The Tower May 2018 Issue

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Holocaust Survivor Page 3

2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

NJCPA General Excellence Award

MAY | 2018 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

The Tower named a top student newspaper For the third consecutive year, The Tower, Kean University’s independent, student news organization, has been recognized as one of the top three college newspapers in New Jersey, public or private.

The New Jersey Collegiate Press Association (NJCPA) gave The Tower third place honors for General Excellence, the most coveted category in the annual competition.

The judges are professional journalists, and according to the NJPA website, grant awards “only when they believe that special recognition is warranted.”

The 2017-2018 award “honors the skills of (college) student staff members in journalistic writing, photography and design.“ The award names The Tower staff and Rose Marie Kitchen, editor of the spring 2017 issue that was recognized.

Kitchen is a 2017 Communication/ Journalism graduate.

Second place went to Seton Hall University’s The Setonian.

Rider University’s, The Rider News, took home first place.

This year’s award comes on the heels of second place honors for general excellence in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, consecutively.

“This award is another well-deserved feather in The Tower’s cap,” said Professor Lois DeSocio, who is the paper’s coadviser with Prof. Pat Winters Lauro, journalism director in Kean’s School of

Communication, Media & Journalism.

“We have limited resources and compete against universities such as Rutgers and Princeton, so to consistently win, especially for general excellence, is quite

Photo by Lois DeSocio

Past, present and future Tower editors-in-chief: Joshua Rosario, Rebecca Panico, Sara Ridgway

Former Tower editor-in-chief Rose Marie Kitchen

an accomplishment.”

Rebecca Panico, a 2017 Communication/ Journalism graduate and 2016-17 Tower editor-in-chief, won The Tower additional honors with two individual awards.

Panico won second place for Investigative/Enterprise reporting – a first for Kean -for her coverage of alleged institutional racism culminating in a story headlined, continued on page 3

University faculty receive official reprimand over “excused” Professional Developmental Day absences

By Joshua Rosario After being excused from attending Professional Development Days, several faculty members still received official reprimands from the University administration in February, according to the Kean Federation of Teachers President James Castiglione.

These faculty members attended some sessions and were excused from attending other sessions for reasons such as teaching, vacation time or requests by a supervisor to attend to other department needs.

“One hundred percent of their sessions are accounted for, yet they are being punished anyway,” said Castiglione in a February interview. “So they are being punished under false pretenses.”

Professional Development Days are for faculty and employees. These four days are filled with sessions to help train and teach new things that they can use with students or for their own use as professionals. The PDDs take place some time before and after the spring semester. Professors are currently not paid for these professional days.

“The University has made certain resources and support contingent on [employee] disciplinary history,” said Castiglione. “ Such as receiving money for travel to conferences, teaching overload classes, advising internships for students and so on.”

According to the official written reprimand issued to an employee by the Office of Human Resources and given to The Tower anonymously, the employee demonstrated “insubordination, conduct unbecoming, and other sufficient cause, which warrants disciplinary action.” This is due to their failure to attend available sessions and properly record their attendance with their University ID card.

Unexpected memo from provost calls for adjunct training

By Rafaela Teixeira

Kean Hall

Photo by Zeete

Three faculty members who were reprimanded stated that there were occasions when attending the sessions that they were unable to swipe in with their ID. “ They told us all we had to do was sign in, so we signed in,” said one anonymous faculty member. “ When I was at my HR meeting I asked where were the documents I signed in? No answer.”

The three faculty members have asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation by the University. All three have served the University for more than a decade and have never before received disciplinary action.

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” said one of the anonymous faculty members. “ I don’t want this on my record.”

Two of the anonymous faculty members shared emails sent to administrators explaining their situations. One faculty member also shared an email sent by her supervisor in her defense in December 2017.

In the supervisor’s email, the supervisor informs the administrator that they were asked to stay put to meet a deadline made by the University.

“Professional Development Days are mandatory for all full-time faculty and staff,” said University spokesperson Margaret McCorry. “That is a policy that is well continued on page 5

A memo was sent to all adjunct faculty by the Office of the Provost and President of Academic Affairs on March 15 that stated new requirements are in order for adjunct professors to be considered for class scheduling for Fall 2018.

The memo, which was sent via email through individual department heads, stated that adjuncts must submit an “updated CV,” and “Copies of SIR II summary reports and syllabi for courses taught during the last year” in order to be “considered for course assignment(s)” for Fall 2018.

In addition, the memo stated that “scheduling priority will be given to those who have completed” Adjunct Refresher Training and Blackboard Essential Training courses.

The training modules were included through links provided in the memo.

There was no signature on the memo or any indication that completing this training was voluntary. Adjuncts were given a deadline of April 16 to complete all requirements in the memo. There was also no mention of compensation for the ten-plus hours required to complete both trainings. Adjuncts were instructed to contact department heads with any questions.

The Tower reached out to a number of department heads, all of whom refused to comment on the matter.

“The new training is not required, but adjuncts who complete it will be given preferential scheduling in the coming semester,” said Margaret McCorry, Director of Media Relations. “It will be offered again for those who wish to take advantage of it in the future. This new initiative helps ensure our students have well-trained, high-quality instructors in the classroom, which is essential for student success.”

Dr. Jeffrey Toney, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, referred all questions regarding the matter to McCorry, the spokesperson for Kean.

A number of adjunct professors were contacted by The Tower, to which most did not reply.

Anthony Traverso, an adjunct professor in the recreation department, said the Adjunct Refresher Training took approximately three hours, while the Blackboard Essentials Training took over nine hours.

Traverso noted that everyone wants to be compensated for their time.

However, if continuing to teach relies on refresher training, Traverso was glad to participate without compensation.

“I have not had experience with mandated adjunct training in the past, but I do not think it is a problem,” said Traverso. “It is good to keep up to date on policies and procedures and sometimes things change and this is a great way to get the changes out there.” continued on page 4

2 THE TOWER

May, 2018

Marijuana Legalization takes small steps forward

By Dan Papa Phil Murphy has been governor of NJ for ninety-one days thus far. One of his biggest campaign promises was to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (Dist-22) believes that they will have it legalized by the end of the year.

Murphy has updated the medical marijuana conditions list that determines whether or not N.J. citizens may obtain a medical marijuana card. According to Patch.com, “five new categories of medical conditions – anxiety, migraines, Tourette’s syndrome, chronic pain related to musculoskeletal disorders and chronic visceral pain– will be eligible for marijuana prescription, according to state officials.”

Other changes were made as well including, “The department also has made recommendations to change state law to include increasing the monthly product limit

to four ounces, allowing hospice patients to have an unlimited supply and allowing adult patients to have access to edibles.

This could be a very big step towards legalizing recreationally legal pot in the state.

More people that need it will likely be able to gain simpler access to a medical card to ease their conditions.

Just three days ago in Edison, NJ, a public assembly hearing was held to look at the pros and cons of marijuana. Reported

by Mycentraljersey.com, “Linda DorseyAgudosi” spoke at the hearing. She had a “life-changing car accident in 2008” and now takes a “product called Cannatonic, which is high in Cannabidiol, or CBD, and low in Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.” Agudosi said, “When I take a step back and I take a look at where I was with prescription drugs, I’m just grateful that I was educated and introduced to medical marijuana. I’m more functional, I’m alert.”

Medical marijuana

With a town such as Edison holding public hearings, giving people a chance to come and speak their minds on the potential legalization of marijuana in Jersey is fair game. Some other news for states that have already legalized marijuana and future states comes from President Trump’s desk.

April 13th, NJ.com reporter, Jonathan D. Salant said, “President Donald Trump has endorsed congressional efforts to protect states that have legalized marijuana from federal action. U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said Friday that Trump made the

Photo: Creative Commons

commitment in a phone call. In return, Gardner, a member of Senate leadership as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he would no longer block confirmation of Trump’s nominees to several Justice Department posts.”

Nine NJ towns so far have said no to pot in their town according to Payton Guion from NJ.com, March 25th. There is still a long way to go for legal weed in NJ. State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (Dist-22) believes that they will have it legalized by the end of the year.

Faculty Senate declares Kean a gun-free campus

By Lena Zhu The University Senate alerts the Kean community that only campus police should be able to have guns and also commits to the awareness training that creates a ‘see it; say it’ culture on this campus.” Dr. Lynch said.

The document, created by Dr. Barry Mascari of the Counselor Education Department and Dr. Christopher Lynch from the Communication Department, further states that only those who have the authority and practice to carry guns (i.e campus police) will be able to carry guns onto the campus.

This document essentially alerts the Kean community that only campus police should be able to have guns and also “commits to the awareness training that creates a ‘see it; say it’ culture on this campus.” Dr. Lynch said.

The prohibiting guns to students and teachers document was made in respect to the student movement from the Parkland High School shooting. The vote for this document was unanimous.

Dr. Patrick Ippolito, the head of the University Senate, had enough of thoughts and prayers.

“A lot of times these movements do not have the staying power that we like them to have.

I just hope the potential [power] stays until November,” Dr. Ippolito said.

He hopes that the power of the movement held by the Parkland High School students will have a lasting impact and steer voters to a candidate who will substantially make an impact and minimize gun violence.

Dr. Lynch spoke of another idea that may be a root cause to the mass shootings.

“Men are living in an age where their identity is being questioned,” Dr. Lynch said.

Lynch spoke of modern TV sitcoms where women are taking more leadership roles. On television, men, in the family structure are not portrayed as an extra child of which the wife has to take care.

“In some families, the children are the adults and the adults are playing the children. I think this affects the way how men see themselves,” Dr. Lynch said.

What could be a possible cause of these mass shootings? Dr. Lynch and Dr. Ippolito have a hunch that video games may be a part of the problem.

“There was a time where people thought there were many things corrupting our youth. Video games tend to be violent. They tend to kind of promote a numbness to kill these creature or people,” Dr. Ippolito said.

If played in an unhealthy amount, who can tell the difference between fiction and reality?, Dr. Ippolito questioned.

Dr. Lynch held a similar standpoint.

Concerning videogames and violence, he believes that video games may be a minor component of the larger issue at hand.

Two theories, Catharsis Theory and Instigation Theory, may help to explain the behavior that the society is leading itself into.

Catharsis theory, according to Dr. Lynch, “basically says that when we see violence on TV or read novels with violence, it becomes an emotional outlet for release.”

The theory itself essentially states that through experiencing TV and reading novels with violence it should be able to reduce one’s aggression or negative feelings.

Another theory called the Instigation Theory drives at the fact that watching and experiencing TV and reading novels with violence creates even more violent energy.

“If there is a problem with videogames, I think it is a problem of how we socialize with people in our society. We are very competitive in our games,” Dr. Lynch said. “The World Wide Wrestling Foundation is very popular. There are many messages that say that we must win and compete with one another.”

Even though we had the Columbine and Las Vegas shootings before the Parkland shooting,

Dr. Lynch was driven to make this document with the “Never Again” Movement led by the students of Parkland High.

“I guess we got a point as a society where ‘oh now this happened again’ kind of perspective,” Dr. Ippolito said. “I think what energized other people, or my perspective was the stance that students had at the high school.”

Dr. Lynch liked the energy and stance of the Parkland students.

“There has been so much pro-gun lobbying over the last couple of years that people had become frustrated. I think we fell into this pattern what I call learned helplessness and people just finally said ‘we can’t light vigil candles and pray anymore,’ We have to do something more. I think there was a movement in the Faculty Senate that we wanted to support this as well.”

After the Parkland shooting, President Trump had spoken about the aftermath.

However, Trump had made promises that he could not keep regarding the shootings.

“The president said that he wanted to put more money into mental health issues,” said Dr. Ippolito. “We minimized the ability to get help.

We set up a situation where we have inclusive classrooms. We closed a lot of hospitals where they dealt with those issues.”

Dr. Ippolito suggests that we need to continue the debate against gun violence and keep the issue in front of us.

Dr. Lynch proposed something else teaching our kids.

“I think what we have to do is to teach critical thinking so that they can see all sides of the issues, so they can be involved an aware,” Lynch said.

He also noted that there are a lot of Americans out there who believe that their vote doesn’t count. He believes that we need to combat this idea and do as much as we can.

“The first step that anyone can do in a concrete way is to vote and become educated,”

Photo: Lena Zhu

New approved University Senate document bans faculty and students from carrying guns in support of Parkland High School.

Dr. Lynch said. “There are so many ‘alternate facts’. Learn how to sort out what is true and what is false and act on it.”

Groups on campus like Be the Change work hard to advocate and bring awareness to current social affairs in the media today.

Even though Be the Change is a specific group, Ippolito also said there should not be a reason why fraternities and sororities cannot also be politically active.

“We also talked to campus police and told them they need to do more programs for students and faculty to keep us alert and how to handle such situations when this happens on campus,” Ippolito said.

As far as implementing the new document, Lynch says that is still unknown.

“The danger is that things get buried and forgotten in the hectic pace of life. We all have our own unique stresses,” Dr. Lynch said.

“What I hope happens is that we can make a little contribution. And we can get the campus community to reflect on gun violence and hopefully take a stand.”

Knowing Kean’s departments: Center for International Studies

By Petruce Jean-Charles Ever heard of the Center for International Studies (CIS)? Well this department, located in the Center for Academic Success (CAS), room 121, is full of welcome and support for international students.

CIS provides opportunities for Kean students to continue their studies while living overseas during their study abroad program.

It offers programs in 30 countries including Australia, England, France, Ireland and Italy, where students of all majors are welcome to participate.

In addition, within their department, they provide international student and scholar services in their office, which provides support to incoming international students and faculty. These services are provided because the belief is that international students deserve the same if not similar services as traditional students.

Some supporting materials include: - On-Campus Employment - Change of Status - F1 and J1 Student Support - Hardship Employment - Maintaining F-1 status

- Scholarships and International Loans - Optional Practical Training - Reinstatement - Current Student Forms Aanchal Singh, a graduate assistant for CIS and a student studying global management stresses the importance of the CIS department.

“CIS stands for Center for International Studies where we help students from all over the world. If a student got accepted from a different country like Germany, he would come to our office and we’d guide him through the whole vis process and regulations,” said Singh.

CIS is also responsible for the international student community where they promote services such as immigration regulations, support and social interactions. Their mission is to give international students a positive and meaningful experience while they are here in America.

“Once students get accepted from the admissions office they come here and we give them an I-20 application,” said Singh. “An I-20 application is an application that they have to fill out in order to get their visa, once they fill it out they submit it to us.”

After students submit the I-20 document,

the CIS department advises them to send it to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for them to know that the student has been accepted in the program.

“Sometimes students get accepted when they are still in their country and then we mail them that I-20 where they go to their embassy to apply for an F-1 visa. Only then will they be able to come to the US to study,” said Singh.

The CIS is dedicated to infusing the ideas of the international education through the University. They aim to serve the diverse needs of students, faculty and the community by connecting them to global affairs.

“For events, we do new student orientation every semester where we provide workshops for them,” said Singh. “We also do a lot of one on one meetings if the student is having trouble with anything like understanding their status. Two events we do for sure is new student orientation and workshops.”

CIS wants students to understand that their department strives to be helpful and that they understand the struggle of adapting to the American lifestyle.

“As a student myself, CIS is definitely one of the departments that will do their one hundred percent to help the student, and I’m not just saying that because I work here,” said Singh.

“Even at the time that I didn’t work here, as a student, this department was so helpful. They always went above what they had to do to help me and we do just that.”

Singh and her colleagues are aware of the importance of international departments at universities, which is why they develop new ways to help and encourage international students through their studies.

“Every university, whether public or private has international programs. Although I am not aware of other schools with international departments, some of the students have mentioned that they don’t compare to Kean,” said Singh. “They have also explained that they aren’t as helpful because being an international without help can be difficult.”

CIS hopes to be an efficient department on campus where students can feel comfortable asking questions.

“We are probably the most amazing and efficient department here on campus. Here at work, I’ve experienced so many different things with departments and at times, they don’t care,” said Singh. “If you email us or need an answer, we answer you back and if we don’t, we put it on hold and find an answer for you.

We have so many urgent matters so we take care of everything as fast as we can.”

May, 2018

THE TOWER 3

What to do if there is an active shooter

By Estafani Hernandez The Kean University Department of Public Safety/Police conducted an Active Shooter Campus Safety presentation on April 17th.

Throughout the presentation, Lieutenant Michael J. Gorman, focuses on what to do if an active shooter takes fire. Although there have been no incidents at Kean University the police department emphasizes on always being prepared.

This is a topic that can scare plenty of people but, truth is the more prepared you are, the better your chances are of survival.

Students benefited from this presentation and got to know the Kean Police.

“I felt very comfortable with how he was very open with us,” stated Sylvanna Legall, freshman, “it makes me feel better knowing that we have actual police officers here, and they actually wanna make sure were okay.

“What’s really important is the communication, and opening up. Letting the community know that they can approach us,” stated Lt. Gorman. “We are capable and equipped to deal with these certain situations.”

Would you know what to do if there was an active shooter? Lt. Gorman states to always look around you. Find the nearest exits. First response should be to escape.

“Your number one priority should be getting away, so knowing your exits is very important.”

If for some reason you can’t escape from the shooter, hide. Find a room, lock the door if you can and hide.

The last option you have is to fight back.

Lt. Gorman went into detail on the psychological mentality of the shooter, and the effect that you can have on them.

“If you fight back, it’ll completely throw him off,” states Kean Police, “he doesn’t expect you to put up a fight. They expect you to be scared.”

When the police arrive, they want to make sure that suspect is not in the room. “This is not the time for conversation,” said Lt. Gorman. Always put your hands up to show the police that you are not carrying anything.

These steps could save your life, and we have the opportunity to stop this before it happens.

So if you see anything suspicious don’t be afraid to call the Kean Police Department.

Holocaust survivor shares conversation to students in HRI

By Sean Calderon On April 24, a flock of students flooded into Room 207 of the Human Rights Institute in the Nancy Thompson Library here at Kean. There weren’t enough seats for everyone, so some brought in more chairs from neighboring rooms. Eventually, some had to sit down on the floor.

The room was loud and chatty, with many students conversing about their respective semesters wrapping up. Some students walked in with headphones on their heads to block out the noise completely. Soon enough, the guest of honor walked into the room very slowly.

The room fell silent.

The man, Julian Reuter, clad in casual black pants, a tucked in blue dress shirt, and a burgundy vest over it was accompanied by Dr. Dennis Klein of the History department, who got everyone to direct their attention to the front of the room. He gave a brief introduction and then introduced Reuter.

Reuter, 98, is a Holocaust survivor, and he was here at Kean to speak on his experiences as a survivor, the aftermath, and its lessons to the modern day world. Klein gave a few quick facts about Reuter before passing the stage over to him. The fact that Reuter had been in four different concentration camps-Buchenwald, Dachau, Sauchenhausen, and Auschwitz--made many of the students’ eyes widen. Reuter then started recounting his story.

“I was about 12 or 13 years old when Kristallnacht happened,” said Reuter, in reference to the day in 1938 where Nazi sympathizers broke the glass of Jewish owned businesses. “To wake up and see the destruction the following morning was only the start.”

Reuter was born and raised in Berlin to an extended family, and grew up watching Hitler rise to power. His family was of Jewish heritage and were therefore forced to wear the Star of David sewn on to their everyday clothes so that every person could tell them and other Jews apart from the rest.

Both he and his brother attempted to flee Germany in early 1939 with false papers. They were caught on the Dutch border and sent back to Berlin to the Gestapo headquarters.

From there, alone and separated from his brother, Reuter’s long, painful journey of survival began.

“I was held at the Gestapo headquarters for about five to six months,” said Reuter.

“I was then sent to Buchenwald for the first time.” He would return to Buchenwald in the waning weeks of the war.

Reuter was transferred to Dachau, Sachsenhausen, and then eventually to

Lt. Gorman speaks about what to do when there is an active shooter.

Photo by Estefani Hernandez

Follow up on Course Capacity

By Lena Zhu

Photo by Jennifer Padilla

Holocaust survivor Julian Reuter, 98, prepares to present in front of Kean students.

Auschwitz. In each camp, he was forced to do heavy labor and watched as many died around him. All of this was under the condition of malnourishment.

Reuter weighed 68 pounds when he and other Jews and prisoners were liberated during his second stay at Buchenwald.

They were rescued by U.S General George S. Patton’s army. Reuter emigrated to the U.S shortly after, and has lived here since, only returning to Berlin a few times since.

He wrapped up his story and then began to reflect on the aftermath and the effect it had on his life.

“For many years, I was still haunted by my experiences,” said Reuter. “I eventually grew strong enough so that it doesn’t.”

Reuter and many other Holocaust survivors were given many apologies for their pain, in both verbal, symbolic, and materialistic forms. The city government of Berlin still sends him a monthly check, which he is not very fond of.

“They try to make us feel better doing things like this as if it would make up for it all,” said Reuter. “None of this replaces loved ones and friends that we’ve lost.”

Dr. Klein and other students began to ask Reuter questions after he finished his story. Of the questions, he said it is all so important for the youth today to make sure that the lessons that were taken from the Holocaust are passed on.

“To see these students here today willing to hear my experiences is a good start,” said Reuter. “It’s important we don’t lose faith in God when such atrocities occur.”

Kean Tower top paper

(Continued from page 1)

“Nearly one year later, no review of Kean’s internal discrimination report.”

First place went to Princeton University’s Daily Princetonian for a piece called “Elite degrees, but at what cost?”

Panico’s article, “Formerly homeless

student’s story reveals hidden group on college campuses,” about a oncehomeless college student and the aid he received at Kean, especially by Dr. Norma Bowe, placed second for Feature Writing. First place went to St. Peter’s University, The Pauw Wow, for a story

The increase in course caps has become a major issue at Kean University since February. The limbo state in which some course capacity numbers may increase affects students and faculty.

Some professors reported in March that various administrators were telling them that their course capacity will be increased in apparent violation of University Senate rules.

The number of students in the class may affect how well the students learn. A class size with a possibility for 35 students may not be the best environment in which a student can learn effectively.

At the April 3rd meeting, Dr. Patrick Ippolito, President of the University Senate, went over a proposed solution that the administration had suggested.

“We attempted to have a full time faculty to teach those courses that have multiple sections, therefore reducing the number of adjuncts teaching the course. Thereby providing our students with the best instruction and best support in terms of advisement,” Dr. Ippolito said.

This did not work to the best of the ability due to the limited number of full time faculty vs. the abundance of adjuncts. Instead, Dr. Ippolito focused on what the departments could do next and how the departments can be impactful to the change in course caps.

“The departments need to be able to participate and have an opportunity to discuss rationale or maybe work something else out,” Dr. Ippolito said.

Ippolito and the University Senate have been trying to get the Executive Directors and the Deans to try and let full time faculty into the discussion regarding the increase in course capacity.

All departments should be able to have a chance to come up with suggestions and alternatives to work out the current problem, Ippolito said.

Dr. David Joiner, a professor in the STEM field, stated that the argument before needing to increase the course caps was that it would take too much time. Changing as many as thirty classes was considered a burden. Joiner concluded that this observation was not a commitment to the process of what future revisions would have to go through.

Dr. Catherine Nicholson added another point. Back when Dr. Nicholson first started at Kean, she and her department were asked to revise up to 1000 courses. The curriculum process was managed at the time.

Nicholson, who has gone through the curriculum process experience proposed a solution.

“I would suggest that we could also manage, moving forward, an increased cap could actually be managed to go through a similar process.” said Dr. Adams.

Jessica Adams, a professor in the Physical Education Recreation and Health, recalled a different time when she first started at Kean. She argued that back then, there was some time to look over the course caps and the documents corresponding to the ID 1225 course Issues in Contemporary Health. More time was given to her for the curriculum process.

According to Dr. Joiner, there was not a request for curriculum course cap changes. Dr. Ippolito responded to Dr. Joiner by saying that we would need more revisions and discussions.

As of right now, however, the full time faculty understands and knows that the best way to provide instruction and to better serve the students would be with smaller class size.

Dr. Fran Stavola-Daly, a professor in the Physical Education Recreation and Health department agreed with Ippolito and gave her own classes as an example.

“They do a lot of writing in my class. They have first drafts and at least 2nd drafts. You have courses that are 50 and 70 multiple choice tests and if I do that, it serves no students” Dr. Stavola-Daly said.

Ippolito agreed and said this was one of the reasons why the departments and full time faculty need to be a part of the conversation regarding the increase in course capacity.

headlined, “IG Baddies Trend Sparks New Looks on Campus.”

In separate news, Panico earlier this spring was awarded second-place as “Rookie of the Year” by the New Jersey Press Association for her work on the Union News Daily, where she is now a

full-time reporter.

The awards luncheon took place Saturday, April 14, at the Courtyard Marriott in Cranbury, N.J.

4 THE TOWER

May, 2018

Pies to the face, letters to the brave

By Jennifer Padilla Students, professors, and the College of Liberal Arts Dean got pies thrown at their faces outside of the Miron Student Center on Thursday.

“It’s the end of the semester; I know students will be aiming at me,” said Dr. Christopher Lynch, communications professor. “I told my students in class, ‘If you want to get your aggravations out, I’ll see you at 1 o’clock.’”

Emily O’rourke, communication student and lead editor of Kean TV, said it’s “really fun” to see a professor that gave you a D get “pied” in the face.

“How many times do you get to see that?” she said.

Communications Professor Gina Gili said it’s a “Nice thing to do”— referring to Operation Gratitude, a non-profit project to send letters of appreciation to soldiers and community helpers, and care packages for military families.

With a pie-throwing function, Professor Gili, along with Kean TV and PRSSA, aimed to gather 300 letters and donations towards an Amazon

wishlist. Other communication professors joined the good cause— Dr. Christopher Lynch, Dr. Jack Sargent, and Professor Allison Edgley— along with the dean of the college of liberal arts, Jonathan Mercantini.

The two-hour event led to 80 compositions addressed to “Brave ones” and “Heroes” that read: “...I respect you and everything you have done to make sure I sleep safe at night…”; “... I am more than grateful to know that someone protects me, cares and is selfless…”; “... It’s hard to imagine all you have given; the hardships and danger you endure for us…”; “I truly appreciate you from the bottom of my heart…”

A total of 150 letters have been written to operation gratitude and $100 were raised at the event. Letters and donations will be accepted until the end of the month and can be given to Professor Gili at CAS 424.

“It was worth it,” said communication major Joshua Rosario, who donated $20 to pie Mercantini. “I can brag about pieing the dean.”

Photo by Jennifer Padilla

Student gets pied in the face to raise money for Operation Gratitude.

Panelists discuss Fashion and Beauty in Public Relations

By Jasmin Kee The Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle PR panel held, April 24, helped students learn about the skills needed to work in Public Relations, as well as provided tips on how to be successful.

The event chaired by Public Relations Professor Jeremiah Sullivan who teaches Public Relations in the School of Communication, Media and Journalism featured Stephanie Scott of First and Last PR, where she had clients such as Grammy Winning Usher; Ilana Zalika, CEO & Founder of Resound Marketing also the Communications Chair of the Public Relations Society of America New Jersey chapter; and Amanda Saphire Billingham who has worked with fashion brands such as Converse, Dr.Marten and Stella McCartney.

The discussion started off with the question of what the panelists thought about the skills that students needed when working in PR and all three of the panelists agreed that they needed to be good writers and good communicators.

“I really like the creative aspect and I like the business side and being able to get my hands

dirty,” says Billingham when the panelists were asked about what it was that attracted them to their field.

Students seemed eager to get tips for succeeding in P.R. and Scott said time management is critical.

“What has worked for me is that I now make a schedule of everything that I need to do and I would cross out all of the things that I have gotten done so I know what else I still have left to do,” said Scott.

In an age of #MeToo, an audience member asked about how these three women can be assertive in their own field. All of the panelist agreed that they have to be able to not be afraid to speak up and ask questions. They also said to realize that you’re not perfect and that you will make mistakes, but that you have to own and learn from your mistakes.

The final question that was asked was about what the panelists thought the traits would be to succeed in the field and all of the panelists agreed that students should be good listeners and listen to their client, be willing to work hard, have a thick skin and be able to take constructive criticism.

P.U.L.S.E. Hosts Streetball for Autism

By Cameron Beall P.U.L.S.E., a student government organization which stands for Programming for Unique, Lively, Student Experience, held a “Street-ball for Autism” event to help spread autism awareness. The event took place on April 23rd at the Miron Student Center basketball courts, and featured a 5 on 5 full court pick up game between Kean students.

April is National Autism Awareness Month.

“I wanted to spread awareness about autism and to also bring the community of Kean together at the same time during one event”, said event coordinator Donyea Curry when asked about what made her come up with the idea to create this event.

The P.U.L.S.E. organization’s objective is for the students involved to plan educated, fun events that they think other students on campus would want to partake in and enjoy.

The people in the crowd certainly believe that they succeeded at doing so.

Adjunct memo

“It was great. Amazing weather, good turn out and the game was intense. The puzzle pieces that people made for the puzzle wall were so cute,” said Kean sophomore Selena Peters, who attended the game with four of

her friends.

The origins of the puzzle piece is the primary symbol for autism, dating back to 1963. The board members for the National Autistic Society in London believed that

Credit: Cameron Beall

Streetball for Autism event

autistic people suffered from a ‘puzzling’ condition.

What made the event even more interesting was the majorette dance team called ‘Top Knotch’ that came out to perform. They danced to the side of the crowd throughout the duration of the game, and gave an impressive performance during halftime on the main court.

“The majorette dance team put on a show.

They danced the whole time and then had a lit half time performance. They definitely made us girls want to stay since we like dancing a little bit more than basketball,” said Peters.

Team 1 played a hard fought game and came out on top with the victory over Team 2, and they were the recipients of $25 gift cards.

“People did not have to pay to come see the game and were not obligated to donate, but we did pass around a bucket and most people who were there put some type of money in. We donated the money to a charity that supports autism awareness”, said Curry.

(Continued from page 1)

However, other professors were unaware of the refresher training and did not participate.

Meghan Gill, an adjunct professor in the communication department for almost 13 years, doesn’t remember whether adjuncts were mandated to take part in this training in the past.

“I know how to use Blackboard, however, from my experience, students complain about it not functioning properly, which becomes a

liability for me as a professor,” said Gill. “I find Google Classroom to be perfect for my classes and students have open access to it. If it were mandatory for me to use Blackboard, then of course I would.”

Gill is also unsure of whether she would have taken the Adjunct Refresher Training had she known about it.

Gill also believes that all faculty, including adjuncts and full-time professors, should have

taken part in the program.

“This semester Kean began offering new online training for our adjuncts about important University policies and best practices for using Blackboard,” said McCorry. “Full-time lecturers and professors receive similar training through Professional Development Days.”

An email sent from the Kean University Adjunct Faculty Federation president, Maria Krupinski, to adjuncts, urged them to contact

the union to request compensation from their respective departments.

If departments fail to pay adjunct professors for their participation in the refresher training, Krupinski asked adjuncts to “forward the communication to the Union office” to act on the professors’ behalves.

“The Union is actively looking to ensure that the statewide and local agreements are enforced,” wrote Krupinski in the email.

May, 2018

THE TOWER 5

Muslim Student Association hosts Islam Awareness Week

By Salimah McCullough Many students of different cultures, races, and religions came together during the week to learn more about the Muslim/Islamic culture.

The Kean University Muslim Student Association recently hosted Islam Awareness Week.This week is a tradition throughout the MSA that Kean has had for over a year now. From April 10 to April 13, the MSA hosted several events that students could participate.

The purpose of Islam Awareness Week is “so that we can bring awareness to Islam on our college campus,” said MSA president Najiba Syed, senior and biology major. “There’s already a lot being said about Islam in a negative tone in the media and we’re trying to combat that and any stereotypes people have of Muslims and Islam.”

On April 10, the first event that took place was a lecture from Bakar Assaf about the misconceptions of Islam. Assaf spoke about how some people believe in certain

misconceptions and stereotypes that involve the Muslim/Islam community.

“Well we do have a problem. We have a community who view us in a particular manner in which we are not supposed to be viewed in,” said Assaf.

His lecture was focused on the beliefs that people outside of the Muslim community have about the Muslim community as well as beliefs that people inside of the Muslim community have that aren’t true.

“Our events are not only lecture and workshop based, but we also have cultural and fun events as well,” said Syed.

On April 11, the MSA hosted poetry night in the Cougars Den. The next day’s event was a paint night in Vaughn Eames. The MSA hosted these two events to give students the chance to enjoy and relate to the Muslim community.

“These events not only allow people to enjoy themselves but also interact with people of different faiths and backgrounds, in circumstances they wouldn’t

otherwise,” said Syed.

The last event of the week was called Jummah. Jummah is known as a congregational prayer that Muslims hold every Friday around noon.

“Friday is one of our holy days of the week where we gather specifically to offer Friday midday prayer. The Iman (priest) gives a sermon that reminds us of our duties to humanity, ourselves, neighbors, parents, etc. and then we pray after and enjoy some good food,” said Syed.

With the help of these types of events, more awareness can be spread about the culture of Muslims/Islam and help defeat the stereotypes that people outside of the Muslim community hold against Muslims and Islam.

As many aren’t aware, Islam Awareness Week is something that is celebrated nationwide. “It is actually a nation-wide event in most if not all colleges. All MSAs around the US designate a week in April to bring awareness to Islam on their college campuses,” said Syed.

Meet Kean University’s Sheryl Romua

By Valencia Stevenson Sheryl Romua, a junior at Kean University, is a well rounded student, involving herself in various programs on campus and a YouTube channel.

Romua has her own YouTube channel called “Sheryl Romua.” The videos are about beauty, fashion, lifestyle and vlogging, especially when she travels. Her motto and what she lives by is to “aspire to inspire others.”

“Not a lot of people know that I’ve had [a] YouTube [channel] since 2008. Every time I would go and hang out, I would want to film it. Not to get views, but for memories, so I always wanted to film,” said Romua. “The best part of it for me is editing. My hobby is definitely editing.”

“I am honestly a super senior. I’ve been here at Kean since 2013,” said Romua.

She transferred out of Kean in 2015 to attend Hudson County Community College where she received her Associate’s Degree and she came back to Kean last semester.

Romua’s major is Communication Studies. She expressed that she was all over the place and couldn’t decide which concentration--media, public relations or journalism--to focus in until she finally decided on Communication Studies.

Romua keeps her resume stacked with activities and organizations that she is a member of such as: Kean TV, WNKJ, Women of Excellence at Kean, PRSSA, Honors Society, International Student Association, and National Society of Leadership and Success.

“My graduation date is hopefully, fingers crossed, May 2019,” said Romua.

Romua has four siblings and they were all born in different countries such as Singapore, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

She was born in the Philippines. She enjoys telling her colleagues and coworkers this fun fact because she thinks it is very unique.

Her dream job when she finishes school is to become a reporter or do something

Photo courtesy of Sheryl Romua

Kean University’s Sheryl Romua behind the scenes like work behind the camera.

“I always wanted to produce my own movie. I’m really into video editing and filming in general so I would want to become a director one day. It’s a lot of work but you know, take it one day at a time. If you really want something, you can strive and get it,” said Romua.

Romua is currently working on an upcoming project called “What is Your Swag.” Since she loves editing and fashion so much, she asked herself how she could incorporate that and combine it together as one. One day she was brainstorming and asked herself what she is passionate about and that is how she thought of “What is Your Swag.”

She has also came up with abbreviations for it such as “What is Your Story”, “What is Your Attitude” and “What Are Your Goals.”

“This is a platform of empowering positive individuals with a sense of fashion,” said Romua. “So, as a creator and producer, I will be filming a snippet of your life as you tell your story, [share] your wisdom, your attitude, goals and life. You’ll be able to pick out your style that portrays you from within and you’re going to explain it, like why does this outfit portray you.”

Romua hopes that “What Is Your Swag” will launch before her birthday in September.

Professors Reprimanded communicated across the University. We are not going to comment on disciplinary action taken against specific employees.”

As previously reported by The Tower in November 2017, all faculty are to attend 32 sessions of professional development. This article was published prior to the issuing of official written reprimand, according to a statement from McCorry.

In that article, The Tower spoke to one anonymous professor who reached out again after officially receiving a written reprimand.

“Alls that needed to be said was ‘you have been served’ because that is what it felt like,” said the anonymous professor when receiving the reprimand in February. “ That was the very first thing I have heard since my human resources interview… in October.”

The professor described their letter

KDM Fundraiser for Children’s Specialized Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

(Continued from page 1)

similar to the one given to The Tower. They have not seen any punishment that is said to follow when you receive the reprimand.

They think the reprimand is just in an effort to get them to attend the PDDs. “I’m dying to ask the administration like Farahi and Toney, do you go to all the meetings or do you have something that’s more important that is keeping you from attending all the meetings?” said the anonymous professor.

The professor continued to state that the fundamental problem of the administration is a “miserable failure” at communication. When asking what to do in the event of missing future sessions, they were left to figure it out on their own. They were left with a lack of response from their supervisor.

“My morale toward Kean University is the lowest it has ever been,” said the professor.

Photo by Carolina Guerra

Students selling neon colored t-shirts to support Children’s Specialized Hospital.

By Carolina Guerra The Kean Dance Marathon, otherwise known as KDM, was a major success, raising $53,875.52.

Many students and student organizations, such as the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, participated in an effort to raise money.

A website dedicated to KDM was created to rally teams to raise money. Several activities were available for students to partake in, including Twister, Jumbo Jenga, and raffles. Neon colored T-shirts, which reflected the glowin-the-dark theme, were available for purchase to support the fundraiser.

Throughout the event, students were dancing and enjoying the non-stop entertainment.

Junior Gabriela Bonilla told of her direct experiences with the Children’s Specialized Hospital.

“My major is psychology in therapeutic recreation and occupational therapy track because of Children’s Specialized Hospital. I’ve always said ‘If I could do for another child what they did for me’ then my life’s mission is complete,” said Bonilla. “This event to them [the children] means absolutely everything. I just wanted to come up here and be living proof that what

you guys are doing, all the time you’re putting in, all the hours that you’re putting in, it’s going somewhere.”

“When I was twelve years old, I spent four weeks in Children’s Specialized Hospital and all the money that we raise at KDM goes to Children’s Specialized Hospital and that means the world to me because I was on the other end. Just seeing how hard everyone works, it really means a lot to me because I know a while ago I was in those kids’ place.”

President of the NSCS club and senior, Lexi Oakley, stated her reason for being at KDM was to support the cause, which has sentimental meaning to her.

“Children’s Specialized Hospital is dear to my heart. I have friends and family that work in it. So we [NSCS club] decided to come to KDM to show our support. I think hearing the stories from the kids is a great experience because you don’t know what everyone’s going through in their lives, especially when they’re younger. I wanted our members and volunteers to hear those stories too, so they can see the perspectives of the children,” she said.

The event was held in Downs Hall from April 20, 12 p.m. to 12 a.m, April 21.

6 THE TOWER

May, 2018

Kean history:

Kean Rocks Through the Ages

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

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: SARA RIDGWAY Photo courtesy of Kean University Archives and Special Collections

Kean Rocks Through the Ages

MANAGING/NEWS EDITOR:

JOSHUA ROSARIO

By Leanne Manna While many people know about the academics at Kean, students may overlook the rich history of performers the university has hosted.

Starting in the 60s and continuing through the 90s Kean hosted hundreds of performers on the Union Campus. Such well known names as The Four Seasons, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper and Fleetwood Mac. Throughout the 70s over 68 different groups had performed on campus.

All of this was made possible by the college Center board which was established in 1960. They then partnered with the Capitol Theater in Passaic to bring all these big names on campus.

The relationship lasted until Capitol Theater closed in the 90s. Even after Kean continued to bring names such as Kanye West and Prince Royce on campus, especially for events such as homecoming.

In the 1960s, Kean’s Union campus had just opened and was still transitioning from a teacher’s college to a full fledged liberal arts college. The purpose of these concerts were probably two fold in the beginning. The college wanted to attract new students with a wide variety of pop culture offerings and they wanted to keep their current students, who were stuck in this transition period, happy with their choice to come here.

Kean Rocks Through the Ages is an exhibit currently on display in the Cougars Den. It was curated by Frank Harpster using materials from the Kean University Archives and Special Collections.

Harpster, a big classic rock fan himself, was inspired when looking through yearbooks and student newspapers and realized just how many classic idols have performed on campus. He believes that the history of campus concerts “reflects the history of a campus community, the evolution of the music industry, technology and the role that music played in social movements that affected change in America.”

The exhibit features ticket stubs, albums, an 8-track, CDs, concert posters and images from yearbooks and newspapers that reconstructs a timeline of the artists who performed on campus from the 1960s to 2017.

If students want to rock out while going through the exhibit, Harpster has also created a “Kean Rocks Through the Ages” playlist on Spotify featuring the best tracks from artists in the year they performed at Kean.

Thank you to the Kean University Archives and Special Collections and especially Frank Harpster for the information!

Kean entrepreneurs start own businesses

By Michelle Rodriguez Kean student Joe Keasted loves cologne, but he didn’t love the prices.

Then one morning as he got ready for school, he looked at all of his colognes lined up, and he thought how nice it would be to change up his colognes without breaking the bank. A light bulb went off, and The Fragrance Club was born.

The Fragrance Club is an online subscription company that sells mini-sized colognes and perfumes for all genders. The brands range from Givenchy and Versace Eros to YSL and Jimmy Choo.

“I found something I was passionate for and I knew I needed to be my own boss,” Keastead said.

Keastead said he followed his passion for cologne, but also noticed that online subscription companies are taking off and he wanted to get in front of the competition. He observed little competition in subscription fragrances.

“One of my biggest fears is working for

RUFF DOGS

someone else for the rest of my life,” said Keastead. “That’s the main reason I started my business.

Keastead is just one of many student entrepreneurs starting a business at a young age, and in the heat of their college career.

Ranging in age from 18-22, some are even supporting themselves through school while running successful companies.

Shows like ABC’s Shark Tank represent just a small percentage of people who want to live the “American Dream.” According to Inc.com, a magazine about small business, 14 percent of Americans own their own business, a record high. Some students at Kean are becoming part of that daring percentage and succeeding in the process.

Imani Cortez, owner of Ivy Push Agency, is another Kean student who a dreamed of owning her own business. She majors in Marketing, following in the footsteps of her godparents, who studied marketing as well and have worked with some impressive names like Nike and Adidas.

The mission for Ivy Push Agency is to assist

By Quincy Rodgers

ONLINE EDITOR: CODY LOUIE SPORTS EDITOR: CRAIG EPSTEIN ONLINE EDITOR: RAFAELA TEIXEIRA A&E/FEATURES EDITOR: KIARA MAYS SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: JENNIFER PADILLA

WRITERS CAMERON BEALL SEAN CALDERON CAROLINA GUERRA ESTEFANI HERNANDEZ PETRUCE JEAN-CHARLES JASMIN KEE

SALIMAH MCCULLOUGH DANIEL PAPA GREGORY PATUTO VALENCIA STEVENSON DONIA ZAKY LENA ZHU

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.

entrepreneurs with successful marketing tools.

It especially caters to women, minorities, and millennials since they are at a disadvantage with entrepreneurship.

Ivy Push Agency understands the stress college can take on a student, so it offers a scholarship to help student pay for their textbooks.

Both entrepreneurs found it difficult to manage their time between their business and coursework. They both admitted that they found themselves prioritizing one over the other.

On the other hand, if they could go back and make the decision again to start their business when they did or wait until they finished college, they adamantly stood by their decisions to start their business while they are young and in college.

Kean University supports the experience with entrepreneur classes, as well as courses that will help young entrepreneurs one day start their own business. Marketing, finance, business, and communication are all majors that Kean offers that can very much benefit

business-minded students.

Marketing professor, Dr. Shweta Singh, finds it incredible that students start their own businesses in college and focus on their passion.

Dr. Singh is passionate about helping her students and understands following your passion to find success. She also knows much about business and start-up companies.

She also gave helpful tips about what classes young student entrepreneurs should take at their time at Kean.

“I would recommend basic marketing, accounting, finance, and entrepreneur classes,” she said. “The focus of any business is customers. You must manage and understand your customers to sell to them.”

Success is different to everyone but Dr. Singh summarized it by focusing on all aspect of someone’s life.

“Success is finding a balance between personal life and career,” she said. “You can’t have one without the other.”

For Keastead, success is no longer fearing a life under a boss. He is living the American Dream of owning his own business.

OPINION

By Jennifer Padilla “Liberal snowflake” was a comment left on my Instagram after posting a photo at a #MarchForOurLives protest in NYC captioned with, “Lucky to have been part of history.” I wasn’t inviting a political discussion or debate; I wasn’t taking sides or practicing partisanship.

Someone, however, was triggered because I supported the event, and therefore, had to insult me.

USNews stated that personal insults and attacks are mainstream, even among those in power. We have influencers like Sean Hannity, a commentator— known for his show “Hannity” on Fox News— who has published articles on his website with the term “Liberal” used in negative context: “Liberal nut ... Deranged Liberal ... Vicious liberal ...” among others. Twitter users, for example, respond with comments that include “libtard,” which UrbanDictionary defines as the combination of a “liberal” and a “retard”.

Jimmy Kimmel, known for his late night TV show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, made fun of Melania Trump’s accent as she read a book to children at the White House’s Easter egg hunt; Fox News radio and TV host Laura Ingraham mocked Parkland survivor David Hogg in a tweet for getting rejected from four colleges, saying

that he was “whining” about it.

Our president once tweeted about North Korea’s Military Leader: “Why would Kim JongUn insult me by calling me ‘old’, when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’” In April, The New York Times published a list of the 446 people, places, and things that Trump has insulted on Twitter.

Social media is a hotbed for bullying and social separations, and I believe it transitions

“27% of the posts on Twitter included harrassement.” broader than children in school playgrounds— it’s in our government, in Hollywood, on radio and on TV. The mainstream mentality is, “I don’t agree with you, therefore, you are unintelligent.”

A study by Columbia Journalism Review concluded that 27 percent of the posts on Twitter included harassment. A Yale University Psychiatrist, Robert L. Leahy, wrote on

May, 2018

THE TOWER 7

Have we accepted a bullying culture?

PsychologyToday that name calling becomes easy when we disagree with another person or party: “We label them as idiots, racists, bigots, homophobic, and terrible people… Trying to make people feel guilty or ashamed of their beliefs.”

Many stories of bullying involve children, which lead me to a question: Does America believe bullying is only a phenomenon for children on school grounds? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines bullying as acts or written or spoken words intended to intimidate or harass a person (or cause physical harm)— but it doesn’t say it’s limited to minors.

There are entire social media accounts and hashtags dedicated to “trash talk” Trump supporters, as well as others dedicated to bashing non-supporters; Christian accounts made to denigrate atheists or Muslims, and vice versa.

A local news organization, the Press Herald, published an article about a man whose car was vandalized for having a bumper sticker that went against what their neighbors believed in. We are being conditioned to a culture where differences of beliefs are intolerable.

Just like children bullying on school grounds, as adults, we have adopted labels and generalizations to insult those whose perception and upbringing we don’t understand. Author, Educator and

Psychiatrist Dr. Steve Fehl, wrote an article for Saybrook University suggesting that we can be citizens of a country and have different opinions without calling each other names or speculating that they are “terrorists” or “unpatriotic”.

“I can connect with my neighbor and participate in a meaningful friendship while being apart from him in our political perspectives, or for which baseball team we root,” wrote Dr. Fehl. “I do not have to physically beat him, call him names, or vandalize his property because he does not think or see the world the way I do.”

My Instagram post supporting the lives and safety of children in schools made me a “snowflake,” which is someone who is easily offended. I am a “snowflake” for showing concern for human lives; I am a “snowflake” for acknowledging that 17 kids were killed and will never come back.

The hardest thing for bullies is saying what they really mean to say: that they disagree and don’t understand how you don’t believe in the same things they do; that the growing attention to mass shootings has brought a wave of cognitive dissonance to gun advocates; that their belief system is being questioned and they don’t like it, but they’d rather verbally attack and insult children marching for their safety than to admit that there is a problem.

Departing editor-in-chief won’t sing her praises, so we will

By Craig Epstein At the Tower we try not to write about people on the staff in order to avoid showing any type of bias. But considering editor-inchief Sara Ridgway is set to graduate soon, we would like to make an exception to the rule at least this once.

The rules of journalism require independence, meaning the reporter must remove themself from the story, plus it’s not standard practice to write a story about a fellow staff member while that person is still on staff. So, as sports editor not only was I not permitted to write any articles about Sara in order to avoid showing any type of bias, but also because she is not the type of person that enjoys bloviating about her records and accomplishments. She would much rather talk about her friends and teammates and discuss how they got her to those points.

Not only is Ridgway a member of the 2017 NJAC championship team in women’s volleyball, but she also set the all-time blocks record at Kean on September 19, 2017 against rival Montclair State University. Combine that with the fact that she has a near-perfect GPA, and you have the model student-athlete.

“Sara is a remarkable student who was an excellent manager as editor of The Tower,” Journalism Program Director and co-adviser for The Tower Professor Patricia W. Lauro said.

“She was able to push the staff and sub-editors to do their work and meet our many deadlines, without coming off as overzealous -- which was no small feat.”

Considering Lauro and Ridgway spent most almost all of their time working hand-in-hand at the Tower, she got to see just what type of person that the Barnegat native is.

“She is a real people person, as well as a kind, caring and sweet young woman,” Lauro said. “I will miss her.”

Along with Lauro, the other co-adviser for

The Tower Professor Lois DeSocio also spent a ton of time with Sara and was able to see not just how she is as a reporter, but the type of person that she has come to be.

“The position of editor in chief of The Tower comes with very little training, and a minimum of understanding as to what the job entails -- until it’s your job,” DeSocio said.

“Then, the student is forced to not only rise to the responsibilities -- and there are many -- but to rise amidst everything else that college students juggle -- sports, classes, social life, it is quite a task and not for the faint of heart.”

DeSocio was constantly amazed by the fact that Sara was not only able to balance these things seemingly without worry, but she actually excelled at it.

“Sara Ridgway epitomizes the Editor-InChief who has had to do just that and has excelled,” DeSocio said. “She has not ceased since she was asked to be the Editor-In-Chief of The Tower two semesters ago to amaze me as to how well she has risen to the challenge, she is a superior multi-tasker and managed to lead The Tower from story ideas to print and all the stresses and mishaps that come with that with grace, enthusiasm, and spirit.”

DeSocio believes that getting to work with an Editor-In-Chief that was always able to remain calm, cool, and collected was vital to the success of The Tower.

“She consistently remained calm, respectful, professional, and organized -- all necessities for success,” DeSocio said. “And she does this alongside the other responsibilities that come with being a stellar student, an accomplished athlete, and a tireless volunteer.”

The only thing that DeSocio can picture in regards to Sara’s future is nothing but continued fortune and quality in her work.

“I see nothing but continued success for Sara as she graduates and takes all the endearing qualities and the professional savvy that she brought to The Tower to post-graduation life,”

Five semesters of memories, lessons and skills to last a lifetime

By Sara Ridgway I definitely could have used more sleep, but would I be graduating with this sense of pride and satisfaction if I had gotten more sleep? Probably not.

Looking back, as a senior in high school I would have never imagined my journey as an undergraduate student at Kean University would lead me to the places I have been, people I have met and person I have become. A freshman who fell in love with every class she took, every new thing she tried and every unrealistic dream she had, to a senior who knows exactly what she wants for her future. I cannot thank the tremendous people around me enough for helping me realize where my heart lies.

Not only this semester, but my overall five semesters at The Tower has tested my limits and taught me the most. This experience has allowed me to explore the things I was curious about, taught me to question everything I saw, read and heard and showed me how to be a leader.

I joined The Tower staff as a second semester sophomore in the spring of 2016 after taking one class in journalism: Intro to Journalism with Professor Kolbenschlag. At the time I was a double major in media/film communication and marketing and thought learning to report

via writing would help prepare me for my career aspirations at the time of becoming a broadcast reporter.

Fast forward a year and a half to becoming editor in chief of Kean’s award winning newspaper, even though I had only taken one journalism class. One journalism class but five semesters of hands on, first hand experience has taught me so much.. By actually doing something, owning it, learning from your mistakes and accepting feedback from those more experienced than you, you can build your skills and knowledge.

So there are two things I hope people can take away from my story: 1) Don’t let lack of experience or knowledge keep you from creating your own experience and learning for yourself.

With passion and determination, any unrealistic dream you fall in love with can be possible with attitude and effort. 2) EXPERIENCE. Fully immerse yourself in what it is that you fall in love with. When you find your passion, commit every ounce of your being to it and don’t stop even when it has become you.

The amount of people at The Tower I can credit for where I am today is immeasurable. But thank you Rose-Marie Kitchen for teaching me the ways, having confidence in me from day one and helping me through a number of stressful times.

Thank you Josh Rosario, the master of op-eds, my

DeSocio said.

Between school, volleyball, her job, and all of her volunteer work, the fact that Sara was able to balance everything that went on in her life was not only a marvel to the professors, but to everybody on the staff as well, especially News Editor Joshua Rosario.

“Doing as much as Sara did, it was impressive to see how invested she was in everything she did at Kean,” Rosario said. “Working with Sara was an unforgettable experience for me because she is amazing at so many things.”

Sara is set to continue her education at Kean when she starts graduate school in the fall of 2018. Although her future still remains to be seen, Josh believes that there is no doubt whatever she chooses to pursue she will be successful at.

“I do not know where life is taking Sara but I do know wherever it may be she is going to be fantastic,” Rosario said. “I wish nothing but the best for Sara, she will definitely be missed.”

Getting the opportunity to work with somebody as hardworking and dedicated to her work as Ridgway was both an honor and a privilege for Cody Louie, The Tower’s long-time online editor, who is also graduating in May. “Since joining The Tower, Sara has been a magnificent journalist and editor I’m proud to have had the opportunity to work under,” Louie said. “Her determination, perseverance and aptitude for time management are qualities anyone can admire.”

Louie believes that Ridgway was as intelligent a volleyball player as she was a student and is proud to have gotten to work side-by-side with her the entire way. He also remains hopeful that this isn’t the last time they get to work together.

“She’s a phenomenal student, athlete and worker who has truly filled the shoes of editorin-chief of our news organization,” Louie said.

“The future holds great things for Sara and I wish the best for her, I can only hope to cross

managing/news editor and up in coming editor in chief, for being so selfless in dedicating yourself to this news organization, helping me stay organized and providing comic relief at exactly the point it’s needed. Craig Epstein, it’s been awesome seeing you grow as a writer and transitioning from a reporter to a sports editor without a hiccup. Kiara Mays, thank you for consistently keeping your section organized, especially when half of the articles in a given issue fall under arts, features and entertainment. Thank you to Jennifer Padilla for managing the social media this semester.

Thank you to the online editors Rafaela Teixeira and Cody Louie for staying on top of your role and never letting me worry about the online schedule.

Thank you to the dedicated staff from the fall 2017 and spring 2018 semester, for continuously striving to dig out the truth and make your work the best it could be.

A special thank you to Professor DeSocio and Professor Lauro for consistently dedicating themselves to making The Tower so successful and providing the best guidance and advice not only in the newsroom but about life in general.

Thank you for helping me make the transition from reporter to sports/managing editor to editor in chief and teaching me most of what I know about journalism.

My time at Kean University gave me the opportunity to be myself, find my passions and most importantly The Tower helped me find my voice. But like I said, my experience here has helped me find what I am truly passionate about and that is helping people. I took a turn when it

Photo: Larry Levanti

Sara Ridgway holds the all-time blocks record at Kean. paths with her again.”

Ridgway is as good a writer and editor as she is a human being. Being able to take control and stay organized of a newsroom is by no means an easy task. But not only was she able to do it, she thrived at it which was amazing considering how much work she puts into everything else that goes on in her life.

I would say that I speak on behalf of the entire staff when I say “thank you” to Sara for all of the hardwork and dedication that she put into helping make The Tower the awardwinning student-run news organization that it is today. Her guidance, patience, perseverance, and understanding will surely be missed.

Photo: Michelle Ridgway

Sara Ridgway comes to career aspirations and will be continuing my education at Kean University to obtain my masters degree in order to become a speechlanguage pathologist.

So how do you say goodbye to something that has been a part of your life for two and a half years? You say thank you and goodbye to the people who have impacted you and your place of work, but you continue to utilize and practice the skills you’ve learned and apply the lessons learned to your future. You can move on without losing what you’ve gained.

Good luck to Josh and the future staff of The Tower on another successful semester!

8 THE TOWER

May, 2018

Save a life.

Consider organ donation

By Dr. Josh Palgi As of February 2, 2018, there were 118,000 people waiting for life-saving organ transplants in the U.S. Overall, the demands for organs far exceeds the supply. Sometimes, myths and misperceptions about organ, eye, and tissue donation can prevent someone from signing up. Imagine the lives we could have if everyone knew the true facts about donation.

Organ donation is when a person allows an organ of theirs to be removed, legally, either by consent while the donor is alive or after death with the assent of the next of kin.

Donation may be for research, or more commonly healthy transplantable organs and tissues may be donated to be transported into another person.

Common transplantation includes: kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, lungs, bones, bone marrow, skin, and corneas.

Most donations occur after the donor has died.

The first living organ donor in a successful transplant was Ronald Lee Herrick, who donated a kidney to his identical twin brother in 1954.

The youngest organ donor was a baby with anencephaly, born in 2015, who lived for only 100 minutes and donated his kidneys to an adult with venal failures. The oldest known organ donor was a 107 year old Scottish woman, whose corneas were donated after her death in 2016. The oldest known organ donor for an internal organ was a 92 year old Texas man, whose family chose to donate his liver after he died of a brain hemorrhage Some facts: • 33,611 transplants were performed in 2016 • 20 people die each day waiting for a transplant • 95% of U.S. adults support organ donation but only 54% are actually signed up as donors • Every 10 minutes another person is added to the waiting list

Photo: Creative Commons

Be an organ donor, save a life.

•

• •

Each year, the number of people on the waiting list continues to be much larger than both the number of donors and transplants, which grows slowly.

One donor can save eight lives One person can donate up to 8 lifesaving organs

Becoming an organ and tissue donor is one of the most generous actions you can take. There is little standing in the way of your ability to save someone’s life.

You can make a difference for the thousands of people waiting

for lifesaving and life enhancing transplants. Join in the effort. Help raise public awareness of organ, eye, and tissue donation – and encourage others to sign up to save lives.

What can be done to save more lives?

• Register in your state • Make your wishes known to friends and family • Help raise awareness of the importance of donation.

To register your decision to save and heal lives visit registerme.org

Fit To Be Kean, a hidden gem of a program

By Donia Zaky

SPORTS

Small drops of water leaked from the ceiling, the front wall was covered in mirrored sheets crinkled in each corner, and it was hot enough to be a training grounds for down below.

But, inside this stuffy room, six students went back and forth from crunches, to side lunges, to pushups, and more. As sweat dripped down their faces and their shirts became drenched in sweat, there stood a man in the front, with a voice that overpowered the upbeat music; pushing them to keep going.

Gray mats were rolled over the tiles and step platforms, and resistance bands, transformed the lounge in Whiteman Hall into a fitness class, where a group exercise program called Fit to be Kean is

normally held.

What was once a club organized by recreations at Harwood Arena, was soon taken over by Student Health Services in 2012 as a program taught every semester for students here at Kean University. For nearly five to six years now classes such as, Cougar Circuit, Total Body Conditioning, Zumba, Cardio Kickboxing, and more, are all instructed by certified trainers that make personal wellness the goal for all students.

“This is a great outlet for students to get a chance to come exercise, get a great workout in, and get results,” said James Beaty, Graduate Assistant for Student Health Services, and one of the certified trainers for classes such as, Cougar Circuit. “It’s also a great outlet to come work with certified professionals.”

Classes are usually hosted Mondays through Thursdays between the hours of 4 PM to 9 PM. However, this semester “college hours” were opened to help students fit exercise into their busy schedules.

The Cougar Circuit, developed by Beaty, is a circuit training exercise that consists of stations where a certain exercise is done, and everyone moves from exercise to exercise. This allows students to get an intense workout between classes and spans from 35 to 45 minutes.

“You get a good sweat in, and if you have a class at 4:30, or whatever the case may be, you’ll get out in enough time to get to your next class,” said Beaty.

No matter what level of fitness a student is at, modifications are always orchestrated for each student--

according to his or her level. Beaty, and other trainers, formulate workouts to accommodate each student, in order to fit their current pace-- which slowly intensifies overtime.

When asked if she has seen significant changes in her body, Lina, one of the students training, said “Yes, I have. My goal was to lose weight and since I’ve started I’ve lost almost 20 pounds.”

But, there’s more to joining these exercises than just working out.

According to Purdue University, “college students who visit their campus gyms are more likely to succeed in the classroom.”

Flyers all over campus for Fit to be Kean read, “Fit is not a destination, it’s a way of life.” For this program, this statement holds true as they strive to help students excel in personal wellness.

Wide Receiver Ben Guarino invited to both Jets and Giants pro-days

By Craig Epstein Making the National Football League is one of the hardest things that any amateur football player can do. It take a lot of grit, determination, and focus, as well as the never-ending desire to succeed. That is why the fact that Kean University wide receiver Ben Guarino got an invite to both the New York Jets and Giants pro-days on April 5 and 6 is truly a remarkable accomplishment.

“Being invited to both the Jets and Giants local days was an amazing feeling because it shows that my hard work is paying off,” Guarino said. “Not too many people from Division III get noticed by NFL teams, so it’s a big accomplishment for myself and for Kean university.”

To put things into perspective, there are more than 480,000 athletes that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Out of those 480,000 student-athletes, only 1.5 percent will actually make the NFL one day. The odds of anybody making an NFL squad are slim to none.

But that fact doesn’t deter Guarino from working hard and hoping to ultimately live out his dream of playing in the NFL. “Even though it is a great accomplishment to be invited for the local days I hope I’m not done,” Guarino said. “I want a call back for rookie mini camp.”

Although Guarino only played at Kean for two seasons, he made the most out of his time, playing in each of his 20 games and recording a total of 50 receptions for 856 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Caldwell native also recorded 42.8 yards per game with an average of 17.1 yards.

By the end of his two seasons, Guarino led all Cougar receivers in receptions, yards, touchdowns, and yards per game. For his efforts, he was named to

Photos by Larry Levanti

Ben Guarino running with the ball against Montclair State Univertsity

the All-NJAC Second-Team. Combine that with the fact that he was invited to both the Jets and Giants pro-days, the 6-1” 205 lbs. senior most definitely had a collegiate career worth remembering.

For Head football Coach Daniel Garrett, he only had positive things to say about his former player.

“It’s a phenomenal story; he has made himself into a football player,” Garrett said. “He has a great work ethic, is extremely coachable, athletic, and

fast.”

When it came to how far he thinks Guarino’s football skills can take him, Garrett believes that the sky’s the limit for the speedy receiver.

“His ceiling is very high, his speed has opened doors for him,” Garrett said. “He has been afforded opportunities that many other talented football players have not gotten, it is a great story and he is humble and appreciative of the opportunity.”