The Tower - Volume 12, Issue 8 (4/19/12)

WWW.KEANTOWER.COM

THERE’S A BUG

TRAIN LIKE AN

ATHLETE

IN IN MY SMOOTHIE! Page 3

LAUGH TIME

GABRIEL IGLESIAS AT KEAN Page 4

Page 13

THE TOWER KEAN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 8

R A E W Y E VIE H T RE 7-9 IN ages P

April 19, 2012

Ugly Betty and Wes Moore to Middle States retains warnings Speak at 2012 Commencement on Kean accreditation

By Daniel Reyes

Photos: People.zapit2.com (left),Theotherwesmoore.com (right)

America Ferrera (left) and Wes Moore (right).

By Aaron Mena This years ceremonies will be held at the Prudential Center in Newark on May 17th and the ceremony will begin with formalities at 8:30 a.m.

The featured speaker for the undergraduate commencement ceremony is America Ferrera, who is mostly known for her roles in movies and television shows such as: ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,’ ‘Real Women Have Curves’ and the ABC series ‘Ugly Betty’. The very accomplished actress has received awards not only for acting abilities, but also for her contributions to society and increasing the quality of life for people around the world.

Some of these awards include an Emmy, a Golden Globe, NAACP Image Award, and the 2011 Global Action award for childhood development and education.

Ferrera has also received a notable

mention in Time magazine’s special edition ‘Time 100: The Most Influential People in the World’ issue. She is also an artist ambassador for the Save the Children foundation and helped to raise money to build a school in Mali.

One of her most recent collaborations was with Nicholas Kristof of ‘The New York Times’ for a PBS film called ‘Half the Sky’. The documentary was filmed in India to give the world insight on how women still encounter inequalities and struggles in society.

The media department did not respond with an answer as to why they chose Ferrera as the speaker for undergraduate commencement. However, she can be considered a humanitarian for her contributions to society, and can encourage the graduating class to use their degree to not only better themselves but the welfare of people in society.

Sophomore (Continued on page 13)

The Visiting Team from the Middle States Accreditation Board announced on Friday, April 13 that Kean is still not compliant with two standards for accreditation.

This decision is not the final fate for Kean, which has one year left before the deadline to fulfill Standards 7, Institutional Assessment, and 14, Assessment of Student Learning.

At the Visiting Team’s oral report Friday morning in Kean Hall, the team also said Kean may not be fully compliant with Standard 12, General Education. This is in addition to concerns it expressed last month about Kean and Standard 6, Integrity.

Contrary to popular belief, Kean has not received warnings for Standard 12 nor Standard 6, Integrity.

Middle States requested a monitoring report for Standard 6, due in September, but Richard Pokrass, director of communications and public relations for Middle States, said that Kean wasn’t given an official warning for either of the two standards.

“While the monitoring requirement is in place and the university must address Standard 6, it is not specifically included in the current Warning,” said Pokrass in an email.

He added that the Committee on Follow-up Activities will present its recommendations for Standards 7 and 14 to the full Commission on June 28. The meeting will determine whether the two warnings stay in place, are removed and accreditation is reaffirmed or move the warnings to the “more severe” probation.

“I cannot speculate on what course of action the Commission will take,” said Pokrass in the email, “Though it appears that the team will recommend a continuation of the Warning.”

The Visiting Team cannot add warnings to an institution, but the Committee on Follow-up Activities can recommend Commission action at the June meeting.

In his email, Pokrass went on to say that Kean University has until June 2013 to comply with all 14 accreditation standards.

According to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education’s website, Standard 12 deals with students’ abilities to “acquire and demonstrate college-level proficiency in general education and essential skills.”

This standard outlines essential skills that include oral and written communication, scientific and critical analysis and technological competency.

Middle States’ said in its oral report that both assessment of critical thinking and quantitative reasoning have not yet been assessed, according to members of the audience who were at the exit meeting.

Dr. Jeffrey Toney, Kean’s vice president for academic affairs, didn’t think it was appropriate to comment on the specificities of the oral report, “as it will serve as the basis for [Middle State’s] written recommendations,” he said in an email.

The Visiting Team went on to say that Kean must remain consistent with the institution’s mission and incorporate values, ethics and diverse perspectives in its General Education program, as stated in the MSCHE guidelines. They felt that these were missing (Continued on page 14)

Human Rights activist, turned Homecoming Queen, to accept Unity Award

By Nicole La Capria Sunlight pours through the floor-toceiling windows of the Human Rights Art Gallery, a long, rectangular space lined with the photographs of its current exhibit, Borderless Captivity, a collection of harrowing images of child slaves and victims of human trafficking in various countries.

Melissa Heron sits behind the desk, her laptop open in front of her. Heron, who writes a human rights column for The Tower, is not only the Chief Docent at the gallery, but also president of the Human Rights Club, where her extensive volunteer work and fundraising have recently earned her the 2012 Unity Award for Achievement of a Student by the Union County Human Relations Commission.

Heron speaks about the contributions that earned her this honor with an unmistakable passion - she gestures animatedly and her eyes sparkle.

However, the work she’s done that has been deemed worthy of such an award is simply second nature to her. She attributes the awareness of this obligation to her grandparents who raised and influenced her with their hospitality.

“You’re supposed to help,” she said. “I don’t think I’m special because I do that.

I just do it because it’s right.”

Heron has been the president of the Human Rights Club for a year, holding events such as Civility and Acceptance, a conference on bullying in the classroom, and Operation Christmas Child, a project to send shoeboxes of toys to children in underdeveloped countries.

“It was a huge success,” said Heron. “We tripled what we did the year before.”

One of the most memorable moments for Heron came last fall, in collaboration with Be the Change, an organization that supplies peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to feed the homeless at Newark Penn Station.

Photo by: Melissa Heron

i am kean

This article is one in a series profiling Kean University community members.

But Heron wanted to take it a step further. “Why not for Thanksgiving, give them a hot meal?” she said.

Heron and the Human Rights Club raised the money to purchase a turkey and 50 pounds of potatoes, which she hand mashed herself—although everyone advised her to just buy the instant brand.

At the train station, upon learning that Heron was responsible for the potatoes, one pleased homeless man expressed his gratitude, saying that it was the first time, in a really long time, that he had real potatoes.

Heron’s face as she tells the story breaks into a smile. “That made it all worth it,” she said. “That was the whole point - to give them a real meal.”

As Chief Docent of the gallery, Heron gives tours to students that come in to see the exhibits. She prepares the programs and researches the history of the exhibits and artists (Continued on page 2)

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THE TOWER

THE TOWER

$640 million jackpot creates buzz for students at kean

Kean University gives voice to the voiceless

April 2012

By Raymond Gurbisz Students who forgot to pick up a Mega Millions ticket before the drawing on March 30 missed out on a chance to be a part of history.

The estimated $640 million jackpot set a world record and was the largest Mega Millions jackpot ever. Before taxes, the total would have come out to approximately $462 million if the one-time cash option was taken.

Lines, full of players who opened their wallets to try and test their luck, formed everywhere just hours before the drawing. Players who purchased tickets roughly had a one in 176 million chance of winning the jackpot.

Tony Kruglyak, a history major and senior at Kean, was one of those players who waited on line to get a ticket.

Kruglyak said he went to the 7-eleven on Morris Avenue, right down the street from campus, and waited on line for at least 10 minutes.

“The line was pretty long,” said Kruglyak. “I don’t usually play the lottery but

I figured if everyone else was in on it, I might as well get a few numbers and see what happens.”

This was the story for a lot of students who purchased a ticket. Many students said that they got a ticket just to say that they were involved with the lottery.

Nestled in the University Center, inbetween the Cougar’s Den and Cafeteria, the Game Room is constantly buzzing with the chatter of Kean University students at play and has become a key hangout spot. The room has six pool tables, three ping pong tables, two air hockey tables, 17 HD flat screen televisions, three Xbox’s, three PS3’s and three Wii consoles. Basically, Kean students couldn’t ask for more in a fully equipped game room.

A lot has changed when only just two and a-half years ago the game room was across the hall where the Greeks have their meetings currently. Back then the game room only consisted of a small room with only three ping pong and three pool tables. With only six total tables for a student population of 15,939 the old game room had to go immediately.

The new and revamped Game Room fits more of this generation’s day and age. For Kean students the game room is a popular hangout. “[The game room is a] good place to hang out in between classes” said Maverick Umahon, a junior.

And another Kean student, Joe Gesuden, enjoys the room’s relaxed atmosphere. “I meet all my friends here and it’s a good place to eat besides the crowded UC Cafeteria,” said Gesuden.

For meeting up with friends and old classmates there is even a TV lounge area in the game room where you can sit and chat.

Even though the Game Room is a great oasis for Kean Students to get away from the hustle and constant barrage of school work can also become a distraction. “I

I AM KEAN

students said they would buy a house in some area other than New Jersey.

“Personally I would leave Jersey and get a place on an island somewhere,” said junior Robert Weiss. “I would love to move on a beach somewhere and lie out on the sand all day and not worry about anything.”

“Buying a house was the most common answer from students on what they would do if they won the money.”

Photo by: Raymond Gurbisz

People wait in line to buy lottery tickets at 7-Eleven.

Joe Romero, a junior at Kean, said that he got his ticket after talking with friends and hearing how most of them had gotten theirs.

“I was talking with my friends and they had asked if I picked up my ticket,” Rome-

The Game Room is all the rave!

By Darien Evans-Raines

ro said. “I didn’t want to be the only one without a ticket and it was actually pretty cool to think that I had a really small chance to win so much money.”

Many Kean students said that they imagined themselves winning it all and spending the money on a number of things.

haven’t really skipped an exam but I have skipped all my classes at least twice to stay in the game room” said Umahon.

Although a student’s choice to skip class is purely a Still the Game Room has something for everyone. Maverick Uma-

Photo by: Nicole Marie Padinha

The University Center’s Game Room.

“I meet all my friends here and it’s a good place to eat besides the crowded UC Cafeteria.” hon went on to say, “My favorite things to do in the Game Room are probably play card games, pool and ping pong”.

The Universities game room also holds Tournament Tuesdays for students that are usually held during college hour at least twice a month. The tournaments range from pool to video game tourneys.

The fun never ends in the Game Room, and it’s only ID swipe away!

“I would definitely give some to my relatives and then keep most of it for myself,” said senior Danielle Weisgerber. “I would probably buy a bunch of new clothes and get a new car. Then buy a house somewhere in Miami where I could go on vacation whenever I want.”

Buying a house was the most common answer from students on what they would do if they won the money. Many

With the lottery now over, students who participated can only look back and enjoy the craziness of what was a rare situation for the Mega Millions.

“Even though I didn’t win anything it was fun seeing all the buzz the lottery created,” said Rahul Chitale, a freshman.

“It was cool knowing I was a part of the largest jackpot ever and that some lucky person out their hit it.”

Cougar fair open for business

By Julia Konstantinidis Entering the University Center, a large crowd of people is surrounded by a stand.

As many are having conversations, others are buying items such as hair accessories, jackets, and hair products. Walking past the stand, the prices are incredibly low.

Kean University’s Cougar Fair enables college students to purchase a variety of items lower than regular price outside of the Cougar Fair.

The Cougar Fair is every Wednesday in the University Center where many students stop to browse and purchase a variety of goods.

As conversations go on, the area around the fair is loud. Everyone seems to be partaking in an activity, whether it is browsing through the fair or sitting on the side and having a conversation.

Students walk past many stands to look through buckets full of hair accessories like headbands, grooming products, hair ties and pins.

On the other side there are numerous amounts of different colored jackets hanging up and a table with hair dryers, straighteners and curlers.

“The Cougar Fair is good business,” said Gary Weiner, a participant in the fair for five years. “I sell the kind of things students like. These things relate to them.”

Weiner has been in the business for more than 30 years. He is a former Kean University student that graduated with his degree in Education.

As a retired middle school Math teacher, Weiner added, “I see students who attend Kean University now who were once in my Math class when I taught. They are

clients of mine now and it is nice to have a relationship built with them already.”

Besides partaking at Kean University’s Cougar Fair, he has a business named Town Beauty at the Englishtown Flea Market.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s seems too far in the past for many young people to remember, but a new equally important movement for social equality is being fought every day, and it is a movement that has taken far too many casualties.

“Living in a world where we are raised to be straight causes much confusion and an internal struggle for young LGBTs [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender]. You are faced with your personal struggle of coming to terms with who you are as well as the worry of what others are saying or will think,” said Ashley Macias president of the Kean University’s Gay Alliance Reformation (KUGAR).

“I had to overcome my self-hatred and come to terms with who I am, and realize it does not make up who I am, and it did not matter if I did not fit society’s mold of how a female should dress or behave.”

“I think the role in an education position is to support the students that come into the classroom without a voice.”

Kean University gave voice to the voiceless of this movement this semester by educating teachers on becoming allies of LGBT students, having an ‘open mic night’ to support LGBT rights—with a focus on Uganda—and through the

By Avani Kapur

Photo by: Julia Konstantinidis

Gary Weiner, KU alum turned Cougar Fair vendor.

On the weekends he sells the exact same items along with his wife’s products. Weiner’s wife also is involved in the business where she sells cosmetics.

His business at the Englishtown Flea Market is very similar to what he sells at Kean. Hair products, hair accessories, jackets, and along with the cosmetics his wife sells, the booth business is great.

The Cougar Fair coordinator was impressed by Weiner’s stand at the Englishtown Flea Market and asked if he was interested in participating at Kean’s fair.

Five years later, Weiner is making good business and has built relationships with clients that will last a lifetime.

The use of a red dye made from crushed up insects in the formerly vegan friendly Starbucks Strawberries and Crème Frappucino and Strawberry Smoothie has been the cause of recent discontent among Starbucks patrons.

“I only drink espresso anyway, but if I did drink Frappucinos I definitely wouldn’t go for the strawberry one,” said Joey Barton, senior and International Business major.

According to the PETA website, cochineal extract is produced by crushing dried female cochineal bugs. Their website also says that it takes 70,000 of these bugs to produce one pound of red dye. Cochineal extract, used to color food, drinks and cosmetics, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but is known to cause allergies and asthma in a number of people.

Although the issue was first raised in the vegan and vegetarian community, many students are not happy about the presence of cochineal extract in Starbucks products.

I AM KEAN she said.

Dr. Henry Kaplowitz, executive director of the Human Rights Institute, finds Heron’s heartfelt work inspiring.

“Melissa is the most impressive student I have encountered in my 40 years at Kean,” Kaplowitz said “Whether she is dealing with a Kean creative writing class or a group of fourth-graders, she is a stimulating educator who encourages every student to get absorbed in

the exhibit.”

In addition, Heron was crowned the Kean Homecoming Queen this year, which she described as “scary at times, but exhilarating.”

The classic image of the Homecoming Queen as a popular girl had originally intimidated Heron when she applied.

But when she stood before the board to be interviewed, she declared it an “eyeopening” experience.

weekly meetings and activities of the KUGARs group.

“We have to continue fighting this fight, it’s not over,” said Alejandro Vasquez a member of Kean University’s Amnesty International Club, the group that held the open mic event in the Cougar’s Den on April 10.

The focus of the event was to shed light on a bill created in Uganda that gave the death penalty for individuals participating in homosexual acts. As audience members took their seats in the Cougar’s Den, a member of Amnesty International passed over a petition to stop the killings in Uganda.

Although the focus of the event was serious, the theme was love. This invited a light-hearted environment among the speakers, comedians, singers and poets.

Kean student Ebony Raheem voiced her view on acceptance as a member of the LGBT community by reading a poem called “Love Me for Who I Am.”

“Love is love. It should be embraced.

No one should be less because of who they love and what they prefer. We are, in the end, all the same,” said Raheem.

Kean held its second panel discussion exploring the LGBT experience on Feb.

28, ” just a few days after the commencement of the trial against Dharun Ravi, who allegedly spied on his roommate Tyler Clementi’s intimacy with another man a few days before Clementi took his own life.

Photo: Stacy Schiller

The Entire LGBT discussion panel.

This discussion was created for teachers in the graduate course “Teaching Prejudice Reduction.” The panel discussion was organized by Stacy Schiller the director of Kean’s Holocaust Research Center and Diversity Council.

“I decided to open it up to the Kean community because of our strong programs for teachers and guidance counselors through the College of Education,” said Schiller. “With the prominence of teen suicide, it is essential that we create the safest spaces possible for all of our students. It was my hope that this panel would empower educators to be more involved in that process.”

Randy Stamm, one of the of the speakers on the panel who is a Social Work graduate teacher at Rutgers University and middle school counselor, engaged the audience of educators and councilors by reading a list of LGBT youths that had committed suicide. He challenged

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the audience to imagine an important young person in their own life being on that list. This brought the audience to complete silence.

“I have to constantly process that it’s not me, there’s nothing wrong with me.” said Maria Cetta, panel speaker and openly gay high school history and economics teacher.

Cetta also went on to express the importance of her one rule in the classroom: respect.

The panel also included Desayda Roche and Mateo Palacio, LGBT identified students from Thomas Jefferson High School in Elizabeth, NJ. Both were highly grateful for attending a school that supported them with the assistance of the Youth Enrichment Services (YES) program. The YES program helps students with any problem by listening to the student and giving insightful, unbiased adult advice and help.

Despite support at school Palacio told stories that painted a very different story that ranged from being called gay epithets while walking down the street to receiving an exorcism without parental consent to relieve him of his homosexuality, a statement that left most of the audience aghast and shaking their heads in disbelief.

The only member of the Kean community on the panel, Benito Nieves, gave the audience some of the most relevant advice. “I think the role in an education position is to support the students that come into the classroom without a voice.

There is always going to be a need to develop a voice.”

Starbucks use of insect dye causes discontent

(Continued from page 1)

to educate and answer visitors’ questions about the art.

Heron believes it is extremely important to educate youth about human rights issues to ensure that they follow the right path as they reach maturity.

“As they get older, they are able to say, ‘I will not allow this to happen to me because this is a violation of my rights’, or ‘I will not do this to someone else because this is a violation of their rights’,”

By Alexandria Addesso

April 2012

“Once the process started it felt validating - all the hard work I’d done, that’s what it was about. It wasn’t about being popular.”

As Heron’s last semester at Kean comes to a close, she speaks of her future with optimism and excitement. She plans to attend graduate school, after a year off to focus on volunteer work. Her career goals which include novel-writing and poetry, are aspirations she (Continued on page 3)

Sophomore and Biology major Jalak Patel, a vegetarian, said that she would not consume these products knowing about the dye. She added that many foods and beverages contain traces of bugs.

On March 14 ThisDishisVegetarian.

site that her location had received new strawberry sauce about three to four weeks prior and was no longer vegan as it contained cochineal extract.

A petition on Change.org, created by a woman in South Carolina asks Starbucks

“Cochineal extract is produced by crushing dried out female cochineal bugs.”

com posted a letter and photograph sent to the vegan/vegetarian blog by a concerned barista. The letter told the web-

to use all-natural alternatives such as red beets, black carrots, purple sweet potato and paprika. As of April 5 the petition contained over 5,000 signatures.

In 2009, the FDA began requiring products using the dye to include the name of the extract on labels instead of broad labels such as “natural coloring” and “color added;” however, the regulation does not require labels to specify that the dye is made from insects.

Although the strawberry sauce container includes “cochineal extract” on its label, the Starbucks menu and website

to look at the big picture,” Heron said of Rich. “In the end, we have to be happy with what we’re doing.”

Heron is certainly happy - in her work, in her writing, in giving back to the community, and in educating those around her about the importance of what it

means to be human. But, when Heron speaks about the school that she will soon leave behind, she is sentimental.

“I’m going to miss this place,” she said softly. “It’s a big deal that you’re in a college with 70 different ethnicities. That’s why I’m proud to be a part of Kean. If

Photo: News.yahoo.com

A crushed cochineal and a ball of yarn colored using the insects.

does not contain an ingredient list.

Junior Vishal Patel, Accounting major, said that if he had a clear image of the process used to create the dye he would not drink the Frappucinos, but otherwise his decision might not be affected knowing that cochineal extract is being used.

Starbucks began using the extract in an effort to cut down on the use of artificial ingredients. In a statement released on March 29 on the Starbucks Ideas in Action blog, the president of Starbucks U.S. wrote, “While it is a safe product that poses no health risk, we are reviewing alternative natural ingredients.”

The statement went on to say that the strawberry base containing the extract is used not only in the Strawberries and Crème Frappuccino and Strawberry Smoothies but also in three food products: Birthday Cake Pop, Mini Donut with pink icing and Red Velvet Whoopie Pie. “In the past we’ve gotten notice to discontinue a product but we didn’t get any notice here,” said Tim Zsign, supervisor of the Starbucks on campus.

(Continued from page 2)

owes to her mentor, Dr. Susanna Rich, who inspired her to change her major to English after she took a Creative Writing class with Rich in 2009.

Heron was passionate about writing, but feared she would not make a good living doing it as a career. “She forced me

you’re open to the realization that the diversity at Kean is important - when you leave here and go out into the real world —you’ll be so much more empowered.”

As I write my final gaming article for The Tower, I can’t help but think about how far gaming has come in my five years of being here at Kean. Back in 2007, the XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii, and Playstation 3 had finally started to flourish and separate themselves from their previous generation by bringing innovative ways to play video games, providing us with gorgeous visuals, and brand new experiences to share with our families, friends, and competition around the world.

Starting with Nintendo, no one ever expected motion gaming to set off the way it did with the Wii. It revolutionized the way we play video games today. So much that Nintendo inadvertently The Wii U controller. caused their competitors to release motion devices of their own. With the Wii, they gained a brand new wave of consumers who had never ventured into gaming before, but took that leap with how easy and accessible the system was to someone who had never held a video game

“What can these companies do to keep us wanting more?”

Gabriel Iglesias visited Kean University as he embarked on his national standup comedy tour, The Fluffy Shop Tour presented by Comedy Central on Thursday, March 29. On the tour, he has brought along a few of his friends, including: Martin Moreno & Alfred Robles.

Iglesias’s has a clean and animated comedy style, which makes him popular among fans of all ages. That was very evident by the amount of people, as well as wide age range of people who came out to see Iglesias live.

“He was funnier than I ... expected.”

One of the fans, Senior Linda Constantino, 22, was more then impressed

by Iglesias’s performance.

“It was really funny because of the way that he told his stories and used sound effects. He was funnier than I even expected,” Constantino said.

Wilkins was nearly sold to capacity as fans of the comedy star packed in to hear a mixture of both new and old jokes. However, when fans come to see Iglesias, it is slightly different then other events. For instance, fans bring cakes and other goodies for Iglesias and his friends. It is also more of a conversation than a show at points. That was evident by the fact that people were yelling things out to Iglesias as he performed. Iglesias is different though, because he actually responds and talks to the fans.

At one point a fan called out requesting for a joke and Gabriel began to have a discussion about why that joke. Iglesias even warned the fan that if the crowd didn’t laugh, “you better run because I’m coming after you.” No worries though, the crowd loved whatever the comic known as Fluffy had to say.

By the end of the night, the fans even began to say some of his jokes along with him, as if it were lyrics to a song.

“I thought it was really cool that so many of the fans were saying some of the jokes along with him, like he was a rock star. Even he had to contain his laughter when they did that,” Constantino said.

If you missed Iglesias at Kean, then make sure to check him out, as his tour will be making a stop in Morristown, NJ at the Mayo Center for the Performing Arts on April 19. You surely won’t be disappointed.

“I thought it was cool that so many of the fans were saying some of the jokes along with him.”

fashion

➦

Gabriel Iglesias’s “The Fluffy Shop Tour.”

Photo: Gabriel’s Official Facebook

controller before. An added plus to many gamers was being able to play GameCube games on the console without any problems.

With its main series, such as “Super Mario”, “The Legend of Zelda”, and “Metroid”, making their mark on the console, Nintendo revealed their newest console at last year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and called it the Wii U. While it still rides the wave of the motion controller they helped revolutionize, they add a new controller embedded with a touch screen which allows gamers to continue the game on the controller long after the television has been turned off. This will also be Nintendo’s first venture into the HD gaming market. A market both Microsoft and Sony jumped into this current generation. Will Nintendo lagging behind in the visual market play a role in how it sells? Will this new controller attract or detract hardcore and casual gamers?

Microsoft, back in 2005, decided to get a head start on the competition by releasing a year earlier than both Nintendo and Sony and through the years they’ve seen a tremendous amount of success not only providing gamers with high definition gaming, but also by giving players a broad variety of media options with ESPN, I <3 Radio, and Youtube just to name a few. With the fall of HD-DVDs, this gave the XBOX 360 a much needed jump back in the media department. Unlike the Wii where its last generation game library was fully compatible with their system, the XBOX 360 had limited list of backwards compatible games. The Kinect took motion gaming further when it was released in 2010 by allowing the player themselves to become the controller. Using infrared lasers to track movement, they opened up another door that wouldn’t have been possible without the Wii. But with Nintendo ready to release the Wii U later this year, Microsoft is set on proving that their console still has a lot of life in it. Despite rumors of a New XBOX, Microsoft says the XBOX 360 will last until 2015. Will Microsoft’s move to release their new console several years after their competitors bite them in the butt, or will it give them time to improve on an already working formula (as well as fix their Red Ring of Death problems)?

Sony, on the other hand, released their media beast of a console alongside the Nintendo Wii back in 2006. They had a huge advantage by having Blu-ray media be the main disc format of the console as well as being able to read DVDs. On top of that, they jumped right into the motion market with Nintendo by introducing limited motion with the Sixaxis controller and later releasing the Move controller in 2010 that took it a step further. While the console itself was always powerful beast, its price point was always a serious drawback for many gamers through the years. At release, it stood as the most expensive console at launch with 60 GB model selling at $599. While the price has lowered heavily overtime, it lagged behind sales due to its cheaper and equally as popular rivals.

At the start of this month, sources indicated that Sony would be releasing ahead of the next Microsoft console and expected to release sometime in 2013 after the Wii U. Will the jump on Microsoft help restore themselves to the top spot Sony held in the previous generation or will their potentially high prices for launch set them back even further?

There’s a lot of questions revolving around the next generation of gaming and so many unknowns about what game companies will do to keep things fresh and innovative. This generation has already revolutionized gaming as we know it. The bigger question is, what can these companies do to keep us wanting more? But, there’s still sometime before we see the next generation of console on the market. Until then, keep gaming.

Once upon a time, I saw a play known as “A Fairy Tale Life: The Story of Young Hans Christian Andersen.”

Written by Ernie Nolan, Kean University’s Theatre Department first performed their interpretation of the story on March 28 and had a final performance on April 1.

Though the play had come and gone, it stayed in my thoughts for days. No doubt there was more behind the production, which managed to blend Andersen’s life and several of his fictional tales together, creating a play both children and adults could like. I had to know more, so like my ancestors before me, I went on an epic quest for answers.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. First, let me regale you with the tale of this fine play.

You see, the play features a teenaged Hans Christian Andersen, a social outcast older than his fellow classmates, who relentlessly mock him.

He hopes to win a school contest for the most talented student, and along the way, he befriends a boy named Edvard, tells tales of his life (including his late father, mother and grandmother), as well as the stories he would eventually become known for, such as “Thumbelina” and “The Nightingale.”

My mission was twofold: In order to complete my journey, I would have to find those associated with the play and inquire about the production.

This quest would not involve slaying a dragon or rescuing a princess, but would harbor a problem just as harrowing: How would I be able to find the cast and crew of the play?

I pondered this as I wandered into the warm and sunny afternoon. I marched over to Vaughn-Eames, encountering no one in particular. I was expecting a long and arduous journey to find anyone associated with the play.

Instead, I found cast members Chris Grimm (Who played the lead role of Andersen) and Becca Daagnall (Who played Andersen’s mother as well as various other roles) as well as Professor Diana Gundacker who taught the “Children’s Theatre on Tour” class under which the play was produced, simply conversing with each other.

“The Odyssey” this was not.

I approached the trio with something much mightier than the sword, and something much more durable than a shield: A pen and paper, of course. I asked them a simple question: What were some of your favorite fairy tales?

“I would have to say ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes,’” Grimm answered. “Because

Smart and stylish at kean An interview with student Felica Mulhearn, Communication Studies/PR Major.

Q: Where do you shop?

A: I work at a store called Ruby & Jenna and it’s AMAZING I get majority of my clothes from there. Other than that I love Nordstroms.

Q: Who’s your style icon?

A: Sarah Jessica Parker, she can pull off anything the right way.

Photo: Alexandra Waller

influences she had put into the play.

“Yes,” Rafferty replied. “The Grandma chasing Hans with a spoon was my grandma chasing me when I was little. That was the most personal part.”

She mentioned that the reason she chose “A Fairy Tale Life” was because of a recent trip to Copenhagen, which is where Hans Christian Andersen moved to in his teens, and where he ultimately died in 1875, aged 70.

Other than the trip and the memories of her grandmother, Rafferty said her cast inspired the other touches.

“Everything else was a team effort.” Rafferty explained. “We all played together and worked together.”

With that, my quest was done. With my questions answered, I retired to my Valhalla (AKA Burger King), satisfied with the facts learned about this Kean production.

THEATER

By Alexandra Waller

Q: What gives you inspiration?

A: If your looking for inspiration www.lookbooks.com is a great place to find different looks to go for. Also online shopping can give you ideas for when you actually go shopping in stores so you know what your looking for and are not so overwhelmed with trying to find a complete outfit.

Felica Mulhearn.

Photo: Christian Albrecht Jensen

Hans Christian Anderson.

it’s the funniest, and it has a great lesson as well.”

“I actually really like the ‘Nightingale,’” responded Dagnall. “It’s something that I think children can understand and relate ro. And it’s fun and ridiculous.”

“My favorite fairy tale is ‘Thumbelina,’” stated Professor Gundacker.

“I like how in our version, we use puppets. In the play, it’s the only one that wraps itself up.”

I thanked the trio for their time, and moved on. One of my important questions was answered, but this heroic journey was not done.

I still needed one more question answered, and the only one who could answer it was Jenna Rafferty, the director of “A Fairy Tale Life.” I found her and asked her about the personal

➦

Comedian gaBriel iglesias at kean

By Eric Haftel

By Eric Albuen

By Darian Maduruh

women’s

➦

COMEDY

THE NEXT GENERATION OF GAMING

Photo: Wikipedia.org

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

➦

A&E

GAMES

“A FAIRY TALE LIFE”

Q: What advice would you give to people?

A: I don’t think people should follow the world of fashion to a T, otherwise we would all look the same.

Just because there is a major fashion trend going on doesn’t mean

you have to follow it or even like it.

You can put your on twist on it instead so it’s more your own style.

Q: What are some go to places for in expensive chic clothes?

A: The places I shop at are usually in the $20 to $50 range. Ruby & Jenna, Nordstroms, Bloomingdales, Forever 21, Lulus (online), Ruche (online), and NastyGal (online).

Q: When can you start wearing flip flops?

A: It is safe to say that on a day that is above 70 degrees flip flops and sandals are acceptable. With the crazy weather lately it is hard to pin point an exact month.

Q: What do you think is the biggest fashion dont A: Over doing it !!!!! You can’t go wrong with being simple but you can go wrong when you try to do too much all at once.

Q: Do your shoes still have to match your bag or is that old news?

A: That is old news. I wouldn’t go crazy trying to match shoes with a bag. With color block being in this season its definitely okay to mix SOLID colors, not prints.

Q: What is the newest thing out that you suggest people should wear?

A: Color pants are one of the most popular trends out right now.

Designers are putting out more colored bottoms than tops this season. Especially with summer approaching you should go for a bright colored short or jean for a change and pop of color.

Q: What is the biggest” no no” out that people shouldn’t wear?

A: I wouldn’t necessarily say that designers put any major no no’s out that aren’t just fads. A “no no” in general that has popped up lately is sneakers. They are strictly for working out and shouldn’t be worn as fashion. There are plenty of different kinds of flats that are just as easy and comfortable !!

“I don’t think people should follow the world of fashion to a T.”

6

THE TOWER

April 2012

THE TOWER

A legacy that continues to live on: The Titanic Saga

By Bryan C. Kuriawa On an early spring evening in mid April, 1912, the Atlantic Ocean was a calm blue mass, absent from the troubles that plagued travels by steamship.

Amid this patch of water, a ship operated

by England’s famed White Star Line made her way across the ocean on her maiden voyage.

2,207 passengers and crew looked forward to their arrival in New York, while the crew kept watch for icebergs that often drifted south during this season. Yet, for all the warnings and precautions, that ship, coined an unsinkable floating palace, would find itself in harm’s way. That ship was the Titanic.

One hundred years ago on April 15th, the British ocean liner, R.M.S. Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank, causing the fatality of 1,500 passengers and crew. In the past century, the event has emerged as the most famous shipwreck in history. It has been the subject of various books, films, and television shows. It has even been the subject of an emotional 2009 New York artifact exhibit with a massive collection of personal artifacts

from passengers.

Paramount will re-release James Cameron’s mega-hit, Titanic, in 3D on April 4th. As tickets continue to sell for screenings nationwide, the line between the historical event and a cinematic drama-

Photo: Cruiselinehistory.com

The Titanic: A legacy that contiues on.

tization becomes blurred. For its many successes as a drama and large-scale production, Cameron’s Titanic suffered in painting a truly accurate view of the original events.

“The Titanic represented a form of historical arrogance and pride in its era”, said English Professor Daniel Gover. To Gover and others, the tragedy of the Titanic has had a grand impact on the world.

Who is the king of the Game Room?

Justin West The University Center Game Room has been a big hit lately for many students here at Kean. They can come to play pool, watch television, converse amongst each other and play video games. There are many video games to choose from and some students such as Joseph Onuoha, a Senior Biology major from Irvington, has taken full advantage of the selection.

Onuoha is one of the best at playing “Street Fighter” and “Tekken,” and if you love fighting games then he is the guy to challenge to a duel inside the UC. He has developed quite a reputation as a fierce gamer in the UC. “I play here every day for a couple of hours. I grew up with Street Fighter 4 and I play all of the Street Fighter games. I try to come up with flashy combinations and try to get everything perfect, but when I mess up I get frustrated.” says Onuoha.

He plays online and is at the top of the leader boards in the “Marvel” games.

Onuoha wasn’t even looking to play at the UC until him and a friend of his stumbled across the game room while looking to get lunch one day.

what we call the ‘Hype Movement’ because he amps up the atmosphere.”

Anthony Green, a Freshman Liberal Arts Major, says “Might is everything with Joe, without might you have nothing.”

Joel Rodriguez, a Sophomore Physical Education major, says “He’s a very animated gamer, very jolly.”

Photo: www.imdb.com

Movie poster for the 3D version of “Titanic.”

tory and should be taught to students as an important lesson from the past”.

“I love Cameron’s Titanic”, said Fresh-

man Speech Language and Hearing student Lisa Birritteri. “It represents a time-less film which reflects well on the events.”

For some, Cameron’s film is far more than history. It is an emotional experience. If Titanic succeeds in capturing anything from the time, it is the spirit of the period and a sense of an era that would end with this tragedy, an era of greed and selfishness.

With the re-release of Titanic, and the one hundredth anniversary, it appears that the world’s oceans have become safer for travel. The North Atlantic Maritime Safety Organization will drop a ceremonial wreath—as they have done for the past few decades—over the site of the wreck.

As written by Thomas Hardy, “As the smart ship grew, in shadowy silent distance, grew the iceberg, no one could see the intimate wedding of their later history.”

The Titanic shall live on, in memory, and on the big screen.

“Journalism is the first rough draft of history.”

—Unknown

Kean’s Year in Review September 2011 Two new building blueprints are announced. An allpurpose facility located on the corner of Green Lane and Morris Avenue, and a faculty housing building near East Campus.

Singer and actress, Jane Krakowski, performs at Enlow Recital Hall on East Campus.

Award winning researcher, writer and former dean of the School of Natural, Applied and Health Sciences, is now responsible for all academic operations at Kean.

Glenn Hedden, former Athletic Director files a lawsuit against the University, declaring that he was fired for bringing up the school’s grade changes and inaccurate courses to assist the athletes in their NCAA requirements.

October-November 2011

Photo by: Justin West

Joseph Onuoha (front, center) in the UC game room.

“Those who want to be a better gamer themselves,” Onuoha says “Never give up even if you are getting beat down. Try to find new strategy’s and have fun.”

He is looking for more competition at the moment. He will be attending

“I play here every day for a couple of hours. I grew up with ‘Street Fighter 4’ and I play all of the ‘Street Fighter’ games.”

“Practice and good execution is what makes me so good. I practice roughly 16 hours a week,” he says.

Many of his opponents respect his passion for the game. Myles Jenkins, a Freshman Computer Science major, claims “He’s cocky but really passionate. I respect that about him. He brought back

Freshman and General Education major Adam Krissov said, “The Titanic remains a monumental part of world his-

April 2012

the Evolution Championship Series, or “EVO” tournament for fighting games at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas this summer.

Many contestants travel from all around the world to compete in this tournament.

There will be prizes awarded from each different fighting game. Onuoha looks to play his hand at Street Fighter.

Go Cougars!

Fabolous, We the Kings, and Chiddy Bang perform at Wilkins Theater

The Kean Cougars win the Homecoming game against Morrisville 26-13. The win gives the team a 6-1 record, paving the path to beat the previous best record set in 1974.

7

Kean’s Year in Review

February 2012

Kean announces satellite campus in China.

Design: Daniel Reyes and Ana Ferrer

November-December 2011

The Kean football team defeats Montclair State University 27-14, and made their third New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship in school history and their first placement in the NCAA Division III tournament.

Women’s basketball team loses head coach Michele Sharp

President Farahi is under investigation for misrepresenting himself on resumes, in response the Board of Trustees calls an emergency meeting.

March 2012

The Lady Cougars end their 2011 soccer season with a 10-4-3 record. A number of players receive honors for NJAC All-Stars Recognition and Rookie of the Year.

Board of Trustees expresses confidence in President Farahi.

Seasoned coach Joe Martucci joins Kean football staff.

The Tower gets two press awards

Scholarships for 11 James E. Dorsey Scholarship program athletes are pulled and one athlete files a lawsuit against the university.

Roughly 100 students march to Senator Raymond Lesniak’s office to protest Farahi remaining in office.

Occupy Kean University protest stopped outside UC

Kean loses in triple overtime to Salisbury in first ever NCAA tournament 43-41.

Thank you for letting The Tower be a part of your year!

March-April 2012

Maya Angelou speaks to Kean students

The Tower has received two awards from the New Jersey Collegiate Press Association’s “Better College Newspaper” competition for four year public and private colleges. This is the fourth consecutive year that The Tower has been honored by the NJCPA. Stephanie Musat, editor-in-chief in Fall 2011, was awarded 2nd Place in Editorial Writing for her editorials headlined “Occupy Kean has a lot to advocate before tackling national issues” and “Lawsuit accusations tarnishes Kean’s reputation regardless of outcome.” First place in the editoral category went to Seton Hall’s Setonian.

Daniel Reyes, The Tower’s News Editor, and Lee Burrell, Tower Arts & Entertainment editor, received the third place award in the News Writing category. Reyes was honored for his article headlined “Farahi Investigation began with a question and a flier” and Reyes and Burrell won for their joint story called “Occupy Kean student protest stopped.”

First Place in News Writing went to Rider University’s Rider News and 2nd place went to the College of New Jersey’s The Signal.

All three students are Communication/Journalism majors.

The NJCPA judges, all professionals in journalism, judged several hundred entries, which in the fouryear college category included competitors from Rutgers University, Seton Hall, The College of New Jersey, Steven’s Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and many others.

Recipients will be honored at a luncheon presentation on April 21.

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THE TOWER

April 2012

THE TOWER

IN MEMORIUM THE TOWER’S FOUNDER Kean University mourns the loss of retired Professor David Treadwell, who died on October 31, 2011.

His ashes were spread near his home in Dayton, Ohio. Professor Treadwell was a member of the English Department and later the Communication Department. He was instrumental in promoting journalism and advising the campus newspaper at Kean.

The Tower Staff is incredibly grateful to David Treadwell for creating the newspaper and feel very lucky to reap the benefits of being able to have a hands-on journalistic experience because of his efforts.

Department of Communication Kean University Center for Academic Success 1000 Morris Avenue Union, NJ 07083 Telephone: (908) 737-0460; Fax: (908) 737-0465 Email: thetower@kean.edu; www.keantower.com

The Tower is an independent, laboratory newspaper of Kean University’s journalism option in the communication major program.

It is published monthly through the regular academic year and supported by advertising and the Department of Communication.

The Tower is not responsible for claims made by its advertisers. The Tower is a public forum and is free from censorship and advance approval of content by the university administration. The Tower staff is responsible for its content.

Ana Ferrer

MANAGING EDITOR Jaclyn Tuman

NEWS EDITOR

Daniel Reyes

A&E EDITOR

Lee Burrell

EDITOR’S NOTE LOOKING BACK AS WELL AS TO THE FUTURE With the semester quickly coming to a close it is time for the obligatory reflection from the editor -reflections on the past year and possibly some future plans as well.

I was driving to campus a few weeks ago and I didn’t have my Zune with me, so I was forced to resort to CDs. Some of the CDs in my car are as old as some of your younger siblings.

The CDs all reminded me of a different point of my life and brought back memories of the past few years since high school.

But as I was looking for something to listen to, I perused the handwritten titles and selected an old faithful for me – “Social Distortion’s Greatest Hits.”

I remembered friends that I no longer associate with, old boyfriends that I don’t talk to anymore and classmates that I only see on Facebook.

On that particular album, the last two songs really made me realize that I’m glad I’ve “cleaned house.”

Some of those friends that I used to hang around with had no positive impacts on my life and were essentially bringing me down to their mediocre level – and I’m not about that anymore.

The last song on the album is called “Far Behind,” and the lyrics, as cheesy as it is, just spoke to me.

“I’m cutting you loose. I don’t need this misery. Your soul is toxic. You ain’t no friend of mine. I’m leaving you far behind.”

Everyone tells you that college is supposed to be the best four years of your life and it should be the time where you “find yourself.”

“So I’m leaving you to sink in all your glory. For you and me, it’s the end of the story. Get out of my way, I’ve got better things to do”—Social Distortion Most of the time when someone finds himself or herself, they’re not the person they were when they started looking. You may find that the person at the end of your search doesn’t like the same people.

And that’s OK. Everyone should take a few steps back and evaluate the people they surround themselves with. How can you fly with eagles if you’re still hanging around with turkeys?

As for the future, who knows? I know I have no clue what my plans are, and frankly I’m tired of everyone asking.

I’ve taken classes every semester and every school break since the fall of 2009, and I’m a little tired. I haven’t had the chance to take weeklong vacations to Miami. Or even venture farther on a weekend than an eight-hour road trip. I’ve barely been absent in the past six, almost seven, semesters. I DESERVE A GOLD STAR FOR ATTENDANCE. But enough complaining, I’m going to dedicate this final editor’s note to all the students who work so hard in school and out of school. The ones that show up to class every day and contribute meaningful ideas.

I dedicate this final note to the ones that actually care about their studies and don’t just skate by casually because you’re the ones who will appreciate the degree you’ve earned and use it the best way you know how.

Just don’t forget that sometimes, you need to clear out the weeds before you can stop and smell the roses.

Congratulations to the Class of 2012.

FEATURES EDITOR

Nicole Marie Padinha

SPORTS EDITOR Ryan Gaydos

COPY EDITORS

Eric Albuen Arkor Kolubah

ONLINE EDITORS

Francesca Figalo Avani Kapur

FACULTY ADVISER

Pat Winters-Lauro

ASSOCIATE ADVISER

Bill Kolbenschlag

11

ADVICE

THE TOWER

EDITOR IN CHIEF

April 2012

STAFF Alexandria Addesso Thomas Antonelle Iman-Jazelle Bond Dasia Brown Maya Brown Justine Clini Darien Evans-Raines Ayana Gibbs Michael Guevara Raymond Gurbisz Eric Haftel DeWayne Harper Melissa Heron Bryan C. Kuriawa Nicole LaCapria Darian Maduruh Danielle McFadden Aaron Mena Nick Mojica Christy Petillo Justin West

BUSINESS MANAGER Eileen Ruf

DESIGNER Stephanie Skirvin

PICK YOUR PERFECT DATE FOR THE SENIOR FORMAL

By Dasia Brown Sitting in the University Center and hearing students discuss how they were going to pick their perfect date for senior formal was very interesting.

While some students said they would choose based on “whoever asks me first.”

Others just said that they simply would not go at all if they couldn’t find someone to go with.

Picking the perfect date for senior formal shouldn’t just be something that goes marked as unimportant.

It’s the last time that the same group of students will be gathered at the same place for the same celebration all at once.

Picking the perfect date for senior formal isn’t just something that girls go through. Guys find themselves going through the same errors. One male student said he would “take any girl that wants to go.”

You should put as much effort into picking the perfect date to share your moment of enjoyment as you do making sure the dress, tux, hair, nails and shoes are the best.

When picking this person there are a couple of things that should go into consideration.

Height is and always will be important. For girls pick a guy that you will not be taller than when you slip your feet into those three-inch or higher heels.

Guys, make sure that you also take this into consideration because you don’t want your date to be towering over you.

Make sure that the goal for the night is the same. No “Debbie downers.” Meaning, you want a date who understands you want to enjoy your night to the fullest without

any concerns on rather or not they are having fun because you know for a fact that they are.

Do not invite someone that can’t “hold their liquor” or who is not 21 years of age or older. The last thing that you should be concerned of is your date going overboard and making a scene or your underage date wanting a drink illegally.

Drinking and driving is for a fact illegal, so please take that into consideration for this perfect date.

Consider taking a close friend or family member as your date.

Your date doesn’t have to be someone that you’re romantically involved with. If you have a group of close friends go together.

Taking a brother, sister or cousin can also be an advantage to your experience at the senior social.

By taking a relative you can have the chance to enjoy the night with no pressures. For example if you take a guy or girl who might like you sexually but, you don’t feel that way you’re able to avoid that situation all together.

Relatives aren’t going to be looking for that at all. It also alPhoto: freedigitalphotos.net lows for some binding time between brothers sisters cousins.

The most important thing to remember is that the senior formal is all about fun.

Enjoy your night with whoever you decide to take as your date but remember these tips to make it extra special.

Congratulations class of 2012! Enjoy senior formal and “party like a rock star” all night.

If you have any questions or concerns about anything that you would like advice about please send an email to thetower@kean.edu. I will advise you the best way I know how, with truth, Remember it’s strictly anonymous!

OP-ED Best of luck to the class of 2012!

HUMANITARIANISM IS NOT A TREND

By Melissa Heron What do you think of when you hear the term human rights activist or human rights advocate? Do you visualize someone marching with a placard or someone urging you to sign a petition? While, these activities are part of the process for some, they are not who these people are, they are simply the way some choose to affect change.

Whether they are referred to as human rights activists or advocates the one title that resonates who these people are is “humanitarian.”

Opinion pieces and letters to the editor The Tower welcomes guest columns and letters to the editor from any source. Such material should be submitted to thetower@kean.edu or left at The Tower’s offices. To verify sources of written material, submissions must include the writer’s name and contact information. Students should include their class (sophomore, graduate, etc.) and major. Faculty and staff should include campus title or position. On request, names may be withheld from publication if The Tower staff determines there is a legitimate reason to do so, but no anonymous letters will be accepted for publication. The Tower reserves the right to edit, and refuse publication of any submission.

Display and classified advertising Deadline for space reservations for display advertising is two weeks before the publication date. Ads submitted after that may be used on a space-available basis. All ads are run-of-the-paper unless an extra fee is collected for a paid position. Deadline for art work and copy is one week before the publication date. Classified advertising can be submitted up to the Thursday before publication as long as the payment is made at the same time. Call (908) 737-0461 or email thetower@kean.edu for a rate card.

Tower publication schedule FALL 2011: Sep. 22, Oct. 20, Nov. 17, Dec. 8 SPRING 2012: Feb. 16, Mar. 1, Mar. 29, Apr. 19

Follow us on Twitter @KeanTower

Got a tip or story idea? Email us at theTower@kean.edu

“The goal of the humanitarian is to create a society that recognizes that humanity and equality are not predicated on race, gender, sexual orientation or any other ascribed statuses.”

Becoming a humanitarian is not a decision that can be made on a whim, and it is certainly not a trend. It is a life choice.

Being a humanitarian is a lifestyle and as with other lifestyle choices there are people whose interest will wane. Does this mean that they are imposters? Maybe, maybe not.

When someone decides to become or try to become a vegetarian only to end up realizing that the commitment is more than they bargained for we don’t call them imposters.

Humanitarianism is not a trend. It can start with joining or taking up someone else’s cause but, ultimately it is about finding a cause that you connect with and working toward spreading awareness and trying to make a positive difference for that issue.

So, regardless of how or why someone’s interest in the fight for humanity started what matters, is that it started. The how and why does not and should never take away from the humanitarian issues which need support.

The goal of the humanitarian is to create a society, which recognizes that humanity and equality are not predicated on race, gender, sexual orientation or any other ascribed statuses.

Unfortunately, the state of humanity in our society is bleak.

Instead of supporting and helping to inform those who want to stand up and say, equality for all needs to become a fact and not a premise. Some choose to the path of judgment. Why? To what end?

The fact that a person’s interest wanes or that they’re unable to give a complete and factual dissertation regarding a subject matter does not make them an imposter or a joke, it makes them human. They don’t deserve to be ridiculed.

They understand and recognize the importance of human connections. Being exposed to the atrocities many endure here and across the globe causes them to act. They gather weekly to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to feed the homeless. They raise money to empower women and children who live in societies that deny them readily available access to education and many other necessary and worthwhile causes.

The next time one of them asks you to sign a petition or tries to talk to you about their cause ask them why the issue is important to them, find out what drew them to the cause. Then ask yourself, how and why did you start losing hope in the humanity of others. Could it be because you seldom recognize it in yourself?

The act of listening will help to remove negative assumptions, which do not align with the concept that the act of advancing towards a greater humanity is alive.

THE TOWER

April 2012

December 2011 | February 2012

THE TOWER

12

By Meggan McGuire and Lisa Ann Hopkins Philosopher and superhero, Dr. James Pawelski, Director of Education and Senior Scholar in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, is here to rescue psychology from the icy grip of its diseaseobsessed paradigm.

His energetic lecture on Positive Psychology in the Humanities enraptured the diverse audience, which ranged from students all the way up to administrative staff.

He opened his lecture with an ageold and puzzling question: “What does it take to be happy?” The answer is hard to define, even in today’s world of infinite knowledge.

Pawelski is a crusader for well-being, and wants psychology to recognize that “the positive is just as real as the negative.”

To demonstrate the difference between positive-based thinking and negative-based thinking, the speaker used a thought experiment on the audience.

Within this thought experiment, he asked the audience whether they would want to be a superhero who stops bad things (e.g. world hunger, war, exploitation), or a superhero who “grows good things” (e.g. contentment, serenity, knowledge). The superhero that fought negative actions wore a red cape, and his counterpart who worked to create goodness donned a green cape.

The audience appeared divided in choice until Pawelski revealed that a double-sided cape was needed to ensure overall well-being. He even wore the double-sided cape to solidify his argument.

In keeping with his dual-sided cape metaphor, Pawelski stated, “Happiness

and unhappiness are strange kinds of opposites.”

The two concepts are different types of thinking, but they are still related.

He made it clear that “happiness does not mean the absence of unhappiness” and that red-cape thinking is still needed in times of emergency.

It is clear that positive psychology is not merely a new-age movement centered on thinking happy thoughts—it is a true discipline that takes all emotions into account.

Pawelski emphasized that positive psychology is a real science that places “emphasis on rigorous empirical methods,” meaning that it is being clinically researched and is thoroughly tested.

Traditional psychology tends to be invested in the study of negative emotions and mental illness, which

human culture.”

In his presentation, the scholar focused on applying positive psychology to English Studies. He stated that there is “a bias in literature that perpetuates that the best works in literature are tragic.”

Positive psychology seeks to dispel this pervasive myth. This is not to say that the English department should shun great works of tragedy and skepticism; instead, it should broaden its scope to include all facets of human experience.

Dr. Donald J. Moores, the assistant professor of English on the KeanOcean campus, is a prime example of a scholar who applies positive psychology to the instruction of literary studies. He has worked arduously to integrate positive psychology into his instruction, and is exceptionally well-versed in ecstatic poetry. Pawelski and Moores are currently collaborating on two publications which will showcase literary works that celebrate human flourishing.

One of Pawelski’s most striking comments was “The heart is a muscle—if you want to love someone, you need to work at it.”

His statement revealed that happiness is a goal that requires effort, and is not merely a fairytale fantasy.

The audience was clearly affected by this statement, and one student remarked, “One thing that I walked away with was the practice of listing three blessings before bed. Find one of your strengths and focus more on that.

Leave behind anything with which you are struggling.”

Through his creative thought experiments and engaging speech, Pawelski made it clear that wellbeing is a topic worth studying.

Photo by: Lisa Ann Hopkins

Dr. James Pawelski, Philosopher and Susuperhero.

“UPenn’s Dr. James Pawelski Brings Positive Psychology to Kean-Ocean campus.” is known as “deficit-based thinking.”

Pawelski said “research in negative emotions still dominates” and perhaps this is because “serenity and positive emotions are harder to study.”

Pawelski’s statement was proven true when he asked the audience to list positive and negative emotions; the audience had a hard time listing positive feelings, yet they were quick at listing negative emotions. It became apparent that positive emotions have been downplayed in both psychology and society as a whole.

Positive psychology welcomes the challenge of studying positive emotions and has even developed its own

perance and transcendence.

Pawelski summed it up best when he said, “Positive psychology is an attempt to study human thriving.”

Pawelski’s colleague, Dr. Martin Seligman was quoted as saying, “treating mental illness leaves out the cultivation of positive skills.”

Traditional psychology spends so much time defining what makes a person mentally ill that it ignores the importance of human flourishing and resilience.

Positive psychology has many applications, one of which is to study the Humanities. Pawelski defined the Humanities as “the study of

A melodramatic Meat Loaf goes political, country and hip hop/rap Over the top has always been Meat Loaf’s thing and to his credit it has helped shape his successful 40-year career in music and film. His latest album, “Hell in a Handbasket” (Sony Legacy) holds no punches; Meat Loaf comes roaring through with his powerful, over the top voice once again!

Meat Loaf’s, 64, 1977 hit “Bat Out of Hell” sold over 43 million copies and placed 3rd on the world’s best-selling albums of all time. This has allowed Meat Loaf to remain a household name because of his monster, melodramatic voice and music, which tells stories of characters through each song. But his new album, “Hell in a Handbasket” tells not stories but speaks reality. “This is the most personal album I have ever made,” says Meat Loaf. And in fact it is!

The album starts off with Meat Loaf baring his soul with “All of Me,” setting up the listener to soon become aware of Meat Loaf’s fears and insecurities, so far as him belting out: “This is my anger/ This is my shame/ These are my insecurities, that I can’t explain/ This is my fortress, crumbling ‘round my feet/ Take a good

look, baby/ This is all of me.”

We are soon led into a gospel/soulful song called “The Giving Tree” which argues the point of us getting back to who we truly are, and to back to humanity and compassion.

Another song that sticks out is “Mad Mad World/ The Good God Is A Woman And She Don’t Like Ugly” which starts out with a slow melody and soon hits you over the head with a hammer with probably the most straight forward political song on the album, stating, “You don’t mean to tell me no one else is going to get

Photo: www.albumartexchange.us

By Jason F. Cilento

““Hell in a Handbasket” definitely holds its own in a modern world of music.” hurt/ When there’s folks at home who eat dog food and they can’t afford a shirt/ Sure find out real fast just whose a sitting duck/ When it’s a / (Mad Mad World) Shake your hand and say good luck.”

The song soon leads into Hip Hop/Rap when a powerful performance by legendary Chuck D of Public Enemy makes an appearance to showcase his talent. The

odd mixture of a 1970’s rocker and a 90’s rapper surprisingly go well together in this song.

Another stand out song is, “Stand in The Storm” which features Trace Adkins, Lil Jon and Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, all of which came together because of they were all on the TV show, Celebrity Apprentice. The song makes for an interesting listen based on its, Rock/Country/

Celiac Disease: more widespread than people know

By Dr. Josh Palgi

criterion called Values in Action (VIA).

VIA measures character strengths such as: wisdom, courage, love, justice, tem-

Hip Hop appeal.

Meat Loaf also does a haunting cover of the Mama’s and the Papa’s “California Dreamin’” featuring duet partner Patti Russo. Another duet on the album, which again features Patti Russo is “Our Love and Our Souls” which is an R&B song in which Meat Loaf complains about the materialistic things in life and Patti Russo reminds him, “Oh baby, money’s just money, it comes and it goes/ Things are just things, baby, so breakable/ Ain’t nothing last forever ‘cept our love and our souls.”

The album is closed out with “Fall From Grace” reminding us all that although it may be easy to give up when we fall down, it’s how we get back up that makes us who we are. This is easily one of Meat Loaf’s most raw, yet most powerful vocal performances.

“Hell in a Handbasket” definitely holds its own in a modern world of music. Meat Loaf plays to all sides of the political aisle.

“Hell in a Handbasket” is neither rich or poor, it discusses with issues we all face as a human race; therefore opening up the page for discussion across many aisles, not just catering to one side.

13

HEALTH & FITNESS

KEAN | OCEAN COUNTY COLLEGE The Positive Revolution

April 2012

Celiac (SEE-lee-ak) disease (CD), also known as gluten intolerance is a genetic disorder.

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, it is one of the most widespread disorders in the world; it affects 1 percent of healthy, average Americans. That

gestion and absorption of nutrients and minerals takes place.

Most of the digestive enzymes that act in the small intestines are secreted by the pancreas and enter the small intestine via the pancreatic duct. The enzymes enter the small intestines in response to the hormone cholecystokinin. This hormone is produced in the small intestines in re-

Food enters from the stomach into the small intestine where it is digested and absorbed into the body. While food is being digested and absorbed, it is transported by the small intestine to the colon. What enters the colon is primarily undigested food. In CD, there is an im-

“At least 3 million people in the U.S.A. are living with CD—and 97 percent of them are undiagnosed.” means at least 3 million people in the U.S.A. are living with CD -- and 97 percent of them are undiagnosed.

Celiac disease is a chronic digestive disorder in which damage to the lining of the small intestine leads to the inability to absorb minerals and nutrients. The condition is triggered by the consumption of the protein gluten.

The small intestine in an adult human male is 6.9m (22 feet, 6 inches) and in the adult female, 7.1m (23 feet, 4 inches). It is approximately 2.5 – 3 cm in diameter The small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract following the stomach and followed by the large intestine, and is where much of the chemical di-

sponse to the presence of nutrients. The hormone secretin also causes bicarbonate to be released into the small intestine from the pancreas in order to neutralize the potentially harmful acid coming from the stomach.

When people with CD eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed. Gluten is the common name for the proteins in specific grains that are harmful to persons with CD. These proteins are found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye.

Photo: Klaus Hopfner

12

munological (allergic) reaction within the inner lining of the small intestine by protein (gluten).

The immunological reaction causes inflammation that destroys the lining of the small intestine. This reduces the absorption of the dietary of nutrients and can lead to symptoms and signs of nutritional, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies, and may develop diarrhea, weight gain or loss, iron deficiency, anemia abnormal bleeding and weakened bones.

However, many adults with CD may

have either no symptoms or only vague abdominal discomfort such as bloating, abdominal distension, and excess gas.

Testing for CD is a fairly lengthy process involving blood tests and ultimately a procedure known as endoscopy, used to look directly at your small intestine. In some cases, your physician may recommend genetic testing.

Genetic tests will look for two main genes that predispose you to CD. If you have risk factors for CD, “celiac genes,” close family members with the condition, other autoimmune diseases, or even just lead symptoms; you may want to consider regular testing with your physician. Early detection can minimize the damage.

More information can be found at the following sites: American Celiac Disease Alliance Phone 703 622 3331 info@americanceliac.org www.americanceliac.org Celiac Disease Foundation Phone 818 990 2354 cdf@celiac.org www.celiac.org Dr. Palgi is a Professor in the Physical Education, Recreation, and Health Department.

How athletes stay in shape

By Justine Clini Athletes come in all shapes and sizes.

The specific sport they play determine different levels of physical fitness and hard work. For an athlete, maintaining the right levels of physical fitness is essential.

Most athletes must sustain a proper wellbalanced diet along with a strict workout plan to be successful in their career.

So where does this process all start?

How do athletes get in the great shape they are in and what does their diet consist of?

Tyler Freeman, a Kean Men’s lacrosse player said, “During the off season we are given a work out guide per day for what our coach wants us to do. This will consist of running and doing cardio work but also what he wants done in the weight room and which muscle groups he wants us to focus on. Then in season we do conditioning exercises so we don’t lose what we gain while in the off season.”

When asked if he had any type of specific diet Freeman said, “I try to eat as healthy as possible especially after a practice or a workout. That will usually consist of very little carbs but a high amount of protein, grilled chicken and a salad.

COMMENCEMENT

Before anything I try to eat something as a carb, which I can use during that workout or practice to get me through it fully.

I also eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly

at their best.

However, while obtaining their right amount of physical strength, pressure is a factor in the process as well.

“It is a lot of pressure to stay in shape because in the basketball world, if you’re not working out someone else is.”

and ham sandwiches.”

Besides a challenging workout, good nutrition is certainly the source for upholding excellent physical fitness. It is so important for athletes to gain the right amount of physical strength to perform

Danielle McFadden, a Kean Women’s basketball player said, “During our post season our coaches give us workout books to help us stay in shape. It is a lot of pressure to stay in shape because in the basketball world, if you’re not working out someone else is. You don’t gain anything by sitting around so there is always a lot of pressure to work out and get better.”

Head Coach of Kean Football, Daniel Garrett adds, “I would not call it pressure, but just something that has to be done.

Everyone who participates in college athletics needs to train and keep their body in the best physical condition possible, if they want to have success. Usually the

Starting in 2005 to 2006, he served his time in Afghanistan as a paratrooper and captain on duty. Moore was also the leader of a task force called the Afghan Reconciliation Program. Following this, he became the special assistant to Condoleezza Rice, who was at the time the Secretary of State.

John Hurtado a Kean student said, “I am really not sure who Wes Moore is, I think I might have saw him on T.V. once

before.”

Moore is a youth advocate and believes teachers and volunteers who work with the youth are just as vital to the survival as the country as the armed forces are.

Moore has spoken at numerous events like the first 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, the 2008 Democratic National Convention and the Race & Reconciliation in America Conference. He has also been featured in Ebony as “Top

Photo: freedigitalphotos.net

best outcome is shown on the field, or court. Typically the better physical condition an athlete is in, he or she will have a better mental capacity. All components are necessary to be a successful athlete.

What if non athletic college students want to get in ‘athlete’ shape? How would we go about doing so with our crazy, hectic schedules?

Mcfadden goes on to explain, “The best way to stay fit while being a college student is to include working out into your daily schedule. There are plenty of websites that provide workouts that can be done on your own without a trainer. P90x and the insanity workout seem to be the most popular. Working out 3 days out of the week for at least 45 minutes will keep you active and feeling good about yourself. A workout as simple as an abdominal workout in your room can get you ready for the summer time.”

With summer vacation right around the corner, Coach Garrett has some great tips on getting in shape. “It really is all about proper nutrition and diet; stay away from sugar drinks (soda, juice and energy drinks). Eat 4-5 small meals a day and consistently making your workouts.

(Continued from page 1)

Shannon Ballance, an English education major, said, “I feel like she is a good role model for younger women, but why would they pick someone who is from California.”

Wes Moore will conduct the graduate commencement speech at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on May 15th.

Moore is a New Jersey resident with an extensive resume and achievements in the United States Army.

30 leaders under 30.”

Although many students have mixed feelings about why these people were chosen to speak at commencement, both Ferrara and Moore posses the vital life experiences, which will surely make for a memorable graduation speech. For more information visit: http://www.kean.edu/ ku/commencement.

14

THE TOWER

April 2012

THE TOWER

The Cougars’ baseball team entered the 2012 season ranked No.3 in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason poll. After 22 games so far, the Cougars are currently ranked No.6 in the nation. With only a little more than a month left of regular season games, the Cougars are looking to improve on their 16-6 record.

The Cougars started off the season very strong, going 3-1 with the three wins all being blow out wins. The Cougars carried over the momentum into the month of March, opening up the month with a win over DeSales University.

After losing their next game, the Cougars put together a six game win-streak.

During the win-streak, the Cougars played in the California Invitational. While they managed to beat the University of Redlands, they dropped the next two to Whitter College and Pomona-Pitzer.

The Cougars managed to bounce back from the back-to-back losses, putting together another win-streak, this time of three games.

Heading into the month of April, the Cougars opened up with a double header against conference rival, The College of New Jersey. In these two hard fought games, TCNJ defeated the Cougars 2-1 but the Cougars struck back, beating TCNJ 1-0.

By Thomas Antonelle and Ryan Gaydos

The rest of the month of April will be all conference games for the Cougars. As it stands, the Cougars are currently fifth in the NJAC Conference with a 1-1 conference record.

A big part of the Cougars’ success can be attributed to a pitching staff that was called, “one of the best pitching rotations in the nation” by D3baseball.com. Preseason All-American Mike Russo, who went 10-2 last season, is currently 3-1 during the 2012 season.

The Cougars have gotten pitching help from another senior as well; Chris Cirlincione has not lost a game this season and has a record of 4-0 with an earned run average of 2.48.

But it’s not just the upper-classmen who are leading the pitching staff, freshman Dan Hansen, who was recently named NJCBA Rookie Pitcher of the Week. While appearing in four games, Hansen has posted an earned run average of 0.00 and a record of 2-0.

While the Cougars are known for their pitching, offense is no push over.

The Cougars currently have six players who are hitting over .300. Sophomore Joe O’Connor leads the Cougars in runs batted (21) in and home runs (4).

O’Connor is also hitting an excellent .372 batting average.

Star athlete switches roles

By Maya Brown While many college seniors are preparing to transition into the “real world,” this past basketball season, Kean University senior, Jonathan Jones made the switch from first-team All-American player to Student Assistant Coach.

Following his senior season with Kean University’s Men’s Basketball Team, head Photos: Laura Urban coach Rob Kurzinsky, approached Jones with an offer to become the team’s Student Assistant Coach.

“It’s not that my team needed me, they just really didn’t want to see me go and I wasn’t really ready to leave,” Jones said, “myself as well as one of my best friends, Rob Lewis, stuck around.”

Despite earning five “Player of the Year” honors, being the 30th player in program history to score 1,000 career points, and ranking 6th in program history, Jones does not consider any of those to be his greatest achievements.

“My greatest achievement to date is helping the players on the team now, being a leader.” Jones said.

Although Jones still had the opportunity to practice and shoot around with the 2011-2012 team, he expressed that the transition from court to sideline was not an easy one.

“It was tough just sitting there [on the sideline], but at the end of the day, it was about me embracing my new job,” said Jones.

This past season, the men’s basketball team held a 7-20 record, which showed great contrast to the 18-8 record of the 2010-2011 team in which Jones was a starter player. Jones stated that from the Student Assistant Coach point of view, the 2011-2012 team has an admirable “togetherness.”

“Although the season may not have been the best of the best, the team was able to make it to the playoff’s and get their first ever playoff win since Rob Kur-

15

Men’s Volleyball headed to NCAA Tournament

Baseball team firing on all cylinders

By Nick Mojica

April 2012

zinsky joined the Kean University Men’s Basketball coaching staff five years ago.”

Jones said.

After Jones graduates with a degree in Community Recreation this May, he

Photo by: Maya Brown

Jonathan Jones ready to make the switch.

“My greatest achievement to date is helping the players on the team now, being a leader.” hopes to continue playing basketball possibly overseas or in the National Basketball Association Developmental League (NBA D-League). Also, given his love for kids, he would eventually like to work in a YMCA or Boys & Girls Club helping the little ones to develop their basketball skills.

MIDDLE STATES

The Men’s Volleyball Team, in a very successful sophomore season, captured its first Skyline Conference Championship April 14 and is on route to its first ever NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament.

Kean will face Hunter College (NY) April 27 at Springfield College. Kean is 1-1 against teams that it played in the tournament field.

Contributing to the consistent success of the squad yet again comes from Skyline Player of the Year, Steve Vahalla. The junior outside hitter carried the Cougars to a 4-1 record week.

Head coach Don Perkins was named Skyline Conference Coach of the Year as well.

After coming off only its ninth loss of

(Continued from page 1)

from Kean’s program.

Toney sent out an email blast Friday addressing the Middle States announcement.

In the email, Toney said that the Visiting Team “noted the University is not yet in compliance with these two standards [7 and 14], but has made remarkable strides in both areas.”

“During the visiting team’s time on campus, members also reviewed and identified areas that require improvement in our General Education curriculum,” the email stated..

“There need to be some big changes at the institution,” said James Castiglione, president of the Kean Federation of Teachers. “It’s long past time for the Board of Trustees to exercise its leadership to safeguard the future of the institution.”

Though the warnings were not lifted, the team commended the university with the strides made in regards to Standard 7, saying that Kean has compiled extensive assessment plans and created and staffed an office of assessment.

Kean has also made significant, even remarkable progress in meeting Standard 14, according to the team. They commended the faculty for its dedicated effort.

The team urged Kean to examine the school’s reliance on capstone courses as a tool of assessment, and asked faculty to find the best way to acquire information that is needed to serve their

respective programs.

The team also said that Kean’s website, which is reporting on accreditation status, must be revised due to misleading language. They also said there are excerpts of documents that, by themselves, could be misleading.

“I think we’re all worried,” said Castiglione, in a phone interview. “Your [the students’] faculty and staff will redouble our efforts to restore institutional integrity and quality to Kean University.”

On April 12, the Visiting Team came to Kean and held a number of meetings, including an open forum in the Dr. Jules Irving Schwartz Lecture Hall in the STEM building.

At the meeting of mostly faculty and staff, the team listened to questions and concerns while also asking questions of their own about the faculty’s efforts in monitoring student progress and expressing creativity.

The majority of the audience expressed efforts of monitoring student progress through various departments, and one of the team members from the Visiting Team remarked on the progress he has seen at Kean.

“I am confident that our ongoing efforts on assessment will further enhance student learning as we continue on our path of becoming a world-class university,” Toney said at the end of his email.

A date has not yet been set for Middle States’ follow-up for Standards 7 and 14.

Photo: Kean University

Steve Vahalla, player of the year, helps Mens Volleyball clinch berth in 2012 Skyline Championship.

the season to Rutgers-Newark, Kean’s Cougars was looking to improve its road record when it visited Princeton University on Wednesday, April 11. And it did.

2012 NBA Playoff preview Justin West The NBA season is finishing up strong after the very tense negotiations of the lockout this summer that threatened to cancel the entire season.

Fans of the local New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets shouldn’t be expecting any championships this season. The Nets are not making the playoffs and the Knicks are struggling to make the playoffs. The Knicks can be a dangerous team if it makes the playoffs but the team needs to get healthy as stars like Amare Stoudemire and the diamond in the rough point guard Jeremy Lin fight injuries to get back on the court.

Knicks captain Carmelo Anthony needs to play his best basketball on a more consistent basis as well. The Knicks will likely face one of the top two best teams in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat or Chicago Bulls in the first round, which will be an extremely tough task to overcome.

Michael Smith, a sophomore history major said, ”If the Knicks can make the playoffs and some how get to the second round, watch out for the return of Jeremy Lin aka Linsanity.”

Jeremy Lin is an Asian American point guard from Harvard who was unknown until February and played phenomenal basketball in helping turn the Knicks season around. He’s currently injured for the rest of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs.

According to ESPN.com, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the San Antonio Spurs, led by Tim Duncan and Tony Parker and the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by the dynamic duo of Kevin

Durant and Russell Westbrook.

The top two teams in the Eastern Conference are the Chicago Bulls, led by the reigning MVP Derrick Rose and the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat are led by LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are the team expected to win the championship this season.

James Johnson, a freshman liberal arts major said, “I think the Miami Heat are going to win the NBA Championship this year because LeBron James is going to be phenomenal and shut down all the haters especially those that hate him in the city of Cleveland.”

Rounding out the rest of the big name playoff teams will probably include the Los Angeles Lakers led by five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Clippers with the exciting Blake Griffin and Chris Paul and the defending champion Dallas Mavericks who are also expected to return to the playoffs.

In the East, the Boston Celtics are expected to lock up a home playoff series in the first round. The Orlando Magic led by arguably the best center in the NBA Dwight Howard will also be back.

There is not expected to be a lot of upsets during the playoffs as there were in the NCAA Basketball tournament a few weeks ago. All roads seem to lead to the Miami Heat. One thing to keep in mind though is that fact that this was a shortened season due to the lockout.

The last time that occurred the New York Knicks got to the NBA Finals as the last seed in the Eastern Conference.

When the playoffs do start in a few weeks, the Knicks are expected to be in the same position as they were then.

Kean’s impressive 23-9 record overall is due in part to its 13-1 record in conference play.

In the Skyline Conference, Kean was

ranked first, sharing its number one spot with Ramapo College. Kean was awarded the number one seed in the Skyline Tournament.

After the recent 3-1 loss to the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers-Newark, the squad looked for big performances out of its star players.

Alex Barnhard, Christian Portera and Vahalla all put up decent numbers in the loss to Rutgers-Newark, but the team was counting on efforts from all players as it entered the most crucial part of the season.

An area of its game that needed improvement was in its play on the road.

It was 5-5 on the road prior to the Princeton game, and boasted an impressive 10-3 record in neutral territory and 8-1 on the home court.

16

THE TOWER

April 2012

sports Tebow mania arrives in New York

By Ryan Gaydos Last season, the National Football League and its fans received one of the best feel good stories that captured the hearts of America, and that was the rise of Tim Tebow. Tebow gained the starting spot on the Denver Broncos about midway through last season and led them to the second round of the playoffs.

No one would have expected Tebow to be on any other team this season but inevitably that happened.

The Broncos traded Tebow and a seventh round draft pick to the New York Jets this past March for a fourth round and a sixth round draft pick. The acquisition of Tebow will definitely create a media circus in the New York papers.

Dan Canova, a communication major, said that the only reason why the Jets acquired Tebow this offseason was to one up the New York Giants who won the Super Bowl this year. Canova said that it was all about the image.

Tebow expressed in a press conference upon coming to the Jets that he was excited to be a member of the team.

The problem right now is that Tebow is the backup quarterback and with current quarterback Mark Sanchez not portrayed favorably in New York, it will cause controversy if Sanchez slips up this season, which in all likelihood, he will

at some point.

Joe Wisniewski, a communication studies major and long-time New York Jets fan, said, “As a Jet fan I am not a big fan of the move because it is going to do one of two things. It is either going to force Sanchez to step up or run him out of town.”

In two seasons with the Broncos, the former Heisman Trophy winner played in 23 games and has passed for 2,383 yards which included 17 touchdown passes.

Tebow has also rushed for 12 touchdowns on 887 yards, which added a different dynamic to the Broncos’ offense.

Tebow was the fan proclaimed savior that brought the Broncos to the playoffs.

The question is, how will Tebow respond to the New York media and the fact that if

To the class of 2 0 1 2 !

Photo: www.inquisitr.com

Tim Tebow.

“As a Jet fan I am not a big fan of the move because it is going to do one of two things.

It is either going to force Sanchez to step up or run him out of town.” he is called upon to play and does poorly, how will he react to the criticism that the media will inflict upon him?

All those questions will be answered

this season which makes the 2012 NFL season the most anticipated season in recent memory.

“Bracketology:” the science, or luck, of picking the perfect bracket

By DeWayne Harper People have spent time, effort and money to develop complex algorithms in order to gain an advantage when filling out their NCAA tournament bracket.

March Madness has come and gone and with the suspense filled monthlong tournament, there has been many surprises—chief among them is No. 15 ranked Lehigh’s narrow victory over No. 2 Duke.

With upsets like these taking place, we wondered what is the best strategy for building a NCAA tournament bracket.

During the month long festivities organizations and individuals fill out their brackets hoping to win bragging rights, or even a nifty monetary prize in their office pool.

Everyone from the president, professional athletes and sports pundits, to students, instructors and co-workers

Photo: Espn.go.com

President Obama filling out his bracket.

basketball wins the whole thing.”

Santino, a junior at Kean, has heard it all. “I’ve heard of people who pick the

“That makes the odds of randomly picking a perfect bracket 9.2 quintillion to 1. participate in their own bracket tournaments.

“I don’t know what it is, I’ve been in a million of these bracket pools,” said Mario Santino. “I’ve never won one and it sucks because I always make it to the final four and some clueless girl who doesn’t watch

teams based on the color of the uniforms, or because they’ve heard of one school and not the other,” said Santino. “The people who I’ve seen win those pools never have any strategy, or method for how they pick who advances.”

Santino’s friend Alercio Sanchez plays

in a few brackets to cover his upsets. “I had Duke in the elite eight, but they got knocked out in the first round and no one expected Louisville to be in the final four,” said Sanchez. “You try and cover your bets, but some things just aren’t supposed to happen.”

Dr. Joel Sokol and Dr. Paul Kvam, created the LRMC ranking system. The LRMC is a college basketball ranking system designed to use basic scoreboard data. Key data includes: which two teams played each other, whose court did they play on and what was the margin of victory.

The ranking system was originally developed as a research paper done by Sokol and Kvam, both of whom are professors at Georgia Tech’s H. Milton Stewart School

of Industrial and Systems engineering.

According to Carolyn O’Hara of PBS NewsHour, in 2010 the LRMC ranking system was able to accurately predict No. 6 ranked Notre Dame’s one-point loss to No. 11 Old Dominion.

So what is the best way to pick your tournament bracket? Well, although it seems like a lot of winners experience some beginner’s luck the odds of that are actually quite slim.

According to Ask Dr. Math, the math forum at Drexel University located at mathforum.org, There are more than nine quintillion possibilities for the possible winners in a 64 team NCAA bracket.

That makes the odds of randomly picking a perfect bracket 9.2 quintillion to 1.

To put that into perspective the odds of winning that recording-breaking MegaMillions jackpot a couple of weeks ago was only about 176 million to one.

So how accurate is the LRMC ranking system?

Sokol and his team point out that the LRMC ranking system is right more often than other NCAA ranking methods.

When the LRMC and those other methods disagree the team that the LRMC system ranks higher wins far more than the other methods.

They also note that the LRMC system is particularly accurate when sorting out the top teams; Specifically, as measured by the last three rounds of the tournament. They also do well picking “surprise” Final Four teams.

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