The Tower - December 2020

visit us at kutower.com

@KeanTower Sororities navigate COVID-19

Editor-in-chief says goodbye

Awarded NJ’s #1 college newspaper

Page 3

Page 4

Dec 16 | 2020 WWW.KUTOWER.COM

TH E I N DEPEN D EN T VOI C E O F KE AN U N IV E R S IT Y

President changes DQ requirements after complaints at first Town Hall meeting

By Chelsey Jaipersaud The university has established clearer guidelines on discussion questions, extended the pass/fail deadline and updated the resources and contact information in the Cougar Restart Plan in response to concerns voiced at the first town hall meeting held by President Lamont Repollet.

In response to the meeting held earlier this month, the university has updated its controversial Discussion Question policy in remote courses.

In the upcoming s e m e s t e r , discussion questions are not required, but may be included at the discretion of the instructor, to meet the weekly time required for virtual or in person classroom Virtual Town Hall interaction.

The town hall web page explains, if the DQs are used, the requirement will consist of one initial discussion post a week and no more than three student responses within a timeframe determined by the instructor .

The university also has decided to extend

its pass/fail grading for up to two courses per student and all students will have from the end of the semester to February 1, 2021 to request this option.

Students can access services by visiting the resource for current and prospective students section located on Kean’s restart website.

There is a range of contact options available for anyone who may need further assistance.

At Dr. Repollet’s Town Hall, students registered in advance to either speak at the event or simply attend and listen to each other.

Students of any year were encouraged to speak up in order to acknowledge prevalent issues that occurred throughout the semester and ultimately make adjustments for the future.

“This is going Photo by Kean University Official Twitter Page to be realistic, I am going to make sure that things that I say or deliver will be based on our policies, regulations, on the law and what we normally do as a university,” Dr. Repollet said.

Covid-19 and Me

By Alexander Valdes It’s no surprise that a lot of Kean students are experiencing hardship right now due to the current pandemic. Many students are struggling with feelings of isolation and perhaps some are just tired from living on a screen in online classes. I was one of

stay away from my father by my mother and I complied, but alas it didn’t help much as I later on would contract the virus from my father. I then started to experience a number of symptoms. The first I experienced that led to my conclusion I was infected before being tested was that I came down with a fever of 102.7. I was unable to move properly as a

“I want to let you know that I am listening to you,” Dr. Repollet said.

Photo by Kean website

Wear a mask, save a life

those students -- and then it got worse. On November 14, I was diagnosed positive with Covid-19. I am 22 years old -- one of the young people who supposedly don’t get very ill yet I experienced many symptoms that made my normal day-to-day life extremely difficult.

My father had come home one day after work not feeling well. He was tested later on and it was confirmed that he was indeed positive with Covid-19. I was instructed to

result and could barely keep my eyes open.

After being tested at a local clinic near me I then started to experience more symptoms of Covid-19, these I considered to be the worst part of the virus.

The next symptom that started to develop was my inability to smell or taste anything, this was one of the worst experiences of my life, regardless of what I was eating, everything managed to taste like cardboard. continued on page 4

continued on page 4

8th Annual Toy Drive to be held in Newark

By Ruben Nieves The ongoing pandemic is tough, but that is not enough to stop Dr. Norma Bowe and the “Be The Change” club from running its annual Christmas toy drive in Newark.

Of course, due to Covid-19 and social distancing restrictions, this year won’t be like their typical toy drive, but Dr. Bowe says they will still bring that same Christmas spirit.

Every year, Dr. Bowe, a volunteer Santa Claus and the Be The Change club members distribute hundreds of toys. Santa Claus usually goes through the streets greeting the kids, and distributing toys. This is its eighth year doing a toy drive.

“We do a really big Christmas project, we bring Santa to the streets and go through garden projects and our Be the Change group donates toys,” said Dr. Bowe, who teaches in the science department. “We also get toys from Toys for Tots.”

In a normal year, they also provide hot chocolate and cookies for families and everyone sings along to Christmas tunes. Kids get to meet Santa up close, sit on his lap and maybe discuss being naughty or nice.

“We are doing it differently this year because of COVID,” said Dr. Bowe. “Santa, will be waving to kids from doorsteps and windows and we will drop the toys on the doorsteps.”

Also scrapped this year due to Covid is the event where students and others gift wrap the toys in Hennings Hall.

“When people drop off toys, we let them sit for two weeks before we wrap them,” said Dr. Bowe.

This year, as every year since 2012, Santa is Coach Dave Gallante, a Kean alumni and the offensive line coach for Kean Football.

“What makes me dress up as Santa is the joy and smiles on the kids’ faces when we can give them a gift to put under their tree for Christmas,” Galante said.

Dr. Bowe describes Galante as the epitome of Santa Claus.

“He has a heart of gold,” said Dr. Bowe. “He

is incredible, not only with his players but with this particular project.”

Dressed as Santa, Gallante said he enjoys talking to the kids to create an unforgettable experience for young children.

“The thing I like the most is asking the kids how they are doing in school, and hearing them tell me about their accomplishments,” said Galante. “It is a true Christmas miracle and an incredible event where we can share with those that need it and give happiness and

violent crime, adopted a lot from the city, and turned it into a garden, Bowe said.

After adopting certain parts of a neighborhood, Dr. Bowe became invested in community projects throughout the city.

Today. Dr. Bowe and her organization feed about 700 to 1,000 people a week. They deliver food every Tuesday and Friday.

“I became Santa because Dr. Bowe asked me to do it for her organization, and I’ve loved doing it ever since,” said Galante. “Our

families since the pandemic started. In fact, the Christmas drive is just one of several annual events they stage every year.

“For Thanksgiving we bring meals, on Easter we have an egg hunt, and for the fall we have a pumpkin painting,” said Dr. Bowe. “It’s a social justice project as well as food justice project.”

The goal set this year for the toy drive is to give out some 1,200 toys. As of December 8, they had 720 toys in total and Dr. Bowe

“It is a true Christmas miracle and an incredible event where we can share with those that need it and give happiness and hope to families during the holidays.”

Photo by Norma Bowe

Photo by Norma Bowe

Photo by Norma Bowe

Santa greets a Be the Change recipient

Be the Change recipient with Santa

Be the Change recipients receive their gifts

hope to families during the holidays.”

Dr. Bowe, who created this toy drive, has been conducting research in Newark and has been homicide mapping the city for the past couple of years. The group then picked particular neighborhoods that had higher

first year in 2012, we received a donation for a swing set and placed it in the garden where the kids in the surrounding area could play and what a difference it made.”

Be The Change, under Dr. Bowe’s direction, for instance, has fed about 300 different

believes with Toys for Tots, they reach their goal of 1,200 toys.

“I’ve been doing this event since 2012 at the Be the Change Garden on south 14th Street in Newark,” said Galante. “It is the highlight of my holiday season.”

2 THE TOWER

December, 2020

Dorming students Dr. Shepherd’s classes during Covid sent packing

By Jennifer Balsa

By Breanna Palzer Once the Fall 2020 semester ends, students that have been staying in the Bartlett Hall residence have been asked to move into another building. The reason for this move is that there are currently less than 30 people living in Bartlett Hall at the moment and it is not seen as necessary to keep the residence hall open.

“I like that Kean is giving us options when

their belongings immediately into their new room or bring their belongings home with them during winter break and then move them in when they come back.

Many students were less than surprised when asked to move from Bartlett.

“I knew there weren’t many people dorming this semester so it didn’t come as a shock when they asked us to consolidate,” junior business

It is that time of the semester again where students are glued to the laptops studying for finals. Flipping through book pages hecticly trying to gather as much information as possible and be able to retain it to pass the exams.

Many students are very nervous about their finals, especially this semester that has been a new experience for all the students at Kean University. Many of them say that they have not learned anything new this semester. With the Covid-19 online class accommodations, the quality of many classes have been severely impacted. Many professors have been forced to step out of their comfort zone and trade smart boards for zoom conferences. However Gregory Shepherd’s students have talked wonders about his Spanish classes.

American Literature and Applied Linguistics.

“One of the things that motivated me to start teaching was being able to help students grow,” said Dr. Shepherd.

He shared that it brings him great satisfaction to see students want to interact on his courses without him having to force them. Dr. Shepherd motivates students to engage in critical thinking and encourages them to explore alternative perspectives when it comes to analyzing literature as well as any other class material.

“Any answer is okay, as long as the students are able to defend it with the right evidence,” Dr. Shepherd said.

Dr. Shepherd also explained how he uses a lot of interactive activities for his courses such as role play, which makes the students put themselves in someone else’s shoes and not

“I set the table for a feast, and we feast on ideas,”

Photo by Kean website

Photo by Kean website

Dr. Shepherd with students at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research

it comes to moving into a new building,” said Jason Mathis, a junior majoring in psychology “I have a lot going on right now and it helps a lot that I can at least choose when I move.”

According to a recent email sent out by Residential Student Services, students are allowed to have one person help them move their belongings from their old room into the new room of their choosing. The chosen person is required to wear a mask and gloves while helping the student move out. Doors and elevators are also being sanitized often while moving out is happening.

The due date for moving out is Dec. 18, but students have been given the option to move into the building of their choice anytime earlier than that.

Students were also given the option to move

major Maria Goodman said.

Some students were upset that they had to move all their belongings from one building to another. They have been given the choice of either moving to the last two Quad buildings, Birch, Sozio, or, paying an extra $971 to move into the New Upper Residence Hall as stated in an email from RSS. A large number of students have decided it would be better to go home once they were done packing at the end of the fall semester. “ I think it’s kind of crazy they’re charging that much to move into New Upper, especially since we are somewhat being kicked out of Bartlett,” senior communication major Dillon Jefferies said.

The lack of face to face interaction has impacted students' overall learning experience, but Dr. Shepherd's students seem to not have been affected by this change.

“His classes feel the same online as they did on campus,” Daniela Riascos, a junior Spanish Teacher Education major who takes a class with him this semester said.

Riascos stated that despite the classes being taught online, she is learning just the same as if she was in the classroom. She explained that Dr. Shepherd makes his classes so interesting and interactive that students want to actively participate and even get into lengthy debates with one another making the class far from boring. Riascos said that during class it is important to keep an open mind during discussions to get the best experience possible.

Dr. Shepherd began teaching at Kean in 2007, mostly teaching Spanish courses such as Latin

only act like them but essentially to also think like them.

“I set the table for a feast, and we feast on ideas,” said Dr. Shepherd referring to the times where he lectures and then opens up the table for discussion.

Marlin Flores, senior majoring in Early Childhood education explained that even online, Dr. Shepherd still conducts debates as well as group work in order to enhance the learning experience.

“He is an excellent professor who worries about his students and tries his best to help each one of us on whatever assistance we need individually,” Flores said.

One of Dr. Shepherd’s goals is to create a community among her students.

“I try my best to be myself and build community in my classes,” said Dr. Shepherd.

Balancing entrepreneurship as a Kean Student

By Valerie Sanabria Samantha Medrano expected combining student life and entrepreneurship to be a challenge. The Kean University student majoring in Business and Management never thought that her business and biggest project, Dakota Garden, was going to be the reason why her student career was going to be delayed. Dakota Garden is an innovative eatery with products low in sugar but also a garden-like environment where friends can spend time together.

“I started this semester online, with five classes and a high GPA, but I had a high risk of lowering it because of my business,” Medrano said. “ I decided to drop some classes to have more flexibility because it’s not the same to maintain five classes and a business full time.”

Medrano’s biggest project had been delayed due to COVID-19 but had a successful grand opening on July 1st which exceeded her expectations.

“We officially opened in July first and it was a great experience,” Medrano said, “ We lost track of the amount of people who attended during the opening weekend, we were afraid of the number of people because we needed to follow the precautionary measures.”

For Medrano the opening was difficult to control but everyone who attended wore their masks and maintained the distance at all times, which made it easier for her.

To attract people to the business, Medrano and her partners constantly create social events and host talks about the importance of eating healthy.

“Through social events, people in the community can get to know us,” Medrano said, “We give awards to anyone who achieves something, we create groups with a mission, and also holiday events like pumpkin painting, but this was before the cases [COVID-19] went up. We recently had to

“ I decided to drop some classes to have more flexibility because it’s not the same to maintain five classes and a business full time.”

Photo by Sammy Medrano

Sammy and her business partner Andrea

Photo by Sammy Medrano

Social event at Dakota Garden

limit all social events, indoor dining, and the number of clients at the same place.”

Dakota Garden is what Medrano loves, and even if she considers herself to be disorganized, for her the way of finding a balance is by knowing what makes her happy.

“I’m super disorganized but I also feel that when the days go by I end up doing what I like,” Medrano said, “I’m human and of course I’m not perfect but I think that the importance of everything you have to do, you do it because you like it, it won’t be an obligation if that’s what you like.”

Her business also gave her the opportunity to give back to those in need. This year with the opening of her business, Medrano introduced her clients to a Samaritan’s Purse

organization.

At Dakota Garden, she collected shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items for children outside the United States living under precarious conditions. This organization is really close to her heart because she was once one of the recipients.

“The Samaritan’s Purse shoeboxes are something personal that I decided to link with my business this year so more people get to know this organization,” Medrano said, “Samaritan Purse marked me for life since I was a child and received a shoebox.”

Medrano had to learn how to balance student life and entrepreneurship, and she is also finding ways to help other people through her business. She was able to collect

Photo by Sammy Medrano

Sammy Medrano at Dakota Garden

80 shoeboxes to make children around the world happy just as someone made her happy once.

“I grew up dreaming that one day I was going to make the boxes and change other children’s lives as mine changed with something as simple and beautiful as a shoebox,” Medrano said.

Dakota Garden is Medrano’s long-term goal. For her, finding balance between college and business is fundamental to make her business bigger.

“I am trying to find a balance until I get my degree and be able to create something bigger with the Dakota concept,” Medrano said.

December, 2020

THE TOWER 3

My goodbye as editor-in-chief

By Zoe Strozewski, Editor-in-Chief When I started writing this goodbye, I thought about beginning with a sentiment you’d expect to see in this kind of article, such as “I can’t believe my time as editor-in-chief of The Tower is ending so soon.”

However, I realized there was a more important message I could convey about this newspaper and group of reporters in about 600 words.

In a year that has been unlike any other and an equally strange semester, The Tower’s staff did the seemingly impossible. We have released a monthly edition without once meeting face-toface.

A newspaper can’t exist without collaboration and communication. Every staff member is valuable piece of a puzzle: writing, editing, visualizing and finalizing. It takes an incredible work ethic to facilitate this flow solely over Zoom meetings, emails and text messages. I can’t even put into words how proud I am of each and every member of the staff for putting in the time and effort to making this happen.

We got our first taste of this dynamic in the Spring 2020 semester, when the world suddenly found itself navigating stay-at-home orders, social distancing and remote learning. The Tower had to adapt quickly to the new normal,

placing a heightened focus on online journalism and reaching our audience from a distance.

Our dedication to success was acknowledged in March 2020, when The Tower was named New Jersey’s number one college newspaper for the first time ever by the NJ Collegiate Press Association for the 20192020 school year, beating out universities like Princeton and Fairleigh Dickinson. (I had to brag one last time) Our staff has always been small in number, but this reinforced the truth that what we lack in size we make up for with passion and talent.

Despite the horrors the world has faced in 2020, this has been a time of growth for college newspapers in general. The Tower and equivalents at other universities are more important than ever as they’ve provided local coverage and perspective on the pandemic, sometimes breaking major stories before the professional media.

For example, New York University’s student newspaper, Washington Square News, was the first to report on a COVID-19 outbreak in a campus dorm. The Alligator at the University of Florida created and continuously updates a map of cases on campus.

Truth is so easily blurred or blocked these days and the media plays a key role in accountability

We have released a monthly edition without once meeting face-to-face.

New One Stop Service Center remote services are announced

By Cindy Lazo The Office of the Registrar announces new remote services for the University One Stop Service Center in efforts to provide more timely and efficient service for Kean students as the campus remains online during the pandemic.

An email sent out to the Kean community on November 23 explained the addition of QLess, an online queuing system that students can access through a provided code that assures them a spot in a virtual line at the One Stop Service Center.

The email stated that, “Upon joining the

This is amongst the few student services that have transitioned to remote operations as the coronavirus pandemic continues on: ■

■

■

The Nancy Thompson Learning Commons is requiring students to schedule visits through their online reservation system and will ask students to show the Campus Clear app and their student ID. Student Health Services are available to students through appointments and no walk-ins will be accepted.

The Office of Counseling, Accessibility

Photo by Office of the Registrar

‘Kean One Stop: New 24/7 and Remote Services’

Photo by Office of the Registrar

Roary, Kean University’s chatbot

virtual line, you will and Alcohol and be prompted to select Other Drug Services either a Call Back or are also taking Video Conference. appointments to You will receive text provide confidential messages alerting services to students you of your status using HIPAAin ‘line. When you compliant audio and get to the front of video platforms, and the ‘line’, a One Stop in-person services representative will are on a case-by-case call you by phone basis. or video conference The NTLC, Office of based on what you Student Accounting, selected as a call-back Office of Admissions preference.”

Photo by Office of the Registrar and One Stop Roary, Kean QR code students can scan to access for One Stop Service Center will University’s chatbot assistance be virtually operating (a computer progduring the Winter ram that simulates Break, with the exception of Christmas Day conversation with users online), already and New Year’s Day, on a limited schedule. provides assistance in financial aid and scholarship issues and is also accessible The University is encouraging students 24/7 for any registration or student to visit the online Cougar Restart Guide supportquestions and can be accessed via the for updated hours and remote contact One Stop Service Center page. information for University services.

Photo by Siobhan Donaldson

Zoe Strozewski, The Tower’s editor-in chief for the Fall 2020 semester.

and transparency. College newspapers have really stepped up to the challenge, and while it’s been so easy for the bad to drown out the good lately, this fact gives me hope.

I am thrilled to be passing along the editorin-chief position to Valerie Sanabria, who has brought a great sense of leadership to the features section this past semester while continuously contributing great articles. I know she, along with the rest of this incredible staff, will carry on the quality and spirit of the best college newspaper in New Jersey. (Okay that was the last brag I promise) I am so thankful for the opportunity to have

this position in my final semester of college, and I’m even more thankful for the people who have been there every step of the way. This is especially true for the Tower’s advisors Patricia Lauro and Lois Desocio, who were extremely supportive as I adapted and patient enough to answer countless text messages at any hour of the day.

It’s sad to think this is the last article I will ever write for something that has allowed me to become the journalist I am today. However, I will move forward into the real world, although a scary thought, prepared and passionate because of my time here.

How Kean Students Make Money During a Pandemic

By Emily Robles As the anniversary of COVID-19 is coming close to a year, some areas of work are slowly having their workers make their way back into the working environment.

College students still need ways to make money, especially during a pandemic, and some of those ways involve actually going in person.

Many Kean students work in retail jobs, and this pandemic hasn’t stopped them from showing up to work. Although working retail, or any job that involves showing up in person, does have its risks.

“I work as a front end cashier at Wegmans, and every time I step into the store I’m putting myself at risk,” information management major Michael Rado said.

Rado said that at the beginning of every shift his job does temperature checks and symptoms testing, but they do not have to provide COVID tests in order to work. Due to the number of people he has to tend to every shift, Rado says that this is what makes him worried and what makes the job risky.

“I come in contact with hundreds of people within a full day’s work time,” Rado said.

Despite all the foot traffic in his store, Rado says he enjoys his job at Wegmans.

“I love my job,” Rado said. “I feel Brishepee Etsy shop very safe there.”

Regardless of the safety precautions that in person jobs have placed in order to keep a sanitary work environment, some students have decided to stay home and get creative. People have started making their own small businesses by creating stuff and selling them online. This includes homemade face masks, paintings, phone cases and more.

Brianna Ruiz, a Communications of Hearing Sciences and Disorders major, has become one of many new active sellers on the marketplace site Etsy. Ruiz started making home-made creations as a hobby, but then started selling her items on Etsy in September.

“I make custom phone cases, air pod cases and pop sockets,” Ruiz said. “Once the pandemic started I was looking at phone cases, but found a video on YouTube of how to make your own and I decided that I wanted to try it myself.”

According to an article on retaildetail.eu, the online marketplace site Etsy has seen an increase in active sellers by 42% since last year.

Due to COVID- 19, those percentages continue to go up.

The same article stated that, “The marketplace, where anyone can sell homemade items, has been growing rapidly for several years now, but was given an extra boost by the corona crisis,.”

Besides selling her creations online, Ruiz also works a part time job at a Bath and Body Works in her local mall. She says making her own creations is a lot of fun and she enjoys that people like her stuff and buy it.

In addition to posting her items on Etsy, she features her products on her Instagram account as well. You can find any of Ruiz’s creations under the username @ brishoppe.

Photo by Emily Robles Ruiz has said that since the holidays are drawing near she has been getting a lot of orders for her phone cases and is very excited about it.

“I love having my own small business and making cases,” said Ruiz. “I’ve made friends with other creators and I feel super accomplished and grateful every single time I get a sale.”

“I love having my own small business and making cases.”

4 THE TOWER

December, 2020

Covid-19 and Me

Department of Communication Kean University Center for Academic Success 1000 Morris Avenue Union, NJ 07083 Telephone: (908) 737-0470; Fax: (908) 737-0465 Email: thetower@kean.edu; www.kutower.com

continued from page 1

I was essentially eating by texture and not by taste. Next I started to develop dry coughs and an uncomfortable amount of mucus in both my nose and throat, my voice had become hoarse and raspy. This then led to complications with my lungs -anytime I would breathe my chest would ache and I had to use a breathing apparatus by my bed in order to keep my lungs from getting worse.

One of the last symptoms that started to develop in me was extreme muscle pains that rendered me incapable of moving, I sometimes went days at a time without getting up from my bed from the amount of pain in my lower back. Whenever I needed to move, I had to essentially crawl on the ground in order to go anywhere. All these symptoms didn’t stop my responsibilities as a student, even though I was largely incapable of moving or even rational thought, from

extreme fever, I was still tasked with doing several assignments from my classes, ranging from simple discussion boards to writing four page papers and even several quizzes.

Around the end of November, I was tested once again after having recovered a bit, and it ended up negative. I was allowed to continue with my other responsibilities such as returning to my retail job which I did. However, there are still lasting effects that Covid can leave on those that recover. People can develop permanent lung/heart/brain damage simply from having experienced the disease, and I am concerned about it. I urge all Kean students to do your best to avoid getting infected and if you ever feel any of the symptoms I’ve mentioned, immediately get tested. We should all work together to best avoid anyone from having to go through this awful illness.

"I am 22 years old – one of the young people who supposedly don’t get very ill yet I experienced many symptoms that made my normal day-to-day life extremely difficult."

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.

EDITOR IN CHIEF: ZOE STROZEWSKI NEWS EDITOR: CINDY LAZO FEATURES EDITOR: VALERIE SANABRIA SPORTS EDITOR: STEVEN MERRILL ONLINE EDITOR/ SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: EMILY ROBLES

President changes DQ requirements after complaints at first Town Hall meeting continued from page 1

To remain transparent with the students', context of what was discussed, some possible solutions and some rationale about why something can or can not be done is now posted on the university website by the Vice President of University Relations.

Dr. Repollet promised to take students' concerns seriously and asked them to partner with the university as a collaborative approach.

Desirae Diaz, a sophomore at Kean University, spoke on the required discussion questions, explaining how they take up too much time and being treated like extra papers rather than the intended goal.

“Discussion questions should have all the same requirements, not have one class only require three replies and one class require six all over multiple days, have it be more of a group chat feel where you’re actually discussing things,” Diaz said.

Diaz suggested that discussion questions should have all the same requirements to avoid confusion and an overwhelming workload. She further suggested having two or three discussion questions throughout the semester and worth more than participation points since a decent amount is written for each post.

“I want to let you know that I am listening to you,” Dr. Repollet said in the meeting held earlier this month.

Natalie Hernandez, a senior at Kean brought up a concern with the pass/fail deadline and questioned why students weren’t notified about this earlier.

“September 22nd was the date that us students were supposed to declare if we needed that type of accommodation.”

Hernandez said, “How would we decide in the beginning of the semester which courses we would need to use that pass/fail option for?”

Kean’s restart plan lists contact information for students to reach the university one stop center, admissions, health and wellness support, financial aid, housing, clubs and organizations, digital divide and even dining.

The Kean University administration and staff will be continuing to work on issues that were raised all while maintaining student and faculty safety and in hopes of a successful Spring semester.

“I hope that next time we have more people come in and listen because I think it's important to not only be listening to your students, but you have to get to hear the administration's voice on some things as well” Dr. Repollet said.

The university intends to hold a Town Hall every semester.

REPORTERS ALEJANDRO ARCOS

LESHAY JONES

DORIAN ALERTE

LAYLA LUSBY

JENNIFER BALSA

JULIEN NEALS

TIYE BRACY

RUBEN NIEVES

LENNY MATA CUEVAS

BREANNA PALZER

CHRISTIAN GRULLON

ALEXANDER VALDES

CHELSEY JAIPERSAUD

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.

How sororities are operating with Coronavirus this semester

By Tiye Bracy

“We have heavily utilized Zoom’s Breakout Room feature, which helped make recruitment

This Fall 2020 semester, Greek Life is operating differently. Meet the Greeks this semester was virtual for the first time. Instead of seeing all the organizations at one time, students had to choose which Google meet or Zoom session they would join based on their interests.

“Once we distributed bids, we conducted a completely virtual new member education period out of the safety of our New Member Education team and our new members,” President of Delta Phi Epsilon, Katie Lewandowski said.

All events that were once in person had to transition to virtual meetings.

“Delta Phi Epsilon has tried to hold true to in-person recruitment as possible, while making the necessary adjustments for being online,” Lewandowski said.

After the Meet the Greek event, each Greek organization holds individual events for prospective new members.

“We used being virtual to our advantage and made the most of our recruitment period; events like Meet the Sisters, where we get to mingle for the first time with potential new members, was transformed into a PowerPoint night where everyone New sisters this semester presented a slide about themselves,” Lewandowski said. a bit more personal and comfortable for Greek organizations were trying to navigate everyone,” Lewandowski said. transitioning in person events to virtual meetings for new prospective members.

Greek Life is a big part of the college

experience, for those that choose to be a part of an organization. Some of the things that

All prospective students that are interested in being affiliated with an organization are encouraged to first attend Meet the Greeks at the beginning of the semester. This grants students the opportunity to see a panel of sororities and fraternities. Ultimately, the purpose of attending that event is to see which organizations you want further information about.

There are basic guidelines students must follow in order to join an Greek organization. First, students must satisfy the academic requirements of at least a 2.6 GPA and have completed at least 12 credits at Kean University.

For transfer students, they had to have completed at least 12 credits that were accepted by Kean.

All prospective new students must attend an orientation meeting facilitated by the Center for Leadership and Service and all new students must fill out a New Member Contract and Registration form.

There is a New Member Education Program which includes activities and duties, dates of session and tests, and dates of chapter functions. All which each student is responsible for attending.

Although the recruitment was done completely virtual, many people Photo by @dphie_ku Instagram page still participated in the process and were interested in joining a Greek organization.

Greek organizations promote are leadership, “We were so happy to welcome 12 new interpersonal skills, community service work, sisters home this semester!” Lewandowski and encouraging scholarship. said.

“Delta Phi Epsilon has tried to hold true to in-person recruitment as possible, while making the necessary adjustments for being online.”

December, 2020

THE TOWER 5

Holidays, Tradition and Cultural Awareness

By Lenny Mata In preparation for holiday festivities, the Leadership Institute at Kean University met for their “Holiday Cultural Awareness and Customs” event, in which students

holiday season,” according to the institute’s description on Cougar link.

Starting in November with Thanksgiving and usually until New Year’s day, holidays are a time to celebrate and remember but mostly to give back, a pattern that seems to coincide

with Christ or other religious characters. For example, during the “Ugly Sweater Party” one of the attendees talked about “Tres Reyes,” or Three Wise Men. These characters are well known among the Hispanic communities, a group that represents 27.1% of undergraduates

could find different practices and customs for holiday celebration within the students body.

Yet, the most important thing about celebrating and learning about others’ customs during holidays, it is that it’s a safe and fun way to help to spread respect and inclusion on and

“Although you should be giving back all year, I love it when the atmosphere is all about giving.”

Photo by Happy New Year, by Beegee49 licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Happy New Year

SPORTS

from different cultural backgrounds had the opportunity to share stories about their own traditions and practices.

The Leadership Institute, a four-year certification program supported by the Center for Leadership and Service at Kean, held the meeting via Zoom hosted by Shelsea Araujo, one of the institute’s staff members.

The Holiday Cultural Awareness and Customs reunion was one of the few encounters that were all part of the “Holiday Bash Week,” launched on Nov. 30. The week also included “Holiday baking,” “Holiday Sing A-Long” and an “Ugly Sweater Party” event.

The purpose of this was to acknowledge “all different types of celebrations and traditions through fun and engaging activities during this

with most groups and students who attended the event.

For Tiffany Anele, senior majoring in Speech Language Pathology and Leadership Specialist, Thanksgiving is about giving back and that’s why it’s her favorite holiday.

“Although you should be giving back all year, I love it when the atmosphere is all about giving.” Anele said.

Anele explained that besides her own cultural background her holiday traditions are also shaped by her faith.

“My family is very religious and so we got to mass and celebrate the birth of Christ,” Anele said.

Many students associate the holidays

Photo by Nativity, by sbrent is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Nativity

at Kean University, according to collegefactual. com.

These events were full of funny moments and interesting stories the students shared about their own holiday customs. Students managed to discuss the concept of cultural awareness in lighthearted ways, such as finding out the truth about Santa, a moment many adults may see as hilarious looking back.

College factual website states that “Kean University boasts excellent racial diversity,” which could be one of many reasons why one

off campus, besides being an educational and valuable asset for the students.

Another subject talked about during the event was related to New Year’s traditions, like kissing under the sycamore tree, counting down until midnight or eating twelve grapes during the last 12 seconds before New Year.

Anele was particularly intrigued by this custom.

“I really found Angelie’s tradition with her family to be interesting, how she uses grapes during the New Year”, Anele said.

The return of Kean sports approaches

By Dorian Alerte

The wait for the return of sports at Kean is almost over.

After Fall sports were cancelled due to the New Jersey Athletic Conference suspension prior to the Fall 2020 semester, a plan is in place to return in the Winter in time for the Spring of 2021. This plan would allow for men’s and women’s basketball to return for a shortened season in January of 2021.

“The plan is to have a modified schedule.

It would be nine NJAC games only,” said women’s basketball head coach Mandy King. “The start of the season may get pushed back, but as of now we are preparing and trying to stay ready so that we can be the best we possibly can be when we hopefully get the green light to go.”

With COVID-19 cases on the rise again, there may be a delay to the start of the season, but the NCAA has laid out guidelines outlining how the season should be conducted for safety. The page long memo on the NCAA website lists out the types of safety protocols that are recommended in order to conduct a game.

Basketball in a COVID-19 environment has been shown to be possible by the examples set forth by the NBA and WNBA bubbles and the college basketball Bubbleville.

Bubbleville was a tournament set up for over 40 men’s and women’s basketball teams at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. This tournament was held over a period of 11 days

in order to isolate players in a COVID-19 free environment.

After nearly nine months apart, Kean’s women’s basketball was just happy to get back on the court, even in a limited fashion.

“That initial shock of going through the protocols was almost like you were grieving all over again for what we don’t have, but quickly, as always with my girls we lean on our sense of humor, we lean on our work ethic, and we lean on each other, and all of a sudden it felt like life was normal again just for that short amount of time,” King said.

The women’s team returned to practice in early November and held four practices over that time until the Thanksgiving

“My expectation is that we will play Kean basketball. That means we are tough, we are the first ones on the floor when there is a loose ball, we have a defensive mindset, we share the

“It’s family, it’s integrity, it’s gratitude, hard-work, and toughness.

If we were going to go through this pandemic we needed to lean on who we are and what we are as a program.” break. Coach King said that the team leaned on their values that they have named F.I.G.H.T. in order to stay ready for whatever this unprecedented year has thrown at them.

“It’s family, it’s integrity, it’s gratitude, hard-work, and toughness. If we were going to go through this pandemic we needed to lean on who we are and what we are as a program,” King said. “When we returned to practice, you could really start to see what Kean women’s basketball was really about by the end of that fourth practice. The passion and energy was incredible, the chemistry picked up where we left off, and I loved the ‘no excuses’ mentality.”

When the plans for the 2021 basketball season are solidified, the women have big expectations.

Photo by KeanAthletics.com

Women’s basketball head coach Mandy King

ball on offense, we never allow anyone to play harder than us,” King said. “I think that it is really important, with a shortened season, that the culture of our program continues to move forward."