very early, and she even got her byline in the magazine.
“I got this awesome job at Modern Bride, and I got to really do work,” Saltz said. “I now realize the benefits of having a job like that.”
After Modern Bride, Saltz went on to work for The Knot, a wedding website that had started not long before she started working there. At this job, she mainly wrote about fashion and beauty topics.
From there, Saltz went to work for the media company Hearst, which she still works for today. She started working for Hearst at Seventeen, a
magazine primarily for teenagers. She worked at this magazine for eight years, first as the deputy editor and then as the executive editor.
Interested in working in culinary media, Saltz then made the shift. She first went to Food Network Magazine, another magazine owned by Hearst.
After three years at this magazine, Saltz launched a website called Delish in 2015 under the Hearst company.
Delish has been extremely successful since its creation; it is the fastest growing food media website. It has around 30 million users every month and has gained large platforms on Instagram, TikTok and Youtube. Saltz has even written five cookbooks, with the most recent one released a few weeks ago on April 8.
“At Delish, we have a 3,000 square foot test kitchen in New York City, which is super fun,” said Saltz. “We shoot all kinds of content there.” Saltz’s job is to oversee all of the content that the website puts out, such as the recipes and written stories. She works to ensure that Delish is reaching the intended audience each month with its content. Everyone who works for her, whether it be through social media, news or the kitchen, has to report to Saltz.
Saltz has had big-name celebrities like Glen Powell, Guy Fieri and Chrissy Teigen come into the kitchen with her for Delish, which highlights the success this website has had.
Healing through horsepower at nonprofit Hope’s Promise
By Parisa Burton Nation & World Editor
Hope’s Promise, a non-profit organization located in Chester, N.J., founded in 2012 by Director Maureen Coultas, offers a wide array of programs to benefit diverse populations using full-sized and miniature therapy horses.
Since its inception, Hope’s Promise has visited 82 schools and colleges. Students at the College may have had the opportunity to interact with the miniature horses, Noble Attitude and Ravi, as they have made repeat visits during the annual Thrive Wellness Expo.
Its mission is to “provide physical, mental and emotional support and to teach new skills to a diverse range of children and adults with disabilities through equine assisted activities.”
Coultas is a lifelong horse rider and started saving for her first horse at 8 years old. She made this dream come true in 2000 at age 40, with the purchase of an Appaloosa horse named Chief. However, she did not foresee the life-changing impact she would make on tens of thousands of people.
As a stay-at-home mother to four daughters, she purchased Chief as a personal escape. Coultas suffered abuse at the hands of her mother from infancy until the age of 20 and lives with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result. Getting on Chief’s back for the first time was the only remedy that truly brought her solace.
“I’ve been in all kinds of therapy, and they’ve definitely helped, but when I would get on Chief’s back, it would go away and nothing ever did that,” Coultas said. “My days were so hard because all of my memories were repressed, so if I had like one minute of a day that was good, that was a lot. But with having Chief, it got to be more and more.”
Growing up, she was taught that she didn’t deserve good things and that if life started to go well, something bad was bound to happen. Leading up to her mother’s death,
Coultas became her primary caregiver. After her passing, Coultas used the inheritance to purchase Chief.
Prior to making the decision, she struggled with guilt and feelings of selfishness for wanting something for herself. She prayed for God asking for a sign — and received two.
“There was a cloud and the rays of the sun were shining behind it, and the cloud was shaped like the head and neck and the front part of the body of a horse like it was galloping,” Coultas said. “And this is even weirder — I arranged to get him, and someone was like, ‘Would this Saturday, three weeks from now be good for you?’ and I was like ‘yeah.’ Well, it turned out it was my mother’s birthday, the first one after she died.”
At the time, Coultas was teaching lessons at a barn when she and her husband decided to move. She envisioned having a place where she could start her own therapeutic riding program, hoping to bring the same sense of healing to others like Chief had brought her.
She initially wanted to bring Chief to nursing homes and other care facilities, but quickly learned full-sized animals weren’t allowed in these indoor spaces. That’s when she discovered miniature horses existed and began to invest. Today, Hope’s Promise Farm has five miniature horses, two ponies and two full-size riding horses.
The organization provides a range of six total services, including equine therapy visits, a reading and informational program, riding and horsemanship, and equine-assisted empowerment.
The purpose of the therapy visits is to promote mental wellness and provide stress relief to people who feel alone or isolated. Beyond academic environments, this initiative has been brought to over 400 nursing homes, assisted living facilities, memory care centers, rehabs and personal visits, specifically targeting elderly, sick and disabled populations.
The reading program educates participants
on the therapeutic power of horses, encouraging open discussions about how the animal has helped them overcome fears, self-doubt and other challenges. This service has reached 149 library programs, 42 school programs and 15 senior centers. These visits feature special appearances from miniature horses Michelangelo or Noble Attitude.
“Two of our miniature horses wrote their autobiography,” Coultas said. “That’s what I tell the children. They take their books to libraries and schools. Children learn how horses help people in different ways.”
Michelangelo’s book, “Michelangelo, The Little Therapy Horse,” educates readers about miniature horses like himself. He sometimes brings along a book about his full-sized friend, Chief, titled “My Friend Chief, The Story of a Therapeutic Riding Horse,” which offers insights into therapeutic horseback riding. Noble Attitude also shares his own picture book, “Noble Attitude, The Little Therapy Horse,” which tells the story of his life and work as a miniature therapy horse.
The assisted empowerment initiative is a year-long program designed to support at-risk and vulnerable youth, primarily in urban areas, including students with behavioral issues. The program focuses on developing leadership, selfesteem, patience, responsibility and teamwork,
“At Delish, we always say, ‘you don’t have to know how to cook, you just have to love to eat,’” said Saltz. She says that one of the main purposes of Delish is to get people excited about food and try new, fun things in the kitchen. among other essential skills.
The program consists of eight visits to a school with one to two miniature horses, followed by a trip where students accompany the miniatures to a local facility and concludes with a visit to the farm, where the children have the opportunity to interact with a full-sized horse for the first time.
Students learn everything from safety around horses to grooming and leading them. Hope’s Promise’s largest horse weighs about 1,200 pounds, and working with such large animals provides a sense of empowerment for students.
“They can literally ask the horse to back up and move his rear end to the right side or left without touching him,” Coultas said. “So imagine thinking you have no power in this world or life and you just got a 1,200 pound horse to move where you wanted with just your body language.”
The riding and horsemanship program teaches learners with physical disabilities, diseases, illnesses and disadvantaged backgrounds how to communicate directions to horses. In addition to improving muscle strength, balance and reducing anxiety, therapeutic riding has also been shown to help with walking, breathing, swallowing, eating and speech.
Photo courtesy of Joanna Saltz
Joanna Saltz ‘99 working in the Delish kitchen with her daughter, Everett.
Read more on our website!
Photo courtesy of Maureen Coultas
The horses of Hope’s Promise Farm provide strength to vulnerable populations.
The
Disney was more inclusive when it wasn’t trying to be
By AJ Mun Correspondent
With the recent release of the live action adaptation of “Snow White” starring Rachel Zegler, Disney has once again faced backlash over its decision-making skills. Now, don’t get me wrong; Zegler deserves her flowers, as she is one of the brightest rising stars I see in the constellation of newgen actors.
That being said, this movie was definitely doomed from the minute it reached the storyboard stage.
From the costuming, to the hair and makeup, to the CGI dwarves, “Snow White” was one of the most heinously mishandled pieces of work that Disney has put together, and it’s no one’s fault but its own.
The internet has expressed its opinions regarding Disney’s consistent push for inclusivity through modern-day race swapping, and in my opinion, it’s usually acceptable. For example, in Halle Bailey’s case in the live action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” Ariel’s original design is that of a fish. Considering the fact that mermaids don’t exist, I figured it was okay to make her a Black woman who desires more out of life than what she’s been given.
With that acknowledged, there are some stories you simply cannot switch. Tiana must be Black, as her story depends on it. Tracy Turnblad in “Hairspray” must be white, as her story depends on it. Snow White is described as “hair as black as ebony, lips as red as the rose, and skin as white as snow.” This description then makes audiences
Substance should be more common in pop stardom
By AJ Mun Correspondent
The pop genre has dominated the music industry for many years now, but a soulful and vulnerable pop-star is a diamond that has become all too rare in 2025. With the ongoing stream of interviews and live performances, it’s hard to tell whether a star is creating from a place of artistic substance or simply putting on a facade for views and attention.
While her music is great, one of the newest pop divas, Chappell Roan, is someone who is often not represented in the best light. The overall consensus about Roan online is that she lacks media training and, in my personal opinion, does not yet know how to clearly verbalize her thoughts without sending the wrong message.
Topics such as respecting boundaries in public and showing respect on red carpets are not unheard of among celebrities — but the way Roan addresses these issues often gives audiences the impression that she is ungrateful or simply rude.
My personal take on Roan is that it isn’t so terrible to want a more normalized relationship with the public. However, one must understand
wonder if she should have been portrayed by a fair-skinned white woman.
Additionally, what I find interesting is that Disney would never reverse the roles and make Princess Jasmine a white woman, because they are determined to protect the few roles of color that they have. Yet, instead of expanding that list and adding more stories, they choose to rework existing ones.
Could Zegler not have had an opportunity to showcase her acting and voice in an original story? One that could have highlighted Latina women and given young girls a new princess to look up to?
Let’s not forget that Disney has a Latina princess, “Elena of Avalor,” but instead of giving her a feature film debut, she was confined to a Disney Jr. television show.
In some ways, this could be seen as both a positive and a negative, as it primarily makes an impression on the youth — allowing them to grow up in a world where a strong Latina princess exists — but it also creates a barrier for anyone above the age of 7 to digest her story, or take her seriously as a piece of representational media.
If we want to analyze Disney’s true representational media, we have to look to the ‘90s, with releases like “Pocahontas,” “Mulan” and “Aladdin.”
While “Pocahontas” may not be the most accurate telling of a story, we can still appreciate the beautiful artwork of the film. “Mulan” and “Aladdin” both showcased strong women who didn’t need the help of a man to make it in their world, but were still able to find
love in the right places and have a softer side to them.
Back then, Disney was less worried about meeting the quota and more concerned with making art and magic. That was true representation.
However, while Disney has made its fair share of mistakes when it comes to representation, the lack of praise for the films that are actually inclusive is entirely the audience’s fault.
To expand upon this, I want to acknowledge Disney Pixar’s 2023 film “Elemental.” While, at its base level, the film is about the elements, it is very easy to see that Wade, a boy made of water, is designed to behave like the average white American male. Ember, the other lead, is designed after a first-generation Asian-American immigrant.
Stories like these, which are easy to understand and imbue great lessons and cultural representation, are exactly what should be receiving praise. Unfortunately, it had the worst opening of any Pixar film but went on to become a sleeper hit, grossing $300 million with a $200 million budget.
While the stats aren’t great, “Elemental” was one of my favorite films that the studio had produced.
Is it because I, myself, can relate to Ember? Maybe. But when all is said and done, it is up to us, the audience, to digest and praise media that does marginalized communities justice, instead of boosting hate toward the films that don’t.
After all, if we don’t create the stories, then who will?
Dear Lioness: I need help with…
that with the velocity at which she catapulted to fame, and the level of popularity she has reached, a normal life is no longer a luxury she can afford. Time and time again, we see celebrities torn apart by tabloids and gossip blogs online, but it’s the way you handle it that earns respect.
While we all know that Roan has no problem sharing what’s on her mind, I find that she doesn’t exactly know what to say or how to feel. If you are going to go on stage dressed as Lady Liberty and make political demands and statements in front of a record-breaking crowd, you must understand that you have willingly associated yourself with that side of your personality and, therefore, must stand behind what you said. While she has authenticity, she lacks guidance and grace — thus making her seem artistically lost, in my view.
An additional quality that just establishes substance for me is the music in itself. To understand my point of view on modern day music, we must first go backwards.
Listening to music in the 90s, we notice a number of ballads that are emotional and well written, balancing both catchy melodies with the feelings of the artist singing them. During the 90s, the music industry gave us classics like Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”
Both are powerful ballads that have secured their spots as iconic pieces of music history, but when looking at the charting hits in recent years, can we truly say the same?
Despite knowing where we came from, pop songs today lack that sort of emotion and truth that I personally appreciate within music. Songs today can still have an emotional substance to them, but I believe the music industry just doesn’t have the same standards that it once had. Read
The Signal’s bi-weekly advice column provides feedback to anonymous questions submitted via our advice form. While The Lioness is always here to give advice, students seeking immediate help should contact their healthcare provider or emergency services.
Not understanding why I didn’t get into a sorority. I could really see myself in my top choice and am crushed that they dropped me. It’s been over a month and it still hurts me.
Rushing is tough but props to you for putting yourself out there. Even though you didn’t get the result you wanted, remember how you committed yourself to the process, and be proud of that. If this is something you really want, you can always try again next year. If you’re totally turned off by the process, there are also professional sororities with an academic focus that are just as involved. Don’t fall into the easy trap of stalking sorority Instagrams and others’ posts during their events, it’s just gonna give you FOMO. Everything happens for a reason and perhaps your hard work is needed elsewhere in the world!
How can I tell my roommate that I see him as more than just a roommate? I’m all bent out of shape about it because we’re living together for next year too. Also he likes muscular guys and I’m built like a twig.
First off, don’t doubt yourself lean king. But this is a tough situation; living with someone undoubtedly opens the door for attraction when you spend a lot of time together. If you’re ready and sure to have that conversation, do it in a comfortable space when neither of you are stressed about school or life. Acknowledge your guys’ relationship as roommates/friends and then use “I” statements on how your feelings have developed. Saying “you make me feel…” can come off as blaming. Also be prepared for a slew of reactions: mutual or unshared feelings, or they need more time to process. It’s also a possibility that this can create awkwardness for next year. Worst case scenario you guys end up switching out as roommates if the tension becomes too much for both or either one of you.
My landlord said that he would give us free pizza for doing him a favor last semester. How can we bring it up to him without it being awkward and seeming desperate?
This is so funny. Also, you’re college students, let’s be honest, we’re all desperate for free food. So, no shame there. Make a joke out of it, text them or bring it up next time they visit, saying “so remember how you said you would treat us to pizza if we did a favor?” If you’re feeling bold and have a good relationship with them, add a smiley face or the eyes emoji.
Photo courtesy IMDb
Pop stars have been around for decades, but the lack of substance is apparent in modern music.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
Diversity and inclusion is more important now than ever, yet Disney was more inclusive in the 90s than in 2025.
Illustration by Sky Stewart
In the face of federal pressures, college newsrooms must stand with students
By Signal Editorial Board
Newspapers have a devotion to the audience they serve; there is no purpose for the pages unless it’s to inform others. However, recent federal actions have impacted students across the country.
Student visas have been revoked, those who speak out against Israel have been deported and the United States Department of Education has threatened universities with lists of demands to clamp down on free speech in the name of reducing antisemitism.
College newspapers have been tasked with reporting on the ever-changing day-today news cycle that began on Inauguration Day, producing stories about how federal policies are impacting their campuses.
College media is crucial to keeping a campus community informed, and having an entity on its campus that works around the clock to report on important developments across the school community is vital.
However, that may soon become much more difficult.
These life-changing events being brought against students and the country as a whole have ignited a coalition of national student media advisory organizations to call on college newspapers earlier this month to consider updating guidance on journalistic practices that involve anonymous sources and takedown requests, warning that college newsrooms should be open to change editorial practices that have historically limited the use of these two components.
The coalition — comprised of the Associated Collegiate Press, Journalism Education Association, College Media Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Quill & Scroll, and the
Student Press Law Center — issued its warning after a recent uptick in college students and alumni requesting college newsrooms to take down past articles that may tie them to activities that the Trump administration could see as a reason for revoking a visa or deportation.
As the warning call from the organizations will be interpreted differently by college newspapers across the country, they’ll have to choose whether to ignore the events that have happened in the country or continue to highlight students’ stories.
The significance of a news organization’s work helps build the foundation of a community by informing others of events that will affect them, showing them that their work doesn’t go unnoticed and preserving parts of a campus’s history. Student reporters should remember the true intent of their efforts as uncertainties are unfolding in different aspects of American society.
The Signal, along with all other professional newsrooms across the nation, upholds a set of values and ethical standards that we follow when conducting our reporting. These guidelines help us to be transparent and reduce harm against any individual.
While we are a proponent of fact-based, transparent reporting that tells the whole story, we recognize that there may be times when reporting on particular topics could lead to students on our campus facing irreparable harm from the federal government.
Because of this, The Signal will be examining its policies closely as we navigate the weeks and months ahead so that we can properly serve the campus community while also protecting the campus community.
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Pope Francis, ‘The People’s Pope,’ has died at age 88 in his Vatican City home
By Abigail Holliday Staff Writer
Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome, leader of the Roman Catholic Church and Patriarch of the West, passed away at the age of 88 on the morning of Monday, April 21.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio assumed the name Pope Francis after St. Francis of Assisi in 2013 following his election, the first pope to ever do so. St. Francis was a 13th-century Italian friar and poet who devoted his life to poverty and charity under the Catholic faith. He believed Francis was “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man
who loves and protects creation, with which we don’t have such a good relationship.”
Nicknamed “The People’s Pope,” Francis was born to Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires, Argentina, making him the first Latin American pope and the first non-European pope in 1,200 years, according to TIME. He was also the first Jesuit pope; when interviewed by the Holy See, he stated that he chose to be a Jesuit due to “the missionary spirit, community and discipline.”
Francis passed away at 7:35 a.m. local time from a stroke, coupled with a coma and heart failure. He also had a history of other various health issues: multiple bronchiectasis, Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, arterial hypertension and multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, according to the Holy See Press Office.
Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, the director of the directorate of health and hygiene of the Vatican City State, released an official statement announcing the death of Pope Francis.
“I hereby certify that His Holiness Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) born in Buenos Aires (Argentina) on December 17, 1936, resident in Vatican City, Vatican citizen, died at 7:35 a.m. on 21/04/2025 in his apartment at the Domus Sanctae Marthae (Vatican City).”
During his 12 years as the Bishop of Rome, Francis used his power to perform many acts that affirmed his vow to embody a man of peace and a steward of all creation. He is known for his progressive stance on people
Hawaii’s tourism industry is suffering
By Parisa Burton Nation & World Editor
Hawaii has witnessed a devastating decline in the number of tourist visits in recent years, with nearly half a million fewer tourists in 2025 compared to pre-pandemic levels. The island relies on visitors for its tourism industry to thrive, yet travelers often feel deterred from vacationing in the Aloha State at all, partly due to Maui Mayor Richard Bissen’s plan to eliminate thousands of vacation rentals, according to Beat of Hawaii.
Bissen’s plan focuses on short-term rentals along the region of West Maui, most of which have been operated for decades and are considered some of the most popular places to stay among tourists. Proponents argue that his plan is the “only way to reduce housing costs and preserve neighborhoods,” while others assert that it deters both visitors and locals and only exacerbates the crisis.
Statewide, there has been a 6.7% decrease in visitors compared to 2019 and a 23.4% decrease in Maui tourists. Simultaneously, the state is becoming more costly. Hotel rates have increased 29% from 2019 to 2024, with vacation rental prices also skyrocketing, resulting in reduced demand, according to SFGATE.
within the LGBTQ+ community.
In an interview with Italian journalist Father Antonio Spadaro, Francis stated,“Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?”
In 2022, Francis advocated for gay children, instructing parents to not shun their children, but rather love them as Jesus does, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
He spoke at large about the importance of protecting the world we inhabit, stating that we have a “moral obligation” to preserve our resources. He believed that the Catechism should include ecological sins, including all forms of pollution, “throw-away culture,” deforestation, contributions to climate change and exploitation of Mother Earth’s natural resources.
Francis was considered to be a more “progressive” pope compared to his traditionalist predecessors. He also spoke on divorce and abortion, saying that everything should be looked at on a case-by-case basis, and at its root, always look at the person first, not the situation, like Jesus would do.
Following the death of a pope, centuries-old traditions and rites emerge to honor him and facilitate the election of his successor. According to the New York Times, this includes destroying his papal ring, sealing his rooms. Cardinals from across the world will be invited to Rome to attend Francis’ funeral and choose the new pope 15 to 20 days after death.
The conclave, 120 eligible cardinals
under the age of 80, seclude themselves in the Sistine Chapel and vote in an anonymous ballot. A two-thirds majority is required and continues until they’ve reached that majority, where they then can announce to the public in a dramatic flair. After every vote, white or black smoke is created by burning the ballots, white signaling a new pope has been selected and black means another vote will take place, according to TIME.
A viewing is set for the public to begin on Wednesday and last for three days to allow everyone to give their respects and prayers. This is a time of mourning for all Catholics; soccer matches in Argentina and Italy have been canceled, world leaders are showing their respects and the countries of Vatican City and Italy are preparing for his funeral, according to the New York Times.
His funeral will take place this Saturday, April 26, outside of St. Peter’s Basilica. Francis will be buried in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major adorned solely with the inscription, “Franciscus,” according to his last Testament. He also willed, in his last wish, that “the suffering that marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and brotherhood among peoples.”
The Cardinals met this Tuesday and following tradition, the conclave will initiate between May 5 and May 10. This begs the question whether the new pope will share Francis’ progressive beliefs or if they will return to a more traditional church.
The dip in tourist visits since 2019 represents a long-term shift that strikes rental owners and small businesses that rely on vacationer dollars the hardest. Even frequent Maui visitors are feeling uncertain about booking their stay out of fear of losing their deposit if Bissen’s plan takes effect, Beat of Hawaii reported.
Others have taken a step back from visitation out of respect for locals who have faced devastating effects from the deadly wildfires in Lahaina in 2023. This disaster led to 102 deaths, the displacement of thousands and burned the town to the ground, according to PBS.
Survivor Sanford Hill told Frontline that he had no choice but to relocate to the island of Kauai, northwest of Maui, because of a lack of available housing. This has been especially challenging for Hill to navigate, as the disaster caused post-traumatic stress disorder and he fears a similar tragedy will strike again.
Following the Lahaina wildfires, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported a 44% increase in median Maui rent between early 2023 and June 2024. FEMA has since leased homes to approximately 1,200 families that survived the impact and assisted another 500 families with financial aid. However, these families were required to pay rent starting in March 2025, determined by their economic position, and the temporary housing is set to expire in February 2026.
“We need to provide affordable housing for residents, not mainland owners for tourists,” reader Mike N. told Beat of Hawaii. “After Lahaina, the need is even greater.”
Hawaii business owners are recognizing the importance of reassuring residents that they are welcome to visit Maui after receiving feedback from frequent visitors on how the higher prices have changed their travel plans.
Good Samaritan saves woman from drowning, and sewage becomes sustainable marine fuel
is Good samaritan recognition and sustainable conversion of methanol.
By Brinda Patel Staff Writer
Good News Lions is the Nation & World section’s bi-weekly news segment, highlighting positive news in the country and around the world. The theme of this article is good Samaritan recognition and sustainable conversion of methanol.
Bystander saves driver after her car crashes into the Naperville pond
Tino Mora jumped into water to help to save a driver after her car veered into a pond during a traffic accident in Illinois on April 16 while he was working his job as a landscaper, NBC Chicago reported. Firefighters said that Mora held the woman’s head and body afloat above six feet of water, KCAL News posted on Facebook.
The woman struck a Lexus with her Ford Explorer and lost control. Before the car submerged into the body of water, Mora spotted the woman behind the wheel banging on the car window for help, FOX32 Chicago detailed.
“I got to go right now,” Mora told WCJB about his thought process at that moment. “I heard the ambulance far away. I got to do this quickly because I don’t know if they’re going to get here at the right moment…So, when I saw her in the window, I said, ‘Nope, I have to jump.’”
The driver’s husband said that she chose to stay inside her vehicle because she doesn’t know how to swim, WCJB reported. Mora went into the water to help the driver before first responders from the Plainfield Fire Department. He said he opened the driver’s side of the door and grabbed her coat to pull her up to the surface. The woman was rescued safely and declined hospital transport.
“God knew I was there in the right moment for the right person,” Mora told CBS News Chicago. “I hope she’s in good condition” Additionally, her car was safely towed from the water. CBS News reported her husband said that she is in stable condition but is quite traumatized from the experience. He extended his gratitude to Mora for saving his wife’s life.
Although Mora is being hailed for his rescue, NBC’s Patrick Fazio reported that Mora does not want to be considered a “hero.”
Germany turns sewage into eco-friendly shipping fuel
A wastewater treatment plant in Mannheim, Germany, has begun to take biogas, a renewable energy source, from sewage into sustainable methanol. According to Fuel Cell Works Inc., this fuel can be used as marine fuel and become cleaner for maritime transport.
The 266th pope, Pope Francis, died at age 88 from a stroke and heart failure.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Hawaii faces a steep decline in tourism following rising vacation costs, among other factors.
Graphic by Sandra Abrantes
The theme of this week’s Good News Lions article
Breaking the fourth wall: All College Theatre’s ‘The Skin of Our Teeth’
By Mia Shea Correspondent
The 1940s play “The Skin of Our Teeth,” originally written by Thornton Wilder, follows the Antrobus family and their housekeeper, Sabina, as they persevere through global disasters. This three-act play explores resilience through a modernized version of
‘Yellowjackets’
several biblical stories.
All College Theatre performed the show in the Don Evans Black Box Theater. The play ran from April 10 to April 12.
Mr. Antrobus, played by freshman English major Travis Martin, is unfaithful to his wife, Mrs. Antrobus, played by freshman early childhood education and psychology major
Season 3 reveals more of the wilderness’ dark secrets
By Ashley Ragone Arts & Entertainment Editor
Spring has arrived for the Yellowjackets, as well as cryptic messages and a thirst for blood.
Since the premiere of the series “Yellowjackets” in 2021, the dedicated fanbase has contributed dozens of theories and discussion forums to the plot points of the hour-long episodes. In the third season, which concluded on April 13, viewers reunited with their favorite New Jersey girls’ soccer team stranded in the Canadian wilderness.
The team from the fictional town of Wiskayok, while traveling to a national championship tournament, end up stranded for 19 months in the forest when their plane crashes. The series, which switches back and forth between the past and present, covers both the events that occurred from 1996 to 1998 in the forest and their lives in the current day. The viewer slowly pieces together how the girls survived and continue to
Denae Johnson. His mistress is the housekeeper, Sabina, played by sophomore elementary special education and history major Bella Moitoso.
The Antrobus family has two children, Gladys, played by junior communication studies major Sarah Borriello, and Henry, played by junior physics and secondary education major Lukas Nacion.
Borriello shared that her favorite part about playing Gladys is “how energetic she is and how funny she is,” but along with that, “there is so much depth to her character,” she said.
The show’s plot is not the primary focus of the show as a whole. The show is centered around the evolution of the characters throughout the global disasters — act one’s being a new ice age, act two being the great flood and act three the end of a war.
Sabina broke the fourth wall several times throughout the show, momentarily pausing the show in order to allude to the fact that they are all actors in the play. When she did so, the stage manager character, played by junior math and secondary education major Aidan Hulse, would refer to her as “Ms. Moitoso,” adding this comedic
element to the play.
“It’s a play within a play,” added Borriello.
There were also several references to past ACT shows and TCNJ Musical Theatre’s spring musical, “Curtains,” where Moitoso played Jessica Cranshaw. These hidden easter eggs made the show that much more comical as someone who understood these references.
Production manager and sophomore communication studies major Lauren Diaz shared that “The Skin of Our Teeth” was a huge challenge for all departments involved in the production. “It is one of if not the biggest, most demanding shows ACT has ever put on and we are so incredibly fortunate that it turned out the way that it did,” she said.
As each act evolved, so did the set, making it very visually easy to follow the time period, although the play takes place over several thousand years.
“It’s human nature to want to keep building and keep persevering no matter how difficult the times are. This show, despite being written over 80 years ago, is still so relevant and I hope the audiences take this message with them,” Diaz added.
Netflix documentary exposes exploitation of child influencers
deal with trauma as the show connects the 25-year gap between the events.
Season 3 picks up with the Yellowjackets team living in huts and makeshift shelters, following the shocking loss of their cabin to a fire.
Coach Ben Scott, played by Steven Krueger, has suspiciously disappeared, and teen Natalie Scatorccio, played by Sophie Thatcher, proves to be an effective new leader. In the present day, the women are still reeling from the accidental death of adult Scatorccio, played by Juliette Lewis, in the second season finale.
The third season’s main conflicts in the past revolve around Shauna Shipman, who has grown detached and angry, picking fights with various members of the team. Teen Shipman, played by Sophie Nélisse, continues to grieve her stillborn baby and her best friend, while the other girls search for their missing coach and face some unwanted strangers.
In the present, an anonymous letter and a series of strange coincidences send the Yellowjackets on a mission to determine who is out to harm them. Adult and married Shauna Sadecki, played by Melanie Lynskey, becomes increasingly paranoid and concerned by the events that the women fear are motivated by the mysterious “wilderness.” This supernatural “wilderness” system becomes the excuse used by the team to motivate several plots of murder, crime and cannibalism — both while stranded and in present-day society.
Some other notable plots include the renewed romance between Taissa Turner and Vanessa Palmer, played by Tawny Cypress and Lauren Ambrose, respectively, as well as the introduction of another key survivor, played by Hilary Swank. The season sees greater focus placed on characters that remained largely overlooked and underdeveloped in earlier episodes.
By Heather Halperin Correspondent
The new Netflix documentary “Bad Influencing: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing” takes a deep dive into the world of being a child content creator and the dangerous effects and mental toll it has on the children involved.
The three-part series narrows in on Piper Rockelle, a popular social media personality, her mom-manager Tiffany Smith and the controversy that surrounds her internet career. It explores the allegations of exploitation and abuse within the content creation group they started known as “The Squad.”
The series starts at the beginning of Rockelle’s YouTube career and the formation of her and Smith’s content creation empire.
As the years went on, Rockelle and Smith added more and more members to their group of creators. It started as a way for young kids who loved being in front of the camera to express themselves and create humorous content together.
However, there was another side to the industry that people, especially those directly involved in the group, chose to ignore. This series finally answered the questions that have been circling the internet since this group was formed.
It explained what truly went on behind the scenes of each YouTube video, why members of “The Squad” would be mysteriously replaced and why these specific kid influencers would disappear from social media.
The docuseries exposes Smith for the cruel things she was putting her daughter, Rockelle, and the other kids through. It also showed the extreme efforts Smith made to stay relevant and popular on all social media platforms.
As the kids grew more popular on their platforms, the emotional, physical and sexual abuse got much worse. Slowly, the original “Squad” removed them -
selves from the channel and disassociated themselves from Rockelle and Smith completely.
In 2022, 11 ex-members of “The Squad” filed a lawsuit against Smith for many issues, such as financial misconduct, child labor violations and the abuse they endured while being a part of their group.
After two years, in 2024, the 11 former members received a $1.85 million settlement. Despite the lawsuit, Smith continues to deny all allegations and faces no criminal charges for her actions.
This series furthermore highlights the lack of legal protection for child influencers and how the world ignored the similarities between their experiences and those of traditional child entertainers.
Several experts helped to explain the urgent need for regulations to protect minors in the social media industry. The documentary provides a look into the potential dangers that come with being a “kidfluencer,” further sharing the destruction this industry can cause.
Photo courtesy of Oliver Eloe
Act two of “The Skin of Our Teeth” was set on the Atlantic City boardwalk.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
The documentary sheds light on the dark side of being a child content creator.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
The third season premiered on Feb. 14 on Paramount+.
Men’s and women’s tennis both advance to conference finals
By Tyler Morello Staff Writer
The College’s men’s and women’s tennis teams strung together some impressive wins this week, with the men going 3-1 and the women winning three of four matches.
Coming off three straight losses to some high-quality teams, the men’s team was looking for a spark to turn their season around. They delivered a commanding performance against Drew University on Friday, April 18.
In doubles, Juniors Harrison Maitland-Carter and Asa Wong won
6-0, while freshman Sidd Arudi and sophomore Nathan Chan matched them with a 6-0 victory of their own. Juniors Brett Schuster and Alberto Thomas controlled their match and won 6-2.
Maitland-Carter, Alberto, Schuster and Chan each stayed undefeated on the day with victories in their singles matches, while sophomore Aidan Twamley and junior Olufela Fieulleteau each won to sweep Drew on the day 7-0.
Less than 24 hours later was a matchup against SUNY Oneonta that resulted in the same favor of the Lions, 7-0. The only close match for the
Baseball falls to No. 18 Rowan, No. 7 Kean
By Jhett Laurie Staff Writer
In a week of stiff competition, the College’s baseball team took on fellow New Jersey Athletic Conference teams No. 18 Rowan and No. 7 Kean. With a valiant effort, the team went 0-4, falling to fourth in conference standings.
The Lions traveled to Glassboro, N.J., to take on Rowan on April 17, falling 7-2 to the No. 18-ranked Profs. The College’s bats fell silent, as they held a zero in the hits column until the eighth inning.
After going down three runs, the Lions looked to rally in the sixth, as they had two men on with no outs. In an unfortunate break, senior Zach Hochheiser grounded into a double play, scoring a run, but clearing the bases.
Rowan answered in the bottom of the sixth, adding two runs to the College’s deficit. Fifth-year Gianni Marano ended the Lions’ hitless streak in the eighth inning with a single up the middle. The team was unable to use this momentum as they were only able to bring across one more run, setting the final score to 7-2.
Fifth-year Ryan Goodall made his 170th appearance during the game, breaking the record set in 1992 by Dan Dengler.
The Profs traveled to Ewing the next day, in what was a hopeful attempt to swing the momentum from the first game by the Lions. Rowan started hot, scoring two runs in the first inning, and never looked back.
The Lions mustered an offensive attack, tallying seven hits across their nine innings of play. Marano struck again, this time roping a double to score the team’s first run, bringing Rowan within one run.
Rowan would blow the game open in the next frame, scoring five runs to make the score 7-1. Marano would bring home the team’s other two runs during the bottom of the seventh with a two-
College was doubles with MaitlandCarter and Wong competing in a backand-forth match that came down to a tiebreaker.
Later that Saturday, the Lions faced another conference opponent in Rutgers-Camden, and once again dominated with a 7-0 sweep, making it 21 unanswered matches won over three separate matchups. This win clinched their second straight appearance in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship.
The College finishes first in the East Division of the conference, which sets the stage for the WIAC Championship match against the No. 26 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, who are the West Division champions.
The men’s team also fought hard against No. 35 Stevens on Tuesday, April 22, but fell just short, losing 4-3. The Lions were not able to grab the doubles sets win, as Sidd and Chan were the only duo to win their match.
Down by a point, the Lions showed some heart battling with one of the top teams in the nation. Twamley, Chan, and Fieulleteau each won their singles matches, but they all finished after already being down 4-0 as a team.
As for the women, they were coming in hot off a four game win streak that included another clinch of a New Jersey Athletic Conference championship.
Hosting No. 36 Rochester on April 12, the Lions secured a hard-fought 4–3 victory, marking their first win over a
top 40 team this season. They took two of the three doubles matches on the day, with the duos of sophomore Zoey Albert and freshman Shruti Mannan, and freshman Elizabeth Ring and sophomore Gabriella Robinson getting the jobs done.
Mannan and Robinson were the first to finish and be victorious in their singles matches. Needing one more match, senior Aira Abalos completed a 7-6, 6-2 triumph with the tiebreaker set going her way 12-10.
The following day on April 13, the College traveled to Hoboken to defeat Stevens 6-1. Once again, Albert and Mannan, and Ring and Robinson took care of business in their matches.
After a tough loss to GoldeyBeacom, the Lions turned their attention to the semifinal round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs against Kean University, whom they had beaten previously in the season 7-0.
Abalos and freshman Gabrielle Brideau got the Lions on the board with a 6-0 doubles advantage, while Ring and Robinson followed their lead and won 6-0 in theirs. Albert and Shruti were leading 4-0 in their match as well.
Abalos, Brideau and Ring were the first to complete and succeed in their matches to complete the 4-0 sweep of Kean. This win places the Lions in the NJAC Championship match, where they will vie for their 42nd consecutive conference title.
Women’s lacrosse goes 2-2 in a middling stretch
out double. The Lions’ bats fell silent after this, recording only one hit over the final two innings and ultimately losing 8-3.
The Lions would hit the road on April 19, traveling to Union, N.J., to take on No. 6 Kean University. In two hard-fought games, the Lions’ offense would ultimately fall short of Kean’s.
Game one saw the Lions struggle at the plate, not recording a hit for the first four innings. Kean would score a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings, bringing the Lions down 4-0. Goodall drove in two runs, singling with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth.
Lions’ hitters combined for five hits and 13 strikeouts as faltering bats were unable to help fifth- year pitcher Ben Amon stride past a dominant Kean team, with the squad losing 4-2. Amon held the Cougars to just four runs over his 6.2 innings.
Game two saw Lions star pitcher Jackson Malouf take the mound in a hopeful attempt to quell Kean’s offense. A triple by senior Mike LaGravenis set up junior Jack O’Donnell to drive in a run in the first inning, giving the Lions their first lead of the week.
The College would give up two runs in the bottom of the second. However, it wasn’t long before Marano drove in an RBI against his former teammates and senior Andrew Fernandez would hit a solo-home run to put the Lions up 3-2.
Kean would strike hard and quickly in the bottom of the fifth, putting up four runs and proving why they are the No. 6 team in the nation. The College would record five more hits scattered across the remainder of the game, yet was unable to put together an offensive strike to reclaim the lead. The Cougars would go on to win 7-3, sweeping the Lions for their second time in the week.
The Lions are set to play their four remaining NJAC games, with hopes of defeating Ramapo on April 24 and 25 and Montclair State in a Senior Day doubleheader on April 26 to clinch their position at third in the conference.
By Tyler Fennell Staff Writer
The Lions went 2-2 over the past two weeks in a middling stretch.
Their first loss was on the road against No. 6 Salisbury on April 12, which is a very strong team with an 11-4 record.
Their second loss was at home to No. 17 Colorado College on April 19, which is again, a very strong team with a 16-3 record.
The College won both of their New Jersey Athletic Conference games against Kean on April 9 and Ramapo on April 16, both having identical scores of 21-2.
Throughout this stretch, fifth-year Ally Tobler has continued her seasonlong streak of no less than 4 points in every game.
Even in their loss to Salisbury where the College lost in a score of 9-5, Tobler had a hand in four of the five goals scored for the College.
Standout performances in this stretch include junior Marissa Lucca, who had 21 points in the four games, sophomore
CJ Kole, who had 14 points in the four games and sophomore Gabriella Roosa, who had 15 points in the past four games.
Fifth-year goaltender Julia Charest posted back-to-back games with save percentages above .500 in the loss to Salisbury and the win against Ramapo.
The College only has two more games left on their schedule. Both of them are NJAC games. The first one is on April 23 at Stockton and the second on April 26 at home against No. 23 Rowan for Senior Day.
Rowan has only lost one game this season and is undefeated in NJAC play. However, the College is also undefeated in NJAC play. This game will likely decide the No. 1 seed in the conference. Rowan is also on a five-game winning streak and will likely be the hotter team going into the game unless they lose their game against Montclair State.
April 30 marks the start of the NJAC Tournament with the semifinals, and May 3 being the championship game. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA DIII National Tournament.
Photo courtesy of Jimmy Alagna
The women’s team will be looking to win their 42nd consecutive conference title.
The Lions look to end their season strong in the NJAC.
Photo courtesy of Jimmy Alagna
Undefeated No More
Softball ruins No. 2 Rowan’s bid at an undefeated season
By Joseph Caruso Staff Writer
The College’s softball team has won nine of its past 10 games, including an unbelievable upset against previously undefeated No. 2 Rowan.
Coming into the matchup at 30-0, the Profs were the only remaining team in the country with zero losses. They had won 38 straight, dating back to last season, a streak that spanned 364 days. They hosted the College for a pair of games on Tuesday, April 15.
Rowan flexed their muscles in the first
game of the doubleheader, scoring six unanswered runs in the bottom of the first inning against sophomore pitcher Maya Knasiak. Knasiak walked four in the first inning, but settled in after throwing three straight scoreless innings to salvage her day.
Senior Julia Roessler came on in relief and tossed 2.1 shutout innings of her own to end the game.
Despite their pitching holding Rowan scoreless for six straight innings, the Lions had just five hits and left eight runners on base en route to being shut out for the fourth time this season. For the Profs, it was senior pitcher Rylee Lutz who shut down
the College, continuing her dominance on her way to her 13th consecutive win as a starting pitcher.
Coming into the day against the College, Rowan’s pitching duo of Lutz and junior Emily McCutcheon was a combined 270, with both boasting an ERA below one. It was McCutcheon who started the latter game of the doubleheader and would look to sweep the Lions to continue Rowan’s perfection.
Junior Elizabeth Gosse got the start on the mound and held down Rowan for two innings before they scored in the bottom of the third inning. However, in the top of the
fourth, the College finally struck. Fifth-year Julia Kinnally had a monster day with the bat, plating four runs by herself, including a fourth-inning two-run homer that gave the College a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
As a result of her heroics, Kinnally was named New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Week, slugging over 1.000 during the seven days. It’s her third time receiving NJAC Player of the Week and the first time this season.
Rowan answered with another run in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 3-2, but that would be it for the Profs as Gosse would go the remaining three innings without conceding another run. The Lions added insurance in the top of the seventh, with a two-run double from Kinnally.
Rowan would get the tying run to the plate in the final half inning, but with runners on second and third with two outs, Gosse induced the final out on a groundout to first, as the College snapped Rowan’s undefeated season 5-2.
The College returned home on Friday, April 18, to play New Jersey City University, looking to carry their momentum through the rest of their schedule.
In the first game, Knasiak bounced back with one of her most impressive outings, allowing zero runs on just two hits while striking out nine. Roessler pitched two more scoreless innings of her own to secure the save. Sophomore catcher Sara Vincent led the way with two RBI, as the College won the first game 5-0.
Gosse got back on the mound in the second game, getting her seventh win of the season in a quality start that saw her throw six innings of three-run ball. The Lions’ offense did most of the heavy lifting in this one, with 11 runs. Fifth-year Kaci Neveling had four hits and scored three runs, while senior McKayla Yard and Kinnally combined for five RBIs in an 11-5 victory.
The College now holds second place in the NJAC, with a 13-3 conference record and 21-13 overall. They will look to continue their winning ways in their final series of the season at home against William Paterson on Saturday, April 26, for Senior Day.
Three program records fall as track and field has dominant weekend
By Eddie Young Sports Editor
The College’s track and field team made a trip to Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, on April 18 and 19 to compete in the Paul Donahue Invitational. The recordsetting weekend consisted of many wins and podium finishes for both the men’s and women’s teams.
Before joining the rest of their team at Widener, though, the relay team of fifth-year Ray Schmitt, freshman Maxim Rychkov, freshman Noah Traverso and sophomore Jack Attali made a pit stop at the Coach Pollard Invitational at Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Friday, April 18.
Schmitt, Rychkov and Traverso started their day off by running in the preliminaries for the invitational’s 100-meter dash, with Rychkov and Schmitt setting the top two times of the 58 participants. The top eight sprinters were invited to run in the finals of the event, but the two Lions sat out, instead focusing on the 4x100-meter relay.
The four sprinters for the Lions teamed up to finish second to Susquehanna in this event with a time of 41.05 seconds, setting a school record in the process. They broke the record of 41.11 seconds set by the College’s relay team in 2002.
The quartet then made the hour-long trip to join the rest of their team at Widener to compete in the second day of events there. They once again ran the 4x100-meter relay, this time
winning the event with a time of 41.18 seconds, about eight-tenths of a second ahead of second place.
Rychkov then followed up these two performances by winning the 200-meter dash. He ran the event in 21.33 seconds, breaking the program record set by Eric Green in 2002 by just one-hundredth of a second.
As if two program records weren’t enough, the Lions went out and got a third before the end of the weekend. Rychkov, Traverso and Attali teamed up with freshman Anthony Senatore to finish second in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:12.10, less than a second off the winner. However, this time was about one second quicker than the program record set in 2010.
Rychkov now holds an outdoor track program record in four events, more than anyone else in the College’s history. His work in the 100-meter, 200-meter, 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter has been astounding, and in just his freshman year, he is looking to be on pace to maybe be one of the greatest sprinters this school has ever seen.
The men also did well in the field, with senior Stephen Daramola highlighting the weekend. He took home a victory in the hammer throw, with his best throw coming in at 48.50 meters. Senior George Agyei-Sam finished in third in the event with a 46.69-meter throw.
Daramola also finished in second in the discus, with his furthest throw being 47.23 meters.
The men’s field team took home two more
silver medals on the weekend, with sophomores Christian Farhat and Tyler Kadezabeck finishing second in the shot put and pole vault, respectively.
The women’s team also had some standout performances during the weekend. Senior Kerri McCarthy had a first-place finish, winning the hammer throw with a 49.88-meter throw.
The Lions also did a good job with their relays on the track. The 4x400-meter team consisting of sophomore Rukky Daranijo, sophomore Mackenzie Burke, senior Eliza Bruncaj and junior Kelly O’Grady ran the event in 3:48.97, good for second place.
Burke and Daranijo also teamed up with freshman Petra Doherty and sophomore
Samantha Magin to finish second in the 4x100meter relay. They finished in 48.98 seconds, just four-hundredths of a second ahead of the fourth and fifth place finishers.
Burke got on the podium in another event, too, as she ran the 400-meter hurdles in 1:02.73. This time earned her third place, as she was just one-hundredth of a second behind the secondplace finisher.
Following their impressive weekend, the Lions will now be splitting their athletes across two events. Some will head to the University of Pennsylvania to compete in the Penn Relays from April 24-26, while others will be staying home to compete in the Lions Invitational on April 25 and 26.
Photo by Elizabeth Gladstone
The Lions defeated No. 2 Rowan, who was the last undefeated collegiate softball team at any level.
Photo courtesy of Shane Gillespie
Fifth-year Ray Schmitt played a big role for the Lions this weekend.