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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)