Police Chief candidates narrowed to two

Vol. CXXVII.
The College of New Jersey, September 26, 2007.
No. 6.
Police Chief candidates narrowed to two
By Joseph Hannan
Production Manager
Joseph Hannan / Production Manager
Capt. Edmund Johnson (left) and John M. Collins are the final two candidates for the position of
Campus Police Chief/Director of Campus Security.
Additional interview sessions with student leaders were
held last week for the position of Campus Police Chief/
Director of Campus Security.
The sessions, held with various student leaders in attendance, were added to the search process partially in response to an editorial that ran in the Aug. 29 issue of The
Signal, according to Curt Heuring, vice president of Facilities Management, Construction and Safety.
Heuring said the editorial prompted discussion of the
search and hiring process for the newly-created position
with College President R. Barbara Gitenstein and her cabinet, executive president of Student Government Association (SGA) Christine Cullen, and a member of the Police
Chief/Director of Campus Security search committee.
“We discussed it and agreed that these interviews wouldn’t
be a bad idea,” Heuring said.
Gitenstein said additional meetings with final candidates were always a planned aspect of the hiring process.
“It was always the plan that we would bring back the
finalists for further meetings with Mr. Heuring,” she said
in an e-mail interview. “However, as we were discussing
the next steps in the process, we recognized that there was
considerable student interest in the final choice and that
it would be easy enough to schedule another opportunity
for Mr. Heuring to get further input from students on his
decision.”
Gitenstein added that the additional opportunities would
allow Beth Paul, interim provost, to meet with the two candidates. She had not previously had this opportunity.
see SEARCH page 3
Student Affairs looks to A steamy solution
add positions to division
By Megan DeMarco
Opinions Editor
The search to fill two new positions in
the office of Student Activities and Leadership Development is currently underway.
The positions are assistant director of
Student Activities and associate director of
Leadership Development. Three new positions will also be added in the department
of Residential Education and Housing, according to Jim Norfleet, vice president of
Student Affairs.
The department of Residential Education and Housing, or ResEd, used to be
known as the office of Residential and
Community Development, or ResLife.
According to Tim Asher, director of Student Activities and Leadership Development,
the positions are being added because there is
a shortage of personnel in the office.
“I believe both student leaders and
professional staff in our office have been
aware for some time that our human resources were stretched,” Asher said.
Asher said Norfleet asked him last October to submit a vision for the office of Student
Activities and Leadership Development, as
SPORTS IN BRIEF
Football — 13-12 (W)
Women’s Soccer — 5-1 (W)
Men’s Soccer — 2-1 (W)
well as a staffing plan to achieve that vision.
Asher and Norfleet worked together
on the plan throughout last fall. The official decision to add the new positions was
made over the summer at a Board of Trustees meeting as part of the first phase of the
Student Affairs transformation.
The search for assistant director is currently underway and the associate director
search will begin in October.
Norfleet said he hopes to fill the assistant director position during this semester
and the associate director position early in
the Spring semester.
He said the search for the ResEd positions will begin in October.
“I am tremendously appreciative of the
support I have received from vice president
Norfleet, (College President R. Barbara
Gitenstein), (her) cabinet and the Board of
Trustees as well as student leaders toward
funding additional staff and initiatives on behalf of our office for students,” Asher said.
Norfleet added, “Our goal is to improve
the (College) experience by providing
more support for student activities, leadership development and residential education
and housing.”
Devon DeMarco / Photo Editor
The College’s distinctive steam-emitting manholes were covered up this
fall by chimneys that redirect the steam up away from the sidewalks.
The steam, which is produced when groundwater makes contact with
underground pipes, will be eliminated after the manhole covers that
once covered the holes through which the steam escapes are replaced.
R&B standouts return to the Rat, page 16
The Blue Method dazzled the College with three hours of
up-tempo R&B and ’70s-style funk last Tuesday night.
INSIDE
Editorials, Et Cetera
Opinions
Features
Arts & Entertainment
Funstuff
Sports
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9
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16
23
32
page 2 The Signal September 26, 2007
Suspicious men start the weekend on a high note
By Megan DeMarco
Opinions Editor
On Sept. 14 at 9:35 p.m. three
students were arrested for possessing and being under the influence
of a controlled dangerous substance suspected to be marijuana.
At 9:30, a Campus Police officer
was dispatched to the Green Lane
Fields bridge area on a report of a
group of individuals smoking.
The officer observed three
males standing at the east end of the
bridge. The officer noticed the odor
of burnt marijuana emanating from
their clothes and breath and all three
seemed disoriented and confused.
All three were placed under arrest
for being under the influence of a
controlled dangerous substance believed to be marijuana.
The suspects were placed in
handcuffs and patted down for
weapons. The officer observed a
suspicious object in the left front
pocket of one of the suspects. The
suspicious object was revealed to
be a blue toothbrush holder containing residue of the substance.
The three suspects were
transported to Campus Police
headquarters.
There is no further information
at this time.
...
A report of a suspicious person
was filed by a Wolfe Hall resident
on Tuesday Aug. 28 at 4:15 p.m. A
Campus Police officer was on the
eighth floor of Wolfe Hall investigating a call of drug use when a
Community Advisor (CA) told the
officer that her neighbor had been
followed earlier that afternoon.
The victim spoke with the officer and said at 12:30 p.m. she
was walking between
Holman Hall and the
New Library area
when an individual
approached her and
asked if she had
a car and if
she
could
give him a
ride. The victim said she did not as she was a
freshman and could not have a car
on campus. She said she was going to meet friends shortly.
The individual then followed
her back to Wolfe Hall and followed her to her floor. He also said
they should hang out together. The
victim said her brother was waiting for her in her room and purposely walked past her room so he
wouldnʼt know where her room
was. The individual then broke off
and stopped at her room where her
door was open. He stuck his head
in her room and said she had nice
decorations in her room.
The victim was on the phone and
did not pay the individual any attention, so he left after a few minutes.
The victim described the individual as an Asian male with a “no
neck” appearance, 19 to 21 years
old. The victim said she thought
he was older and was dressing to
look younger. The individual had
short black
hair and wore
a blue tooth
headset and a
black shirt that
said “Eh?” on the front, as
well as jeans. The victim was
advised to contact Campus Police
immediately if the individual, or
any other individual, frightens her
in the future.
There is no further information
at this time.
...
On Sept. 1 at 8:15 p.m. a student
filed a report of harassment at Campus Police headquarters. The victim
told an officer that she was receiving unwanted comments and attention from a student in Travers Hall.
The victim was posted in the
Travers Hall lobby doing desk security on Aug. 31 when a male started
harassing her. He made incoherent
comments to her such as “Have you
had any life-changing experiences?”
and “Then you canʼt help me.”
The victim said he was agitated and verbally aggressive
while making his comments, then
walked away in a visibly agitated
state. He returned five minutes
later and repeated the same behavior and comments. The victim
said he returned a third time and
said “Patience is a virtue,” “What
is a womanʼs intuition?” and “Well
women may have womenʼs intuition but guys have a third eye.”
The victim sought guidance
from the Assistant Residence Director (ARD) of Travers Hall on
Aug 31. at 10 p.m. The ARD told
her that the individual is socially
awkward and that there was nothing they could do.
The individual repeated unwanted contact with her until the
end of her shift at 11:30 p.m. The
individual then tried to converse
with her in the Travers Hall lobby
but the victim refused to speak
and left the area in anger.
The victim was posted at the
Travers Hall desk on Sept. 1 with
a Travers Hall CA when the individual approached and said, “I got
it, I got it, weʼre all adults right?”
and “Weʼre all adults, weʼre all
adults.” He then left the area in an
agitated state.
There is no further information
at this time.
...
At 1:20 a.m. on Sept 2. a
Campus Police officer was stationed on Green Lane, running
radar facing east when the officer
observed a green Buick traveling
fast on Green Lane. The officer
clocked the speed at 80 mph in a
30 mph zone. The officer pulled
out to attempt to stop the vehicle
but by the time the officer caught
up to it, the vehicle had come
in contact with several objects
along Green Lane and came to
rest.
As the officer went to check
the status of the occupants in
the accident, a female sitting on
the passenger side of the vehicle
called out for help and said someone had been ejected from the vehicle. As the officer approached
the far side of the vehicle, the officer saw a male lying in the east
bound lane motionless, bleeding
profusely from the head, ears,
nose and mouth.
Ewing EMS, Ewing Police
Department and Ewing Fire Department responded to the scene.
There is no further information
at this time.
AAA denied funding for Peters SGA to host ʻGripe
Sessionʼ for students
By Jess Fedor
Staff Writer
The Asian American Association (AAA)
was denied a $26,462 request for comedian
Russell Peters to perform during Experiance Asia month at last Wednesdayʼs Student Finance Board (SFB) meeting.
AAA received $8,530 for Experience
Asia which takes place throughout November in an effort “to raise Asian awareness
through various events,” Kyle Chan, AAA
treasurer, said.
Students will be able to experience
Asian culture through music, authentic cuisine, games, crafts, workshops and shows
that will be offered throughout November.
AAA hoped for the up-and-coming comedian to be one of the main events of its
celebration, but many questions regarding the price
and expected turnout
forced SFB to decline.
“$30,000 for an up-and-coming comedian is a little ridiculous,” Bill
Fenimore, SFB administrative director,
said.
AAA tried to defend its request by saying it wanted to get Peters before he became mainstream, just as the College did
with Dane Cook years ago.
The $26,000 price tag is a significant
increase from Dat Phan, the comedian who
performed last year, and Dane Cook.
“We looked at other comedians but Russell was the only one who fit the theme of
the month,” Chan said.
AAA brought a petition with 700 signatures of students who said they would come
to a Peters performance, but SFB feared Peters is not well-known enough to have the
Club
AAA
AAA
CUB
LDP
turnout necessary to compensate that price.
The College Union Board (CUB) refused
to co-sponsor the comedy show because they
also felt Peters was not famous enough.
“I donʼt put that much faith in the petition,” Jim Gallagher, SFB equipment center
manager, said, adding that almost everyone
in Eickhoff Hall will sign something put in
front of them.
The board also brought up that the College does not have as high of an Asian population as Rutgers University or the University of Pennsylvania where Peters performed
in front of sold-out crowds.
Other business at the meeting included
full funding of $6,624 for CUB to bring
Live From Springfield!: A Simpsons Lecture by David Silverman to the College.
David Silverman, an original animator
and creative mind of the hit
show “The Simpsons,” “will
give members of the College
community a true insight
into the workings of animating a hit series, as well as the creative process that has gone into the 12-time Emmy
winner,” CUB representatives said.
SFB gave full funding to this event considering the popularity of the show and the
success of the Kevin Smith lecture two years
ago that was also run by CUB.
$3,710 was given to the Leadership Development Program for its fall leadership
retreat at the Pocono Environmental Education Center where students participate in
team building and leadership activities.
$677 was allotted to the French Club
for a trip into New York City to experience
French culture at either the Metropolitan
Museum of Art or Madam Tussaudʼs Wax
Museum.
Cause
Experience Asia
Russell Peters
David Silverman Lecture
Leadership Retreat
$ Amount
$8,530
$0
$6,624
$3,710
By Kelli Plasket
Staff Writer
The Student Services committee of the
Student Government Association (SGA)
will be holding a “Gripe Session” for students at the College on Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in
the Library Auditorium, Stephanie Cwynar, vice president of Student Services,
announced at the last SGA meeting.
“We want it to be a student outreach
forum, just another way for students to
be able to come and address any concerns they might have,” Cwynar said.
They plan to use a panel-style forum
with the vice presidents of SGA answering questions.
Cwynar said that her committee
has begun planning FinalsFest, the end of semester
event held during finals
week. SGA hopes to do
an indoor carnival, with
free food, giveaways and a
band, and they are open to ideas, Cwynar
said.
Dan Scapardine, vice president of legal and governmental Affairs, announced
that anyone on campus in need of legal
services should contact him to be set up
with a lawyer. They are trying to revamp
the program, he said. Any new campus
organizations looking to start up should
also contact Scapardine.
SGA approved Flow Hip Hop Dance
Teamʼs request to change the team name
to United Flow Dance Team. This change
was enacted to reflect Flow combining
with Unity, another dance team on campus,
Scapardine said.
SGA approves all modifications to
student organization constitutions and required the dance team to go through SGA
for the name change.
SGA is planning a formal pinning cer-
emony for its members, Brianne Stratton, vice president of Community Relations, said. It will be held on Oct. 4, after
all new members have been elected. She
hopes this will be the start of a new SGA
tradition.
The Senior Class Council sold about
230 tickets for the first Senior Night at
Bar A, council members said. The council continues to seek proposal ideas from
students for Senior Week and other senior
activities.
The Junior Class Council is also still
looking for bands for their Battle of the
Bands event, Dan Eckrote, junior class
council president, said.
Sana Fathima, sophomore senator of
Engineering, reported on a meeting of
the Honors and Scholars Program Council. The council
is planning a Student of the
Month program to award students in the honors program,
she said. Fathima also spoke of
the honors-by-contract program, in which
students with majors that donʼt offer the
honors program can still participate by
doing extra honors-level work in their
regular classes.
Spring 2007 semester grade distribution
data for ProfRecord is being received and
the new Web site should launch in the next
couple weeks, Steven Link, vice president
of Academic Affairs, said. ProfRecord is
located at tcnj.edu/~profrec.
Jennifer Hill, sophomore senator of
Culture and Society, encouraged students
to answer the new Pulse question. The new
question, dealing with sexual assault, was
requested by the Alcohol and Drug Education Program.
Cwynar added that if an organization or
department on campus has a survey question they want answered by students, they
should contact Cwynar or Hill.
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 3
Death penalty examined during Constitution Day
By Mike McGee
Correspondent
The Collegeʼs school of
Culture and Society and the
Pre-Law Advisory Committee
hosted a panel discussion on the
death penalty for the Collegeʼs
third annual Constitution Day on
Tuesday, Sept. 18.
Each of the three panelists
presented a brief lecture before
they held a joint discussion and
fielded questions from the audience together. The panel consisted of criminology professors
Lynn Goedecke and Christopher
Totten, and professor of philosophy and religion Melinda
Roberts. Professor of political
science Daryl Fair moderated the
discussion.
The panel marks a shift in
how the College recognizes
Constitution Day, which federal
law mandates all publicly funded
educational institutions observe.
“We wanted to be more purposeful (in dealing with) constitutional issues,” Susan Albertine,
dean of the School of Culture and
Society, said. “We want to make
the most of Constitution Day.”
Goedecke detailed the need
for continuing discussion and
education on the death penalty
from the inhumanity of botched
lethal injections to the numbers
of innocent and exonerated death
row inmates.
“People are shocked to hear
one person was exonerated who
was on death row,” she said.
“This doesnʼt enter peopleʼs
minds.” According to Goedecke,
124 death row inmates have
been exonerated since 1973,
Photos by Andrew Zabolotsky / Staff Photographer
Professor of criminology Lynn Goedecke (left) and professor of philosophy and religion
Melinda Roberts (right) were two of the three panelists for a Constitution Day discussion.
and in that same time period,
anywhere between seven and
123 innocent people have been
executed.
Goedecke also described the
strange role medical professionals play in state-sponsored
executions. In Florida, she
explained, doctors participating
in an execution are allowed to
hide their identities by wearing
purple space suits, even wearing
dark goggles under the tinted
face shield.
“Tinky Winky in a purple suit
is coming after you with a needle,” Goedecke said.
Totten focused on the specific legal nuances, procedures
and requirements carried by
the death penalty, specifically
the standards set by the U.S.
Supreme Court. Totten explained
it was only a few years ago when
the Supreme Court prohibited
the execution of mentally insane,
mentally challenged and juvenile offenders. When compared
to similar limitations imposed
by other countries, “Itʼs somewhat incredulous the United
States put those (limitations) in
so recently,” Totten said.
As for why the United States
has been comparatively slow
in enacting those restrictions,
Totten suggested that the delay
could be a result of our system of
government. “Ours is a system
of federalism, for better or for
worse,” Totten said.
Roberts examined the “connection between morality and
how we read the Constitution,”
and how “virtually any sequence
of words can be read in a variety of ways,” she said. She also
stressed the need for judiciaries
to look toward moral principles
to guide interpretations of the
law, and balance them with the
principles of democracy.
“The maze of death penalty cases the court will face
in the next few years, if they
choose to, demands a principled
approach,” Roberts said. “Weʼre
tinkering with the machinery
of death ... We have to weigh
a moral principle on one hand
and a respect for democracy on
the other.”
But she also emphasized the
need to explore reasons why
voters might support the death
penalty.
“We need to understand
each other better than we do,”
Roberts said. “If it isnʼt for the
fun of killing another human
being, (they) must have their
reasons.”
After the panel, which drew
an audience of approximately 50
students and faculty members
to the New Library Auditorium,
Roberts expressed satisfaction at
the turnout, but even more pleasure at the level of questions
posed by the attendees. “The studentsʼ questions were brilliant,”
Roberts said.
New Jersey, a state that hasnʼt
executed anyone since 1963, currently has 11 inmates on death
row.
Search / Johnson and Collins emerge as last candidates
Capt. Edmund Johnson
John M. Collins
Experience: 23 years with Rutgers
University Police Department. He
has an extensive background in community policing.
Experience: Commanding officer of
Lincoln Tunnel. 27 years with Port
Authority. Involved in counterterrorism unit and leader in World Trade
Center Disaster Rescue and Recovery
Team.
Emphasis: Collins said many issues
described in the ad hoc committeeʼs
report “boil down to lack of direction
and not enough purpose.”
Emphasis: Importance of networking between residence education and
housing staff, the Ewing Township
Police Department and other members of the campus community.
continued from page 1
Heuring said the student interview sessions held on Sept. 19 and 20 were not part
of the planned hiring process for the newly-created position. In an e-mail interview,
he added that they were created to be more
“inclusive of students.”
“I read the editorial and thought that we
had gone to great lengths to accommodate
student opinion,” he said.
The editorial raised questions about how
the search process for the Police Chief/Director of Campus Security position was
conducted, and said the process restricted
and limited student participation.
Heuring said the administration “wanted to remove any doubt” regarding the
search and hiring process. Heuring said the
interests of the students were considered
throughout the process.
“Iʼve done everything I can to figure out
how to get student input on this,” he said.
The announcement of the interviews
was made in the Sept. 19 edition of The
Signal in the “Eye on SGA” article. According to Cullen, the interviews for the final two candidates were created for leaders
of various student organizations to evaluate the two finalists. She said the goal was
to facilitate “more focused conversation”
regarding the two finalists.
“Rhelda Richards (associate vice president of Facilities Management, Construction and Safety) sent out an e-mail to the
presidents of the major organizations on
campus inviting us to the forums,” Cullen
said in an e-mail interview.
The student leaders received evaluation forms which they completed regarding each candidate and submitted to
Heuring.
The first finalist, John M. Collins, the
commanding officer of the Port Authority
police force of the Lincoln Tunnel, visited
the College on Sept. 19. Eleven student
leaders were present at this interview. Collins has worked for the Port Authority for
27 years.
Collins, a third-generation police officer who was also part of the emergency
response to the attacks on the World Trade
Center, said that although managing Tunnel security and supervising police on a
college campus seem different, the two
have a great deal in common.
Collins said both the Lincoln Tunnel
and the College have “transient communities.” Just as people pass through the tunnel, students are constantly moving back
and forth between home and college, then
finally into the working world or another
learning institution. Collins said successful policing of the Tunnel was achieved by
reaching out to the community.
“It takes a lot of bridge building,” Collins said. “If thereʼs not a relationship (between police and the community), the police arenʼt doing their job.”
Collins described the essential nature
of community policing to any college
campus. He said “community policing
is outcome-based.” Collins said as Police Chief, he would want the office of
Campus Police to be more involved in the
campus community.
He listed his priorities as “getting cops
out of the cars” and “getting the sense to
them that thereʼs more to their mission
than writing tickets.”
Capt. Edmund Johnson was the second
finalist to visit the College. Four student
leaders were in attendance for his visit.
Johnson currently serves the Rutgers University Police Department. He has worked
for Rutgers University since he graduated
from the New Jersey Sate Police Academy
in Sea Girt in 1984.
“Itʼs important that police police themselves,” Johnson said. “I was troubled to
read the ad hoc Committeeʼs report of
complaints that were not addressed,” he
added, referring to both the ad hoc Committee on Campus Police Relations and the
extensive report it published at the end of
last semester.
Johnson also discussed several initiatives he would like to undertake at the
College.
“Iʼd like to see police use education
first,” he said. As part of this educational
approach, he suggested crime prevention programs for students and possibly
attendance of SGA meetings by police
officers.
Johnson also said he would like to see
more involvement of police in the campus community. “Itʼs very presumptuous
of a police department to tell a community what its problems are,” he said. “We
need to become part of the community
here.”
Nation & World
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 5
UAW auto workers union goes on strike
DETROIT (AP) — In the end, the first
nationwide strike against General Motors
Corp. (GW) in 37 years came because the
United Auto Workers (UAW) want something that GM will find difficult to promise: job security.
UAW officials said the 73,000 UAW
members who work at about 80 U.S. facilities for the nationʼs largest automaker
didnʼt strike Monday over what many
thought would trip up the talks: a plan to
shift the retiree health care burden from
the company to the union. They said they
also didnʼt strike over wages.
They said union members walked out
because they want GM to promise that future cars and trucks such as the replacement for the Chevrolet Cobalt small car or
the still-on-the-drawing board Chevrolet
Volt plug-in electric car will be built at
U.S. plants, preserving union jobs.
The strike puts GM, which is restructuring so it can better compete with Asian
automakers, in a bind as some of its new
products begin to catch on with consumers. But it also means workers are taking
a big risk — giving up pay and slowing
down GM in an uncertain economy.
“Job security is one of our primary
concerns,” UAW President Ron Gettelfinger told reporters Monday afternoon
after talks broke off and the strike began.
“Weʼre talking about investment and weʼre
talking about job creation” and preserving
benefits, he said.
Talks resumed a short time later as
sign-carrying pickets marched outside
plant gates.
Worker Anita Ahrens burst into tears as
hundreds of employees streamed out of a
GM plant in Janesville, Wis., just after the
strike began at 11 a.m. EDT.
“Oh my God, here they come,” Ahrens,
39, said. “This is unreal.”
Ahrens has seven years at the plant,
where she works nights installing speakers
in sport utility vehicles. She waited Monday for her husband, Ron Ahrens, who has
worked there for 21 years.
The couple has three children, including a college freshman, and Ahrens wor-
AP Photo
Members of United Auto Workers Local 31 at the Fairfax Assembly
plant of General Motors begin picketing shortly after 10 a.m., Monday,
in Kansas City, Kan.
ried about how they would pay their bills.
“This is horrible, but weʼre die-hard
union, so we have to,” Ahrens said. “We
got a mortgage, two car payments and tons
of freaking bills.”
The striking workers will receive $200 a
week plus medical benefits from the UAWʼs
strike fund. The union had more than $800
million in that fund as of last November, according to the UAWʼs Web site.
The UAW, Gettelfinger said, is willing
to talk about taking money from the company to form a trust that would be responsible for billions of dollars in retiree health
care costs.
GM wants the trust, called a Voluntary
Employees Beneficiary Association, or
VEBA, so it can move much of its $51 billion in unfunded retiree health care liabilities off the books, potentially raising the
stock price and credit ratings. Itʼs all part
of the companyʼs quest to cut or eliminate
about a $25-per-hour labor cost disparity
with its Japanese competitors.
“This strike is not about the VEBA in
any way, shape or form,” Gettelfinger said.
“We were more than eager to discuss it,”
although he said no agreement had been
reached.
Industry analysts said initially the strike
would have little impact on consumers because GM has sufficient inventory stockpiled for most of its products.
But Monday afternoon, the Teamsters
transportation union said its 10,000 automotive transport members would not cross
UAW picket lines to deliver GM cars and
trucks. GM reported that it had just under
950,000 vehicles in its inventory at the end
of August, about 35,000 below the same
time last year.
GM spokesman Dan Flores said the automaker was disappointed in the unionʼs
decision.
“The bargaining involves complex,
difficult issues that affect the job security
of our U.S. work force and the long-term
viability of the company,” he said. “We
remain fully committed to working with
the UAW to develop solutions together to
address the competitive challenges facing GM.”
18-year-old
charged in Del.
State University
double shooting
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Police arrested an
18-year-old man in the shooting of two students at Delaware State University, authorities said Monday. As they led him into a
courthouse, he told reporters: “Iʼm sorry.”
Loyer D. Braden, arrested about 3:30
a.m. in his dorm room, was charged with
attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment, as well as a gun charge, according to court documents.
A justice of the peace set bail for the
East Orange, N.J., teenager at $75,000 and
ordered him to stay away from the victims and Delaware State where Braden is
a freshman, according to a man at Bradenʼs
home in East Orange who identified himself only as a family member.
University officials, who had assured
the campus community over the weekend
that the gunman was not on campus, could
not explain how or when Braden returned
to his dorm room.
“Iʼm not clear on that matter,” Delaware
State University Police Chief James Overton said. “I canʼt get into that.”
Four Dover police officers escorted
Braden to the court Monday afternoon with
his hands cuffed and his legs shackled.
In response to reportersʼ questions, he
said softly: “Iʼm sorry.” Asked what he
was sorry for, he replied only: “Sheʼs in the
hospital.”
One of the wounded students, Shalita
Middleton, 17, was being treated for abdominal wounds at Christiana Hospital in
Newark, Del. University spokesman Carlos
Holmes said Middleton had not been questioned and “will not be questioned until we
get clearance from the physicians.”
The other wounded student has been
talking with police, officials said, but that
studentʼs mother said the 17-year-old freshman didnʼt know who the gunman was or
what triggered the shooting at the Village
Café, a campus dining hall that stays open
until 3 a.m.
Iranian president gets cold welcome at Columbia
NEW YORK (AP) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad questioned the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks and defended the right to cast doubt on the Holocaust
in a tense appearance Monday at Columbia University,
whose president accused the hard-line leader of behaving
like “a petty and cruel dictator.”
Ahmadinejad smiled at first but appeared increasingly
agitated, decrying the “insults” and “unfriendly treatment.”
Columbia President Lee Bollinger and audience members
took him to task over Iranʼs human rights record and foreign policy, as well as Ahmadinejadʼs statements denying
the Holocaust and calling for the disappearance of Israel.
“Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and
cruel dictator,” Bollinger said to loud applause.
He said Ahmadinejadʼs denial of the Holocaust might
fool the illiterate and ignorant.
“When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous,” Bollinger said. “The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history.”
Ahmadinejad rose, also to applause, and after a religious invocation, said Bollingerʼs opening was “an insult
to information and the knowledge of the audience here.”
“There were many insults and claims that were incorrect, regretfully,” Ahmadinejad said, accusing Bollinger of
falling under the influence of the hostile U.S. press and
politicians. “I should not begin by being affected by this
unfriendly treatment.”
During a question and answer session, Ahmadinejad
appeared tense and unsmiling, in contrast to more relaxed
interviews and appearances earlier in the day.
In response to one audience member, Ahmadinejad de-
nied he was questioning the existence of the Holocaust:
“Granted this happened, what does it have to do with the
Palestinian people?”
But then he said he was defending the rights of European scholars, an apparent reference to a small number
who have been prosecuted under national laws for denying
or minimizing the Holocaust.
“Thereʼs nothing known as absolute,” he said.
He reiterated his desire to visit ground zero to express
sympathy with the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, but then
appeared to question whether al-Qaeda was responsible.
“Why did this happen? What caused it? What conditions led to it?” he said. “Who truly was involved? Who
was really involved and put it all together?”
Asked about executions of homosexuals in Iran, Ahmadinejad said the judiciary system executed violent
criminals and high-level drug dealers, comparing them to
microbes eliminated through medical treatment. Pressed
specifically about punishment of homosexuals, he said: “In
Iran we donʼt have homosexuals like in your country.”
With the audience laughing derisively, he continued:
“In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I donʼt know
whoʼs told you that we have this.”
Bollinger was strongly criticized for inviting Ahmadinejad to Columbia, and had promised tough questions
in his introduction to Ahmadinejadʼs talk. But the strident
and personal nature of his attack on the president of Iran
was startling.
“You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly
uneducated,” Bollinger told Ahmadinejad about the leaderʼs Holocaust denial.
During his prepared remarks, the Iranian president did
not address Bollingerʼs accusations directly.
President George W. Bush said Ahmadinejadʼs appearance at Columbia “speaks volumes about really the greatness of America.”
AP Photo
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
speaks on the campus of Columbia University
on Monday.
September 29, 2007 The Signal page 7
Editorial
Injustice in Jena shows
effects of ignorance
If you have not been following the story, the “Jena Six”
are six black students at a high school in Jena, La. After
white students hung nooses on a tree under which only
white students were known to sit, racial tensions in the
town escalated to the point where six black students beat up
a white student who was involved in barring them from a
party. The white students who hung the nooses were briefly
suspended while the black students involved in the beating
were arrested and charged with second-degree attempted
murder.
The timeline of events is much more complex than my
summary makes it sound, with vagaries and exaggerations
growing as the media pulls the story in all directions.
AP Photo
For example, some media outlets have referred to the
Melissa Bell (right) is the mother of Mychal Bell, the only one of the ‘Jena Six’ tried so
beating as a schoolyard fight while others have deemed it a
brutal attack. Because of the public’s inability to know the far in connection with the December beating of a white classmate.
truth in its entirety, many find it difficult to pass judgment
on the situation. Something is surely unjust in Jena, yet
without indisputable facts, it can be hard to say exactly
What do you think of Zimbra, the
what.
Despite all of the blurry events and contested occurrences,
College’s new e-mail system?
one lesson rings loud and clear: hate, particularly among
• It’s totally sweet
“This book
peers such as schoolmates, is never a joke.
cast your vote @
• It’s alright I guess
Up here in New Jersey, it can be easy to pretend that the
signal-online.net
will actually
only racism happening today is “down south” in places like
• Even worse than webmail
teach you a bit
Jena – but how often on campus have you heard someone
• What’s Zimbra?
poked fun at for their race, religion or sexual orientation? I
about sports,
Sept. 19 results:
agree with the administration when it says we’re a generally
mainly that
diverse and tolerant campus, but we still have our faults.
Should
the
College
have
done
However lighthearted these comments may seem, they are
sports are
something for 9/11?
a step in the wrong direction.
funny. Where
• 54% Yes, they were neglectful
I am not going to pretend that these “lighthearted
comments” we hear every day on campus are in the same
• 22% No, it’s been six years
else can a
league as the noose incident in Jena, but the Jena case
• 21% They didn’t need to do anything
grown man
should serve as a lesson in what can happen when hate
major
wins out over understanding and tolerance, and remind us
play a chil• 3% I don’t care either way
that we have a long way to go in the battle toward a united
dren’s game in
population.
I personally have never been on the receiving end of
a jumpsuit for
injustice based on my skin color. I do not get barred from
a million dolentering my schoolmates’ parties because of what I look
like, and I certainly do not question under which trees I
lars and comsignal-online.net
can sit.
plain that he’s
Telephone:
Mailing Address:
However, I cannot sit idly by and watch this injustice play
Production Rm - (609) 771-2424
The Signal
itself out. The 10,000 protesters who marched on Thursday
Business Office - (609) 771-2499
c/o Brower Student Center
not getting
The College of New Jersey
Fax: (609) 771-3433
had the right idea. If nothing else, their actions brought
P.O. Box 7718
E-mail: signal@tcnj.edu
paid enough?
much-needed attention to the discrimination taking place
Ewing, NJ 08628-0718
not only in Jena, but across the nation.
That’s comedy,
Editorial Offices
So whether you’re white, black, red, yellow or purpleAlyson Greenwood
no matter how
Jess Mickley
Lauren Kohout
and-green-polka-dotted; whether you’re Christian, Jewish,
Editor-in-Chief
Jasmine Overton
Islamic or atheist; whether you’re gay or straight, female or
you slice it.”
Michelle McGuinness
Michelle Riley
male, old or young — go online. Watch the news. Read the
Managing Editor
Sharon Tharp
Brandon Lee
Copy Editors
papers. Google “Jena Six” and see what comes up. Trust
— Steve Hofstetter,
Kristen Lord
Myles Ma
me, this one’s worth it.
comedian,
News Editors
Sports Assistant
The more informed we are about the consequences of
Allison Singer
Kelly Duncan
in his new book “National
Sports Editor
Features Assistant
hate in other communities, the better chance we have of
Lampoon’s Balls! An InErin Duffy
Will Emmons
stomping out hate in our own. Take a look at yourself and
Your-Face Look at Sports”
Features Editor
Distribution Director
decide if you are the tolerant person you want to be, then
James Queally
Arts & Entertainment Editor
use your philosophy to become active in creating change.
The Weekly Poll:
— Allison Singer, Sports Editor
Editorial Content
Unsigned editorial opinions are those of the Editorial Board,
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September 26, 2007 The Signal page 9
Et Cetera
The Signal
says ...
Stop: right now,
thank you very much,
I need somebody
with the human
touch.
Caution:
geting
ticketed
for
improperly mounted
decal, The Signal’s
beastly flag football
team, “Across the
Universe.”
Go: learn the new
e-mail
system,
register to vote,
watch the “Grey’s
Anatomy”
premiere,
check out
super clean
bathrooms
in
the
basement
of
Bliss,
pumpkin
picking.
Policies
The Signal is published
weekly during the academic
year and is financed by the Student Activities Fee (SAF) and
advertising revenue. Any student may submit articles to The
Signal. Publication of submitted
articles is at the discretion of the
editors.
The letters section is an open
forum for opinions. Submissions
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Letters must be received by
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The Signal willingly corrects
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write to the address listed above
or e-mail us at signal@tcnj.edu.
Letters
Good leaders know
value of Passport
Editorial unfairly
judges Passport
Editor-in-chief Lauren Kohout
seems to be confused as to the
purpose of the Student Finance
Board (SFB). As Kohout’s
Student Activity Fee (SAF)
supervisor, it is my job to clear
her confusion. The purpose of
SFB is to responsibly allocate the
SAF. It is also the responsibility
of SFB to make sure that all
SAF-funded organizations are
responsibly using the money
within their base budgets and are
aware of our policies.
Any student leader who fails
to recognize the value of Passport
to Programming shouldn’t be
considered a student leader at all.
However, since Kohout asked,
the president of the College is the
one who decided that SFB has
the power to “hold everyone’s
budget hostage” until attending
passport.
As per our manual, “In order to
fulfill its obligations, the SFB depends
on the treasurers, presidents and
advisors of all funded organizations
to … acquire knowledge of and
assume responsibility for the proper
use of budgeted funds.” This is
exactly what passport aims to
achieve.
Understandably, close-minded
“student leaders” would fail to
realize this.
SFB requires presidents and
treasurers to attend the budget
clinic because it is the most
logical way to train them on
our policies. We do not expect
presidents and treasurers to read
the manual on their own. Kohout
suggested allowing organizations
to e-mail their questions, but
with over 100 organizations,
there would be no way for us to
be able to respond to this e-mail
volume, considering all of the
questions that the students would
have regarding our policies.
When the SFB requests
something of an organization,
you better believe they’re going
to do it. While passport was
mandatory for SAF-funded
organizations, not a single
organization had to send anyone.
At the same time however, not
a single organization has to be
SAF-funded.
In response to last weekʼs
editorial, “Passport: ticket to
nowhere for leaders,” Iʼd like to
say that this was an unfair and
incorrect judging of Passport
to Programming. As a student
leader, this was my fourth time
attending passport, not because
SFB requires it, but rather
because of the constitution of the
College Union Board (CUB).
My own experiences at
passport have shown me that
it has changed over the years,
due largely to feedback from
students. What Kohout is missing
though, is the difference between
this year and last yearʼs passport.
The office of Student Activities
and Leadership Development
has taken the feedback from last
year and has not only expanded
the selection, but has added
more “higher level” leadership
workshops for students that already
know the basics.
This year, 25 different
workshops were offered, and
there would have been more
barring last minute cancellations
by professional presenters. Some
of these additional canceled
workshops included more specific
topic areas, such as media and
journalism production, which
may have interested Kohout. In
addition, there were workshops
for the more senior members of
organizations that were previously
not offered.
In failing to see why passport
exists, Kohout then proceeds to
blame SFB saying, “who decided
that (they have) the power to hold
everyoneʼs budgetʼs hostage.”
They are responsible for funding
organizations and it is their duty to
make sure that SAF money is spent
wisely and efficiently. One way
to ensure that is to make sure that
programs they fund are properly
planned and programmed. What
many people do not realize is
that organizations like SFB are
held accountable by the College
administration for its decisions.
A number of SFB policies are not
set by a group of 17 students, but
rather by College guidelines due
to the large amount of money it is
responsible for.
There are organizations that
are not required to attend, but do
so anyway to learn how to put on
Leonardo Acevedo
SFB Executive Director
programs. Also, no one is required
to go to passport; organizations
function fine without going to
passport and being SAF-funded.
I suggest that if The Signal feels
that strongly against going, then
donʼt attend next year.
Kohout says that this all could
have been done through e-mail
questions from organizations.
Well I know from being a student
leader that my inbox is full with
questions from organization
members, other organizations
and classes, let alone my own
personal e-mail. The last thing I
think any student or staff member
at the College wants is more email. And a good student leader
would know that while e-mail is
the quickest and most convenient
form of communication, it is
the worst. Only 10 percent of
communication is what we
actually say; the rest is how we
act and how itʼs said, both of
which e-mail lacks (something
I learned at a prior passport
event).
With that said, how would
you “e-mail a question to the
appropriate person” as Kohout
says, if you have no idea who
that person is since at passport
students learn who to contact for
booking rooms, venues, ordering
food, etc.
If Kohout truly believes that
the “general population already
knows what they are doing”
then I guess weʼll ignore those
new organizations that want to
know how to do something. Or
how about those organizations
that have bad transitions to their
new boards? It happens.
In the end, Iʼd hope that
Kohout and others actually
show their leadership skills and
help those who put lots of time
and energy into this program
by giving suggestions and
constructive feedback.
Had many stuck around until
passport ended at 3 p.m. they
would have known that the
director of Student Activites and
Leadership Development Tim
Asher entertained everyoneʼs
thoughts and concerns about
the good and poor parts of the
day in consideration for next
year, and I urge everyone in
all organizations to leave your
feedback with his office for
improving Passport.
Alex Mazella
CUB Director
Random Photo of the Week
Signal
Spotlight
What is your
favorite thing
about fall?
“Jumping in giant piles
of leaves.”
— Laura Tedeschi,
freshman
pyschology major
“Watching ʻThe Officeʼ
premiere.”
— Patrick Bieger,
sophomore
international studies
major
“I love going on
hayrides.”
— John Commander,
sophomore
math major
“Pumpkin picking.”
— Stephanie Stranz,
freshman
chemistry major
Submitted by
Justin Lynch
send random photos
to signal@tcnj.edu.
“Making apple pie.”
— Kelsey VanGelder,
freshman
chemistry major
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 11
Opinions
Anti-war protesters: extreme or necessary?
Civil disobedience is the only answer to the problems in America
I was arrested at the foot of
the Capitol Building on Sept. 15
in an act of civil disobedience
as a result of my participation in
a protest to end the war in Iraq.
Consequently, I keep getting
asked, “Why did you cross the
police barricade?” My actions
were entirely symbolic. Certainly
I did not believe that I was going
Todd Stoner
to get to the Capitol entrance,
demand to speak to my representative and senator, and
convince them to end the occupation of Iraq. The Capitol
is meant to represent “democracy;” while 70 percent of
Americans want an end to the Iraq War our congress
continues to fund the occupation. Is this the will of the
people?
Creating an illusion that they hold opposing views,
Democrats and Republicans divide the nation into
believing there is actually discussion of ending the war.
In reality, both Democrats and Republicans are fighting
the same battle; neither wants an end. If they wanted to
bring the troops home they would simply not pass a bill
to fund it.
Author Howard Zinn wrote, “The problem is civil
obedience.” I stepped over the barricade because I have
given up on government. I no longer believe that change
will come from politicians. I now believe substantial
change will only occur from a demand by the people.
People should not be afraid of their government;
government should be afraid of their people.
Photo courtesy of Todd Stoner
Todd Stoner and other College students were arrested at an anti-war protest in Washington D.C.
I saw the fear the government has of a mass peopleʼs
movement after acting in civil disobedience against the
state and being held for 14 hours. In an effort to curtail any
further growth of the antiwar movement, the government
stripped 200 of us of our legal rights by detaining us
and acting with spite. They delayed releasing us, as
if to tell us, “How dare you disobey.” In addition, the
media painted the peace protest as violent and reported a
drastically reduced number of participants.
Disobedience is what is needed to fix America. Every
social movement in U.S. history has been formed through
people acting in defiance to the government. Frederick
Douglas, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Susan
B. Anthony, W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, Henry
Thoreau — the list goes on. These are the people that
demanded change and should be a constant reminder to
us that true democracy is not built by compliance but
through descent.
I stepped over the barricade because I hold no loyalty to
our government. One might say, then, why not act through
your right to vote? But can we really consider the United
States a democracy? “Totalitarian states love voting,” Zinn
wrote. “You get people to the polls and they register their
approval. I know there is a difference — they have one
party and we have two parties. We have one more party
then they have, you see.”
If the Democrats win the next election will life
really be any different for Americans? Or are both
Democrats and Republicans working for the same cause
of developing a corporate American state hidden by the
shadow of their fake debate and the minute differences
they possess and only creating social change when it is
needed to cool off an angry citizenry? If this is the case
then we should stop believing we are a great democracy
and begin realizing that we are certainly a most perfected
corporatist government driven by the will of the elite and
dependent on the ignorance of an obedient population.
I acted in civil disobedience because war is fought
only for the rich and by the poor, because violence is
wrong and peace is right, and because we should hold no
fear of our government, but our government should hold
constant fear of us.
Protesters show that Liberals donʼt get it when it comes to Iraq
The last two
weeks have been
both enlightening
and encouraging
in terms of our
progress in a very
important battle
in the War on
Terror: the battle
Brian R. Hackett for Iraq. With
both anticipation
as well as some skepticism I listened
closely to Gen. David H. Petraeus
and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan
Crockerʼs report on the troop surge and
state of our mission in Iraq. I watched
with the opinion that this war has been
mismanaged for the last three years and
the Iraqi politicians need to start meeting
our benchmarks.
But, it was absolutely no surprise to me
that before, during and even after these
promising reports, the loony defeatist
leftists were at it again. I am disgusted by
recent Liberal attacks on Gen. Petraeus,
their downplaying of the progress on the
battlefield of Iraq and most recently, their
shameful, ridiculous, troop demoralizing
freak show held in Washington D.C.
I first will address the despicable
New York “Slimes” advertisement by
MoveOn.org attacking the patriotism of
our esteemed commander in Iraq, Gen.
Petraeus. Its ad questions his patriotism
by naming him Gen. “Betray Us.” Letʼs
first point out the blatant hypocrisy when
Liberals bellyache about Conservatives
questioning their patriotism. How can
these same people denounce what they
call “Conservative attacks on their
patriotism” when they outright attack
a general whom their Liberal friends in
the Senate overwhelmingly approved? I
remind Liberals that this same general
was approved by a unanimous 99-0
vote.
He has proved as correct the confidence
that the entire senate had in him to carry
out the mission in Iraq. He has done it
successfully and valorously and anyone
whoʼs a real American will denounce the
despicable ad by ultra-liberal MoveOn.
org. In addition to this condemnation,
hopefully liberals will learn the facts and
consequences pertaining to their gross
misconceptions about this struggle for
freedom over islamofacist tyranny.
The first misconception I am sick
of hearing is that this war is “illegal.”
I think when Liberals are desperate to
make people see their way with Iraq, they
use this word, completely ignoring how
improper its usage is. Perhaps they donʼt
know what the word “illegal” means, I
donʼt know.
This battle in Iraq is far from illegal, and
hereʼs why: the United States Congress
gave President George W. Bush, through
an overwhelming majority, authority to
engage in military operations in Iraq.
Secondly, the United Nations passed a
dozen resolutions since 1990 pertaining to
Iraqʼs violations, as well as resolution 1441
declaring Saddam Husseinʼs violation
of previous resolutions and impending
military action for noncompliance. The
United States and its coalition had to do
the work that the United Nations was too
inept and incompetent to do, which was
follow their own resolutions. Of course,
Liberals accuse America first with their
“illegality” nonsense instead of pointing
to the many real illegalities of brutal
tyrant Saddam Hussein.
The second Liberal notion of equal
absurdity is this idea of giving the
terrorists a “timetable” for retreat. Liberals
will use the word “redeployment” but
the fact is they are playing right into the
terroristsʼ desires if our country lays out
a timetable for our mission. Who in their
right mind during World War II wouldʼve
told the Nazis that we were going to cease
operations at a particular time and date?
The answer is no one would have, and
the reason is a tenet of common sense:
you donʼt give your enemy
your battle plans! Why
donʼt Liberals understand
that any timetable fits right
into their strategy? There
is no doubt in the minds
of many that Liberals will
resist any notion of progress
in Iraq whatsoever because
they are terrified that their
loony assertions will be
disproved.
This has been the case
with the recent report by Gen.
Petraeus and Ambassador
Crocker. Anbar province
has greatly improved and so
has Diyala province, and the
populace is realizing how
valuable fighting al-Qaeda
with the Americans can be
for their livelihood. Liberals
Photo from MoveOn.org
just donʼt get it.
Cooking
the
Books
for
the
White
House
The fact that Liberals just This MoveOn.org ad ran in The New
York Times.
donʼt get it is rather evident
General Petraeus is a military man constantly at war with the facts. In 2004, just before the election, he said there
was “tangible progress” in Iraq and that “Iraqi leaders are stepping forward.” And last week Petraeus, the architect
in the recent freak show of a protest
held reasonability, and then there is what
of the escalation of troops in Iraq, said, “We say we have achieved progress, and we are obviously going to do
everything
we can Ito build ensued
on that progress.”at the anti-war freak show.
this past week at the Capitol. Now,
Hereʼs
genuine,
advice
admire the ambition of anyone willing
toreport on the ground
Every independent
situation some
in Iraq shows that
the surge strategyheartfelt
has failed. Yet the General
claims a reduction in violence. That’s because, according to the New York Times, the Pentagon has adopted a bizarre
for
Liberal
anti-war
crusaders:
the
point
drive four hours and rally in a protest.
I
formula for keeping tabs on violence. For example, deaths by car bombs don’t count. The Washington Post reported
that
assassinations
only
count
if
you’re
shot
in
the
back
of
the
head
—
not
the
front.
According
to
the
Associated
of
a
protest
is
to
get
a
point
across
without
was proud to have participated in a protest
Press, there have been more civilian deaths and more American soldier deaths in the past three months than in any
making
yourselves
look
like
two years ago with well over other
100,000
summer we’ve been there.
We’ll hear of neighborhoods
where violence
has decreased.
But werebellious
won’t hear that
those neighborhoods have been ethnically cleansed.
ignoramuses.
While
doing
this,
it helps
pro-life youth in Washington D.C. These
Most
importantly,
General
Petraeus
will
not
admit
what
everyone
knows:
Iraq
is
mired
in
an
unwinnable
religious
if
you
give
yourselves
some
credibility
anti-war protesters have good cause to be
civil war. We may hear of a plan to withdraw a few thousand American troops. But we won’t hear what Americans are
by
not
getting
arrested
doing
it.
it
angry because of the mismanagement
ofa timetable for withdrawing all our troops. General Petraeus has actually said AmericanAnd
desperate to hear:
troops
will need to stay in Iraq for as long as ten years.
also
helps
if
you
donʼt
demoralize
and
the war for the last three years and the
Congress and before the American people, General Petraeus is likely to become General Betray Us.
disrespect the mission and sacrifices of
benchmarks not being reached. IToday,
ambeforejust
as disappointed. But letʼs be honest here. our military. Oh, and having the facts and
No one at my protest was idiotic enough knowing what “illegal” means will get
to get arrested and then blame the police you some respect while youʼre at it.
Unlike
thenot authorized
Liberals,
I committee.
wonʼt ever
for what they knew was going to happen
Paid for by Moveon.org Political
Action, political.moveon.org,
by any candidate or candidate’s
question
oneʼs
patriotism,
but I will
if they jumped security barriers.
question
oneʼs
grasp
of
personal
I am a firm believer in exercising
responsibility
and
ability
to act
First Amendment rights, but those
intelligently.
Clearly
their
radical
views
who were arrested protesting the war
at
this
protest
prove
that
the
latter
is
went to the extreme. I am also a firm
impossible
for
Liberals,
and
the
former
is
believer in personal responsibility. There
as
far
from
them
as
their
minds
are
from
are responsible ways to display oneʼs
political viewpoints with rationality and the realities of a post-9/11 world.
GENERAL PETRAEUS OR
GENERAL BETRAY US?
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 13
Features
Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off for Latin culture lovers
By Ashley La Rose
Staff Writer
If you were anywhere near Loser Hall on Wednesday,
Sept. 19 around 3 p.m. you may have wondered why a
group of people were parading down the sidewalk with a
huge banner and two traditional Chinese lions.
The members of Unión Latina, Black Student Union
(BSU), Asian American Association (AAA), Chi Upsilon
Sigma, Lambda Sigma Upsilon, Theta Nu Xi, Lambda
Theta Alpha and Lambda Tau Omega were marching
from Loser Hall to the Travers/Wolfe lawn, where the
clubs had set up a barbeque to kick off Hispanic Heritage
Month, which takes place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
“The leadership from past years never took initiative
to show awareness for the month. We started with a
Parade and barbeque because we wanted to get the
attention of the campus and say ʻHey, itʼs Hispanic
Heritage Month,ʼ” Eliana Reyes, president of Unión
Latina, said via e-mail.
Reyes explained that Hispanic Heritage Month is a
very important time in the Latin community because it
honors the historical and cultural diversity and unique
contributions of the Hispanic community both in the
United States and the 20 Spanish-speaking countries
around the world. According to Reyes, this is the first
time that the Latino community has had a procession
and barbeque to alert students to the start of Hispanic
Heritage Month. Joining with other minority clubs is
also a first.
“It was a way to show the campus that we do celebrate
diversity in more than just name, and that there are those
of us on campus who enjoy each otherʼs heritages,”
Genghis Tan, president of AAA, said. “Also, this was
a display of the beginning of organizational unity that
AAA, Unión Latina and BSU want to foster in the
coming year.”
Other than the barbeque, Unión Latina, with the help
of various other multicultural organizations, plans on
Ashley La Rose / Staff Writer
Members of Unión Latina marched on Sept. 19 for the start of Hispanic Heritage Month.
offering activities for the whole campus to get involved
in, enjoy and hopefully learn from over the next
month. The future activities include a night of social
commentary combined with movie viewing, selective
“Latin Cuisine Nights” at Eickhoff Hall and, finally,
the annual Explosion Latina. Explosion Latina is a time
where students can showcase their talents for the whole
campus.
Wendolin Regalado, senior sociology major and vice
president of Chi Upsilon Sigma, said, “It is important
for the campus community to be aware of the Latino
presence on campus. This parade and barbeque, and the
rest of the events we have planned, are a great way to
draw attention to ourselves in a positive way.”
Students interested in attending these events can go
to Unión Latinaʼs Web site at tcnj.edu/~ulso or check
for events on the weekly “This week at (the College)”
e-mails. In addition to the aforementioned activities,
Reyes also promised a few surprises for students at the
College that will be revealed later in the semester.
Reyes promised, “The best is yet to come (so) stay
tuned!”
Teams go from the classroom to the boardroom
By Joseph Ciampitti
Correspondent
The Lionʼs Apprentice, the Collegeʼs
take on NBCʼs hit reality show “The
Apprentice,” kicked off on Thursday. Run
by the School of Business, The Lionʼs
Apprentice invites industry leaders to
challenge teams of students with real life
projects.
This is the third year the College
has offered students the opportunity to
participate in the event and it looks to
be the best ever. In the past, the College
has worked with Johnson & Johnson, the
Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce
and Sodexho, the Collegeʼs food service
provider.
To begin this year, teams will work
with the Trenton Devils hockey team, the
New Jersey Devilsʼ minor league affiliate.
Formerly known as the Trenton Titans,
the Devils are having a tough time with
rebranding and are looking to The Lionʼs
Apprentice for help.
Each group is asked to come up with
a business plan to get people, particularly
students, to come out to games. The Trenton
Devils have traditionally had a tough
time tapping the college demographic for
many reasons like lack of transportation,
Trentonʼs less than perfect reputation, the
plethora of professional sports franchises
in the area and perhaps most importantly,
the really expensive beer.
Itʼs up to each team to address these
issues and create a business plan that will
increase attendance at games, specifically
among college students.
Teams are expected to give a 20-minute
presentation of their business plans each
Devon DeMarco / Photo Editor
Team Money-Makers after winning one of the competitions at last yearʼs
Lionʼs Apprentice.
week and will be judged on a variety
of aspects from appearance to content.
A panel of six judges, including Alfred
Pelham, associate professor of marketing,
Lorraine Allen, director of the Small
Business Development Center, Joseph
Savino, Joanne Savino and Jason Akers,
all from the Savino Financial Group, and
each weekʼs client, will score the teams.
At the end of the semester, a winner will
be announced and prizes will be awarded.
Even for the teams that donʼt win, thereʼs
plenty to be gained. “Employers love to
talk about an experience youʼve had, even
if you didnʼt win,” Jack Kirnan, Dean of
the School of Business, said. Presentations
will be recorded and posted on the Internet
as podcasts for teams to review. Each
participant will also be given a disk with
a recording of their presentations to be
used as not only a learning tool but also a
valuable asset when looking for a job.
Four teams have signed up to
participate in this yearʼs event. Teams
consist of between three and six members
and although almost all participants are
business majors, there is great diversity
among the teams. Eager freshmen will be
taking on experienced seniors in what will
undoubtedly be a brutal battle of business
brains.
Participants seemed eager to get the ball
rolling, scribbling notes about this weekʼs
challenge. One group in particular, the
Entrepreneurship Club Consulting Group
(ECCG), seemed especially prepared to
dominate its competition.
The ECCG consists of three members:
Flamur Rama, senior political science
major, George Guhr, senior finance major,
and Sherry McKeever, senior business
administration major. They arrived well
before any of the other teams, made sure
to sit right up front and dressed the part of
successful business people.
“The Lionʼs Apprentice is real handson. We can use what weʼve learned and
apply it to the real world,” Rama said. The
ECCG made it clear they werenʼt there to
mess around and they plan to do what it
takes to win. Guhr added, its strategy is
simple enough — “provide the solution,
give the customer what it wants.”
The Lionʼs Apprentice also attracted
quite a few spectators interested in
checking out the competition and learning
a little about the business world. Some
may have had ulterior motives: “Iʼm
here for the free pizza and soda,” Kevin
OʼNeill, senior electrical engineering
major, said.
If youʼre interested in participating
in The Lionʼs Apprentice send an email to Patty Karlowitsch, manager of
operations for the School of Business, at
karlowit@tcnj.edu as soon as possible.
And if you want to see how real life
business problems get solved or you just
want to support your fellow students,
check out the next The Lionʼs Apprentice
on Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. and alternating
Thursday evenings in Business Building
room 123.
page 14 The Signal September 26, 2007
Professor bounces back after accident
By Kelly Duncan
Features Assistant
Everyone knows what itʼs like to be
faced with a difficult situation. According
to Holly Haynes, assistant professor of
philosophy and religion, overcoming
difficulty is all about taking small steps
with your friends by your side.
On May 5 Haynes was in a car accident,
which left her with three broken ribs
and a punctured lung. She was forced
to spend four days in the hospital with
a tube in her lungs to help prevent the
build-up of fluids. According to Haynes,
however, she was lucky.
“I bounced off of the
guardrail on one side of the
Turnpike and then I went all
the way across the freeway
and bounced off the other
side and my car spun,” she
said. “I wasnʼt hurt nearly as badly as I
could have been and I didnʼt get hit by
anyone else. It could have been kind of
bad.”
Fortunately, she made a quick recovery.
Haynes said that after about two weeks,
she was feeling well enough to return to
the gym, something which few people in
her situation would attempt. However,
exercise actually assisted her recovery.
“When your lung collapses, itʼs really
painful to breathe or cough or sneeze
or anything like that,” she said. “One
of the dangers is that (the lung) could
fill up with fluid, so they tell you to
breathe as deep as you can. Itʼs hard to
force yourself to do that, but going to the
gym was actually good, because I would
get my heartbeat up a little bit and Iʼd
have to breathe more heavily. That was
actually good for healing my lung.”
Despite her injuries, one of Haynesʼ
biggest concerns was the yoga class she
had just begun to teach. The first class
was canceled because of her accident.
She immediately returned the next
week to teach, however, she could not
participate as much as she would have
liked.
Haynes said she feels that part of her
quick recovery was due to her inability to
believe that there is anything she cannot
do. Even more than that, she credits her
friends with giving her the strength and
support she needed during her difficult
time.
“One of the biggest experiences
for me was how great my friends were
to me,” she said. “(The
Collegeʼs) Classics Club
also sent me flowers and
itʼs really huge to know
that youʼve got that kind of
support or that people are
out there who are thinking
about you. My friends came and took
care of me at home the first weekend or
so that I was there, so that was a really
big psychological lift.”
She also compared the strength it
takes to overcome an obstacle in your
life to the strength it takes to persevere
in college. Haynes, who teaches difficult
subjects like Latin and Greek, is no
stranger to the troubles of school. In
fact, she had never even attended an
American school until she moved to the
United States for college.
“I had gone to English schools and so
I was totally bewildered by the American
school system,” Haynes said. “I went to
the University of Washington, which is
this huge state school, and I had no idea
what was going on.”
This was how she “stumbled” into the
languages she now teaches. Haynes said
that at the time, she was lost in her life
and much of what she did was simply
����featured
face
Devon DeMarco / Photo Editor
Assistant professor of philosophy and religion Holly Haynes credited
exercise and friends with helping her recover after a car accident.
because it was the opposite of what her
parents wanted from her — to become
a lawyer. Suddenly, she found herself
in graduate school with a teaching
assistantship and she knew what she
wanted to do.
She spent seven years teaching at
New York University, followed by two
years at Dartmouth before she began her
job at the College.
“(Teaching) doesnʼt really feel like a
job in a way,” Haynes said. “I often just
feel like they pay me to do this and I go
into a classroom and talk to interesting
people … I just feel like I get to come
in here and we yack about some stuff
and we read some cool Latin poetry and
then itʼs the end of the hour. Whatʼs not
to like?”
With Haynesʼ great attitude about
teaching some of the most difficult
subjects available at the College, itʼs no
wonder she remained positive following
her accident. According to her, struggles
are a part of life, but not something one
should be afraid or ashamed of.
“Life is just often not an easy thing,”
she said. “Thereʼs just a lot of difficulty.
Often thereʼs a reluctance to admit that
itʼs difficult, because thatʼs seen as
weak, but I think that a really great thing
to do is to really face up to how painful
and difficult something is. Once you
can accept that, then itʼs the first step to
overcoming it. Just one step in front of
the other.”
Organized room makes for an organized mind
By Alex Seise
Staff Writer
Organization is my idol, and in order to lead a
neat and tidy life you must have at least a bit of it.
Organized study habits will help you succeed in even
the most demanding college courses. Plus, theyʼll
leave you with extra time to party, relax and sleep.
Whatʼs not to love?
The first key to study organization habits is tied in
with scheduling. Sticky notes are a great way to neatly
organize your time in a flexible manner. Theyʼre also
perfect for marking pages with notes, additional
sources and connected thoughts. Sticky notes come in
all shapes and sizes, and some new ones even feature
designer images.
One of the handiest Iʼve found is a sticky flag
dispenser attached to the end of a highlighter. During
the course of your reading and marking, you can pull
a small flag out of the end of the highlighter and flag
the actual page. This makes it easy to return to major
points of interest.
A tray organizer is a great way to prioritize different
types of paperwork. I use an inexpensive metal model
from IKEA that has three tiers. The bottom tray is for
low-priority paperwork that will eventually be filed
away in a drawer.
The middle tray is for upcoming work that doesnʼt
require immediate attention, such as long-term projects and
papers. The top tray is for current projects and paperwork.
Itʼs the easiest to reach and usually the quickest to fill. As
each paper is processed and completed, it moves to a lower
tray or a separate binder. Everything is completed on time
and has a place.
A well-stocked mug filled with pens, pencils,
highlighters and a pair of scissors is a must for any
dorm desk. It keeps a selection of marking tools at your
hands and lets you easily change from a highlighter
to a red pen. If youʼre editing an essay or reviewing
difficult equations, itʼs an absolute must-have.
Rather than keeping messy notebooks filled with
loose papers and torn edges, try using binders. A threehole punch can be purchased at the Staples on Route 1
for under five dollars, and a package
of half-inch binders is even less.
If youʼre running low on paper,
a refill of loose leaf is a simple and
cheap solution. Unlike notebooks,
when you add more paper, your
old notes stick around. Printed notes, old homework
assignments and other odd papers can be punched and
filed in the binder. You can even split each binder into
sections depending on the class. Label the front of
each binder as well as the spine. It will help keep them
Alex Seise / Staff Writer
Cleaning and organizing your room gets you in
the right frame of mind for studying.
in order so that when youʼre running to class, youʼll
know you grabbed the right one.
Donʼt be afraid to let your
study habits break into the
digital
world.
Sometimes,
keeping a list of tasks open in
a word processor or an online
journal can help you feel a sense
of added accomplishment. The list will also keep you
focused on priorities.
If you post your to-do lists online, you may feel
more pressure to get things done on time and you
might even inspire others to do likewise. However,
if you are easily distracted and find yourself surfing
around the gossip Web sites instead, you can always
just keep your list on old-fashioned pen and paper.
Sometimes even the most dedicated scholar needs
to step away for a moment. Itʼs a natural fact of life,
and as long as you structure your break appropriately,
you wonʼt lose track of your work.
Try taking a break with a fun, enjoyable book.
Regardless of what you choose to read, youʼll still
be using your mind but youʼll also be clearing your
thoughts of the tiring research youʼd been so focused
on. When itʼs time to return to work, you can leave
the leisure read nearby and use it as an incentive to
get everything done quickly. The faster you finish, the
sooner you can curl up with a good book.
Organized study habits may not drastically change
your life but theyʼll almost certainly help to keep you
on track. When youʼve got a big paper due, an exam
around the corner and tons of reading to finish, it
helps to have everything in order so that when you get
around to each assignment, youʼll be ready for it.
Youʼll also be ready for the extra partying and free
time that comes along with honed organizational skills.
Whatʼs your best-kept study secret? Do you have
an even better way of keeping your notes and study
habits in order? E-mail your ideas and questions to
DormSpaceAlexSeise@gmail.com.
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 15
Players get their old school game on
By Shannon Raimond
Correspondent
When one thinks of technology and
computing, ping pong, chess and Rockʼem
Sockʼem Robots are not the first things
that come to mind, yet at the Association
for Computing Machineryʼs (ACM) Game
Night Sept. 19 in Centennial Hallʼs basement, the club brought gaming technology
back to these basics.
Hosting its second annual Game Night,
ACM set out to pay tribute to a simpler era
of gaming. “The driving force of technology is games. We are celebrating the roots
of gaming,” Andrew Chiusano, treasurer
of ACM, said.
That meant bringing the Rock ʻem Sock
ʻem Robots out of retirement, dusting off
a few classic gaming units, including Atari and Nintendo 64, and setting up tables
for pool, ping pong and chess. Many of the
games were supplied through fundraising
efforts or donations from ACM members,
according to Chiusano.
The nostalgia of the event seemed to
attract a few old school gamers, who saw
the night as a chance to have fun with
some of their favorite childhood games.
When asked why he came out to game
night, Bobby Olivier, freshman journalism major, said, “Iʼm a fan of Dig Dug, an
ʼ80ʼs arcade game. I played it when I was
younger.”
The night proved to be a success in pro-
Photo from tcnj.edu/~acm/
Old-fashioned games like dominoes were featured at the ACM Old
School Game Night on Sept. 18.
viding students with the opportunity to play
classic games, such as Atari, that are no
longer made available to the public in malls
or game stores as modern systems such as
the Nintendo Wii or Playstation 3 have assumed their spots on the shelves over the
year as technology has progressed.
While the stores may be carrying the
newer games, that doesnʼt necessarily
mean those games are better. As attendance
at the classic style game night proved,
some old school games still have a spot in
the hearts of gamers. Steven Cook, junior
computer science major, who thought it
would be fun to come out and play games,
said, “Some old games are better than the
new.” He agreed that the game night was
a good opportunity to play old games that
are rare.
However, one cannot dismiss that without new technology, old gaming may be
even that much more difficult to enjoy.
One only had to glance around the room
to see that many of the old games were
dependent on their modern counterparts.
Many of the old style gaming consoles at
game night, such as Atari, actually relied
on modern systems to be enjoyed. Clustered around a new Mac laptop but using an Atari joystick, gamers enjoyed the
1980s game called “Millipede” by way of
an Atari system that was plugged into the
computer.
For others, game night was a chance
to socialize with students who share their
same interests. Cook attended an ACM
meeting earlier this year and, as a prospective member, thought he would come out
to mingle with the members. When asked
if he was likely to join the club after the
night, he nodded and said, “Yea.”
Happy with the turnout for the event,
Chiusano said the group is likely to hold
the old school game night again next year.
As for the rest of the year, plans are in
form to host game events using modern
consoles and big screen projectors, as well
as educational workshops about programming languages and Web sites.
ACM has only been an active club on
the campus under this name since last
year. It was formerly called the Computer
Science club. According to Chiusano, the
club, which is currently about 40 members
strong, is always open to new members.
Anyone interested in becoming a member can e-mail the club at acm@tcnj.edu
and be put on the mailing list to be notified
of upcoming events, or attend an ACM
meeting, which is held every Wednesday
at 4 p.m. in Holman 252.
Students say farewell to summer at bash
By Ketany Cunha
Correspondent
Erin Duffy / Features Editor
CA Kait McCarthy grills at the End of Summer
Bash.
With the Fall semester here, it is clear that summer is
beginning to fade. While many still have their short shorts
and their flip flops, the weather is changing and pretty
soon those will be traded in for sweatshirts and sneakers.
What better way to end a summer than to throw one last
bash where everyone can just go and have a great time?
The End of Summer Bash was held on Wednesday
on the Cromwell/Decker lawn and included a variety
of different activities. Sponsored by the Department of
Residential Education and Housing, there was something
for everyone, including henna, card games, Frisbee, a DJ
and plenty of food.
Everyone seemed to have the same reason for going:
they were looking for a place to have fun and forget the
stresses of class. While there, barely anyone thought of
classes and felt almost as if they were at home with old
friends just having a good time.
“It is good to have a place where you donʼt have to
stress about class and just chill with your friends” Rickey
Singh, freshman business major, said.
“(Decker/Cromwell) decided that the best way to let the
students unwind is through a big celebration of summer
wherein everybody could enjoy free barbecue food, water
balloon games, face paint and henna, puzzles and sports,”
community advisor (CA) and event coordinator German
Rozencranc said via e-mail.
The idea of classes seemed to be the farthest thing
from studentsʼ minds.
“I love the summer and it sucks that itʼs almost gone,”
freshman early education and Spanish major Tiffany
Sanchez said.
With the warm weather almost gone, this celebration
was just what the students needed to say goodbye to the
summer. With fall comes a variety of activities to do on
campus, which will hopefully keep students from going
crazy when their workload becomes unbearable.
“I thought that coming to college would not be as fun
as it has been. There is always something to do and you
can always find new people,” freshman chemistry major
Shavonne Flavaney said.
This bash was a great place to meet new people, as
everyone seemed to be satisfied and mingling with
others. There were many people getting henna tattoos
who had never had it done before. There were also water
balloons and the music, which included many summer
hits, got people moving and provided a backdrop for
conversations.
“The event was really successful because all of the
CAs did an amazing job running their posts and planning
the event from top to bottom,” Rozencranc said. “They
worked really hard and it paid off since a lot of people
came and we got a really positive response from the
eventʼs participants.”
If Emmy can write for The Signal ...
... so can you.
E-mail duffy6@tcnj.edu
page 16 The Signal September 26, 2007
Arts & Entertainment
Popular Philly group returns to Rathskeller
Cara MacNeil / Staff Photographer
The Blue Method, a Philadelphia-based act that has frequented the College in the past,
brought their blend funk, up-tempo R&B and soul to the Rathskeller last Tuesday.
By Jason Lipshutz
Correspondent
Brian Williams, The Blue
Methodʼs live-wire lead singer,
has a voice that refuses to be ignored. On Sept. 18, every time the
audience at the Rathskeller settled comfortably into his bandʼs
blend of ʼ70s funk and up-tempo
R&B, Williams grabbed the microphone like a man on a mission,
his booming voice pouncing on
every word until the crowd was
just as enthralled by the music as
he was. “Turn it up!” he shouted,
beads of sweat pouring down toward the big smile on his face.
The Blue Method was practically giddy at its show this week
at the College, pounding out oldschool soul music with fat bass
riffs and saxophone solos. The
five members of the band seemed
loose and relaxed on stage, and
frequently extended songs into
full-out jam sessions.
“When you do 150 shows a
year with the same four guys, you
get comfortable,” guitarist Mike
Patriarca said. “Weʼre song-oriented. Weʼre not a ʻjam band,ʼ but
we try to have some surprises in
our shows.”
The band members, who hail
from the Philadelphia/South Jersey area, have been extensively
touring the northeast in support
of their new album, “Kill The
Music Vol. 2.” Theyʼve been playing at blues festivals, beer festivals, clubs, bars and other colleges such as Pennsylvania State
University and Vassar College.
The guys admitted to being fairly
run-down from constantly going
out on the road.
“By the end of the weekend,
weʼre usually on fumes,” Patriarca said.
The wear-and-tear could not
be seen when The Blue Method came to the stage, however,
as the band energetically blew
through multiple sets of original
material and a handful of covers.
Williams, whose lyrics focused
on individuality, overcoming
struggles and staying positive,
had a deeply powerful voice and
the stage presence to match it. He
was captivating the entire night,
whether he was belting out notes,
commanding the rest of the band
or squealing on his trumpet or
trombone for a few instrumental
breakdowns.
Thankfully, he never overshadowed his counterparts, as
Patriarca and Tom Long playfully
traded guitar riffs, Theron Shelton provided a solid percussion
section and Rah Sungee held the
bass with a delightful swagger.
Long was also given the spotlight numerous times on saxophone, his solos bursting through
the layers of funk music and
impressing the audience. The
band focused on its crowd-pleasing numbers in which the tempo
would gradually build into a frenzy, until suddenly dropping out
so Williams could pick it back
up with a sing-along chorus. The
music exploded behind Williams
and he met the applause appreciatively when it died back down.
“We like to see people being energetic and moving at our
concerts,” Patriarca said. “When
theyʼre doing that, itʼs gonna radiate right back onto us.”
The Blue Method is scheduled
to continue touring over the next
few months and is currently in
the process of writing new tunes.
“We push ourselves to write new
songs,” Sungee said. “We try to
write hooks; sometimes weʼll
start with a bass line and go from
there. But weʼre always trying to
write.”
It is uncertain when the band
will be back at the College, but
one thing is for certain: the audience at the Rathskeller wonʼt
be forgetting Williams — or his
voice — anytime soon.
Electronica grows on ‘Trees!’ Carney delivers ‘Close
By Todd Petty
Correspondent
Last Friday at the Rathskeller, the College Union Board hosted a night of avant
garde electronic musical acts. The nightʼs
bill, featuring Dayroom and Trees!, two
outside acts hailing from Annville, Pa.,
completed an eclectic week of music in
the Rathskeller kicked off by The Blue
Method on Tuesday.
Dayroom opened the night with a mellow, soothing performance. While seated,
the four-piece band delivered a powerful
indie rock set. The band used guitar, bass,
drums and the support of a keyboard to
create intricate melodies that lulled the
audience into a state of complete relaxation. The set consisted of songs such as
“Totem Pole” and “Your Brain.”
The band delivered a hypnotic performance that endured a solid 45 minutes.
When frontman Dave Fell announced that the band
would only be playing
one more song, a passionate request from the audience prompted the band to
deliver an encore.
Dayroom has recently been garnering popularity and is now working with a
small indie record label known as Brother
and Brother Records.
Next on the bill was the headlining act,
an energetic electronic indie rock band.
Trees! took the stage prepared to deliver
what would quickly become a crowd
pleasing performance.
Fully equipped with grins and several
pairs of miniscule gym shorts, Trees! delivered a nine-song set that was highly
synth-based. Matt Manhire provided a
solid rhythmic foundation with his bass
guitar, occasionally incorporating complex solos into the bandʼs already intricate
song arrangements.
The band danced their way around the
stage producing music that would prompt
listeners to do the same. Sure enough, by
the end of the show fans moved toward
the front of the stage and began dancing
along with the catchy sound that the band
seemed to diffuse from every pore of their
bodies.
The bandʼs set included crowd favorites “Oregonomity” and “Nightmare.” In
addition to the bandʼs original songs, they
included an extremely entertaining cover
of Vanessa Carltonʼs hit, “A Thousand
Miles.”
In between songs, frontman Mike
Harned interacted with the audience,
providing funny anecdotes and a positive
message.
“Never give up, thatʼs our motto. Live
life for happiness,” Harned said.
“CUBRat is always keeping diversity
in mind when looking for bands to play
in the Rat, and that includes diverse music genres,” CUBRat co-chair
Christina Burt said, when
asked why she decided to
employ the services
of such off-the-wall
bands.
“We wanted a type of band that doesnʼt
usually get to play in the Rat so we could
bring something a little different to campus and hopefully appeal to more students
at the College,” she added after the show.
The nightʼs performance featured not
only diverse musical acts, but a highly
colorful crowd as well. Apart from just
students from the College, fans came
from as far as New York and Philadelphia
to catch Trees! live.
After receiving a well-deserved round
of applause, the bands packed and loaded
all of their equipment and said goodbye
to fans and friends. Band members returned to their respective colleges where
they will continue to study music and create sounds that move fans; whether it be
physically or emotionally.
Reading’ of Shakespeare
By Liz Hannah
Correspondent
English majors gathered with non-English majors Thursday morning for professor
and English department chair Jo Carneyʼs
reading of Act III/Scene I of Shakespeareʼs
“Merchant of Venice.” Carneyʼs half-hour
dissection of this work was the first in a series of “Close Readings.”
The purpose of Close Readings is to create a venue in which reading occurs as a
group activity. These seminars emphasize
the enjoyment that can be gleaned from
looking closely into a text and allow individuals to experience the pleasure of literature together.
Thursdayʼs selection was a famous scene
in which Shylock, a Jewish merchant in
Venice, defends himself in the face of racism and malevolence. Carney described
Shakespeareʼs “The Merchant of Venice” as
one of the dramatistʼs “problem comedies.”
Although it was written to make people
laugh, the play asks serious questions of its
viewers. Through questions such as, “If you
poison us do we not die?” Shylock speaks
powerfully on the hypocrisy of racism.
Carney emphasized that the language
used by Shylock was an important vehicle
for Shakespeareʼs message. The characterʼs
extensive use of open-ended interrogatives
was a way of persuading, which was, according to Carney, a priority of many men
in Shakespeareʼs time.
The professor noted that Shakespeare
loved language and used an astonishing
number of words yet he chose to make
Shylockʼs prose startlingly simple. He chose
this method, Carney said, in order for the
language to go “straight to the heart and
ear.” She emphasized that simple and direct
syntax does not imply simplicity of content
or ideas.
Carney provided listeners with a background of the history and ideas pertaining to the reading. She also explained that
Shakespeare was one of the few members
of his circle that avoided arrest because, as
was the case in “The Merchant of Venice,”
he set his plays outside of England in order
to evade controversy.
“I liked the way Jo Carney broke down
the historical aspects of Shakespeare,” Ashley Edwards, freshman English major, said.
Following the reading, Carney hosted an
open discussion about the work. Many comments revolved around religious persecution
and how the scene related to a broader religious context. The stereotypes that Jewish people were subject to in Shakespeareʼs
time were discussed as well as the ways that
Shylockʼs language may have functioned to
challenge the practices of Christians.
“It was interesting to hear all of these
Ph.D.ʼs having a conversation and throwing
out their ideas,” Lindsay Warren, a senior
English major, said.
Rob DeCarlo / Staff Photographer
Jo Carney hosts the first edition
of “Close Readings.”
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 17
Award-winning artist brings her work to College
By Sarah Oldfield
Staff Writer
Rob DeCarlo / Staff Photographer
Lauded artist Shelly Silver displayed
four of her films on Wednesday.
Artist Shelly Silver spoke at the College on Sept. 19 part of the “Religion, Culture, and Identity” learning communityʼs
artist lecture series. Students were given a
chance to view parts of Silverʼs films and
ask questions and add their own thoughts.
Silver is a New York-based artist who
utilizes film, video and photography. Her
works have been shown at many film festivals and museums in the United States,
Europe and Asia. The recipient of many
awards, grants and fellowships for her
works, Silver is also a 2005 John Simon
Guggenheim Fellow.
“I was very intrigued about the subject
matter I am supposed to talk about,” Silver
said. She said that her films focus on culture and identity.
“1,” was a reactionary piece Silver made
to incidents of police brutality in New York
City. The words “The world will devour
you so you better taste good” appeared
over a split screen image of two NYPD
officers as a song by Miles Davis played
in the background. Only parts of the copsʼ
heads, necks and faces were shown. The
video had many students wondering if the
video was made after the 9/11 attacks, and
Silver revealed that it was actually made as
a reaction to the Amadou Diallo shooting.
She also said that after 9/11, the outlook
on this video completely changed, and she
was criticized heavily for it.
“Former East/Former West” was a
product of Silverʼs trip to Berlin with a
German academic exchange program. She
went there in 1992, which was three years
after the Berlin wall fell. She wanted to
find out what it was like to be a German,
and more specifically, a Berliner, during
this time of rebuilding.
She traveled to the many neighborhoods of the city and interviewed many
people, asking them about 23 of the same
questions. She found the most interesting
answers to be to the question, “What does
history mean to you?”
The majority of the answers referred to
the Holocaust. This period of time caused
many Germans to feel like their history
was “bothersome,” “embarrassing” and
“neither sweet nor honorable.” Silver said
that the film is “so much about identity,”
and that the people interviewed usually
identified themselves with either the east
or the west without actually ever saying
it. When the film was first viewed, Silver
said, “It was really hard for me. People
didnʼt like it … they felt misrepresented.”
In 1996, Silver completed “37 Stories
About Leaving Home.” She made this while
in Japan with the Japan-U.S. Friendship
Commission. In this documentary, Silver
talks with several generations of Japanese
women about their families and their lives.
They speak about their roles as mothers and
wives and also about their own experiences
with love. A grandmother explains, “Itʼs
been 50 years since I was married. I still
donʼt know what love is.” She also says that
sometimes she finds it “difficult” and “boring” to act like a real woman.
In the 15 minute film “What Iʼm Looking For” Silver showed intimate photographs of strangers. Silver collected these
photographs by placing an ad on an Internet
dating site, saying, “Iʼm looking for people
who would like to be photographed in public revealing something of themselves…”
The video first premiered at the Museum
of Modern Art in New York City in 2004.
Liselot van der Heijden, assistant professor of art at the College, feels that the
lecture series is important because it gives
students a chance to actually talk with the
artists about their work. “Itʼs exposure
more than anything else. Itʼs much more
personal than books or museums,” she explained.
Sarah Cunningham, director of the College Art Gallery, added, “To be aware of
the actual art-making process – to see it is
a very educational experience.”
Plot of Beatles-inspired flick An interview with the hacker
strays ‘Across The Universe’
By Young-Il Seo
Correspondent
By Josh Page
Staff Writer
Itʼs been 27 years since John
Lennon was shot and killed, and
since then the music of The Beatles has been used in commercials,
re-releases of their classic hits and
even has been the basis for a Cirque
de Soleil show. Therefore, the release of “Across the Universe,” a
movie musical made entirely of the
foursomeʼs greatest hits, comes as
no surprise. However, though the
intention for the film seems admirable, the movieʼs execution is less
satisfying than previews for the
film would lead many to believe.
The movie follows the life of
an early 20-something Liverpool
native, fittingly named Jude, as
he comes to America in search of
his biological father. The fish-outof-water protagonist finds himself
in the company of some progressively motivated activists, artists
and musicians.
Taking place during the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement, the movie works as a pseudo-commentary on the trials and
consequences faced by the youth of
America during this point in time.
And of course, no musical would
be complete without a heart-breaking love story as the young Jude
finds himself enamored with the
sister of his best friend, (fittingly
named, again) Lucy.
OK, the movie wonʼt win any
awards for a unique storyline, but
it does remain fresh through its
incorporation of The Beatlesʼ catalogue. More times than not, the
classic songs are assimilated well
into the film, breathing life into the
somewhat bland and predictable
plotline. And although the movie
seems to be straining too hard to
fit in too many Beatles tracks , as a
whole, it succeeds as an above average musical.
Combined with the finely crafted cinematography, “Across the
Photo from mtv.com
Trippy love scenes like the one above weave a tangled and
ultimately unsatisfying plot web in “Across The Universe.”
Universe” is a delight to behold,
with its bright colors and trippy
situations accompanying the music harmoniously; a notable example is the drafting of Judeʼs best
friend into the Vietnam War with
an army of menacing soldiers and
animated Uncle Sams doing synchronized dancing while singing
the completely out of context “I
Want You.”
But if the film is such a visual
feast and is commendable for its
interpretation of the soundtrack,
then could there be anything wrong
with it? The answer is yes. For even
though much time was spent creating vividly engrossing scenes of
musical ecstasy, there seems to be a
severe lack of validation to accompany many of the highly symbolic
and metaphorical scenes and situations. About halfway through the
film, the movie veers off the track
of sanity and never really makes it
back on.
Lots of heavy-handed imagery
is thrown at the viewer that seems
to be focused on illuminating some
sort of bigger theme or connection
between the war and the lives of
the characters. However, the last
hour of the film feels like one
long drug-induced romp through
the psychedelic minds of youthful America that longs to make a
larger statement about the world,
but lacks the finesse to do so. This
leaves many moments in the film
where the viewer will wonder what
the importance or the point of what
theyʼre watching is.
While watching the film, I was
reminded of another rock movie
musical: Pink Floydʼs disturbingly
stirring “The Wall.” The complex
characters, situations and underlying themes of that film make it
(in my humble opinion) one of the
most powerfully moving motion
pictures ever created. And where
“The Wall” made effective use of
symbolism and the art of the metaphor, “Across the Universe” falls
flat, becoming a case of a movie
whose bark is bigger than its bite.
Itʼs a noble attempt to bring the
music of The Beatles back to life,
but “Across the Universe” is not as
grand or deeply moving as it wants
to believe it is. When it all comes
down to it, itʼs just too damn abstract and disorganized to really
be considered thought-provoking.
But aside from its shortcomings,
the movie will at least stir the
viewing public to break out their
dusty Beatlesʼ collection, crank up
the volume and absorb themselves
in the genius behind some of the
greatest songs in American music
history.
Several weeks ago, George
Hotz, a 17-year-old student at the
Rochester Institute of Technology,
achieved cult status among hackers by being the first to unlock the
iPhone from the AT&T network.
Hotz has since gathered a windfall
of fame and fortune, trading away
his second unlocked iPhone for
three other iPhones and a 350z, a
car valued at more than $35,000.
He has also been given interviews
for CNN, MSNBC and scores of
newspapers.
Hotz and a group of undisclosed
confederates used a combination
of hardware and software hacks in
order to use his T-Mobile network
on his personal iPhone, removing the exclusive AT&T network.
Hotz has said that his actions are
completely legal, protected by the
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
(DMCA), which protects phone
“unlocks,” or removing a phoneʼs
original carrier to switch to another carrier for personal use.
Many critics have pointed out
that what Hotz has done was not
special, if legal, as even he admits
that a layman “with an extensive
knowledge of soldering” would
need only 10 hours to unlock an
iPhone.
“Apple has nothing to fear,” one
pundit claimed. “The people that
will do this are a very small minor-
ity of iPhone owners.” Even Hotz
questions the fame he has received.
On his YouTube video where he
first released the news of his unlocked iPhone, he states a desire to
see a full software unlock, seeing
his as only a middleground to an
eventual end.
When asked why his complicated unlock has gathered more
attention than the full unlock for
the Blackberry last year, Hotz
said, “Sure, the iPhone may be
special, but I think the fame had
to do more with me.” He believed
it was his age and his previous
projects, including a 3D projector, which earned him a spot on
CNN and a $20,000 prize just
last year, that got his iPhone
hack extra attention.
When questioned about his obsession, Hotz admittted to woking
500 hours, or eight hours a day
for the entire summer, in order
to achieve his goal. “Thatʼs how
I work,” he says. “I ignore everything else.” Hotz has already
moved on to other projects, satisfied by the quiet release of the full
software unlock.
On Sept. 11. of this year, Hotz
posted a final message on his
iPhone blog. “I finally feel like the
iPhone can be laid to rest, now that
Iʼve seen a software unlock with
my own eyes,” he said. “Itʼs been
a great trip.” Hotzʼs next project,
an open source GPS system, is already well in the works.
Photo from Google Images
New Jersey native George Hotz ‘cracked’ the iPhone.
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 19
Furious fret work propels Hero Pattern Kweli falls short;
By Joseph Hannan
Production Manager
With a push of the play button, the onslaught of highly-refined rock music begins. The
intense bombardment is captivating, and in an instant the
listener is immersed in rock ʻnʼ
rollʼs timeless trio of guitars,
drums and bass.
“Some secrets you never can
tell, ʻcause the truth will reveal
your lies,” Jason Kundrath,
vocalist and rhythm guitarist,
croons.
Right from the onset of their
2007 release, “The Deception
EP,” Hero Pattern inundates
the listener with sophisticated
rhythm and bass resonating
from drummer Mike Kundrath
and bassist Rob Fitzgerald.
Pierre Marceau, lead guitarist, ignites the fret board as his
fingers sprint and dash about
the neck, gripping and bending
strings high and low. Narrating
the energetic arrangement with
tales of loss, miscommunication
and nostalgia is Jasonʼs melodic
voice.
Hero Pattern formed as the
result of two merged musical endeavors. While in high
school, the Kundrath brothers
had formed two separate bands.
Jason, who was already creating
music with Fitzgerald, his longtime friend, was the principal
songwriter in this early musical
endeavor, “which shall remain
nameless,” he said. Mike served
as Jasonʼs constant collaborator
while writing these early songs.
Eventually,
Mike
was
brought in to drum with Jason
and Fitzgerald; however, according to Jason, the band had
yet to be completed. At the time,
Marceau, known in the hometown scene as the best guitarist
around, was playing for another
local band. When Marceauʼs
original band broke up, Jason described him as being in
a state of mourning. Despite
Marceauʼs loss, Jason remained
persistent and was able to bring
him into the band. With the addition of Marceau, described
as the bandʼs “secret weapon,”
utilizing a “Slash meets David
Gilmore approach” to guitar,
Hero Pattern was born.
“Heʼs a virtuoso in his own
right,” Jason said. Marceauʼs
virtuosity was the final element
required for the creation of potent, driving rock music. “At this
point, we all know exactly how
to be Hero Pattern,” he added.
Being Hero Patten consists
of a focused approach to “the
lost art of writing a good song.”
A Hero Pattern song has roots
deep in the classic rock genre.
According to Jason, The Beatles
are a tremendous source of inspiration for the band.
“The Beatles were my first
obsession,” he said. “Thatʼs
probably why the craft of songwriting is important to me. I just
want to make sure that the standard of music is very high.”
Jason also described the impression left on him by the grunge acts of the ʼ90s, including Nirvana and Pearl Jam. The angst
and
aggression
of
these
acts began
to surface
in his early attempts at songwriting. With the divorce of his
parents, his music served as “a
release valve for all this pent-up
emotion.”
Despite these influences, Jason rightfully asserted, “I do
feel that Hero Patternʼs sound
is really hard to classify.” Hero
Pattern has harnessed these influences and has utilized them
Donnas go ’80s?
By Chris Kubak
Staff Writer
Talib Kweli
“Eardrum”
3 out of 5 stars
Photo from Google Images
Hero Pattern, a guitar-driven rock band from Rockaway,
N.J. has earned some mainstream attention, spending
two weeks as purevolume.com’s “Pure Pick.”
to create a distinct and forceful
sound.
Their efforts have not gone
without recognition. What
would come to be referred to
as “Everything You Knew” in
the United States was originally
intended to be a full-length record. It was recorded at Atomic
Recording Company in Long
Island. Jason said the band literally “moved into the studio”
and recorded the record over the
course of numerous marathon,
18-30 hour sessions.
When the record was finished,
the band began to
hunt for a record label that would pay
for the re- lease. When a tentative deal fell through, the band
decided to release the record as
a six-track EP. Fabtone Records,
a Japanese label, released the record in Japan in its entirety. Jason
said Fabtone also financed detailed liner notes, complete with
lyrics, as well as cover art.
The lack of a stateside label
has not prevented Hero Pattern
from touring. The band spent all
of April on the road, touring with
River City High, Jetlag Gemini
and National Fire Theory. Jason
described this as “a priceless experience,” where he learned the
importance of “getting loose on
stage” and “being as much of a
showman as possible.” But for a
working musician, the reality of
a tour hits especially hard.
“You have rent to pay; you
have bills coming in every
month,” Jason said. “Touring is
a disconnect from reality.”
But in reality, the dream of
a label-sponsored tour may not
be that far out of reach. Hero
Pattern has already spent two
weeks as purevolume.comʼs
“Pure Pick,” during which the
band soared up Pure Volumeʼs
rock chart to the No 1. ranking, a statistic that is sure to
earn the attention of the music
industry. As Hero Pattern takes
to the studio to record another
EP, this time with acclaimed
independent producer and engineer Steve Greenwell, their big
break may be soon to follow.
Iʼve been fighting this Talib Kweli thing
for quite some time now. Here we have a
guy who has the talent to be perhaps the
best rhyme-sayer out there right now, yet I
canʼt help but feel like he hasnʼt quite lived
up to all the hype and acclaim that he has
received. The Blackstar record he made
with Mos Def still stands as one of my
favorite hip-hop offerings of all time, and
since then Iʼve been waiting for Kweli to
break out.
“Eardrum,” his third solo album,
doesnʼt quite do it. Granted, as a lyricist
Kweli has few equals and his writing is
inspired and intelligent, not simply about
bling and Bentleys. My big issue with him
has always been his delivery. Thereʼs nothing inherently wrong with his rapping, but
sometimes it sounds as if he is conquering
the beat, rather then trying to mesh with it.
Ultimately this leads to a bunch of disorienting moments. Nevertheless, the list of
guests and collaborators on this album is
impressive, spanning the likes of Norah
Jones, Justin Timberlake and KRS-One,
with Kayne West, Hi-Tek, Madlib, will.i.am and Pete Rock manning the production duties. As it stands, itʼs a good hip-hop
record. But knowing the talent that Talib
Kweli has, it had the potential to be great.
Key Tracks: “Hostile Gospel Pt. 1 (Deliver Us),” “Soon The New Day, Listen!!!”
The Donnas
“Bitchinʼ”
1.5 out of 5 stars
DC ain’t the only place to get your download fix
By James Queally
Arts & Entertainment Editor
From the Napster era all the way to the
Collegeʼs popular Direct Connect system,
peer-to-peer download programs have been
the avid music fanʼs best friend for the better
part of a decade now. However, with the ever
increasing presence of spyware, programs
like Kazaa, Limewire, Morpheus and even
DC++ have become more of an annoyance
than a benefit for aficionados seeking to add
tunes to their library. These problems, coupled with the lurking danger of anti-piracy
lawsuits and massive fines have all but buried the download craze.
Photo from Google Images
There are alternatives to DC++, the
campus’ popular download system.
Thankfully, there is an alternative. Growing more popular by the day, music blogs
have become a new harbinger for safe and
legal downloading. Countless online sites
allow fans to preview and stream entire CDs
from some of todayʼs notable up-and-coming artists, as well as debut discs from some
under-promoted unknown acts as they climb
the ladder to rock stardom.
At only-always.blogspot.com, listeners
are privy to several daily uploads of brand
new CDs from both mainstream acts and
well-respected indie outfits. Featured on the
Web site right now are advance releases of
the Foo Fightersʼ “Echoes, Silence, Patience,
& Grace,” The New Pornographersʼ “At the
Foot of My Rival” and metal stalwarts Bullets & Octaneʼs “Song for the Underdog.” Unfortunately, what only-always has in diversity,
it loses in download speed. The page employs
rapidshare.de, a common file-hosting site, to
house its music. Rapidshare is a sluggish site
at best unless you choose to pay for its premium membership. Its free service moves at
the speed of a sloth and limits most users to
one download per hour.
“Old, Borrowed, and New” another
blogspot.com music Web site, offers a
heavier dose of unknown bands, but unlike
“only-always,” this page offers short reviews
by some of its more frequent users, allowing
first-time fans to get their bearings around
the influx of new sounds. Boasting 53 new
CDs in the month of September, including
new releases from Wintersleep, Matt Pond
PA and the surprisingly mature sophomore
effort from hard-rock/screamo standouts
June. The blog also wisely hosts its music on
Mediafire.com a much speedier alternative
to Rapidshare.
“Bolachas Gratis” takes an alternative
stance on the online downloading scene,
existing strictly for promotional purposes.
Displaying a mixture of unknown and even
foreign acts alongside mainstream pop-rock
powerhouses such as The Killers and Interpol,
the Web site does not allow for downloads,
but rather serves as an information gathering
page for listeners looking for a quick way to
broaden their musical horizons.
Allmusic.com is a great Web site for
people who like the idea behind “Bolachas
Gratis” but are seeking a much wider array
of genres. The page is teeming with reviews
and exclusive interviews with bands, and is
well-known as an online music magazine.
However, Allmusic.com also functions as a
sampling page, allowing for listeners to hear
60-second cuts from every track on the albums they review. For those who consider
downloading “piracy,” or for those who just
donʼt trust download programs, Allmusic is
a great place to stop before you head out on
your next CD binge.
As it stands today, the Internet is teeming
with download options for listeners campuswide, validating the tagline of taxtser.com,
a popular downlaod review Web site: “They
can stop Napster, the program, but they can
never stop Napster, the idea.”
What on earth happened to The Donnas? It was just five years ago that they were
poised to break out and become one of the
next rock sensations. Their song “Take It
Off” was everywhere: video games, television, mainstream radio, etc. Now, theyʼve
traded all that in for leather pants and
Motley Crue songwriting. Thatʼs right, the
Donnas have gone hair metal on us.
This would be all fine and good if it was
1987, but now it just sounds trite and cliché.
In fact, the only thing worse than the retread guitar solos, predictable song structures and ridiculously slick hair metal style
production are some of the lyrics that make
their way onto here. Example: the song
“Wasted” opens with the line “I canʼt sleep,
canʼt even breathe, youʼre a devious distraction/ when you put your hands on me you
start a chemical reaction.” And who could
forget a chorus that contains the phrase,
“The first time I saw your face I got wasted
on your love.” Other award-winning lyrics
include, “Shotgun rhinestone takinʼ you
over/ Poison arrow make you dance a little
slower/ Hocus Pocus losinʼ your focus/ To
get high you gotta go lower, ooh.” In short,
and contrary to the title, this album is far
from bitchinʼ; it downright stinks.
Key Tracks: “Save Us”
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 23
Funs t uf f
Crowns on Clowns
by Timothy Payne
Fill me up with answers!
1
3.
2
5.
3
4
5
6
7.
11.
7
8
9
10
13.
11
14.
15.
12
16.
13
1.
14
2.
4.
6.
15
8.
16
9.
10.
Created with EclipseCrossword - www.eclipsecrossword.com
Last Week’s Answers
12.
Across: 2. Hugo Chavez 6. Chase Utley 7. Russia 9. O.J. Simpson 10. Star Wars 11. Surge 15. Dirty Pillows
Down: 1. Pennsylvania 3. Nanna 4. Flapjacks 5. Britney Spears 6. Cream 8. TPain 12. Rudy 13. Jet Li 14. Space
Across
In “Gone in 60 Seconds” Nicholas Cage listents to this classic War song prior to stealing 50 cars in one night.
“
” Number. This number indicates the number of
protons within an element when listed on the Periodic Table
of Elements.
The worst band in the history of rock ʻnʼ roll. (Hint: If you
are due change you may receive a “ .”
Kevin Hefferman plays “Landfill” in this movie, which contains the most accurate depiction of German culture to date.
This FOX News newscaster has been labeled by the “liberal” media as being staunchly conservative. He is also
parodied by Stephen Colbert on “The Colbert Report.”
Kanye Westʼs “Stronger” is a cover of this bandʼs perfect
song.
In Major League Baseball, a first time offense using this
drug will get you suspended for 50 games.
The second best shortstop in the National League. Rhymes
with Rosé Gayass.
Down
WWEʼs Mankindʼs friend that he pulled from his tights to
perform his trademark move: “The Mandible Claw.”
The “
.” This is the song that Uncle Frank sings in
the shower in “Home Alone 2.”
This type of rock is created from volcanic processes.
The term used to describe the western front in World War II.
Also, a fight to lose weight.
This NFL Hall of Fame player was the last player to
consisently play both offense and defense, earning him the
nickname “The 60-Minute Man.”
Fried, scrambled or “
,” the only way to have your eggs
in the morning. Hint: Think manure.
Heisman hopeful Andre Woodson has led this SEC team to
a 4-0 start.
This 1986 Steven Speilberg classic gave us delightful characters such as Chunk, Data and Sloth.
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 25
by Lauren Costantini
Alice in Fonderland
by Mike Fonder and Eric Berg
Winning the Lottery is Easy
Everyone likes to say that when something will probably
never happen, that theyʼre more likely to win the lottery.
Well, usually this hyperbole is total garbage; on rare
occasions however, the cliché actually holds water. The
following list of events comprises several things far less
likely to happen than winning the lottery.
Eating the suggested serving size of almost any food,
particularly snack foods:
You wait one goddamn minute, Nabisco nutritional information. Youʼre going to try to tell me with a straight
face that the suggested serving size of Oreo cookies is
TWO COOKIES? How did you figure that out? I canʼt
stop eating Oreos after twenty-two cookies, let alone two.
Thatʼs blasphemy. And hang on ... Iʼm expected to close
a bag of Fritos Scoops after 10 chips? Do you even know
how many chips that is, Fritos nutritional information
writer guy? Not many ... not many at all. Rot in hell you
hypocritical assclown. (In related news, Iʼm fat)
Meeting a fan of the Boston Red Sox that has class:
“Nom-ahhhh is hella wicked.” The dregs of the world
of sports fanatics, these fans support their teams rabidly
but also are among the sleaziest people that youʼre likely
to meet. Take, for instance, the game in Fenway this year
in which a fan pulled a Bartman and caught a foul ball
(hit by a Red Sox player) that could have been caught
by an opposing player for an out. Read that again. By all
accounts, this fan did his team a great service. He was
rewarded for this athletic prowess, heroism and above
average Bostonian IQ by having a slice of pizza thrown
at him. I donʼt know about you, but thatʼs the behavior
of a refined, first-class individual if Iʼve ever seen it. (For
more fans with no tact or class, Google Philadelphia, Pa.
sports franchises”)
Hooking up with that hot chick from class:
Dream on, creep. Do you really think that the one attractive girl in the class (you know, the one that catches
you mentally undressing her every Tuesday and Friday
from 12:30-1:50) is going to fall for your “Hey, what did
you get on the midterm? Oh, I got an A- ... no big deal”
games? The only shot you have at this vixen is randomly
running into her when sheʼs blacked out (at a party, study
group or religious gathering), and deceitfully saying, “I
had a huge crush on you when we took Econ Stat together last semester, and itʼs so totally random that Iʼd
By Kevin Shields
accidentally follow you to a party and weʼd by chance
meet up like this in such an unplanned manner.”
Getting games for old school Nintendo to work on the
first try:
The impossibility of getting Nintendo games to work
was the bane of my adolescent existence and continues
to haunt me to this day. Getting Super Mario Bros. 3
to work constitutes, on average, blowing into the game
about 18,411 times, blowing into the system no less than
77 times and beating the console into submission with the
lethal combination of the reset button and open-handed
blows to the system itself. If you get a game to work on
the first attempt, you might as well just play until you
die, because thatʼs about as good as life gets. I would kill
a healthy baby bunny with my bare hands to avoid this
crap.
Iʼd like to field some questions from my readers, so to
those 11 people (including me), get your shit together. Email a question concerning alcohol, manliness, sports or
college life to shields5@tcnj.edu and in a future edition of
The Signal, I might choose to address it in a dry, sarcastic
way totally devoid of intellect or, for that matter, humor.
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 27
THE HUMAN PEAR
BY MAXX TILT
Mundania
BY YOUNG IL SEO
“INSPIRATION”
horoscopes of joy and sadness
Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
March 21— April 19
Leo
April 20 —May 21
Virgo
May 22 — June 21
Libra
June 22 — July 23
Scorpio
One-on-one interaction is best for you
this week. Spending some time with
a special someone and just relaxing
with a small group of friends will be
the most satisfying for you. You have
been craving some quiet time and this
is the week to find it. You donʼt need
a big party to have fun.
You might be out of your element this week when a lot of your
friends and family ask for your
advice. Since youʼre more used to
needing advice rather than dishing
it out, you might be feeling overwhelmed. Just be honest and kind.
Your friends will thank you for it.
Donʼt let your past ruin your present. Youʼve been half-heartedly
going through the motions of partying and thereʼs something hanging over your head ruining your
good time. You are unable to fully
enjoy yourself. Itʼs time to let it
go and move on.
Youʼve been forced to hang out
with someone whom you just
canʼt stand. They havenʼt necessarily done anything mean to you;
you just donʼt like them. Youʼre
just going to have to learn to deal
with this person because he or she
isnʼt going away any time soon.
By girl
July 24 — August 23
Sagittarius
August 24 —September 23
Capricorn
September 24 — October 23
Aquarius
October 24—November 22
Pisces
Look on the bright side; itʼs going to
be hard to top a week as difficult as
this one. Things are just not going
to go right for you and unfortunately your drama queen tendencies will
come out because youʼre going to
make a bigger deal over the things
that go wrong when you shouldnʼt.
Itʼs time to splurge on something
youʼve been wanting to purchase
for what seems like forever.
You have the money saved and
youʼve been waiting for the right
time. This is the week to let your
guilt and reservations go; spend
your money freely.
Keeping busy is your way of avoiding reality this week. You bury
yourself under tons of work and
chores when all youʼre doing is
dodging something important. Just
get whatever it is out of the way
and deal with it head on to make it
ultimately easier on yourself.
You know exactly what it is you
want this week and you will go
after it. There better not be anyone in your way because you will
stop at nothing to get what it is
you want. This week, you feel
that the world is your oyster. Your
self-confidence is at its peak.
November 23 — December 21
Youʼre very emotional this week and
extra sensitive. You might take offense
to comments that arenʼt meant to be
rude or mean. You are getting upset
at everything and arenʼt sure why. It
might be good for you this week to
have a good long cry or go for a run to
work out whatʼs really bothering you.
December 22 — January 20
You will be very capable this week
in all aspects of your life. If you want
something to get done it will. You are
feeling very determined and have little
stress. People will be very responsive
to you and youʼll feel as though you
can get along with anybody. Youʼll
have a very enjoyable week.
January 21 — February 19
You are happy when you are
around other people this week.
You are feeling very affectionate
and you are content when you are
in a social setting. Your friends
are happy to be around you as
well. Their company is very important to you this week.
February 20 — March 20
Romance will be the main focus of
your week. If you are already involved, everything is going great in
the relationship and it might reach
a new level. If youʼre single, then
you will meet someone very promising with whom you will have an
instant connection.
Sports
DiBruno nets three in Lions’ latest win
Devon DeMarco / Photo Editor
Senior forward Dana DiBruno completes her hat trick.
By Justin Jez
Staff Writer
Still undefeated, the women’s soccer team dealt losses
to Montclair State University
and Gwynedd-Mercy College
this week, while tying Richard
Stockton College.
The No. 2 ranked Lions now
stand at 7-0-1 on the season and
2-0-1 in New Jersey Athletic
Conference (NJAC) play.
Senior forward Dana DiBruno led the College’s 6-0 assault
against Gwynedd-Mercy on Monday, scoring the first two goals
and finishing with a hat trick.
Just 2:19 into the game, DiBruno redirected a cross from
sophomore midfielder Kristen
Cubicciotti to give the Lions
the lead. In the 17th minute, she
put away her second goal, assisted by junior forward Jamie
Kunkel.
Kunkel followed her assist
with a goal of her own to push
the lead to three. She now leads
the team in goals scored with
seven.
DiBruno completed her hat
trick in the 25th minute and
moved to No. 3 on the school’s
all-time scoring list with 46
goals and 20 assists.
Senior defender Toni-Anne
Cavallo and sophomore forward
Casey Riley each contributed a
goal to the Lions’ cause.
Three of the Lions’ goalkeepers, junior Amy Hashem, junior
Kristina Kuda and sophomore
Jessica Clarke, saw time in the
net in the Lions’ sixth shutout
of the year.
Held scoreless for the first
time this season, the Lions battled Richard Stockton to a 0-0
draw at home on Wednesday. It
was the second time in as many
seasons that the Lions and the
Ospreys have played even.
Despite out-shooting the Ospreys 29-4 and earning seven
corner kicks compared to the
Ospreys’ one, the Lions could
not capitalize with a goal.
“We had many dangerous op-
portunities to score, and unfor- her second consecutive shutout.
tunately we just couldn’t find
“We are never satisfied with
the back of the net,” DiBruno anything less then a commanding
said. “Stockton played with a victory, and we work hard every
deep sweeper and marked per- day to continuously improve as a
son to person, so it
team,” DiBruno said.
0 “We will look forchanged the dynamic Lions
Ospreys
0 ward to a rematch with
of the game for us.”
Senior
forward
Red Hawks 1 Stockton in the NJAC
Beth Pagano had the
tournament.”
5
best opportunity to Lions
The Lions went
give the Lions the lead Lions
back
to their winning
6
six minutes into the
ways on Saturday with
0 a 5-1 victory over the
second half. Her shot Griffins
made it past junior goalkeeper Montclair Red Hawks.
Alex Rogers but slammed off of
As a result of the Lions eventhe far post.
ly distributing the ball, five difClarke needed two saves to ferent players tallied a goal in
record her third shutout of the the contest.
season.
In the 30th minute, freshman
For the Ospreys, Rogers
made seven saves and earned
see SOCCER page 28
Devon DeMarco / Photo Editor
Junior forward Jamie Kunkel scores a goal Monday.
Lions edge out Explorers in Lions go 2-for-3
Friday night football game
Football
Field Hockey
By Michael O’Donnell
Staff Writer
By Jansen Weaver
Correspondent
The Lions’ special teams unit blocked the
extra point.
Following halftime, La Salle took the
The College’s name was seen scrolling lead for the first time of the night as junior
across many networks’ tickers on Saturday quarterback Chris Hanson threw for his
afternoon after the football team’s 13-12 second touchdown pass. After an unsucwin over the Division I (formerly DI-AA) cessful extra point attempt, the Explorers
La Salle University Explorers Friday night were on top 12-10.
at McCarthy Stadium in Philadelphia.
Dalessio connected on his second field
“Nothing feels better than when you goal of the game toward the end of the
see your name flashing across the ticker on fourth quarter to give the Lions the final
ABC,” head coach Eric Hamilton said.
edge, 13-12.
With the win, the Lions have outscored
Allowing only 194 total yards on 63
the Division I La Salle University Explor- plays, the Lions’ defense has been domiers (0-3) two years in a row.
nant this year.
Senior kicker Matt Dalessio led the LiSenior lineman Joe King had two sacks
ons to victory. He connected on a career- while senior defensive back Andrew Larlong 43-yard field goal in the first quarter kin recorded eight tackles.
to cap off a 10-play drive, then hit a 29“We felt we could have played a lot betyard field goal with 42 seconds left in the ter,” sophomore linebacker Joe Spahn said
game.
of the defense. “There’s definitely room for
Following Dalassio’s field goal in the improvement. We like to apply pressure
first quarter, sophomore quarterback Chris and get after it.”
James hooked up with sophoThe team can also attribute
Explorers 12
more running back Lee Jones
the win to its impressive offense,
13 which has put up over 850 yards
on a 39-yard play-action pass to Lions
give the College a 10-0 lead.
in the last two games.
James, who connected on 12-of-22 atSenior running back Daniel Dornacker
tempts for 143 yards and a touchdown, at- had his second straight 100-plus yard game
tributes the offense’s recent success to his Friday night, running for 119 yards on 17
big guys up front.
carries.
“Our offensive line has really gelled,”
“It was a good game,” Hamilton said.
he said, “and they’re the reason we’ve “We played well, but we need to try to
been so successful in putting up huge yard- force some turnovers in our (New Jersey
age the last two weeks.”
Athletic Conference) opener on Friday.”
With 1:08 left in the second quarter, La
The Lions will host Montclair State
Salle scored on a 32-yard touchdown pass. University (3-0) on Friday at 7 p.m.
The field hockey team (5-1) picked up
two huge wins after dropping their first
game this week to Ursinus College, the
No. 1 team in the nation.
The game held in CollegBears
eville, Pa., on Tuesday, Sept.
18, was a tight contest from Lions
start to finish. After an early Lions
goal by Ursinus in overtime, the
Falcons
College ended up on the wrong
side of the 5-4 scoreboard.
Devils
Junior forward Katie Re- Lions
uther had a trifecta of goals and
freshman forward Leigh Mitchell scored
once. Junior goalie Caitlin Gregory had
five saves.
The loss to top-ranked Ursinus was
the College’s first loss of the year, but to
sophomore forward Jess Falcone, it was a
valuable game.
“I think we learned a lot from the Ursinus loss,” Falcone said. “We know we
have to take better care of the ball when
we have the lead in a close game, and
I think that definitely showed in the
Messiah game.”
Falcone’s statement rang true as
the Lions blanked the No. 2 ranked
Messiah College Falcons 1-0. Reuther scored the lone goal as the Lions pleased the hometown crowd.
Gregory saved the only shot
she saw for the shutout.
“We do a good job of staying calm during these close
games,” Falcone said.
“I think we’ve been
communicating a lot
and have been backing each other up on the
field.”
Falcone netted two first half goals in a
4-1 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson University on Saturday. The win improved
the Lions to an overall record of 5-1.
Not to be outdone, Reuther picked up
the assist on Falcone’s second
5 goal. She then proceeded to
4 notch a score of her own on a
1 penalty stroke.
With the goal, Reuther has
0 a team-high five goals, along
1 with three assists. She also
4 holds a three-game scoring
streak.
Freshman midfielder Kellyn Riley
rounded out the offense for the College
by adding a goal of her own, assisted by
Falcone. Gregory also contributed by
saving a pair of shots.
The No. 3 Lions start in-conference
play this week, heading north to play
Montclair State University on Tuesday
at 7 p.m. The
team will host
Manhattanville College Saturday at
3 p.m.
Devon DeMarco / Photo Editor
page 30 The Signal September 26, 2007
4 6
LIONS
AROUND THE
DORM
5 3
Brandon Lee
“The Ref”
James Queally
A&E Editor
Allison Singer
Sports Editor
Steve Cohen
Correspondent
In this week’s edition of AtD, we debate Donovan McNabb’s comments on African-American quarterbacks, the media’s coverage of baseball
steroid scandals and the driving force behind the women’s soccer team’s success. Arts & entertainment editor James Queally, sports editor
Allison Singer and correspondent Steve Cohen are the contestants and news editor Brandon Lee is the ref.
1) McNabb said in an HBO interview that
African-American quarterbacks are under
more pressure to perform well in the NFL.
What do you think about his comment? Is
it true?
JQ: While I do not agree with McNabb’s
comment that African-American quarterbacks are under more pressure to achieve
in the NFL, I can at least see where he
is coming from. Quarterback has been a
predominantly white position for as long
as I can remember. When you think of
the NFL’s great quarterbacks, you think
of names like Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, Steve Young, Peyton Manning and
Tom Brady: all white guys. In the last
decade, guys like McNabb, Michael Vick
and Steve McNair have emerged as very
talented African-American QBs, but until one of them etches their name in the
history books alongside the Montana’s
and the Manning’s (not Eli) of the world,
they will feel more pressure. However, the
pressure does not come from the league
and its fans. It comes from within, from an
inherent desire to break the racial divide
at the position.
AS: I don’t feel the media or the NFL puts
added pressure on African-American quarterbacks. However, African-American
quarterbacks may put added pressure on
themselves. McNabb’s comments extend
way past football. In sports, in schools
and in the workplace, African-Americans
have said they feel a constant pressure to
perform well in order to break racial stereotypes. If in fact the NFL has discouraged African-Americans from becoming
quarterbacks, as McNabb both said in his
interview and stood behind afterward,
then I can see where he and other AfricanAmerican quarterbacks feel the pressure
comes from.
SC: I do not think this is true by any
means. Quarterbacks in general are under more pressure than most players in
the NFL whether they are black or white.
It depends on the situation that the team
is in. Quarterbacks are the leaders on the
field. If an offensive unit does not perform
well, the first player to be scrutinized is
the quarterback. A perfect example of a
white quarterback under pressure would
be Eli Manning. He is constantly being
criticized and being watched closely by
the media, fans and coaching staff who
are judging him and comparing him to his
brother.
BL: Queally gets 3 points. I agree that
until an African-American QB puts his
AP Photo
name along with Montana and Unitas,
they’ll feel more pressure. 2 points to
Cohen for saying that quarterbacks in
general are scrutinized, regardless of
skin color. Allie, there’s more to it than
just African-Americans putting pressure on themselves — 1 point.
2) Human growth hormone has been taken by or shipped to Rick Ankiel and Troy
Glaus. The media and the fans aren’t making a big deal about it, while Barry Bonds
is still hated by everyone outside of San
Francisco. Why do you think that is?
Photo from Google Images
JQ: Namesake. Come on, in terms of baseball superstardom, who would even mention Ankiel or Glaus in the same breath as
the so-called “home run king”? At the time
Glaus allegedly used steroids, he was rehabbing from a shoulder injury and playing average to mediocre baseball in Arizona. His All-Star game appearances and
World Series ring were already in the past.
I’m surprised that Ankiel hasn’t garnered
more media attention and hatred considering his re-emergence from the minors was
this season’s “feel-good” story. But the
fact of the matter is the steroid allegations
against Bonds have tarnished what many
consider to be the most sacred record in
professional sports. Bonds’ notoriety will
never allow him to escape the media’s eye
and the fans’ eternal ire. Steroids will be
his cross to bear for the rest of his life.
AS: Neither Ankiel nor Glaus are about to
become the new all-time home run leader.
Bonds’ situation was made a big deal by
the media because of his impending success. Though there have been instances
of steroid use in baseball before — and
plenty of them — Bonds was making a
run for the record books. Another reason why Ankiel and Glaus aren’t making
many headlines is because of the precedent Bonds’ case set. We find out he took
steroids and many of us frown upon it, but
it doesn’t change the fact that he holds the
home run record. Bonds’ story makes it
clear that while steroid use is now banned,
players cannot be punished for their actions prior to the year the ban was created.
Ankiel and Glaus were sent shipments of
HGH a year before the ban: case closed.
Many outraged fans are bringing up racial
discrimination on the part of MLB, but I’d
like to think it has much more to do with
Bonds’ success and the precedent he set.
Hopefully I’m not being too naive.
SC: The reason nobody is paying attention
to Glaus and Ankiel is because while they
might be good players and great athletes,
neither of them are the high profile player
that Bonds is. Bonds now holds one of the
biggest records in sports. A record that
was held by the likes of beloved players
like Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, who both
played baseball at a time when performance enhancing drugs either didn’t exist or weren’t associated with sports. For
crying out loud, the Babe broke the record
on beer and hot dogs. Bonds tarnished the
career home run record and his own reputation and that is why he will be remembered as the head of the steroid scandal
more than as the player who owns the career home run record.
BL: All of you mentioned that Glaus
and Ankiel aren’t in the same class as
Bonds. 3 points to Cohen for mentioning old-time heroes in Ruth and Aaron
and that the home run record is one of
the biggest records in sports. Queally
also mentioned that the home run record may be “the most sacred record
in professional sports” and the “feelgood” story of Ankiel — 2 points. Allie,
steroids were banned from baseball in
1991, so he can be punished if it can be
proven he took them — 1 point.
3) The women’s soccer team is currently
5-0. What is it that makes them play so
well? Last year they lost to Wheaton in the
NCAA Division III championship. How far
will they go this year?
JQ: The Lions are 7-0-1 because of their
new offensive formation, which has netted them 33 goals this season while allowing one. They have switched to a 4-3-3
setup, adding an extra attacker, which has
allowed them to keep pressure on their
opponents. They have been scoring early
and often this season, and just like in any
sport, if you can get an early jump on your
opponents, you can keep them off-balance
and out of sync for the rest of the game. In
last week’s game, the Lions were up 3-0
before the half, blitzing the Roadrunners
with a persistent attack and burying them
before they had a chance to get their bearings. If they can keep this pace up, there
is no doubt in my mind that the Lions can
take the New Jersey Athletic Conference
(NJAC) title and find themselves in position for a National Championship again
come the postseason.
AS: Two reasons: a new formation and a
solid core of returned players. The new
formation adds an extra forward which has
consistently opened up a greater number
of scoring opportunities, and the coaches
and players are raving about its success
Photo by Eve Roytshteyn
so far this season. The core of returned
players — which includes senior defender
Courtney Krol and sophomore forward
Briann McDonough, both of whom have
been recognized by the NJAC for their
efforts this season — brings a wealth of
experience to the field. A team bond takes
time to form, but most of these girls have
played together long enough to know each
other’s abilities. The bond will undoubtedly expand to the newer players as the season continues (if it hasn’t already). As for
how far the team will go, I say all the way.
Why not? If they made it to the NCAA Division III championship last year, they can
certainly do it again. Wheaton’s team is
having a strong season as well and looks
like it’s on the fast track to the championship game, but I say the Lions could take
the title this year with their new formation
and experienced players. I’m not going to
shortchange what is indisputably one of
the most successful teams in the division
and on campus.
SC: The Lions are playing this well for
a number of reasons. One of the main
reasons would have to be because of the
great play by the Lions’ defense, as well
as their sophomore goalie Jessica Clarke.
Clarke has only given up one goal in eight
games this season. The College’s defense
has allowed only 23 shots on goal in those
same eight games. I don’t think there is
any stopping these girls this year from
winning the NCAA Division III championship due to their staggering defense and
potent offense, which has outscored opponents 33-2 so far this year.
BL: Allie gets 3 points for mentioning
the new formation and the wealth of
experience on the team. Experience will
be important when the playoffs arrive.
2 points to Queally for mentioning the
switch to a 4-3-3 formation and added
offensive pressure. Cohen mentions the
great wall in Clarke but doesn’t note
the formation change — 1 point.
In a 7-6-5 win, Queally takes his second AtD title of the semester.
Ha, I’m undefeated and
the Mets can’t win a game.
Damn you Mota!
—Queally
page 28 The Signal September 26, 2007
Cross Country
McGrath gets the Main Line gold
By Leeann Weiner
Correspondent
Written by Steve Hofstetter, Adam Hofstetter,
Cody Marley, Ryan Murphy, Elliot Steingart and
Chris Strait
Division III Sul Ross State University suited up
a 59-year-old linebacker and he was still better than
everyone at Notre Dame. How bad is Notre Dame
football? They’ve changed their name from The
Fighting Irish to The Fighting French. Notre Dame
is so bad that on Sunday, they held an emergency
practice and lost.
Tiger Woods will take an extended break to spend
time with his new daughter, who is already a better
golfer than Michelle Wie.
The Phoenix Mercury won their first WNBA
championship by beating both WNBA teams that
haven’t yet folded. In an equally exciting story, I
stubbed my toe earlier.
Major League Baseball hopes to have a blood
test available next season that will catch players using human growth hormone. That sound you hear is
Barry Bonds retiring. Bonds could conceivably pass
the test, assuming it didn’t work on cold-blooded
players.
White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye was spotted
dining with Stevie Wonder and R. Kelly at a posh
Chicago restaurant. Wonder was shocked, since he
assumed that he was dining alone.
And a Florida Marlins season ticket holder was
ejected at a home game for heckling the umpire too
loudly. No word yet on what the Marlins will do to
their other season ticket holder.
National Lampoon Sports Minute (Or So) is a humorous look at the sports world, written by comedians and edited by Sports Illustrated humor columnist
Steve Hofstetter. For more info on the Sports Minute
(Or So), visit minuteorso.com.
On Thursday evening, the cross country team traveled to Haverford College to attend the Main Line Invitational. The meet was not a team scoring event, but it
allowed many individuals to shine.
“This race wasn’t really about getting fast times,” junior Martine McGrath said, “but more about just getting
into the race and getting a good workout.”
McGrath brought home the gold for the women, a
personal collegiate career first. McGrath led the race
from start to finish. Her time for the three-mile race was
18:01.30, and she outran the rest of the field by a gap
of 20 seconds.
Additionally, four of her teammates also finished
in the top 20: junior Angela Tecco finished seventh
in 18:46.80, junior Megan Donovan finished 10th in
18:54.50, senior Erin Enderly finished 18th in 19:70.70
and junior Stephanie Herrick finished 20th in 19:23.20.
“The team is very supportive of each other,” McGrath said. “We are always working together and making sure everyone is improving.”
“It was a small race,” head coach Phil Jennings said,
“but the women have already improved since last week
and they will continue to do so for the rest of the season.”
The men’s team also raced well at Haverford. Junior
Chris Guerriero once found himself at the front of the
four-mile race, ending with an eighth place finish in
20:10.10.
“This team is strong and resilient,” he said. “It’s
great running with a bunch of guys who pull their own.
When you trust your team will be there on race day, you
can focus more and get the job done.”
Other male top finishers for the Lions included senior Anthony Arnold (18th in 20:42.70) and senior cocaptain Galen Johnson (29th in 21:04.90).
Freshman TJ Bocchino made the adjustment between high school and college running look easy, running a time of 21:05.30 and finishing 30th, just behind
Johnson.
“(Bocchino) has proven he’s ready and keeps impressing week after week,” Guerriero said about the
contributions of his new teammate.
With the Mainline Invitational behind them and two
races of experience under their belts, the team will head
to Lehigh University Friday to compete against some of
the best Division I and Division III schools in the nation. The meet will provide a challenge that the Lions
are prepared to face. Coach Jennings said he believes
both the men’s and women’s teams will “fair solidly
against these nationally-ranked schools.”
“There’s still a long season ahead of us,” Guerriero
said, “and all of these races are just preparing us for the
bigger championships at the end of the season where we
always come to play.”
Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk
Junior Martine McGrath placed first in the
Main Line Invitational cross country meet.
Soccer / Lions
Lions trounce competition stay undefeated
Women’s Tennis
By Bobby Olivier
Correspondent
For the third consecutive year, the
College has a Northeast Singles champion roaming the campus.
Sophomore Jackie Shtemberg returned from the International Tennis
Association (ITA) Northeast Regional
tournament on Sunday with her second
Northeast Singles title in two years.
Shtemberg defeated her doubles part-
Devon DeMarco / Photo Editor
Sophomore Jackie Shtemberg
helps lead the undefeated team.
ner, senior Christina Contrafatto, 6-2,
6-2 in the semifinals before defeating
freshman Deborah Barany of Hamilton
College 6-0, 6-1 to successfully defend
her prestigious title.
“(Shtemberg) is very talented and athletic,” head coach Scott Dicheck said.
“She has a good all-around game and
seems to play her best at Regionals.”
Another player from the College,
freshman Amanda Berg, made it to the
semifinals but lost to Barany 7-6 (2), 6-1.
The ITA Northeast Regional tournament at William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y. began on Friday and finished
on Sunday with the College producing
both singles and doubles champs for the
second year in a row.
The doubles champions were the dynamic duo of Shtemberg and Contrafatto.
They defeated another College pair — Berg
and sophomore Stephanie Haar — in the finals to clinch the title 8-5.
“It was the best result in my seven
years as a coach at the College,” Dicheck said when asked what he thought
of the team’s overall performance on the
weekend.
So far this season, the women’s tennis team has been on an absolute tear.
Following the 9-0 shutout of Rutgers
University-Newark that began its New
Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC)
schedule, the College squared off against
Richard Stockton College in Pomona,
N.J., on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
Going into the match, the Ospreys
and Lions were each without a loss on
the season. The Lions clipped the wings
of the Ospreys with little difficulty,
shutting them out 9-0.
In singles matches, Shtemberg defeated junior Christa Phillips 6-0, 60 while Berg took down sophomore
Christy Alexander 6-1, 6-0. Continuing
the trend of dominance, Contrafatto defeated sophomore Kelli Williams 6-1,
6-3, Haar defeated senior Jessica Victor
6-1, 7-6, and sophomore Sarah Roser
defeated junior Shelly Sai 6-4, 6-3.
This victory over Stockton marked
the 118th consecutive win for the College in NJAC matches. This extraordinary streak dates back to the creation of
the conference in 1982.
“I think that the school brings in better and stronger players every year which
definitely helps,” Shtemberg said.
“We remain competitive at all times
and are always practicing hard and trying to get better, and we push each other
to do better,” she continued. “We are going to be more dominant than ever this
year.”
The Lions continued their reign as
NJAC juggernauts, improving their
streak to 119 matches and their 2007
record to 3-0 as they shut out Kean University 9-0 in Union, N.J., on Tuesday,
Sept. 24.
Shtemberg improved to 12-1 in the
fall as she defeated senior Danielle Fardin 6-0, 6-0.
The rest of the team was equally
dominant, winning nine games in six
singles and three doubles matches.
“We hope to win the NJAC and keep
the streak going,” Dicheck said.
Upcoming matches include William
Paterson University and Ramapo College on Oct. 6 and the ITA Nationals
from Oct. 10-14 in Mobile, Ala.
continued from page 32
defender Brittany McGinley got the Lions
on the board with her first goal of her collegiate career.
DiBruno extended the lead in the 51st
minute with a goal and Kunkel followed
up just minutes later by finishing a pass
from Cubicciotti.
Sophomore midfielder Melissa Martin and junior midfielder Nicole Papola
rounded out the Lions scoring with their
first goals of the season.
Montclair’s sophomore forward Natalia
Sisti found the back of the net with just
seven minutes left, ending what would
have been six consecutive Lions shutouts.
It was the first goal allowed by the Lions since their season opener.
Though the team is using its new 4-3-3
formation, which takes away a defensive
player and adds an attacker, the Lions’ defense has not seemed to be affected by the
loss.
“Our defense has been solid with our
core players returning,” head coach Joe
Russo said. “Although there is another
player up front, our new formation is possession-oriented.”
“I think this style of play benefits the
entire team because of our good technical ability,” he continued. “We look to
our midfielders to dictate the flow of the
game and to distribute the ball to the entire team.”
The Lions’ next game will be today
at Rutgers University-Camden at 7 p.m.
Then, the Lions will take on Rutgers University-Newark at home on Saturday at
noon.
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 29
Club Sports
Update
Men’s rugby traveled to Reading, Pa., to take on Albright
College. Albright is the reigning East Penn Rugby Union DII
champion and is ranked No. 7 in the nation. Against a team as
highly touted as this, the College was going to have to play
mistake-free rugby. This was not the case as errors and poor
tackling mounted. In the end, Albright won the game 79-0. The
B-side team played well and nearly eeked out a win, losing
10-5.
Men’s club soccer (1-2-1) played West Chester University
(WCU) and Lafayette College at home on Sept. 16. Sophomores Dan Plaska and Jody Smith each scored a goal in the
Lions’ 2-1 victory over WCU. The Lions’ next game was a 1-1
split with Lafayette. On Saturday, the team suffered a loss to
Rutgers University 2-1 and fell to Princeton University 5-1.
Club tennis (1-0) played its first match of the season
against the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) on Sunday.
The men’s squad won 5-4 after nine hard-fought matches. Because UPenn’s women’s team was unable to attend the match,
the women’s squad won by default. The Lions will host Rutgers University on Sunday at noon.
Club field hockey attended its semi-annual tournament at
the University of Maryland last weekend where it went 1-2
in tournament play. The Lions lost their first game to George
Washington University 0-3 before defeating Lafayette 4-0 in
the second game. Senior Michele Sarnelli scored two goals in
the winning effort, and senior Kristin Mohary and junior Kayley Cassidy each contributed one. Sarnelli and Cassidy netted
one goal apiece in the Lions’ 3-2 loss to the University of Connecticut in the final match of the tournament.
All Club Sports Update information has been submitted by
members of the College’s club teams. To have your club team
featured in next week’s Club Sports Update, e-mail the sports
editor at singer6@tcnj.edu.
Book Review
Comedian’s book is ballin’
By Lauren Kohout
Editor-in-Chief
In his new book, “National Lampoon’s Balls! An
In-Your-Face Look at Sports,” comedian Steve Hofstetter turns the light on a side of sports that people
rarely see.
“I’m a huge sports fan and I feel like there’s always
been something missing,” Hofstetter said. “Most sports
coverage is sports with a little bit of funny – I wanted to
focus on the funny.”
Hofstetter breaks down the origins of sports, throwing in his own satirical spin. In a conversational style,
the book allows its readers to feel more like they are
reading notes on one of Hofstetter’s stand-up acts rather than the 216-page book it is.
Easy to read and hard to put down, “Balls!” comes
full-circle in the world of sports, connecting the various sports through one thing they have in common:
humor.
“(Sports) are supposed to be fun,” Hofstetter said.
“You lose yourself in the game and live vicariously
through the players. If that’s not happening, you should
get out.”
In the book, Hofstetter pokes fun at the founders
of their respective sports and the events that have followed the sports’ beginings in a style all his own.
“This book will actually teach you a bit about
sports, mainly that sports are funny,” Hofstetter writes.
“Where else can a grown man play a children’s game
in a jumpsuit for a million dollars and complain that
he’s not getting paid enough? That’s comedy, no matter
how you slice it.”
Hofstetter teases a few individuals and teams more
than others. His favorite hockey team, the New York
Rangers, suffers one of the worst beatings as Hofstetter
finds ways to incorporate the Rangers’ losing streaks in
most of the chapters of the book.
“The odds that any one of the (original) six teams
(of the NHL) will not win the Cup two seasons in a
row is 5/6 times 5/6 — or 69 percent,” he writes. “So,
all things equal in a six-team league, the odds that the
Rangers would not win a Cup for 25 years are approximately 1 percent. Congratulations, boys — you defied
the odds.”
No one is safe from his jabs at the sports industry,
from WNBA athletes to the stereotypical “super fan.”
Photo from Amazon.com
Steve Hofstetter’s new book sheds light
on the humorous side of sports.
“I appreciate the super fans of my teams, I wonder
what a super fan’s life is like outside the game,” he
writes. “I’d imagine that under that fire helmet, there is
a lonely man just wanting a hug. So feel free to volunteer because I’m not going near that freak.”
Hofstetter mocks the vast majority of sports teams,
players and management and leaves no stone unturned.
Everyone gets a mention, from Barry Bonds to Christopher Columbus.
“There are teams and players who just deserve it
more than others,” Hofstetter said. “I really try to write
it from the perspective of ‘this is what fans think.’”
Hofstetter is working on transforming the book into
a television show, but for now readers will have to indulge in the harsh-but-true humor of “Balls!” and read
his syndicated Sports Minute (or so) while waiting for
his next great moment of comedic prowess.
Lions rattle cages of Ospreys, Red Hawks
Men’s Soccer
By Duncan Slobodzian
Correspondent
The Lions’ 2-1 triumph over Richard
Stockton College on Wednesday, Sept. 19,
came down to the wire.
Senior midfielder Joey McGinley set up
fellow senior midfielder Craig Langan for
the game’s first goal, a header that came at
19:59. The score remained at that 1-0 advantage until 77:42 when a breakaway goal by
the team’s points leader, sophomore forward
Kevin Luber, stretched the lead to 2-0.
The Ospreys fought back, netting a goal
at 82:07. With 28 seconds remaining in the
game, freshman forward Rafael Duarte hit a
header into the net that looked to be Stockton’s second, and tying, goal. Before heading into extra time, however, referees called
offsides on the play and the College emerged
victorious.
The College was in for another challenge
on Saturday against Montclair State University. The Red Hawks came in nationally ranked
and boasting an unblemished record of 7-01, outscoring opponents by a staggering 22-0
through their first eight contests.
After 90 minutes of hard fought soccer,
that mark was a little less than perfect. The
Lions outscored the Red Hawks 2-1 for the
win.
After defeating Montclair, the College’s
overall record stands at 6-1-2, with a 2-0-1 record in New Jersey Athletic Conference play.
Senior goalkeeper Steve Scutellaro played
the entire game and made six saves, including
a couple diving stops in last minutes of the
game to preserve the lead.
Junior forward Tyler Masterson’s goal was
the only tally against Scutellaro on the day. It
came at 51:48 and broke the scoreless tie.
The Lions weren’t about to lie down
though, as they continued their trademark aggressive play and pestered junior goalkeeper
Nick Mele. Luber contributed on both of the
afternoon’s scores, first netting an unassisted
goal at 64:34 to tie the score.
Sophomore defenseman Matt Erny scored
the go-ahead goal at 73:10 on an assist by
former high school teammate Luber. It was
Erny’s first career goal in his two seasons at
the College.
The team scrimmages to
Head coach George Nazario was particu- more aggressive team. We tried to stick to
larly pleased with the way the Lions kept the the principles: knocking the ball around and
ball moving and how aggressive they were keeping possession,” Nazario said.
with attacking the net.
Sticking to those principles
1 was a true team effort. Fresh“For the first 20-25 minutes, Ospreys
2 man midfielder Mike Razzoli,
we did a good job knocking the Lions
ball around and keeping possesLions
2 senior forward Marc Duval and
sion,” he said.
sophomore midfielder Anthony
The scoreboard did not nec- Red Hawks 1 Staropoli joined Luber and Erny
essarily reflect the disparity in possession as Lions who notched a shot on goal.
time since neither team scored in the first
The College finished with 17 shots and
45:00 of play.
five shots on goal.
Nazario said the Lions responded well
“The win gives us confidence heading
to the game’s shift that saw the Red Hawks into another tough game,” Luber said. “We’re
adopt a more offensive mentality.
flying high right now. We knew we were a
“Coming out of the break, they were the quality team and everyone is playing well
together.”
Erny echoed that same sentiment of selfassuredness that came in the wake of the victory. After a quick 4-0 start, and weathering a
couple 2 OT draws, the players have achieved
the cohesion that is so valuable to success in
team sports. For the Lions this year, the best
may be yet to come.
“The win is huge for us because we beat
such a quality opponent. We’re only halfway
through the season, and we can only keep going forward,” Erny said.
Nazario emphasized the Lions’ teamwork
as keying an impressive victory.
“It was a good win against a good team,”
he said. “We’re moving on to the next game
together as a team.”
That next game will be played against
Devon DeMarco / Photo Editor
Rutgers
University-Camden today at 3 p.m.
prepare for this week’s challenges.
at home.
September 26, 2007 The Signal page 31
LIONS ROUNDUP
Field Hockey
## PLAYER
GP G
A
Pts Sh Shot% SOG SOG%
------------------------------------------------------------24 Katie Reuther
6
6
2
14 12 .500 9
.750
14 Ashleigh Pecherski
6
4
0
8
23 .174 16 .696
28 Jessica Falcone
6
2
3
7
9
.222 7
.778
4 Leigh Mitchell
5
2
0
4
10 .200 6
.600
6 Kellyn Riley
6
2
0
4
9
.222 9 1.000
1 Kendra Boyd
5
2
0
4
4
.500 3
.750
13 Jenny Lubin
6
1
2
4
9
.111 5
.556
10 Gabby Cafone
6
1
0
2
11 .091 7
.636
3 Jackie Gelinas
5
0
2
2
3
.000 2
.667
29 Sheri Grondski
6
0
1
1
15 .000 11 .733
19 Kelly Mitchell
6
0
1
1
2
.000 2 1.000
17 Mary Waller
5
0
0
0
5
.000 3
.600
21 Colleen Dougherty
6
0
0
0
1
.000 0
.000
16 Jamie Moir
1
0
0
0
1
.000 1 1.000
2 Leah Geissler
1
0
0
0
1
.000 0
.000
25 Kristen O’Neill
1
0
0
0
0
.000 0
.000
18 Maggie Rarich
1
0
0
0
0
.000 0
.000
Total...............
Opponents...........
6
6
20
8
11
4
51
20
115 .174
41 .195
81
28
.704
.683
Menʼs Soccer
## PLAYER
GP G
A Pts Sh Shot% SOG SOG%
-------------------------------------------------------------4 Kevin Luber
9
5
5
15 21 .238 7
.333
6 Craig Langan
9
4
2
10 19 .211 7
.368
11 Nima Rahimi
9
4
1
9
14 .286 9
.643
20 Charlie Heydt
9
3
2
8
15 .200 5
.333
3 Mike Razzoli
9
3
0
6
21 .143 9
.429
14 Andrew Lampitt
8
2
2
6
7
.286 1
.143
16 Nicholas Kiel
7
2
0
4
7
.286 2
.286
5 Frank Fiorilli
8
1
0
2
3
.333 1
.333
12 Matt Erny
9
1
0
2
2
.500 2 1.000
23 Anthony Staropoli
9
0
2
2
7
.000 2
.286
8 Ryan McMahon
9
0
2
2
5
.000 0
.000
10 Joe McGinley
7
0
1
1
10 .000 2
.200
22 Liam Dillaway
2
0
1
1
3
.000 0
.000
9 Marc Duval
6
0
1
1
1
.000 1 1.000
21 Phill Cunha
8
0
0
0
3
.000 1
.333
15 Adam Dorflinger
5
0
0
0
2
.000 0
.000
7 Jared Talbot
5
0
0
0
1
.000 0
.000
26 Brent Samartino
5
0
0
0
0
.000 0
.000
18 Chris Halbrunner
4
0
0
0
0
.000 0
.000
17 Chris Nelan
4
0
0
0
0
.000 0
.000
Total...............
Opponents...........
9
9
25
10
19
5
69
25
141 .177
92 .109
49
41
.348
.446
Womenʼs Soccer
## PLAYER
GP G
A Pts Sh Shot% SOG SOG%
------------------------------------------------------------12 Briann McDonough
7
5
5 15
23 .217 12 .522
7 Jamie Kunkel
6
6
1 13
23 .261 15 .652
27 Coleen Weber
7
3
0
6
19 .158 6
.316
23 Dana DiBruno
5
2
1
5
16 .125 9
.562
22 Courtney Krol
7
1
3
5
14 .071 7
.500
20 Beth Pagano
7
2
0
4
20 .100 9
.450
6 Allie Schilling
6
2
0
4
10 .200 4
.400
28 Laura Delaney
7
1
1
3
5
.200 3
.600
16 Gina Colati
7
1
0
2
8
.125 3
.375
14 Casey Caruso
7
1
0
2
8
.125 5
.625
15 Melissa Martin
6
1
0
2
7
.143 4
.571
10 Brittany McGinley
7
1
0
2
6
.167 2
.333
9 Nicole Papola
4
1
0
2
2
.500 2 1.000
4 Kristen Cubicciotti
7
0
1
1
10 .000 3
.300
3 Erin Cunliffe
7
0
0
0
12 .000 2
.167
24 Momoko Aoe
6
0
0
0
5
.000 2
.400
11 Kristina Shemming
7
0
0
0
5
.000 2
.400
5 Julianne Delorenzo
7
0
0
0
5
.000 4
.800
31 Casey Riley
2
0
0
0
1
.000 1 1.000
25 Jennifer Olszewski
6
0
0
0
1
.000 1 1.000
18 Kyle Campisi
6
0
0
0
1
.000 0
.000
30 Toni-Anne Cavallo
6
0
0
0
0
.000 0
.000
29 Kelly Feeney
1
0
0
0
0
.000 0
.000
21 Jaclyn Levowsky
2
0
0
0
0
.000 0
.000
19 Lori Adriance
6
0
0
0
0
.000 0
.000
17 Jillian Limone
1
0
0
0
0
.000 0
.000
Total...............
Opponents...........
7
7
27
2
12
1
66
5
201 .134
23 .087
96
14
.478
.609
Lion of
the Week
Jackie
Shtemberg
Womenʼs
Tennis
Sophomore Jackie Shtemberg dominated
the competition this week, taking first in the
International Tennis Association’s Northeast
Singles Championship for the second consecutive year. Shtemberg was also deemed champion
in the doubles bracket along with her partner
senior Christina Contrafatto. Overall, Shtemberg
finished 6-0 in the tournament.
—Kristen Lord, Sports Assistant
This Week In Sports
Football
September 28
vs. Montclair State University, 7 p.m.
Menʼs Soccer
September 26
vs. Rutgers University-Camden, 3 p.m.
September 29
@ Rutgers University-Newark, 7 p.m.
Womenʼs Soccer
September 26
@ Rutgers University-Camden, 7 p.m.
September 29
vs. Rutgers University-Newark, noon
October 1
@ Johns Hopkins University, 4 p.m.
Field Hockey
September 29
vs. Manhattanville College, 3 p.m.
October 2
vs. Rowan University, 7:30 p.m.
Menʼs Tennis
September 28-30
ITA Northeast Regionals
Vassar College, TBA
Cross Country
September 28
@ Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University, 2 p.m.
Game of the Week
Football
The College will
Lions vs. Montclair State be playing under
the lights of Lionsʼ
University
Stadium on Friday,
Sept. 28, 7 p.m.
taking
on
the
Redhawks of No. 24 Montclair State University. MSU
is coming off an impressive victory over No. 7 Wesley
College. The game represents the 75th meeting of the two
teams and the oldest active collegiate football rivalry.