The Tower - Oct. 27 - Nov. 17, 2011

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TRACK RUNNERS STILL BITTER PG 16 WWW.KEANTOWER.COM

THE TOWER HOTDOGS ARE DELICIOUS PG 5

Cougars to miss post-season By Christine Valdez

By Jackie Tuman

Photo by: Stephanie Musatl

Rapper Fabolous crashed Kean University on October 20 as part of MTVU’s Campus Invasion. Fabolous, along with rock band We the Kings and electro-rap duo Chiddy Bang played for a packed Wilkins Theater to kick off the Homecoming celebration. For more coverage on the concert, see page 3.

Success from field to career for Kean Football Alum By Stephanie Musat Neil Greco walked off the field, his face covered in blood. He was lined up against an All-American defensive end who was making him work harder than he ever did in any other game in the four years he played football. The ball snapped, the two players collided and Greco ended up with a forearm in the face. “It was like my nose exploded,” Greco said. As he sat on the sideline on the cold bleacher, he watched through a blood-soaked rag as the quarterback threw a pass into the end zone, clinching the win against then-named Jersey City State College. The year was 1974. Kean was Newark State College then— “Oh right, you’re a university now,” he said. The mascot was a squire before someone acknowledged the inferiority complex compared to the Rutgers’ Scarlet Knights. It was the first year for the lacrosse program. And the football ended the season with an 8-2 record, the best record in the school’s history. “That game made me play better,” said Greco, now 58. “That team made me better. I’m extremely proud to be part of it.” __________ Greco walked through his back

OCCUPY WALL STREET: ONE STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE PG 11 OCT. 27 - NOV. 17, 2011

KEAN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Crime rates drop on campus The crime rates at Kean University have decreased on campus since last year, according to numbers released by the university. The liquor law violations dropped significantly from 70 to 28 on campus and 69 to 19 in Residence Halls from 2009 to 2010, according to “The Guide,” Kean University’s annual publication that provides federally required campus data in a variety of subject areas. Drug related violations went down from 29 to 20 on campus and from 25 to 13 in Residence Halls. Burglary statistics on campus were at 65 in 2009 and are at 21 for 2010. “The change since last year mainly continued on page 15

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office at the Allstate Insurance Agency in Roseland, N.J. into a dark conference room. He flipped a switch, lighting the back wall. Next to leatherbound books and an Allstate sign is Greco’s gold bust, award-

Greco has worked as an insurance agent for 34 years after graduating from Newark State College in 1975. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, and taught for a year after school.

i am kean This article is one of three stories in a series profiling Kean University community members. Next issue: A professor whose dedication to his students is only matched by his dedication to photography.

ed to him after he was inducted in the Allstate Agents Hall of Fame. Only a few hundred agents in the history of the company have been given the honor. Underneath his likeness are two glass goblets, given to the Roseland agency for excellence in sales and customer service in 2007 and 2008. It is given to the top agencies in the 15,000-branch company. And he won it. Twice. “We are so happy to have him,” said Michael Kiel, a principal agent in the same office as Greco. “It’s quite a feat.” Next to his awards and certificates is a football, the thing that got him started.

“I couldn’t stand the little bastards,” he joked. “My sister was a teacher, she loved it. It just wasn’t my thing.” Greco heard of an opening at an insurance agency and applied for the position. He interviewed with a former Army officer. They ended up talking about football and he was given the job on the spot. “I can’t say that my athletics got me the job,” he said. “But it definitely helped.” Thirty-four years later, Greco is the principal agent at his branch. With a little less hair and a little bit bigger pant than his former self, his skills and accomplishments in his career link back to his athletic past.

__________ Patience: When Greco was a sophomore at Newark State, he was hired to clean an elderly woman’s home and assist her with whatever she needed. In the summer, he painted her house. In the winter, he fixed up the inside. In the spring, he painted her house. Again. He got paid $100. “It wasn’t fun, exactly,” he said. “But I got through it. I wanted to help and I got really good at painting.” Determination: At football practice in his junior year of college, Greco led the offensive linemen in seven-man sled exercise. He made everyone stand in a three-point stance with one hand of the ground, crouched in position. His thighs were on fire, but he stayed like that because everyone was following his lead. Right when he felt like he couldn’t hold the pose anymore, he would charge forward and push the sled for 10 yards. They would get thirty seconds to rest and then the process happens again. “It was killer,” he said. “It felt like I couldn’t move. But I pushed through it to show that I could and the other players could, too.” Adventure: The lacrosse program debuted in spring 1975, when Greco was a senior. The coach continued on page 4

The chance to play in postseason tournaments has been cut short for three Kean varsity teams after the university instituted a self-imposed ban from post-season action on the men and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams. Two of the three teams were currently leading their NJAC divisions and another was in second place. . In documents posted on the www.kean.edu website, Kean said it is imposing the ban after the NCAA notified the college of allegations that it is being investigated for a variety of charges, including giving too many “Dorsey” scholarships to the men and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams. The other allegations— some already made in a lawsuit against the college and denied by Kean—are that Kean officials changed grades and made up a special TravelLearn course for the college’s winning Region 3 women’s basketball team last year. continued on page 14

Student Org researches new bylaws By Trevor Conlow Kean’s Student Government Organization is creating a constitution and developing new bylaws in the wake of a challenge last semester over the election of the president. Confusion over last year’s election policies led to a delay in announcing a winner for Student Org president. The issue centered on regulations and possible loopholes in election policies. In May, Student Org President Dare Thompson was found guilty of violating campaign policies during the campaign, but he said it wasn’t deliberate. Thompson said the policies weren’t specific enough. The challenge was brought by his opponent in the election, Benito Nieves, who was head of previously Funded Groups, a position that was eliminated in a restructuring last year. “Student Org has a long hiscontinued on page 12 tory, and


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